Good Morning to all.  

           Imagine, just for a moment, you and each of your representatives were able to save one deal a day.  How much easier would each month, quarter and year be?   How much less scrambling at the end of the month might there be? Scrambling means shortcutting, less follow up and cherry picking.  So to “BDC or not to BDC” seems to be the question…

Objections should be embraced, welcomed, cherished, tolerated, tackled ,…

Not avoided, ignored, threatened, discouraged, or disgusted by…

After all an “Objection” is not at all complete “Rejection”

If I were to ask the woman of my dreams out I would much rather deal with an objection,

I’m…

   Ever notice that the one thing that every sales trainer has in common is that they all speak of the importance of attitude. Attitude is the most important asset that a person can possibly have. I have seen my own personal attitude close deals and I have seen it lose deals. Even when a deal is lost, your attitude toward the whole experience is what determines how your next transaction ends.

    Think about it. Charles Swindol, Dale Carnegie, Tom Hokins, Grant…

We all have one week of work before 2011 becomes a collection of files to be stored away.  Sure, we'll go back and get some things for this years taxes.  Perhaps even take a look at some trends that occurred during the year.  But what are the things that will make 2012 a better year for you?  Chances are, there will be talk of improvement, higher numbers, better grosses, and maybe even a reduction in expenses.  But, it will all fade before the Christmas decorations are taken down.

In…

10)  TRUEChair to promote fair pricing for furniture

 9)  TRUECarat to assist in jewelry purchases

 8)  TRUECrib keeping real estate on the up-n-up

 7)  TRUECat either for pet-stores or brothels

 6)  TRUECarriage fair transportation pricing in Amish communities (cost to dealers is 1 goat)

 5)  TRUECall equal phone service for all

 4)  TRUECow (do you know the "actual" cost of a gallon of milk or pound of beef?)

 3)  TRUECustomer (buyers aren't…

As the TrueCar debate rages on, one thing is certain: there is going to be increased scrutiny on auto sales practices by a number of state regulatory agencies. While TrueCar has a number of challenges to overcome and may be forced to alter their business model, the real concern is how these legal issues may affect dealers. Several state authorities have indicated that they will hold dealers responsible for any violations. It’s important that dealers are aware of these issues and protect…

Social Media Facebook Tip #104~Spread the Holiday Cheer!

The holidays are the perfect time to make contact with business friends and clients via social networking. Make sure to post a ‘Merry Christmas’ or ‘Happy Holidays’ note on your Facebook business page. Utilize the “use Facebook as page” feature [found under the dropdown arrow at top right where you can select 'log out'] to write under your business name on other Facebook business page walls.

If you are friends with…

http://stansher.com/

http://dealeretraining.com/

http://www.linkedin.com/in/stansher83

I did not want to spam anyone and sending out messages to each and every one of you would take years because I just have something special to say to each…

I've written multiple pieces on how to properly set up and maintain your Google Places listing and account, but haven't touched on the mistakes you could be making, hurting your car dealership online marketing strategy.

Here are the places where you could really screw up your listing if you aren't careful:

Don't use a post office box. Even if this is where you get mail, make sure you use the actual address of your…

“What’s done in the darkness will always come to light.” Many fallen political figures, celebrities, and athletes have had this adage stamped on their careers…as well as yours. It’s what you are doing in the darkness that is hindering your sales career. The difference between meeting your draw and exceeding your wildest expectations is what you are doing in the…

At the Sonic Dealer Academy we used an article titled, “Simple Techniques to Grow Your Business,” as a teaching tool. This article was authored by Duane “D.J.” Sprague who, at the time, was the president of Dunning Sprague Marketing & Advertising, a full service agency specializing in generating and retaining customers for the retail automotive dealer. All of us that were exposed to D.J.’s metrics took them at face value. I think many of them, particularly those listed below, still apply…

Have you been able to quantify how much Autotrader, Cars.com, or other third party classified websites contribute to your dealership's ability to sell more cars?  

Have you questioned the importance of alternative classified websites like Craigslist or Ebay?…

Those of us who have been around the retail automobile industry will sooner or later find a customer that says your product, store or staff sucks. This usually happens when a salesperson is working the service area and runs into that customer. You know the one who can't wait to unload all his problems on you.

Oddly enough, this person is as good of a prospect as…

What’s rational about buying? NOTHING. In sales, we work in a world full of irrational behavior. Think about some of the "rational, logical" reasons why customers decide to trade in their vehicle.  Maybe they trade because of the newest, popular color; or, while waiting for an oil change, a shopper falls in love with the looks of that chromed out Jeep with the…

http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite?blobcol=urldata&blobheader=application/pdf&blobkey=id&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobwhere=1251759218613&ssbinary=true  

An AskPatty Christmas Tale...



'Twas the night before Christmas, and at the North Pole

Old Santa was pacing a path through the snow

On his rosy cheeks he now wore a frown;

His new fancy sleigh had just broken…

    It is my belief that the single thing that seperates the Sales Professional from the Ameture. In order to achieve true success in sales of any form, most especially the automotive industry, waiting around for someone to pull up will not prove to be anything other than mentally draining and stressful. The truth is that people are still buying and trading cars. Not everyone is out of work, and not everyone is broke.

          People complain about competition, but arent…

We have had our share of drug addicted employees over the last year. Many were productive salespeople and kept their problems from being our problems, except when they didn’t. That is when we reviewed our policy, fine tuned it and began testing all new hires, anyone suspected of drug use and anyone involved in any kind of accident or mishap.

It is my observation that our industry either attracts people with addictive personalities or drives more people to use illicit drugs. Might it…