The article indicates Acura is to roll out a sub $30,000 sport sedan.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-12/honda-wants-new-acura-ilx-to-help-keep-gen-y-out-of-lexus-bmw.html

So the sky is falling – What lands on your head is up to you.

The economic realities of today are brutal and greatly affect the service and repair industry.  When you’re out of work or underemployed, you may simply not have the cash to perform needed maintenance and repairs.  Those of us fortunate enough to…

Customers never buy things based on price alone........

If you don't believe me take a look at Starbucks or Apple computer. What dealerships need to realize is customers can buy vehicles anywhere and most brands have great product lines as well. The question is what are you doing to attract new customers and maintain your existing customers by creating an amazing customer experience. Think about your local high end hotel, that dry cleaner or grocery store that…

I received this email about eight hours ago from an employee of DealerTrack.  They asked me that I kept it discreet so I will not be mentioning who it was that sent this to me.  It is amazing that DealerTrack's own employees have certain opinions about DealerTrack selling ALG to TrueCar.  Does it mean that DealerTrack's own employees are against this deal too?  I know that I myself could not work for a company that would allow something like this (no matter how much money I was getting…

We are developing a sales process for Truecar customers and thought we'd share it with the community.…

I have been reading about truecar over the last week or so. There have been strong opinions on each side of the issue. The reality is truecar is here for now and probably will not be going away for quite some time. I don't have time to wait. I need to sell cars right now.

Question: A sales call comes in and the customer says they have a truecar certificate to a dealer that is 50 miles away. Then the question from the customer is "will you honor the truecar price?"

How would you…

When computers first started making their way in the 80's, I abolished it, including my college days during floppy discs. Then came "The Worldwide Web' Still in retail mid-20's and still the youngest selling Bick/Isuzu as NCM, still blown off. I moved all the Buicks to the back & drove all the Rodeo's & Trooper's up to the front....guess what? That's right, it worked...what a miracle. Tired of being tapped on the head like a little boy, I left! I did govt. work, counted beans, all…

Here's the second in an ongoing series of weekly social media tips:



Social Media Tip #102~ Be Real.



Your Facebook fans have 'liked' your page voluntarily - and they can just as voluntarily 'unlike' your page if you do not maintain a positive, interesting, engaging presence. One very simple yet effective way of retaining fans is to just be yourself.

Here's how: ask yourself, 'What would I like to read about, look at, get involved in, if I were a fan viewing my page?'…

Facebook is free to join and build a page, but it's definitely not free to use effectively. Time is money. Advertising is money. This infographic by our partners at Column Five Media for Flowtown breaks down the true costs of Facebook marketing. Click to enlarge.…

Often customers that bring a vehicle in for service purchased it somewhere else at another dealership. There are many causes for this however let's look at this example in more detail. First understand the purchase has already been made and will not be up for discussion. You cannot change the past. That being said there is nothing to gain for your service department to show this customer anything but your best. With a positive service visit it is likely when deciding to purchase their next…

You know the old saying, "throw everything up against the wall and see what sticks?" I probably don't need to tell you this, but that shouldn't really be your mantra when it comes to creating an automotive marketing campaign.

Still, and…

So I was searching on True Car for a model in my area and look at the pricing data.

So correct me if I am wrong.

True Car grabs pricing data based on transactions. These transaction prices are based on SOLD vehicles. After I added the Seven Cars in the example for the highs and lows, the "Good Price" does average out close to $37,794. …

Sucker Punch

When I arrived in Atlanta in 1982 with my mattresses tied to the roof of my 'buy here- pay here car', you might say I was 'street tough' and 'world wise'... certainly not the warm and fuzzy, cuddly, kinder gentler Ziegler you've all grown to know and love. I used to say we couldn't have a class reunion till all of my friends got out of…

CarChat24 will provide hosted Free Advanced Auto Dealer Chat Software for (“All Car Dealer’s NEW or Used”) after final Beta testing. Expected release in late January to early February. Hosted Advanced Chat software designed for Car Dealers FREE!

Anyone interested in this always free version should go to the appropriate URL below to register. Once we launch we will send…

Making the decision to have auto dealer chat on your website is considered by many successful dealers to be a great one. It enables you to interact with your website traffic and get a feel for what your customers are looking for. It isn’t enough to just have the software on your website, however. In order to generate high quality car sales leads, you have to know how to use auto dealer chat.

 

First and foremost you have got to have a website. This seems…

Jim,

I couldn't agree more!!! The business model True Car,Zag and others like them operate under is flawed because the only person that truly wins is them.

Does the customer win?... No because the dealers have to post a price hundreds, if not thousands below what we pay for the car to get the consumer and then we either have to eat that loss or figure out a creative way to get back to profitability. In my opinion not the smooth customer experience they…

For many years consumers have been complaining about the buying experience at the local dealership and have often compared the experience to pulling teeth without the benefit of a painkiller. However, in the post internet era where easy access to information has changed the way that vehicles are bought and sold, consumers have expanded the radius for what they consider their local dealership to include those within the length of time they are willing to travel to avoid the hassle and to get…

Recently I saw a customer come into the dealership for service. This person was traveling to deliver dogs around the country in his diesel pickup truck. The trailer had 22 dogs on it as he pulled in for service because the engine was running rough and he could not continue. The time of this visit was around three in the afternoon. My truck is running poorly and I need help. The manager stated well at this time he would not get going today but he would have some idea of diagnosis. He…

Good morning,

I have another article I wanted to share today. It’s all about making sure your customers are coming back to your dealership after the initial sale. Oftentimes, customers will make a purchase, and you won’t see them again for a while, if not ever again.