From the home office in Barrow, Alaska... The Top 10 New Ventures for James A. Ziegler after leaving Dealer Magazine: 

10) Alpha Dawg is joining forces with Grinder Carbucks as tag-team wrestling partners

9) Start shredding new Dealer Magazine publications and selling as hamster cage bedding

8) Co-author a book on humility…

(as featured on the CarChat24 Blog today)

If you’re anything like me, you know the wonderfulness that comes with a weekend. Now, of course some dealerships are open on Sundays, but in some states (Hi, New Jersey!) it is illegal for car dealers to be open. Or, at least the car lot. Thankfully, there isn’t a restriction on websites being open, yet. It’s…

Preface -

After almost a couple of years of working with a leading internet marketing vendor and working the speaking circuit Volker Jaeckel (aka “@VJnator”) returns to the dealership world as an Internet Sales Director. “Here is my story of rejoining the store and the steps I took that made my website the best performing in my group and achieved “#1 CPO Dealer in the state” status six months in a row. Let me share how I believe a new Internet Manager can quickly…

1) Keep It Short.  People don't watch commercials, they Watch Shows and Put Up With Commercials.  And the Internet did NOT improve their patience!

2) Make It Fun to Watch and Share.  Entertainment is the largest video audience, NOT…

While enjoying the warmer weather with my buddies this weekend, I made a new car enthusiast friend out of a complete stranger.  The conversation got started when he asked me if I had ever heard of the Nissan GTR.  I looked at him and exclaimed, “Of course!  I have a near meltdown every time I see one.”  We both go on and on about where we…

I want to talk about honesty among those of us in the profession.  Before you get all hot and bothered, I'm not referring to how you do your business.  We all know that the vast majority of auto people conduct their business with honesty and integrity.  Those who don't aren't going to change because I wrote an article calling them out.  This is about internal honesty.

As a sales trainer, my concern and goal is to leave every client,…

CRM: “Customized Relationship Marketing” or “Continually Representing Me”. Michael Tyman of Professional Success, Inc. shares his views.

The CRM is a “customer relationship management” tool that works as a large repository of customer information, but it can be so much more powerful if you unlock its true potential. To…

What do you do when you have a customer in the showroom, you’ve done the presentation and the test drive and got some degree of commitment from them, then they turn around and tell you that they “just need to go and see the Audi first, to put it out of my mind”?

It’s a tricky one – because…

This week, two American luxury brands, Lincoln and Cadillac, began rolling out facility redesign initiatives, at significant expense for their dealers.

The question is, do facility redesigns help dealers sell more vehicles?

Ford Motor Co. began talking to its Lincoln dealers last year about the investment they would have to make in their stores if they wanted to continue selling Lincolns. A meeting last week in Detroit with approximately 120 Lincoln dealers…

Sales letters are important tools for effective interactive marketing, lead generation and sales opportunities.  Often, the first impression made upon a customer is from a sales letter.  Selling is like dating.  Imagine you are on a first date, would you present your best one-size-fits-all-everyone-is-the-same-generalize-for-the-masses romance package?  The only impression you would leave on that date…

Since we are in the automotive business, it makes sense to take a look at Grant Cardone's new show, Turnaround King. In case you missed it, Grant and his team entered Gold's Gym in NJ and Straub Buick GMC in his first two episodes.

What…

Don’t look back. Stop living in the past. The human body doesn’t have a rearview mirror, for a reason.  Capture the moment, it’s the selling season, 2011. Business is happening.  Are you pulling out all stops? People are out buying vehicles. This next 6 months, is going to be awesome. Are you closed?  Do you have a 90 day business plan? Are you putting…

Hello Everyone!

Well after trying various employment for about a year and a half, I found my way back to Kelly Ford in Melbourne Florida.

I have been in the auto industry for about 11 years and did very well for many years.

Having been employed there in 2001 and seeing an add on on a job site recently, I can best describe the feeling of

being re-employed at Kelly as "coming home".

Many dealerships speak of integrity, but Kelly Ford walks the…

Modesty is over-rated. 

It's okay to stand in front of the mirror or your peers and proclaim that you're going for sales person of the month.  It's okay to claim to achieve the highest gross in the coming month.  Simply put, it's okay to choose the prize.  Actually, it's better than okay.  It's essential.

Choosing the prize means you understand what it takes to get there.  Deciding on excellence and the benefits that come with such an achievement causes one to understand the…

Take on your biggest challenge. No matter what that is, take it on, now. Do not put it off another minute. Why? The reward will be more then you can ever imagine. After you have overcome this challenge, everything will become easier. You will be able to deal with anything and everything life will throw at YOU. You are now positioned, to give more, to try harder, take on more…

This day is where Father’s proclaim their day,

and Dad’s have their say.

Dad by its pure definition,

is the informal meaning of Father.

Oh I get it, informal means not official or ceremonial,

I choose to be a Dad- a father why bother.

There are no ground rules, no real definitions a Dad has to go by,

no rulebook…

...Okay. Two easy steps.

Ready for this one? Get a pen, I'll wait.....

.....

...

..

.

.

.

Step One:

SET THE GOAL.

Step Two:

GET STARTED. NOW.…

Everyone in the dealership, should understand turning cash quickly, is very important!! This, in my professional opinion, is extremely important to all dealerships. Everyone can take responsibility. The quicker the cash is in, the easier it is to run these money eating businesses.

Some helpful tips:

1. Contracts:

   What…

I am not qualified to write on this subject of leadership, but my heart is. Everybody has an idea of what leadership means to him or her personally. Leadership to me is simply this: stoop first, then lead. How can you lead someone from something if you don't feel it first? Do you know what it is like to lose a child; stoop and imagine your own child never again…