Space Auto, the new integrated software and marketing solution for auto dealerships, is excited to announce two new leadership hires, including a veteran of CarOffer. The company is also moving into a larger office space in Dallas to keep pace with its growing team and client base.

 

As Space Auto rapidly expands, it expects to hire at least 15 new employees in the first half of the year.

 

“We are excited to take…

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Car dealerships can now meet their software and marketing needs all in one space. Space Auto is taking the auto industry by storm with its launch of innovative solutions that connect auto dealers with customers, drive sales, and grow their business — all in one unified system.

Space Auto is the brainchild of Nick Askew, who worked for more than seven years in auto dealership retail and then founded a technology agency. Through these…

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Do you need a 300 page website which ranks on Google search for every product that you sell, and makes your phone ring off the hook?

Do you need to be able to edit, change, add products at will, easily?

Are you in a hurry, and not tech savvy, and have a…

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Timonium, MD – March 14th, 2016-- Helion Automotive Technologies, a leading provider of information technology (IT) solutions to auto dealerships, announced that its president, Erik Nachbahr, was recently appointed as a new member of the Automotive Resource Network (ARN) Auto Retail Committee. The committee is charged with delivering auto retail educational programs and in-house customized training to auto…

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Tips for Dealership Sales Success from Expert Trainer Jeff Cowan

 

Have pride in your team. Put effort into your appearance and wear your work shirt or uniform with as much pride as you would your favorite sports teams t-shirt or jersey.  You’re being paid, just like an athlete, to proudly wear your teams’ colors.

 

Enthusiasm is the main ingredient to making a…

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Everything IS Connected: 

The world is changing. Marketing is no longer defined by lip-service promotions. Instead consumers are flocking to the Internet, seeking information about their favorite brands and products. They want the immediacy of networking; they want the ease of web site posts;…

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Written by: Steve Hall

Dealers know you must provide fast, convenient, and competitively-priced service in order to retain your customer base. They also know that oil changes and light maintenance are the most requested service items by customers. Knowing this, why do dealers continually fight express service?

I’ve heard all the excuses: it hurts my hours per repair order; it hurts my gross profit percentage; it hurts my effective labor rate; I can’t make any money in express…

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Written by: Thomas Bear

Realizing the dealer/general manager’s day is full of interruptions, if you could wave a magic wand and create the perfect day, what would you do during this day?

Which activities do you wish you did every day? Which activities are the top ten for you to do every day?  Here’s an exercise we use in our 20 Group meetings from time to time that might be helpful for you to realign your daily priorities.…

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Did you ever perform this calculation for your dealership Service Department? Whenever we do this exercise, either in the field with one of the NCM Retail Operations clients or in the NCM Instituteclassroom, the result always knocks the socks off the dealership management team. Here’s how the math works:…

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Back when I first started desking deals, the “seasoned” salespeople would tell me, “Let’s do this deal; we’ll make up the gross on the next one. It’s easier to get iron than customers.” I believe there was a change in that attitude in 2008. Four years later, Buy-Here-Pay-Here (BHPH) dealers are still facing the challenge of finding enough choice inventory for their business model while maintaining portfolio performance.

In my last BHPH operation we operated a little different than…

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 Is Front Gross $PVR Still a Relevant Metric?

One of our “poster” clients—with super market penetration, great customer retention, strong gross profit production, and excellent net-to-gross retention—doesn’t believe in focusing on front $PVR, at least in his new vehicle department. In fact, his business model is based on $-0- new vehicle “total front gross profit.” But please also understand the following:

• The New…

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Recently, I’ve been busy out in the field doing what I love most—rolling up my sleeves and working on-site with client-dealers, which is something I don’t have much time for in my position as director of the NCM® Institute. Recently, though, I’ve had the opportunity to work with two exceptional dealership groups who are committed to going “from good to great.”   

I know I’ve been remarkably fortunate, over my 25+ years in training and…

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I’m sure you’ve heard this theme over and over: the automotive retail world we work in today is in continual flux, requiring continual adaptation and an unprecedented acceptance of change. At the beginning of each of our NCM Instituteclasses, we ask the attending dealership executives and department managers, “What is your biggest single challenge?” Although it may not quite come out of their mouths this way, the answer we…

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Hello Dealer Elite Members,

 

First of all I am sorry I have not been more active this week. I have been burning the candle at both ends lately and it has been catching up to me. I have also had the opportunity to read several books on retailers who are the gold standard in their industry. One of them is Nordstrom’s and one of them is Apple Computer.

 

I was able to learn a great deal about why both of these retailers have not only a great reputation but also…

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Full Disclosure Menu Selling or Not?



You would think with the magnifying glass on car dealerships around the country today, F&I managers would take heed of the importance placed on full disclosure selling. You would think they would understand why disclosing a base payment, the APR, the term and all buying numbers prior to offering other product options is critically important.





Unfortunately, there is still confusion regarding “full-disclosure” menu… Continue