Cars Are Getting Older.....And They're Going To Need Repairs! Which most American's cannot afford.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the next down market in automotive retail is coming. No one knows precisely when – and none of us is certain what will trigger it – but, it is coming. Moreover, given the current market realities, it might be coming a little faster than most of us in the industry imagine. Take, for example, these fast facts:

• The average length of a new car loan in 2014 was 66 months.
• The number of subprime borrowers missing payments is at…

DMDIRECT announces Michael Vahl as Director for Software Design and Technology

Machias Me, December 15, 2014 - Former software designer for ADP joins DMDIRECT.  Michael Vahl has signed on as the technology director for the data mining company.  He is responsible for the platform design as well as adding innovations to the data mining service.  He has assembled a team of…

Use automated marketing and real-time customer flow communication to effectively build loyalty and personalize the relationship between customers and the retail dealership. Automated marketing boosts customers’ conversions and response rates to marketing campaigns by 16%, because automated campaigns are more relevant to each unique customer’s needs. Just by setting up simple campaigns, the dealership can quickly cater to…

If not you could be losing a significant amount of revenue and market share! Dealerships across the country lose hundreds of thousands of dollars a year because they are not operating at their full potential. If you can't honestly answer the above question with a resounding yes, then take…

Maybe it's just me, but it seemed like the Super Bowl ads were a little skimpy this year, and not as creative as years past. Less companies participated, and the ones who did seemed to have either put less thought into their commercials, or are possibly reading their audience incorrectly. I didn't feel particularly inspired to try a new product this year, as opposed to being pushed to think about products in a new light in Super Bowls of yore.

This makes me wonder: was this just an…

5 Popular Aftermarket Accessories and How to Sell Them

If you are in a dealership that has an accessories profit center you already understand the revenue potential. The fact is consumers are constantly looking for ways to personalize everything from their electronic devices like…

What an Apple Store Can Teach Dealerships about Selling Accessories

Apple stores are one of the most successful retail stores in the world. In 2009, when retail sales declined around 2%, Apple’s retail sales rose roughly 7%. According to The Mac Observer, one of their largest growing product segments is accessories...iPad owners…

Would you go on vacation without planning your means of travel, travel route, booking a hotel, identifying points of interest or activities for you and the family, and the starting time as well as the ending date of your trip?  Unless you were free spirited with no cares in the world, and were part of the Brady Bunch Family, this was not you.  As a matter of fact, since you are reading this blog, you are a “Type A” personality that rarely will walk out of your office without a…

Many new car dealers know that something is not right with their service departments or for that matter with their dealership business model as a whole. Customer loss rates are at all time high, "Right To Repair" legislation is seemingly hanging over like a "sword of Damocles" and profits margins are shrinking across the board. I bet in almost every franchised new car dealership, management meetings are being held to discuss how to tackle these challenges and I can imagine the nature of some…