Loyalty is a fickle thing. While your customer has consistently serviced their vehicle with you, when they get that $19.95 oil change coupon from your competition, will it go in the trash, or will they choose to take advantage of it and defect to the competition?

Most consumers love sales and discounts. In fact, the whole reason negotiation exists in…

The first thing most people do when meeting someone new is to introduce themselves. This first meeting can quite easily dictate the future outcome of the relationship. If you come off as insincere or indifferent, the other party will probably not engage you again. However, greet someone with genuine interest and sincerity and you just…

On this week’s Think Tank Tuesday, my team and I visited Ryan Norris on a production trip to Toyota of Easley.  In that experience, I got Ryan’s interpretation on what makes a brand…and it’s more than just a logo or a jingle. …

I have great news. You don’t have to be a genius to change the game, and you don’t have to be a World Series winning champion either. But you do have to be willing to disrupt and question the current rules, players, and equipment used in the game. You also have to be capable of placing YOUR right players…

In a recent interview with Automotive News, Masahiro Moro, head of Mazda North American Operations, detailed Mazda’s plan to increase customer loyalty for both the OEM and its dealers. While his plan mostly revolves around vehicle quality and diversity, as…

You have to be everywhere, but how do you maintain everything? Making sure your Yelp, Yellowpages, Facebook, Twitter, Super Pages, and YouTube are all up to date with your correct phone number, address, dealership name, and other important details can become an overwhelming task. Samantha will cover some tips to be everywhere.

If you want a copy of the Quick Tips Sheet, then email HardFacts@ppadv.com…

The people who work at Potratz have shaped us into the brand awareness and engagement agency that we are today.

Potratz is comprised of multiple companies that all work together to form one brand. In this week’s Think Tank Tuesday, I introduce you to the people that Potratz is comprised of and give you one important tip that you should be…

What is it that each and every customer wants, actually needs, from us? And no...it's not $500 below invoice!

Since the dominant buying motives differ from customer to customer, what could the common need be? It's this:

Two of the most basic of all human needs are to be valued and understood.

It's what our spouses want when they…

I want to take a couple of minutes to discuss with you the phenomenon affectionately known as "The 90 Day Wonder". For those of us unfamiliar with this phenomenon, let me 'splain it to you.

The 90 day wonder is the sales associate, brand new to the business, who starts out like gang-busters. Who, for the first couple of months, lead the field. Then,…

Have you ever had a salesperson tell you they’re having trouble asking for the sale between the demo and the write up? If you’re a salesperson, is this problem one you’re familiar with?

First let me reassure you that this is a common challenge for car salespeople today and a fairly simple one to remedy. This challenge is due in no small part to the fact that the way…

Ever since reviews have risen in popularity, dealerships have mostly focused on written reviews -- they were the most prominent in search engine results and on third party sites.

This worked pretty well for a while. However, with the rise in the importance of reviews, some companies chose to act unscrupulously and falsely boosted their reputation by posting…

Why are Instant Articles beneficial? Facebook provides a guide to Instant Article configuration so that you can use their content management system.



• Instant Articles are 10x faster than traditional mobile web articles

• They’re read 20% more often 

• Clients are 70% less likely to leave the article once they’re there.



Watch this week's Hard Facts now for more info!…

When I talk to dealers that are disappointed with their email and direct mail marketing results, my biggest question is this:

Why would you send out an email offer to your customers that you would not PAY to send out via direct mail or other methods?

I see it happen all the time. A dealer sends out an email for something such…

Getting your customer’s attention and engaging with them can be a tough task these days. There is so much competition from other marketers -- customers are constantly barraged with messages from every side and in every way.

Social media reach has decreased, digital marketing is ever more challenging and direct mail sometimes goes straight into the trash. This…

DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENTS: MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION

As the recession loosens its tight grip on our economy and businesses, vehicle sales have begun to steadily climb nationwide.  As a result, a very important decision is looming for auto dealers.  Many of the customers that are purchasing today are doing so for the first time in several years. As…

The average U.S. household now belongs to more than 18 loyalty programs, for a total of more than 2 billion memberships. That’s an awful lot of loyal customers. But, all these programs and cards can have an unintended effect: customer loyalty fatigue.

Most consumers do still participate in their ‘favorite’ loyalty programs, and for many businesses, it’s a…

Will new opportunities set you apart from the competition or will they be a distraction? In order for you to stay relevant and grow in your industry, you can't remain stagnant.

In this week’s Think Tank Tuesday, I tell a personal story about a serial entrepreneur that you might want to hear. Watch now for more info.

Comment below for future Think Tank Tuesday ideas!…

One of the largest pain points with recalls is completion percentages. In many cases, it’s not by any fault of the manufacturer or dealer that the recall repair compliance percentages are low.

Recall repairs can be hindered by parts availability, procrastinating or apathetic owners, or owners who simply aren’t aware that their vehicle needs…