The report below first appeared yesterday on LinkedIn as a market update report posted by Rapid Recon, from an interview with preowned performance improvement consultant Ed French to address midsummer market perspectives. Ed is president and principal consultant of AutoProfit, and he is also a member of the Board of Directors for used car retailers TruWorth Auto in the Indianapolis, Indiana, area.   

The market's adjusting, for reasons of affordability, which…

In a time where the whole world is living one day to the next, we’re inspired by the strength and resilience that automotive has shown through these past critical weeks. 

Influencers like …

“Our lives move in the direction of our strongest thoughts.” – Craig Groeschel, Senior Pastor of Life Church & Bestselling Author

We all have our own beliefs, some of which tend to be universal. Such as the above statement from Craig Groeschel, which, in my opinion, is simply too powerful…

As dealers face mounting pressure to exceed sales and service quotas for the year, the ability to find new customers is key to reaching goals. But conquesting is never easy, primarily because you have to rely on third-party data instead of the first-party customer data in your DMS.

Partnering with the right marketing vendor is the first step.…

After an unprecedented period of sales volume growth, the prediction for a flat Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) in the coming years has significant implications for dealerships. As competition for new vehicles heats up, front-end margins will continue to decline, forcing more dealers to focus on back end profitability.…

By Dennis McGinn from AutoSuccess

​Lots of folks suit up to look the part. Unless the general manager of your dealership looks the part and plays that role hard, though, with passion and an enduring commitment to excellence, your dealership will not be great.

GMs fill big shoes. They cover a lot of acreage in their…

While many companies have entered the retail automotive space trying to capitalize on the experience customers want but are not getting from dealers, the biggest threat is actually looming on the horizon: The Tesla Model 3.

Until now, Tesla has bucked the system while pushing its direct-to-consumer sales model. However, their past vehicles were limited in…

Chalk this up as a win! YouTube TV has finally been released. It's something you may have heard about for a while, and now you can see it in action in California, New York, and Philly. But why is it so important for your dealership? Your YouTube ads will play on TV! 

Interesting, right?

Watch this episode of Hard Facts for more info.…

So many times business owners focus on the conversion or lead factor of their analytics. While this provides some insight into how successful your marketing campaign in, there's one crucial piece that you should be looking at.

Watch this week's Think Tank Tuesday to figure out what you've been missing in your analytics.…

Has your blog reached its greatest potential? 

Your blog can boost traffic to your website, create demand for your products and services, and position your business as a credible resource for information. If you’re not utilizing your blog properly, you’re missing out on awesome opportunities!

Watch this week’s Hard Facts to learn about some things you should know before hitting the publish button on your…

Good ideas always start with a bad one. Come to a meeting with an overflow of ideas and you're bound to find a good one out of the batch!

Watch this week's #ThinkTankTuesday to learn how you can improve your brainstorming meetings, marketing strategy ideas, and teamwork. Plus, Dan brought his dog.…

We talk a lot about how you can merchandise or present your product to get your customers to purchase. But what we really need to focus on is making sure that our digital customers receive a traditional experience.

What do we mean? Watch this week’s Hard Facts as Samantha explains why the digital buying experience needs to be so much more than what it currently is.…

Business owners and marketers alike have long been set in the idea that in order to make money you must spend money. While this is inherently true, the amount spent and on what mediums, can drastically vary. Since 2009, before the height of social media and paid digital advertising, I have been focused on finding alternative strategies for my clients and my own companies, instead of opting for the expensive clutter-filled traditional mediums like print and radio.

While…

Quick question -- do you think that advertising has changed in the last 5 years? 

On this week's Think Tank Tuesday, I talk about the path of a customer and how that can affect your marketing strategy. Watch it now and join the conversation.

Also, take a moment and register for Part 1 of our 3-part mini series by clicking here. You'll learn…

Influencer marketing. It’s an affordable way to get your brand name out there and increase your sales. But where do you start?

In order to add influencer marketing to your strategy or campaign, you have to iron out the details. In this week’s Hard Facts episode, Samantha reveals what you need to do before you take on key leaders that will promote your brand message.

Watch the video to learn more!…

Based on our research, the average Internet Manager, Inventory Manager, Sales Manager, GSM, and or GM spend an hour a day checking out the competition. Sure, an hour a day doesn’t seem to be too long when it comes to understanding the current market place, but what if you have 3 sales managers, 1 Internet Manager, 1 inventory manager, 1 GSM, and 1 GM, you can see the amount of time that is spent each day adds up.

Also, you must consider the amount of information you can truly find by…

PALO ALTO, CA, January 19, 2017 – Rapid Recon, the undisputed leader in Time-to-Market Workflow™ software and reconditioning center transformation, will reveal its powerful reconditioning management tool, Group Reporting, at NADA ’17 in New Orleans next week. 

Group reporting compiles and indexes in graphical…

Consumers are constantly flooded with messages everywhere they go, from billboards to direct mail, to websites, banner ads and email. Most of these messages are disregarded, ignored or, even worse, never seen, because, for the most part, the message itself is not relevant.

So, along came retargeting, which can continue to follow the customer around the…

What are you doing on Facebook to provide value?

By creating a Facebook group, you'll be able to nurture the database that you already have, as well as increase the audience for your business.  Your new Facebook group will give you the opportunity to get feedback on products or services, engage with customers, and build top-of-mind awareness.…