Despite the pandemic, consumers are still in-market for vehicles. Manufacturers, at one point, were forced to slow production due to local and state regulations. As a result, some dealers have been struggling to maintain a full inventory of vehicles to offer car shoppers. Of course, dealerships cannot control when (or how many) new vehicles they receive from…

As the nation attempts to further reduce emissions, many states have begun initiatives to phase our gas-powered vehicles. At the moment, multiple problems exist if someone were to snap their fingers and make every vehicle electric. On the vehicle and infrastructure side, there is a lack of charging stations and range is limited. While these are increasing…

The retail auto business is stressful for all departments. In normal times, employees work 50+ hours per week simply to keep up with the demand from both customers and management. However, during the current pandemic, all departments are working harder than before to not only make a living but also to keep up with the expectations of their…

Dealerships are having a tough time acquiring used vehicle inventory at competitive prices right now. Due to recent OEM shutdowns, new car models are sparse. And, even with large rebates, incentives, and low interest rates, consumers are being especially careful with their finances in these tumultuous times and are shopping for used vehicles more than ever…

Dealerships are having a tough time acquiring used vehicle inventory at competitive prices right now. Due to recent OEM shutdowns, new car models are sparse. And, even with large rebates, incentives, and low interest rates, consumers are being especially careful with their finances in these tumultuous times and are shopping for used vehicles more than ever…

Top-of-the-line Environmental Protection Product company recruits fixed ops director with 26 years of experience to lead expansion team.

Columbus, OH – October 5, 2020 – ZipDeal, a streamlined, post-sale, pre-F&I vehicle delivery system for automotive dealers, today announced…

Top-of-the-line Environmental Protection Product company recruits fixed ops director with 26 years of experience to lead expansion team.

Columbus, OH – October 5, 2020 – ZipDeal, a streamlined, post-sale, pre-F&I vehicle delivery system for automotive dealers, today announced…

Anyone in retail car sales learned early on that you can’t judge a book by its cover. Most everyone has at least one story in which they did and lost a sale. If you look, many of today’s millionaires don’t dress like millionaires. Just take a look at Mark Zuckerberg who sports a t-shirt and jeans daily. That being said, in today’s digital world, first…

Learn how sales representatives earn up to $3,000/month in extra commissions

Columbus, OH – September 8, 2020 –  ZipDeal, a streamlined, post-sale, pre-F&I vehicle delivery system for automotive dealers, today released a free eBook called “The Auto Dealer’s Guide to a Profitable, Customer-Driven Vehicle Delivery Experience.” The eBook…

When the pace of change in your industry exceeds that of your business, the end is near.

Find yourself desperately trying to hold on to control of the customer and the purchase experience while the world evolves all around you? Join the crowd. The traditional automobile dealer is at a crossroads. A defining moment of truth. The actions…

While some dealerships have done an incredible job of surviving the storm that is the COVID-19 pandemic, in many cases, sales and service have decreased. Customers still want to buy cars and service their vehicles, but a good amount are still in a self-isolation.

As a result, most dealerships have experienced a decline in service revenue at a…

As a dealer, it was always frustrating to spend a ton of money on leads just to see sales-to-lead ratios stuck at 8-10%. Essentially, if I spent $25 per lead from third-party providers and received 100 leads, I would need to recoup over $2500 to make that service worth it. However, that doesn’t always happen. Some dealerships would say, “Hey, we sold two cars…

A great article in CBT News cites that almost half of customers who state they are loyal to the selling dealer go elsewhere to service their vehicle. Only one-third of all vehicle services are performed at automotive dealerships. And we know brand loyalty and…

The average dealer leaves over $250,000 on the table each year for every 100 units sold per month. That’s right, a quarter-million dollars. Surprised? That’s what your dealership sacrifices when you don’t offer Environmental Protection Packages (EPP), also called paint & fabric packages, to 100% of customers 100% of the time. Consider these…

In my last blog, I shared some tips about how dealerships can help protect customers and staff in their service departments during this challenging time. In addition to having the precautions in place, it is important to know how to correctly communicate…

April 8, 2020, Laguna Hills, CA – Recall Masters, Inc., the leading provider of automotive recall data, technology, and communications, today announced the launch of a special COVID-19 Response Kit at no cost for its auto dealer clients. The kit is designed to help improve the handling of service…

The problem of how to increase recall completion rates has been a thorn in the side of both manufacturers and dealers for quite some time. Despite numerous attempts from several sources, a majority of consumers fail to pay attention to any notification because they discard the mailers, discount the severity of the recall or simply don’t have the time needed…

As of Q4 2019, RV wholesale shipments were down nearly 17 percent year-over-year, according to RV Road Signs. The good news is that this decline is expected to ease up and gradually diminish to a decline of 3.9 percent by the end of 2020, thanks to low inflation and an expanding economy.

You can still post strong revenue and meet sales goals…

Consumers are notoriously difficult to reach when it comes to safety, needed repairs and attending to recalls. OEM and dealer methods include everything from phone calls, to text messages and direct mail. However, far too frequently, these notifications end up in the trash and are ignored.

Perhaps there is a new way to communicate with these…

Cash buyers are an important but often overlooked segment of customers who pose a significant risk to auto dealers and manufacturers if left unmanaged. In the first half of 2019, customers who purchased vehicles with cash accounted for 24% of all new vehicle sales. For some luxury brands, cash buyers are even more important since they can represent close to…