Ever since the first car dealership opened, dealers have understood the emotional impact of “the walkaround.”  As consumers move through the buying cycle, they get to a point where they don’t just want, but need to experience a vehicle that they are interested in.  In the past, most consumers would visit the dealership in the evenings, when the lot was closed to avoid “being…

A recent article on the Huffington Post asked why consumers are still buying GM vehicles despite all of the recent recalls. There’s no question that there are many concerned owners of GM vehicles. According to the article, GM has “issued 44 recalls in…

Today's Daily Tune Up @CarBizToday http://bcove.me/lahzhkit on the effects of being negative around customers.

Uncle Carl, who owned a chain of stores in Indiana, said it best. "Show up to work right on time and set yourself up for mediocrity. Show up 5 minutes early and you create job security; 15 minutes early and you will likely someday be in management; 30 minutes early and you will likely own the company someday."

Uncle Carl's advice is sound. How many times have you shown up early and had people waiting, or witnessed someone pulling in at quitting time, as the rest of the staff…

Every once in a while the old tired debate of whether cell phones cause brain tumors or not arises.  It usually ends with two sides split; one saying they have proof that they do, while the other says they have proof that they don’t. Personally, I can tell you I do not know who is right or wrong in this case.  But one thing I do know is that cell phones do cause severe cases of rudeness.

I cannot believe how many people will stop in the middle of a sale, presentation, meeting…

As a sales and marketing professional, you probably learned a long time ago that the best way to present your products is by using words that paint a picture. Not just any picture, a picture that puts each shopper in the picture; helps them visualize owning your product; and then mentally experience the emotional pleasure that results from that…

Basic text email absolutely stinks for many of the applications we typically use it for in the automotive industry. There, I said it! Do I have your attention now?

There’s a reason I’m saying this and I think you’ll agree after hearing me out. The fact of the matter is, text communication causes fights. When is the last time you sent your wife, girlfriend, husband, or boyfriend a text message that was completely taken out of context? For me it’s daily, sometimes, even…

Designing your sales process to focus more on your customer’s needs and wants and less on you can help you be more successful. It lowers the customer’s natural resistance and can help you sell more and make more profit. There are 10 key ingredients to making this happen.

A Positive Attitude

Much has been written about the importance of maintaining a positive attitude and I will not rehash all of that here. A positive attitude is your armor against…

This article was written by Robin Cunningham and originally published on the NCM Institute Up to Speed blog.

I think it is safe to say that every business operator is planning, forecasting, or at least hoping to increase their sales and profits in whatever business he or she is involved in.

In the retail automobile business, that growth can come in many forms, such as:

• Selling more new or used…

Just what does a 10% increase (in any KPI you choose) really mean to your dealership?

It’s unfortunate that so many members of the automotive industry when approached with a genuine request to be of assistance, are prone to wondering  “ What do you want from me?” or “What are you selling?”  I blame the all too common and frequent hidden agendas that often occur in B2B and B2C interactions.

We already understand that a single loyal…

Keep tuned into my posts as I provide solutions to dramatically increase new vehicle sales to your service customers using your existing DMS and CRM tools with my proven process!

In the meantime, here is some Hump Day motivation honoring the military men and women serving our nation while traveling roads they never anticipated:

The Road I Never Chose

DIY recruiting campaigns can be cumbersome and time consuming, but it can also put a strain on your company image.  There is a growing chasm between company and candidate satisfaction with recruiting…

Happy Fourth of July!

I love the 4th of July and everything it stands for. It is the pinnacle of summer. It’s family, it's friends, and it's fun.

From the celebration of the very first one, our forefathers new the 4th of July would be a date that would be celebrated indefinitely. As a matter of fact, John Adams, in a letter to his wife Abigail, said this about the 4th of July, once the declaration of independence was signed and passed by the continental congress. "I am…

Well its been a long delay in the series but here is the next installation, Working the Deal...

I honestly hesitate to even include this in the series as often it will clash directly with the process that sales managers want to follow when desking deals.  However, the whole point of this series is to address those management teams that actually do hate internet sales and see it as a bottomless h*** of red ink.  If you do fall into a category that this rubs the wrong way, I…

One of the pain points I frequently hear from dealers is how to acquire frontline pre-owned vehicles for their stores. Having an available solid inventory of used vehicles for customers is imperative. Not everyone will be able to (or even want to) buy a new vehicle. To run smoothly and continuously generate revenue, dealers must continuously acquire vehicles. This provides…

How Today's Smartphone Shoppers Are Utilizing Mobile To Satisfy Their Automotive Service Needs.…

This article was written by Mark Shackelford and was originally published on the Up to Speed blog.

Do you find yourself constantly concerned about retaining your employees and trying to hire the right people to take care of your customers?

There has been an awful lot of discussion about this topic and how to become better at your hiring…

Every single day salespeople come to work. They come with a purpose or an…