Even if you don’t believe, as I do, that high sales staff turnover is the number one issue facing the auto industry today; we certainly can agree it is right at the top of the list. There is not one positive thing that happens at our dealerships as a result of high turnover, and the benefits of low sales turnover are so obvious that I don’t need to list them.

High sales turnover has completely undermined training efforts. It creates the mental attitude amongst many managers…

If you look close enough to this picture:

you will see my name “SANSONE” etched into my new Cutco Cutlery set. What’s amazing to me is that I didn’t think I needed a new set of knives, I certainly didn’t have any difficulty cutting my last steak.

So why do I own them ???? Because Cutco is smart enough…

Follow these 4 steps to transform your dealership from a dreary snow covered lot into a winter wonderland.

1. Off Work and Online:

With tons of people staying at home this is the…

As reported by Automotive News, Audi has begun integrating iPads into their franchise dealer’s sales force. With their iPad tablets, which they’ve named, Sales Assist, they believe that young consumers will feel more comfortable as they use technology which “lets…

In my last post about making the internet department good for gross, not just volume I talked about having the right people in the Internet Sales department.  The most important part of that was this (you will see this again too!)...

The internet salesperson should be an experienced salesperson, who can quickly and easily function as the salesperson, finance manager, and sales manager.  They need to be able to quickly answer any question, and overcome objections with…

I'm sure pretty much everyone will agree that the hardest part of running any department, is having the right people.  Whether you're in car sales or managing a McDonalds or a bowling alley, having the right people working for you is the most important part of the three P's (Product, People, Process).

With Internet sales I've seen its all to often the make or break difference.  The biggest mistake that can be made is having the wrong person responding to leads.  The most common…

Having just finished a morning plyometric workout (and still "huffing and puffing" like an old steam engine), I sat down at my console where an AUTOMOTIVE NEWS alert was waiting for me.  I clicked away and found an article titled, "The Sales Game Has Changed..."

This article has multiple…

Babies aren’t taught how to cry, walk, or dance. When they are wet, hungry, or don’t feel well, they cry. In a declaration for more independence, toddlers will use coffee tables, sofas, and pant legs, to pull up and push off toward new territories and when they hear the rhythmic beat of music, babies dance by bending, bobbing, and…

After 20 years in this industry it's amazing how in some areas, namely sales management,  so little has changed when it comes to the manager/salesperson relationship. If you've ever said: it's hard to find good people. or... My people suck. THIS IS FOR YOU!

Disclaimer: If the below info doesn't pertain to you, don't be offended. If you leave a pissed off comment, it's likely that I'm speaking directly to you so grab a mirror after you complain about the…

2013 GMC 2500 Denali. $45,000. Below Blue Book!!!! Why you ask? This truck may be more loaded than an Irishman in a whiskey-drinking contest, but it is no Sunday driver. It is a ¾ ton, 4-wheel drive, luxury work horse and it was cast from smelted bullet casings and stealth fighters by God’s own iron fist to be rode hard and put away wet. It may have a couple of scratches on…

I hate internet sales!

My internet department s_ _ks!

Internet is all give-aways!

Internet salesmen are order-takers, not salesmen!

The internet department is just for volume.

 

How many of us have had to deal with Sales Mangers, GSMs, GMs and Owners who say this regarding the internet department in our store?  I've been…

I love going out to dinner when the wait staff remembers me and greets me like a friend.  The looks on my guest’s faces are priceless!!!  Everywhere I go; it seems the red carpet is waiting on my arrival.   Even my friends are eager to join me because via association they too get special treatment.  So, how did I earn my VIP status?  It was easy.  I just started treating each person I…

Here is a simple way to make more every month. 

It's called the "6 Steps to Happy Bank Deposits" and it goes like this.

1st, write down what you make per month…

This years NADA was definitely one for the books. Taking place in one of the best cities in America, New Orleans, LA. The times to be had were extremely fun and the information we gathered on the auto industry was insightfully eye opening.

The convention center was like a massive maze of everything auto with our friends being scattered…