As a salesperson, there are a thousand different theories on how to talk with your customers to help them find the right vehicle. Entire books have been written on the subject, but the overwhelming majority say that the most important task is to know your customer. And the best advice I’ve heard on this task–learning about people I’ve met for the first time–comes from the classic sci-fi series Babylon 5. Confused yet?…

Robert Cialdini is a social scientist who wrote the book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. In the book, Cialdini describes six different influences that get people to say “yes.” In this article, I would like to review those six influences and how that relates to selling vehicles, and add one more form of influence that will assist you in getting your customer to say “yes!”

Reciprocation — Human nature creates an urge to pay back debts. These debts can be in the…

April 1, 2014

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Happy April Fools Day! No joke, but I've found a few "freebies" you'll want to take advantage of right here on DeallerELITE. Who doesn't like free stuff?…

A new benchmark report published last month by RSR Research, provides some interesting information about retailers and the shifts in focus and importance from 2012 to 2013.

According to the study, 61 percent of retailers feel customer retention has become more difficult, and…

 “Work harder.”

“Work more hours.”

“Put your nose to the grindstone.”

“You have to pay your dues.”

“Climb the ladder of success.”

Do all of these sayings sound familiar? These common phrases often espouse ideas that become anchored as limiting beliefs in your brain. Here’s the shocking news; these phrases often put into motion a cycle of struggle and failure. These common teachings may have kept you from having the kind of success you desire. The…

In an interesting piece posted on the Automotive News website over the weekend, Diana T. Kurylko details how manufacturers are able to make real connections with buyers through Twitter, Vine and Instagram.

She points out that even boutique brands like Land Rover and Subaru recognize…

I’ve started a marketing company for auto sales people, and I already know it will fail.  Why would a company, dedicated to helping auto sales people be more successful be doomed to failure?

1.  Auto sales people don’t stay put, they believe they sell a product and are willing to move to sell the “hot” product instead of recognizing the value lies in the salesperson, not the product. 
2. Auto sales people keep lousy records. They rely on the dealer’s systems and processes…

Don’t you hate to hear your customer say no? You spend a lot of time and energy with a customer and when you get to the final stage of the sales process, the customer says the dreaded no word. You were all excited and hoping for a sale and then poof, the air goes out of your sail. The good news is that you can change from getting no answers to yes answers.

First, you must recognize that getting a no answer isn’t accidental or bad luck. When a customer gives you a no answer it…

Some things in life don’t seem to make sense. If you’re caught in the ocean’s under-toe, don’t resist, but instead save yourself by swimming horizontally to the shore with the ocean’s pull. If you want to effectively snow ski down the side of a mountain, you must lean forward or if you ever find yourself in a skid, driving…

              Although I could certainly give more than just one more thing, this report is based upon specifically on one thing and this is prospecting.  Top sales performers know that lead generation equals dollar creation. Top performers look to create more leads from more sources and to have higher productivity from each source.

               First of all, I would invite you to create a marketing web. Take a piece of paper and put a dot in the middle.…

     Many people in the auto industry have been talking about evidence of a softening market. Lately, I have seen fear in the eyes of several salespeople, managers, and dealers. Good times and overabundance tends to spoil all of us and leads us to bad habits and a reduced sense of urgency that kills our business when things get tougher. What are you doing at your dealership right now to cushion for an economic downturn?

     The time to prepare for bad times is not when they hit, but…

Life lessons typically come when you least expect them as software coder, Ted Dziuba, discovered. He and his friend went to a bar that served Pappy Winkle’s Family Reserve Bourbon Whiskey that is widely regarded as the world’s best bourbon. While drinking, they talked to the bartender who explained to…

            I have a confession to make. I am old enough to remember rotary phones and black and white TV without cable, satellite or remote controls. I grew up in a house without central air conditioning and the first several cars I owned ran on leaded gasoline. As I look back its fun to remember those things but I certainly don’t spend any time or effort trying to relive those times with those circumstances. Times have changed and so have I. For you to change, you must first let…

Most of all successful dealerships have a system or selling process that works for them. The system or process can vary according to the type of vehicles being sold, the demographics of the local marketplace and experience and personalities of the sales force. However, some of the more unsuccessful dealerships have strayed from their reason for having a system. Egos, over-control, lack of delegation and the dummying-down process of salespeople have given the retail auto industry a black…

Increase Gross Profit, Increase Net Profit, Control Expenses, Increase Sales.

Chances are you have been living those four financial principles since you became the owner or GM. And if you are a service manager reading this, you have been the willing champion of the preceding 4 financial cornerstones to dealership success.

Can I ask you a question?

How does it make you…

There is a saying in the medical field, “Prescription before examination is malpractice”. If you were a doctor examining a new patient who complained that pains in their abdomen had become intolerable, you would not simply prescribe a painkiller and send the patient home. You would perform a careful diagnosis that included bloodwork and tests, as well as a thorough physical examination.

A doctor must find out if the patient has an upset stomach, appendicitis or colon cancer…

A recent study that was conducted by interviewing employees from several industries found that only 15% of those employees felt empowered by their boss to make a necessary decision. To maximize performance, all businesses need clearly defined expectations, processes and job descriptions that include allowable limits to decision making.

In the traditional, heavy, control-oriented selling and managing philosophy that the automotive industry has been used to, employees tend to be used as…

It is becoming more difficult and less cost effective for dealerships to attract customers through traditional lead paths. Privacy and spam concerns, as well as years of mismanaged lead programs, have soured the consumer on using quote forms on either dealership or third-party research sites.  In fact, according to JD Power, 55 percent of all car buyers in 2012 did all of…

Women make up over half of the population and workforce and they influence the large majority of purchasing decisions. So why aren’t women obtaining those same levels of success as men in the business world? Is a good-old boy network stifling women? Do women lack the skills, abilities or experience to reach higher levels of success in greater numbers? Women have the ability to reach the same percentages of business success as men, if they follow four politically incorrect lessons of…

Do you really know your business? To know your business you must know all the operating metrics as well the core of your business model. Business is part art and part science. Knowing the science part makes the art much easier. Many dealers are still operating under an outdated business model that can no longer be supported in any economy, especially the current economic conditions. The only way to change the outdated model is to ask more questions, better questions, measure everything…