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We all know how annoying pre-roll video ads can be – especially when they have nothing to do with the video content we’re about to watch. Many people hover their mouse cursor over the countdown just itching to click “Skip Ad” the second that option is available. As reported by…

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As I’m sure you’re aware, this week saw the annual return of Shark Week on the Discovery channel. In its 26^th season, the summer-event has gained a cult-like following for the Discovery Channel. According to the Today show, this single week of…

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Hello Fellow Dealer Elite members and friends.

 

It has been a while since I have had the time to put together a blog post of Dealer Elite because it has been a very busy year so far and to be honest I have not had the time. I took a look at the Auto News program today and to be honest was very surprised to see that companies from Chrysler Dodge Jeep Fiat customers are reaching the CEO of the company.

 

I must say I was also very happy that…

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Good morning Dealer Elite Members.....

As I travel around North America and speak to salespeople, customers, managers, owners and BDC reps I am always surprised by how often salespeople are prevented from selling vehicles buy not asking great questions.

The situation usually starts after a salesperson has spend several hours with the customer and asks for the order. The customer usually says something like, I need to speak to my wife, my friend, my dad, my…

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Good morning Dealer Elite members,



I had the opportunity a few weeks ago to speak with one of our clients who has been using the Next Up system and combining it with the Proactive BDC we set up several years ago.



Of course I had a few questions for him.



The first question was how did his salespeople and managers feel about it and more importantly did they fight it or blow back.



The surprising thing he said is they not only embraced it right away it… Continue

Good afternoon Dealer Elite Members and associates,

I have been noticing a disturbing trend in retail lately and I am sure it is also true in other areas of the workforce as well. As we become more and more connected with Social Media, Smartphones and the internet red flags are popping up everywhere for me.

Everyone is becoming more and more distracted and this means productivity, focus and results are being affected. Of course this is happening when driving in…

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Good morning Dealer Elite Members,

As I travel around North America I have found that dealership staff like customers are convinced that servicing their vehicles at a dealership is more expensive than Hans and Franz, Jiffy lube etc.

The competition has not only convinced our customers they have convinced our staff that we are no longer competitive in the market. This is a huge problem and needs to be dealt with.

Step…

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Good morning Dealer Elite Members,

As i visit retailers of all stripes I find an interesting problem happens again and again. Simply put it prevents the sales, service and part department from creating happy customers and generating more sales service and parts sales as well.

Here are the details:

One: No customer really cares about why a request is not possible.…

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Good morning Service Managers, GM, service writers and owners,



As I travel around the country and work with dealers and car manufactures what surprises me is the focus on service retention, but the lack of process and Proactive steps to get this great goal accomplished.



Dealers have service appointments every day, most car makers even have in car systems to help customers manage the service of their car and let them know. The problem is the dealer are not helping the… Continue

Good evening Dealer Elite members,



More details on the deal Between Internet Site Yahoo and TrueCar which has fallen through. After working with TrueCar before the industry and state Lawyers started attacking the company, the facts are finally out in the open.



Here are the details from auto news:… Continue

Good morning Dealer Elite Members, True Car is back for a second round.....

As I mentioned in my post last week there are big changes coming in the automotive space. True Car has learned from their past mistakes and hopefully has a little more respect for dealerships this time. Their president a former Nissan executive visited the Auto News office last week and was featured on their site this morning.

Here is the link:…

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Hello Dealer Elite Members......

It looks like Auto Trader needs money much like Facebook did a while ago, and you know how that has gone so far!

As I travel around the country ans work with dealers on maximizing leads, traffic and driving more sales I have noticed more and more that dealerships are looking for "FREE" or low cost ways to promote their vehicles. Sites like Craigs's List and kijiji (Ebay), are currently changing the online marketing…

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Good afternoon Dealer Elite Members

 

Change is one of the only constants in the universe. The automotive world as you all know is overdue for this change as is a number of other retail environments. I was forwarded a very interesting article from a friend today that i think everyone in the automotive retail business should read. BMW who is one of the largest high end car companies in the world is taking the…

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Is your dealership looking for more customers in 2012?

The first question is how many of the people who walk into your service drive, showroom and virtual showroom are you aware of and more importantly how are you managing these customers. As I travel around north America and work with large and small dealerships I see the following problems over and over.

One: Most dealers don't have accurate numbers in the following "Basic Areas".

Floor…

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As I travel around North America I hear it again and again, the service at the dealership I went to was the problem.

I was on a plane yesterday and had a chance to speak with quite a few "real" car customers and I asked them what there experience has been the last time they were at their local car dealership. Here is what they had to say.....

One: The first person I spoke to said he had called his local Honda Dealership and asked if…

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The Right Process is the key to success in every industry period.

Most business professionals already know that process is what drives success. most if not all of the worlds most successful companies depend on it. Companies like McDonalds, Starbucks, Disney, Hilton to name just a few. The big challenge facing the automotive industry today is not the "Road to the Sale" it's all the other things we do that are not process driven.

Simple things like…

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ASK for what you want



It's how we all close the deal.



Review these phrases as an example:



Can I rely on you to complete my performance survey?



This report is important to me, do you mind if I call you make sure all is well with your vehicle and remind you to send in the survey?



I am committed to be your service consultant, can I count on you to return my performance report?



I am going to call you in about a week to ten days to… Continue