Have you ever noticed when you only have 7 days left in the month, everything seems to matter? As the sands of the hourglass mark the passing of the remaining 168 hours, it is at that point that you miraculously can account for every one of your Ups, Demos, Write-ups, Sales, and Deliveries. First in, last to leave; fewer lunches; no more huddles-nothing…

Let’s face it – service customers can be really hard to please sometimes. Despite the best efforts of dedicated dealership fixed-ops professionals, auto repair-related issues are traditionally among the most commonly-cited consumer complaints. Although many of these grievances may be the result…

Collaboration not confrontation

The day starts with an offer that’s hundreds below cost with a trade in that’s thousands away from its actual cash value.  The salesperson spent hours from the initial greeting to the vehicle selection process only to have their bubble busted by a ridiculous offer. Of course, the offer is substantiated by the dealer down the…

Have you heard?

“Automotive Sales Professionals are Terrible on the Phone”

..... Really??

So, I had yet another in a long series of epiphanies regarding the business I love as I continue to get older and more exposed to the wise….

Ask most anyone….you will hear that the better the sales representative, the worse they are at handling inbound and outbound calls effectively. And some degree that may be…

Various forms of marketing can generate leads for you. But, leads are not the only ingredient of the secret sauce you need: You need someone to convert those leads into sales. You need a sales rock star!

So, what traits and qualities should your rock star have?

You could probably list the qualities you want in your sales rock star—that rainmaker who keeps the lights on and the…

Mercedes, Lexus, Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep are Top Leaders with Women Buyers

Women-Drivers.com has released its 2012 report showing the top car brands as rated by women. Each year, Women‐Drivers.com tracks thousands of consumer reviews with regards to women’s purchasing and browsing experiences at new…

If you haven’t already done so, it’s that time to review your 2012 performance in detail. In what areas did you fall short of your goals and why? Where could you have generated greater gains and how? Don’t allow January to slip by without these facts in writing and a discussion of how you can best move forward in 2013.

A common F&I pay plan in the automotive industry is known as the grid. It compensates managers based on their per vehicle retail performance and products sold…

I watched a fun video on dealerelite this morning that had a fantastic message about ignoring when another salesperson says 'that guy's been here before' and having the confidence to go and serve that customer and sell them a vehicle in spite of the other salesperson's shortcomings. SO TRUE. 

Something about the video, and many other videos, bothered the hell out of me so I thought, what the heck, let's talk about it!…

There seems to be a lot of confusion in our industry about when to sell preventative maintenance. I mean let's face it, the factories just don't recommend much anymore because a low maintenance vehicle is very attractive to buyers. While this is great for marketing and selling cars, it is creating a lot of confusion in Service Departments across the…

If you are not making the progress you would like to make and are capable of making, it is simply because your goals are not clearly defined. 

Write down your goals and review them every morning and every evening.  At the end of the week or month you will be amazed how much you have accomplished! 

General Sales Manager Gives Strategic Advice To Automotive Sales Professionals -…

If you work at an automobile delaership in parts of Pa, NJ or DE you might have encountered me in the last 4 months, entering your dealerships with complimentary copies of a book in hand, The Secrets of Inspirational Selling.

Please allow me to introduce myself, I am Lois Burak and new to the automobile industry. I know this sounds a little like an introduction one makes in front of a self-help group, but ironically in this very lucrative industry helping your self is…

Stumbleupon is one of the most interesting social media sites around, and by interesting, I mean it is a complete and total time-sink. Essentially, it's a toolbar that has a "Stumble" button you can press that will bring you to a random page on the web based on your interests. You can also upvote and downvote pages, which is how Stumbleupon gets better at finding stuff that you'll like. If something isn't already ON Stumbleupon when you vote on it, you'll be given the option to add it. This…

There is plenty of vanilla out there. As someone who explores various social media campaigns, techniques, and strategies on a daily basis, it gets pretty boring seeing the same old things being spun in slightly different ways. When something truly fresh comes along, I normally applaud.

When I saw Fiat's attempt at being bold on YouTube, I had to watch it again. And again. Each subsequent…

Do you know what kind of population is in your area?

What is the crime rate where your dealership is located?

What is the percentage of households with college grads?

What areas have a high average household income and what areas have a low average…

Contrary: opposed, opposite in nature, altogether different.

Several Indian tribes had warrior societies called Contraries or Contrary Warriors. The contraries were different in nature as well as actions, and were thought to be wise men. While being in the automobile business my whole adult life, I have observed and been a student of some of the more successful dealers in the business and have found that a lot of those dealers take a contrarian approach to their…

For the past 40-something years, a German Wolf Researcher named Werner Freund has operated a wolf sanctuary in Saarland, Germany, where he has personally raised more than 70 animals.

In 1972, Freund acquired the land to build his Wolfspark as a loan from the city of Merzig. The reserve currently houses 29 Mongolian and Arctic wolves. Most of the  wolves were acquired from zoos…