Most of us grew up in the industry where PUVR (or Per Used Vehicle Retail) was the key metric we were looking for to determine how successful we were on each vehicle we sold. As we all know, things have definitely changed since the Internet has become the primary way our customers begin their search for a used car.

For the last two years, I have had the privilege of teaching and coaching our NCM dealer-clients’ managers at the NCM…

Let me tell you about 7 key things you are likely doing that is costing you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. These are the real budget killers, the ones that keep you up at night. I assure you that this is an episode of …

As I am writing this post I am sitting in the customer lounge at a car dealership. I cant help but notice the continued lack of professionalism that is happening on the sales floor. I have watched 4 of the 10 sales reps on the sales floor answer the phone while they are talking to customers. You need to focus on the deal that you have as apposed to the one that might never be. The phone should only be used when you don’t have a customer at your desk. The customer in front of you is the most…

On October 3rd, 2013, Paul Potratz, founder and COO of Potratz, will be joining Grant Cardone and Mel Robbins in the 10X Your Business Seminar in Orlando, FL. The event is set to gather some of the best in social media, marketing and PR, offering…

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…

Quite often businesses, including car dealerships, feel that the fact that a blog exists is enough to generate results, but this just isn’t the case. A good blog will drive business and produce sales, but it has to be a blog that people want to read.

But what are the essentials of a good blog? It should cover the following bases.

1. The content should be well-written

2. The blog should be updated often so that people come back frequently

3. It should have good SEO or…

 “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…

ALBANY, N.Y. – September 23rd, 2013 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (http://www.automate.com) announced today that its AMPS Dealership Management System (DMS) is fully integrated with ELEAD1ONE (www.elead-crm.com), a leading provider of virtual BDC, CRM and retail solutions to auto dealerships. Auto dealers using Auto/Mate's DMS can benefit from having real time, bi-directional data update contacts in both the…

When it comes to marketing, usually making a splash is the goal. You want to run a campaign that will have such a large area of effect, people will be feeling its ripples for a long time after it lands. When you're designing a website though, making a splash is just about the last thing you want to do. And when I say splash in the context of websites, let me make this clear, I'm talking…

An effective dealer chat strategy is a key puzzle piece for increasing leads and sales from dealership websites, and dealers continue to add chat to their portfolio of services – whether they opt for an in-house staff or hosted chat vendor.

The scary truth…

Strong Truck Sales, Extended Vehicle Life Cycles Impacting Sales; Dealership Accessories Sales Revenue Increases 10% Year-over-Year*

San Francisco, CA – September 23, 2013  – AOA today released its 2013 Accessories Trend Midyear Report which demonstrates that the macro trends that impacted 2012 accessories sales, and consumer preferences in vehicle add-ons, are continuing and…

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 was on an online chat with several friends and fellow trainers from the United Kingdom the other night. We were discussing Time Management, a subject that most of us provided training on. As we were chatting, the subject got around to the biggest time wasters we had each seen with ourselves and our clients. We decided to compile a list. I have included that list below.…

As I’m sure you’ve heard, Apple will start selling their new iPhones tomorrow. The buzz leading up to the announcement was typical with speculation running wild, leaked photos and chatter just about everywhere. After the announcement however, the buzz shifted away from excitement towards disappointment. People got so excited in the pre-announcement frenzy that they felt let…

What is more important than your reputation? No matter what industry you are in, the answer to the previous question is a large and glaring, “nothing!” There is a reason that businesses such as Yelp! generate so many lawsuits. In the pre-Internet Era, bad word of mouth was just that, very bad, but now with the ubiquitous nature of the internet, the “reputation game” has indeed changed a great deal. Negative reviews online can now be a real killer and can do their damage with remarkable…

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…

What does over 50% of the US population and 70% of Canada do every day? To find out, watch this week's Think Tank Tuesday!

Make sure you keep an eye out for a special offer on how you can learn more about increasing leads and sales. See Paul speak at DD15 October 15-17.

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…

Whether you're selling paper clips or cars, the most successful salespeople share the same qualities. Here are some of the things that separate the best from the rest:

Believe In Yourself

Unstoppable salespeople filter out negative thoughts and the advice of those who dwell on why it can't be done. They rely on their own inner voice and belief systems to carry them through any obstacles. They truly believe there's nothing…

One challenge all businesses face is creating loyal customers. As business owners, we try to analyze our customers to figure out what methods we can use to build that base of customers which is so important to future growth. Without loyal customers, your efforts at customer acquisition quickly go from growing your business to replacing defecting customers.

 …