All Blog Posts (12,628)

In The Trenches During The AutoTrader Acquisition Of VinSolutions

Originally published May 20, 2011 [LINK]

As I’m sure you’re probably aware by now, AutoTrader announced Wednesday that they had reached…

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Added by Arnold Tijerina on May 23, 2011 at 9:00am — 1 Comment

A recent study of Fixed Operations and what it reveals about Service Sales, Profitability and more...

Recent studies show that Service Advisors that hand out menus during the write up process experience an increase in Customer Maintenance Sales. The study also shows that this corresponds to an increase in the Service Advisors pay.



These recent studies also show that Technicians that completed a Multipoint Inspection on every vehicle flagged more hours than Technicians who did not. An interesting side note to the study, Technicians who completed the most Multipoint Inspections made the… Continue

Added by Leonard Buchholz on May 23, 2011 at 5:30am — No Comments

An Auto Industry Insider’s Perspective on AutoTrader Acquiring VinSolutions

AutoTrader Acquires VinSolutions – An Auto Industry Insider’s Perspective



While I was working as a speaker at the VinSolutions sponsored “Internet Battle Plan” 3 day dealer training workshop in Kansas City on Wednesday May 18th, Sean Stapleton (VinSolutions Chief…

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Added by Ralph Paglia on May 22, 2011 at 8:30pm — No Comments

The People We Touch - Word of Mouth Advertising



Word of mouth advertising – it’s not almost a cliché, it IS a cliché. But it’s one we must be mindful of, because it’s the one thing in advertising that not only hasn’t changed, but is even more important today than ever.



With the Internet and digital advertising, Social Media and Dealer Reviews, word of mouth advertising rules. Everything we say and do can…

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Added by Tom Gorham on May 21, 2011 at 5:45pm — 2 Comments

Grant Cardone on Turn Around King- New Reality Show by Nat Geo

Nat Geo just agreed to release a show they titled Turn Around King.  A group discovered me on You Tube where as most of you know I have over 300 videos. Shows you the power of using social media correctly or as some of you would suggest incorrectly.

I hope this show inspires each of you as to what is possible.  The skills you are learning in the auto business will, can and should take you many places.  I can tell you first hand, selling a car, selling a home in a…

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Added by Grant Cardone on May 21, 2011 at 3:30pm — 12 Comments

Social media - The WOW factor

Take a stroll through any search engine for a new car and see what you find.  There is an array of results varying from the pay per click to the simple organic search.  The generic search would show vehicle postings, dealership reviews, website links and video links.

The average consumer is inundated with information pertaining to their search.  Dealerships are plagued by a multitude of links that provide information unfortunately, not all the information is accurate.  Nevertheless,…

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Added by Joe Clementi on May 21, 2011 at 1:36pm — 1 Comment

Choose Success (2nd Of The "Choose Series")

Where you are at this very moment is exactly where you chose to be.

 

The first time I heard that statement, I was having the worst month ever.  I looked at the person who said that, like they had two heads.  My response, less than kind, was, "Are you seriously telling me that somehow I decided to go broke and have a really bad month?  Is that what you're saying?"  He didn't even bat an eye.  "Yes," he continued, "And I can prove it."

 

He proceeded by asking me…

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Added by John Fuhrman on May 21, 2011 at 10:00am — 2 Comments

Are Your Customers An “Us” or “Them”

 

It is not what you say…

It is not what you do….

It is how you make a customer feel that matters.

We spend a fortune in advertising driving customers to our showrooms, but what are we doing with them once they arrive?  We say and do remarkable things in an effort to get customers to show up, but often fall short in giving them the…

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Added by Marsh Buice on May 20, 2011 at 5:51pm — No Comments

Gas Sippers

DOMINATE… Your market…  Get your hands on every type of gas sipper, and sell. That’s everyone’s philosophy. The real nice tahoe’s, suburban’s, esclades, can be bought, if you truly search for them, 2500-5000, behind trade. HOW TO SELL. We all know you will overpay for the nice gas sippers, unless you take them in at the door. We all know GAS, is going to come down, quick, at some point. SPECULATION, not really. The dealer who buys way behind WINS!!!  Mr. CUSTOMER, LOOK AT THE INCREDIBLE retail… Continue

Added by Tony Provost on May 20, 2011 at 9:06am — No Comments

Who’s Writing Your Online Ads?

I recently saw a vehicle advertised on a dealer website that caught my attention. This pre-owned car was advertised as a “CarFax One Owner”.  Upon further investigation, I discovered that the “one owner” was a rental car company.

 

Even though the “one owner” statement may have been technically true, the description of the vehicle blew my mind: “With just one previous owner, who treated this vehicle like a member of the family, you'll really hit the jackpot when you drive home…

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Added by Jim Radogna on May 19, 2011 at 8:38pm — 3 Comments

Finding a Place for the "F" Word

Understanding the “F” Word

Is it bad to fail? No! (Fail is the “F” word to which I was referring.  Get your mind out of the gutter) can any good come from failure?  Yes! Dare to fail! Then learn from it.  You can’t wait for a perfect set of circumstances.  Perfect scenarios never come.  There will always be roadblocks, obstacles and unfavorable conditions. Who cares?  The time to do it is now.  Don’t wait, hesitate or look for reasons to second-guess…

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Added by Brad Alexander on May 19, 2011 at 12:08pm — 3 Comments

‘Transparency’ is your best friend (or worst nightmare)

Remember back in the ‘good old days’, around 2005, we wondered exactly how the internet was going to change our business. We asked questions like “is the manufacturer going to deliver the car right to the customers house?” or “if we are the fastest and cheapest on the net, will they will come from miles around?” fortunately neither one of those came true. The greatest change the internet has brought to our business is ‘Transparency’, the ability of…

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Added by Kip Miles on May 19, 2011 at 11:49am — No Comments

Things Will Change, If You Don't

Every dealership has an 8-10 step “road to the sale.” Every sales consultant from the novice to the veteran has the same step- by- step process outlining everything from the approach to the landing of a sale. Just as a roadmap (full disclosure, I cannot read one) or navigation system aid the driver in getting to a specific destination, so too does a dealership’s…

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Added by Marsh Buice on May 19, 2011 at 8:27am — 19 Comments

BREAKING NEWS - Autotrader Buys VinSolutions

FROM AUTOTRADER 5/18/11 @ 7pm EST

 



 

We want to share some exciting news. As you may have heard, AutoTrader.com has entered into an agreement to acquire VinSolutions, a leading provider of end-to-end software solutions for dealers including Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Dealer Websites, Sales Management and Desking tools, social media and…

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Added by DealerELITE on May 18, 2011 at 7:54pm — 3 Comments

Take 60:The Dealership Experience Challenge

Here’s the challenge: we dare you to incorporate all 60 of these dealership improvement efforts into your store in the next month. Post in the comments and let us know which ones you’ve incorporated, and also chime in with your own ideas for improvement.

 

60 Ways to Upgrade Your Dealership’s Customer Experience



1.     Make name tags mandatory for every…

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Added by The Cobalt Group on May 18, 2011 at 7:07pm — No Comments

Buick plans to sell a rebadged version of the redesigned Opel Astra

Buick plans to sell a rebadged version of the redesigned Opel Astra, according to a consumer publication.



While the engine choices have not been locked in place, the car is expected to target young buyers who want a sporty car that handles well and has plenty of power, according to caranddriver.com.







Read more:… Continue

Added by DealerELITE on May 18, 2011 at 5:18pm — No Comments

Women's Month - Get your camera phone out!

Since this month is Women's Month on dealerELITE, we want to get even more feedback from your experiences when working with female buyers. From today until the end of May, here is what we want you to do:



  1. Salespeople/Sales Managers/Dealership Personnel
  2. Grab a flip camera, or…
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Added by DealerELITE on May 18, 2011 at 11:41am — No Comments

Tell Me Moor

 

Just as 83,000 gross tons of a cruise liner is secured to land by various cables and anchors, what moors your life? The cables and anchors of your life are your values; you never know how secure those cables are until the storms of life come in and test their strengths. Tell me moor.  Have you been moored with the illusion of money? Have you lost the…

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Added by Marsh Buice on May 17, 2011 at 4:26pm — 3 Comments

Fixed Ops Marketing....Do you have one?

May%202011%20Gauges.pdf

Added by Liz Krewson on May 17, 2011 at 11:28am — No Comments

Vehicle Inspection

I’ll never forget one time when I was driving down a highway and noticed several state troopers alongside the road in an old service station. One stepped in front of my car and flagged me in to the parking area. The officer quickly walked around my vehicle checking all of my turn signals and headlights. He also quickly checked tire condition and the emergency brake function. He did use me to turn the switches and push the brake and the…

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Added by Rob Gehring on May 17, 2011 at 10:00am — No Comments

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