Nearly every week someone says "What's new?" in the Fixed Ops Training world as if there is something wrong with what works.

And every week, the answer is the same. When it comes to Fixed Ops Training, Coaching and Mentoring..."Not much."

Oh to be sure, there are "new" things in Fixed Ops every day.

There are at least a zillion ways to keep in contact with the Customer. And there must be a bazillion CRM companies that can manage a "lost souls" campaign. And, yes, there…

Free webinar held March 27th at 2pm EDT topples industry myths currently driving service marketing strategies

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., March 20, 2012 -- DMEautomotive (DMEa), the science-inspired, results-based automotive marketing leader, will host a free webinar with Automotive News on March 27th at 2pm…

Exactly NOT what you are thinking! Let’s look at these 10 examples of the “EX’s” we want to find in your stores!

1. Examine the processes of the daily routine operations of your dealership. From the way the phone is answered and your callers greeted…

Chicago, IL – March 20, 2012 - Joe Castle, Founder and CEO of Castle Auto Group, has been selected to share his phenomenal dealership turn-around story to attendees at the 12th annual Digital Dealer Conference and Exposition in Orlando, Florida, April 3-5, 2012.

In his session titled, “Turn Your Dealership Upside Down!  How to Create a Digital Dealership for Maximum Profit”, Castle will explain step-by-step how he used digital strategies to flip his Castle Chevy and Castle…

Ladies' night at the local bar includes free drinks for the ladies.

What's the intention?

Where the women go, the men will follow – and the men will pay.

Ladies' Day at the car wash where all women receive $2 off their extreme wash.

The next day is Men's Day.

Does anyone see these efforts as "misguided"?

In a bar, the women are being used as…

The Makings of a Great Internet Director

Lessons learned and tactics tried by top Internet directors to improve their own success

Moderator: Joe Webb

Panelists: Lisa Jo Swain, Director of e-Commerce Operations, SunStar Autos

Jon Berna, e-Commerce Director, Hubler Automotive Group

Richard Lucy, e-Marketing Director, Tim Dahle Nissan

One excellent leader can single-handedly transform the online profitability of your store. Dealer…

If you haven’t heard, there is a bit of political campaigning going on right now.  Candidates are using every medium of communication to engage potential voters.  They are using the social mediums, but, shockingly, that isn’t all they are using.  They are out stumping.  They are shaking hands and kissing babies.  They are standing behind podiums in public.  Are you campaigning for customers in the same way?  Not sleazy, like a politician, but publicly in the community?

It is…

I used to be a product demonstrator for Soda Stream last spring in 2011 and I had fun talking about the product and meeting every skeptical question dead on with a great answer. Soda Stream is a product where you make your own seltzer with compressed CO2 and add soda and seltzer flavors. I just started up again this Saturday, March 17 2012 and fell right back into the old routine and was just as knowledgeable and…

Post one of ten posts I will be making leading up to Digital Dealer 12.

If you are one of the best dealers in the country you are using 10% of your Secret Weapon…what is it?…

If you were afforded the opportunity to work at a dealership under the guise that you must first invest 25, 50, or even $100,000 would you pony up? If you did elect to invest such a large sum of money, would you even be the least bit curious as to what kind of return you would earn on your investment? Once you’ve finished your latest Sportscenter analysis of…

Generally when I begin with a client, I have a casual conversation with the manager of every fixed operations department to determine what they know and how I can best serve them to get to the next level. The most common training they have received is where their desk and the coffee pot are going they are released to get to work. I have met service managers with over 30 years of experience that didn’t even know what their effective labor rate was or how to improve the result. Now I…

I would like to share some feedback from Internet Sales Managers at a number of very successful dealerships that have seen their sales numbers grow with the implementation of 360-degree spins/panoramas on their sites.

“360’s do a great job of giving our customers the ability to explore any vehicle. They give them that virtual opportunity to see the details if they are not actually here at the dealership. We are confident 360’s make them feel more comfortable and raises…

The following is a great article from women-drivers.com, speaking to dealerships about the power of being women-friendly.

What are you and your team doing to target the female consumer?

Top 10 Certified Women-Drivers Friendly™ Dealers in the US

 

The female consumer has spoken and out of 1300 dealerships in the United States receiving reviews, the Top 10 Certified Women-Drivers Friendly™ Dealers are in for 2011. The Certificate…

Insignia Group congratulates the Top Dealers by Women Certified

Insignia was a proud sponsor of the “Voice of the Female Consumer”, as Women Certified announced their Top Dealerships for…

I have been asked multiple times in my life how do I make every dealership I go to head in the right direction?  I think the answer is really simple and always hope it comes across as humble as possible.  Here it goes.

There are three key elements…

by Tamara Lischer

The world is full of commodities.  Everything from cell phones to toothpaste.  It is the glue that binds all of us together.  We can’t live without them.  Nearly everything we use today is manufactured and produced this way.  In fact, we would collapse as a species if it was not. 

In the past 150 years we have morphed from a “handcrafted” industrial base to “mass…

This new Generation of buyers 80 million strong are rapidly becoming the largest driving force in the market place. They require different selling interaction than previous Generations. 

NADA has a workshop and Booth at Digital Dealer that will talk to these points for anyone attending. We have compiled a great deal of data and done consumer research to help dealers better understand these buyers and their habits. 

Here are a few thought starters:

1. 1 in 4…