There are 6 elements to success in the service department, all centering around the interface between you and your customer:  Experience, Service, Interaction, Sales, Content, and Marketing.  While each of these key elements has a part at every stop along the customer’s journey through the service department, they each, in turn, play a leading role in a particular…

There is a plague spreading among car dealerships. I call this affliction “deal’itis.” In the last month, I have been in many dealerships working side by side with managers and salespeople. I began to quickly notice the results of this sickness. Those results are things such as lower sales, low closing ratios, low gross profits and low customer satisfaction.

Just like a good doctor should do, I began to look for the symptoms of this sickness and what could be causing this…

ALBANY, N.Y. – July 29^th, 2013 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (http://www.automate.com) announced today it is participating in General Motors’ (GM) new Dealership Technology Assistance Program (DTAP). Auto/Mate’s dealership management system (DMS) and Customer/Mate (CRM) are both certified by GM as part of the program.

“The DTAP certification ensures that dealers using our DMS will have the functionality necessary to…

There have been a lot of postings and discussions over how best to improve a Sales Organizations performance. I personally have written many of them.…

Human beings are social creatures and our lives depend on other humans. We are born unable to care for ourselves. We develop and learn about the world around us through others. Our connections to others are key not only our survival, but also to our happiness and the success of our careers.

And being social…

It starts with the arrival of the customer. They either make connection with the salesperson or not.  There is no middle ground, and there is not enough time to make up for what isn’t working.

AutoTrader, Experian Partnership Allows Dealers to Include AutoCheck Reports with Listings

AutoTrader.com and Experian Automotive have entered a partnership that will allow dealers to include Experian’s AutoCheck vehicle history reports with their listings on AutoTrader.com.

Here’s how it works.

Starting in September, AutoCheck-subscribing dealers will have the option of including those reports on AutoTrader.com.

In its statement announcing the…

Last week I had the experience of visiting with dealers in a well-known city in New York. I figured that they would be a 21^st Century dealers in tune with all the latest regulations and process technologies that will improve their overall business.  To my dismay, they were not keeping up to date. Much worse is, I observed willfully ignorant sales processes where pencils were being delivered with no concern for their dealer‘s liabilities that management is creating by doing…

One idea to improve sales that most people don’t want to talk about is the ability to recharge your batteries. Salespeople who run on low batteries don’t perform as well as when they are charged up. Recently, I went with my family on a cruise and had a fantastic trip. We went scuba diving in Grand Turks and, during the dive, had three dolphins come up to us and play with us for most of the dive. The dive masters on the trip said it was a once in a lifetime experience to not only see the…

Written By: Dennis Kane

 I have seen a significant number of high value claims as a result of contractors or subcontractors not carrying insurance or inadequate limits of insurance.

Examples of high value claims against dealerships include:

• Claim against a dealership’s workers’ compensation carrier or general liability carriers due to an injury of a subcontractor’s employee and the subcontractor doesn’t carry workers’ compensation…

 …

I came across an article recently on LinkedIn by A.J. Jacobs, editor of Esquire magazine, in which he discussed using self-delusion as a tool to becoming more productive. He’s a published author as well and he discussed…

“How Service Advisors Kill Customer Retention”

Ever wonder why a customer leaves an automotive dealer’s service department around the 3 year mark? I do and I will share with you why this happens and how to stop it immediately with some very simple, easy-to-use techniques. This is a MUST attend for all Dealers,…

A simple phrase gets me hooked as quickly as a silly song.  I like the Geico commercial with the llama walking around the office, "Guess what day it is... it's hump day!"  So stupid. So memorable. 

But…

The next time you turn on your television, do me a favor! Watch the commercials and see if you can identify what target audience the advertisements are intended for, and what calls to action are included to entice that audience to buy.

Once you’ve had a chance to complete this little exercise,…

New technology for dealers

Three companies, AutoRef.com, BankHunter.com and ClearMechanic.com, which offer  unique and innovative technological contributions in sales, finance and the  service phase of a dealership’s business.

I’ve written many blogs on the topic of mobile friendly websites, emails, and all around marketing, yet I’ve noticed that most dealerships are not mobile ready. Smartphone usage has surged past 50% while Tablet ownership hit 25% just in the past year. This trend is not slowing down anytime soon either, it’s quickly accelerating.

Customers can access your website from anywhere—they might visit at home, at work, at a store, or anywhere in between. Knowing your audience…

July 2013 saw history happen -- and it happened with flying sharks. The Syfy Network aired what has been universally reviewed as a horrible movie about sharks caught in a tornado that then go on a flying shark rampage. The show was cheaply made and had almost no viewers (including the actors that were in it).

Yet, this movie, according to SyFy channel owners,…

Find out what "It" is in this week's Think Tank Tuesday, and how to best use Remarketing Segmentation to help you take steps towards reducing the likelihood of IT happening to you!…