According to Black Book data, used vehicles model years 2008-2012 overall depreciated -1.4% in December, slightly better retention compared to the -1.7% rate in November. Domestic cars depreciated -1.6%; import cars were -1.3%; domestic trucks were -2.0%; and import trucks were -1.0%. Average pre-recession depreciation is historically between -1% and -2% monthly.



For all…

Everyone in the automotive industry is familiar with Tesla’s entry into the automotive retail business, however, not as many realize that they’re simultaneously spotlighting innovative functionalities that any manufacturer could use to make automotive service easier and more convenient for the consumer.

Tesla vehicles are all integrated with an AT&T chip…

Throughout the automotive marketing industry we have seen potential buyers adjust their shopping trends. Buyers have begun to migrate from traditional desktops to their smartphones and mobile devices. To support this trend, it is crucial to have a mobile strategy in place for all automotive dealers.



Danny Brown of American Express OPEN states that, “ Seventy-two percent of small business owners planned to increase or maintain their mobile ad spend this year, with 65 percent of these…

Excerpts from article on  iMedia Connection:  

A recent study by NextStage sifted through input from 1,700 companies who used social marketing in 2013, The results have shown some interesting outcomes and perceptions that will impact what companies do going forward.

Just to be clear, social marketing means creating a social presence and using that social presence to drive conversions. Conversions cover everything from loyalty to…

Creating consistency from your sales staff requires constant management and coaching. Counseling performance is the process where the sales manager(s) have a formal review of prior production, monthly sales requirements and the dealerships standards.

Having the proper documentation and reviewing the coaching stage of the deficiency is imperative. The goal is to alter the behavior to accomplish a common goal. A proper analysis of the job production should be compared…

Tips for Dealership Sales Success from Expert Trainer Jeff Cowan

Have pride in your team. Put effort into your appearance and wear your work shirt or uniform with as much pride as you would your favorite sports teams t-shirt or jersey.  You’re being paid, just like an athlete, to proudly wear your teams’ colors.

Enthusiasm is the main ingredient to making a…

I was wondering how many dealerships use New Vehicle Addendums?

My Company Liqueo has just launched a platform that creates, manages and prints addendums online, it's called DealerAddendums.com.

I wanted to know what percent of the franchise dealers out there use Addendums, and if you do use them how do you create them? Word, Excel, hand…

Your potential customers mailboxes are filled with offers and savings coupons. So, why not deliver something unique; something that offers a creative, compelling, and relevant message? Bass Event’s Direct Mail campaigns are an awesome way to attract and entice your potential customers. No matter what your goals are, you can drive traffic to your showroom, raise community awareness and participation, or simply keep your dealership’s brand…

Do you have your contact information on your home page? Have you ever Googled your dealership? Find out why you should stop doing these two things to increase conversions. Learn about the tools you'll need to succeed.That's this week on Think Tank Tuesday.

 TIMOTHY MARTELL recently wrote a somewhat scathing assessment of an overlooked SEO problem. Those familiar with SEO know that duplicate content can be the "anchor around your kneck" when it comes to trying to keep a first page position on GOOGLE.  His entire article can be found here.…

Swapalease.com, the nation’s largest car lease marketplace, reports lease credit approvals were up slightly in December (73.3%) compared with November levels (70%). The overall approvals rate on the year finished at 72.7%, compared with a 2012 rate of 65.3%.



Holiday lease shopping from a higher population of well-qualified…

Read our blogOperation Steer Clear put out by the FTC.

     Last year I warned about the shot across the bow of our industry from the FTC. For the first time in decades, the FTC brought 5 dealers to account for their alleged deceptive advertising practices. Each dealer became saddled with painful consent decrees. Which is a way of saying. OK, I…

 What To Expect : Future Trends To Solve

Its that time of year again, when we all gather in the largest building NADA find and consume everything auto. As we approach one of the biggest conferences of the year we take a look at what to expect.

Technology has the pedal to…

 Leading web-based dealership training platform is now available to NCDA members at special rate

Salt Lake City, UT and Richmond, BC –January 13, 2014- DrivingSales University (DSU), the industry leader in online training and performance coaching, today announced that it has furthered its expansion into the Canadian market with a new alliance with the The New Car…

Last week I read a blog by automotive thought leader Dale Pollack, "More Signs of the E-Commerce Dawn in Automotive Retail". He outlined the trend that OEM's are selling direct to consumers and consumer's increasing willingness to purchase online. In this "New Dawn", Mr.…

Hello and welcome to this week’s Beggs on the Used Car Market Report from Ricky Beggs of Black Book. Although this is the second Monday of 2014, this is the first current market focused report for 2014. For those of you who tuned…

For Immediate Release

Visit us at Booth # 3253 at NADA Convention & Expo

Mangold Ford's Accounting Office Greatly Increases Efficiencies, Reduces Costs With Auto/Mate's DMS

ALBANY, N.Y. – January 13th, 2014 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (http://www.automate.com) announced today that Mangold Ford, a Ford's…

New consumer study from DMEautomotive illuminates a powerful emotional connection between consumers and their vehicles; top names include ‘Baby,’ ‘Betsy,’ ‘Bessie,’ ‘Black Beauty,’ and ‘Betty’

Daytona Beach, FL – January 13, 2014 – Women and younger car owners are the most likely to give a nickname and associate a gender to their vehicles’, according to a new report from DMEautomotive. The survey on car-naming behavior…