March 2011 Blog Posts (110)

Why do I…

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Added by Stan Sher on March 9, 2011 at 10:30am — 3 Comments

Building a new store Infiniti of Clarendon Hills

Hello everyone, my name is Peter Korallus and I am new to dealerelite and am excited to join with all the experience and knowledge in this group. I was introduced to the site by Grant Cardone and I am ready to brainstorm with people to help me be the best!! We are building a brand new Infiniti store and so i was wondering what are the new trends in dealer builds, in dealer operations and what are some of the new processes out there to make sure we build and perform at the absolute highest level… Continue

Added by Peter W. Korallus on March 8, 2011 at 9:44pm — No Comments

Pep Talk...

I don't know, maybe it's just me...there is definitely not enough floor traffic on our sales floor and I am getting discouraged. I am new to auto sales, so i don't have a customer base for referrals and repeats yet. During my twelve hour day, I only had two "ups". There are too many sale consultants on the floor from day to day compared to the floor traffic. I honestly can't see being very successful in these conditions. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy my newfound career, but I have to put… Continue

Added by David Bucey on March 8, 2011 at 8:19pm — 1 Comment

10th Digital Dealer Update: 3/8/2011

Hi to all DealerElite members!

Just wanted to give everyone a quick update on the 10th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition. There's only 41 days until the conference so don't delay in registering!

We keep confirming speakers daily so make sure to keep an eye on the speakers page of our website.

Also,…

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Added by Arnold Tijerina on March 8, 2011 at 5:45pm — No Comments

Breaking New!!!! Complacency Killed your Sales Career

It seems as though we have an epidemic that has gone untreated for years. Its called complacency, the definition of complacency is self-satisfied and unaware of possible dangers. In sales we cannot allow ourselves to become satisfied, it is a killer. Complacency leaves us unaware of the changes happening around us, without being aware we are vulnerable to being passed over and becoming irrelevant in the eye of the consumer.

An example of complacency killing is Hollywood video, about five… Continue

Added by Todd Des Marais on March 8, 2011 at 2:15pm — No Comments

What Benefits Has dealerelite.net Brought To You?

The past four months I have spent more time engaging in social media activity than ever before. I am fairly new to this phenomenon but have fully embraced it! From Facebook and Twitter to dealerelite.net, I enjoy pushing my content (Fixed Performance Inc.) to these different social media platforms.

Writing and…

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Added by Rob Gehring on March 8, 2011 at 1:09pm — No Comments

Be a Keywords King (Or Queen:)

How to Optimize your Dealer Website in Five Minutes a Day

John Goad is the SEO Quality and Process Manager for ADP Digital Marketing

We won’t mince words: If you’re a dealer still dragging your feet about keyword optimization, it’s time to jump in…

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Added by The Cobalt Group on March 8, 2011 at 12:45pm — No Comments

Never before has there been a better time for technology.

The keys to the kingdom lie in the palms of those who have the latest and greatest that technology has to offer. This holds true for the automotive industry.

What does innovative technology have in common? It makes life easier. Pick up your Smartphone and you can browse the web, obtain turn-by-turn directions via GPS and send a picture of your newborn to the grandparents across country.

Automotive technology should be able to perform the same number of functions as today's… Continue

Added by Joseph Little on March 8, 2011 at 12:34pm — No Comments

Writing Effective Content for Your Dealership's Website

Ever get that sinking feeling that your auto dealership's website looks just like every other dealership's site? You're not alone--just look at every other dealership using some generic provider for their site. A website refresh is going to take a substantial amount of time and development, but if you can edit the text content, there are some things you can do now to help your website rank higher in search and keep your visitors on the pages.

Here are four simple tips for writing…

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Added by Paul Potratz on March 8, 2011 at 10:30am — No Comments

You lost HOW MUCH in warranty last year?

I have never found a dealership that does not have some amount as an "automatic policy adjustment." - Most that I have seen have what seems to be a minimal, "$5.00" - but I have also seen as much as "$50.00"...what?!? Did you know that if you write 1000 warranty repair orders per month, and you allow for a $5.00 automatic adjustment, for whatever reason, you have the potential of simply losing $60,000 per year!!! Now that $5.00 is starting to look like a little bigger number isn't it? Let's… Continue

Added by Christopher Akin on March 7, 2011 at 10:46am — No Comments

"Having NO reputation online is worse than having a bad one"

I am sitting here this morning doing some final research and putting some finishing touches on the outline for my upcoming webinar on “Why pay for Reputation Management when you can get it Free” and it occurs to me I did the very thing I am railing against in the seminar… pigeonholed “Reputation Management” as monitoring the web for bad things people say about your dealership in the title and description on the sign up page for the…

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Added by Larry Bruce on March 6, 2011 at 11:12am — 2 Comments

The Truth About the Sales Results of (any) Advertising!

For dealerships, how do you determine the true sales results of any advertising?

This is a real story about resolving that last question (names are changed to protect the innocent)--it involves direct mail, but follow along because it applies to all dealer advertising: The GSM at a dealer in a five-location dealer group challenged the direct mail results he was…

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Added by Keith Shetterly on March 5, 2011 at 6:00pm — No Comments

A TALE OF THREE SALESPEOPLE

This is a true story told to me in 1996 BC (Before Computers) by my friend and sales trainer extraordinaire Diana Ball Cooksey. (http://www.dbcooksey.com/)

Diana was a busy working professional and single parent with little time for projects outside her day-to-day work and home responsibilities. But she needed to buy some health insurance. So she left voice messages after hours (this is the days before PCs, remember) with three agencies,…

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Added by Trace Ordiway on March 5, 2011 at 3:17pm — No Comments

Your SEO is NOT JC Penny Crappy SEO

It's amazing how many people have called to ask about the JC Penny and Overstock.com SEO scandal. Let me assure you that anyone who has taken my Automotive SEO classes or attended my workshops, the strategies that these unnamed SEO companies implemented is NOT anything I would have recommended.

I made a video to help car dealers understand that good…

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Added by Brian Pasch on March 4, 2011 at 8:49pm — 1 Comment

Article: Integrating Smartphone Technology in Car Dealerships.

Integrating Smartphone Technology in Car Dealerships.

By NEIL GALE (DrGale.com)

Recently

a client asked me, “How do I know if somebody snaps a picture of the

QR code (fig.1…

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Added by Neil Gale on March 4, 2011 at 12:30pm — No Comments

Automotive Advertising Agencies Learn The Art Of The Deal In Vendor Negotiations On AdAgencyOnline.Net Blog Talk Radio

Automotive advertising agencies gather online at AdAgencyOnline.Net to listen and learn from automotive advertising insiders who host a blog talk radio station -- WAAOL, All Automotive Advertising News All The Time. These automotive advertising experts will be discussing The Art Of The Deal In Vendor Negotiations on Monday, March 07th. 2011 at 12:00 Noon EST. The show will focus on best practices for automotive advertising vendors who are actively negotiating software consolidations in the…

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Added by Philip Zelinger on March 4, 2011 at 11:40am — No Comments

The Case Of The $30 Million Rims

Originally published March 02, 2011 at Dealer Magazine

Last week, a California Court of Appeals judge determined that a dealer violated several California state laws and ruled in favor of the plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit that will have huge ramifications for dealers within the state. The ruling…

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Added by Arnold Tijerina on March 4, 2011 at 8:41am — No Comments

What is The Role of CRM in a Dealership?

What is the role and future direction of Automotive CRM systems in car dealerships?

This questions will be answered by a panel of automotive professionals at the 2nd Annual Automotive Marketing Boot Camp. The CRM Panel Discussion is scheduled for 8:00 am Sunday morning April 17,…

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Added by Brian Pasch on March 4, 2011 at 6:34am — No Comments