Most dealers understand the importance of customer retention. They’re e-mail-blasting sales messages, sending direct mail, and their salespeople are combing over thousands of client records in their DMS, making phone calls to previous customers and orphan owners. The problem is that many dealers don’t realize that, all too often, those messages fall on deaf ears. Dealerships spend tons of money sending messages to customers that are mostly irrelevant because some vendor promised huge results…

“We work too hard to come within arm’s reach of the prize only to have our hands cut off just before we seize it. For those of us climbing to the top of the food chain, there is but one rule – hunt or be hunted.” – Frank Underwood, as played by Kevin Spacey in the Netflix television series, House of Cards.

This quote epitomizes the struggle that car…

At virtually every dealership 20 group I address, at least one dealer will ask the question I hear most often with respect to internet sales:

“What’s the best internet sales structure for a dealer today: End-to-End; a BDC; or giving the leads to the floor?”

I’ve been asked this question over and over again since 2009; and until early 2014 my answer was always the same: “Any of those will work, provided you and your sales managers support the efforts.” This was true then and…

http://www.InternetSales20Group.com 856-546-2440

Register For Internet Sales 20 Group 7 In New York, May 18-20 (3 Day Workshop)

At the Internet Sales 20 Group 7 in ‪#‎NewYork‬ we are "Bridging The Gap Between The Showroom And The Internet / BDC". We are going…

A lesson on building your own Digital Network, and getting away from 3rd party vendors!

Most dealerships E commerce managers believe they are at the top of the technology game when they pay for large budgets that serve up ads, based on IP addresses, or cookie based ads. With the age of revolving IP addresses and cookie awareness, this form of advertising is losing ground quickly, no one has a static IP anymore, and consumers do not even pay attention to those…

• Latest NADA and Urban Science stats said new car dealerships sold approx. 16.5 million new and 9.9 million used (retail) vehicles in 2014

• Consumers bought over 600,000 vehicles from TrueCar dealers in 2014. That means using numbers from above; they were directly or indirectly responsible for only 2.3% of vehicle sales last year from new car dealers.
  
  
• 97.7% of  new and used vehicles sold by new car dealers are NOT sold via TrueCar …
  
  

One cost-cutting strategy that should be considered by every dealership is to reduce or eliminate overlap in vendor services. Utilizing multiple marketing vendors, all with overlapping services and all communicating with your customers, is not a good strategy.

This type of overlap can cost thousands of dollars each month. And, perhaps more importantly, it…

I have just joined dealerelite, and, based on the varying opinions of the benefits of a BDC, decided to share this with all of you rather than just posting my opinions on the different blogs I have read.  Enjoy!

http://www.dealerstrong.com/7-bdc-elements-healthy-dealership/

7 BDC Elements For A Heart Healthy Dealership

Several years ago, when there was a…

Hello and welcome to the final edition of Beggs on the Used Car Market. Yes, I did say the final edition of this weekly video blog series. But before we reminisce a little, let’s take a look at some recent trends in the used market.



This past month brought pretty solid overall values as the depreciation was at -1.2%, the same level as January results. But there are differences. The industry is right…

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the next down market in automotive retail is coming. No one knows precisely when – and none of us is certain what will trigger it – but, it is coming. Moreover, given the current market realities, it might be coming a little faster than most of us in the industry imagine. Take, for example, these fast facts:

• The average length of a new car loan in 2014 was 66 months.
• The number of subprime borrowers missing payments is at…

By: Dave Benson

Push Beyond Your Feelings

The last thing I wanted to do was jump in the car and go to work. See I want to stay in bed. I wasn’t feeling too well, I was a little bit croaky in the throat. And I just wasn’t feeling on top of my game.



You know often, you might take the day off or even when you do go to the dealership, you just don’t feel “up” to everything that you got to do.



So maybe you avoid that…

Equals More Productive Employees!

What I Found When Mystery Shopping A BMW Dealership This Week…



Today, Phil and I are out shopping for a new car…. In fact, I’m currently test driving a BMW 328i and will be comparing the vehicle and the service with the C Class Mercedes Benz.



This experience really reminds me of how important every step of the sales process is, and how you must give it your absolute very best!



You know I’m out driving a $90,000 BMW right now and there is…

"I'm just looking, I won't be buying today." "I need to compare your vehicle with a competitors model and then shop around" .."I'm not an impulse shopper".."I just started looking."



Everyday sales people hear this exact quote from customers soon after the meet and greet.



What happens next is reminiscent of the old tale of two wolves.



An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on…

http://www.InternetSales20Group.com 856-546-2440 

Jim Ziegler Is A Headline Speaker At The Internet Sales 20 Group 7 In New York, May 18th-20th (3-Day Workshop)

Let's bring it back to the basics when there were no apps and all you had to rely on was an old fashioned pen and a piece of paper. On this week’s Think Tank Tuesday, I explain a way to stay more organized while decreasing the amount of fire drills throughout the day.…

If you’re like most dealers I speak with lately, you’re either looking to add a Business Development Center (aka BDC) or trying to find ways to make your current BDC more successful? If so, then there are just a few simple “must haves” that are truly non-negotiable if you’d like your BDC to succeed today and over the long term.

MUST #1: BDC’s Must be Profit (not Cost) Centers

The primary reason BDCs failed in the past is they simply weren’t very successful at…

A recent study on customer loyalty to dealership revealed interesting insights into the behavior of automotive shoppers.

Customer data, compiled from car buyers of varying ages, gender, geographic location, and media consumption, aimed to measure the impact of these factors on customer loyalty in the automotive industry. After studying dealership customer media surveys since 2006 and reviewing more than 73,300 media usage surveys, Mudd Advertising concluded that differences in age,…