I want to talk about honesty among those of us in the profession.  Before you get all hot and bothered, I'm not referring to how you do your business.  We all know that the vast majority of auto people conduct their business with honesty and integrity.  Those who don't aren't going to change because I wrote an article calling them out.  This is about internal honesty.

As a sales trainer, my concern and goal is to leave every client,…

 Jim Ziegler, widely read columnist with Dealer Magazine has resigned after being with the magazine since the beginning in 1997. Ziegler will issue press releases in weeks upcoming about where he will resurface. 

Where do you think Jim Ziegler should resurface? Why? …

Dealer Elite members.......David Lewis & Associates is growing again and we have an opening for two more National Sales Trainers.  Candidate must have an extensive Automotive Management background, a dynamic personality and public speaking desires.

If you have a desire to explore this fantastic opportunity please email me your resume at dlewis@davidlewis.com, or contact me at 321-435-6000, ext. 213.

CRM: “Customized Relationship Marketing” or “Continually Representing Me”. Michael Tyman of Professional Success, Inc. shares his views.

The CRM is a “customer relationship management” tool that works as a large repository of customer information, but it can be so much more powerful if you unlock its true potential. To…

It has been a personnel tendency, to spend so much intensified time in the work place. Being on time to learn, try to help others, giving my all out energy so we could have success. No matter what, you just want the best for everyone. When the customer keeps you late, it was always okay.  Someone needs a ride home 15 minutes out of your way, no problem. The manufacturer,…

Since we are in the automotive business, it makes sense to take a look at Grant Cardone's new show, Turnaround King. In case you missed it, Grant and his team entered Gold's Gym in NJ and Straub Buick GMC in his first two episodes.

What…

What’s with all this talk about social media? I’m sure it’s just a passing fad like carrier pigeons and the telegraph. Here are three reasons why you should NOT use social media.

1. I Believe in Traditional Values I’m a salt-of-the-earth kind of guy. I don’t run with a fast crowd that’s always fiddling with their electronic do-dads in public. I…

Sales letters are important tools for effective interactive marketing, lead generation and sales opportunities.  Often, the first impression made upon a customer is from a sales letter.  Selling is like dating.  Imagine you are on a first date, would you present your best one-size-fits-all-everyone-is-the-same-generalize-for-the-masses romance package?  The only impression you would leave on that date…

Hello Everyone!

Well after trying various employment for about a year and a half, I found my way back to Kelly Ford in Melbourne Florida.

I have been in the auto industry for about 11 years and did very well for many years.

Having been employed there in 2001 and seeing an add on on a job site recently, I can best describe the feeling of

being re-employed at Kelly as "coming home".

Many dealerships speak of integrity, but Kelly Ford walks the…

Don’t look back. Stop living in the past. The human body doesn’t have a rearview mirror, for a reason.  Capture the moment, it’s the selling season, 2011. Business is happening.  Are you pulling out all stops? People are out buying vehicles. This next 6 months, is going to be awesome. Are you closed?  Do you have a 90 day business plan? Are you putting…

This day is where Father’s proclaim their day,

and Dad’s have their say.

Dad by its pure definition,

is the informal meaning of Father.

Oh I get it, informal means not official or ceremonial,

I choose to be a Dad- a father why bother.

There are no ground rules, no real definitions a Dad has to go by,

no rulebook…

Everyone in the dealership, should understand turning cash quickly, is very important!! This, in my professional opinion, is extremely important to all dealerships. Everyone can take responsibility. The quicker the cash is in, the easier it is to run these money eating businesses.

Some helpful tips:

1. Contracts:

   What…

...Okay. Two easy steps.

Ready for this one? Get a pen, I'll wait.....

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Step One:

SET THE GOAL.

Step Two:

GET STARTED. NOW.…

Modesty is over-rated. 

It's okay to stand in front of the mirror or your peers and proclaim that you're going for sales person of the month.  It's okay to claim to achieve the highest gross in the coming month.  Simply put, it's okay to choose the prize.  Actually, it's better than okay.  It's essential.

Choosing the prize means you understand what it takes to get there.  Deciding on excellence and the benefits that come with such an achievement causes one to understand the…

Most dads’ have a toolbox.  Some fathers actually use their toolboxes and other toolboxes collect dust.  Some fathers have giant roll around toolboxes and others have small handled boxes.  When you open up a father’s toolbox, the variety of tools varies from father to father.

As salespeople and management, we all have a toolbox so we can “fix” things. Our toolboxes may…

This week, two American luxury brands, Lincoln and Cadillac, began rolling out facility redesign initiatives, at significant expense for their dealers.

The question is, do facility redesigns help dealers sell more vehicles?

Ford Motor Co. began talking to its Lincoln dealers last year about the investment they would have to make in their stores if they wanted to continue selling Lincolns. A meeting last week in Detroit with approximately 120 Lincoln dealers…

I just finished reading Arnold Tijerina's great summary of this week's Automotive Customer Centricity Summit, which made me think about changes that will undoubtedly occur when most…

I am not qualified to write on this subject of leadership, but my heart is. Everybody has an idea of what leadership means to him or her personally. Leadership to me is simply this: stoop first, then lead. How can you lead someone from something if you don't feel it first? Do you know what it is like to lose a child; stoop and imagine your own child never again…

Take on your biggest challenge. No matter what that is, take it on, now. Do not put it off another minute. Why? The reward will be more then you can ever imagine. After you have overcome this challenge, everything will become easier. You will be able to deal with anything and everything life will throw at YOU. You are now positioned, to give more, to try harder, take on more…