The Automotive Customer Centricity Summit, hosted by Thought Leadership Summits (ACCS) was on June 14th, 2011. I had the privilege of reporting on this event on behalf of DealerElite. This event is a one-day event that runs from 7am-7pm. The event was held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in…

Throughout the day think about how many times an outside influence has attempted to stop your momentum?  One can’t even turn on a radio station without enabler’s who are intent on imposing their agenda; spew their negativity.  Can’t even buy a box of Cap’n Crunch cereal without being harassed by impatient Iris complaining about the cost of her…

Don Graff Automotive

www.twitter.com/DonGraffAuto

Stan Sher LinkedIn Page

I have to get something off my chest.  I am really tired of hearing people tell me how bad the…

Meat and Greed is good….at Outback and when playing a game of Monopoly,but has no place in a dealership. Are we doing a Meet and Greet or Meat and Greed when working with customers?  Ask yourself, how do you service your customer; based on commission or profession. Why are we patient and understanding with the customers who “paid…

Hold your horses!  We might just be in jeopardy of a recovery breaking out!!! 

After two years of struggling and scratching, there is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel for the automotive industry as the Seven Horsemen of the Recovery have been spotted in cities and towns across the United States.  Below is a brief description of each of the Seven Horsemen of the Recovery.  Be…

 People like to be noticed for a job well done. When you advertise promote your people by putting there picture on the net or in the news paper along with there accomplishments. Congratulations to Mr Smith for new car salesman of the month. used car salesmen of the month leasing , truck sales,  top producer and any technician that won a award , most improved and so on.                                                                                                                             …

       Teach it, feel it, do it. If you are willing to talk the talk, then walk the walk. If your process is very easy for your staff, and seemless for your customers, then life in the auto industry is fantastic. The desk system, should be pumping out, 6 or 7 payments, on every deal. Sales staff, should be running back to their customers, with HUGE smiles on their…

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Coverage on DealerElite from two events starts tomorrow, June 14, 2011. As an official media sponsor, DealerElite will be bringing you coverage of:

• The Automotive Customer Centricity Summit, hosted by Thought Leadership Summits - June 14, 2011…

"I will persist until I succeed."

That was the first line in the Scroll Marked lll in Og Mandino's classic, "The Greatest Salesman In The World."  Having had the privilege of being able to spend time in his NH home, I can honestly say, I have witnessed persistence like no other.  Og Mandino spent his writing life with one goal - change lives!  Simply stated but difficult to accomplish.  is writing and speeches are a large part of what inspired me to write adn travel the world…

Fixed operations, has been the great denominator, in our mathematical equation. It is an absolute must to grow this department, in double digit increases, year over year. The service drive, must be that, a driving force behind our businesses. Our total service team, must have incredible selling skills, be great multi-taskers, love to work with people. The technicians, must be great closers. That's RIGHT, closers. Our writers, explain work orders, to our customers. If needed, we walk…

One thing I learned during the 30 minutes of training that I received before hitting the floor, that still holds true today is repeat and referral customers are golden, they sell easier and you usually make a higher…

If someone takes five customers in a day and doesn't close a deal, what happens?

When a salesperson, makes 15 calls in a day and doesn't make an appointment, what happens?

When a salesperson, is putting in extra effort, working his day off, and has an 8 car month, what happens?

Remember, enthusiasm comes from within someone’s true feelings for life. Effort, and…

UN's

If your career has been thwarted quicker than Paris Hilton’s acting ambitions, consider the words that you are speaking. We’ve allowed the un’s to stunt our growth; we’ve mistakenly allowed words such as until, unbelievable, unfair, unfit, and unable to become barriers to reaching our potential. When the prefix un is attached to the proceeding word, it negates…

Here's a question: Which four U.S. market brands are tied for the longest consecutive streak of monthly year-over-year sales increases? The streak now stands at 20 months.

 It's a great question and the answer is probably not the brands you think. I wish I was clever enough to have asked the question, but I'm not. Eric Mayne, senior news operations editor at WardsAuto.com posed the question today in his blog,…

It’s odd how, in the fortnight that passes between these lite essays, the theme for the next one always appears out of recent dealer visits.  For example, if I write about lead response times it’s because, unexplainably, LRT became an issue multiple times in my visits during the two weeks prior. 

The issue that revealed itself this time is Over-Thinking The Lead.  I had some poor mystery shops, and from stores that should know better and do better.  When we looked for a…

No, No it doesn't.

I was going to start a poll and say "Does your sales technique need some work?" just to see where everyone thought their skills were. But, I wanted to hop right into the part where I do a lot of typing. Predictable, right?

Anyway, my post title may be a bit of a stretch. But, if you use one sales technique over and over again, it's not going to work every single time. No matter what your individual approach is, "Relating to the customer",…