For years, marketing agencies have used many methods to track consumers in order to increase the likelihood of reaching them. From the very basic – yet still in existence – use of postal change-of-address records, to appending marketing lists for increased deliverability, to today’s use of big data to track consumers, technology is better enabling marketers to deliver more…

The more people that are shopping for a car that you can get in front of your inventory, the more cars you're going to sell. Some would say it's a bold statement. Others would say that it's pretty obvious. Depending on which side of the coin you're on, you'll either need to be convinced or you're already doing it.

Let's start with the disclaimer. Everything…

If there's one thing that gets me riled up when talking to dealers, it's finding out that there are two completely different strategies being applied to their traditional and digital marketing. It made sense a decade ago when the digital age was first coming into existence in automotive marketing. It made a little sense a few years ago when the digital spend was much…

Comments made such as ”dealers starting an adjustment” and “dealers being selective” along with “buyers being cautious” coming in with the Black Book survey personnel reports caught our attention and led to anticipation as to what the actual adjustments would be after a week of market analysis.

Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of Beggs on the Used Car Market,…

The Banks Report is making its analysis of the deal available today at: http://www.thebanksreport.com/quarterly-report.html.

it's the biggest deal since 2002 when Sonic bought the Massey Group, and is the second monster deal in the last couple of weeks -- David Wilson Automotive acquired Fletcher Jones' Las Vegas Toyota store for $75 million two weeks ago. 

Savvy dealers are turning to low cost alternatives like Facebook and Twitter and other social media outlets as their alternative. Not only is it free, but it can help you interact with your future and existing customers in real-time. It's no secret that Dealers will do just about anything to gain new customers by any means necessary. Radio, Print and TV ads…

Unquestionably, the Internet has changed used vehicle shopping habits and as a result, many dealers have altered their manner of presenting and pricing pre-owned cars and trucks. Today’s successful used vehicle merchant recognizes the changed market realities and adapts accordingly. In order to ensure that our vehicle makes it to the prospect’s “short list,” we must have an aggressive, competitive pricing policy – but we must also have a sales process that effectively…

In case you weren’t aware, this week is Automotive Service Professionals week. Established in 2001 by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), this week celebrates all of the men and women who have chosen automotive repair as their profession. Automotive Service Professionals week offers a great opportunity to recognize your service department…

How do you deal with conflict in your dealership?

Do you meet your problems head-on, or do you simply avoid them all together?

When you deal with your issues face to face, does it achieve the desired result? The way we handle day to day situations can make all the difference in our quality of life.

Click the link below to hear how to…

Today’s Women's Wednesday is going to focus on what it is women really want when buying a car.

What Women Want, starring Mel Gibson, was a great movie about an ad executive, who, after an injury, had the ability to read women’s minds. He could do wondrous things with that power. Knowing what women car buyers want is crucial for dealerships to be successful in today’s market.

Female customers are the fastest growing…

These simple questions and answers will help you see the light!

Q: How much traffic does craigslist get?

A: More than 50 billion page views per month

Q: How many people use craigslist?

A: More than 60 million each month in the US alone

Q: What languages does craigslist support?

A: Catalan, Danish, Dutch, English, Filipino, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portugese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish

Q: How many classified ads does craigslist…

I hear this, just before a salesperson throws in the towel to quit. Some of…

Find Out About The Strategies That Led To It's Success



In Part 1 of a two-part series: Learn about the processes implemented to increase profits in service, parts, and sales.



Find out how your dealership can increase its profits using the same strategies that made this dealership the most profitable in its market.…

Part 1 of 4

By leveraging the estimated recruiting needs by your total number of dealerships you can substantially reduce the cost that each dealership pays for recruitment advertising while simultaneously increasing each dealership’s profitability.

Three of the primary benefits each dealership will gain are as follows:

1. Bulk Rate…

Now, sometimes during a class or seminar I’m conducting I’ll get asked “Jeff, can’t you just share the secrets to selling? The tricks, shortcuts, or just some really good closes?” The answer is, “Sure.” I’ve done it thousands of times. I’ve even trained competing dealers while I was employed by one of them! I’ve trained literally hundreds of competitors (at factory…

According to Black Book® data, the average price of a used vehicle for model years 2008-2012 overall dipped slightly during May, the beginning of a summer season that typically sees higher depreciation compared with spring levels. Average segment prices saw -0.4% depreciation in May compared with the previous month (+0.9% in April). Domestic cars changed -0.5%; import cars changed -0.9%; domestic trucks gained +0.5%; and import trucks changed -0.4%. Average pre-recession depreciation is…

My friend David Lewis wrote a blog suggesting the 'Trial Close' is an outdated concept and that it bothers the customer and you should stop using trial closes immediately.  But really? 

One of my favorite trial closes, "do you guys have any other reservations or reasons for not moving forward?"  Is this one question going blow a deal?  Can any one thing or question cause someone not to buy from you?   Or is David really trying to avoid the possibility of rejection unwilling to deal…

Recruiting Talent The RIGHT Way For Your Dealership 

(by Kevin Bradberry (President/CEO) TK Worldwide)



Two of the hottest topics in the auto industry this year are online reputation and recruiting. Hiring the wrong recruiting company can ruin your dealership’s reputation and cost you BIG!



There are several different ways to go about recruiting talent for your dealership, but the most effective way, aside from strong grass- roots efforts, is to…

[Click her to read part three in this series.]

Over the past few years numerous new marketing companies have emerged as a solution for dealers’ digital and print marketing needs. Some of these new entities specialize in…