September 2011 Blog Posts (164)

Craigslist Has Rules

In recent months I have seen an increased amount of interest from dealers wanting to learn more about posting used inventory on craigslist, and rightfully so. Craigslist is an incredible vehicle for generating leads, IF you play by the rules. If you DO NOT...you might as well not even show up to the party, because the Craigslist Police are going to take you down.



Dealers are not the only people at the party either. Showing up are a number of companies, a few that are ethical and… Continue

Added by Tom Kain on September 22, 2011 at 2:55pm — 6 Comments

Move forward or Get out of the Way

I have spent more years than I would like to remember working in car dealerships. From starting as a sales person in a very large multi line store to running finance departments to a step or two backwards as an "internet manager" I have done most every job that a retail dealer can offer.

I have always been surprised at how blind and deaf some senior managers and owners can be. When the Internet first hit the scene, with it's different kind of advertising, pricing disclosure and…

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Added by Sue Brief on September 22, 2011 at 10:47am — 2 Comments

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

 

OK.... here it is....  the vast majority (and I know you may be the exception!) of talented Sales Reps, and Sales Managers flat out suck on Sales Calls. Don't throw rocks at me yet....

 

The most common successful Sales Rep is a great influencer.... super at helping customers make good choices and delivering units. In fact, if it weren't for the common disease we seem to share (and I come from the floor), A.D.D., we would all be lawyers. If it weren't for our other…

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Added by Chip King on September 22, 2011 at 10:15am — 1 Comment

What do you think of the new FB changes?

I think this is slow and I can't cover as much in a short time. I liked seeing the bigger picture of what is going on. What do you think?

Added by Fran Taylor on September 22, 2011 at 9:09am — 2 Comments

Follow Me - I'm Right Behind You

Last week I was busy leading a class of new salespeople through our 21st Century Sales Program(c) and as with all of my classes, one or two students always emerge as leaders but, not always the ones you'd think.  There are the ones who are eager to participate, but they aren't necessarily the leaders.  Others seem to know the answers to all the questions, but that may not mean leadership.

 

The ones that stand out are often in the background.  But, if you recognize them, you…

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Added by John Fuhrman on September 22, 2011 at 7:30am — 5 Comments

Go ahead….Embrace FAILURE!

Baseball is America’s game. It provides thrills, strategy, suspense, heroics and athleticism all in one.

 

As of the writing of this article, (September 22, 2011) the batting average for ALL Major League players stand at .255.

 

That translates into 255 hits for every 1000 at bats.

 

The player that has the highest batting…

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Added by Jim Kristoff on September 22, 2011 at 7:11am — 12 Comments

Make Money Off Of Old Inventory!

Extra effort should be given to manage parts inventories. Any aged inventory over 12 months without a sale should be discounted and sold immediately. Larger items such as engines and transmissions could be listed on eBay for bids. OE Connection is a good program most dealers can use to discount and sell aged inventory. Check out their discount parts hub program also…

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Added by Rob Gehring on September 21, 2011 at 8:30pm — No Comments

Aftermarket Departments

 

 I am looking for the best products dealers are selling today as an upsale..In todays market we all need to sharpen our skills with customers. Does anyone still have a great aftermarket department ? Who trains the people to upsell ? Let me know ...

 

 

 

Added by Aileen J on September 21, 2011 at 5:28pm — No Comments

VinSolutions is hiring for a Territory Manager for the Eastern region of the US | www.VinSolutions.com

VinSolutions, a leading provider of automotive dealership software, is growing its Sales Team and needs a Territory Manager for the North East and Mid East regions of the United States. This is a great opportunity to put your sales and communication skills to work. Daily, you will be prospecting for new business and helping close sales with dealerships. Previous sales experience to automotive dealerships is highly desired or experience in the automotive industry is a plus. As the…

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Added by Joseph Little on September 21, 2011 at 3:12pm — No Comments

Facebook Changes and How They Affect You

Facebook is an ever changing medium for social discourse with more than 750 million active users. On September 21st, the Facebook algorithm changed to no longer broadcast the most recent posts of friends and groups an individual is associated with. Instead Facebook now displays the most recent posts in response to an individuals search terms, interests and…

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Added by Paul Potratz on September 21, 2011 at 2:25pm — No Comments

Bottom Right Hand Drawer Syndrome

Are you familiar with this term:  "bottom right hand drawer syndrome"?  If you are not, it will likely create a major headache for you and cost you a good deal of money...

What is this syndrome?  In years past, before manufacturers started reducing the amount of time they would allow a claim to age, many warranty administrators would shuffle difficult claims to a "special" place so that they could "re-visit" it at a later date...often that hiding place was the lower right hand drawer…

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Added by Christopher Akin on September 21, 2011 at 12:09pm — No Comments

Do You Really Want to be Like Mike?

We all see the end results... the last second, game winning shot... the fame ... the glory ... the trappings of success... BUT do we really want to go through what it takes.



What am I talking about? ... I'm talking about Success... How ever YOU define it for yourself. Do You Really Want to be Like Mike?



Lee Kemp, an…

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Added by Lee Kemp on September 21, 2011 at 10:51am — 1 Comment

AutoDealerTarget Realeases Conquest Email Program

 

AutoDealerTarget is a unique provider of digital marketing solutions for automobile dealers. After careful planning and preparation, AutoDealerTarget has just announced the release of their Conquest Email Program.…

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Added by John Miller on September 21, 2011 at 10:40am — No Comments

Are Your Service Advisors Order Takers or Advisors?

If I wanted someone to just take my order and deliver, I would go to a fast food drive thru.  When I go to have my car serviced, I want service.  I believe that service advisors are more than just order takers or the message delivery system between a consumer and a technician.  Think about it?  An advisor according to …

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Added by Stephanie Young on September 21, 2011 at 9:30am — 7 Comments

Correct me if i'm wrong! (Payment Close)

I have trained this for years to salespeople new in the business as well as veterans and it is a great tool to bypass objections and help when a Manager or fellow salesperson takes a tun on a customer. Now before we go to far, this also is a way to make sure your process is streamlined and you don't have a rogue salesperson on you hands...you know the guy the manager asks " did you ask them about money down?" oh yeah boss they said no money down" then you go in and say we need $3000.00 down…

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Added by Wayne Weathersby on September 21, 2011 at 9:00am — 1 Comment

How long do you keep a new employee before letting him go ?

I had a manager say to me sales people should be able to sell cars in a week or ten days,  A lot of dealerships don't give the new sales rep time to learn. If a sales rep sells 8 to 10 or more a month , that is ok to start. So how much time do you give them to learn?  My answer is 20 months. You hardly get repeats in the first year and can get some referrals if you follow up and keep prospecting.                                                                                                    … Continue

Added by Fran Taylor on September 21, 2011 at 8:03am — 7 Comments

BRANDED-A Study of Revelations for the Automotive Sales Professional

I had completed all of my interviews.  I had taken my Predictive Index and my Wunderlick Quiz, I had answered all the questions about why I wanted to be a car sales person, I had pitched the sales manager's pen to him, successfully selling him a 2-year old Mont Blanc that already belonged to him.  I had seen the pay plan and accepted the terms, shaken my sales managers hand and agreed to start on Friday, 2 days away. 

From the sales managers office, I called my mom and told her, "I am…

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Added by David Simpson on September 21, 2011 at 6:30am — No Comments

Winning is a state of mind!



“Spread right, Trips Z-pass 90, X-36, 99 Max protections, Z-option…on two.”

 

Imagine the complexity of sitting in one of the huddles with of one of the top Quarterbacks in the country.  Imagine trying to decipher the pass route, protection and coverage for an option route.  Now, imagine doing all that without reading the playbook?

 

Sounds…

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Added by Joe Clementi on September 20, 2011 at 11:09pm — 4 Comments

Are you utilizing video of your happy customers?

 

Are you trying to decide what your Social Media process should look like?

 

Are you trying to decide where to begin and what to do?

 

One of the easiest and most effective ways to use social media to enhance your dealership’s presence is to utilize video of your happy customers either taking delivery of their New or Pre-Owned vehicle, or video of their experience in your service department!

 

You first have to understand, social media is…

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Added by Jim Kristoff on September 20, 2011 at 2:54pm — 12 Comments

Banning Social Media Is Bad For Your Dealership

Why Ban Potential Selling Tools?

The point of restricting access to any website is to ensure your employees are spending their time wisely and getting work done. Why waste the effort of watching each employee’s every move if they aren’t having issues of productivity, especially when the most often restricted sites can be valuable…

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Added by Amanda Meuwissen on September 20, 2011 at 11:30am — 2 Comments

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