Do the "RIGHT THING".. You can make mistakes and be forgiven,but dishonesty lingers in people's memories forever.It's much easier to keep your reputation than rebuild it. Nothing will turn people against you more than being percieved as dishonest.People forgive for making mistakes.In LINCOLN ON LEADERSHIP , Author Donald Phillips…

Google Places.  Facebook.  Twitter.  Foursquare.  Etc.  All free.  Car dealers have to love that price, right?

My caution is not about whether to use these services, as YOU MUST USE THEM.  It’s not an option any longer—it’s just a matter of when you can get to using them with the attention they deserve for the result you need.

My caution IS, however, about…

We have a responsibility to our people to set expectations not goals.

You set a goal and if they don't hit it then it's "oh well" maybe next month! or they come to you all proud and say ohhh i got so close, maybe this month!

Expectations put a little responsibilty on the shoulders of the person that is trying to make them a reality, then have consequences for those who do not meet them. As managers we sometimes want to soften the blow by saying " well he was…

UPDATE: 9/19/11 - The Digital Dealer Webinar scheduled for 9/22/11 with Phil Zelinger has been postponed until after the 11th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition. Stay tuned for more details. 

Digital Dealer Webinar: How to Sell More with Less Using Technology Driven Processes Powered By Social Media

Date: 9/22/2011 at 11:30am EST -…

A friend of mine asked for my help in leasing a new SUV the other day, she had settled on a Toyota.  I coached her to look up a car on buyatoyota.com.  There she found the 4runner she wanted and the next day went to the dealership that had it in…

I try to spend at least a little time each day reading forums and blogs from outside the auto industry because I think there is a lot to learn from other business communities.  Today, I found an interesting question up for discussion, and would like to pose the same to you.

What would it take for you to leave the auto industry?

 …

I started some advice for Nancy Simmons in another section and it grew into a story I think some of you might find interesting.

Nancy is developing tailored CRM software for a client. I had the opportunity to do the same thing for my own dealership twenty years ago. Here's my advice and story to her:

At the point at which a prospect is willing to identify themselves to a dealership as a prospect they become HOT prospects, all of them. They may be saying I'm not currently in the…

We have all had the experience of going out to a restaurant for lunch.

The process is nearly the same in every restaurant.

• First we are greeted at the door
• We are then guided to an open table
• We are then given a menu to choose from different options
• We are asked if we would like anything to drink while we look…

Dr. King believed “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he

stands at times of challenge and controversy.” What is a motivational quote for most was a creed for Todd Beamer and…

Reputation Management requires you to have a great online presence so you grow your business and make an impact in your market. Credibility is everything in business. A bad reputation means bad business, and bad business means lost revenues and low sales numbers. Every customer represents an opportunity.

Boost your Online Presence Visibility and searchability. Appearing on the first page of search engine results with intriguing content and good reviews…

That is the phrase that can pop a salespersons bubble faster than anything!

This is a great way to turn the focus on the sales proccess and how important it is to never skip a step or to never show the customer all of the choice in vehicles that fit just above or just below what they are looking at on the lot. It may be a lack of investigating the way the customer is going to use the…

Made you click from the title or the picture, didn't I?  Well, this article is about Pay-Per-Click (PPC), but a short story first to explain my point:  When I had my entertainment company ten years ago, we always laughed at the long-standing joke that naming a band “Free Beer!” would make all the honky-tonk signs read “Free Beer Tonight!”—ensuring strong attendance.  I still…

All too often what we think are strategies are mere tactics and are driven by technology vendors want to sell us. I put together this 2.5 day class for our clients and perspective clients on Strategies to help them better define their own strategy online & off.

This is a 2hr version of a 2.5 day class.

 …

Last month I posted a discussion, "When's the Last Time you saw an Evidence Manual", I was delighted to trigger some positive discussion.  

Are you having your customer sign a "Release Form" to use their photo, image, testimonial and / or video?  I have attached a pdf of a generic form I used to use and have signed in the Business Office.  Please have it reviewed by your counsel or advertising agencies.  It is always wise to exercise due…

Alexander H. Leighton says..."morale is the capacity of a group to pull together persistently and consistently in pursuit of a common purpose.

Something that has always been apart of the automotive industry is the group of tough love managers and owners... you know the ones that pull the team together for a meeting and all hell breaks loose, Screaming and Yelling and demoralizing the group like that is going to get them pumped up? I know everyone in the industry has seen it…

How can you solve ANY problem that you might have???

There is a very simple process…to solving any and all problems…

The process… is basically 4 steps…

And you are going to need to write out your answers…to every step of the process…

So get yourself some paper and a pen…or type it out on your…

 I don't understand why other guys don't get it Doug said. What ever I do at work has to be a benefit for me or I don't waste my time. I know I have to help others to get where I want to go, that's a given. But I have a plan.  Don't get me wrong I help people all the time but I know good things will come back to me because of this. I expect the return some how but will never ask for any thing when I help someone.                                          I do more mailers, phone calls and…

Benjamin Franklin once said, “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” We make excuses why we can’t squeeze another task into a day, especially when it comes to learning. We treat learning like we do exercising; we’ll get to it when we can. Eventually, a lack of learning, like exercising, will lead to the terminal illness of your career.…

Google has just bought Zagat, a company that provides ratings and reviews of restaurants, entertainment venues, and travel locations.  Known primarily for their yearly restaurant book guides, they have been doing quite well with their online subscription based site and community.

Google plans for Zagat to be the "cornerstone of our local offering", helping them  to compete directly with Yelp and other online review sites.  Think it was a coincidence that Google recently…