The difference between being a bestselling author and starving artist is a fine line we walk everyday…

Word Tracks in our business is a crucial and vital part of our strategy and successes…

However, as important as they are… They only account for 7% of our communication skills!

  This is a topic every manager should address with their…

There are zombies out there right now trying to “manage” your business’ Social Media.  Many dealers are still defining what Social Media means to them and their business.  If you’re not a regular user, it’s hard to decipher what really will work for you.  Some promise success; others scare you into a…

Some of the enhancements made over the last week to the G+ platform lead me to believe that they will be launching business and branding pages this week. If not this week I gather very soon. 

In the last week the G+ has introduced What's Hot, Ripples  and a basic moderation tool for G+ hangouts. I have also heard rumors of phone integration or having the…

I visited a client at their dealership this past week. After my full day review which included time to meet and train their staff, I was asked by the Dealer Principal: "Just How Far Behind Are We?".



This is actually a common question that I get asked…

It’s been said, “Time flies when you are having fun”… it also flies when you are scratching and clawing to get to the next day, week, or month; before you know it, a new year begins in our hamster wheel of life. We live our lives either coming out of something or racing to our aspirations; it’s as if we either live our lives in the past, filled with regrets,…

The amount of "best practices" and "tips" involved with social media marketing can be overwhelming to say the least (and yes, I'm guilty of sharing my own).  In the spirit of KISS (Keep it Simple, Stupid), here is a short list of Must-Do's for dealerships using social media as a part of their online marketing efforts:

Have a Plan: Before starting any…

Customer satisfaction and customer retention are paramount for a dealerships long term success!

So…..how can you make sure that your entire team understands this and performs at its highest level??

You HAVE to build a culture!

Here is a link to a blog that I wrote about building a culture:

Are you just training them…

In my days with HomeNet Automotive, a new feature was released that allowed our customers to upload live video into their inventory for distribution to the third-party websites that would allow it.

Being in sales, I wanted to have a real video in which I could show potential clients the possibilities and an actual example of what one would look like so I enlisted help from a friend of mine who's a GM at a nearby dealer group to…

A question every salesperson should ask of oneself…

At some point in time even the best and brightest… sharpest and most straightforward of sales professionals have to make a purchase of some…

To people with the gift of true humility, it’s always a mystery as to what arrogant individuals hope to gain by their attitude.

Webster defines arrogance as “a sense or affectation of superiority.” Undoubtedly the “superior” being is trying to impress his importance upon others. But if they could know the secret ridicule and resentment they arouse in those they seek to impress, they would dump the superior attitude.

Rather than winning respect, such an attitude stamps it’s…

Pay-per-Click (PPC) maps well to what we’ve done for years on our lots, but we don’t realize it:  We spend a lot of money getting visits and calls to a dealership, and we train our salespeople to land a customer on a car before starting the negotiation process in the store.  Get'em "lickin' the paint" as my first GSM told me.  And, once landed, do NOT lift them from the…

Proactive customer support and service identifies and resolves issues before they become problems. Proactive communication and proactive selling can help you drive business with higher customer loyalty.

Differentiate through superior customer service, exceeding customer expectations with personalized and unique touches and give your customers the power of choice. Being customer ready drives superior customer care and improves client retention.

Start by…

Hello DealerElite Community,

I am kind of new here. I consider myself more of an observer than an engager. With that said from my time observing, I know that this community has some of the most forward thinking, progressive minds that serve the auto industry.

I have been on google + since early July and have been following it closely. Most dealerships are thinking G+ is just another Facebook or Twitter and once they open it up to brands that they will need to…

Having videos on your auto dealer website has been shown to increase website leads, and when done with video search engine optimization (VSEO), helping your site climb the search engine result pages.  If your dealership has videos on your website, you should have those videos uploaded to your own dealership YouTube channel.

Here's why:…

The drive inside us is what sets our tone for success. What we want to accomplish in life and our career, paired with our inner drive is what leads us to our accomplishments.

Decide What You Want

When you decide what you really want in life it makes it easier to go get it. When you have a goal and a mind set, it makes it much easier to accomplish what you really want. That is the beauty of car sales, and sales in general you are not set to a certain wage or…

Industry stats show that 80% of your ups will walk without buying. Yet if you can re-contact them within 48 hours and address their real reasons for not buying, the evidence shows you’ll get 33% of them back into the store and convert approximately 67% of them into sales.

For many dealers, this extra effort to pursue shoppers who left, and convert them into be backs, can net you up to 50 or more additional units per month. In any economy, that’s great incremental…