This time of the year was always interesting to me, I would get to sit back and watch the salesman cruise through December because they are all convinced that everyone is on vacation or they aren't buying cars becuase they are out Christmas shopping and that this was a month to just get what you can get and move on. Well I changed all that by  taking the philosophy that they will not work on GOALS anymore. Instead we implemented a system of monthly Expectations. The difference being that…

I have the honor and privilege of traveling this great country of ours and working with all types of BHPH dealers on a consulting, training, and 20 Group basis. I am a firm believer that we learn more from our mistakes than our successes. When I first started to put this article together, I made a list of the most prominent mistakes I see BHPH dealers make. Problem was, the list was about 1,001 mistakes long. Most if not all of which I had made as a dealer myself.

After looking over…

vAuto Genius Labs announces plans to release AutoVisor, a solution to build confidence for dealers and customers in every used vehicle opportunity.

AutoVisor will officially debut at the National Automobile Dealers Association conference in February. The product is the second offering in the new vAuto Genius Labs line, which the company launched last month.

“Dealers constantly worry that their sales teams miss opportunities because they don’t consistently put every used vehicle…

Technology has a double edged sword and equally can be "our killer" as much as it can be our "life savior". It also holds opportunity and our success at hand.

The biggest and most important problem I see for many car dealers is that most fall into being a "follower" and not "leader". Our concern and effort to what others are doing has much time, money and focus invested…

Surveys continually show that people dislike buying a vehicle. Although the numbers have gotten better over the years, people still dislike the car-buying experience. The key word here is “experience.” Everything you do is sales and selling. Every person in the dealership is in sales. Everything the customer sees is selling. What message is the customer receiving?

Selling today is not about feature-benefit selling alone. Any dealership that is being trained primarily on…

I use this term alot with my managers and salespeople...I have this on my wall in my office!

I use this as a way to remind the guys that each and every person on our team has to want to be the absolute best at thier craft!

As managers we have this desire to coach things like Negotiating, or closing, or product knowledge...Now i am all about making sure these tools are…

In an ideal world, we would have the time and resources to create four types of content: converting website content, engaging website content, SEO content, and social media content.

Throw in public relations content,…

Winning is very IMPORTANT. I've done my share of winning. Finishing First. The Gold Medal Performance etc., but putting all that aside, what's REALLY the MOST IMPORTANT aspect to living life?



• Is it Winning?

• Is it Fame and Fortune?

• Is it Finding Love and Companionship?

• Is it Merely Trying Hard?



I came across this story and short video recently that drove me to answer the question: What's REALLY the MOST (or one of the most)…

Did you ever wish you could read a woman’s mind to know exactly what car and price range she is interested in when she enters your dealership? Wouldn’t that make the selling process easier? Recent industry numbers highlight the power of women buyers and demonstrate what value they have to your dealership’s bottom line.

Let’s take a look at six characteristics that will assist you and your staff relate and understand your female buyer better.

1. Browsing – The Silent…

What was yours like?

I started selling cars in the summer of 1974 at a single point Plymouth Dealership in Canton Ohio, Canton Plymouth. We advertised as the “World’s Largest Exclusive Plymouth Dealership”,which probably was true due to the fact there were at that…

Everyday managers walk into their dealerships in the morning and start their day with tasks or TO-Do list items. Unfortunately, those items rarely involve direct interaction with their sales team. The ultimate place for managers to be is in front of customers and salespeople.

Salespeople need interaction and input. If a manager allows a salesperson to direct their own day by their own design without input and coaching, the results will often be lackluster and will lead to…

Even if your party did not win the White House a few weeks ago, you are still relieved, I would guess, that the election is finally over. Whether you are pleased or disappointed with the results, it is time to move on. After all, in about 30 days our country will be stepping right up to the edge of the fiscal cliff, ready to fall off into an economic nightmare in 2013. And that will surely happen, economists tell us, unless these politicians--many of whom we just (re)elected–-can reach…

Newsletter December 2012

Are You Willing To Change?

                        This month’s newsletter is different in that it will relate to your everyday life including life at the dealership. Many people use this time of year to set resolutions for improvement in next year’s results. My personal viewpoint is that without a firm…

The year is coming to a close and the used car business has had two of its best years. Dealers who want to continue to reap the benefits of this trend in 2013 are developing sales and marketing efforts around women, as they are now consuming $300 billion at new car dealerships. These sever topics should be a part of every sales discussion:

1. CPO Cars Lower The Risks Of Buying A Used Car & Avoid New Car Depreciation

When it comes to car buying, women…

As we look forward to the coming year, I believe there will be five key challenges that confront every dealer in their used vehicle operations.

Challenge 1: Creating a vehicle segment-specific investment strategy. This means regarding each segment of vehicles (e.g., compact cars, SUVs, vans, etc.) as distinct classes of investment opportunities, and managing them as an investment manager would a client’s portfolio.

Challenge 2: Lower cost sourcing of vehicles.…

What matters most to your car shoppers? Is it price? Depth of inventory? Maybe – but the Internet has nearly commoditized the auto business. Savvy customers will be able to find the car they want at the lowest price within a few seconds of searching. So where is the competitive edge that draws a buyer to one dealership but not another?

To find the answer, let’s try and…

This is Part 5 in a 5 part series. Please read the previous posts first or none of this will really make any sense.…