In my last blog article, I discussed the importance of building rapport with leads through the use of “Why Buy From Me” and “Lead Response” videos personalized for each customer. Now I would like to take this one step further -- Building rapport should in fact start much earlier than simply upon the receipt of a lead.

Think about the first contact a customer…

Her’s was a 7. She told me it’s what she would rate it. Now it was up to me to convince her mine was a good solid 10. I knew it shouldn’t be too difficult because she told me it was what she was wanting soon after we met.

It was a new F-150 she was after. Not just any F-150. She wanted a 4X4 Supercab with a long bed. That wasn’t impossible but it may as well be since less than 2% of production was Supercab Long…

1. F&I Product Sales by Salesperson

In most dealerships, a clear division of duties exists between the salesperson and the F&I manager. However, a salesperson’s actions on the dealership lot, telephone and showroom floor play an essential role in the success of the dealership’s financing and protection product sales. How the salesperson manages the interaction between the customer and the F&I professional has a major impact on the ability to finance the purchase as well as…

What are you doing to showcase your dealership Unique Selling Proposition?

Many dealerships in the country have something they hang their hat on.  Something they feel separates them from the competition. These are known as unique selling propositions or USP's.   

Your dealership may offer:

·        Complimentary car…

I conduct follow up training classes for salespeople that deliver less than 8 units for the month. Out of some 130 salespeople in our organization last month we had 28 that missed the mark. In previous classes I’ve conducted training on various parts of the steps to the sale, overcoming objections, and closing techniques.

This month I decided to drill down to…

I hear from Advisors all over the country that fear coupon drops in the mail.  This is not a negative thing.  It is a very positive way to build your client base.

 Dealerships spend a lucrative amount of money to drop coupons.  Advisors need to be encouraged and informed about all chances to win clients back.  It's called "Planting the seed".  Blow clients away with consistent processes of excellent customer service and new levels of Profitability will be…

Smartphone & Tablet Technology Showing Improvements in Decision-Making Speed and Profitability



LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (November 20, 2014) – Black Book® announces the results of its recent Mobile Usability survey, taking a closer look at how dealers, remarketers and other industry professionals are currently utilizing mobile technology via smartphone or tablets. The results shed light on just how fast the industry is becoming, with respondents saying mobile…

Regardless of how hard you work to ensure that your customers have an excellent experience, mistakes happen. No doubt you’ve had customers complain about something – it took too long for their vehicle to be serviced, there was a miscommunication in pricing during the sale, or a general failure to deliver on promises (big or small). Whether the…

It's no secret, winter is upon us, and many of us will be scrambling around figuring out ways to make the most of our automobile's gas. During the cold winter months, we often have to let our vehicle warm up, it takes us longer to get places, gas burns less efficiently, and we have to run our heater on full blast, so we tend to eat through gas relatively quickly. Then there's the other hand, people like myself, who live in warmer climates that stay warm pretty much year round. There brings…

http://autosuccessonline.com/news/blog/625-spotlight-joe-clementi

Dealing with today's informed customers is as challenging as any time in history. Information is readily available as dealerships around the country lean on the Internet to compete for market share.

Third-party Websites acting as consumer advocates continue to compete for the attention of the Web-savvy…

Black Friday Is Almost Here

Time is running out, and you don't want to miss out on one of the biggest selling opportunities of the year. Black Friday isn't just a retail holiday, dealerships can cash in on the flocks of people who are looking for a bargain during the holidays.



On this episode of Think Tank Tuesday, learn…

Auto/Mate Dealership Systems is conducting a survey on the usage of mobile tablets in the dealership. How many of you are using mobile tablets in the sales process, in the F&I process and in fixed ops? We would like to find out and we appreciate your input!

We're inviting all auto dealer personnel to participate. Participants who complete the survey will be entered into a random drawing to win a $400 Visa gift card. In less than ten minutes--or the time it takes to finish…

http://youtu.be/8xbo_FkIx3U

As you can hear in the attached video, we're ready to prove what has improved in equity data mining technology. DMDIRECT is poised to take on the challenge of all the rooftops ignored thus far by other data mining companies.  We are also adding new technology that has never been available under one brand.

For example:

• Text Marketing to…

Swapalease.com, the nation’s largest car lease marketplace, reports lease credit approvals during October rebounded to a rate of 74.1%, compared with 64.5% in September. Roughly three out of every four lease applicants were approved in October, an important indicator given the continued popularity of car and truck leases.



Year to date, Swapalease.com has recorded a lease credit approval rate of 68.6%, just shy of the 70% rate that is considered normal in the marketplace. Over the…

When did you last walk through the customer entrance of your dealership and look at what is truly being experienced by the customer?

Forget for a moment whether a sales consultant’s work area is messy, or if there are smudges on the windows. Let’s look a little closer at what a customer could see, hear or feel when they interact with your dealership in any…

http://www.BradleyOnDemand.com 856-546-2440

Make Money Mondays with Sean V. Bradley - "Cause And Effect" - Automotive Sales…

Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of the Used Car Market Report, with insights from Ricky Beggs and Black Book. Thank you for taking the time to hear our thoughts on the market activity from the past week. During the conference there were multiple opportunities to hear from so many key industry personnel connected to CPO, lenders, recovery and repossessions and the traditional…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ALBANY, N.Y. – November 17th, 2014 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (http://www.automate.com) announced today that it has completed integration of its dealership management system, Automotive Management Productivity Suite (AMPS), with BMW of North America's (BMWNA) DMS Data Transfer system. BMW dealers using Auto/Mate's DMS can now enjoy seamless bi-directional…

That classic line from the song “Somebody to Love” by legendary band, Queen epitomizes the destination for consumers and the goal of all salespeople. There’s not a doubt in my mind that you’ve heard the phrase “People buy from people they like.” In the past, a consumer had to come into a dealership to start the car shopping process. This is where the important skill of…