Check out the latest blog from Matthew Klein, a member of our video team as he talks about what you should be doing while on a production set.

Do you know what it’s like to actually be working on a production set? I’ll go over some of the quick dos, don’ts, tips and tricks about the exciting life on…

I recently had the privilege of teaching our first NCMi class that is totally focused on leadership in automotive dealerships. We began this 1½-day class talking about “employee engagement,” and the general managers attending this session began positively nodding their heads, when I started this discussion with, “Surveys show that…

                1. Less than one in four American workers say they work at their full potential.

                2. One-half say…

We have a dealeship looking to hire a trainer to spend a few days training our warranty administrator:

 Please list their name and number below or have them email me at cbskmc@aol.com

OAK BROOK, IL – July 11, 2012 – vAuto announced the acquisition of Auction Genius, creator of a heads-up display for online auto auctions, and the roll-out of initial product integrations between the companies.

 “This acquisition advances vAuto’s mission to help dealers become more efficient and effective used vehicle retailers,” says Dale Pollak, vAuto founder. “Auction Genius’ intuitive dashboard offers the perfect blend of sophistication and simplicity. Its…

It is true.  How many customers does your service drive see each and every day?  Take a moment and ask your service manager.  When you find the number of RO's written each day on the service drive, I promise, you will want to spend all of your time out there!

It is easy and there are several ways you can make a serious impact on your bottom line if…

Next week, July 24-25th at the Hilton DFW Lakes Hotel, dealers from across the country who want to improve their BDC/Internet processes are heading to the Digital Warrior Academy (DWA) for training.  …

Automotive News on customizing...

Automotive news says its a $30 Billion business.  Manufacturers are doing little to tap the market and dealers even less. This is no longer a market to watch.  It is time to get involved.  Do something.  Do anything, but don't sit idle.  We are testing the waters with stylish leathers, matte…

The majority of managers today did little prospecting as a sales rep . Therefore is is tough to teach what you haven't mastered . ALL the successful sales reps today are heavy into prospecting and follow up.       I asked a dealer ,  what would you do if you had a sales rep refuse to do a demo and wait on you to do advertising to get them customers ? He said fire him . I asked why . He said because he isn't doing his job the way we want . Exactly was my answer.

 When the dealer or…

Well it never ceases to amaze me on the efforts people will go to create a fake review.  It seems like the stakes of the game have gone even higher. 

Los Angeles Times writers Jessica Guynn and Andrea Chang…

Automotive Recruitment: n.The process of attracting, screening, selecting and training qualified people to work in an automotive dealership.

I started off with the definition of automotive recruitment because I thought it important to point out the…

Hello Dealer Elite Members,

First of all I am sorry I have not been more active this week. I have been burning the candle at both ends lately and it has been catching up to me. I have also had the opportunity to read several books on retailers who are the gold standard in their industry. One of them is Nordstrom’s and one of them is Apple Computer.

I was able to learn a great deal about why both of these retailers have not only a great reputation but also…

Hello to all my dealerElite friends:

We may all think that September is a long way off but it will be here before you know it. I'm sure all dE members would like to invest in our careers by attending one of the the fall conferences in September or October. I personally recommend attending AutoCon2012 on September 5-8th. DealerElite will be hosting this convention in partnership with ADM.

If you have not visited the conference website,…

Do you remember as a child being asked what you wanted to be when you grew up? After being asked the question, your eyes instantly glazed with excitement as you stared into the abyss of your future. You were too ignorant to understand how and too young to understand why-you just knew that you knew; you were determined.  How high was high,…

When I was teaching the Sonic Dealer Academy from 2001 through 2008, my co-instructor, Steve Hallock, became famous for asking each class why they thought we spend so much time talking about the service department. He would explain that it’s because, at a 75% gross profit margin on labor sales, the service department offers, by far, the greatest incentive to increase sales. "So why bother?" Steve would ask. "Because it’s only75…

That question often depends on who you ask.  Salespeople will talk about the dealer up the street or across town who is absolutely giving the cars away.  F&I will talk about lenders who seem to favor other dealers and cost them deals.  Managers will discuss factory incentives, advertising, and the like.  But is that what we're really up against?

 

After 33 years in the business and over 15,000 salespeople and managers trained, I think there's more to competition than we…

Marketing experts agree that online video is the wave of the future and to some extent may replace television altogether. eMarketer predicts that 169 million people (71% of US internet users) will be watching online video each month by the end of 2012. This sizeable market share should not be overlooked as their attention is easily captivated through Pre-Roll Video, a short video…

I created a video that gives a brief overview of the Google Cars program, officially called the Google Commercial Unit For Cars (CUFC). A few more details on the program are now available but dealers still have a number of questions left unanswered.

Take a minute to watch the video and see my comments at the bottom of this page.…

Before I decide to make a purchase on any big ticket item,  I search the company’s name in Google and see the rating  the business received. I also read a couple of the customer reviews. I, like most shoppers, am turned off by bad reviews. Shoppers are using the Web now, more than ever to research and review companies.

Which rating service should dealerships pay most attention to? Google and here’s why:

I googled a local dealership here in Orlando, and the first…

This isn't going to be a long rant because I do most of my ranting in the video below, but it all definitely needs to be said. Taking an image that someone else took from one of the various picture-sharing sites on the internet and then slapping your watermark on it is a very poor practice. It's dishonest. It's a potential hit to your reputation. It's a little creepy.

One thing I do not mention in the video is that it reduces the chances that someone else will share the image from…