I want to touch on something I'm starting to see in my dealership. Just a quick summary, I work in a "negotiation-free" store where we display upfront pricing and make buying easier. With that comes some other changes in our culture; sales not paid on gross profit but units, and the way we hire among other changes. The way we hire and WHO we hire is what I want to…

In Part 1, we talked about how customer’s perceptions on Price, Completeness of the Repair, and Meeting Time Expectations leads to customer dissatisfaction, according to a recent Consumer Reports Annual Auto Survey.  Here, we’ll finish up the Top 5…

I was just thinking about something that really amazed me about a month ago.  I was out with a friend of mine at a mall doing some shopping.  We were at Macy's and decided to take a look at their collection of sunglasses.  Both my friend and I enjoy nice things and do not play around when it comes to sunglasses.  In fact, I…

Late last year, a 2.5 million dollar lawsuit was won against Lithia Motors Inc. for sending unwanted text messages to customers without giving them the option to opt out of the text messages. According to AutoNews.com, Lithia was hit with a class-action lawsuit for broadcasting to 57,800 consumer cell phones text messages that failed to adequately allow the recipients to opt out of…

As I travel around North America I hear it again and again, the service at the dealership I went to was the problem.

I was on a plane yesterday and had a chance to speak with quite a few "real" car customers and I asked them what there experience has been the last time they were at their local car dealership. Here is what they had to say.....

One: The first person I spoke to said he had called his local Honda Dealership and asked if…

A few weeks ago, we published an article titled “Clear Expectations Set the Standard for Dealership Excellence.” In that discussion, I talked mostly about setting expectations. Today I’ll be presenting one of the processes that NCM recommends for managing expectations…the “one-on-one” meeting discipline.  Why should we have one-on-one meetings?  Because every employee needs and deservesto have quality, individual, interactive…

http://www.automotiveinternetsales.com

Sean V. Bradley "On Top of The World" -  Automotive Sales is an AMAZING Career... If you make it…

Google recently released an eBook (or playbook, as they call it): "The Mobile Playbook: The Busy Executive's Guide to Winning with Mobile".  For any dealership interested in mobile websites, mobile paid search, and how to expand your brand with mobile technology, this guide is extremely concise and helpful, answering the "5 crucial mobile questions that every business executive should be asking today".

Their playbook is…

I wanted to share a story with you all that happened recently. So many times when working in an industry, we forget to look at the best practices of other industries and how we can apply them to our chosen professions.

My wife recently got hooked on blenders and purchased one that, after six months, did not perform to her satisfaction. I was promptly informed that we needed to upgrade. I did not fully understand why we needed to do this and the product she selected…

Fire Your Internet Sales Manager

I know I am going to get a lot of heat on this article, but it has to be said. I have worked with thousands of dealerships over the years and there have been numerous reasons given for mediocrity, and even failure. In the beginning of automotive Internet sales in the late 1990s, it was a novelty…

A strong focus on the customer experience has always been part of the Kelly Automotive Group's philosophy. When Kelly Auto Group first heard about the DealerRater Certified Dealer Program in 2010, they realized that they were doing very little to capitalize on their satisfied customer base and that they were rather out of touch with the advances in digital marketing - with 99%…

“When our research tracked 20,000 new hires, 46% of them failed within 18 months. But even more surprising than the failure rate, was that when new hires failed, 89% of the time it was for attitudinal reasons and only 11% of the time for a lack of skill. The attitudinal deficits that doomed these failed hires included a lack of coachability, low levels of emotional intelligence, motivation and temperament.”  Mark Murphy, Hiring for Attitude, Forbes

In the car business , it’s all…

Do you know your customers? – Do you know what a multi-channel funnel is?
A muti-channel funnel allows you to stop spraying and praying. It allows you to track and see how customers are interacting with ads and where the conversions are taking place.

Nothing happens without a vision. Nothing gets created, manifested, built, or moved forward without a vision of an outcome.

Why is vision more important than strategy?

Vision and strategy are both important. But there is a priority to them. Vision always comes first… Always. If you have a clear vision, you will eventually…

The perceived difference between the top car brands and their challengers is shrinking, according to the 2012…

Dealers United Introduces Member Deal for May: Lead Generation Services from HookLogic

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You've evaluated the numbers.  Met with your managers.  Decided the goals for the rest of the year.  Now the only question is, how and when should you hire additional sales people?  Is there actually a best time to put new people on your floor?  Let's look at the possibilities.

HIRING WHEN THINGS ARE SLOW

When things are slow there are two huge benefits to hiring new people.  First - You cna take your time and make sure they get their feet under them.  Let them…