It was my belief that this site was meant to share your talents, thoughts and relevant material that makes for a community of Car "Guys and Gals" that stay sharp, get educated and have a forum for discussions to better all of our careers.  I have remained very steadfast to those cores and have never that i can remember posted a video or blog post that direct sells my…

Industry Leaders,

    What would you think if I told you there was a “brand new” way to sell cars, and make customers happy...

It goes like this –

  When customers come on your lot you must stay hidden inside the store, lock the doors, and send no one outside. The customer will wander your lot for a bit, and sometimes they find something they want. Make sure not to interrupt this process! Do NOT attempt to give the customer(s) a reason to decide on…

In a recent study from retail analysis firm, RichRelevance, iPads and iPhones make up over 90% of online purchases that don't happen on a desktop device.  That means that 9 out of 10 mobile purchases come from an Apple product, a device that can't read anything in…

TrueCar has certainly stirred up a hornet’s nest with “Know the REAL Price”. To be fair they are not the only online lead generator that uses dealership transactional data in an effort to get between the customer and the dealership and get a piece of the car sale either through a pay for lead or pay for sale pricing model.

Both KBB and Edmunds use transactional data also, the difference… their billing model doesn’t require them to dial into your system so it doesn’t appear that they…

Most of you are probably adding the final touches to your 2012 business plan. At NCMi, we refer to this annual planning process as budgeting. Many experts agree that automotive dealership budgeting is as much an art as a science. Because industry business cycles are not repetitious, a good budget may result as much from experience, sound instincts, and good judgment as from anything else. Nevertheless, a budget is pretty much a view into the crystal ball, attempting to…

I read an article today on the "Slow Death" of Best Buy despite the fact that they sell 1/3 of the electronics in the USA and the lack of large competitors.

I must say I was a little shocked due to the recent demise of one of their largest competitors last year. You may remember Circuit City went out of business last year. In addition in the Canadian market they own their largest rival Future shop. This is interesting because the business or sales model at…

There is a rather simple formula when it comes to getting the MAXIMUM return on your investment in Social Media.

It’s so simple…..it might overwhelm you!

And while the formula is simple…..the actual implementation is the hardest part!

The formula???????................”Embrace it”…….

That’s the ENTIRE…

If Google's pilot to sell cars in San Francisco is successful, how will it affect Autotrader,Cars.com and

 TRUECAR/ZAG?

What would they need to do to compete with Google?

What have you heard about the pilot program in San…

First I would like to wish everybody a happy and healthy new year.

Yesterday was 50 degrees in northeast PA and was to nice to be inside. After doing a few things around the house my 10 year old son wanted to go play some baseball. While I was pitching to him he was fouling off some pitches and was getting frustrated. To make a long story short, he was stepping toward third base and all I told him was to step toward me. Yes, he still fouled some off, but he was hitting more fair and…

According to Experian: car loan delinquencies fell in the first quarter of 2011, for the first time in three years.  Default rates have dropped by 28% from the previous year; meaning that banks are feeling more confident in lending to more sub-prime customers.  The banks also have more money to lend so they are more willing to take risks and lend to people with less than perfect credit.

This is good news for Independent Dealers…

Do you realize you say more nonverbally than you do verbally? In sales, we think we have to learn 9000 different word tracts in order to overcome every possible objection, but the truth is you may be losing the potential to make a sale based on your…

Those of us who have been around the retail automobile industry will sooner or later find a customer that says your product, store or staff sucks. This usually happens when a salesperson is working the service area and runs into that customer. You know the one who can't wait to unload all his problems on you.

Oddly enough, this person is as good of a prospect as…

About 10 years ago Fixed Performance Consulting began with the hope of providing me reasonable income and help dealerships grow in profits and customer care. I recall so many times advisors or managers that said it could not be done only to watch them develop into top performers increasing their personal income and gaining advancement. What a thrill for me to hear time after time thank you for teaching me how it all works together.…

Hey guys....over the last few years to prove a point and stay real sharp for my own "personal growth"...I have been taking a 10-12 day gig at a Dealership (where ever I may be at) We have all "Mystery Shopped" our competition...or dealers over the phone before we go ahead and sell them some training...I "Mystery Worked" the dealership!!! Last year it was in December...This year it was in October. I go through the whole interview and screening process...I am not totally…

As 2012 approaches, we face the usual uncertainty about what will happen to a slate of federal income tax breaks that are scheduled to expire on December 31. If you pay attention to tax issues, you know this has become an annual ritual.

What could happen to all these tax breaks?

• In some cases, Congress may extend them -- but they just haven't gotten around to it or they can't agree on what should be included in a proposed law. So on some tax breaks, there is a good…

Going back to school...often a "resolution" for the New Year.  Several free sites exist, all well know and well respected exist where we can all go to improve our knowledge.  While you won't get a degree from these sites, you can get a certificate of completion.  I for one am not necessarily a "Certificate collector" and value the information much more.

Here are three site I am aware of:

MIT online: …

Social Media Tip #105~ FACEBOOK TIMELINE



This week's social media tip is specifically for personal profiles: Facebook's new Timeline feature was just recently rolled out to the public, and it has a lot to offer, both for personal use and for professionals looking to increase awareness of their business.



To get Timeline for your Facebook profile, visit the Timeline Facebook page and follow the…