Let's face it. In the real world, big corporations have an advantage. They have more money for national television ads. They have armies of people marketing and advertising their products and services. They have name recognition and branding. None of this matters (as much) on the web.

The internet gives a venue for small businesses to have more equal footing with the larger…

Recently I saw a customer come into the dealership for service. This person was traveling to deliver dogs around the country in his diesel pickup truck. The trailer had 22 dogs on it as he pulled in for service because the engine was running rough and he could not continue. The time of this visit was around three in the afternoon. My truck is running poorly and I need help. The manager stated well at this time he would not get going today but he would have some idea of diagnosis. He…

For many years consumers have been complaining about the buying experience at the local dealership and have often compared the experience to pulling teeth without the benefit of a painkiller. However, in the post internet era where easy access to information has changed the way that vehicles are bought and sold, consumers have expanded the radius for what they consider their local dealership to include those within the length of time they are willing to travel to avoid the hassle and to get…

While the majority of my time is now spent trianing new salespeople, I still get to work with experienced teams on occassion.  I enjoy this break, especially during this time of year.  It's always easy to get new people to set high goals becasue they're still excited about their new career and want to make a great impression.  Getting veterans to set goals is more like trying to get a college student to be done with a major paper BEFORE the night before!

As an expert in human personal…

More and more we are finally seeing dealers slip away from the stereotypical cliché of what a “car salesman” should be or look like…

… And what a better world that is!…

Good morning,

I have another article I wanted to share today. It’s all about making sure your customers are coming back to your dealership after the initial sale. Oftentimes, customers will make a purchase, and you won’t see them again for a while, if not ever again.

BlogHer.com and J D Power asked both men and women to describe their range of emotions while going through the automotive purchasing cycle.  Both genders listed “excited” as the primary emotion with men at 71% and women at 74%. Women were also more nervous (53%) during the process than men (42%) and less confident (30%) than men (37%).

However, when we filtered the same question results through those who had used either blogs or social networks to help with car information prior to…

The following is an except from the book “Influence: How Women’s Soaring Economic Power Will Transform Our World for the Better” by Maddy Dychtwald with Christine Larson.



Start Your Engines: Transforming the Automotive…

A study released in September shows how Ratings and Reviews has an impact on consumer shopping decisions.  They seek out what experiences other consumers had before they make their own decision.  This of course is different from general "social media" where they seek out commentary from their friends.

Some excerpts of this study include:"Data from “The 2011 Social…

I decided to write this post after a comment I left on my Facebook Profile, it stated:

The Law Of Profitable Returns: As long as the value of your goods and services exceeds what was paid for them, then the profit received will always…

1) No Dealer shall allow access by any Vendor to their business data (DMS, CRM, etc.) without restrictions to specific data needed and on the use of such data by the Vendor for only providing a clear and very strong business advantage to the Dealer.…

During MARKIT Group social media training sessions, we discover that in an effort to be efficient, training classes often have a wide range of participants - some very experienced, others totally new to social media.  On that note, we will be posting weekly social media tips in an effort to provide some quick and easy tips that users of all experience can utilize.

Friday Facebook Social Media…

You’re always One Choice away from changing your life…

Think about this for a moment…

one choice, just one, can change your life forever.

Simply put, your life today is what your…

Every customer that walks into that door should be greeted with a smile and a welcoming statement. You never want a customer to feel ignored. No matter how busy you are, it only takes a few seconds to stop and let them know you aknowledge them and will be with them in a minute. You want them to feel good about the decisions they are about to make in sales or service. Customer's want to know they are investing their money in the right places. There is nothing worse than buyers remorse. If you…

Anything that helps you sell cars long term is a good thing,short term not good.As far as TRUE CAR goes I encourage you to get your salespeople to go to the site and try it. At least they they will know what the consumers are seeing. Paying 295.00 for a new car lead and 395.00 for a used car lead doesn't say much about the dealership. Low gross and no gross does not help a salesperson or a dealership. The consumers should see the TRUE CAR presentation to the dealers. They remind you of all…

Is yelp business friendly or are they doing what would be called legal "BlackMail"?  I had five of my personal customers go on yelp to give a review, good or bad, I just wanted their input and post.  Yes, I asked them because the service was awesome, but real people, with real ratings sent to archive, Why?????

There is a distinct taste of irony to this post. I made my feelings known about cross-posting on all of the social networks earlier this month. Now I must break my own personal rule.

This time, I have good reason.

We're trying to compile a…

Influential people on Twitter get hit up by so many different businesses and organizations hoping that they will help promote their product or service. It's challenging to truly engage with these influencers in a meaningful way that they will appreciate and reciprocate.

Challenging. Not impossible. Here, we discuss ways to engage with them and have…