Transparency is supposed to cure the excess profit that dealerships make on selling a “commodity”. We’re discussing a platform that promises “upfront pricing” as the “new world order” but cautions “its arrival heralds a bona fide tipping point in automotive retailing”. Transparency offers the customers an “upfront pricing” that is “non-negotiable in an environment defined by net margin compression”

Some say, we don’t want transparency suggesting instead that we prefer deceit and…

One of the toughest decisions that most business owners struggle with is deciding whether to commit to training programs that are not associated to a capital investment.

Unfortunately, this resistance stems from the poor track record that many of these training programs have in producing measureable results. Although these concerns are often unspoken, it explains why many business owners are hesitant to commit to outside training solutions even though they know that it is desperately…

If you have been around long enough, you'll remember that when the Internet first came to national attention, it was often called the Internet Highway.  Business owners were told that they needed to get their business on this promising new road.

I chuckled last year when Sean Wolfington showed by a vintage automotive marketing that…

I know, I know some things never change, Right?! ... WRONG.  I'm sure there are plenty of people out there that are going to disagree with me on what I'm about to disclose – and that's okay; as long as they have put them both to the test like I have.  I have been in the auto industry for just a few months short of 12 years. I have consistently been reading, and scouring the Internet for the best training information I could find to improve my automotive sales career.  I wanted to share with…

At times I feel like a newspaper reporter on the Google "beat" just trying to stay up with the latest changes in Google search, Google Places, Google paid search, and their social strategy.  

This week I noticed that Google is exposing the details of the Google Places listing on a search that…

Stop giving away additional, incremental sales and gross! Today's NCMi Up To Speed blog discusses how to set up an AS-IS used car sales process in your store.    

If you're not in the AS-IS used vehicle business, you should be!

By Garry House, Director, NCM…

Good morning,

I wanted to share an article written by Paul Long, explaining the way companies can express their appreciation to their customers, and how inexpensive it can be. Take a look, and see how you can thank your loyal customers in an easy and effective way.

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‘Putting a Lid on Loyalty – Little Things Can Mean a Lot’

Since we are in the business of loyalty marketing – and indeed it is our only…

One of my most favorite sayings in the world goes like this:

“A sale, like a war, is won by many battles and lost

by one”

This is true across every industry and business and why there is no single ZMOT (Zero Moment Of Truth). There are multiple events that take a…

Continuous Improvement Team (CIT) - I have seen many dealerships in the United States with CIT teams and a lot of dealerships without CIT teams.  I must admit there is dealerships that also have CIT teams and not utilized to the fullest potential.

Structure on building a CIT…

Over the last year (plus) there have been numerous hypotheses shared regarding Google Places and the practice of customers entering reviews while still in the dealership or business. The crux of the discussion was whether or not Google was blocking reviews from a common IP address because of the possibility of gaming the system or as some have suggested, because a customer might feel “pressured” if asked to do this review while still at the business location.

Many opinions and…

(as appears on our Car Chat 24  blog today).

Once you saw “Tis the Season” in the title, did you get a little scared? Don’t worry, I cringed a bit writing it. Alas, I do have an…

Good afternoon,

I wanted to share another blog post Paul Long wrote, in regards to the value customers find in staying loyal to your brand. 

Have a look, and see what your customers may be thinking when they walk into your dealership.

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What do I get for staying loyal to your…

Got a stack of magazines on your desk? Tear out relevant articles and ditch the rest. You will get through it faster and feel better.  

If you want to fancy it up, separate your articles into folders or files.

If you are digitally savvy, scan them in, fax them to yourself, or take a photo with…

Google has made a major upgrade to the Google Analytics Interface and I will be writing a number of articles highlighting some of the most powerful features that can be leveraged by car dealers.

If you have not taken time to work through then new interface and reports, I strongly suggest that…

Women-Drivers.com announced new features to its no-cost brand reputation management tools available to car dealerships. The site connects women buyers and browsers with Certified Women-Drivers Friendly™ Dealers, and allows users to locate…

 I just came back form a work shop in Michigan. I said lets talk like friends and ask any question you want. Before I got started a guy in the back said,is this one of those motivational deals that you go home all fired up and don't know what to do? Before I could answer a guy up front spoke. He said, I don't need to know that I should get my name out there as much as possible. Are you going to show us how? I told him I will show you how to spend one dollar per customer and get your name…

Important for Auto Dealers….

Adding Video to your existing page is often over looked, this type of digital media can separate your dealership from the next one, realize now that it is such a very important step in marketing your dealership, you can connect with over Millions Video Users, around the world.

Sounds Easy, right? It is very easy, and effective, and can help to SEO your Dealership.

Grab the video icon, and upload your videos daily to different friends pages. …

Weighing the high prices of gasoline and the public’s growing concerns about global warming, air pollutants and environmental health hazards, it’s not a surprise that fuel economy is playing a larger role on people buying a car.

To help car buyers make a more informed decision about the cars they buy, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has designed a new window sticker full of information about fuel economy. This sticker is on all new cars, light trucks and sport utility…