Another end of the month has come and gone. Are you still preparing your numbers? Already turned them in? Have you had the conversation with your GM or Salespeople about how this month is going to be better than last month? I've had a ton of those talks with my superiors who expected me to do better than a bad month, or even better than a good…

In the effort to make a sale some sales approaches can lack some very serious ingredients. Pushing a customer without qualifying their needs and not providing honest feedback is like covering a wound with a temporary bandage.

Definition of BAND-AID: offering, making use of, or serving as a temporary or expedient remedy or solution

It is a salesperson’s job to sell, but quality selling always…

The “Car Biz” an industry that made you reinvent yourself a little bit and step outside your comfort zone…

So I ask you… Why step back in?

I don’t know about you but I didn’t want to grow up wanting to be a car salesman…

But here I am and it’s been a good ride so far…

Growing up if you would have asked me what I…

Winter 1982.  I was the F&I manager for a Chrysler, Plymouth, Jaguar, Deloreon dealer. (One of my better career moves.)  It was also a time that was very troubling for Chrysler.  They had gotten their loan (bailout) from the government and had cut back on their field support.  We got the memo that some of each dealership staff would volunteer for the New York Auto Show.  Each of us would have to go to the city and spend two hours at the Chrysler booth. (And we still had to pay for our…

WINNING THE PRICE WARS

As most of you know, I have over 150 One Price Selling dealer clients. In talking to dealers who are interested in this selling process, I always hear, “My market is different. We have a number of dealers who just give cars away. How can I compete?” For starters, most markets aren’t that different - they are highly price competitive - therefore, you don’t want to compete solely on price. You want to create a differentiated sales…

Today in our sales meeting...the testosterone and jokes were so thick you coulda cut it with a knife....I decided a few weeks ago that I would use these opportunites to develop the "thick skin" skill in me...you know the one?  Where you don't let rude or mean customers that no matter what you say, they are going to be upset type?  It's been helpful to decide not to take things personally in this male dominated industry that is full of customers who decided a long time ago that car dealers…

There are zombies out there right now trying to “manage” your business’ Social Media.  Many dealers are still defining what Social Media means to them and their business.  If you’re not a regular user, it’s hard to decipher what really will work for you.  Some promise success; others scare you into a…

I am a female salesperson trying to make a living in the Automotive Business.  I find myself doing well at disarming customers and now I'm working on holding gross in the deals I do.  I'm not afraid to ask for the sale but keeping control is a little more difficult with a dominant customer...any ideas?

It’s been said, “Time flies when you are having fun”… it also flies when you are scratching and clawing to get to the next day, week, or month; before you know it, a new year begins in our hamster wheel of life. We live our lives either coming out of something or racing to our aspirations; it’s as if we either live our lives in the past, filled with regrets,…

Google, in an effort to help small business ensure they have an effective mobile website, has launched "GoMo".  This website (http://www.howtogomo.com) lets users learn about why having a quality mobile site is important, test how your site looks in its mobile version, and find resources to help if your mobile site isn't quite up to par.

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It’s November and the weather is changing, so it’s time to get ready for our slow season. This is the time of year that many of us in the car business often dread because the days are long, quite boring and in the windy city where I live, you can actually feel your brain shrinking after one too many days of snow. However, this is the perfect time of year to do some housekeeping in preparation for spring, your true selling season. This is the perfect time to generate some momentum by taking…

It is no secret that we are all experiencing some difficult times in our respective economies and that these times are causing many in the automobile industry to question their career paths. However, even in these challenging times, there are those that continue to flourish because they seem to know something that many or their counterparts do not.  These individuals continue to give themselves pay raises every month and every year.  They have figured out some time ago that they have to make…

I've started this discussion in a few different places online, and I wanted to get this forum's take on what constitutes a third party lead.

Sitting here writing in my office in Richmond, it never occurred to me that there might be some confusion around that term. I should have gotten a clue when DrivingSales.com eliminated the "Third Party Leads" category from their product listings and …

Powered By CarWoo!, DealerRater^® Premiers PrivateBuy™

Enabled by the CarWoo! MarketPlace, DealerRater releases PrivateBuy to consumer members offering an online service providing auto consumers the ability to get great market prices and a positive online car buying experience while maintaining…

DealerELITE's Exclusive Interview with Tommy McClung, CEO of CarWoo!

1. What is CarWoo!?

CarWoo.com is an online marketplace where car buyers say what car they want and dealers make online offers to sell them a car.  The experience is 100% transparent between the…

Last week I was driving down a highway and noticed several state troopers alongside the road in an old service station. One stepped in front of my car and flagged me in to the parking area. The officer quickly walked around my vehicle checking all of my turn signals and headlights. He also quickly checked tire condition and the emergency brake function. He did use me to turn the switches and push the brake and the process took only a few minutes. The trooper also checked my current insurance…

Some of the enhancements made over the last week to the G+ platform lead me to believe that they will be launching business and branding pages this week. If not this week I gather very soon. 

In the last week the G+ has introduced What's Hot, Ripples  and a basic moderation tool for G+ hangouts. I have also heard rumors of phone integration or having the…

The difference between being a bestselling author and starving artist is a fine line we walk everyday…

Word Tracks in our business is a crucial and vital part of our strategy and successes…

However, as important as they are… They only account for 7% of our communication skills!

  This is a topic every manager should address with their…