Check out this new show where Grant Cardone tells it like it is!  The truth hurts a little, but seems like Grant knows how to make it better!

http://www.prlog.org/11502478-national-geographic-brings-survival-of-the-fittest-strategies-to-businesses.html

1) Hire some women!  Women buyers will, on average, prefer to buy a vehicle from another woman when they can--and women salespeople are awesome.  By the way, women salespeople will do a great job with male buyers, too.



2) Smile and understand their power.  Lots of women are on their own and…

AutoTrader Acquires VinSolutions – An Auto Industry Insider’s Perspective

While I was working as a speaker at the VinSolutions sponsored “Internet Battle Plan” 3 day dealer training workshop in Kansas City on Wednesday May 18^th, Sean Stapleton (VinSolutions Chief…

Originally published May 20, 2011 [LINK]

As I’m sure you’re probably aware by now, AutoTrader announced Wednesday that they had reached…

I recently saw a vehicle advertised on a dealer website that caught my attention. This pre-owned car was advertised as a “CarFax One Owner”.  Upon further investigation, I discovered that the “one owner” was a rental car company.

Even though the “one owner” statement may have been technically true, the description of the vehicle blew my mind: “With just one previous owner, who treated this vehicle like a member of the family, you'll really hit the jackpot when you drive home…

Remember that girlfriend or boyfriend that was just too clingy for you? Insecure, always seeking approval, or going overboard in trying to make you happy? Or worse yet, one date, and the person treats the relationship as if you're married.

Apparently, Toyota has the same problem -- only it's the one in the relationship being overly clingy, according to Stanley Bing, columnist for Fortune magazine.

He recounts in his latest column,…

Remember back in the ‘good old days’, around 2005, we wondered exactly how the internet was going to change our business. We asked questions like “is the manufacturer going to deliver the car right to the customers house?” or “if we are the fastest and cheapest on the net, will they will come from miles around?” fortunately neither one of those came true. The greatest change the internet has brought to our business is ‘Transparency’, the ability of…

FROM AUTOTRADER 5/18/11 @ 7pm EST

We want to share some exciting news. As you may have heard, AutoTrader.com has entered into an agreement to acquire VinSolutions, a leading provider of end-to-end software solutions for dealers including Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Dealer Websites, Sales Management and Desking tools, social media and…

Every dealership has an 8-10 step “road to the sale.” Every sales consultant from the novice to the veteran has the same step- by- step process outlining everything from the approach to the landing of a sale. Just as a roadmap (full disclosure, I cannot read one) or navigation system aid the driver in getting to a specific destination, so too does a dealership’s…

Since this month is Women's Month on dealerELITE, we want to get even more feedback from your experiences when working with female buyers. From today until the end of May, here is what we want you to do:

1. Salespeople/Sales Managers/Dealership Personnel
2. Grab a flip camera, or…

Just as 83,000 gross tons of a cruise liner is secured to land by various cables and anchors, what moors your life? The cables and anchors of your life are your values; you never know how secure those cables are until the storms of life come in and test their strengths. Tell me moor.  Have you been moored with the illusion of money? Have you lost the…

Teamwork is crucial for the viability of a business. Slogans have been barked from summer camp to corporate retreats shouting the mantra of Teamwork. Sales, like sports, are intertwined with “I” and “Team.” They are literally Siamese Twins- almost indistinguishable. No team can win consistently without each team member preparing and executing to the best of his or her ability. No “I’s” can sustain long-term success without the aid of their…

In real estate it is location, location, location.  In the retail sales world, it is perception, perception, perception.  Every one of your consumers wants to have a individualize experience when doing business with your organization.  I like to call it the “Disney” experience since Disney has set the benchmark in customer service.  It might be a…

When I'm not obsessively checking in over here at Dealer Elite, I have a side hustle during the day. Well, for now

.

As I've mentioned in blog posts prior, I call leads, talk to people, and set them up on appointments for interviews. Basically exactly what I did in the BDC for the 4 years I was there.

The script at my current job is..... well, lacking to say the least. I've tried to sit down with management and tell them that it doesn't allow…

Hey folks!  I have recently been asked to be the sole member of our new "service sales team".  The concept sounded great, and I was all for it, until it actually was put into action. For many and most dealerships, I fully support the idea. We use the angle of having equity in your current vehicle, so getting a brand new vehicle for no money down, and we can lower your payments. Good idea right?

Heres where I run into a snag...we used to be a Saturn dealership. Now we are Buick/GMC. …

Social Media is not kids play any longer.  Social Networking has found a home outside of the college dorm and into main stream capitalism.   More and more businesses globally are adopting Social Media Marketing Plans.  Social Media is one of the newest tools available to the global economy, but how does it affect your business?  Why should you invest some of your marketing resources in the…