All too often when we sit at the computer, we aren't writing, we're typing. It's a subtle distinction but it's an important one. Do you ever stare at your screen and know you need to get something down so you just hammer it out? Worse yet, do you ever stare at the screen, knowing you need to get something down, and then open a new tab and start reading the news or something?…

Fear Not!

In an article dated May 15th, 2013, Automotive News announced that IRS changes could ensnare dealers who reinsure. (See full article …

Over the past several months, we’ve been doing a ton of research in the automotive industry about how dealers perceive social media marketing. It’s something that has both thrilled and alarmed us because the results have been greatly mixed. On one hand, many dealers are starting to realize that social media is more than just a fluffy form of marketing that has not demonstrable ROI, a…

Written by: Steve Hall

Dealers know you must provide fast, convenient, and competitively-priced service in order to retain your customer base. They also know that oil changes and light maintenance are the most requested service items by customers. Knowing this, why do dealers continually fight express service?

I’ve heard all the excuses: it hurts my hours per repair order; it hurts my gross profit percentage; it hurts my effective labor rate; I can’t make any money in express…

There was a fascinating article in Automotive News which discussed a new trend that many dealers are adopting: placing their service departments at the front of their dealerships.

In the article, it showcased Bill Underriner of…

Recently I had the privilege of working with Media Active Incorporated on an industrial shoot for Toshiba Corporation. Engaging in any project with MAI is always a blessing for a multitude of reasons. One aspect is the opportunity to witness on the set while being educated in the art of performance technique and the newly introduced innovation of many organizations.

I…

Here is this week's Sales Tip:

"How to Tell if You’ve Left Money on the Table"

Click HERE to view this great sales tip!

After returning home form a speaking engagement in New York, I wanted to relax a little and flipped channels on the TV until I came to a movie called “Beyond the Sea.” My intention was to just watch and enjoy the movie and just release all the tensions of work and travel. It was time to veg-out and not think. Then – boom – it happened. A line from the movie hit me like a thunder bolt: “People hear what they see.”

“Beyond the Sea” is a movie about the life of Bobby Darin.…

"And Round And Round We Go"

There seems to be a great deal of commonality and consensus in the disconnect between the Sales Department and The BDC Department just to name two and…

There’s a case against Twitter and Pinterest that is being waged by some in the automotive industry. They’ll say that there simply isn’t a good return on investment, that they aren’t worth messing with because it’s just too hard to find a benefit from them. This is true until you look at one major factor: time.

Twitter and Pinterest require very little time to maintain and keep vibrant.…

Many people really don’t know exactly what a Public Relations firm does. The common answer is “write press releases,” but I can guarantee you public relations firms do not sit around all day and just write press releases (or at least good ones). So what, exactly, do we do?

As defined by the Public…

ALBANY, N.Y. – May 14^th, 2013 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (http://www.automate.com) announced today that its AMPS Dealership Management System (DMS) is fully integrated with Xtime ServiceCRM, the leading cloud-based customer retention management (CRM) and scheduling platform for the automotive service industry. Dealers using AMPS can now take advantage of seamless, bi-directional data exchange with Xtime Service CRM to improve…

Stressed about your Online Marketing Strategy? Don't know what you should be tracking and what benchmarks to measure? Then watch this week's Think Tank Tuesday Video, Leave Your Comments below the video and Share it Please.

Written by: Rebecca Chernek

EMBRACE CHANGE

The glass ceiling for women’s acceptance in the finance industry was shattered over a decade ago.

According to the 2012 Catalyst Census of Women Executive Officers and Top Earners, which counts the number of women in upper management in Fortune 500 companies, women comprise over 18% of all executive officers in the finance industry, and 19% of board directors in the finance and insurance industries in…

Everyone who plays in the Facebook page strategy game has their opinions about the types of content to post. Car dealers and vendors have tried different things over the years. Some have found success while others have let it fall off completely, dismissing it as unimportant or too time-consuming to mess with on a daily basis.

For those who are doing well or…

Driver Connect, a breakthrough mobile app for the auto industry, is recognized in Mobile On-Demand Software Application category

Daytona Beach, FL – May 14, 2013 – DMEautomotive’s Driver Connect has been named a finalist for “New Product or Service of the Year” in the Software - Mobile On-Demand Application category in The 2013 American Business Awards, and will ultimately be a Gold, Silver, or Bronze…

Cars, dealerships and sales people can be commodities. As a sales person, your job is to move everything you do and everything you have towards being a non-commoditized item or service. You must sell your difference.

When making a decision, customers look for deciding factors. Being able to know what the differences are and then helping the customer know what they look like, sound like and feel like is your job. Customers don’t spend an hour with you and say, “This is exactly…

Dealerships today spend most of their marketing budgets on acquiring new customers. Those ads in the newspapers aren’t really meant for current of past customers, they are meant to attract new customers. The cost of customer acquisition ranges from 6 to 10 times more than the cost…

Sometimes going behind the analytical data or numbers just is not enough! We tend to seek or want more answers! We try and find answers by trying to connect to allies , peers , friends or other dealers! We need to instead connect to Wisdom!  Seek it....and you shall find!

Mentors are those who brings wisdom into play! Their wisdom…