American motorists have long worshiped big engines that generate high horsepower, but as we all know unstable gasoline prices have diminished the fervor for big V-8s in favor of smaller, more fuel efficient powerplants.

     Small engines have been in favor in Europe and Asia for decades as fuel economy has been a compelling factor. Now that gasoline costs a…

There’s a fine line between making social media useless by posting things that aren’t relevant for business and making it ineffective by having posts that are too promotional, thus killing the posts through “death by algorithm”. Done right, businesses have the ability to be interesting enough to make the algorithms like them while being relevant enough…

Branding is important. It’s something that most businesses want but few do well enough considering the tools that we all have at our disposal through the internet in general and social media in particular. However, too many are starting to use social media as a branding tool only. The reality for local businesses is that it can and should be used to drive…

Fix your sales problem in 5 easy steps – sounds great, doesn’t it? Formulaic approaches such as this are very tempting. Furthermore, they align with our fast food, quick fix mentality. Seem too good to be true? That’s because it is. Don’t get me wrong, I revel in an easy solution. Unfortunately, most quick fixes are band-aids as opposed to real solutions.

One…

Initially, I was totally against Cars.com sending emails to customers showing the competition's vehicles especially on the timetable they were using.  I didn't appreciate the fact that they "sneaked" it out without discussing it with their dealers or even their field reps. I was even less thrilled that they sending inventory feeds to TrueCar, Cargurus and God know where else.  

As far as the email program, with the proper timetable, I can see how dealerships, that know how to market…

Facebook has been a challenging venue for marketers and advertisers ever since it started really getting popular in 2009. At that time, it was clear that it was the social network to beat and the company started trying to cash in with different types of advertising options. Most of them failed miserably for the same reason that many marketers continue to fail today: people go to Facebook to be…

For years, the acquisition of a bigger, “better” Facebook page has been a focus of many in the social media marketing realm. There are companies that are dedicated to the task. The reality now (and for a long time, actually) is that fan acquisition for business Facebook pages is such a minor piece of the puzzle that it’s something most…

Sometimes we wonder how moms can accomplish all that they do. From traveling to outer space to running some of the world's most powerful companies to raising us, moms are unstoppable.

While these incredible ladies deserve to be recognized every day of the year, …

Consumers are quite used to the quick star rating when it comes to sharing our input on how we feel about a business’s customer service. Not only has it been available to us throughout companies feedback boxes for years in-store, it has been provided nearly everywhere online too. Heck, even movies…

With all the competition in the Automotive World and so many websites, targeted ads and retargeting display ads vying for consumer attention it seems harder than ever to know whether or not your customer will remember you.

How do you set yourself apart from the competition and stay in the customer's mind?

USE COMMON SENSE AND THINK ABOUT USING MOBILE TO CONNECT WITH MOBILE! Niesen did a study in November about Mobile Auto Shoppers and it showed that 49% of…

First I want to thank Jim Ziegler and Manny Luna and others for their due dilegence in the Autogate affair that is currently unravelling and have made it possible for me to get some attention on a topic close to my heart.

I want to take advantage and seize the moment concerning all the controversy surrounding Cars, com among others with hints of more…

Take a quick moment to laugh at this simplistic reality of most people on the road.…

Are you unsure if your dealership's SEO is going in the right direction? Are you confused on what metrics and filtering you should use to show success?



Join PCG Digital Marketing's Chief SEO Strategist Matthew O'Such for this important webinar to learn how to use Google Analytics and website platform reporting tools to track your success.

The webinar will…

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is constantly crashing cars -- and the automakers love it, in the hopes they earn a "Top Safety Pick."

We posted this article for publication this week:

     More than 250 motorists were killed in crashes that involved cars slamming into the back ends of trailers on large trucks in 2011, according…

I always feel very fortunate to participate in the Digital Dealer Conferences. Helping dealers and their management staff gain new insights and techniques to increase revenue is something that’s very rewarding.

On Tuesday, I was happy to be one of the first speakers at the three day conference.   I presented to a full room on the strategies service management can use to transform their service drive into a sales drive. I spoke about using mobile technology and taking a new…

As a sales professional, it can be an eye-opening experience when you go shopping for yourself. Weaknesses in other’s presentations can teach us lessons about how to strengthen our own. One common theme you might notice is that many people don’t seem to recognize that people don’t buy products or services. People buy from…

Understanding the “why buy” motivations in potential buyers can have a major influence on the methods your dealership may use to entice these buyers to buy from you and not from the dealership down the street.

Recently I viewed a number of YouTube videos presented by Simon Senek, a motivational speaker, Columbia professor of communications and author…

If you have read my blogs “Don’t Fall Into The Trap” or “Take Back Your Marketing” or the many comments I have made concerning this issue, you know that I have been against the large companies commoditizing approach they have been feeding dealer’s- And in particular I am referring to the small and medium size dealers- that you need change your business models and to sell more at a lower price to compete in today’s marketplace.…

Having a well thought out and organized marketing strategy is key for any business, after all, if you are not working on your marketing plan, how will you be able to attract customers to buy your products or services? Within in the field of marketing there are a number of different styles including inbound marketing and outbound marketing. 



One style of marketing that was quite popular in the past and is making a comeback with many marketing managers is direct…

Not sure how to get started?

Click HERE to view my sales tip video.