Hello Dealer Elite Members,

First of all I am sorry I have not been more active this week. I have been burning the candle at both ends lately and it has been catching up to me. I have also had the opportunity to read several books on retailers who are the gold standard in their industry. One of them is Nordstrom’s and one of them is Apple Computer.

I was able to learn a great deal about why both of these retailers have not only a great reputation but also…

With the month of June in the books and half of 2012 behind us, and record sales on the horizon I feel that this blog is well over due. I have recently heard many people in our industry say "Where has all of the good sales talent gone?” "It's just so hard to keep good sales talent." We might as well…

Automotive News on customizing...

Automotive news says its a $30 Billion business.  Manufacturers are doing little to tap the market and dealers even less. This is no longer a market to watch.  It is time to get involved.  Do something.  Do anything, but don't sit idle.  We are testing the waters with stylish leathers, matte…

Automotive Recruitment: n.The process of attracting, screening, selecting and training qualified people to work in an automotive dealership.

I started off with the definition of automotive recruitment because I thought it important to point out the…

This was a great show! You have to hear it!…

When my Dad was about the age of my youngest, he was homeless, walking down the middle of a city street, the buildings on both sides burning so fiercely that the asphalt was melted, sticking to his shoes and those of his parents and younger brothers.  Bodies were piled on the sides of the road like stacks of firewood.  The day before had been Hitler’s birthday and the…

In this infographic we made for Digital Flash, we examined the many differences between the social networks and how men and women react to them. As most know, women are far-more active on most social media sites than their male counterparts. Take a look to see how each individual network stacked up in the "Battle of the Sexes".

Click to enlarge or see it on…

Jason Stein, editor of Automotive News, broke the story today that TrueCar has ended their exclusive relationship with Yahoo to drive traffic and leads to the TrueCar platform.  The breakup was due to the lack of traffic and leads that Yahoo Autos was producing.

According the the…

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The turmoil has continued since Google announced that Google+ Local would be using a new review system in lieu of the old Google Places "five-star" rating system.

Dealers have been having trouble posting reviews from Apple iOS devices.  For many dealers, the review button was no longer visible…

Nissan’s launch of five vehicles, all scheduled to occur over the next 15 months, will include a stiff dose of social media marketing. The 2013 Altima began the sequence as the first launch of the “Most Innovative Year Ever” for Nissan’s North American branch. The Altima launch utilizes print, television, web banner and direct web ads in addition to a…

As more consumers are using the web to research and communicate with dealerships before they decide to purchase a vehicle, it is important to understand the value of live chat and the power behind establishing a relationship between the…

If everyone could walk in everyone’s shoes for a day, we would have more empathy for each other.  The world would be less cynical, and much more appreciative of what our fellow Americans do on a daily basis.

Before I talk about the car salesman, I want to give a special thanks to all of our military personnel who defend our country both near and far.  These men and women have made it possible for people like me pursue life, liberty, and happiness!  Happy 4^th of…

 Our internal theme here at IPD for the month of July is "ALL IN". There are visions and goals, both personal and corporate which are in front of us, and to reach those summits we must not go about things haphazardly but rather be invested fully giving 100%. All of us possess God given talents and…

I am again continuing the mini case study focused on the objectives established, and challenges faced, in building processes to measure and manage OTDBs in the operating departments of an NCM client dealership group. Today, my focus is on one of the greatest vehicle sales opportunities that most dealers enjoy, but fail to capitalize on.

At one point during this engagement, I had asked the dealer principal if he was satisfied with the strategies being employed to develop vehicle sales…

John Ashcroft...  "My dad had the foresight and wisdom not to say, 'I just want my kids to be happy.' He realized that the pursuit of happiness for its own sake is a frustrating, disillusioning, and often futile effort. Happiness usually hides from those who are spiritually addicted to its sugar, while it chases after those who make wise choices and who are caught up in something more lasting than momentary excitement."

Happy is a sensation that follows a…

Disclaimer: I must preface this by saying it not intended to make any enemies or friends. This is not meant to hurt anyone’s business, call out how they perform for their clients, highlight weaknesses or put stock in one product over another. This was nothing more than a simple experiment.

I was out to dinner with my wife recently when I ran into an old college acquaintance. Very quickly I discovered that she works in our industry for a startup website provider. I tell her…