That question often depends on who you ask. Salespeople will talk about the dealer up the street or across town who is absolutely giving the cars away. F&I will talk about lenders who seem to favor other dealers and cost them deals. Managers will discuss factory incentives, advertising, and the like. But is that what we're really up against?
After 33 years in the business and over 15,000 salespeople and managers trained, I think there's more to competition than we…
Added by John Fuhrman on June 28, 2012 at 10:30pm — 3 Comments
When I was teaching the Sonic Dealer Academy from 2001 through 2008, my co-instructor, Steve Hallock, became famous for asking each class why they thought we spend so much time talking about the service department. He would explain that it’s because, at a 75% gross profit margin on labor sales, the service department offers, by far, the greatest incentive to increase sales. "So why bother?" Steve would ask. "Because it’s only75…
ContinueAdded by Garry House on June 28, 2012 at 5:30pm — 4 Comments
Marketing experts agree that online video is the wave of the future and to some extent may replace television altogether. eMarketer predicts that 169 million people (71% of US internet users) will be watching online video each month by the end of 2012. This sizeable market share should not be overlooked as their attention is easily captivated through Pre-Roll Video, a short video…
ContinueAdded by Kathleen Perley on June 28, 2012 at 3:15pm — No Comments
I created a video that gives a brief overview of the Google Cars program, officially called the Google Commercial Unit For Cars (CUFC). A few more details on the program are now available but dealers still have a number of questions left unanswered.
Take a minute to watch the video and see my comments at the bottom of this page.…
ContinueAdded by Brian Pasch on June 28, 2012 at 2:59pm — 4 Comments
Before I decide to make a purchase on any big ticket item, I search the company’s name in Google and see the rating the business received. I also read a couple of the customer reviews. I, like most shoppers, am turned off by bad reviews. Shoppers are using the Web now, more than ever to research and review companies.
Which rating service should dealerships pay most attention to? Google and here’s why:
I googled a local dealership here in Orlando, and the first…
ContinueAdded by Ketty Colom on June 28, 2012 at 9:21am — No Comments
Added by Ken Hite on June 27, 2012 at 8:12pm — No Comments
When a customer comes through the door we are implicitly asking him or her “How much for your business?” – How much trust, service, convenience? How much VALUE does it take to earn your business?
My friend who owns a 6-bay shop was telling me that business is great. While he is always keeping his eye on improving the bottom line, he said that the only way they…
ContinueAdded by Lance Boldt on June 27, 2012 at 6:30pm — No Comments
This isn't going to be a long rant because I do most of my ranting in the video below, but it all definitely needs to be said. Taking an image that someone else took from one of the various picture-sharing sites on the internet and then slapping your watermark on it is a very poor practice. It's dishonest. It's a potential hit to your reputation. It's a little creepy.
One thing I do not mention in the video is that it reduces the chances that someone else will share the image from…
ContinueAdded by JD Rucker on June 27, 2012 at 3:06pm — No Comments
One of the founding tenets of Dealers United is that our Member-Dealers will ALWAYS be GUARANTEED the LOWEST price, and BEST terms and conditions for every deal. We stand by that; and we demand this be written into every vendor agreement.
Yesterday, one of our members discovered a lower price than their current deal with a signed vendor. The price was only $38 below the Dealers United Members’ Only Price and it was for a long-term contract, but it is important to us to…
Added by Matt Buchanan on June 27, 2012 at 2:24pm — No Comments
Sounds simple enough right? You’d think so, but unfortunately a lot…
ContinueAdded by Paul Potratz on June 27, 2012 at 1:30pm — No Comments
Mobile applications are in massive use today, and projected to overtake desktops as a preferred method of connecting to the internet in the very near future. That’s according to multiple sources, including DudaMobile’s new infographic illustrating the Top Five Industries to Go Mobile on Mashable. The same infographic shows the automotive industry to be in the top five but in last place, with…
ContinueAdded by Jim Fitzpatrick on June 27, 2012 at 10:56am — No Comments
I bet you thought Internet fame means increased sales for your business. Nope. Just ask Chuck Testa. The California taxidermist became an internet phenomenon when he released this comically…
ContinueAdded by Stephen Jackson on June 27, 2012 at 9:48am — No Comments
We recently completed a regional NCMi® training workshop in Washington, D.C. titled, “How to Make the Phone Ring and the Door Swing in YOUR Used Vehicle Department.” One of the class exercises was for the attendees to complete a checklist to determine if they operated a “World Class” used vehicle department. Following are the questions that resulted in the most productive discussions:
Is the Daily Trade-Walk discipline being diligently followed?
Is the…
Added by Garry House on June 27, 2012 at 8:45am — No Comments
The NCMi faculty members and the NCM Retail Operations field consultants have learned that managers who effectively manage the elements of “controllable profitability” within their respective operating departments normally produce a significant departmental net profit. This, of course, assumes that the majority of dealership expenses (limited-control and fixed) are fairly distributed to each operating department.
Many managers, however, lack the proper focus on controllable…
ContinueAdded by Garry House on June 27, 2012 at 8:30am — No Comments
Industry’s most authoritative profit-building event offers complimentary rooms for meetings of up to 140 dealers, pre- and post-summit
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – June 27, 2012 – The 2012 DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES), the most authoritative profit-building event for innovative dealers, is providing private meeting space so dealer attendees can further facilitate peer-sharing,…
ContinueAdded by Crystal Hartwell on June 27, 2012 at 8:30am — No Comments
Added by Sean V. Bradley on June 26, 2012 at 8:34pm — No Comments
FB: The New Ad Network This could be scary -- or it could be a new amazing new advertising platform. Facebook is working with Zynga to place ads on Zynga's new web-gaming platform. The advertisements are based on your Facebook history, not cookies or searching history -- but a cross section of everything you do on the web and Facebook. For a little back-story, Zynga started out on the… |
Added by Todd Katcher on June 26, 2012 at 5:00pm — No Comments
June 26th, 2012.
Today, Haystack Digital Marketing, one of the nation’s largest full-service advertising agencies and audio visual production company for the retail automotive industry announced its strategic alliance with ActivEngage,Inc., the automotive industry’s premium live chat and real-time business intelligence solution, …
ContinueAdded by Stephen Jackson on June 26, 2012 at 4:13pm — No Comments
I really enjoy watching Gordon Ramsey. Almost all of his shows (Hells Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, MasterChef, etc) have a comon theme when it comes to cooking. Keep it simple, keep it fresh. It's as easy as keeping a simple menu to choose from, to the actual food you serve. I've noticed that if you…
ContinueAdded by Nick Domino on June 26, 2012 at 2:35pm — No Comments
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