As 2015 comes to a close, it’s time to examine trends in digital marketing and predict what dealers should be prepared to consider and focus on in the upcoming year. 2015 has seen so much innovation and change, there’s no doubt 2016 will see even more. However, which trends in 2015 will…

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So, you’ve recognized the value that social media and content marketing present for your business. You faithfully promote your Facebook page to your audience through your marketing efforts, e-mail signatures and website. You’ve enlisted employees or executives in your organization to start creating unique content for your blog or website and are seeking out content daily to…

Why Not Now?

 

This is the time of year that most people begin looking forward to next year, setting goals and objectives to reach. There are several ways to work the numbers, as some people want the objectives to be lower and easy to obtain. Others set their objectives aggressively, believing they can accomplish more. Some manager’s use…

SEO and realistic expectations don't go well together. On both sides of the aisle, there are issues that harm the digital marketing campaigns of businesses across the country and cause doubts about SEO as a viable and ROI-driven service.

The problem starts with SEO vendors. For years now, the focus has been on achieving…

As we get ready to embark on a new year, we will dedicate the last two issues of Women’s Wednesdays in 2015 to an ultra-sophisticated topic….the Brain. More specifically, the science of how it works, or Neuroscience. Why? Leveraging scientific knowledge about the brain creates a better sales process, drives more dollars to your dealership’s bottom line and creates happy women customers that remain loyal to your dealership. Toning down the Limbic System and firing up your Neocortex will help…

Welcome to this week's edition of Black Book Market Insights, with in-depth analysis of used car and truck valuation trends and insights straight from the auction lanes. Click here to download the full…

It's the Holiday Season

The holiday season makes it the perfect time for your dealership to join in the spirit, get customers excited, and make sure you’re the go-to destination for their holiday car shopping.  Not only are consumers looking for big-ticket items like vehicles, but they’re also on the lookout for stocking stuffers like service gift certificates, oil…

Consumer Experience Meets Technology 

Consumers are continuously putting information and data about themselves into the online world, and in order to take your dealership to the next level, it’s important to focus on what’s being said.  Creating a positive overall customer experience is integral to the success of your dealership, and that begins where shoppers are…

If you haven’t heard, it’s getting harder for businesses to reach their audiences on Facebook unless they’re willing to spend some money. Estimates are that the average reach for a company post on its Facebook page is around 2-6 percent organically. There are only two ways to increase that. First, by paying for Facebook ads. And secondly, through interaction…

Today’s consumers dictate the customer experiences they want and brands are listening. Think about Amazon. You can literally tweet your order to them and it will be at your house in 2 days. In some markets, they’ll deliver your order in an hour. Why has Amazon become the behemoth that it is today? Because it has leveraged technology to create the most efficient…

Ever wonder why CarMax is the largest seller of pre-owned vehicles, selling more than any other company?  They retail 160,000 used vehicles just about every quarter and make approximately $2,200 per unit front-end profit -- over $350M.  If you do the math on 153 locations, each store averages 348 unit sales per month and grosses right at $800,000. In addition…

Recently Auto/Mate received a 'Best Places to Work' award from the Albany Business Review for the sixth year in a row. We have also been voted a 'Top Workplace' by the Times-Union multiple years in a row. Focusing on employee happiness has long been one my top priorities. People often ask me how I do it, but before I answer that, I'd like to explain why I do it.

This is a fact: your customers will never love your company unless your employees love your…

There is an old saying that good things come to people who wait, but better things come to those who go out and get them.

In the car business we often think of aggression as something used to control the Customer and get them to do what we want.  This kind of aggression is not good and has no place in our industry.  We certainly want to be aggressive…

Summary: The Ford PCM when generally goes faulty has got only one option, and that is to be completely replaced. There are certain methods of removing it because all the sensors and batteries are delicately attached within the car.…

How to Track Consumer Behavior and Leverage What You Learn

If your dealership is able to take advantage of the right tools, you can easily tell which consumers are in the car-buying market and what vehicles they’re searching for. This knowledge, however, means your employees’ approach is key in making sure they attract potential customers instead of scaring them off. …