All Blog Posts (12,563)

Internet Drives Down Lot Visits Among Used-Car Shoppers, J.D. Power Reports

Nov 13th 2010 at 3:16 PM

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — After remaining stable during the last four years, the percentage of used-vehicle buyers who use the Internet in their shopping process has increased to 68 percent in 2010 — a five percentage point increase from 2009,…

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Added by MANNY LUNA on November 15, 2010 at 11:00pm — No Comments

It’s Best to Stay with the Gorilla-Facebook for Automotive Advertising

The social networking and media jungle is constantly changing, and sometimes automotive dealers get lost trying to cut through the bush to

stay ahead of current trends. Although it’s beneficial to stay

knowledgeable in the shifting social media arena, using the 1,000 pound

Gorilla (Facebook) to its maximum potential will provide a dealership

with the biggest return on investment.



As we already know, Facebook is the world’s largest social networking…

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Added by Paul Potratz on November 15, 2010 at 10:55am — No Comments

My brief profile.



I will briefly introduce myself. I was born in Argentina in 1950, married, two daughters. I got a degree as Certified Public Accountant at the University of Buenos Aires in 1974, then I followed a Management Development Program at IAE (one of the most famous business schools in the country); I am currently pursuing a degree in Philosophy at the University of Buenos Aires (95% progress). I joined Ford Argentina in 1973 in the Finance area (Ford Argentina is a subsidiary of Ford Motor… Continue

Added by Hugo Palini on November 15, 2010 at 10:41am — No Comments

What are best practices for texting our customer?

I was wondering is anyone has any experience texting customers? It seems to be a bigger problem getting our customers on phone. Most I know today don't even look at the phone when it rings and certainly don't listen to there voice mails. But they do pull out the phone as soon as a text comes in. They can be in a meeting and they still take out that phone to see who it was. Some will even text me back right after I have called and left a voice mail.

I use Vinsolutions as our ILM and I was… Continue

Added by Joe Leedgaard on November 15, 2010 at 8:30am — No Comments

CB = P+P .... A Forever Winning Formula

Now you get your answer:

CAR BUSINESS = PEOPLE AND PERCENTAGES!

(Sure automobiles have something to do with it, but why get technical?) The message that I am trying to convey in this discussion is simplicity. As I read and partake in so many of these dialogues, I find we get so caught up in the razzle dazzle of the technological world and the various extended facets that brings to our operation, that we sometimes stray from the…

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Added by NANCY SIMMONS on November 14, 2010 at 7:00am — 2 Comments

Top 10 New Manager Mistakes

1. Think you know everything.
If you were just promoted to Production Manager, you may feel you know everything about production. Even if that were true, and it isn't, you sure don't know everything about the most important part of your new job, managing people. Listen to the people around you. Ask for their input when appropriate. Keep an open…
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Added by MANNY LUNA on November 13, 2010 at 3:34pm — 3 Comments

Scab to Scar by Josh Wilcox (part 2)

From SCAB to SCAR (part 2):

A scar is the healed reminder of the wound that was once there and what we need to do so that we don’t get another like it.

THE SCAR-…

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Added by josh wilcox on November 13, 2010 at 12:34pm — No Comments

Scab to Scar by Josh Wilcox

From SCAB to SCAR:

A scab is a healing wound.

THE SCAB-…

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Added by josh wilcox on November 13, 2010 at 12:32pm — No Comments

PrestoReviews Now Rolled Up in Google Places

Since Google has integrated Google Places into organic search it is clear that there is no greater search marketing priority for car dealers than to start an Internet Reputation Management (IRM) process. That IRM program cannot focus on one review site but must focus on multiple review websites.



I take the position that a local dealer needs to have at least 100 positive reviews and in more competitive markets, TWICE the number of…

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Added by Brian Pasch on November 13, 2010 at 7:30am — No Comments

The CRM Tool should be your administrative assistant…



So this was my topic for a recent roundtable discussion I moderated at an event hosted by David Kain and Steve Stauning. (side note: I will say without a doubt if you get the chance to attend one of these events GO!! These guys are good, real good and they do a great event.) As far as the topic goes it was a really good discussion with a good group of Internet Managers and Directors and a few things came to light for everyone....process, utilization and CRM capabilities are still all over… Continue

Added by David Marod on November 13, 2010 at 3:11am — No Comments

Empowering Yourself to Think that Nothing is Impossible.

impossible house

Have you ever wondered why so few of us succeed? We always hear about those people that came up with a simple idea and made millions but most of us react by “oh well, all the simple ideas are gone by now”. What’s ironic is that usually every few months, we hear about another idea that seems brilliant and ridiciously simple. Why does this happen? Why do we keep limiting ourselves?

Perhaps one of the fundamental problems most of us have is thinking that many…

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Added by MANNY LUNA on November 12, 2010 at 12:47am — 4 Comments

Did You Conduct Customer Service Training This Year?

What did you do in "Customer Service Training" this year? Did you have an in house seminar? Did you have ongoing Training? What subjects did you cover? How did they relate to your Dealership Culture?

These are some of the questions you need to answer.

Why?

If you did not Sell as many Cars this year or Sell as much Service as you needed to and you plan on selling more next year, then the 1st order of business is to decide what worked for you this year and what did…

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Added by Leonard Buchholz on November 11, 2010 at 6:24pm — No Comments

Using Groupon to Promote your Car Dealership

It might be difficult to sell cars using Groupon, but selling the services your Dealership provides would be a piece of cake. A Subaru Dealer in Seattle recently did Full Car Details for half price while a…

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Added by Paul Potratz on November 11, 2010 at 5:00pm — No Comments

Tweeting for Attention: Follow Hyundai’s Example

Normally nosy bloggers post the first spy pics of a new car model, but this time Hyundai itself has revealed a spy shot of the 2011 Elantra on its official Twitter account. This clever image leak is a great example of automotive social media marketing.

Twitter for Automotive Marketing

The tweet simply said, “Self-Spy-Photo: Just received this from our…

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Added by Paul Potratz on November 11, 2010 at 4:30pm — No Comments

Updated Privacy Notices Due By Year End

On December 1, 2009 the federal agencies responsible for administering the Graham-Leach-Bliley Act (“GLBA”) and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) issued revised regulations that financial institutions, including auto dealerships, may use to meet the new privacy notice requirements under the Acts. The focus of the revised regulation is on a new Model Form that will make it easier for consumers to understand how financial institutions collect and share information about consumers. The… Continue

Added by Jim Radogna on November 11, 2010 at 4:14pm — No Comments

3 Ways Service Advisors Can Speed Up Service Sales

One of the most frustrating things that Service Advisors have to deal with is the unavailability of the Customer after they have left the Dealership.



In 100% of the cases there is a series of steps the Advisor can do during the writeup and repair process to increase the chances that they will be able to contact the Customer once the vehicle has been inspected or the repairs have been completed.



Step Number One.



Get a “Pre-Approval” amount. This is amazingly… Continue

Added by Leonard Buchholz on November 11, 2010 at 3:05pm — No Comments

Emotional Connection

Almost all dealers want to create that emotional connection between themselves and their potential customers. Where I come from most customers want not only get the big deal but also they want to think, and believe, that the person that they are buying from is on "their side". It takes me back to the King of the Hill episode where Peggy wants to buy a car but Hank tells her that he'll do the negotiating because he has "a car guy", a "car guy" that he's been buying from for 25 years. Peggy… Continue

Added by Joseph Little on November 10, 2010 at 4:48pm — No Comments

Building Relationships on LinkedIn for Auto Dealers



Professionals from all industries are creating profiles on LinkedIn to network with others. In turn, auto dealers need to take advantage of LinkedIn to build relationships on a more professional level than through Facebook.



Car buyers may check out your dealership and employees’ profiles before purchasing a car, and so the more content they can find, the better. You may be able to network with potential buyers yourself, and LinkedIn offers one more opportunity to…

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Added by Paul Potratz on November 10, 2010 at 2:00pm — No Comments

Veterans Day Tomorrow

Tomorrow is Veterans Day. Here's a story about a veteran very close to me....



Fort Worth Star-Telegram (TX)January 28, 2003 Column: Military Notes In Germany 60 years ago, death above and death below Author: FRANK PERKINS



Planes from the U.S. Army's 8th Air Force made their first daylight raid on targets in Germany 60 years ago Monday.

Military records show that 8th Air Force B-17s and B-24s and their fighter escorts -- 338 planes in all -- dropped 594 tons of bombs… Continue

Added by Terry A Powell on November 10, 2010 at 12:33pm — No Comments

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