Do you want to grow your business without working more? Find out ways to move the rocks in the road that are stopping you from moving forward. That's this week's tip on Think Tank Tuesday.

Warranty work is a large part of any service department’s revenue. The recent announcement by the NHTSA mandating manufacturers to use specific labeling on recall notices could prove to be very helpful to dealers; helping them get the work faster and at a lower cost. However, there are challenges associated with this and dealerships need to be prepared to handle them. With…

Maximizing your Advertising Budget on Craigslist

With the advent of $5 ads on Craigslist, what are you doing to ensure you are maximizing your Craigslist advertising budget for your dealership?  There are multiple software providers and ways for dealerships to post ads, but not all services are equal.  Now, that you are paying for each ad it is not just…

Automotive management tasked with the job of recruiting car sales people in addition to their other duties, often find themselves underachieving in terms of production. …

When Matthew McConaughey won the Oscar for Best Actor (the movie was Dallas Buyers Club) he accepted the award saying that there were “3 things he needed each day.” Those 3 things were:

If you’ve ever lost your voice, then you know what a challenge it can be to get your point across. Like orators and singers, salespeople need their voices NOW in order to positively influence their customer’s behavior. Unfortunately, we salespeople abuse our voices- instead of being an influence we become more of a nuisance because we suffer from verbal…

Grind it out, til you find it out

Last summer I spent a great deal of time teaching my daughter how to drive a stick shift.  Eventually she picked it up after a lot of frustration on her part and mine.  During that time the old phrase “grind it til you find it” kept playing through my head as she tore through the gears of my Jeep.  Thankfully we both survived and so did my Jeep and today she has the skill and knowledge of being able to drive a…

Social marketing may be the next best thing but, like all successful next generation solutions, it is built on the foundation of proven old school wisdoms. Word of mouth advertising pre-dates today’s technology driven social marketing as a proven way to build a business.  The fact that people like to do business with people they like and that trust is the foundation for any transaction is a reflection of human nature which is the basis for long term business…

After 20 years in this industry it's amazing how in some areas, namely sales management,  so little has changed when it comes to the manager/salesperson relationship. If you've ever said: it's hard to find good people. or... My people suck. THIS IS FOR YOU!

Disclaimer: If the below info doesn't pertain to you, don't be offended. If you leave a pissed off comment, it's likely that I'm speaking directly to you so grab a mirror after you complain about the…

It always amazes me to hear of the individuals that are willing to rise at 4AM to "hit the gym". I have never heard a person claim to get up at 4AM to "read a book". Your brain is just a muscle. Remember the old saying if you don't use it you loose it? It works just…

There is not a more cost effective way to leverage your W.I.T.T.s  than by including an Onsite Community as part of your social and digital marketing mix and the advantages are real and the reasons all around us.



There is not a more cost effective way to impact your bottom line than by using your W.I.T.T.S



Crowdsourcing is…

From today’s news report:

"J.D. Power Reports: Auto Buyers Are Committing to Leasing and Long-Term Loans at Record Levels   



WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Feb. 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The use of long-term loans and leasing for new-vehicle retail sales is on pace to reach…

   Have you ever noticed that some of the most inspired people that you ever meet are the ones that have been challenged the most. Sometimes they are born with something that sets them apart from the crowd, others have accidents that bring about a change. Some are born in war torn parts of the world. The stories are endless of the successes that they achieve.

   My story falls into the second category. Mine was a head injury on August 14 almost 16 years ago. It was just another bike…

If you look close enough to this picture:

you will see my name “SANSONE” etched into my new Cutco Cutlery set. What’s amazing to me is that I didn’t think I needed a new set of knives, I certainly didn’t have any difficulty cutting my last steak.

So why do I own them ???? Because Cutco is smart enough…

By the traditional canons of business, some of the things that are going on here on DealerElite might be classified as true madness. It’s no secret that most of us are competitors – we’re selling the same cars and we’re fighting for the same customers, nevertheless we’re really friendly and help each other out constantly.

What’s going on? This is how social networks have changed the way we see things. We’ve come to realise how the Law of Reciprocation and the more ethereal Law of…