Those of you with spouses have probably heard this at least once: "It's not what you say, it's how you say it!" Whether at home or at work, miscommunication can cause plenty of problems.

Have you ever misinterpreted the tone of an email that a colleague wrote to you? Perhaps you thought a tersely written email meant that person was angry, but in fact, they…

At the recent Adobe Summit, executive vice president and general manager, Brad Rencher, advised businesses that if they wish to survive in the future, they have to become “experience businesses.” He feels this is what will separate market leaders from…

Texting has become a leading technology in B2C communication. Email and voicemail are long forgotten, and texting and text messaging apps are starting to reach their fullest potential. Customer support is using texting for numerous reasons, some of which include a…

Do you measure up? We spend so much money on television, radio, coupons, and other broadcasting for our marketing campaigns that we don't have a ton of attribution for.

So how do we track these results? 

On this week's Hard Facts, Samantha is giving you a tip to better measure how your campaigns are performing. By using UTM codes and Google Analytics, you'll be able to decipher where your traffic is coming…

The rapid development of communications technologies in the last quarter of a century has indeed transformed how people interact with each other — unfortunately, sometimes new technologies introduce inappropriate behavior. Sending sexually explicit text messages is one of these behaviors, it is called sexting.…

Convenience is one of the biggest factors that influences customers when choosing where to take their vehicles for service. For the younger generation it even trumps price. Independents know this and it is one of their key marketing messages, along with speed of service.

Dealers tend to fall behind in this type of messaging in general and have to fight…

It’s time to start getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. So many times we avoid networking opportunities and meeting new people because it can lead to uncomfortable situations.

But, on this week’s Think Tank Tuesday, I give you 3 easy ways you can meet your new and potential customers. …

In the wake of the backlash from the recent United Airlines incident, it has been widely reported that many airline CEO’s salaries are, at least in part, connected to customer satisfaction scores. In the case of United’s CEO Oscar Munoz, poor customer satisfaction ratings can cost him…

While many companies have entered the retail automotive space trying to capitalize on the experience customers want but are not getting from dealers, the biggest threat is actually looming on the horizon: The Tesla Model 3.

Until now, Tesla has bucked the system while pushing its direct-to-consumer sales model. However, their past vehicles were limited in…

Are women smarter than men? On this week’s Think Tank Tuesday, I discuss leadership and communication styles with Ali and Nicole, Marketing Communications Managers at Potratz. 

See how different communication styles can affect your team, leadership, and work environment. …

The title of this blog post originated from a thought-provoking interview with Chad Mitchell, senior director of digital communications at Walmart. In the interview he lays out a philosophy that every industry – especially automotive – should embrace. The main point he makes is that…

The election of Donald Trump has created a mixture of hope and trepidation amongst dealers, automotive manufacturers, parts suppliers, and in the whole automotive ecosystem in general. 

Will the Trump administration lower taxes, deregulate the industry and usher in an economic boom time? Or, will the auto industry be subject to massive upheavals in terms of its…

Chalk this up as a win! YouTube TV has finally been released. It's something you may have heard about for a while, and now you can see it in action in California, New York, and Philly. But why is it so important for your dealership? Your YouTube ads will play on TV! 

Interesting, right?

Watch this episode of Hard Facts for more info.…

Imagine feeling ill enough to visit the local hospital. Most of us identify the hospital as the one place that has the combination of diagnostic technology, patient history, the knowledge and the skilled clinicians in one location. In order for physicians to accurately diagnose your ailment, they take blood samples and conduct a multitude of tests. As a patient, it…

Dealers have leveraged paid search for years – and some spend significant budgets on it. However, whether they do it by themselves, or work with a vendor, I find many misunderstand some of the strategies, analytics and the method to the madness that is paid search.

I’d like to explain a few things and share some best practices I have learned over the years about how…

Columbus, OH (April 5, 2017) – Clarivoy, the auto industry’s leading provider of Multi-Touch Attribution, today announced it has hired Benjamin M. Hadley, formerly Senior Sales Director at Dealer.com, as Vice President of Strategy. In his new role Hadley will be responsible for account growth and extension sales, facilitating…

An estimated 8.2 million new cars will be bought by women this year. It is critical that dealers’ websites cater to this substantial segment of the market.

The good news? The #1 digital resource women report using first is their local dealership’s website. In our 2017 US Women’s Car Dealership Report, 76.3% of women said it was “helpful or…

As a business or a marketer, you can’t afford to be late to the game. Pay attention to where the market is moving and where the attention is at, and move with it! 

Watch this week's Think Tank Tuesday to find out why Dan Allen thinks marketers ruin everything in relation to product placement and movement of the market.…

It’s no surprise that Disney has created one of the largest groups of loyal customers in the world. Of course, this isn’t by accident. Everything Disney does is by design. According to an article in Automotive News, Porsche wants to do a similar thing…

Some dealership personnel tend to do things that really boil down to just CYA stuff. A customer comes into the service drive and is made to wait while their vehicle is inspected for scratches, dents or dings, which can take a few minutes --- time a customer doesn’t have.

The most valuable currency on the planet is time. Everyone has too much to do with too little…