I just returned from my nephew's wedding.  He is the first of our family's next generation to marry so the pressure was on to create a standard to follow.  Being my brother's son, I was excited to go, visit with family that we don't see often enough and most importantly, to honor my nephew and his new bride.  From the rehearsal dinner to the church, and ultimately to the reception, it was perfect.      

Not just for all it had.  It was perfect for the things that were…

You've decided to go outside your dealership to get something handled.  After a lot of thought, you realized it would be better to spend money with the right experts and handle things once, than to save money on paper and take your people away from what they do best for you.  Many times that's exactly what you should do.  But how do you know you have the right company for what you really need?      

To help you see how to rate a company or service, I will be using…

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…

January 1979 I sold my first car at a small dealership in North Jersey.  Since then, a lot has happened.  I've personally trained over 15,000 sales professionals, written 10 books, spoken literally around the world, and now work with top dealers to fill their sales needs.  I have seen and participated in three "worst ever" downturns in our industry.  Each has taught me lessons on how to deal with the struggles and what to improve on as business gets better.  There was one lesson…

     All this technology is becoming very popular around and among dealers.  Sales people can pull up apps and show customers all the details about a particular car in stock.  Customers can shop and research before they get to the dealership, and an Internet staff can track web visits and initiate contact with potential customers.  All at the speed of light.

     Thanks to the innovation of Steve Jobs and Apple, we can "i-anything" we want.  But there is one important ingredient to…

Addy's Harbor Dodge in Myrtle Beach, SC has just jumped into the top 5 of all Dodge dealers in the US.  It just shows that having the right programs, the best managers and top sales people, will make great things happen.  We are pleased at this great dealer's success and even more thankful that we have been along for the entire ride.



When we first came to Addy's they had 8 sales people and were doing average numbers.  Rod Ricciardi had just become the GM and brought with him a…

As we reach the mid year time, many of us make decisions.  Some even make commitments to change certain aspects of their life and their profession.  Unfortunately, far too many change absolutely nothing because they believe that their career is subject to the mercy of the markets.  They boast about how they were a top producer during the market high points, and continue doing the same things they did when customers simply showed up with checkbooks in hand.

     Case in point.  A good…

Studies show that the average salesperson is into negotiations within 3 minutes of saying hello.  Three minutes and they're talking numbers and hoping to close a deal.  What's amazing is, I heard that exact statistic when I went to my first sales training seminar in 1980.  So, nothing has really changed in over 30 years. 

Think about it this way.  Some of you have been reading my articles since I began.  That being the case, could you send me a check for $1,000?  You've received…

You arrive at your dealership and notice that the outside is appearing a bit drab.  To fit with the brand and the neighborhood, you determine that a great paint job would do wonders for the entire building.  So, you make the decision.  Here are your choices:

• You call the top commercial painters in the area and get an estimate.
• You hire a couple of college kids give them a truck to pick up paint and turn them loose.
• You pull your managers off the desk and other…

Just because your store is one of the more popular brands, that doesn't mean you are guaranteed success.  Having the right sign up is no promise that customers will beat down your doors.  And the  right ads or killer Internet presence still doesn't make profitability a sure thing.  Without a key ingredient, even the best of the best will fail.

  …

Todays Turbo Charged Dealer World Blog is a core training element that should be visited over and over again.  Probably something we all know, but just great to keep in the "top of mind" awareness section of the brain.

It is spring time in the North East.   Beautiful weather and time to really enjoy the selling season.  I enjoy this time because it give us a renewed energy and fire to market and brand our cars.   A dealership I consult for has a nice used inventory.  We put some signs on the sides of the cars and as I walked the lot I noticed that we had a 4x4 pick up truck quad cab and a nice one, a little older but really nice.  It had a huge 24X48 graphic on it that said $269.00 a month.   I thought…

I thought this was awesome!!!!!!!  The concept is the same now a days, stay…

I get that 2% is a nice market share and that True Car will grow this year.   But I read an article yesterday that also states that they only accounted for 2% of the market share.   I own a direct mail company and I bet if we did some numbers we would find out that direct mail accounted for 5% plus of the market sales last year. (I wish we could get that kind of publicity)  True Car is Advertising and we are giving them a ton of publicity and a lot of our time and energy for a 2% share and a…

What a year we've had.  There were ups and downs, but I'm so looking forward to next year.  I had the privilege of working with enough dealers to see an even bigger need for training in 2012.  But, my challenge is not that I see it, but getting dealers to see it as well.  As many in my industry know, the most common objection to training of any kind is that the dealer has it handled.  They just don't see a need.  In my opinion, many of them just don't see!

For example:  Follow-up. …

About a year ago, I stopped messing around with the occasional work out and and the I "think" I eat well program.  I went crazy, 6 days a week of workouts, eating lots and lots of chicken, rice, and fish, protein shakes, and loads of supplements to include, Ginko, fish oil, borage oil, flaxseed oil, massive antioxidants, etc...  Bottom line is that I am looking forward to 2012 now and feel I am in the zone. I feel awesome.  Might look like 100 bucks but I feel like a million...lol Never been…

We all have one week of work before 2011 becomes a collection of files to be stored away.  Sure, we'll go back and get some things for this years taxes.  Perhaps even take a look at some trends that occurred during the year.  But what are the things that will make 2012 a better year for you?  Chances are, there will be talk of improvement, higher numbers, better grosses, and maybe even a reduction in expenses.  But, it will all fade before the Christmas decorations are taken down.

In…

We have had our share of drug addicted employees over the last year. Many were productive salespeople and kept their problems from being our problems, except when they didn’t. That is when we reviewed our policy, fine tuned it and began testing all new hires, anyone suspected of drug use and anyone involved in any kind of accident or mishap.

It is my observation that our industry either attracts people with addictive personalities or drives more people to use illicit drugs. Might it…