The most important process COACHING

More Important than the latest greatest technology, the right inventory, advertising, hottest brand, and most importantly, the key to sustained long term growth in today's competitve market.

*Coaching = A training or development process

*5 Point…

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ALBANY, N.Y. – January 19th, 2014 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (http://www.automate.com) today launched Option/Mate™ Mobile, a mobile-optimized version of its advanced F&I menu solution for auto dealers. F&I managers using Auto/Mate's dealership management system (DMS) can now offer customers at their auto dealerships a variety of menu presentations on a mobile tablet. Option/Mate Mobile allows the…

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ALBANY, N.Y. – January 12th, 2014 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (http://www.automate.com) today introduced Rev/Mate, an online service scheduling and menu building solution for auto dealers. Rev/Mate will be rolled out in the Automotive Productivity Management Suite (AMPS) Fixed Ops/Mate module in 2015. Rev/Mate is designed for service departments to maximize customer pay revenue while creating a…

I was thinking this morning about how rockets and Fixed Operations Customer Management are related. With all the news about the different companies striving to become the next NASA, it reminded me that we are all in a "Space Race" even though I know that the two subjects seem completely unrelated and are not even in the same Encyclopedia volume.

And I submit for your consideration that driving a rocket into space and good Customer Service…

I was thinking this morning about how rockets and Fixed Operations Customer Management are related. With all the news about the different companies striving to become the next NASA, it reminded me that we are all in a "Space Race" even though I know that the two subjects seem completely unrelated and are not even in the same Encyclopedia volume.

And I submit for your consideration that driving a rocket into space and good Customer Service…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ALBANY, N.Y. – December 8th, 2014 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (http://www.automate.com) announced today the addition of rates, residuals and rebates information to its Automotive Management Productivity Suite (AMPS®) Desk/Mate module. Dealerships that use Auto/Mate's desking solution now have access to real-time lease rates, residuals, manufacturer…

Let me start off by stressing the word social, these are going to be topics, events and days of interest that you can use to be conversation pieces with people in your online communities. None will be car specific but instead topics that might stimulate two-way conversations and recognition. People are pretty smart, they know ABC Toyota sells Toyota’s, you don’t have to tell them every day.

These topics will fall into the fun section of my 4-3-2-1 Rule of Facebook Posting. Each month,…

Forgive me for saying this, but from where I now stand, it is quite apparent to me that there is way more opportunity for improving profitability than most dealership managers are aware of. I certainly know looking back on my career (and I thought I was very pro-active) that there was so much more opportunity to be realized than I was able to completely grasp at the time.

Most people agree that there is more upside potential left on the table, they are just not…

Auto/Mate Dealership Systems is conducting a survey on the usage of mobile tablets in the dealership. How many of you are using mobile tablets in the sales process, in the F&I process and in fixed ops? We would like to find out and we appreciate your input!

We're inviting all auto dealer personnel to participate. Participants who complete the survey will be entered into a random drawing to win a $400 Visa gift card. In less than ten minutes--or the time it takes to finish…

When did you last walk through the customer entrance of your dealership and look at what is truly being experienced by the customer?

Forget for a moment whether a sales consultant’s work area is messy, or if there are smudges on the windows. Let’s look a little closer at what a customer could see, hear or feel when they interact with your dealership in any…

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ALBANY, N.Y. – November 17th, 2014 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (http://www.automate.com) announced today that it has completed integration of its dealership management system, Automotive Management Productivity Suite (AMPS), with BMW of North America's (BMWNA) DMS Data Transfer system. BMW dealers using Auto/Mate's DMS can now enjoy seamless bi-directional…

A few years ago, car dealers across the nation were caught in the net of a struggling economy. Fewer sales compounded by budget conscious customers caused many car dealerships to restructure their corporate operations, reduce staff and tighten their wallets. Many dealership owners, along with their manufacturers, were faced with downsizing or total elimination. In the midst…

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ALBANY, N.Y. – November 3rd, 2014 –Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (http://www.automate.com) has been honored as one of the thirty “Best Places to Work” in New York State’s Capital region by the Albany Business Review. It is the fifth year in a row that Auto/Mate has received the distinction.

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Customer complaints happen. No matter how much a business wants to provide great customer service, there are times when the dominos aren’t lined up exactly right. The chain breaks somewhere, preventing the last domino from falling. For the most part, customers understand that businesses aren’t perfect. It certainly helps when the customer that is having a poor experience is…

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ALBANY, N.Y. – October 27th, 2014 –Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (http://www.automate.com) announced the successful completion of its first annual User Summit for auto dealers. Dealers and managers from around the country attended the summit on September 19th in Albany, NY. The User Summit was designed for Auto/Mate's dealer clients to learn the newest features of Auto/Mate's dealership management system…

In February 2010, I wrote a blog titled “Pizza Wars: Why Auto Dealers Need to be Involved in Social Media.” I was reminded of this the other day when I saw that Domino’s Pizza earnings had surpassed Wall Street’s expectations.…

ALBANY, N.Y. – October 20th, 2014 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (http://www.automate.com) announced today the integration of its dealership management system (DMS) with etfile's electronic document management solution. Auto dealerships using the etfile document imaging, filing & retrieval system can now receive deals from…

Most Monday mornings I find myself standing in NCM Institute’s beautiful training facility in Kansas City, welcoming a new class of dealership managers who come to us for formalized training specific to their job responsibilities. Even before introductions, sometimes I will ask the class some questions:

“How many of you, when you interviewed for your first job in the car business were shown a written job description and job objectives or expectations that you would…

ALBANY, N.Y. – October 13th, 2014 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (www.automate.com) announced today the final integration of its dealership management system (DMS) with Nissan's dealer communications system (DCS). The completed integration means that 100 percent of Nissan dealers using Auto/Mate's DMS are now able to communicate seamlessly with their manufacturer in parts, service, sales and accounting.

"We are pleased to be one of the DMS…

This is the second installment in a two-part series by Steve Hall. To read Part One, click here. 

This is the second installment in a …