You have heard it before and you know it’s true; knowledge plus action equals power.  Your knowledge is based on your expertise on your product offering, needs analysis and the ability to offer solutions.

Competence comes from knowledge and the route of knowledge is grounded in continuous education. …

Time and time again I continue to hear that dealers and other companies are having a hard time finding and keeping the right good employees.

A couple of things come to mind when they say this:

1. With turnover like the fast food business, we must be doing something wrong.

2. What is your recruiting and hiring process look like? In most cases, it…

Your customers don’t sing a cappella-there is always music accompanying their lyrics, but we salespeople get so hung up and hell-bent on what the customer is saying that we miss the intent behind it. We get bogged down when a customer lyrically demands our rock bottom price, to only have their trade appraised, to not demo…

What single piece of evidence can you present to a potential customer that will separate you from the competition? Before you answer that question I want you to think about the “purpose and not the result.”

Technology can be a great neutralizer in the effort to differentiate one sales person from another. Statistics according to a recent article in Automotive News…

An excellent read on the importance of the use of video in your marketing campaigns.  Plus a solid example of how to use it effectively.

http://www.reelseo.com/geotargeted-video-advertising-most-effective-for-auto-campaigns/…

When I was asked last year to develop a social media marketing service, the first question they asked was whether I already had software in mind or if it needed to be built. I told them that the software had already been developed and it was free. This didn’t go over well at first; they’d always used premium social media…

For years, the dog has been man’s best friend. He’s got a lot of things going for him; one of the best things is his dog nose. The dog’s nose is some 50,000 times more powerful than our human noses, and has some amazing powers.

Our dogs sniff out bombs, buried earthquake survivors, skiers buried in avalanches, drugs being smuggled. Dogs have a world of smells open to…

Do not be afraid





As human beings we have a tremendous ability to deceive ourselves.  Jesus taught in parables so that those who thought they ‘knew it all’ wouldn't understand. Within the parable of…

Collaboration not confrontation

The day starts with an offer that’s hundreds below cost with a trade in that’s thousands away from its actual cash value.  The salesperson spent hours from the initial greeting to the vehicle selection process only to have their bubble busted by a ridiculous offer. Of course, the offer is substantiated by the dealer down the…

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but I feel that being imitated means the imitator lacks the creativity to come up with ideas on their own.

Virtual Sales Associates (VSA’s) has become a popular title in the chat industry lately. ActivEngage coined this term in 2007 and now other chat…

The election is over, political ads are removed from television, and we can all rest easy for four more years. WRONG. It’s time to vote again, in the Facebook Site Governance proposed documents. Voting started 2 days ago, but fear not, you can vote up until December 10th at 12pm (PST). You can vote here.…

Do you know the one thing you can do on your dealership's website to increase leads? In this week’s Think Tank Tuesday, I’m going to show you the importance of strong web panels and how they increases customer conversions on your website.

The questions “How do I drive more leads to my website?" and "How do I increase conversions?” are always asked. We’ve done the research so you can implement the strategy in your dealership. You can do it completely free and in house; create custom…

It seems an overwhelming majority of participants on this network are obsessed with social media channels. While I feel they play a role in a good overall marketing strategy, I wonder if we are putting too much weight on their importance?

Let me ask you this question:

"If a dealership took all their icons and buttons and links to…

The time for transparency has arrived.  There are no more secrets online, and consumers know that filtered and manipulated dealer reviews only confirm that a dealer is not being candid on their website. 

At Carfollks.com we enable good dealers to leverage "the truth" in their marketing to create powerful connections with customers to establish real…

Don't forget the Eighth Element in the Modern Automotive Consumer Journey

By Steve Hanson, Cobalt Performance Improvement Consultant

When I read The Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT) I think back to my early sales days – with more hair and less weight! – standing in the showroom next to a…

Think Tank Tuesday- Are You Missing Sales With The Wrong Messaging? from Potratz on Vimeo.

Are you missing out on sales because your marketing message is focused only on price points?  If you're only focused on price, you are not connecting with customers who are…

You knew retail was changing, right?  Who is ahead of the game at retail today are those staying ahead of Consumer Changing Habits.  “The next five years will bring more change to retail than the last 100 years” says Cyiac Roeding, CEO of Shoptick.  “Within 10 years, retail as we know it will be unrecognizable”,…