Several years ago one of my more enlightened and proactive client-dealers said to me, “I know I don’t really need more opportunities to do business; I just need to do a better job of measuring and managing the OTDBs I already have.” He then asked for my help to develop and implement a traffic management process for each of the five operating departments within his multi-rooftop automotive dealership group. Over the next several weeks,…

by Kathryn Carlson

Over the last fifteen years I’ve conducted numerous dealership sales meetings, at which we perform an interactive exercise called “Who Do You Know?” I ask each salesperson to write down just one name of someone they know in each of about 75 categories that I read to them over a twenty minute period. After the exercise is completed, I inspect the pages and pages of names that they’ve written down and I normally say something like, “Don’t talk to me about not having enough…

I have always believed there is a valid reason why dealership website designers include a “Used Vehicle Specials (UVS)” page in their master plan. Because if I were a used vehicle prospect cruising dealers’ websites, when I click on “Used Vehicles” and a drop-down appears with one of the choices being “Specials” (or “Featured Vehicles”), I would certainly go there first before taking a deep dive into the overall used vehicle inventory. However, most dealership managers must not think that…

At the Sonic Dealer Academy we used an article titled, “Simple Techniques to Grow Your Business,” as a teaching tool. This article was authored by Duane “D.J.” Sprague who, at the time, was the president of Dunning Sprague Marketing & Advertising, a full service agency specializing in generating and retaining customers for the retail automotive dealer. All of us that were exposed to D.J.’s metrics took them at face value. I think many of them, particularly those listed below, still apply…

Those of us who have been around the retail automobile industry will sooner or later find a customer that says your product, store or staff sucks. This usually happens when a salesperson is working the service area and runs into that customer. You know the one who can't wait to unload all his problems on you.

Oddly enough, this person is as good of a prospect as…

Very few dealers are both aggressive and effective in selling Extended Service Agreements (ESAs) after the new or used vehicle has been delivered. If you are so fortunate to be among this minority, you don’t need to read any further. Since most F&I departments don’t seem to have the inclination or motivation to work these post-delivery opportunities, let’s explore an alternate strategy…structuring a process to have our service advisors aggressively and effectively sell ESAs in…

I know, I know some things never change, Right?! ... WRONG.  I'm sure there are plenty of people out there that are going to disagree with me on what I'm about to disclose – and that's okay; as long as they have put them both to the test like I have.  I have been in the auto industry for just a few months short of 12 years. I have consistently been reading, and scouring the Internet for the best training information I could find to improve my automotive sales career.  I wanted to share with…

     Being a GM for an automobile dealership has it's normal everyday responsiblities, One of which is my routine of sitting in on daily sales training. It amazes me ( i don't know why after 19 years) that i have salespeople who sit through training and act like we are wasting their time and that they could be doing something better. These are the same people who want to be treated like pro's, paid like pro's and they honestly feel that they have nothing more to learn!

 We…

It’s good to be nice. Nice works, especially with women.

Of course whatever you do to meet the needs of women, will delight your male customers! That’s actually a fact based on a Wharton School study in partnership with WomenCertified. So in short aim for what makes her happy and you will win with everyone.

Sometimes we have to remember that we are customers too and treat them the way we would want to be treated. Kind of hard sometimes when we become robots in how we sell and…

Overland Park, Kan., May 2, 2011 ― NCM Associates, a leading provider of retail automotive 20 Group services, Education, Retail Operations Consulting and the originator of the NCM Benchmark® for Success program for automobile dealers, today announced that Helms Brothers Mercedes-Benz has tripled its gross profits through the implementation of the Mercedes-Benz Pre-Owned Profit Improvement Program under the guidance of NCM…

 I am Jackie Daniel Cooper, “Danny Boy”, to my Dad and Family. My vocation has been the retail automobile business since Dad gave me the opportunity to shine shoes at the dealership he operated, Easterby Dodge in 1963, Greenville, SC. Originally my business plan at 6 years of age was to shine the shoes of my Daddy’s salespeople … I realized early on they were better…

THE IMPORTANCE OF A TRAFFIC LOG

I was at a Dealership the other day that had laid-off the receptionist. She was also the person that managed The Traffic Log. So I asked the Sales Manager, “who is taking care of the traffic log ? ”... “I am”, he said. .... “Well, when you step out, who manages the log?” ... “The salesmen”, was his answer.…

Imagine the incredible results you’d have if you and your team really focused on a consistent basis.

You’d likely…

• contribute more
• waste less time ramping back up
• serve customers better (internally and externally)
• find more customers
• come up with more ideas
• plan better
• be less frustrated and stressed
• help others focus more (by…

When we sell something, a verbal thank you is almost automatic – so automatic, sometimes it can be perceived as less than genuine – a “comment on the weather” filler at best.

Should we do more? Of course.

Most of us work extremely hard to bring in new customers and once we do, we’re given an opportunity to begin building a “barrier to entry” for our competitors – a much more enjoyable position than fighting through…