Throughout my 40+ years in the automotive business, I always thought there would come a time when I would leave and take a 9am - 5pm job with holidays, multiple weeks of paid vacations and other normal job aspects. It never happened. No matter how bad of a day I might have had, I always found myself driving home thinking to myself ow much I loved this business.
In my years as a mechanic, I love fixing cars. As I rose through management I loved fixing problems with customers,…
ContinueAdded by Jim Mahoney on August 10, 2012 at 8:05am — No Comments
Every time they come on I'm drawn in. I root for people in sports I either have never seen before or still don't understand. But, my favorite part of the Olympics is when they share the journey that each athlete had to make to get there. When they share how obstacles had to be overcome, sacrifices had to be made, and most importantly, goals that had to be set. When one hears the stories of these special athletes, it's difficult to complain…
ContinueAdded by John Fuhrman on August 9, 2012 at 6:10pm — No Comments
In the city I live in, there is a run down, nasty looking house taking up some prime commercial real-estate that I'm pretty sure every Realtor in town has taken a crack at trying to sell. Seriously! Every couple of months there is a new sign out front from some poor real-estate…
ContinueAdded by Michael Cirillo on August 7, 2012 at 3:01pm — 11 Comments
Where have all the cowboys gone?
That was a great song from the ninety’s right? Well maybe not such a great song but it was the song played over and over and over. For some reason on my way to the dentist this morning this song popped in my head because I’ve really been wrestling with the fact that the cowboy…
Added by Mathew Koenig on August 2, 2012 at 10:14am — 3 Comments
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http://www.dealersynergy.com
Master Your Craft
Do you want to be successful in…
ContinueAdded by Sean V. Bradley on August 1, 2012 at 10:15am — No Comments
That first day at the beach was always exciting. It was a TOO day. Too much food. Too much water. And way too much sun. It often made the second day at the beach a depressing stay in the house day. Everyone new you were burnt and would try to slap you on the back or grab your arm to watch you cringe. Yet, we did it every year because we knew the effects would only be temporary. In a couple of days the burn turned to a tan and then by vacation's end, you began to peel. It was as if…
ContinueAdded by John Fuhrman on July 30, 2012 at 10:30am — No Comments
The “7 Habits” of a Strong Internet Sales Process
Why our Internet Sales Process matters more now than it ever has, and the seven key points we must execute to be successful.
By: Henry Staniecki
Advanced customer-attracting tactics like SEO and Social Media Marketing are a big focus in the retail automotive industry right now. A great many tools are being developed by every vendor imaginable to take advantage of the latest…
ContinueAdded by DON GRAFF on July 26, 2012 at 9:00pm — No Comments
The “7 Habits” of a Strong Internet Sales Process
Why our Internet Sales Process matters more now than it ever has, and the seven key points we must execute to be successful.
By: Henry Staniecki
Advanced customer-attracting tactics like SEO and Social Media Marketing are a big focus in the retail automotive industry right now. A great many tools are being developed by every vendor imaginable to take advantage of the latest…
ContinueAdded by DON GRAFF on July 26, 2012 at 8:30pm — 7 Comments
Those words were actually said to me but I'll get to that in a little bit.
Well the dog days of summer are upon us. The showrooms are filled to capacity and your next available service appointment is in two weeks! Every marketing piece you've done has been a home run. Your biggest problem is where to park all these customer cars and all the managers can think of is how sweet their commissions are going to be. Some are even thinking that, at this rate, I can retire in a couple of…
ContinueAdded by Jim Mahoney on July 26, 2012 at 11:47am — No Comments
The 3 Most Common Mistakes Salespeople Make That Cost The Dealership Money!
The good news: They are all Preventable! Read below for the latest in how you can prevent Lost Sales!
#1-NO INTERVIEW!
An interview is the most important part of any sales…
ContinueAdded by Leonard Buchholz on July 25, 2012 at 2:18pm — No Comments
Recently, Chrysler announced that they reached their goal of having 80% of their stores opened on Saturday. In the pre-Fiat days, the number was closer to 60%! How exciting! What are the other 20% of their stores doing being closed? How can you NOT open your service department at all on Saturday? Even if they are there to support the sales department, they need to be open. Unless of course you have a CBA saying you must be closed which, in that case, the person who negotiated the contract,…
ContinueAdded by Jim Mahoney on July 25, 2012 at 1:40pm — No Comments
Flying is a part of the job. Even dealers have to fly to auctions, meetings, conventions, etc. Over the last 17 years I have noticed a remarkable lack of courtesy, kindness and even basic service toward passengers. What kind of training are the employees receiving? More importantly, what type of leadership by management are they seeing?
I had the pleasure to need to book two trips on a major (U.S.) Air line. My daughter was taking a trip that took her from…
ContinueAdded by John Fuhrman on July 24, 2012 at 9:30am — No Comments
Back in the 1970's, I cut my teeth in the car business pumping gas and being a mechanics (yes we were called mechanics then) helper. I learned quite a bit and it set the foundation for a wonderful career in the automotive industry.
One of my early lessons in customer service was provided by my old boss. Our oil change cost $9.95. A quart of oil cost about $1.10 back then. The store I worked at was an Exxon franchise. Now our customer could go into the chain supermarket right next…
ContinueAdded by Jim Mahoney on July 24, 2012 at 6:18am — No Comments
The #1 thing that drove me crazy in stores were the phones. I would spend days, weeks, months, planning a marketing strategy to make our phone rings and then I would end up answering most calls myself, setting up appointments, and answering status calls(my least favorite call to get!).
I've watched service advisors look at their ringing phones and NOT answer it. When I saw that, it required, what I called, an immediate training session with the advisor. As like most of you who…
ContinueAdded by Jim Mahoney on July 23, 2012 at 6:00am — No Comments
Added by Jim Mahoney on July 20, 2012 at 7:43am — No Comments
In the automotive sales industry, we sometimes get so wrapped up with adjusting/tweaking our own approach to the sales process (internal critiques) that we often forget to look at how our customers are approaching us with each potential sale.
The cliché, “…it takes two to tango...” comes to mind.
What kind of research or tips do they look for before coming to the car lot?…
Added by Gregg Morris on July 17, 2012 at 11:53am — No Comments
Clearly there is a huge gap between what "we" (old school) managers and Leaders consider useful and proper communication, motivation and Leadership techniques and what the "new" generation responds to.
There is a choice to be made.
A. Keep doing what you've been doing and keep getting the same results while expecting a different outcome.
B. Do something…
Added by Leonard Buchholz on July 16, 2012 at 10:44am — No Comments
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…
ContinueAdded by John Fuhrman on July 16, 2012 at 8:03am — No Comments
Hi All,
Added by Gregory Gershman on July 14, 2012 at 8:36pm — 2 Comments
Employees are the life of any organization. We spends hours recruiting, screening and interviewing them. After we have hired them, we spend more time training, coaching and monitoring them.
And when it's all said and done, we like to think that we have contributed to the Dealership's future and had a hand in weaving the very fabric of that Dealership.
And in every Dealership…
ContinueAdded by Leonard Buchholz on July 11, 2012 at 10:37am — 4 Comments
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