This post is attributed to my colleague Tim Rose at AM Magazine in the UK http://www.am-online.com. It poses some very interesting views on the future direction of retail outlets as a result of some major research carried out in the UK regarding solus vs multi-franchise outlets....

"Research from a global automotive consultancy is likely to add weight to some carmakers’ demands for solus dealerships when dealers’ current…

What do you do when you have a customer in the showroom, you’ve done the presentation and the test drive and got some degree of commitment from them, then they turn around and tell you that they “just need to go and see the Audi first, to put it out of my mind”?

It’s a tricky one – because…

In the most challenging economic climate in a generation, the influence of the media on the consumer’s attitude to spending has made the job of the auto dealer that much more difficult.  The advent of social networking, such as Twitter and Facebook have not only empowered consumers with information but also provided a global outlet for feedback both positive and negative.



Whilst many of the principles of selling in the automotive sector remain valid, the industry has needed to…

Aussie ‘trust survey’ shows car sales ranked lower than the 'oldest profession'

The credibility of the Australian retail motor trade is at an all time low it seems. But why?

According to the findings of the annual ‘Trust Survey’ 2010 carried out by Reader’s Digest Australia, the car sales sector was rated less trustworthy than the oldest ‘profession’ in a poll that asked respondents to rank forty professions in order of perceived…