An Open Letter to the Automotive Industry - Ken Potter

I spent the last three years working at TRUECar with a great team of people under me listening to dealers, industry executives, and my team on how to best serve dealers.

I first want to thank those dealers that allowed me to come visit their stores and hear their very candid feedback, concerns, and thoughts on how we could serve them better. I will be the first to say we didn't get it right for everyone, but we did grow…

Are you one of the few that blasts Social Media as a form of marketing? Maybe you just don’t believe that it works. Maybe you think it’s a huge waste of time. Well the good news is that you’re not alone. The bad news is that the numbers of non-believers are rapidly dwindling.

Let’s say that you’re on the fence about whether there’s actual ROI (return on…

What You Should Know About Managing Your Reputation 

Solid management of your reputation can result in real business growth. Word of mouth means everything in the business world, and having a great reputation can really impact that word of mouth in a positive way. You will also…

I've been pretty torn over the last few months. On one hand, I'm so pleased to see that dealers (and even some vendors) are really starting to embrace building content pages on their website. On the other hand, I'm concerned that many companies are starting to promote building these pages as their complete SEO strategy. What's worse is that many dealers are starting…

Keep your pipeline full-

Hope for the best but prepare for the worst-

We’ve all heard of or lived through the horror story of the dealer buried in turmoil and strife for six months or longer recovering from the untimely loss of key management personnel.

*Salespeople who do not “keep their pipeline full” typically incur discouraging slumps…

Has your car been involved in an accident recently or do you own a car that is near death? Maybe the cost of repairing your vehicle is so painful that you don't have the stomach to see the bill. It's probably safe to say that most people know that a car is never the same after being involved in an accident and if the car hasn't been taken care of then there could be very serious mechanical, electrical, and safety issues. Maybe your car was a victim during last summer's hurricane and floods…

You’ll have a lot on your mind when you have a serious accident and your car is declared a total loss. You or a passenger might have been injured and require medical care or a period of rehabilitation. You may have to talk to your attorney or to law enforcement personnel about the details of the accident. You’ll definitely have to contact your insurance agent, and there will be a great deal of paperwork in order to make a claim against your insurance, or the insurance of the other driver.…

There’s no better story about the perils of loyalty than that which played out in the summer of 2010. At the time, Lebron James was the most desired free agent in all of basketball. For the prior two seasons, he had been pressured by fans to announce whether he would stay with the Cavaliers, or leave for another team. Cavalier fans were intensely loyal to James, who was a…

One of the things dealers constantly have to battle with is the consumer trust factor. Historically, some auto dealerships have kept information away from consumers. So, as is human nature, consumers then thought these dealers had something to hide.

To add to this issue of trust, in many dense markets, dealers participate in a fierce race to the bottom --…

In this industry we often do things simply because they have been done before. Why not throw out the rulebook and do things because we SHOULD or WANT to? You don’t need anyone’s permission to pave the way for your dealership. It all starts with an idea that becomes a plan to present to those who need to buy in. You need to be that voice. I know it seems far fetched…

I believe without any question the service advisor makes the difference in regards to the service and parts department’s profitability. The day of handing a service advisor a pen and saying “here’s your terminal” should be well behind us. The lack of training service advisors allows for processes to never be standardized. 



The new…

For most Customers the pinnacle part of our sales presentation is the Demonstration Drive.  This is where they are given a chance to take the car for a spin and hopefully take mental ownership of the vehicle.  The problem is…

Worried About Your Business's Reputation? These Tips Can Help!

Businesses that have great reputations attract more customers and produce more sales. Customers will be happy, and they will tell others about their experience with you. Safeguarding your business reputation is necessary for real success. Managing your reputation is crucial; continue reading for some helpful tips.

Always offer…

Today's market dictates that to succeed as a dealer, you have to create a great customer experience. You have to provide value and give the customer a reason to come back. A great customer experience is now one of the strongest value propositions any dealership can use to increase customer loyalty and retention.

 …

For most technicians, their goal is to become a qualified VOSA MOT tester. It is not hard to see why either. After all, all vehicles require an MOT on a yearly basis, and thus this is a service that is always going to be required. This allows technicians to make money and ensure that they are continually in high demand. Also, having ‘qualified MOT Tester’ on your CV looks impressive. It will make you attractive to any potential future employers, and it will show…

What happened to phone etiquette?   Is texting to blame for our apparent lack of interest in voice-on-voice interaction, and our apparent amnesia about how the conversation should flow?  I’m blown away every time I call a business and receive an answer of “Hello?”  It happens fairly frequently and each time I’m sure the recipient can feel my discomfort when I have to…

According to Wikipedia* Reputation Management is the influencing and/or control of an individual's or business's reputation.

Reputation Management - Do You Know How Your Business Is Perceived? 

To better your business reputation, make sure you follow up with your customers. This is especially the case if your business is larger. You need to make them feel important. Consider…

For the first time ever, important vehicle research is directly embedded in the Vehicle Detail Page through CarStory Market Reports; DealerOn to make new inline reports available to their entire dealer network

Austin, Texas – June 17, 2015 – CarStory, the industry’s largest provider of search and inventory data and analytics on used vehicles, today announced a…

I don't enjoy calling out vendors. It's something that I think is unprofessional in most situations. Sometimes, when a vendor is truly hurting the automotive industry, it must be done and I have to do that today.

We have a client being hounded. This other vendor has been telling them that our philosophy of using onsite and offsite content to…