Within the automotive marketplace, the data-centric importance of a dealership has come to the forefront. One of the most essential tools in driving this type of dealership, is it’s utilization of a CRM. The CRM is a tool meant to organize, track, and store all dealership data to increase the overall dealerships efficiency. No matter the size of the store, nor its number of stores in a group, implementing a…

None of us know anyone who would look back on their first car purchase and say, "Ah, I miss the good old days of buying and financing a car?"

Even baby boomers and Generation Xers recall their first car financing deal with groans more normally associated with root canals. Millennials in particular, with their one second click-to-load screen tolerance, have zero patience for that kind of old school process pain.

Having already blown up the traditional car buying experience with…

This industry will go extinct in 10 years. Can you guess which industry I'm talking about?

Students right now are so excited to graduate and get involved in this field, but they’re having trouble getting a job. Why? The jobs in this industry are few and far between. 

It’s such an exciting and fast-paced environment for millennials to join into. It’s something that we’re actually excited about. It’s given us…

Dealership Marketing: 7 Surefire Ways to Ramp Up Your Email Marketing Success

Email can be a strong platform to connect with your current and prospective customers throughout the purchase journey. Regardless of the many channels available to market to your audience, email should be…

Car warp has become quite popular these days. In fact, in comparison to car painting, car owners are showing their ready preference for car wrapping. Is it only the question of value proposition? A close watch on the issue has revealed the fact that besides cost efficiency, there are other benefits of using car warp. Top 5 benefits are narrated here with outline details.

It enhances resale value of the car

It is difficult to maintain original car paint indeed; once a car…

Customer service surveys are becoming more difficult to get our customers to fill out, and therefore, more difficult for us to receive. Let's face it; we’re all over-surveyed these days. We’re usually not interested in wasting our time unless we are extremely irritated or extremely impressed. In an effort to increase the return rate, service…

When I was eCommerce Director for a dealer group, I was also the group trainer. Phone. eMail. Leads.

Logging.

I can't describe the groans I got from the salespeople about logging. "CRM is too hard!". "It gets in the way of my rapport with my customer."

And so on.

Managers work deals. Salespeople work customers. The CRM is…

59% of Marketers Use Social Media for 6 Hours or More Each Week from…

Creating a unique and engaging experience is key to attracting new millennial buyers.  Second only to Baby Boomers, Millennials wield $200 billion annual direct buying power (according to the U.S. Chamber Foundation) and they are, most likely to be the single most demanding generation when it comes to service and their approach to buying. 

The Millennial…

I was asked to share with sales managers some of the common desking best practices I’ve encountered across the country. These are things that, when adopted, should help you help your sales people be more effective. I know that most of these things are already being done in your store but it’ll still be a useful review and you may even pick up one or two new ideas.

I…

Wantalease.com, the nation’s first online car lease marketplace for new lease deals, reports the latest update on new lease offerings, with the Nissan Sentra SV currently boasting the lowest monthly payment price of just $129.00 a month. Additionally, there are two other vehicles in the car segment currently being offered at under $150.00 a month.

The other vehicles in addition to the Nissan Sentra V currently being offered for under $150.00 include the Volkswagen Jetta S at $139.00…

Welcome to this week's edition of Black Book Market Insights, with in-depth analysis of used car and truck valuation trends and insights straight from the auction lanes. Click here to download…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhhcAVLAXQE

This phone call above is an actual recent customer interaction - Scary.

Before you invest 10, 20, or 30k in your next direct mail piece, add or switch vendors I want you to think, who’s handling all of the leads that these campaigns generate? See, every advertising venture that you embark on involves your BDC having the first interaction with your…

If you haven’t drunk the video marketing Kool-Aid yet. Or, perhaps are overwhelmed by the thought of creating and distributing videos, it’s time to consider the advantages of having a video marketing strategy.

There was a time in my career when dealers used to complain about having to take multiple PICTURES of a vehicle. Now, however, most dealers include as…

In my many discussions with dealers, the one question that invariably comes up is “What is online retailing, really?” They’ll then begin to tell me how consumers can already buy a car online from them. They have a widget with which a consumer can get their trade value. They have an online payment calculator. Customers can submit a lead, get a quote online and even correspond…

This Week in Social Media

News for the Week…

Albany, N.Y. – September 27th, 2016 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems announced today that its National Customer User Summit was its largest yet, spanning two full days and offering many new events, classes and workshops for the auto dealership employees and managers who attended. This year's User Summit was held September 19-21, 2016 at the Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center.…

As we’re helping people with some of their biggest investments, it’s our moral duty to be there for our customers by following up on services they’ve initially declined. Ethical practices in the car business go a long way in retaining customers and increasing referrals. 

You won’t be setting yourself up for disappointment. It’s not a lost cause. Here’s…

Have you ever tried to call a dealership – whether it’s to inquire about a vehicle or schedule a service appointment – just to get placed on eternal hold or thrown into someone’s voicemail? Many consumers have and, just like you, they don’t like it.

People are busy. When they pick up the phone to schedule a service appointment, or try to get information about…