Sometimes you have to get rid of a bad apple. This article is an oldie, but goodie from our archives.

-by Sally Whitesell for AutoSuccess Magazine.

Terminating someone is never pleasant and not to be taken lightly. As a former service manager I only had to fire one service advisor -and I did not make that decision lightly. However, in…

More than ever before, customers are turning to the internet to research and shop for vehicles. This shift in behavior makes phone calls even more critical. Instead of visiting the dealership to ask vehicle questions, shoppers are turning to their phones. 

In my last blog, “…

In a business where speed wins, first steps can lose. 

Reasoning being—the distinct possibility—like is the case in any race—that you could jump the gun. Sure, creating a market sounds exciting, but in today’s…

This week, Jeff does some Q & A from his viewers! After Jeff had been on the road for a few weeks at various dealerships and service drives, it seemed like some questions became prominent as "hot topics"! Stay tuned to hear his answers in regards to technology, service advisor kiosks, upcoming training opportunities, and much more! If you want your questions answered, please write in to info@jcowansprotalk.com or simply visit AutomotiveServiceTraining.com! Copyright 2019 Wm Jeff…

Several manufacturers, including Tesla, have rolled out some “innovative” features that include self-driving technology. At first glance, consumers like this type of vehicle technology because it typically means that these vehicles are fuel-efficient, use advanced technologically and are, frankly, cool. However, there are hazards involved with this advanced…

Lease Approval Ratings Drop Slightly in August Following Increase in July

Swapalease.com, the nation’s largest car lease marketplace, reports car lease credit applicants registered a 68.9% approval rate in August, a slight dip from the July rate of 69.1%.

August experienced a higher number of applicants with qualifications for taking over another person’s lease, as well as the highest number of applicants year-to-date. The month had a slightly lower approval…

 New case study shows how Reed-Lallier Chevrolet leveraged this one-of-a-kind CPO program to increase used vehicle sales 30% YOY as local market saw declines^[1]

Los Angeles, CA – September 18, 2019 – SureSale Certified today released a new case study conducted with North Carolina’s Reed-Lallier Chevrolet that offers a compelling snapshot of…

Today’s customers expect and demand an amazing customer experience. The dealership with the right vehicle and the best experience will ultimately win the business. To deliver the best experience possible, you must maintain expertise about your customers and their shopping behavior.

The average consumer today visits only one or two dealerships…

Ladies and gentlemen, we are back with our video series, Ali Reda’s Road to Sales Success! We’re talking about the obstacles that Carlos is finding as he’s approaching the end of his second month in the business. If you don’t know about him yet, let me bring you up to speed. Carlos is a new salesman at Les Stanford, and Ali Reda is his immediate manager and coach. We want to take…

Today’s dealerships must be completely focused in on fixed operations performance. General Motors going on strike is just one concern of many related to new-car sales. Shrinking new-car margins are here to stay, and so is your dependence on fixed operations.

Everyone must be concerned about expenses…

While much has been written about how the “bots” are coming and will threaten to automate everyone’s job, the reality is that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is about automating mundane tasks to improve the customer experience and better scale human interactions for solving the complex and unique issues.

Machine Learning (ML) is all about feeding…

When we think of using customer data, it’s often in the context of marketing. I’ve written previously on how…

Tom Brady makes $15 million per year. A few months ago Dak Prescott turned down $30 million a year. Financially speaking then he’s at least 2x the value or the player Brady.

Not necessarily. Analytics matter in today’s competitive industries. 

Touchdowns. Interceptions. QBR. Percentage of completions. The numbers are endless, but…

Here is the most recent auto loan and lease origination data and trends from Equifax. 

Key Highlights: The percent of subprime to the total originations is at the lowest point since 2011 (currently at 20.7%).

Auto Loan Originations Observations reported through April 2019

• 7.96 million auto loans, totaling $183.9 billion were originated year-to-date. This is a 0.3% decrease in accounts and a 2.3% increase in…

Dealers often look for new technology solutions to help them solve a problem, and rightfully so. When a well-trained staff follows a well-documented process, technology saves time and money and makes it easy to analyze data so you can make smart business decisions.

However, if your staff isn’t well trained and your processes aren’t well…

Cyberattacks are on the rise. In the first six months of 2019, the number of data breaches has increased by 54% compared to the same period last year. As of July, more than 4.1 billion customer records have been exposed in approximately 3,800 publicly disclosed data breaches.

If your dealership hasn’t already been targeted, chances are it will…

In our video series, Ali Reda’s Road to Sales Success, we’ve been bringing you up to speed on the career of our friend, Carlos - a salesman working under the tutelage of Ali Reda. We’ve been discussing all the good stuff we’ve come across on our journey so far, and walking you through some steps to implement into your own career. Of course, it hasn’t all been gumdrops and sparkles…

SEO and SEM are used interchangeably by the novice marketer and the unknowing client. SEM and PPC are used interchangeably by the adept agency and experienced client-side marketer.

This separation of church and state is starting to blend. It used to be that…

Albany, N.Y. – September 9, 2019 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems announced today it has successfully completed all dealership management system (DMS) integrations with Text2Drive, an advanced two-way text messaging platform designed to help dealers improve the customer experience, increase profitability and raise CSI scores. Auto/Mate's dealership customers now have the option to use Text2Drive’s platform to communicate with sales and service…

Buy/sell market continues strong year with 49 completed transactions in Q2 2019; global trade war brings investors to market; dealership business model proves resilience with increased gross profit, according to Q2 2019 The Blue Sky Report^® by Kerrigan Advisors

Irvine, CA –September 9^th, 2019 – The 2019 auto dealership buy/sell market stayed steady and on course for yet another 200+ transaction year in…