Car sales today are a whole different process from how it was in the past. A few years ago it was pretty much a given that buying a car could easily encompass most of the day. In addition, little information was available to the consumer and the dealer had the upper hand in negotiations.

As the Internet has grown and evolved, and as information has become…

Why are we obsessed with television and movies? Because, just like books, they have the ability to capture our attention and transport us into fictional situations and universes.

Regardless of whether the movie or television show is fiction or non-fiction, this is an engaging way to tell a story that we’re interested in hearing and also seeing. TV, movies and…

No professional sports team would consider going without a coach. There may be times where they terminate employment of a coach and have an interim position however, professional sports understand the need for good coaching. A good coach knows how to get the most out of individual players and inspire the team.

When things go well the coach should always…

Below are the top 17 items on women’s New Year’s list when it comes to car dealerships and the service drive for 2017. Here’s an opportunity to add some new options to market and engage to the growing car drivers and buyers and expand your business.

At The Dealership

1. Buying a car in a relaxed, zero pressure environment.

2. Child care made available during the test drive and negotiation process.

3. A 3-day return…

    Last time, we spoke about the beginning of the Inbound Sales Call, or the Phone Up at your dealership. We concluded that this is how we should answer the calls:

SMILE WITH A WARM FRIENDLY GREETING OFFERING ASSISTANCE

    Now our…

Recalls have reached epidemic levels and stretch the resources of everyone involved – dealers, manufacturers and parts suppliers – as well as the patience of consumers faced with a recall, or who contemplate the purchase of a new or pre-owned vehicle. While it may be tempting to imagine a world where recalls aren’t such a burden to dealers and customers, the fact is, recalls…

   We discussed in our last article the importance of the telephone in today’s competitive business and the need for training with all your salespeople. The phone skills an individual has or does not have directly impact the business’ bottom line simply due to the fact that telephone will affect roughly two thirds of your…

This partnership includes the integration of PERQ’S high-engaging FATWIN platform with AutoHook’s high-converting incentive solutions and sales match attribution data, powered by Urban Science.

Indianapolis, IN – January 18, 2017  - AutoHook, powered by Urban Science has partnered with PERQ, specialists in personalized, interactive web engagement…

If you watched any TV over the holidays, you probably saw the commercials for Amazon Echo, affectionately known as Alexa, and for Google Home. These devices employ Artificial Intelligence (AI) to learn voice commands and perform tasks such as controlling smart home appliances, answering questions, placing orders online, playing music and more.

Right now these…

It's a pretty common scenario; your best performing salesperson also happens to be ambitious. A management position opens up and the salesperson lobbies hard. It's difficult to deny this person; they've worked hard and made your dealership a lot of money. So do you automatically promote them?

Maybe...maybe not. It really depends on the type of person they are, and the…

According to Peter Drucker, “Management is responsible for doing things right, and leadership for doing the right things.” Yes, we should all embrace this management philosophy, but as always it is easier said than done.

To help simplify this axiom let’s look at a concrete example where leadership points a dealership in the correct direction…

Budget traveling is becoming more and more popular among people, and that is easy to understand – who doesn’t want to see the world without spendings thousands of dollars on everything? Some people even manage to both travel and work at the same time, and there is literally nothing stopping you from doing that as well.

But to make this happen, you still have to plan accordingly and try your very best to do…

Edmark is one of the highest volume selling dealerships in Idaho for past three years

Irvine, CA, January 17, 2017 – Kerrigan Advisors, the leading sell-side advisory firm to auto dealers in the US, represented and advised Edmark Superstore, one of Idaho's highest volume selling dealerships, in its sale to Kendall Auto Group.  The Edmark Superstore is co-owned by David…

Albany, N.Y. – January 17th, 2017 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems announced today the addition of two feature updates to its dealership management system (DMS) Fixed Ops Suite. The new features are designed to increase efficiencies and revenue in auto dealership service departments and will be demoed at Auto/Mate's booth #1707 at the NADA Convention & Expo in New Orleans, LA.

Updates include:

VIN Scan. Offered as part of Auto/Mate's service mobile tablet solution, VIN Scan…

Driving is a highly engaging activity: it demands all your senses to be alert, including visual and motor skills. With smartphone usage growing every day, it is no wonder almost everyone’s become a little bit obsessed with these devices, no matter the age. Not so surprisingly, though, texting demands the same set of skills as driving.…

Dealerships are well known for their involvement and participation with local communities and many different charities. From sponsoring little league teams, to larger charity initiatives, dealerships have supported and given back to the communities they serve for a very long time.

Cause-based efforts have become increasingly important to consumers, especially…

It was 2008 when it hit me. The economy had just begun to hit the skids and I was leaving a dealership after having done a live meeting. As I walked through the empty showroom I noticed four Managers on shift, sitting in an otherwise vacant tower waiting for salespeople to bring them a deal. There were no customers on the floor, and nothing happening outside beyond the huddle of salespeople by the front door, and I realized: a lot of people in our industry that we call Managers aren’t…

How Faulty IT Infrastructures are Causing Dealerships to Lose Revenue, Lose Customers and Lose Employee Buy-In

Timonium, MD – January 16th, 2017-- Helion Automotive Technologies announced today the release of a free eBook for auto dealerships, titled Three Service Department Pain Points, Solved! How…

Evolution Of The BDC: Has your dealership evolved?

A few years ago I performed speaking sessions at multiple conferences including Internet Battle Plan and Digital Marketing Strategies Conference. I even was a guest on a webinar for Dealers Edge. This was and still is a very hot topic. Year after year I find the same car dealers talking about embracing this part of this business. They say that it is the most important part of their business and that they invest more…

-BDC (Business Development Center)-

This department creates and manages the business opportunities that come in and proactively go out from the dealership.

Business Development can exist in the Sales and Service Opportunities of the dealership. While so much is always emphasized on the Sales BDC side of the dealership world, the Service BDC has been existing quietly in the background of some stores with minimal attention while many other stores have yet to enter…