When you think of all the things that go into making your dealership a success, communication ranks at the top of the list. In fact, without good communication—both inside the dealership and with your customer base—you’ll likely suffer unnecessary losses in sales, employees, and customers. And while it’s one of the most integral pieces to your success, great communication can also be one of the most difficult things to achieve. Why? Because your dealership is a complicated machine with many…

In my past few blogs, I discussed the various areas in a dealership that are affected by the current recall epidemic, compared the differing viewpoints about recall repairs from dealers and consumers, discussed non-compliance in recall repairs on…

Leave Little for Chance

 

I’ve noticed there is a direct relationship with success and how little you leave…

Why Auto Dealers Must Embrace Digital Marketing

You may have heard it time and again, but if you aren’t using digital in your marketing plans, you are losing out. Simply put, traditional marketing no longer works like it used to for auto dealerships. According to research by …

We are all chasing that elusive thing we call success. Every person deep in their heart has a desire to achieve, to contribute, and to feel like what they do makes a difference. No one wakes up and says, "I want to pursue mediocrity and fail." So how do you define success in life? What does it mean to you? Until you define the outcome you are chasing,…

The chances are pretty good that any email lead YOU receive is also sent to competing dealerships. That means the car shopper will get emails and phone calls from other salespeople looking to sell that customer a car. Unless the lead is on a unique used vehicle, your competitors have the same new vehicles in their inventory.

Therefore, reaching that customer…

It’s no surprise social media continues to surge as a means of keeping in touch, sharing information, and comparing product feedback.  Now, more than ever, companies are turning to video to reach consumers for one very compelling reason: it works. It’s estimated 71% of companieswill increase their video marketing budgets this year, and that’s because video has become…

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…

Take Control of Your Dealership’s Communication

If you want to capture the attention of shoppers in today’s market, communication should be one of the sharpest tools in your toolbox. Remember the days of desk phones and tangled cords? The me-to-you approach of salespeople who told customers all about the cars on the lot?  The newspaper ads that detailed the “special invitations” to save?  Say good-bye to all of that, because dealership communication has come…

As I walked into one of my client's education rooms recently, I was immediately inspired by their approach to conducting training and "Get Up" meetings. There were positive phrases all over the wall that promoted their culture. High-energy music played from a selected playlist intentionally used to elevate the moods of those in attendance. Leaders greeted every person…

Urbandale, IA--July 5th, 2016--Flick Fusion today announced that its COO Tim James and Director of Marketing Gina Reuscher were both selected to speak at the 21st Digital Dealer Convention and Expo to be held August 8-10, 2016 at the MGM Grand Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. Both speaker presentations will focus on the growing importance of video marketing and how dealerships can incorporate this powerful medium into their marketing strategies.

"Digital Dealer is the…

PCG Research is conducting a new research project on auto dealership's utilization and experience with Google advertising. Since U.S. dealers are shifting more of their marketing dollars to online advertising strategies, the data from this survey will spark new conversations on how Google agency partners can better serve the franchise dealer community. 

PCG is collecting feedback from U.S. franchise…

Did you know subject lines framed as questions get fewer open rates and replies?

Most people assume you SHOULD ask questions in your subject line in order to get more open rates when that’s not the case.  You can also increase the success of your marketing campaign by dropping the exclamation points! 

We know it’s hard to break the mold, and…

Way back during the Great Depression in the 1930's Walgreen Drugstores hired Elmer Wheeler to help them sell eggs.

You might ask yourself, "why the hell would Walgreen's be selling eggs?"

Well, they, like all drugstores back then had soda fountains inside the stores. They sold soft drinks, ice cream and most pertinent to this story, milkshakes and malts.

When shopping for anything, especially big-ticket items like cars, shoppers compare prices. It’s natural to try and find the best deal and save as much money as possible, however, times have changed, and the best price is no longer the sole determining factor when it comes to where and when consumers purchase. The ability to comparison shop online has made it necessary for dealerships to compete in areas other than price alone.  Instead, they must specialize in many of the other things that…

A universal challenge for business is the ongoing quest for quality feedback from our clients, customers and patients.  So often, almost in desperation, we adopt third party platforms that promise improved response results only to discover that the return on investment falls short of expectations.  …

I hate to break it to you, but if you run a for-profit business – like a car dealership – then your website has just two important goals:

• Goal #1 – Attract Visitors
• Goal #2 – Convert Visitors

Sorry, that’s it. Attracting and converting visitors are the only real value your website provides and the ONLY goals you should be…

Video content has pretty much become the preferred medium for consumers. Social media platforms increasingly give video content preferential reach and content producers have adjusted their strategies accordingly.

In retail automotive, video is used very effectively to market dealerships and their inventory, because the content successfully attracts consumers’…

This common saying is certainly one that everyone knows. And, whether it’s true or not, has endured time. Why? Because someone cooking for you is an intimate act that is satisfying and elicits fond memories. In essence, this act accomplished on a regular basis is supposed to be the recipe (pun intended) to win the love of a man, or woman. The gender of a person has little to…

Over the last year I have visited a lot of dealerships.  I’ve been asking advisors to sell me a product or a service; the results have not been stellar. One dealership in particular only asked for two brake fluid flushes in a twelve month period…After we did a feature benefit presentations on brake flushes,…