The $4,000 Tap

By John Fuhrman – Director of Training, OptionSoft Technologies

     There’s an old story that goes something like this.

     A dealer was getting increasingly frustrated with all the technology in his dealership.  He purchased all the best money could buy.  But, when it came to training and support, it never seemed to be in the budget.  So, people came and went, and the…

Start Selling Everyday Like it’s the Last Day of the Month

In the average retail establishment roughly 80% of monthly sales are made in the last two weeks of each month.  Just over 60% of those sales are made in the last 7 days of the month.  And it is not uncommon for the biggest sale day of each month to be…

As many of you know, I've been involved in this industry since cars took leaded gas.  There have been many changes.  Some good, some not so much.  One thing that has seemed to be a constant is selling extended service contracts in your service drive has been an abject failure.  

Dealers get excited about it.  Service Writers train for it.  Sometimes it even takes off selling.  But, usually within weeks, sales slow to a trickle and then become a forgotten practice followed by the ever…

Dо уоu knоw thаt уоu саn make уоur party special extra by hiring limo party bus? Mоѕt people…

I want to take a couple of minutes to discuss with you the phenomenon affectionately known as "The 90 Day Wonder". For those of us unfamiliar with this phenomenon, let me 'splain it to you.

The 90 day wonder is the sales associate, brand new to the business, who starts out like gang-busters. Who, for the first couple of months, lead the field. Then,…

EMPLOYMENT AD FOR CAR DEALERS 



Wanted unambitious person sales position. Low Pay - Long Hours - Must Work Nights and Weekends - AND must be able to withstand consumer abuse and ridicule. You must be educated, and clean cut, well dressed with no drugs or bad habits. People with families preferred.



MAN, WHO…

Have you ever had a salesperson tell you they’re having trouble asking for the sale between the demo and the write up? If you’re a salesperson, is this problem one you’re familiar with?

First let me reassure you that this is a common challenge for car salespeople today and a fairly simple one to remedy. This challenge is due in no small part to the fact that the way…

Ever since reviews have risen in popularity, dealerships have mostly focused on written reviews -- they were the most prominent in search engine results and on third party sites.

This worked pretty well for a while. However, with the rise in the importance of reviews, some companies chose to act unscrupulously and falsely boosted their reputation by posting…

Why are Instant Articles beneficial? Facebook provides a guide to Instant Article configuration so that you can use their content management system.



• Instant Articles are 10x faster than traditional mobile web articles

• They’re read 20% more often 

• Clients are 70% less likely to leave the article once they’re there.



Watch this week's Hard Facts now for more info!…

A mini multi-purpose vehicle, more commonly known as an MPV, is typically a high-end vehicle choice for larger passenger loads. Similar to an estate car, mini MPVs boast excellent off-road and on-road capabilities and are often very spacious and luxurious with excellent value-added features. For this reason, they are always a hugely popular choice with customers looking to arrange car hire in Newcastle and across the UK.

There are plenty…

When I talk to dealers that are disappointed with their email and direct mail marketing results, my biggest question is this:

Why would you send out an email offer to your customers that you would not PAY to send out via direct mail or other methods?

I see it happen all the time. A dealer sends out an email for something such…

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 the full…

The well-known book Who Moved My Cheese tells a story about change; how change is inevitable and how we all need to adapt and adjust our attitudes to change...or perish. In the last ten years the most powerful agent of change in dealerships has been technology. Think about how technology, in all its forms, has changed the way your business…

My Largest Lesson

One of the greatest privileges in life is doing something you love. Coaching dealerships fixed operations for improvement is truly something I love however, today I’d like to share my largest lesson with you.



Understand that everyone has parts of what they do that they don’t enjoy. For me the task I don’t enjoy is marketing and sales. I’m sure all of us of been…

When most people think about what public relations agencies do, they picture media relations, industry exposure and … well… lots of press releases. The reality is that the public relations industry has been transforming itself as new technologies and strategies become available that help us gain optimum exposure and get our clients and their products in front of target…

Gubagoo ChatSmart received a “Top Rated” Award for Dealer Satisfaction in the Chat Products Category

West Palm Beach, FL – April 26, 2016 – Gubagoo ChatSmart is the recipient of a “Top Rated” Chat Products award in the seventh annual DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards.

“We are honored to receive a DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Award for ChatSmart,”…

Getting your customer’s attention and engaging with them can be a tough task these days. There is so much competition from other marketers -- customers are constantly barraged with messages from every side and in every way.

Social media reach has decreased, digital marketing is ever more challenging and direct mail sometimes goes straight into the trash. This…

DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENTS: MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION

As the recession loosens its tight grip on our economy and businesses, vehicle sales have begun to steadily climb nationwide.  As a result, a very important decision is looming for auto dealers.  Many of the customers that are purchasing today are doing so for the first time in several years. As…