When it comes to marketing, usually making a splash is the goal. You want to run a campaign that will have such a large area of effect, people will be feeling its ripples for a long time after it lands. When you're designing a website though, making a splash is just about the last thing you want to do. And when I say splash in the context of websites, let me make this clear, I'm talking…

An effective dealer chat strategy is a key puzzle piece for increasing leads and sales from dealership websites, and dealers continue to add chat to their portfolio of services – whether they opt for an in-house staff or hosted chat vendor.

The scary truth…

Strong Truck Sales, Extended Vehicle Life Cycles Impacting Sales; Dealership Accessories Sales Revenue Increases 10% Year-over-Year*

San Francisco, CA – September 23, 2013  – AOA today released its 2013 Accessories Trend Midyear Report which demonstrates that the macro trends that impacted 2012 accessories sales, and consumer preferences in vehicle add-ons, are continuing and…

In an interesting piece posted on the Automotive News website over the weekend, Diana T. Kurylko details how manufacturers are able to make real connections with buyers through Twitter, Vine and Instagram.

She points out that even boutique brands like Land Rover and Subaru recognize…

I was on an online chat with several friends and fellow trainers from the United Kingdom the other night. We were discussing Time Management, a subject that most of us provided training on. As we were chatting, the subject got around to the biggest time wasters we had each seen with ourselves and our clients. We decided to compile a list. I have included that list below.…

As I’m sure you’ve heard, Apple will start selling their new iPhones tomorrow. The buzz leading up to the announcement was typical with speculation running wild, leaked photos and chatter just about everywhere. After the announcement however, the buzz shifted away from excitement towards disappointment. People got so excited in the pre-announcement frenzy that they felt let…

What is more important than your reputation? No matter what industry you are in, the answer to the previous question is a large and glaring, “nothing!” There is a reason that businesses such as Yelp! generate so many lawsuits. In the pre-Internet Era, bad word of mouth was just that, very bad, but now with the ubiquitous nature of the internet, the “reputation game” has indeed changed a great deal. Negative reviews online can now be a real killer and can do their damage with remarkable…

I’ve started a marketing company for auto sales people, and I already know it will fail.  Why would a company, dedicated to helping auto sales people be more successful be doomed to failure?

1.  Auto sales people don’t stay put, they believe they sell a product and are willing to move to sell the “hot” product instead of recognizing the value lies in the salesperson, not the product. 
2. Auto sales people keep lousy records. They rely on the dealer’s systems and processes…

What does over 50% of the US population and 70% of Canada do every day? To find out, watch this week's Think Tank Tuesday!

Make sure you keep an eye out for a special offer on how you can learn more about increasing leads and sales. See Paul speak at DD15 October 15-17.

Don’t you hate to hear your customer say no? You spend a lot of time and energy with a customer and when you get to the final stage of the sales process, the customer says the dreaded no word. You were all excited and hoping for a sale and then poof, the air goes out of your sail. The good news is that you can change from getting no answers to yes answers.

First, you must recognize that getting a no answer isn’t accidental or bad luck. When a customer gives you a no answer it…

Whether you're selling paper clips or cars, the most successful salespeople share the same qualities. Here are some of the things that separate the best from the rest:

Believe In Yourself

Unstoppable salespeople filter out negative thoughts and the advice of those who dwell on why it can't be done. They rely on their own inner voice and belief systems to carry them through any obstacles. They truly believe there's nothing…

One challenge all businesses face is creating loyal customers. As business owners, we try to analyze our customers to figure out what methods we can use to build that base of customers which is so important to future growth. Without loyal customers, your efforts at customer acquisition quickly go from growing your business to replacing defecting customers.

 …

By Sean Whiffen, V.P. Strategy, Technology & Content 

Waiting in line … This common experience conjures thoughts and feelings in every one of us - from the DMV to the grocery store. It’s part of life, and we each have our way of dealing with the experience. I generally view it as an obstacle course to successfully maneuver, like finding an opening on a race track.…

Hey everyone, 

Here's an infographic I put together that discusses the top traits of all star salespeople. I'm looking for advice so I'm posting it here. Let me know what you think and if you'd change anything! 

Get it here: http://auto.clearfit.com/see-beyond-the-resume/

Cheers!

When you’ve been in the auto business for almost 30 years, you learn to appreciate quality. Fort Wayne, Indiana’s Curt Richards has seen it all. From the sales floor to the finance department, as an Internet Manager, and most recently as a BDC Administrator, Curt oversees the operations of a business development center that supports sales, parts and service operations for 4…

I’m sure you have seen the slogan/ tag line I have used for my new company, Success 8760, on the website. The 8760 in my company name comes from the number of hours in a year. That is,  8760 = 24 x 365. For me, and hopefully for you, Dare to Be 24/365 means to do whatever is necessary, to dare to be a success every hour of every…

Adopted already by over 700 dealerships, Gubagoo’s “B.E.A.S.T.” technology turns a dealership’s website into a tracking, scoring, engaging and sales converting environment; majority of dealerships report their Gubagoo-powered sites are driving at least 200 additional leads a month - with 1 in 7 converting to sales

West Palm Beach, FL – September 16, 2013 – Gubagoo Inc., a revolutionary new platform for dealership…

Some things in life don’t seem to make sense. If you’re caught in the ocean’s under-toe, don’t resist, but instead save yourself by swimming horizontally to the shore with the ocean’s pull. If you want to effectively snow ski down the side of a mountain, you must lean forward or if you ever find yourself in a skid, driving…

Content. That word scares a lot of dealerships. They’re told they need it from every vendor, at every conference and in every article. They need it for SEO, for blogs, social media, and their website. Advertisements? No problem. They have tons of cars and know what is a good deal in their market. They have ad agencies designing the ads and helping to assemble them. Content,…

     I notice many drivers who fail to signal.  Not using turn signals is one of my pet peeves. How many times has the person in front of you failed to use their signal when passing or turning? We've all experienced it -- maybe…