Your dealership customers aren't just using their mobile devices to find your car dealer website, they are also using them to read the emails you send.  A recent report from the marketing agency Knotice found that more than 27 percent of emails were opened on a mobile device during the second half of 2011.  This is a 36 percent gain from the end of 2010.

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It was in late 1987, and I was conducting an in-dealership workshop focused on financial and operational planning and controls. I was describing an F&I process that I had recommended to increase service contract penetration, when the general manager said, “We used to do that.” In response, I asked, “Did it work?” “Absolutely,” he answered. I was tempted to say, “Then why did you stop doing it?” but I was new to the consulting business and didn’t want to risk offending one of my few…

Part one of this topic was published here on January 19, 2012. In that article I discussed the four no-cost or low-costactivities that, when executed flawlessly, will increase a service department's customer R.O. count by at least 10%. Today I’ll address several other proven strategies to increase your customer-paid service…

It was early in the morning still dark outside…I was wide awake thinking about my day and like they often do ideas began to fill my thoughts. I reached and grabbed my phone and started sending myself reminders and emails of the ideas while they were fresh and clear in my mind not wanting to forget even the…

We (CarWoo!) recently completed a review of over 7000 transactions that processed through the CarWoo! MarketPlace and I would like to share our findings with my friends here on DealerELITE.

            The three key take away’s from our efforts are:

1. The hours of operation of your Internet department are mis-aligned with online shoppers. You should consider reviewing your department’s hours of operations and align them with online shoppers not your showroom…

Your dealership has been in business since the '60s and has always gotten a fair  amount of repeat business. Mostly customers who want to get out of lease because they are over miles or customers whose miles on the car makes getting a new car a good idea--that a new car payment would be less than they paid previously. The dealer estimates that if he could identify these customers and contact them through telemarketers or mailers that could produce up to ten new deals per…

Todays

“Tested Sentence That Sells” 

This and future postings on the topic are not about philosophies or basic business principles but about those concrete words to say in customer interactions that greatly enhance the likelihood of closing a deal.

I’ll be sharing with you “Tested Sentences” that have been proven to be the most effective in getting us in auto sales into the fast lane on the road to a sale, and when…

Graff Chevrolet is proud to serve the auto dealership needs of cities such as Bay City, Midland, Saginaw, Mount Pleasant, Essexville, Pinconning, Coleman, Sanford, Carrollton,…

I want to touch on something I'm starting to see in my dealership. Just a quick summary, I work in a "negotiation-free" store where we display upfront pricing and make buying easier. With that comes some other changes in our culture; sales not paid on gross profit but units, and the way we hire among other changes. The way we hire and WHO we hire is what I want to…

HEY!  I'm going to be hosting a session at www.AutomotiveBootCamp.com next week in Las Vegas for Brian Pasch on THIS VERY SUBJECT, so I've resurrected this blog to help set the stage.  For example, do you hire the right people?  Do you know how to measure them?  Do you know how to PAY them?  And do you know how to keep them?…



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I am pleased to invite Dealer Principals, General Managers, and Dealership Executive Managers to the Napa Valley Executive Retreat on September 15th and 16th, in the beautiful Napa Valley.  

First Class Educators is hosting this special event for dealership executives this fall and I will be one of the featured speakers.  I love wine and the Napa Valley so this is a perfect match for me!
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A few weeks ago, we published an article titled “Clear Expectations Set the Standard for Dealership Excellence.” In that discussion, I talked mostly about setting expectations. Today I’ll be presenting one of the processes that NCM recommends for managing expectations…the “one-on-one” meeting discipline.  Why should we have one-on-one meetings?  Because every employee needs and deservesto have quality, individual, interactive…

Over the last ten years, anyone who has not witnessed dramatic changes in the used vehicle arena must have his head in the sand. Why is it then that so many franchised new vehicle dealers have thus far failed to effectively adjust to these changes? So that you understand what I’m talking about, I’ll just mention two of these impactful changes:  (1) the growth of the Internet as a marketing source; and, (2) the advantages available through inventory optimization technology. Even the language…

In Part 1, we talked about how customer’s perceptions on Price, Completeness of the Repair, and Meeting Time Expectations leads to customer dissatisfaction, according to a recent Consumer Reports Annual Auto Survey.  Here, we’ll finish up the Top 5…

Do you remember the pride you felt when your kid hit that game-winning homerun or executed the perfect pirouette? How do you imagine close friends feel when they bag that long-awaited, much sought-after promotion? Don’t your customers deserve to experience those same feelings each and every time they trust you with their vehicles? Arming your Service Advisors with exemplary Service Advisor…

Late last year, a 2.5 million dollar lawsuit was won against Lithia Motors Inc. for sending unwanted text messages to customers without giving them the option to opt out of the text messages. According to AutoNews.com, Lithia was hit with a class-action lawsuit for broadcasting to 57,800 consumer cell phones text messages that failed to adequately allow the recipients to opt out of…