According to the 2017 JD Power CSI survey, only 13 percent of consumers scheduled their vehicle service online. The progress toward online scheduling has been glacially slow, rising only two percentage points over the past three years.

This is despite the fact that nearly all dealerships now have an online scheduler and most service reminders are digital.…

Used & Specialty Vehicle Valuations Data Integrates for Loan Originations

Black Book, a division of Hearst that provides industry-leading used vehicle valuation and residual value forecast solutions, announced today the integration of its vehicle valuation data with GOLDpoint Systems, a leading loan origination system utilized by auto lenders across the United States.

GOLDpoint’s suite of loan management software…

We have been in many shops where the techs and management tell us, “Hey, my guy can beat the clock on every one of these repairs and do it in less than half the time. So now what? Do I have to keep on the job to have 70% time punch?”

So let’s talk about what a labor operation and its associated time include for most manufacturers.

• Time to bring the vehicle into the shop ( except Jag and Rover have a separate operation for this).…

Albany, NY – June 4, 2018​ – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems has integrated its dealership management system (DMS) with Quik Video, a provider of video technology to dealership service departments. With the addition of Quik Video, Auto/Mate customers have the option to create and send videos that can change multi-point inspection (MPI) identified…

Just because people are at work working, doesn’t mean they love what they do and who they do it for.

There are many people who simply hate there job and can’t wait to quit or get fired and don’t even care because they’re verbally abused, made fun of, ridiculed and made to feel inferior and stupid by their managers.…

Buying a car from another person directly is an easy task. You give him your offer and the next words he utters will tell whether you have a deal or not. In automobile showrooms too you can take a survey to look for the car that is of your interest and when you find it you can negotiate the prices then. The cases do not remain the same always. What happens when you are to buy a car at an auction? The word auction does make people think for a good five minutes as to which strategy they will…

Not long ago at a prior job I was severely reprimanded by an inexperienced sales manager for not using a trial close during a proposal. If you are currently in a leadership role and have similar tactics I would strongly advise against it... that’s a conversation for another day.

This article is about why you should steer away from the "Trial Close." By definition the "Trial Close" is a technique used in selling to assess the buyer's readiness to make a purchase decision. It usually…

“We can fix the tickets before the factory comes in. We don’t need the hassle of trying to fix every ticket now.” Joe service manager said.

I wrote this down as Joe said this because I almost couldn’t believe what I was hearing. But there it was, and I know there are others out there that feel the same…

This week, Jeff continues with the next five myths of this series. Stay tuned to hear what they are, how to bust them, and back them up with facts. Each one is perfect to use as a training tool, meeting topic, or simply food for thought! Copyright 2018 Wm Jeff Cowan

Website: AutomotiveServiceTraining.com

CLICK HERE TO WATCH!…

For decades, advertising enjoyed a fairly predictable business. Print, radio, and TV coalesced into a three-pronged approach that was mastered after decades of relative stability. Simply put, if a vendor demonstrated expertise, then clients willingly trusted them, generation after generation. Then the Internet happened.

The ones and zeros that began streaming…

Fuel efficient petrol cars

If you’re struggling to pick between the used cars for sale and don’t know which option’s best for you, it’s a great idea to check out how fuel efficient they are. By using less petrol when you drive, you’ll be saving costs on fuel and tax, as well as helping the environment. It’s an all-around win!

To help you out, here…

When you see someone using their smartphone, what is your first impression? Do you assume that person is engaged in personal business or professional business? Logically there’s no way to know because people use their smartphones for both reasons.

On a…

CALL FOR SPEAKERS!!!

Have you got a message or product to share with the auto industry????

We are super excited to announce an all new Auto Industry conference coming to Orlando in October!!

If you have innovative new strategies and inspiration, join Eric Thomas and other amazing keynote speakers onstage at this amazing event!…

Lease Approval Ratings Continue to Climb Following Steady Monthly Approval Increases since January

Swapalease.com, the nation’s largest car lease marketplace, reports car lease credit applicants registered a 70% approval rate entering May, a rise from the previous month’s rate of 67.3%.

April experienced a higher number of applicants with qualifications that led to more approvals for taking over another person’s lease contract during the month.  April…

This week, Jeff tells a personal story to talk about how important it is to pay attention to the details with your staff. You can gauge who is going to be successful by simply noting work ethic, timing, and their determination. He also gives ideas for Father's Day gifts and graduation gifts! Copyright 2018 Wm Jeff Cowan

Click HERE to watch!

Website: thejeffcowan.com…

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. …

“This CRM Sucks!”, is a statement that I’ve heard many sales people and sales managers say many times. Too many times this statement is the fallback statement for someone who just doesn’t know how to use the CRM properly. CRMs only do what we tell them to do. By themselves, standing alone, they will suck. However, when we set them up right, include the proper action plans, business rules, marketing campaigns and follow up processes they are extremely valuable! In…

The obvious goal of marketing and sales is increasing revenue. They are so closely intertwined it often surprises me that in many cases sales staff are not taught about the complexity, cost and how to benefit from marketing efforts of their employers.

Third party car shopping sites and the convenience of mobile as well as video content has virtually everyone seeking…

There’s a lot of discussion lately about who is the greatest of all time in basketball. The great players in any sport work diligently to perform to the best of their ability. In our automotive field, I’m sure we could discuss at great length who the greatest of all time would be as well. Most of us don’t consider ourselves working towards the…