Many people think that if they have bad credit, they cannot finance a new car or get their current car loan refinanced. This is not the case. Often car dealers will give misinformation such as the necessity to buy an extended warranty or credit life insurance, and since…

Albany, N.Y. – August 12, 2019 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems announced today it has successfully completed all dealership management system (DMS) integrations with Armatus Dealer Uplift. Real-time integration between the two systems allows auto dealers to expedite their retail warranty parts reimbursement submissions.

"Manufacturer rules and state laws governing retail warranty reimbursement are varied and complex,” said Mike Esposito, president and CEO of…

Does your team set goals? Do they know how to make a great first impression? They will receive these valuable tools and more in Fixed Ops University "The First Step" series. 

Who says training has to be boring?

For such a small word, the word ‘data’ packs a pretty big punch. Some marketers get overwhelmed when they hear it because they believe it’s complicated. Others give it a bad rap without really understanding the benefits.

Yet it’s difficult to deny the advantages of data-driven marketing:

• 2 out of 3 leading marketers admit…

In this video blog, Jim Flint, CEO, and Founder of Local Search Group discusses the importance of excluding out of the country and out of the state geography in order to optimize your targeted audience in your primary market areas.

We’re back with Ali Reda’s Road to Sales Success. In our video series, we’ve been hearing from Ali Reda about marketing your business. It’s our goal at Auto Training Academy to give you the tools you need to find great success in this business, and believe me… we’re not even close to the end of our list of suggestions!

We’ve been spending our time for the last…

Welcome back to our exciting new video series, Ali Reda’s Road to Sales Success! When I met Ali Reda in 2010, he was ten years into the business selling 25-30 units a month. He was obviously not at the peak of his career, but some days he felt like that. That’s what he could see from there, and we had to move to that next level for him to…

While it’s nice to have room in your shop’s schedule to handle walk-ins and other unexpected work, a service lane no-show isn’t the ideal way to get that extra time. Rather, no-shows throw everyone off and can take quite a toll on both your shop’s workflow and your bottom line.

Here are two holistic approaches to reducing no-shows…

Is your dealership located in one of these 20 states? If so, pay attention.

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) may be the first comprehensive data privacy law in the U.S., but it certainly isn’t the last. Since its passage,19 additional states have introduced and/or passed similar laws, or have amended their current breach notification laws to either expand the definitions of personal information, or to include new reporting requirements.

The…

In the past, a vehicle sale started and ended on the showroom floor. Today, many of the discovery and purchase steps take place online.

Online retail giants like Amazon have conditioned customers to expect timely and relevant communications across channels, plus a personalized buying experience informed by past behavior.

For automotive retailers, meeting these expectations requires different capabilities within your…

Every dealership wants to increase website traffic, that’s why they spend thousands of dollars per month on advertising agencies to run email marketing, pay-per-click advertising, and social media campaigns. Typically, agencies include search engine optimization in service packages to snag organic search traffic. Yet, organic search often feels like the…

I read an interesting study recently in MarketingWeek.com. It found that while marketers believe in the importance of the customer experience, within 2-3 years, that importance will decline due to business growth, transformation, and disruptive technologies.

According…

How is the marketing team at your dealership constructed? Do you have a marketing plan? Or do you practice the art of H.i.P.P.O marketing?

H.i.P.P.O Marketing references the Highest Paid Person’s Opinion for…

Regardless of whether you are on the side that believes Millennials like or dislike personal automotive commitment, no doubt their unique perspective on automobiles and vehicle shopping may forever change the way certain vehicles were once perceived. According to the customer advisor specialists at Swapalease.com, who consult with…

Majority of Customers Report Complaints in Lengthy Vehicle Financing Processes from Lenders

Inovatec Systems Corp., a provider of industry-leading, cloud-based software solutions for all financial institutions, today announced the results of its latest survey, showing 79.3% of C-Suite finance executives polled overwhelmingly reported their organization was most in need of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Integration in their automotive lending processes.

Although it’s no…

An auto dealer’s guide to long-term profitability in a world of declining front-end margins

Chicago, IL—August 5, 2019— Affinitiv, the retail auto industry's leading marketing technology provider, has released a free eBook for auto dealers. Industry Disruptors: The Razor and…

Partners with blumshapiro to present key research findings on “2035 Dealership of the Future”

Albany, N.Y. – August 5, 2019 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems announced today that Rick Parmelee and Christopher Ernest, partners at the accounting firm blumshapiro, were chosen as Keynote speakers for its annual User Summit. In their session “…

Training doesn't have to be boring! Does your team know how to sell tires? We do! Enjoy a fun animation from our Fixed Ops University online training.

A recent article in Wards Auto shares results from a study of 6,200 dealerships conducted by analytics company Marchex. According to the survey, dealerships who use active listening techniques and build rapport with customers on the initial calls are the…