Since Google+ is so new, I asked everyone on our team at DealerOn to put together a list of resources for car dealers trying to wrap their minds around this new way of social networking (myself included).  Here’s a list of links/sites that we’ve put together.

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This post is attributed to my colleague Tim Rose at AM Magazine in the UK http://www.am-online.com. It poses some very interesting views on the future direction of retail outlets as a result of some major research carried out in the UK regarding solus vs multi-franchise outlets....

"Research from a global automotive consultancy is likely to add weight to some carmakers’ demands for solus dealerships when dealers’ current…

Create Your Own Positive Path

Your attitude influences your world and everything you do in it.

It defines the energy you send out and, in turn, takes shape and color in your circumstances.

If you…

Have you ever heard someone say …

“it’s not MY job”

Or….

Finger point at another employee,……..

thus blaming them for the shortfall??

Or better yet, make up an elaborate story to simply cover their butts??

These people suffer from “victimitis”….

They feel they are the victims in every situation. They never hold themselves accountable and everyone else is…

Looks like Facebook is getting in on the reviews game. While checking in on the DealerOn Facebook page today, I noticed a new tool that I think auto dealers may want to keep an eye on.  Expanding on the simple "like" button that seems to be everywhere, Facebook now lets users leave recommendations for business pages.

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Our recent poll, "What is the number 1 challenge most dealers have with improving profits?" shows that RECRUITING TALENT and PROCESSES are the #1 challenge to improving our profits as dealers. The question now becomes:

• Are RECRUITING TALENT and…

“What is the number one challenge most dealers have with improving profits?”  1) Employee Turnover, 2) Capital, 3) Inventory, 4) Process, and 5) Recruiting Talent.  Of those polled, 30% answered “Recruiting Talent”.

It is not rocket surgery (it is easier to build a rocket than trouble shoot and repair one) as to how talent affects the dealership’s bottom line.  What puzzles me is why…

The topic of leadership has been and continues to be one of the most vital topics in human history.

Every organization, or collection of people, from large to small, requires skilled leadership. Every group, every family, every city, every association and every nation – fulfills its purposes and potential based on that leadership.

So…..What is Leadership???

I think it is…

1. How long have you been a Dealer Elite member?

We joined Dealer Elite from the inception of IntellaCar to help us stay on top of emerging trends during our development process. We wanted to be a part of the Dealer Elite platform that integrates best in class for a variety of different processes.



2. What do you like best about Dealer Elite?

Dealer Elite members are among the most cutting edge, innovative and engaged dealers, who are…

The Penske Automotive Group is catching up to AutoNation in the total revenue department. A few years ago, AutoNation was generating about $20 billion in annual revenue, while Penske was at about $8 billion.

Penske has narrowed the gap considerably generating $10.6 billion last year to AutoNation's $12.4 billion ($12.5 if you round up). And now Penske has added about $257 million worth of revenue with today's acquisition of Crevier BMW in Santa Ana, CA. Crevier is the fifth…

The customer has been in your dealership; as usual your team could not for whatever reason sell them a vehicle. In 80% of cases this is the reality right?

The next step for most Salespeople, Sales Manager and BDC representatives is to offer the customer a better deal, a better trade in value etc. The problem with this game plan is in most cases it's not enough to motivate the customer to come back to the store. In addition if it is you and I both know the discount is a starting point…

Here we finally have a car dealership using Groupon for CAR DISCOUNTS (Cadillac and Groupon).  People can purchase an amount off the car later for buying a coupon for a lesser amount now.

I tried to get four separate dealers to try this last year. I'll get…

You have everything you need to be an impact player in this world. You are equipped with unique talents to reach your potential. When you discover your talents and and refine your skills,you become unstoppable. There are no extraordinary people out there, only…

Here's a question -- what's the craziest or most clever marketing scheme you've seen from a car dealer?

Some of the old giants in the industry -- Jim Moran, Cal Worthington, Earl Muntz andcountless others -- put together some wild and over the top marketing schemes. Moran probably was the first dealer to advertise on TV with a variety show and his sponsorship of a wrestling show in Chicago long before he created JM Enterprises, the largest Toyota distributorship in the…

When I first started working in the industry over 25 years ago now, I always asked this question. We know that customers "Hate Buying Cars" for the most part. We also know that like visiting a dentist, lawyer, or doctors office they would not be in a store unless they were servicing their car or needed a new or used vehicle.

So the question is why is it that customers who visit the showroom don't buy cars?…