All Blog Posts (12,645)

MADA Notice to all Maryland Dealers

To: All Maryland Dealers

 

From: Peter Kitzmiller

 

Re: TrueCar/Zag

 

Date: January 4, 2012

 

It is the opinion of MADA that any vehicle referral program which requires a dealer to pay a fee only upon the sale of a vehicle violates Maryland's dealer licensing law. It is MADA's understanding that this is TrueCar/Zag's pricing structure.

 

Maryland licensing law is very clear.

 

In order to be a licensed dealer you must have a physical…

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Added by Heather Graham on January 5, 2012 at 1:08pm — No Comments

4 Reasons Automotive Live Chat Delivers You the Highest Quality Leads



Are leads from live chat really leads?

If you are the general manager of a dealership that has never used automotive live chat service or software, you’re probably…

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Added by Justin Braun on January 5, 2012 at 11:53am — No Comments

Majority of Mobile Visitors Can’t See Flash Websites

In a recent study from retail analysis firm, RichRelevance, iPads and iPhones make up over 90% of online purchases that don't happen on a desktop device.  That means that 9 out of 10 mobile purchases come from an Apple product, a device that can't read anything in…

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Added by Ali Amirrezvani on January 5, 2012 at 11:28am — No Comments

Problem employee? Look for the "D"

I read a book years ago called "How to become a great boss" it was in my earlier management days and this particular chapter stayed with and I do not think I will ever forget it.  When you have an employee that is suffering performance wise and you need to figure out why, just start with "D" words and you will probably find your problem.   what are "D" words?   Well, it has been years since I read the book so I won't completely accurate I am sure but they include.

Drugs / even…

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Added by Troy Spring on January 5, 2012 at 7:41am — 1 Comment

Patriotic Outsourcing! Your American thoughts please...

Can outsourcing be patriotic? Let me answer my own question… God Bless America it can!



When outsourcing a specific product or service saves one red-blooded Americans job/career simultaneously creating another employment/career…

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Added by Jason McIntosh "Jmac" on January 5, 2012 at 3:00am — No Comments

"Who killed the Professional Car Salesman???" ....Was it a Homicide or a Suicide???? Part 3

"To Train or Not To Train...."



The age old question... or FEAR....we could discuss this until the…

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Added by jeff weaver on January 4, 2012 at 4:28pm — No Comments

Building Value Still Relevant Online??

Industry Leaders,

 

    What would you think if I told you there was a “brand new” way to sell cars, and make customers happy...

It goes like this –

  When customers come on your lot you must stay hidden inside the store, lock the doors, and send no one outside. The customer will wander your lot for a bit, and sometimes they find something they want. Make sure not to interrupt this process! Do NOT attempt to give the customer(s) a reason to decide on…

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Added by Andrew Myers on January 4, 2012 at 2:00pm — 21 Comments

From the NCM Institute Blog: Automotive Dealership Budgeting and Forecasting

Most of you are probably adding the final touches to your 2012 business plan. At NCMi, we refer to this annual planning process as budgeting. Many experts agree that automotive dealership budgeting is as much an art as a science. Because industry business cycles are not repetitious, a good budget may result as much from experience, sound instincts, and good judgment as from anything else. Nevertheless, a budget is pretty much a view into the crystal ball, attempting to…

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Added by Garry House on January 4, 2012 at 1:00pm — No Comments

What's Your Point?

 

Recently, I overheard two runners conversing about pushing beyond the “sticking point.” You know the point where your mind tells you to retreat; where your legs feel as though they will buckle beneath you. The runner being asked the question took a sip of water, thought about the question and said, “I’ve become faster from Point A to Point B, because I push…

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Added by Marsh Buice on January 4, 2012 at 11:03am — 10 Comments

AutoMazing Podcast

The AutoMazing Podcast is a group of cars guys (Larry Bruce, Chris Saraceno, Eric Miltsch, Bryan Armstrong, Shaun Raines, Tracy Myers & Rob Campbell) that get together 2 to 3 times per month and discuss the topics affecting our industry.

12/29/11 - What Makes A Great Customer Experience & What Is CarMax Doing We Should Be…

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Added by Larry Bruce on January 4, 2012 at 6:26am — No Comments

TrueCar, KBB & Edmunds: an Objective View

TrueCar has certainly stirred up a hornet’s nest with “Know the REAL Price”. To be fair they are not the only online lead generator that uses dealership transactional data in an effort to get between the customer and the dealership and get a piece of the car sale either through a pay for lead or pay for sale pricing model.

Both KBB and Edmunds use transactional data also, the difference… their billing model doesn’t require them to dial into your system so it doesn’t appear that they…

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Added by Larry Bruce on January 3, 2012 at 10:30pm — 3 Comments

What are your top New Years Mantra ?

1.Do or do not. There is no try.

2.Do the right thing when no one is looking

3.Treat every client, co-worker, and vendor as if it was your grandmother

4.Increase your 10 foot rule by 10 feet. Acknowledge and accomodate everyone in that space

5.Coffee isn't for closers. Its for clients

Added by Brad Cambridge on January 3, 2012 at 9:18pm — 1 Comment

True 2% Car... We are idiots

I get that 2% is a nice market share and that True Car will grow this year.   But I read an article yesterday that also states that they only accounted for 2% of the market share.   I own a direct mail company and I bet if we did some numbers we would find out that direct mail accounted for 5% plus of the market sales last year. (I wish we could get that kind of publicity)  True Car is Advertising and we are giving them a ton of publicity and a lot of our time and energy for a 2% share and a…

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Added by Troy Spring on January 3, 2012 at 9:15pm — 2 Comments

3 Car Sales Success Keys from the Sports Arena

As a certified sports nut, I love big-time game-changing plays – the “Hail Mary” pass to win the game as the last seconds tick off, and the three-pointers from 'Downtown' at the buzzer, those remarkably bold plays that lift fans out of their seats...

 

We can learn much about sales success strategies from those who have and continue to lead their teams to championships in the sports arenas and on the fields across this great nation.

 

Consider the discipline,…

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Added by Kurt Kubicki on January 3, 2012 at 12:47pm — 3 Comments

Quick Tip From Fixed Performance

Many old parts have core values on them. I read policy and procedure manual finding this idea not mentioned. The core value on many items was equal to the inventory value on convertors, ignition modules, and such. This allows you to return a core using the new number and get credit for the part! Check your aged inventory for cores checking to see how this may help your dealership.

Added by Rob Gehring on January 3, 2012 at 10:03am — No Comments

Inventory Management Pioneer Bruce Thompson’s Workshop Reveals Revolutionary Smartphone-Centric Tools That Optimize Auto Dealer Inventory, Maximize Profit

 

Dallas, TX – January 3, 2012 – Auto dealer inventory management systems on the market today have not kept up with the advances in Internet and mobile technology. Inventory Management pioneer Bruce Thompson, former CEO and founder of American Auto Exchange (AAX), will sponsor a workshop with Digital Dealer on Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 11:30 am EST, to reveal the latest tools from his new company RedBumper;…

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Added by sara callahan on January 3, 2012 at 9:39am — No Comments

Looking to turn your Sales, Service and Parts team into Customer Cervice Superstars!

I read an article today on the "Slow Death" of Best Buy despite the fact that they sell 1/3 of the electronics in the USA and the lack of large competitors.

I must say I was a little shocked due to the recent demise of one of their largest competitors last year. You may remember Circuit City went out of business last year. In addition in the Canadian market they own their largest rival Future shop. This is interesting because the business or sales model at…

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Added by Ian nethercott on January 3, 2012 at 9:00am — 1 Comment

Subprime Is On The Rise: Which Creates New Profit Avenues For Smart Car Dealers

According to Experian: car loan delinquencies fell in the first quarter of 2011, for the first time in three years.  Default rates have dropped by 28% from the previous year; meaning that banks are feeling more confident in lending to more sub-prime customers.  The banks also have more money to lend so they are more willing to take risks and lend to people with less than perfect credit.

This is good news for Independent Dealers…

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Added by Daniela Francheska Sherrod on January 2, 2012 at 5:01pm — No Comments

Are you AWESOME at what you do?

Hello everyone, my name is Troy Spring, my friends call me Turbo, and I am AWESOME at what I do.  What is it that I do?  Consult dealerships, motivate people and sell them the best value in direct mail you can find.  There, I said it. You know what, it is a crazy world out there where being confident in what you do is sometimes frowned upon.   I think there is a huge difference between Cocky and Confident as well as Arrogance and Confidence.  

I would…

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Added by Troy Spring on January 2, 2012 at 1:48pm — 4 Comments

Change...Why or Why not?

First I would like to wish everybody a happy and healthy new year.

Yesterday was 50 degrees in northeast PA and was to nice to be inside. After doing a few things around the house my 10 year old son wanted to go play some baseball. While I was pitching to him he was fouling off some pitches and was getting frustrated. To make a long story short, he was stepping toward third base and all I told him was to step toward me. Yes, he still fouled some off, but he was hitting more fair and…

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Added by Scott Peters on January 2, 2012 at 12:14pm — 1 Comment

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