A lot of discussion about whether one lead type is better than another or whether a lead generator is hurting the car business is actually a bunch of bull.  Who cares, in the trenches it is all about taking care of customers and building relationships.  Carfax made a bold move a while back and got a lot of push back from vendors, speakers and dealers.  What they were trying to do is be CUSTOMER CENTRIC, something we all talk about but rarely accomplish.  The same thing with ZAG, their…

Is yelp business friendly or are they doing what would be called legal "BlackMail"?  I had five of my personal customers go on yelp to give a review, good or bad, I just wanted their input and post.  Yes, I asked them because the service was awesome, but real people, with real ratings sent to archive, Why?????

A study released in September shows how Ratings and Reviews has an impact on consumer shopping decisions.  They seek out what experiences other consumers had before they make their own decision.  This of course is different from general "social media" where they seek out commentary from their friends.

Some excerpts of this study include:"Data from “The 2011 Social…

Digital marketing veteran to focus on delivering unbiased actionable business intelligence to Tier 3 retailers

SALT LAKE CITY, Dec. 1, 2011 -- DrivingSales announced today that it has acquired consulting, training and research company Revenue Guru.  As part of the acquisition, Revenue Guru founder and veteran automotive digital marketing expert…

If Google's pilot to sell cars in San Francisco is successful, how will it affect Autotrader,Cars.com and

 TRUECAR/ZAG?

What would they need to do to compete with Google?

What have you heard about the pilot program in San…

pas·sion·ate - expressing, showing, or marked by strong feeling; having, compelled by, or ruled by intense emotion; fervid. 

I recently wrote an Up To Speed blog post about vehicle personalization. In it, I implored dealerships to take advantage of the potential profitability in “personalizing” the new and used…

Transparency is supposed to cure the excess profit that dealerships make on selling a “commodity”. We’re discussing a platform that promises “upfront pricing” as the “new world order” but cautions “its arrival heralds a bona fide tipping point in automotive retailing”. Transparency offers the customers an “upfront pricing” that is “non-negotiable in an environment defined by net margin compression”

Some say, we don’t want transparency suggesting instead that we prefer deceit and…

During MARKIT Group social media training sessions, we discover that in an effort to be efficient, training classes often have a wide range of participants - some very experienced, others totally new to social media.  On that note, we will be posting weekly social media tips in an effort to provide some quick and easy tips that users of all experience can utilize.

Friday Facebook Social Media…

Anything that helps you sell cars long term is a good thing,short term not good.As far as TRUE CAR goes I encourage you to get your salespeople to go to the site and try it. At least they they will know what the consumers are seeing. Paying 295.00 for a new car lead and 395.00 for a used car lead doesn't say much about the dealership. Low gross and no gross does not help a salesperson or a dealership. The consumers should see the TRUE CAR presentation to the dealers. They remind you of all…

If you have been around long enough, you'll remember that when the Internet first came to national attention, it was often called the Internet Highway.  Business owners were told that they needed to get their business on this promising new road.

I chuckled last year when Sean Wolfington showed by a vintage automotive marketing that…

...Do that thing you've been meaning to do.

...and I mean, if it's getting Automotive Live Chat For Your Site, then, well. I CAN HELP WITH THAT!

But seriously, get 'er done,…

The AutoDealerTarget Roundtable, hosted by Tom Kain and John Miller is broadcast LIVE every Tuesday night at 10pm Eastern / 9pm Central.



This Week

When: Tuesday, November 29th @ 10pm Eastern / 9pm Central

Join Us: Google Hangout, Live Broadcast at http://autodealertarget.com/roundtable

Featured Guest: Greg Clausen and Jae Chang of RapidFire Auto (…

NCM® Associates has been facilitating 20 Groups since 1947. And even from those early days, our moderators and member dealers have focused on the Net Profit to Gross Profit Percentage (Net-to-Gross %) as a key metric of perfor­mance measurement. Over at least the last three decades, the NCM 20 Group community has established 30% Net-to-Gross (BOT*) as the “best practices…

http://eepurl.com/hqNNY

Smokin hot drop top!…

One of the toughest decisions that most business owners struggle with is deciding whether to commit to training programs that are not associated to a capital investment.

Unfortunately, this resistance stems from the poor track record that many of these training programs have in producing measureable results. Although these concerns are often unspoken, it explains why many business owners are hesitant to commit to outside training solutions even though they know that it is desperately…

Let’s Talk About Forgiving

Can we talk about forgiving?

Why is it so hard to do?

Forgiveness is a misunderstood notion.

When I discuss forgiveness…

If you aren't already planning on attending the Digital Edge Summit, Tuesday, December 6, 2011 in Los Angeles, pay attention.

A number of leading gurus in automotive online marketing are bringing their expertise to the Southern California market for one information-packed event.  This full-day seminar will teach you how to implement the latest Internet…

I personally can't imagine not performing a walk-around.  A walk-around is where I start building rapport with my customers and most of all start my upselling.  Also, when you have your customer join you in your walk-around it elimates policy claims on scratches and dents as well.

Results for me have been high CSI scores, 50% increase in sales (wipers, tires, recommended maintenances, filters, rotates, and most of all, building…

Good morning,

I wanted to share an article written by Paul Long, explaining the way companies can express their appreciation to their customers, and how inexpensive it can be. Take a look, and see how you can thank your loyal customers in an easy and effective way.

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‘Putting a Lid on Loyalty – Little Things Can Mean a Lot’

Since we are in the business of loyalty marketing – and indeed it is our only…