Key Insights into Understanding the 2016 Car Buyer’s Journey

Car shoppers today are online before they ever step onto your dealership’s lot. And while this trend is not new news, a study commissioned by Cox Automotive through IHS Automotive confirmed that this is new normal for car shopping. Although dealerships may understand this, many have not made the switch from…

Black Book, a division of Hearst Business Media that provides new- and used-vehicle valuation services and custom data licensing solutions, unveiled its May residual forecast illustrating the downward pressure on prices that increased supply will continue to have over the next few years.  

Black Book forecast data show that residuals on an average three-year-old vehicle will dip from the current three-year retention of 52.0% in 2016, to 47.8% by 2019. Retention values on a…

Dealers are in for a wild ride. The next 5+ years will be filled with revenue from recall work; a shortage of technicians; shop capacity that can’t keep up with demand; parts availability issues; and, as a result, irate customers.

Recalls certainly challenge consumers’ patience and dealers can find themselves in a constant battle, fighting to put out fires,…

Loyalty is a fickle thing. While your customer has consistently serviced their vehicle with you, when they get that $19.95 oil change coupon from your competition, will it go in the trash, or will they choose to take advantage of it and defect to the competition?

Most consumers love sales and discounts. In fact, the whole reason negotiation exists in…

The first thing most people do when meeting someone new is to introduce themselves. This first meeting can quite easily dictate the future outcome of the relationship. If you come off as insincere or indifferent, the other party will probably not engage you again. However, greet someone with genuine interest and sincerity and you just…

       It’s always better once to see the actual result of someone else than study a long list of guidelines how to make the whole work. And if you think that following a term paper example is necessary only on the stage of writing you make a huge mistake.

       With the help of it, you can easily develop your perfect outline. And if you make this first step right,…

Are you looking for ways to improve employee productivity and boost morale? Consider creating a culture of health in your dealership.

Many studies show the correlation between healthy employees and higher productivity. Research from the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO), Brigham Young University and the Center for Health Research at Healthways shows:…

 

Appointment of key marketing and sales execs, Robin Schweitzer and Bill Bauwens, adds 35+ years of sales and marketing expertise to leading call management company

 

Westlake Village, CA – May 12, 2016 – CallSource today announced the appointment of two veteran sales and marketing executives to its management team. Robin Schweitzer brings a 20-year record of marketing success to her role as Marketing Director for…

For some reason, the widespread use of text messaging by American smartphone users has only begun in recent years. Compared to Latin America and Europe, the United States is just starting to take advantage of the diverse functionality of Short Message System (SMS) marketing.



It was not until 2014 that Americans really embraced text messaging. Whereas mobile phone users in Europe essentially grew up with advanced SMS…

Think it's not possible to spend just $25k for an Aston Martin that was originally priced at $130k? It is, and there are several other "super cars" going for cheap these days, as well.

Black Book's Collectible Cars editor, Eric Lawrence, offers up the following bargains on exotic, high-end luxury and overall fun cars. Here is a listing of several cars, what they were originally priced at and what they're now going for at auction.

Here are some cheap…

Selling Dessert

When I go to a restaurant I find it interesting in…

On this week’s Think Tank Tuesday, my team and I visited Ryan Norris on a production trip to Toyota of Easley.  In that experience, I got Ryan’s interpretation on what makes a brand…and it’s more than just a logo or a jingle. …

I have great news. You don’t have to be a genius to change the game, and you don’t have to be a World Series winning champion either. But you do have to be willing to disrupt and question the current rules, players, and equipment used in the game. You also have to be capable of placing YOUR right players…

Mobile is Skyrocketing for Dealership Marketing  – How to Get on Board

Mobile devices are rapidly changing the way that consumers research, shop and make purchases. According to the J.D. Power 2015 New Autoshopper Study, 51% of respondents said they used a smartphone or tablet to help find the make, model, price and…

In a recent interview with Automotive News, Masahiro Moro, head of Mazda North American Operations, detailed Mazda’s plan to increase customer loyalty for both the OEM and its dealers. While his plan mostly revolves around vehicle quality and diversity, as…

In order to effectively overcome objections, we must first understand the three different types of objections and how to effectively handle each one.

The most common type of objection (by a ton) are simply knee jerk reactions or things customers have been conditioned or programmed to say to sales people. These are commonly referred to as "smoke screen" or “reflexive”…

http://www.DealerVideoProduction.com 856-546-2440 …

Among the many activities I complete in advance of a dealer consulting visit is a thorough analysis of their online reputation, as this can often help define much of the visit’s focus. During one such analysis this week, I discovered the following for an upcoming dealer visit (numbers have been estimated to protect the dealer’s identity):

• Google –…

According to Black Book® data, the average price of a used vehicle for model years 2010-2014 depreciated by just -0.1% during April, signaling what is usually the last strong month of the spring season. 

At the close of 2015, twelve-month truck depreciation was just –9.2% compared with –18.2% for cars. However, the last twelve-months of results show depreciation rising to -14.3% for trucks and -20.6% for cars. More noteworthy, the twelve-month annual depreciation shows the gap between…

You have to be everywhere, but how do you maintain everything? Making sure your Yelp, Yellowpages, Facebook, Twitter, Super Pages, and YouTube are all up to date with your correct phone number, address, dealership name, and other important details can become an overwhelming task. Samantha will cover some tips to be everywhere.

If you want a copy of the Quick Tips Sheet, then email HardFacts@ppadv.com…