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

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

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…

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…

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…

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…

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

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…

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,…

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.

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;…

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…

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…

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…

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…

About 10 years ago Fixed Performance Consulting began with the hope of providing me reasonable income and help dealerships grow in profits and customer care. I recall so many times advisors or managers that said it could not be done only to watch them develop into top performers increasing their personal income and gaining advancement. What a thrill for me to hear time after time thank you for teaching me how it all works together.…

We've all seen the Truecar commercial blitz by now and yesterday, I saw a Vehix commercial that appeared to be an attempt to piggyback on Truecar's message https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoEfU73YbOM.  Well come to find out, Vehix is now a Truecar affiliate / subsidiary.  There is a clear attempt underway to transform the way that cars are sold in the U.S.  A quick trip to Yahoo today showed that Truecar has indeed taken over the…

Why Best Buy is Going out of Business...Gradually

Electronics retailer Best Buy is headed for the exits.  I can’t say when exactly, but my guess is that it’s only a matter of time, maybe a few more years.…

Do you realize you say more nonverbally than you do verbally? In sales, we think we have to learn 9000 different word tracts in order to overcome every possible objection, but the truth is you may be losing the potential to make a sale based on your…

First of all I would like to wish all my automotive friends, clients, associates, and future clients and associates Happy New Year !



Grant Cardone and other like to spend time exposing the problems in Dealerships, and other retailers and I hate to tell them that TV reporters have been pointing out the problems in retail for years. It is easy to take shots at retailers and film them as they try to respond to the "problems". The question isn't what the problems are it's how that…