How many times have you been driving to someplace new in your vehicle – say to a concert – and, as you get closer, you end up following the large group of cars, as you assume they are going to the concert too, and that they know where they’re going?

This phenomenon is called the “herd mentality” and is very common in the animal world. Think of the behavior of…

Our industry does a lot with gimmicks. You’d be hard pressed to drive through an auto mall or other area dense with dealerships and not see balloons, giant inflatable gorillas or wavy tube men. On nice days, we attempt to lure shoppers in with hot dogs and sodas. We incentivize test drives. We offer televisions, iPads and Playstations with purchase. There’s always a gimmick…