The Automotive Summit Series, hosted by Thought Leadership Summits on June 14th & 15th at the Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey

Many past delegates requested continuity between Summits, so for 2011, Thought Leadership Summits (TLS) has added "Keynote Continuum" presentations as a follow-up to the 2010 keynote addresses.

At the Automotive Customer Centricity Summit on June 14th, Hyundai will return to provide an update on their Assurance, Blue…

While speaking to a 20 Group last month, I was asked if transferring leads to the sales floor is the best way to manage online opportunities.  Simply put, I prefer an Internet department still to this day. I understand many are saying "disperse leads to the sales floor because all customers are internet shoppers anyway and they should be able to assist them". Here is the flaw... constructing well-worded replies without spelling errors and well-thought out responses with grammatically correct…

     Did you know that over 80% of auto sales representatives leave the business within the first year?  Not just leave the dealership, leave the business!  Then, a large portion of the remaining twenty percent change dealerships.  How can we lose more than three quarters of our new-hires within the first year?  “They couldn’t handle it.”  You may say.  “Not tough enough.”  “Not cut out for it.”  Or as I have said before, “They’re either lazy or they’re stupid.” …

Last week, while at a dealer client, and while reviewing the mystery shop I had just done for them, I flashed on a story told to me last year by one of my teammates.  First know that this was a pretty typical mystery shop – the shopper received 2 emails and 1 phone call before the store stopped contact attempts.  Now the story:



Bob was 13 years old, in middle school for the first time, and faced with having to ask a girl to an upcoming school dance.  Like a lot of 13 year old boys…

Car dealers have an increasingly challenging task ahead of them as they have to continue to evaluate the latest digital advertising platforms, services, and related technology.

It is not uncommon for dealer principals to say that they are “sticking to what worked in the…

I have a post it note on my television.

I have a post it note on my bathroom cabinet.

I have a post it note on the car dashboard.

....in my purse.

...on my computer desktop.

It simply says…

I wish I could take credit for this, but I can't.

You know those days where you plan on getting up nice and early and taking a run in the park, the alarm goes off, and you think to yourself "Yeah, not going."

That same day you come home and you see the television remote in front of you and you think "Yeah, this is more like it".

Other than the relaxation factor, why is getting up and doing something productive harder than doing something non-productive?…

As people are getting prepared to depart for Orlando and the Digital Dealer Workshopsfollowed by the 10^th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition, I thought some advice from someone who’s been to 6 of the 9 previous conferences would be helpful for those first-timers.…

Aussie ‘trust survey’ shows car sales ranked lower than the 'oldest profession'

The credibility of the Australian retail motor trade is at an all time low it seems. But why?

According to the findings of the annual ‘Trust Survey’ 2010 carried out by Reader’s Digest Australia, the car sales sector was rated less trustworthy than the oldest ‘profession’ in a poll that asked respondents to rank forty professions in order of perceived…

There are some very interesting things happening in dealership showrooms right now.  The days waiting for Ups while reading the newspaper and drinking coffee are over.  They’re so over, we need a new word for over!

I recently pointed…

And, so, if we train and execute…

Boca Raton, FL - (April 13, 2011) --  PSCars.com today revealed its new Car Configurator package that allows online vehicle buyers the opportunity to build the new or used vehicle of their choice and gives auto dealers an opportunity to interact with buyers during this important stage of the online shopping process.

PSCars.com is offering demos of its Car Configurator and other elements…

Overland Park, KS – April 13, 2011 – VinSolutions, an industry-leading developer of Internet-based Customer Relations Management (CRM) and Internet Lead Management (ILM) software, has been approved by Mitsubishi for certification as a Certified Lead Management Provider (CLMP). 

Mitsubishi certification ensures that dealers using the VinSolutions’ suite of…

Before I get into what this blog is about I think it might be better to tell you what this blog isn't. First, I won't be discussing why you should be blogging, I'll take the fact that you are reading this as a sign that you already know you should. Second, it won't be a technical how -to-manual of setting up and maintaining blogging software. In this post…

I feel fortunate to see so many different dealerships and how they do business. One of the things I hear often is the staff doesn’t have the time to perform processes correctly. The reality is without the right processes so much time is wasted with no way to place the cost of doing business that way. The advisers scramble to put out the latest fire pulling a technician off this job to work on that job. They feel the battle of their job is to act…

The Digital Dealer Workshops start in 5 days! The workshops run Monday, April 18th thru the morning of the 19th which leads right into the Digital Dealer Conference! A day and a half of hands-on training by 7 top instructors! Be sure to register for this OFFICIAL add-on to the 10th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition which will be April 19-21st at…