AutoTrader Acquires VinSolutions – An Auto Industry Insider’s Perspective

While I was working as a speaker at the VinSolutions sponsored “Internet Battle Plan” 3 day dealer training workshop in Kansas City on Wednesday May 18^th, Sean Stapleton (VinSolutions Chief…



Word of mouth advertising – it’s not almost a cliché, it IS a cliché. But it’s one we must be mindful of, because it’s the one thing in advertising that not only hasn’t changed, but is even more important today than ever.

With the Internet and digital advertising, Social Media and Dealer Reviews, word of mouth advertising rules. Everything we say and do can…

Nat Geo just agreed to release a show they titled Turn Around King.  A group discovered me on You Tube where as most of you know I have over 300 videos. Shows you the power of using social media correctly or as some of you would suggest incorrectly.

I hope this show inspires each of you as to what is possible.  The skills you are learning in the auto business will, can and should take you many places.  I can tell you first hand, selling a car, selling a home in a…

Take a stroll through any search engine for a new car and see what you find.  There is an array of results varying from the pay per click to the simple organic search.  The generic search would show vehicle postings, dealership reviews, website links and video links.

The average consumer is inundated with information pertaining to their search.  Dealerships are plagued by a multitude of links that provide information unfortunately, not all the information is accurate.  Nevertheless,…

Where you are at this very moment is exactly where you chose to be.

The first time I heard that statement, I was having the worst month ever.  I looked at the person who said that, like they had two heads.  My response, less than kind, was, "Are you seriously telling me that somehow I decided to go broke and have a really bad month?  Is that what you're saying?"  He didn't even bat an eye.  "Yes," he continued, "And I can prove it."

He proceeded by asking me…

It is not what you say…

It is not what you do….

It is how you make a customer feel that matters.

We spend a fortune in advertising driving customers to our showrooms, but what are we doing with them once they arrive?  We say and do remarkable things in an effort to get customers to show up, but often fall short in giving them the…

I recently saw a vehicle advertised on a dealer website that caught my attention. This pre-owned car was advertised as a “CarFax One Owner”.  Upon further investigation, I discovered that the “one owner” was a rental car company.

Even though the “one owner” statement may have been technically true, the description of the vehicle blew my mind: “With just one previous owner, who treated this vehicle like a member of the family, you'll really hit the jackpot when you drive home…

Understanding the “F” Word

Is it bad to fail? No! (Fail is the “F” word to which I was referring.  Get your mind out of the gutter) can any good come from failure?  Yes! Dare to fail! Then learn from it.  You can’t wait for a perfect set of circumstances.  Perfect scenarios never come.  There will always be roadblocks, obstacles and unfavorable conditions. Who cares?  The time to do it is now.  Don’t wait, hesitate or look for reasons to second-guess…

Remember back in the ‘good old days’, around 2005, we wondered exactly how the internet was going to change our business. We asked questions like “is the manufacturer going to deliver the car right to the customers house?” or “if we are the fastest and cheapest on the net, will they will come from miles around?” fortunately neither one of those came true. The greatest change the internet has brought to our business is ‘Transparency’, the ability of…

Every dealership has an 8-10 step “road to the sale.” Every sales consultant from the novice to the veteran has the same step- by- step process outlining everything from the approach to the landing of a sale. Just as a roadmap (full disclosure, I cannot read one) or navigation system aid the driver in getting to a specific destination, so too does a dealership’s…

FROM AUTOTRADER 5/18/11 @ 7pm EST

We want to share some exciting news. As you may have heard, AutoTrader.com has entered into an agreement to acquire VinSolutions, a leading provider of end-to-end software solutions for dealers including Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Dealer Websites, Sales Management and Desking tools, social media and…

Here’s the challenge: we dare you to incorporate all 60 of these dealership improvement efforts into your store in the next month. Post in the comments and let us know which ones you’ve incorporated, and also chime in with your own ideas for improvement.

60 Ways to Upgrade Your Dealership’s Customer Experience

1.     Make name tags mandatory for every…

Since this month is Women's Month on dealerELITE, we want to get even more feedback from your experiences when working with female buyers. From today until the end of May, here is what we want you to do:

1. Salespeople/Sales Managers/Dealership Personnel
2. Grab a flip camera, or…

Just as 83,000 gross tons of a cruise liner is secured to land by various cables and anchors, what moors your life? The cables and anchors of your life are your values; you never know how secure those cables are until the storms of life come in and test their strengths. Tell me moor.  Have you been moored with the illusion of money? Have you lost the…

I’ll never forget one time when I was driving down a highway and noticed several state troopers alongside the road in an old service station. One stepped in front of my car and flagged me in to the parking area. The officer quickly walked around my vehicle checking all of my turn signals and headlights. He also quickly checked tire condition and the emergency brake function. He did use me to turn the switches and push the brake and the…

Teamwork is crucial for the viability of a business. Slogans have been barked from summer camp to corporate retreats shouting the mantra of Teamwork. Sales, like sports, are intertwined with “I” and “Team.” They are literally Siamese Twins- almost indistinguishable. No team can win consistently without each team member preparing and executing to the best of his or her ability. No “I’s” can sustain long-term success without the aid of their…