I am so excited for what is about to happen in the world of Social Media... We are about to launch the "Social Outbreak" tool.  We will be fully integrated with Facebook on this, so the ride is expected to be a thrill.

What is it?  It is a tool that will allow you to build a Facebook page or multiple pages that will rival those of Coke and Aflac.  They spent tens of thousands of dollars, this ap will be about 100.

What if your facebook page were able to do lead capture work? …

http://www.dongraffautomotive.com

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/don-graff/14/896/a39

One of the issues I hear about frequently from my client dealerships is that of sales staff retention. Let me venture out onto the limb to suggest that, just perhaps, the requirements for a sales…

To be convicted is to be found guilty and given a sentence of a specified time, with the chance of rehabilitation. When convicted, there is still hope; it means all is not forgotten; there is still another chance. This is not the case when something is condemned; being condemned means to be found incurable, lost, with no chance of being restored. When a home is…

 Yesterday, I went to a store with my wife to get 1 (one, ONE) thing. As luck would have it, I found myself standing behind my wife looking at an aisle full of little girl’s shoes. The choices were overwhelming; they should put an, “Enter at your own risk” sign up for men entering this aisle. There were all styles of shoes; styles called strapies, flats, sandals,…

I just discovered that in the past sixteen months I have launched more than 225 mystery shops.  Wow.  I didn’t realize there had been so many.



You’d think after 225+ mystery shops a guy should have some profound observations and conclusions to share about mystery shops, right?  I don’t know about the profound part, but, yeah, you’re right, it seems that a person should have some observations and conclusions to share.

So I’ve spent the last couple hours…

This is an article I wrote for HubPages about some best practices of top Internet Sales Professionals and ironically it seems we all are becoming Internet Sales Professionals...

http://hubpages.com/_1y255dewe5ec9/hub/Secrets-of-Successful-Automotive-Internet-Sales-People

Let me know what you think!  And by all means, feel free to share this…

1) Rapport Gets'em in the Door:  Smile!  Shoppers buy from people they like and trust, and that process begins from the first moment on the phone.  Be and sound happy and interested, and they will be, too.  They can see your smile through the phone, and always give it to…

Many American’s believe Memorial Day is a day for family parties, or community gatherings to mark the beginning of summer vacations. To a veteran or member of our military it has nothing to do with parties or vacations, it is deeper and more personal; it is a day to remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice in the name of…

1) Don't Forget to Still Answer the Sales Calls Correctly: An inbound sales call on average is much more valuable than an Internet lead. Studies show that nearly 8 out of 10 shoppers who contact us from our web presence call us for that first contact. Just because Internet Leads might be easier to…

Ladders are needed to develop our lives; they are needed spiritually, personally and professionally. There are some interesting characteristics of ladders. Ladders can be transported anywhere and are amazingly strong. Their ageless design enables the ability to weather any storm and can also be loaned to serve any friend in need.  Within the frame of a…

We all want to do an awesome job…

“Just give me a blueprint I can follow. I have limited funds, no one to really help me to stay on track every day. I want success, I want to be awesome.”

This should help.

Practice every day. Truly understand your strengths. Practice with intensity. This is how you learn. Every great athlete , performer, business owner and sales professional practices intensely, with passion and ambition, every day.

Prioritize your day. The…

Silly title, yeah, but here's my point:  Is Autotrader's purchase of VinSolutions the "death knell" for other Website/CRM/Digital/etc. vendors in automotive?  Do I need do no more study or market homework for tool selection, and so I just have to call Autotrader to get all…

http://www.dealeretraining.com

http://dealeretraining.tumblr.com

This is an issue that has haunted me on numerous occasions.  It has happened to me my first time as an Internet Director and most recently it happened to me when I decided to give retail another shot.  I had a dealership that I went into six months ago to try to land a consulting…

While training a group of experienced sales people, I posed a question.  "How much do you want to earn this year?"  I thought this was a direct question.  Simple and to the point.  I was amazed at the answers (which turned into stories) from these seasoned veterans.  Some complained about higher taxes.  Others were already adjusting their goals (downward of course) because they weren't on track.  But, they all had one thing in common.  It was someone else's fault that they weren't going to…

I’ll bet you when you got into sales, you didn’t think of yourself as a prostitute nor a jaywalker. I don’t remember putting the word “prostitute” as the position I was applying for. Morally, we are neither one; but professionally, we have characteristics of both. See if your recognize yourself:

• Prostitutes: Prostitutes are waiters; they wait for something happen. Normally prostitutes hang out with other prostitutes on the corner and are unwilling to look…

In her final letter to her husband, Amelia Earhart wrote:

"Please know I am quite aware of the hazards. I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others."

Fitting for this month; thank you to all of the brave women who are breaking through the barriers of disproportion.