The word “social” in social network can be a bit misleading when building an online brand for your company.  Social networking was born out of the concept of sharing one’s personal life and not professional endeavors.  Today, people as well as companies are using social media to drive personal and professional branding.  Social networking is still a format that is deeply embedded in personal…

That's what it's all about isn't it? To get people to talk about and recommend you to others? So how are you doing? All this work you've been doing with social media and building community, is it working? That is, are you developing the kinds of relationships with people that influences them to want to tell others about you?…

It’s time for the silence of the LAM’s (Lazy As* Managers). The Hannibal Lecter’s of this industry have feasted on the flesh of our customers and drank the blood of our employees to the brink of disaster. MOM’s (Managers On the Move) have to rise up and get back into playing shape. The train has left the station; get onboard or get out of the way. It’s time to…

Grand Theft Auto - Customer:  It’s not a video game—it’s your real profits.  How do other dealers steal your customers?

They park a PPC campaign on your dealership name.  They use your dealership name in their SEO work.  They hijack your Google Places results (just found and undid one of those!). …

Stephanie Young, a trusted friend and client from The Manus Group, asked me to post an article I wrote a while back.  So, for your reading pleasure, here's a few tips on getting the most out of a written Thank You Note:

There are few words known to man that are more appreciated than the two words  “Thank You.”  In fact, just hearing…

As professional trainers in the Automotive, Powers Sports, Recreational and Marine industries, it's our legal and moral duty to train and guide our dealers and managers down the road to legal compliance in the dealership. This type of training and guidance is what establish our worth to the dealer, establish that we are experts in our field, and forms an bond of trust with the dealer. Often times we find dealers out of compliance; knowingly or unknowingly, and we strive to learn more about…

To build your personal brand that attract prospects and referrals, gain customers by beating out the competition and ultimately increase yours sales; you must differentiate and stand out.  Here are three focus areas that will help you build your own personal brand: 



Under Promise, Over Deliver.  Many sales people will do less than they promise while chasing a sale.  Their…

The +1 button which has been added to organic search results is now coming to your Adwords campaign. I love how Google continues to "socialize" SERP pages and it also changes the game in regards to being on Google Page One.

18 months ago being on Page One was the goal of most Automotive SEO strategists. Today, you need to make sure your online reviews, social media "likes", and now "+1's" also show…

In all of the training programs I attended as a salesperson, there was one question that was always brought up.  Can you guess what it is?  Here's a hint.  Every trainer who ever talked about it, called it the stupidest question you can ever ask.  Have an idea yet?  It's the age old - "Can I help you?"  How many of us had that pounded into our heads at every training session we ever attended?  And yet, the reason it's still talked about is that too many people are using it as a…

Ooh!!

       After all of these years, do you still have the Ooh Factor? You do remember the freshman Ooh Factor when you first hit the blacktop; you were literally oozing with Optimism, [saw] Opportunity, and had [good] Habits. Like athletes, salespeople need an edge; these factors…

Preface -

After almost a couple of years of working with a leading internet marketing vendor and working the speaking circuit Volker Jaeckel (aka “@VJnator”) returns to the dealership world as an Internet Sales Director. “Here is my story of rejoining the store and the steps I took that made my website the best performing in my group and achieved “#1 CPO Dealer in the state” status six months in a row. Let me share how I believe a new Internet Manager can quickly…

How do you desk your deals? Maybe you don’t even desk deals. Either way, it is inevitable that you get to a point in the sale, where you have to talk about the deal and the make-up of the deal. If your process is set up where you send a salesperson back and forth, two and three times, ask yourself why?  Does it make you feel good after the third time, you come out from behind the desk, go in the deal, talk…

(as featured on the CarChat24 Blog today)

If you’re anything like me, you know the wonderfulness that comes with a weekend. Now, of course some dealerships are open on Sundays, but in some states (Hi, New Jersey!) it is illegal for car dealers to be open. Or, at least the car lot. Thankfully, there isn’t a restriction on websites being open, yet. It’s…

What's the automotive retail industry's greatest challenge? According to several top selling dealers I've talked with recently, the answer is the negative perception the public has about car dealers.

Their concern isn't focused as much on what the customer thinks, but more so on what potential…

"The action of adjusting the distance between the lens and subject to make light rays converge to form a clear and sharply defined image of the subject". You probably are wondering "what the heck is he talking about?".... This is a definition from photography. Read on.....

Well, I get asked all the time by young wrestlers how I achieved success so quickly in wrestling:



"I started wrestling in 9th grade and didn't make varsity until 10th grade. The next year in 11th…

1) Keep It Short.  People don't watch commercials, they Watch Shows and Put Up With Commercials.  And the Internet did NOT improve their patience!

2) Make It Fun to Watch and Share.  Entertainment is the largest video audience, NOT…

From the home office in Barrow, Alaska... The Top 10 New Ventures for James A. Ziegler after leaving Dealer Magazine: 

10) Alpha Dawg is joining forces with Grinder Carbucks as tag-team wrestling partners

9) Start shredding new Dealer Magazine publications and selling as hamster cage bedding

8) Co-author a book on humility…

What do you do when you have a customer in the showroom, you’ve done the presentation and the test drive and got some degree of commitment from them, then they turn around and tell you that they “just need to go and see the Audi first, to put it out of my mind”?

It’s a tricky one – because…