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…

Amazing how we can all surely tell some stories from where you have been in your life up until how you got to where you are now. Daily I give thanks to the people who stand by me, whether its in action, words or simply the presence in my mind. 

I am very pleased to announce that the PCG Pitstop and AskPatty.com Collaboration to offer educational scholarships to empower women in the automotive industry, has already given 4 scholarships to wonderful inspirational women ready to make…

I am very excited to announce that Ralph Paglia will be part of the PCG Pitstop Conference July 16th and 17th in Huntington Beach, CA. Ralph will be speaking and teaching dealers his insights and exceptional visions. Make sure you register to see Ralph Paglia in action on "Digital Guerilla Marketing Strategies and Tactics" as per Ralph "Don't try these technics without knowing the risks and returns, you need to know what can be done so you will recognize when the competition does it to…

The BDC experts Proactive Dealer Solutions doesn’t need to tell you that you deal with challenges every single day at your dealership. The question isn’t if the question is how do you deal with what we like to call “challenging opportunities” when they occur.

What not to do:…

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…

Join Mark Rikess for an encore presentation from the 10th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition: Managing and Selling to Generation Y.



Gen Y (70,000,000 strong) are becoming the predominant auto buyers and provide unique challenges and opportunities for auto dealers. 



Is your dealership prepared for the challenge of managing and selling to Generation Y (over 70 million potential purchasers and employees)? If your dealership management is made up of…

Irvine, CA – June 28, 2011 – CarFinance Capital LLC (www.CarFinanceCapital.com), a new, specialized provider of non-prime auto financing for automotive dealers, today announced that it has launched in Texas. Following a successful roll-out…

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…

EHS Today, a magazine dedicated to the management of risk in the workplace and environment, announced 12 companies have been named to the 2010 list of America's Safest Companies. Does it surprise you that no auto dealer made this list? My guess is that…

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…