Welcome to this week's edition of Black Book Market Insights, with in-depth analysis of used car and truck valuation trends and insights straight from the auction lanes. Click here to download the full…

This week, Jeff finishes a two-part podcast on how to make a good impression! This is one of the most important interactions in any sale, whether it's over the phone or in person. You only have one chance to make a first impression, so follow these 8 steps to make sure it's your absolute best! Copyright 2018 Wm Jeff Cowan

Website: TheJeffCowan.com

Click HERE to watch!…

Most of us in the automotive community are painfully aware that our nation is in the middle of a recall epidemic -- and will be for decades to come.  A low percentage of recall repair compliance pushes the numbers of vehicles on the road with open recalls ever higher, with no relief in sight.

The reality is that recalls are like the black plague for vehicles…

Have any of you had success with QR Codes? By some reports they are making a comeback. But, on the other side of the coin, on an episode of Shark Tank late last year, renowned venture investor Chris Sacca commented that QR codes are “the herpes of mobile technology.”

Yes, pretty harsh,…

I recently read an interesting article in Forbes about cause-based marketing which states that  55 percent of consumers would switch brands and/or pay more for a product or service to a company that…

Do you dream about having a new, redesigned SUV but you cannot afford it? Do you want to enjoy the tech upgrades associated with a modern vehicle but you cannot break the emotional connection built over the years with your decades-old junk car? Have you recently bought a used car but you do not want others to think that you are a money grubber? If the answer to at least one of the questions mentioned above is “yes”, then you should know that it is more than possible to give your old car a…

When it comes to stress management, experts suggest a lot of things from yoga to exercises, even medications and hypnosis. Truly, there are a lot stress management activities, but they work different for every person. I, like a former recruiter in the linkedin…

Not All Discontinued Vehicles Depreciation Alike

Black Book, a division of Hearst that provides industry-leading used vehicle valuation and residual value forecast solutions, made available today a new analytics-driven report that looks at why certain vehicle models were discontinued over the last several years, and how they’ve retained their values since discontinuation. Click here…

Your service shop’s online scheduling tool is invaluable for streamlining the booking process for both your customers and your advisors. However, like most things in the automotive industry, “set it and forget it” doesn’t quite cut it. Not to worry: ensuring you’re getting the most from your scheduler should be easy. We’ll discuss the biggest scheduling bottleneck of all –…

According to NADA the average salesperson’s productivity is slightly less than 10 units per month. The Rikess Group works with two of the largest volume dealerships in the country, and they need to have a minimum of 80 salespeople on staff to hit their volume targets. With customers physically shopping less than two dealerships, it would make sense that productivity per salesperson should be rising; but it isn’t! Why? It’s because of a vicious circle anchored by high turnover and low…

According to NADA the average salesperson’s productivity is slightly less than 10 units per month. The Rikess Group works with two of the largest volume dealerships in the country, and they need to have a minimum of 80 salespeople on staff to hit their volume targets. With customers physically shopping less than two dealerships, it would make sense that productivity per salesperson should be rising; but it isn’t! Why? It’s because of a vicious circle anchored by high turnover and low…

This week, Jeff continues with his series on how to hire and develop great service advisors. After you've properly posted the advertisement for job opening and interviewed, the period between transition can be crucial. We all know the first day sets the tone- so you have to make sure new hires are prepared and excited! Stay tuned to hear Jeff's tips on how to incorporate training prior to the first day on the job. Copyright 2018 Wm Jeff Cowan

Website:…

Stress could be produced by pretty much anything and everything these days. Simply one of the most stressful things in not having plenty time to do everything we prefer to do. And yet there are only twenty-four hours in everyone’s daylight. So how come is it that some people appear to find time for everything when we don’t?

Time management is one of the most significant lessons of managing stress that anybody could learn and everybody should. And learning it means that you can…

Creating a Service Drive Experience to Maximize Retention

Bringing a car to the service drive for maintenance and repairs is necessary, but few customers look forward to the task. Even the smallest repair can take time out of the day and create an inconvenience. Yet, for a dealership, service revenue is huge to the bottom line. And the best way to keep service revenue growing is to ensure your customers…

One of the things I like to do when I visit a dealership is to grab a manager and ask him/her to come with me and find their best salesperson. I then ask the manager to role play the dreaded question with his/her salesperson: “What’s your best price?”

I don’t have to tell you what kind of reply I usually hear. It strikes me as odd that most…

Below is a script I’ve come up with over the years to better help me get more appointments. Unfortunately, so many salespeople and BDC agents (even managers) seem to fumble this necessary skill. The good news is this script, when used properly, can be a great tool to add to your toolbox and help you get more commitments over the phone and email. It’s written…

Need more leads? Whenever sales are slow, one of the first reactions from salespeople, and sometimes their managers, is to proclaim they need more leads or better leads.

In response, they might run a lead generation campaign which results in a temporary lift in lead volume. The problem is, when the campaign ends, the lead volume drops back to less than…

If teachers were to ask students if they would rather watch a film or read a book, most, unfortunately, would probably respond, “Watch a film.” For literature instructors trying to teach students classic works of literature, engaging students who often see few connections in these books to their personal lives is a difficult and frustrating endeavor.

Using popular films to teach students about literary concepts is an effective way to help students make connections between books whose…

Information From 

Milan AP: Reports

Sergio Marchionne, a charismatic and demanding CEO who engineered two long-shot corporate turnarounds to save both Fiat and Chrysler from near-certain failure, died Wednesday. He was 66.