69% of Executives Believe Social CEOs Boost Company Credibility from AutoAlert on Vimeo.…

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Stop being so irresponsible with your business! Sure, you can look up to experts for strategies, ideas, and marketing tools, but don't let them take the wheel. It's ultimately up to you to start the conversation with your customers from the content on your website to the content posted on social media.



Don't let your marketing strategy become all about selling your product. Make sure you're providing a solution to the…

Customer expectations are continuously evolving, and for businesses, it’s a matter of keeping up or getting passed by as shoppers look for opportunities that meet their needs in the most efficient and affordable ways.  Dealerships are seeing the changes that have been brought on by technology as they see less foot traffic in their dealerships, yet still sell vehicles to consumers who are more educated about what they’re buying.  Now, more than ever, it’s essential to meet shoppers’…

It's easy to make a case for "no." Consumers connotate "express service" with an hour or less. Unfortunately, too many consumers experience a 2-3 hour express service, and the end result is customer defection.

There are dealers that are very efficient, and provide consumers with a true express service experience. Unfortunately, those dealers are the exception. Express service is essentially going the way of "complimentary car washes"; soon to be obsolete.

I believe that…

Selling to women has been a topic in dealership training for years. But this technique of differentiating women from men as decision makers, as unpopular as it may seem, is flawed. Gone are the days when a wife would make the introduction, choose her favorite vehicle, and the salesperson would then turn their focus on how to convince the…

When I launched the Winning Words sales strategy 32 years ago, little did I know this program would take me on a global adventure spanning six continents. Today, thousands of organizations and small businesses have implemented the Winning Words approach into their sales model with great success.

This unique approach to sales was…

Developing Your Culture

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Most dealerships today would claim they want to improve the culture of their company. When you ask them how they intend to accomplish that, this is when…

Quality video content can manipulate emotions and convey meaning far beyond the capability of written words or any still images. But videos aren’t effective simply because customers can see you or view the vehicle, they also work well because another sense is stimulated – sound. In a personalized video email, your voice and message is conveyed without ambiguity. Customers…

Introducing Mr. Day

 

The Bronx New York may not be known for being friendly; however, they likely haven’t met Mr. Day. You see Mr. Day is an…

                Employee Activity Management or EAM is every Dealer’s worst nightmare and it’s most ignored challenge. We will discuss why in the paragraphs to come and what we can do to manage it, but before we can talk about managing our employees, we have to look at why workers come to work.

                For the last 50 years the Wall Street Journal has done a Gallup poll of American workers and ironically the only thing that has changed throughout the years has been…

India is one of the leading car markets in the world right now. Most cars owners in India don’t have any idea about the maintenance schedule of their car. People are so busy with their work that they either prefer what the company dealer advice's or follow the tips of their friendly neighborhood garage. There are number of tips and tricks for servicing your used car that can help you to save your pocket.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when servicing your…

Many dealerships have at one time or another, had automated email campaigns set up for generating sales. It makes sense with the "new consumer" dominating the industry. Attention spans are shrinking and the new generations are forcing dealerships to create a uniqueness to their brand, all in the hopes of keeping the dealership at the forefront of the mind of the consumer. But exactly what is an automated "drip" campaign? This type of marketing automation includes a series…

Urbandale, IA--July 20th, 2016--Flick Fusion announced today that it has been selected by What's Next Media, a leading video content provider for auto dealerships, as their preferred Video Marketing Provider. What's Next Media will leverage Flick Fusion's Smart Flicks marketing platform to host and…

Auto dealerships that are not compliant tend to feel the impact directly in their profit, loss and reputation. Without a comprehensive compliance training program, car dealers’ bottom line is truly affected. More than 73% of consumers are more comfortable dealing with dealership staff that has completed compliance training and has certificates of completion on display.

Dealers need to understand that a partial solution is not the answer.  The average dealer is more likely…

Sick of hearing about Pokemon Go?

You might be, or you might just be itching to get back to your own game while watching this week's Think Tank Tuesday. Kristin and Ali take over for Paul and explain why Pokemon Go may actually be a good tactic to try out for your business.

But why?

It could help you get more leads, but the most important part is that it will connect you…

First Contact & Follow Up. It's a simple ask of sales personnel, yet it's become one of the largest downfalls in the sales process. It's not the act of actually making contact, its the method that in fact creates the madness. By splattering phone calls, texts, and emails at random…

Isn't that the million dollar question? Trust me I was on the Dealer side of this conversation for 15 years. With my work schedule getting time off the last thing I wanted to do was look for things. I wanted the only time I had to be with my family. I hated the phone calls at the Dealership too. But they were necessary. If the conversation was engaging, the person was likeable and the product sound, I would give the right person a chance. Standing on the other side of the aisle now I…

The retail automotive world demands a lot, including long hours, working holidays and little flexibility in schedule. Most dealerships require 1 or 2 “bells” per week, (working open to close) and don’t include many weekends off, as Saturday and Sunday are typically busy days, when consumers have time to shop for a vehicle.

 A recent blog post on the…

Three Ways Mobile Technology is Changing the Auto Industry

Each day consumers spend a little more than 3 hours on their smartphones – and that’s not even making calls. The innovation of mobile technology has forever changed the course of history,…

It's hard to think about fall and winter when summer has just arrived. We have visions of backyard barbecues, family vacations, and an ice cold...well, you fill in the blank. But this is an awesome time of year; not only for fun in the sun, but for growing our business!

We can always count on being busy in the hot summer months as our…