We just finished a 30-day, full (email, phone and text) internet sales mystery shop of 21 dealers for a 20-group presentation I’m delivering next month. Of the 21 dealers we shopped, only five sent an auto-response to the inbound e-lead. Five! This means more than 75% of the dealers did not use an auto-responder.

The 20-group I’m addressing is a mixed group with mostly GM dealers; and it’s interesting that only one of the General Motors dealers used an auto-response. This…

I Got Retargeted and It Works

You need to use Dynamic Retargeting. On this episode of Hard Facts, Samantha explains how it works, and how you can use it to sell to indecisive shoppers.

(This is an excerpt from our 2015 Mystery Shop Study which provides lots of free best practices and other great advice for dealers.)

OEMs, dealer groups and even Dealer Principals expect much more from their internet sales efforts today than…

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been battling with lawmakers in an effort to gain additional funding in order to handle – amongst other things – the 33.8 million Takata airbags recalled. In the most recent hearing, the NHTSA Administrator, along with several senators provided…

There's so many new things everyday, it's easy to get overwhelmed! 

With all the new flashy technologies being developed everyday, we get caught up in the hype and miss the basics. This week on Think Tank Tuesday, I'm focusing on what you may have missed that's costing you leads and sales.…

Try Again



Two of the most important words in our language are “try again”. If you consider every major accomplishment in the world today the individual responsible for it said those words often. Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, and when he stated, he had over…

Whether you’re in PR, linkbuilding, or other forms of digital marketing, one part of your job might be reaching out to bloggers with requests for coverage or links. As a veteran blogger, I’ve been sent thousands of pitches and replied to only a small percentage of…

A recent article in Automotive News relayed the story of Obi Obeke and how he had sold 39 cars to world-famous boxer Floyd Mayweather. The article explains how Okeke has been willing to do whatever it takes for his client to keep him…

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. This edition also includes the monthly Specialty Markets report. Click here to download the full report.

The Black Book editors saw a few interesting changes during the July 4^th holiday week, especially with large declines in the Crossover segments as…

According to Black Book® data, the average price of a used vehicle for model years 2009-2013 declined -1.6% in June, compared with -1.2% in May. Domestic cars changed -2.8%; import cars changed -2.4%; domestic trucks changed -0.8%; and import trucks changed -1.0%. Average pre-recession annual depreciation was continually recorded between -15% and -18%, and Black Book expects 2015 depreciation near -14.5%.



Entry-Level Cars felt the strong post-tax season slump, falling -4.7% in…

There have been several studies in the automotive industry that have conclusively answered this question with hard data and compelling reasons why it is the way it is. Unfortunately, these "conclusive" studies often point in opposite directions and always seem to be conducted by companies that lean in one direction or the other.

Which is better for search PPC,…

Win a BRAND NEW Ford Fiesta at the 4th Annual Route 23 Ford's AP Exam Challenge.

The AP Challenge is designed to reward high school students by testing their knowledge through AP Exam testing. If they achieve a score of 3 or higher they will be eligible to win one of many available prizes, including a brand new Ford Fiesta!

They must also be present at …

In the world of digital advertising, there are three primary components: targeting, messaging, and landing pages. So much emphasis is put on targeting such as PPC keywords or display ad placement. After that, the focus is often placed on the landing page, particularly with the debate over whether to point visitors towards a specific landing page or directly into…

When someone new to digital marketing reads about link building strategies, it’s likely a confusing and stressful experience. The reason is, most people try to complicate the process to sell services by convincing you there’s something proprietary about their methods.

Now, most businesses should …

The combination of consumer demand, increasing off-lease supply, and record-setting lease penetration is creating what could be sustainable momentum for the certified pre-owned (CPO) market.

To provide context, consider the following market dynamics:

• Lease originations exceeded 3.5 million in 2014, Manheim reports—their highest level since…

Over the years I've seen many dealerships terminate employees for various reasons. Most states today, state in their labor law claim, they are a right to work state. Interesting part about that is this means you really don't have to have a cause to terminate someone's employment at your dealership. Let's look at this in more detail, together we will analyze these…

This video I did over the weekend shows the importance of demonstrating and showing our clients the WOW factors of our vehicles instead of just telling them!

I'm sure you can get some inspiration and pointers from it!

Great…