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,…

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…

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…

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.

According to Black Book® data, the average price of a used vehicle for model years 2013-2017 decreased in value -1.2% during June, with cars changing -1.6% and trucks -1.0%. All vehicles are averaging a 12-month change of -13.9%, which is a lower average depreciation than typical pattern of -16% to -18% annually.

Two segments each saw positive changes in their average values during June: Sporty Cars at +0.5%, and Compact Vans at +0.3%. Vehicles in the Sporty Car segment include the…

You know how service visits affect service retention, but do you know how service visits relate to the customer buying process? According to a recent study conducted by AutoLoop, we discovered that the peak repurchase rate occurs between the fourth and eighth service visit. This valuable insight gives you an edge in your marketing strategy: increase engagement and revenue by…

Many feel video creation and posting videos socially can be difficult or you will need special equipment and skills which causes some to resist using this powerful strategy.

Often times, this resistance can be attributed to being seen as imperfect; not knowing where to start, or why videos are important when branding.…

This week, Jeff continues his series on how to find and hire service advisors. Whether it is finding grammatical errors on resumes or some key signals during the actual interview, there are some crucial points to look out for. Stay tuned to hear Jeff's top 4 points during the interview! Write them down, use them, and let us know how successful your advisor search turns out to be! Copyright 2018 Wm Jeff Cowan

Website: automotiveservicetraining.com…

Working inside a dealership as the owner, manager, sales or service professional, is a full-time job and if you have started to personally brand yourself, you may have noticed that personal branding is a full-time job too.

There is no faking it: personal branding can be difficult to do, especially when attempting to do it without the right tools and team to…

This week, Jeff tells a personal story that perfectly outlines how we all act as "closers" in our daily life! By tying together some key points and sometimes unnoticed steps to a sale, we maximize our opportunity. Opportunity does not always equal more money, but stay tuned to hear how it can get you to your goals! Copyright 2018 Wm Jeff Cowan

Click HERE to watch!

For more info, email to:…

Women make a full 45% of new consumer car purchases—that’s no small market. And when it comes to making these purchases, this market tends to consider much more than just cost. Price is definitely a component of their decisions, but emotional factors such as trust of the sales consultant and dealership are much higher on the priority scale. So while providing fast service and keeping up to date tech-wise are important, you need to adopt measures to ensure your female customers and guests…

Today’s customers visit around 24 touchpoints during their car-buying journey, including your website, and get loaded up with information during this research period.

Those consumers have, more than likely, already narrowed your dealership down to one of only a couple that they plan to visit. And, while your website may be spot-on and easy to use, with the…