Founded by Jesse Toprak, today's most influential automotive analyst, I'd like to give you a sneak preview of CarHub.com, a brand new automotive shopping website launching this fall. There are several distinct features that make CarHub.com different than any of its peers, and we want you to take it for a test drive (particularly the new personality test to help match…

Customer loyalty is something every business needs and desires. Some companies are spectacular at accomplishing it, while others struggle.

According to a study by DMA, perhaps we’re missing an important fact… not all loyal customers are the same.

DMA’s “Customer Engagement 2016” study, takes customer loyalty a little further. It…

Think about the value propositions most dealerships present to consumers. Free car washes, fast transactions, oil changes, low prices, etc. They’re all so similar that, in reality, they cease to differentiate one dealer from another. The simple fact that they aren’t unique just about negates the offer for consumers when they consider who to buy from.

Nobody…

Today’s tech-savvy shopper relies on internet research and mobile technology to make purchasing decisions. Every time potential customers conduct a search, it creates a digital moment ~ a brief, online interaction that answers an immediate question or need.Creating a website that is mobile friendly will help your dealership provide information in response to these moments.  Further, being aware of the major digital moments…

According to J.D. Power's 2016 CSI study, the key areas that dealers need to pay specific attention to are...

• Wait Time: Consumers are willing to wait 1-2 hours for service. Unfortunately, the majority of customer visits are well past 1-2 hours. I also have to believe that customer defection wouldn't be at 70% if customers didn't have to wait and be inconvenienced.
• Service with a Smile: Service satisfaction improves considerably when…

Smartphones are responsible—in a BIG way—for how the automotive market is changing. Not only are consumers more mobile, they’re also empowered to access more information than ever before while on the go.  They have the power of Google in their pockets, and they aren’t afraid to use it.  Everything from vehicle comparisons to consumer reviews to feedback about specific…

Swapalease.com, the nation’s largest car lease marketplace, today announced results of its NFL & Cars Survey, where thousands of drivers across the country made predictions about their favorite NFL teams, and also paired up certain cars and features with their favorite teams. Swapalease.com presented the online survey to more than 3,500 drivers across the country during July, 2016.

NFL relocation and expansion is on the minds of football experts. According to…

Our economic future is not going to be smooth sailing. In order to successfully navigate, the captains of the vessels are going to have to make the proper adjustments in order to weather the storm. The following is some information that supports my predictions and hopefully provides you with a map to help you steer you way clear of…

What's Your Normal?

We are all creatures of habit and tend to develop patterns of how we…

A recession is coming, learn how dealerships will survive the bad economy.

I don’t like talking gloom and doom when it comes to dealing with a bad economy. On a personal level, I work very hard to be upbeat, to see the positives, and to stay focused on what is good. That said, as a person running a business, I have to research business indicators to help…

Jumpstart Automotive Group, a leading media, insights, and marketing solutions company, today officially unveiled a new logo and announced it is changing its name back to Jumpstart Automotive Media. The name change reflects the evolution of Jumpstart’s business and the market it serves, and the new logo signifies the company’s growth and transformation.

The launch of Jumpstart’s new brand identity kicks off a new era at the company where, as part of the…

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 report.

This week’s Black Book Market Insights report shines a spotlight on luxury cars, particularly two-year-old models. Cars in this class are showing significantly weaker retention compared with…

Today’s socially connected consumers have changed the tide in the automotive industry, from top to bottom. However, the dealership must also change, in the way that they collect data and use social media. Every day there is an increase to the number of consumers using social data and social media. Facebook has 1.7 Billion users, and Twitter and Instagram have almost half a Billion users. Customers are also using…

This Week in Social Media

News for the Week of August 22

Promoted Video Pins on Pinterest

Pinterest recently rolled out…

Is your phone ringing off the hook? Probably not.

In this week's Think Tank Tuesday, I reveal that with sending a simple ringless voicemail drop, you can start the conversation with potential customers that may not have answered an email or other advertisement. Grab more leads and build your business by utilizing this low cost, lead generating strategy.…

A dealership's CRM is at the heart of its entire sales operation. Choosing the right CRM for your dealership is exceedingly important in its success. However, when the purchase of the new CRM has been completed, there are still a few key items that need to be covered before the dealership can get up and running. Acknowledging that this process takes time and energy, from all members of the dealerships sales…

By Shawn Morse

Lessons can be learned from the Smartphone industry on how automotive solution providers should be delivering modern, innovative and nimble products and services to our dealership business partners.  Having the tenacity to rapidly deliver imaginative development, meeting customers’ real-time needs, and more importantly,…

Timonium, MD – August 22nd, 2016-- Helion Technologies announced today that 75 percent of small businesses have experienced security breaches in the last 12 months, according to a recent survey conducted by Osterman Research. The findings were published in a July 2016 report titled…

Albany, N.Y. – August 22nd, 2016 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems today announced the integration of its dealership management system (DMS) with the award-winning Dominion Dealer Solutions’ Sales Center CRM. Dealers using both Auto/Mate and Dominion’s automotive solutions will benefit from enhanced customer insight expedited by real-time updates of customer, vehicle, service and deal information in both systems.

"In today's competitive and fast-moving environment, it's…

Auto dealerships face a unique challenge when it comes to growing customer engagement. In general, the modern customer is inundated with advertising and people have become adept at tuning out messages. However, your brand has an opportunity to rise to this challenge and can use great rewards programs as a cornerstone of customer engagement. Here’s how:

Deemphasize sales

Although it may seem…