Robert Gruen, CEO of Higher Gear Speaking At The Internet Sales 20 Group In Chicago On CRM Best Practices from Dealer Synergy on Vimeo.

Today, some excellent training from Steven Resell on how to research and write a blog post quickly.

We have have featured Steven several times on this site and while he is not one of the best known internet marketers out there, I have always considered him one of the best teachers.

In fact, I love the fact that he doesn’t come at you with all…

Welcome to Part 4 of a live dealership case study.  This is the final chapter of a 6 week project.  You can catch up by reading part 3and previous chapters as well.  In this chapter we will discuss what the dealership is now doing and what they have accomplished in the 6 weeks that I have spent working with…

Webinar on Tuesday, December 4^th, at 2 p.m. EST provides a crash course on the rules of compliant customer communications, including education on state and federal regulations

Daytona Beach, FL –November 28th, 2012 – DMEautomotive (DMEa), the science-inspired, results-based automotive marketing leader, announces its upcoming webinar hosted with WardsAuto on…

In the ever changing auto world, the one item that does and will always remain a constant is the necessity of quality people. This of course begs the question how do I get the most qualified and professional individuals?

Now don’t go beating yourself up looking for an answer to that question. Instead spend some time finding an answer to the following; why do I not have a file of qualified candidates to choose from already in my possession?

Does your reputation precede you? Do…

As a manager, and a business owner I am constantly amazed at how people hold themselves back.   One thing I noticed recently and I think is probably an epidemic in this country, is that people get very very caught up in their comfort zone.  I have developed a speech for these people and have had much success with it. ( especially sales managers)   Simply take your employee that is living in COMFORT and tell them that what you want them to do for the next 30 days is just focus on getting…

I just saw that Zig Ziglar has passed away.  My sincerest condolences to his family.  He was a great asset to the industry.

Most companies are paying to rank for some keywords, but many ignore their own brand name when setting up their pay per click (PPC) system. On the surface, this makes perfect sense. Why would you pay to rank for the one term you’re pretty much guaranteed results for? If your company name is fairly unique, you are going to be on the first page for a search of it, right?…

I absolutely love the video below. It isn't that it's so useful that people will love it; as used car buying tips go, it's rather light on real zingers or anything outside of common knowledge. It isn't the production quality; this is a well-made video, but nothing outstanding compared to other motion graphics.

The…

A Promise Made Should Always Be Kept

My office here at home faces the street and across the road I see two men building a home that is every bit 5000 square feet. Everyday no matter what the weather may be, the men brave the cold and the rain to accomplish the task of building the home. Yesterday I walked over to speak to the men…

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Zig Ziglar passed away today after a short bout of pneumonia. Physically he may have departed, yet his spirit will endure for generations to come.  No matter where we were spiritually, personally, or professionally, we could always be assured that Zig had an encouraging word for us-the appropriate quotes coming just when we needed them most. Steve…

Threatened by boll weevils and parched land, George Washington Carver set out to discover another crop that could be planted in the place of cotton; the lowly peanut was all he could come up with. Heeding his advice, peanuts were planted, yet no one knew what to do with the peanuts once they were harvested. Faced with the quandary, Carver smashed, cracked, and peeled…

Univision in English? Finally It Gets in Step With the Hispanic Market

Trends Show that Spanish Is Not the Best Way to Reach Most U.S. Latinos

It must not have been an easy decision for Univision, the Spanish-language media giant, to join ABC in creating an English-language TV network and digital…

There will be complaints. I can already smell the onslaught of, "what about Blogger" and "Typepad is much more powerful". There will be others that say, "but Tumblr's not really a blogging platform". Let's put all of that to rest quickly...

For business blogs, Wordpress and Tumblr are the best options out there.…

In the second quarter of 2012, the NCM Institute (NCMi®) formed a training partnership with Automotive Internet Management (AIM). After personally auditing two of these sessions and receiving client-dealer feedback from all of the sessions, I’ve become convinced that dealers and their sales management teams need to “raise the bar” on their expectations for Internet closing ratios.

At NCMi, we have always believed and…

The traditional dealership is dead but some have not had their funeral yet. It seems as though as much as some things change in the auto industry, as many things stay the same. Every week our trainers observe things in dealerships that look and feel like the 1960’s.

Let’s take a look at some things still commonly observed in dealerships that are outdated and should be changed.

1) Manager Towers – High towers built for…

Are You Selling or Are You Buying?

Have you ever had this conversation?

You: “Hi Mr. Customer, it’s me John from ABC Chevy and I just wanted to follow-up with you to see if you are still in the market for that 2010 Chevy Silverado that you e-mailed me about yesterday? I have a 2PM appointment slot open just…

SureSale technology expands dealer autonomy in the sourcing, certification, and marketing of certified vehicles

Venice, CA – November 27, 2012 – SureSale^TM, the certified pre-owned (CPO) marketing program that is changing the way used vehicles are bought and sold, today announced the launch of its new mobile and…

Today,  Orlando Business Journal, recognized ActivEngage as a 2012 Outstanding Small Business.  This year Orlando Business Journal received 87 nominations and nine local firms were honored for rapid growth and community…

When you aspire to BE MORE, make a COMMITMENT and don't quit, the money (have more) takes care of itself!

Today I'm at one of my client stores and, as an example of commitment, four of the sales people made a commitment about 15 years to leave the corporate life, take control of their own personal destiny and SELL CARS. All now sell an average of 40-60 cars a month earning between $250,000 and $300,000+ a year.  They chose to "be more", commit, and the money has taken care of itself!…