In the service lane, which reigns supreme: Logic or Emotion.  Check out our article in the November-December 2012 issue of Fixed Ops.  Click here for a digital version.  See you on Page 30.

Lance Boldt is Vice President and…

Take a look at your FAQ page. How does it look? Is it pretty bare? When was the last time you updated it?  Do you even have a FAQ page? The FAQ page is more important than you think. Since the dawn of the Internet, customers have been going to the FAQ page to see if their question has an answer.

A savvy …

 “The more things change, the more things stay the same.” This quote can be an accurate reflection of most industries. With all the massive changes underway in the automotive industry, the majority of the industry operates in much the same way as it did 50 years ago.

One small part of an industry begins to change and reaches what Malcolm Gladwell termed in his book the “tipping point.” That tipping point allows the change to gain momentum and become norm for an industry. This…

Tweeting is important for automotive marketing, but doing so in a way that gets you Retweeted is just as important. Retweeting boosts your original message, amplifying its reach by orders of magnitude, ensuring it’s seen by more people. Now, having good content will get your message out there, but good content alone can only take you so far. You need to be willing to sink yourself into the nitty gritty…

The new specially-made Popemobile was delivered recently in Rome, straight to Pope Benedict XVI himself. On hand was Daimler AG chairman and Mercedes-Benz Cars Head, Dr. Dieter Zetsche, to personally deliver the special vehicle to the head of the Catholic Church at the Vatican.

“It is an honour for …

Get In Early and Now… the Market Won’t Wait for You!

November was the strongest November for CPO (Certified Pre-Owned) sales – ever! This continues a string of records in the CPO market, including the best October ever last month, according to Autodata.¹ And what we are seeing at SureSale reflects this surge, with the new category of certified vehicles that SureSale covers (the millions of vehicles that fall outside the…

Most businesses understand the benefits of search engine optimization, but they waste all that hard SEO work by not having decent landing pages. Getting clicked is only the first step, once a potential customer is on your page, you need to be able to convert them into…

On Thursday, December 6th, ActivEngage received the first ever Inc. Magazine Hire Power Award. ActivEngage CEO, Todd Smith, was present in Washington D.C. to accept this award that recognizes private U.S. companies which are continuously creating jobs for Americans.

The title has published the country’s fastest…

The auto industry for as long as I can remember has been a business where many managers seem to constantly try and destroy their sales people physically as well as mentally.  Just the other day I heard several managers talking to several of their sales people using phrases like:, "Well, if you can't do it, I'll find someone who can...", "Why aren't YOU selling more cars...", "What's wrong with YOU today....", Why don't YOU....", "Well, when I was selling cars I never had that problem and if…

Let there be absolutely, positively no mistake here. "Tags" have completely different uses depending on the platform on which they're used. We're going to take a look at three of the most popular platforms and how tags affect them: Wordpress,…

What was yours like?

I started selling cars in the summer of 1974 at a single point Plymouth Dealership in Canton Ohio, Canton Plymouth. We advertised as the “World’s Largest Exclusive Plymouth Dealership”,which probably was true due to the fact there were at that…

Everyday managers walk into their dealerships in the morning and start their day with tasks or TO-Do list items. Unfortunately, those items rarely involve direct interaction with their sales team. The ultimate place for managers to be is in front of customers and salespeople.

Salespeople need interaction and input. If a manager allows a salesperson to direct their own day by their own design without input and coaching, the results will often be lackluster and will lead to…

Last month, Mark Cuban posted that the Maverick’s would be limiting their involvement on Facebook because of how much they were charging for post visibility.  Like many, I began to notice several weeks ago that my messages weren’t having the same reach they once did. In an attempt not to overwhelm users with marketing messages and at the same time figure out a way to get money from marketers, Facebook changed their algorithm and simultaneously…

Even if your party did not win the White House a few weeks ago, you are still relieved, I would guess, that the election is finally over. Whether you are pleased or disappointed with the results, it is time to move on. After all, in about 30 days our country will be stepping right up to the edge of the fiscal cliff, ready to fall off into an economic nightmare in 2013. And that will surely happen, economists tell us, unless these politicians--many of whom we just (re)elected–-can reach…

5 Things You Should Know Before Calling a Dealership

Your first phone call to a dealership can make or break your car deal. Knowing how to buy a car starts with being prepared, as good preparation is just as much if not more important than the dealership you are calling. When you call a dealership for the first time you need to act and be an informed buyer. The more…

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but I feel that being imitated means the imitator lacks the creativity to come up with ideas on their own.

Virtual Sales Associates (VSA’s) has become a popular title in the chat industry lately. ActivEngage coined this term in 2007 and now other chat…

http://kodyclemmonsauto.com/buying-a-new-car-should-be-fun/

We all know that Google is a powerhouse, but in the past they have been a fairly reasonable one. For all the brawn they possess, they let people get away with a lot of activities that are probably technically infractions. This is what makes it so shocking when they truly bring their guns to bear. It’s their right though, and their newest issued penalty may have…

An arrogant person demands that others behave in the manner he wishes. This frequently causes resentment, especially if others perceive his demands as arbitrary and unreasonable.

A person with humility gets along well with others because he is flexible and considerate of others. He will not push people around just for the sake of feeling power and authority. Being with him is a pleasurable experience.

Rabbi Zelig Pliskin