As I was talking strategy with a good friend of mine who is a GM of two rooftops we got into a discussion about which strategy is most effective in the automotive internet sales world i.e. coordinators vs. floor sales people making the calls. 

We all know that the hardest part in the Internet Dept. is getting people on the phone.  As you know you have…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 (December 9, 2013) - Broomfield, CO. DealersLink®, the creator of the first dealer-to-dealer marketplace in the United States, today launched CloudCam HD™, an android based camera that runs the ExportPro® Mobile app. CloudCam HD™ drastically simplifies the process of uploading vehicle photos for auto…

Just how important is social media for car dealerships? The short answer is "very!" There is just no getting around the fact that social media plays a pivotal and, some would argue, central place in people’s lives. It seems to run across age and class boundaries to varying extents as well.

A key aspect of your online presence is your social media presence. Ignore your social media presence, and you will be endangering your online presence as a whole and potentially handing your…

Do you know how it feels to be halfway through the month and your draw isn’t even covered? The last 3 customers yielded no sale. The first wanted to buy but couldn’t. The next one could buy but wouldn’t and the last one could, did, and ended up backing out at the last minute.…

This year’s Black Friday chaos and record-breaking Cyber Monday sales created quite the stir around the Potratz lunch table. Sharing pictures of our weekend steals and comparing our shopping…

In case you missed the live broadcast yesterday you can check out the show with @marktewart on U-Stream bit.ly/19lRwWd

YOU CAN READ THE ARTICLE NOW... CLICK HERE

CAN THE LINCOLN FRANCHISE SURVIVE?

uh-oh! This promo video I cut today accidently got released all over the Twitterverse before the article actually came out. I never dreamed when I put it on YouTube that people would pick it up and re-broadcast it on Social Media. it wasn't until the phone calls started coming in…

Those are some pretty impressive auto sales figures emerging from November and Black Friday! So did we do something special this holiday season or was this a one-hit-wonder?

The Los Angeles Times reported that the Black Friday sales were good for GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota as auto sales rise in November, and again, anticipated this December.

“The Thanksgiving weekend saw a lot of promotion by automakers, riding the Black Friday wave, and it seems to have paid off,” said…

There was a cry that was heard amongst many in the search engine optimization world on April 24th, 2012, as if thousands of SEOs suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced. It was the day that Google Penguin broke link-building...

...or at least that's…

In the B2B world, we’re seeing a shift in importance and shopping behaviors by business buyers. What’s interesting is that business buyers are starting to behave more like consumers when making business purchase decisions. A global survey from November 2013 by Avanade reports…

No, I am not crazy and yes I am talking about the well known shock jock known for his outrageous radio show. Howard Stern is a genius for many reasons and they all apply to how you can succeed as a salesperson, manager and entrepreneur.

Let’s examine several of the reasons and the lessons that can be learned. First of all, lesson number one in business is to never be boring. Although, you may not agree with Howard Stern’s humor or persona, he certainly isn’t boring and that…

The importance of ensuring a customer has all the information and resources they need when making a big decision is crucial to turning a stand-offish prospect into a smiling cornstomer (We are in Iowa, of course we use corn references. Keep reading to learn the meaning of cornstomer). Patience, tact and logic seeds are key. 

Occasionally, OK, OFTEN we hear from our prospects about sad news that is keeping them from moving forward…

http://www.internetbattleplan.com/

My 15 years of Automotive Internet Sales experience as well as being a charter member of the Association of Automotive Internet Sales Professionals (AAISP), as well as being a Speaker of numerous Digital Dealer Conventions gives me full credibility for this statement. Jim Ziegler's Internet Battle plan is BETTER than the Digital Dealer Convention. It is not event close...

I…

Hello I am considering offering a warranty agreement through my service center.  I am told that I need to have CLIP insurance.  Does anyone know who offers this insurance, where they are located, and how much this type of insurance costs?

Please advise, thank you.

Chris

Some marketers refer to webpages without video content as “naked pages”.  These pages are exposed and less effective than they could be.  Why?  We have an expectation of interaction with the world around us.  When we are online in the virtual world, video is one of the most powerful ways to interact.

Video captures the imagination, adds an emotional element and…

What's a better investment, a studio apartment in Midtown Manhattan or one space on your used car lot?

Here is the latest Used Car Market report, with…

"The Service Upgrade" written by Rob Gehring the President of Fixed Performance has been published in this month’s Fixed Ops magazine! 

The article is on page 58 & 59 read over it, I know you will find it informative. This article is a great read for anyone in the service industry.

http://fixedopsmag.com/magazine/novdec2013/index.html

This is written for the sales associate and the internet BDC team, to alleviate your fears and advise you on the most effective ways you can use social media to prospect and cultivate a solid client base.

In the mid 1990's, I was in the process of expanding the menu of services offered to my clients using every medium available to market my business…