Henry Ford was once asked why he visited his executives rather than having them come to his office when problems arose or he needed questions answered. “I go to save them time,” said Ford. “I’ve found that I can leave the other fellow’s office a lot quicker than I can get him to leave mine.” Ford knew the necessity of gaining information.[1] He also knew…

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…

Following are the latest brand shopping insights from Jumpstart Automotive Media, which tracks millions of consumer shopping patterns each month. Here are some interesting data points from their most recent report:

• Subaru had the most July growth in brand interest (+9%) compared with June among top 10 brands, now ranking 9^th. The Crosstrek contributed to its growth (+18% in the Subcompact SUV/CUV segment) and the Ascent is gaining interest (new launch) with 31% growth…

New Hire Training Video Click To View

I am sure many of you are familiar with the sad fate of Toys R Us. But, do you remember how it originated it’s online journey?  In the beginning of the Toys R Us online venture, they made a deal with Amazon to be the exclusive…

There is one common problem most companies run into when they start a content marketing strategy. Frequently, executives have unreal expectations and expect to go from zero to hero in a matter of days. They want an immediate return-on-investment – such as leads, engagement or website traffic. I am afraid that is simply not realistic. Hey, sometimes you can hit gold straight…

New tax law and economies of scale help publics and consolidators buck trends to grow earnings and fuel Q2 Buy/Sell market to 92% growth over Q1; one-eighth of all auto dealerships have changed hands since 2014 as industry consolidation continues

Irvine, CA – August 29, 2018 – The new tax law and improved economies of scale and scope are among the trends driving a robust Buy/Sell market in Q2, after a slow start to the year, according to The…

This week, Jeff covers a close to address those customers that just need to "think about it". So how do you re-engage them without being pushy? This close has an extremely high closing ratio, especially when used a few weeks after your presentation. Stay tuned to hear the exact steps on how to get the sale!

Copyright 2018 Wm Jeff Cowan

Website: thejeffcowan.com

Click HERE to watch!…

Caveat: This is not an endorsement of CDK sites. This simply reports our findings. We recommend platforms to dealerships based on myriad variables. 

August 28th, 2018 - We noted that CDK websites saw a significant increase in organic traffic that directly coincides with the Google "Medic" algorithm update. 

During our regular audits, our team found a pattern of increases in organic website traffic throughout the month of August as compared to July. This prompted…

Whether you are using ERO (Electronic Repair Orders) or paper repair orders – one of the biggest and easiest chargebacks for an auditor is a missing signature. It is a slam dunk; give me the money.

Customer signatures are required to maintain compliance with manufacturers' policies and procedures. Most manufacturers require them on the final copy as well as on the hard copy write-up. All OEMs require that the customer sign the hard copy PRIOR to the…

Take part in the largest survey on digital retailing as we re-imagine and innovate the automotive sales process. All responses will be confidential. We encourage dealers, vendors, and OEM managers to participate in this survey. Please take the survey today and share the survey link with your peers: …

Car Enthusiasts Also Weigh in On Topics Like National Anthem Debate, Loss of Interest in Football, and Vehicle Subscription Services

Swapalease.com, the nation’s largest car lease marketplace, unveiled today results from its fourth annual “NFL and Cars” survey, offering predictions car enthusiasts have on the upcoming NFL season, and ranking which types of cars remind them of NFL franchises.

While the majority of those polled said the New York Giants (10.8%) are their…

Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently tweeted that he wanted to take Tesla private, which has garnered a lot of attention. Hey, I realize that Tesla as a company can be a polarizing issue in our automotive industry. But this is something you may want to pay attention to.

Here’s…

Dealer and Manager, do you feel frustrated by costly expenses needed to get customers through the door?  Salespeople who build something really significant, by flexing their own marketing arm, understand the importance of personalization.

Many dealers have a few sales professionals that really get…

If you’re a movie fan, at some point, you will almost certainly have witnessed a scene where a villain sabotages a vehicle. The unsuspecting character gets into their car, fires up the engine and it explodes, dramatically. Or, perhaps the villain messes with the brakes, causing the main character to have a horrible crash. While these are familiar scenes out of a movie, the…

The world of retail is setting the pace for embracing how technology is transforming the consumer buying process. The companies who are winning with consumers (Amazon, Netflix, Apple) have stopped looking at marketing by “channels” and are looking at individual human connections. These companies have replaced cookies with actual people. 

Marketing to…

Are you brand new to the industry or the service drive? Within 60 days, you should be hitting the shop minimum as far as HPRO, survey scores, and customer retention. This week, Jeff covers five simple steps to make sure you are up to speed as fast as possible! Copyright 2018 Wm Jeff Cowan

Click HERE to watch!

Website: automotiveservicetraining.com…

Dealerships are coming around and increasingly realize the importance of having a good social media presence. Perhaps it’s due to the reach and effectiveness of social media ads, or the ability to stay top-of-mind with customers – both existing and potential. Regardless, dealerships are shifting their focus away from traditional media towards digital and allocating more…

Let me start by saying that I love to surf. Back in my younger days, I was able to qualify and had the opportunity to compete on the pro tour. At one point, I surfed Mavericks in Northern California which has waves in the 30 to 40-foot range. To illustrate, the waves are so big and heavy that you can’t just paddle out. I take this boat out and paddle to ride my first…

Defining Customer Experience for Long-Term Retention

When it comes to creating a successful sale, customers’ experiences matter from the moment they first engage with a dealership online or in person. Repeating successful experiences requires careful tracking and analysis of each experience to understand which experiences create success. Having that scalable success is the dance of sales, and finding an…