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…

Black Book, a division of Hearst Business Media that provides new- and used-vehicle valuation services and custom data licensing solutions, made available today its latest joint depreciation report with Fitch Ratings. The report, accessible by clicking here, forecasts 2017 vehicle depreciation to reach 17.8%, slightly up from the 17.3% mark recorded in 2016. Average pre-recession annual depreciation trended between…

Baseball players are famous for their superstitions and rituals when performing. Some will refuse to shave. Some will wear their hat backwards. Some will wear the same pair of underwear every game. Do they know if those superstitions or rituals affected the outcome of the game? No. Does it matter? No. Why? Because the players are doing the same thing, in every game, the same…

Unhappy Car Dealers

If I had a dollar for every time a car dealer expressed their discontent with AutoTrader and a dollar for every time they claimed that AutoTrader failed to address their concerns, I’d be a wealthy man.

Can Dealers Merchandise Their Vehicles For Free?

They can, but most…

Quick question -- do you think that advertising has changed in the last 5 years? 

On this week's Think Tank Tuesday, I talk about the path of a customer and how that can affect your marketing strategy. Watch it now and join the conversation.

Also, take a moment and register for Part 1 of our 3-part mini series by clicking here. You'll learn…

President Trump, autonomous vehicles, and digital retailing will be in the driver’s seat for automotive disruption in 2017. The old guards of the industry continue to be challenged by new start-ups with totally bleeding edge business models. Merger and Acquisition activity in the auto space has been white hot according to Frazer McCombs Auto Ventures Summit.…

The fast growing automotive digital marketing firm Auto Ad Builder has been serving auto dealers with the marketing services that truly sell more cars.

SOMERVILLE, N.J. - March 1, 2017 - PRLog -- The retail automotive industry has been growing tired of marketing services providers that offer very little to no value. This includes offering cookie cutter services and rarely every…

You just interviewed a candidate for an open position at your dealership. You felt like the interview was a great success! The individual was very pleasant and conversations throughout the interview flowed naturally. Even though this person is your favorite candidate, should you really hire someone just because you like them? No. You're not picking a new friend on the…

Does Your Dealership Marketing Strategy Meet the Needs of Today’s Consumer?

Your Turn To Drive's Latest episode features Jim Dykstra, CEO of www.vinadvisor.net and Scott Meyer, Founder of www.9clouds.com discussing Does Your Dealership Marketing Strategy Meet the Needs of Today’s Consumer?…

Consumers have gravitated to the Internet for – well – just about everything. So, when it comes to digital marketing, it’s more important than ever for marketers to know what’s working and what’s not. Everything from SEO, to content, to social media and display ads contributes to the lure which brings consumers into dealership showrooms.

Currently, the single…

When it comes to customer loyalty programs, customers like to feel appreciated and recognized for their loyalty. And, if they are not, it doesn’t take much to turn them away from being loyal customers into brand advocates.

I recently came across an interesting story about an Uber customer who wrote an open…

On August 19, 2016, FCC opened up the meeting of the group called “Robocall Strike Force,” a team made up of titans in the tech industry with the goal of ending automated robocalls and autodialer text messages.

Another strategy to fight unwanted robocalls and autodialer text messages has started further supporting the efforts of …

What is your customer retention percentage? Are you asking for more incremental work when the vehicle is on the hoist? Are you using SMS to your advantage?

Problem

Industry data shows that dealer’s customer retention ranges from 35% to 75%. Customers are looking for trust, value, convenience and clear…

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.…

Consumers have plenty of choices when it comes time to buy a used car – private sellers, independent used car lots and, of course, franchise dealerships. Each have their pros and cons, ranging from price, to quality, to reliability and safety. The one edge franchise dealerships may have over all other options is that consumers, in general, believe that a used vehicle at a…

Your Turn To Drive discusses Top 6 Things Car Dealers Do To Make Car Buying Difficult. Jim Dykstra of www.vinadvisor.net, James Raia of The Weekly Driver and Jaclyn Trop discuss what to watch for when buying a car.

#1

The single biggest reason 99% of consumers expect car buying (and…

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Yet more developments for Beepi, the used car marketplace that had raised $150 million but then went bust: The company has completely shut down and has been sold off in parts to repay creditors. The development comes after a deal to sell itself to…

Influencer marketing. It’s an affordable way to get your brand name out there and increase your sales. But where do you start?

In order to add influencer marketing to your strategy or campaign, you have to iron out the details. In this week’s Hard Facts episode, Samantha reveals what you need to do before you take on key leaders that will promote your brand message.

Watch the video to learn more!…

Millennials are growing in number and their car buying preferences are vastly different than baby boomers or Gen X. There are so many conflicting reports and studies, so I recently read up on the subject and came across several interesting pieces of information that I thought I’d share in this blog:

1. Millennials drive more than any other…

We are a Independent dealer in Hawaii, and have been for the last 22 years. I basically don't have any franchise dealer experience or training. I've had to learn everything by the "seat of my pants", through webinars and through NIADA conventions, Digital Dealer conventions, and through attrition from peers and employees and our HR advisor.

I never really learned how to attract talented sales people. I have a couple of quality ones that have taken me years to attract.

I found…