Great brands differentiate themselves through storytelling.  Not the “once upon a time” kind, but rather the kind that gives consumers an inside view of what the brands are really all about.  Instead of simply telling shoppers what they do or what they sell, the secret behind their successful brand strategies lies in telling their stories—who they are,…

There is a lot of talk and buzz building about the importance of video marketing – as there should be. Video is quickly becoming the preferred medium for consumers. Don’t believe me? Literally thousands of articles exist on the Internet illustrating the benefits of using video in your marketing.

But for this blog I would like to take a step back for a minute.…

     Imagine a customer walks into your showroom and all your people are tied up with other potential customers.  With all the technology available could you keep this unattended customer occupied until one of your staff freed up?  If so, what would you share with the customer?  Is there a specific message that might compel them to wait a bit longer?

     John Cash Penny stated that 50% of all advertising is wasted.  We just don’t know which 50%.  That’s all about to…

Who on our team is the best, and how do we get the rest of our group to reach their level?

This is a question you may have heard or even asked when planning training events or making business projections. While this is a good place to start, you have to take this conversation to the next level. Is your top performer really good enough to set the…

Do you have one of these 5 marketing viruses?

It’s so easy to get caught up in new technology and focus on what your competition is doing. From shiny object syndrome to your addition to cutting-edge technology, you (or someone you know) probably has one of these. 

Bring it back to the basics in this week’s Think Tank Tuesday.…

It’s not really black cats and witches on the streets this Halloween that you should fear: What about possible monopoly power in the hands of a few companies that could seriously hurt your dealership’s business this Halloween? And every day?

Now THAT trick is scary.

History can show us a clear parallel to how cartel, or monopoly, power may be…

Car Buying and Emotions, Part I

Women shop and buy cars for a number of reasons, but regardless of the reason, emotions are involved in every step. The emotional range can start with excitement about the prospects of a new car, to apprehension when signing papers, to frustration when taking a car in for service.

Why Emotions Matter

During the buying process, your customers will experience a range of emotions. You know this. It is important…

Do you shy away from giveaways and win-a-prize type mailers? If you’re like most dealers, you probably do. Giveaways are frowned upon for fear of attracting customers who are more interested in winning a prize than buying a car.

Customers come into your dealership daily. When asked if they need help, the normal response is: “No, I’m just looking.”…

A little background on our situation...

One of my many responsibilities at our dealership is to be in charge of our new and used vehicle photos.  I have a guy who works for me that handles the job well, but it falls under my purview. As we all know, we have to be on top of our photos and videos as they are the first thing that most customers see when…

Most companies view content marketing as a means to rank higher in search engines, establish thought leadership and engage with their audience. Content, such as newsletters and blogs distributed via email and social media channels, enables businesses to stay top-of-mind with clients and prospects. It can be used to educate existing customers and any prospects investigating a…

| by David Metter

“Just because it can be counted, doesn’t mean it counts,” said Tom O’Regan, CEO of Madison Logic in a recent IAB study. “As you rise up the…

Remember when airbags were a feature? Heck, remember when side airbags and even mp3 players were a feature?

Those days are gone; at least on the Swapalease.com marketplace.

The national online car leasing marketplace has reviewed its complete inventory of vehicles and decided certain features of yesterday are so common today (or irrelevant) that it will no longer include them as a searchable check box for visitors and members. Here is the complete list of…

I bet that title got your attention. Imagine a world where automotive manufacturers prohibited dealerships from producing and publishing video content of any vehicles during dealership sales events. That would seem a little ridiculous, right? Social media can produce great results and lead to sales. However, if the manufacturer mandated that dealers couldn’t publish that…

When you're busy working on your computer, what do you do when you see a little pop-up message notifying you that it's time to download an update? If you're like most people, you click on "Try Again Later," or "Try Tonight." You don't want to be bothered with having to download and install software updates.…

You've probably heard the term "Doing good is good for business." Many studies support this statement. Companies that become involved in their communities and support good causes enjoy tangible benefits, including:

• Increased employee engagement, morale and…

Have you stopped and considered how much money people are spending on their cars outside of the dealership? What if we could capture even a fraction of that number?

There’s a race going on between manufacturers to create the lowest maintenance vehicles. While this is great for customers, it’s…

One of the common characteristics that I have noticed is how people impose limits on what they can do with their life. I recall a time when, I heard family members say regularly “I’ll never be anything but a blue-collar worker”. I have heard people say they will never be in management or they can’t do…

A recent article in Automotive News reports that the three-year employee retention rate at dealerships reached a new low, dropping by 2%. In fact, the study showed that only 1/3 of sales consultants stay at a dealership for 3 years or longer. The…

Does your dealership brag about your reputation? Do you constantly explore new ways to improve your interactions with customers and employees?

Brag Boards

Women rely on reviews 50% more than men and especially like reviews by other women. Reviews act as your 24 x 7 brag board by letting others hear the voice of…

Performing these regularly occurring sales manager activities will insure we are investing enough in our dealership’s most valuable appreciating assets – our people.

● Have a notepad when desking deals 

– Take notes for debriefing our sales associates, don’t rely on memory alone.

● Debrief each deal 

– During a deal is…