In recent articles by both CNET & Automotive News, it’s reported that U.S. regulators are looking to institute…

There’s one thing that all auto franchises have in common when it comes to service: battling independent auto shops. I’m fairly certain that not a day goes by when you have either a customer on the phone or in person who is price-shopping you with an independent. There are many ways to build value in dealership service versus independent service shops when talking to…

Since 2003, MPi has been helping dealerships across the United States create more profitable service departments through technology.  Our mission is to help dealerships become more efficient and simplify the service upsell process.   Through the use of the latest technology, photos and video, our interface illustrates service recommendations in such a way that consumers…

Everyone in the automotive industry is familiar with Tesla’s entry into the automotive retail business, however, not as many realize that they’re simultaneously spotlighting innovative functionalities that any manufacturer could use to make automotive service easier and more convenient for the consumer.

Tesla vehicles are all integrated with an AT&T chip…

I write a lot about customer experience, service and retention. With our hyper-competitive industry demanding greater transparency, it will continue to become more important. In a recent article, “…

As the holidays quickly approach, many companies are giving back to their customers. Through toy drives, volunteering at local charities or fund-raising, businesses across the nation are pooling their resources to help the needy. Some businesses, however, have chosen to direct their resources to the people that help them remain successful: their customers. And it’s paying…

The battle for customers in the automotive industry is hyper-competitive. Dealers advertise low price loss leaders and court an Internet buyer with competitive pricing that sometimes results in negative gross deals. Service departments advertise low priced oil changes to both upsell and win a new customer.  Dealers send mailers, direct mail, use traditional and digital…

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…

Most dealerships understand the importance of online reviews, in general, for their stores. Consumers are increasingly turning to the Internet to research dealerships before selecting one. This includes researching not only sales-related reviews, but also service.  Yet, most dealerships focus most of their attention on gaining reviews from the sales side and leave the…

As I’m sure you’ve heard, Blockbuster Video has gone out of business. DISH Network, which owns Blockbuster, officially announced last week that they would be closing all 300 U.S. Stores. There was a time when local video stores were the dominant retail outlets to rent movies from. Then along came the mega-video stores like Hollywood Video and Blockbuster, which slowly but…

In July, I wrote an article that was published in Dealer magazine titled “Beam Me Up! How Service May Look In The Future.” In that article, I discussed how the trend of increasing…

When dealerships first started publishing web pages, I remember that many felt that it was not very important. However, as many other dealers were doing it, they felt that they needed to as well. At first they were static, very basic websites, with very little information. Along came the ability to dynamically add inventory updated in real-time. At this point, most dealers…

In my sessions at conferences, I discuss the importance of measuring and holding employees accountable. Doing this consistently allows you to identify your top performers, check for consistency across areas of responsibility and identify employees and/or processes that may need improvement.

Speaker, author and accountability expert, Linda Galindo, recently…

When was the last time you heard of someone who had worked his or her entire live for a single company? Chances are these instances involved members of an older generation, specifically people born in the earlier part of the century. So why has something that used to be fairly common in the past suddenly become far less common?

A very interesting…

As I’m sure you’ve heard, Apple will start selling their new iPhones tomorrow. The buzz leading up to the announcement was typical with speculation running wild, leaked photos and chatter just about everywhere. After the announcement however, the buzz shifted away from excitement towards disappointment. People got so excited in the pre-announcement frenzy that they felt let…

In almost every aspect of your dealership, you calculate ROI. Whether you’re looking at your ad spend, calculating labor costs or analyzing your digital marketing, the first, and last, thing you think about is ROI. How is my spending this money going to help me make more money? At times, we choose unwisely and discover that after the fact. Steps are then taken to rectify and…

Creating a great customer experience in your business requires work. Not only does it require work, it also requires both buy-in and trust. In Gallup’s “2013 State of the American Workplace Report”, they found that a whopping 70% of employees are either not engaged or actively…

Being different will get you more service business, according to a recent study published by Google. In a study titled “The Road to Winning Drivers: What Drivers Want In the Automotive Aftermarket Service,” Google shared some interesting insights into how service…

According to this article in last week’s Detroit Free Press, the average age of vehicles owned in the U.S. continues to be on the rise. With the average now being 11.4 years, it’s becoming more important than ever for dealerships to re-evaluate their service…

As I’m sure you’re aware, this week saw the annual return of Shark Week on the Discovery channel. In its 26^th season, the summer-event has gained a cult-like following for the Discovery Channel. According to the Today show, this single week of…