MUNICH (Reuters) -- BMW may surrender its position as the No. 1 global premium brand by unit sales to rival Audi, although it will retain the title if sales of Mini are included, CEO Norbert Reithofer said.

"We would like to remain leading premium automaker, also in terms of volume," Reithofer told journalists today at the company's annual results conference in Munich.

However a push by…

My primary goal as a PR Professional is to assist my clients in achieving the most exposure possible and build top-of-mind brand awareness among their potential customers, namely auto dealers. To help better understand how to best position my clients for success, last year, I did a little research into how dealers perceive vendors and their practices.

I…

I have just joined dealerelite, and, based on the varying opinions of the benefits of a BDC, decided to share this with all of you rather than just posting my opinions on the different blogs I have read.  Enjoy!

http://www.dealerstrong.com/7-bdc-elements-healthy-dealership/

7 BDC Elements For A Heart Healthy Dealership

Several years ago, when there was a…

Most dealers understand the importance of customer retention. They’re e-mail-blasting sales messages, sending direct mail, and their salespeople are combing over thousands of client records in their DMS, making phone calls to previous customers and orphan owners. The problem is that many dealers don’t realize that, all too often, those messages fall on deaf ears. Dealerships spend tons of money sending messages to customers that are mostly irrelevant because some vendor promised huge results…

As I approach the completion of my first full year on the vendor side of the car business after spending the previous several years at dealerships, I can say with a certainty that the timing could not have been better. It has nothing to do with me. My circumstance happened the way it was supposed to happen and I'm thankful for that.

The reason that the timing…

“We work too hard to come within arm’s reach of the prize only to have our hands cut off just before we seize it. For those of us climbing to the top of the food chain, there is but one rule – hunt or be hunted.” – Frank Underwood, as played by Kevin Spacey in the Netflix television series, House of Cards.

This quote epitomizes the struggle that car…

A lesson on building your own Digital Network, and getting away from 3rd party vendors!

Most dealerships E commerce managers believe they are at the top of the technology game when they pay for large budgets that serve up ads, based on IP addresses, or cookie based ads. With the age of revolving IP addresses and cookie awareness, this form of advertising is losing ground quickly, no one has a static IP anymore, and consumers do not even pay attention to those…

One cost-cutting strategy that should be considered by every dealership is to reduce or eliminate overlap in vendor services. Utilizing multiple marketing vendors, all with overlapping services and all communicating with your customers, is not a good strategy.

This type of overlap can cost thousands of dollars each month. And, perhaps more importantly, it…

• Latest NADA and Urban Science stats said new car dealerships sold approx. 16.5 million new and 9.9 million used (retail) vehicles in 2014

• Consumers bought over 600,000 vehicles from TrueCar dealers in 2014. That means using numbers from above; they were directly or indirectly responsible for only 2.3% of vehicle sales last year from new car dealers.
  
  
• 97.7% of  new and used vehicles sold by new car dealers are NOT sold via TrueCar …
  
  

http://www.InternetSales20Group.com 856-546-2440

Register For Internet Sales 20 Group 7 In New York, May 18-20 (3 Day Workshop)

At the Internet Sales 20 Group 7 in ‪#‎NewYork‬ we are "Bridging The Gap Between The Showroom And The Internet / BDC". We are going…

Hello and welcome to the final edition of Beggs on the Used Car Market. Yes, I did say the final edition of this weekly video blog series. But before we reminisce a little, let’s take a look at some recent trends in the used market.



This past month brought pretty solid overall values as the depreciation was at -1.2%, the same level as January results. But there are differences. The industry is right…

Equals More Productive Employees!

We don't have an "accountability culture" in the car business, and we need one. Badly. For great examples why, just look at the sports we love that are so successful!

The NFL keeps stats on players that boggle the mind and produce hours and hours of ESPN commentary; basketball hinges on free throw percentages that can haunt a player’s (and team’s) season; and, from…

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the next down market in automotive retail is coming. No one knows precisely when – and none of us is certain what will trigger it – but, it is coming. Moreover, given the current market realities, it might be coming a little faster than most of us in the industry imagine. Take, for example, these fast facts:

• The average length of a new car loan in 2014 was 66 months.
• The number of subprime borrowers missing payments is at…

What I Found When Mystery Shopping A BMW Dealership This Week…



Today, Phil and I are out shopping for a new car…. In fact, I’m currently test driving a BMW 328i and will be comparing the vehicle and the service with the C Class Mercedes Benz.



This experience really reminds me of how important every step of the sales process is, and how you must give it your absolute very best!



You know I’m out driving a $90,000 BMW right now and there is…

http://www.InternetSales20Group.com 856-546-2440 

Jim Ziegler Is A Headline Speaker At The Internet Sales 20 Group 7 In New York, May 18th-20th (3-Day Workshop)

What Makes a Person a Leader

Often we tend to think that people are born Leaders and destined to rise to the top because of their personality or genetic makeup.  Over the past thirty years our experience has proven that quality Car Sales Training and Dealership Training Courses can raise anyone’s potential to…

Let's bring it back to the basics when there were no apps and all you had to rely on was an old fashioned pen and a piece of paper. On this week’s Think Tank Tuesday, I explain a way to stay more organized while decreasing the amount of fire drills throughout the day.…