This post was originally written by Paul Stowe for the NCM Institute Up to Speed blog. Click here to view the original article.

Mr./Ms. Dealer:

There continues to be a great deal of misconception in sales managers’ thinking about why they’re not able to increase used vehicle volume. Industry metrics confirm that those…

Depreciation rates on used vehicles are nearing levels not seen since the recession, though the trend will soon reverse and likely lead to marginally higher losses for U.S. auto ABS, according to the latest joint vehicle depreciation report from Black Book® and Fitch Ratings. Click here to download the full report.



According to Black Book, both new and used vehicle markets are seeing…

Today, our Women's Wednesday focuses on the ranking of the top 20 auto brands, as of July 1st, and how they are rated by women car buyers.

After analyzing the car dealer reviews written by women when purchasing a vehicle from January through June, the information below summarizes the top 20 brands by Women Satisfaction Index® scores on a scale of 5.0 (perfect) to 1.0 (lowest). The average WSI® for all brands is 4.72 during this time period.

1. Mercedez-Benz -…

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

I reached out to…

The reason why most people fail in sales is because they don't create value- not so much as in their product, but more so in themselves. 

6 of the 7 family members of the Stay Family were taken from our community in a horrific and violent tragedy on July 9th, 2014.

Click here in would like to help please http://www.gofundme.com/stay-family-tragedy

Stephen & Katie Stay along with 4 of their 5…

This post was written by NCM Institute instructor Fred O'Dwyer and was originally posted on the Up to Speed blog. 

Not too long ago as I was listening to someone talk about how fundamental clarity is in fueling growth in a…

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the ‘Peanuts’ comic strip.

You don’t have to actually answer the questions.  Just ponder on them.. Just read them straight through, and you’ll get the point.

1.. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2.. Name the last five Heisman…

Live chat can be a great way to generate leads and build lasting relationships with your shoppers. When customers click to chat, they want knowledgeable associates that will answer their questions and build their trust. However, that’s not always the case...and the worst part is you could be avoiding it!

Today I’ll be sharing three ways you can make sure your managed chat team is giving the kind of customer service that knocks your shoppers’ socks off. For the…

In most markets, those seeking jobs are also those buying your goods and services.   So how should companies engage with these candidate/consumers while navigating changes in shifting age demographics, new recruiting tools and the desire for a…

Happy Fourth of July!

I love the 4th of July and everything it stands for. It is the pinnacle of summer. It’s family, it's friends, and it's fun.

From the celebration of the very first one, our forefathers new the 4th of July would be a date that would be celebrated indefinitely. As a matter of fact, John Adams, in a letter to his wife Abigail, said this about the 4th of July, once the declaration of independence was signed and passed by the continental congress. "I am…

Now, sometimes during a class or seminar I’m conducting I’ll get asked “Jeff, can’t you just share the secrets to selling? The tricks, shortcuts, or just some really good closes?” The answer is, “Sure.” I’ve done it thousands of times. I’ve even trained competing dealers while I was employed by one of them! I’ve trained literally hundreds of competitors (at factory…

It’s amazing. And I’ve seen it a hundred times. They don’t realize they’re doing it but they still do it. That’s for sure. I heard a salesman with his chest puffed out (as it should be) reliving the story of a terrific job done with the happy new owner of a car. The salesman DID do a great job. These people were cold to begin with and initially he could barely get…

Combat is a leadership laboratory. That laboratory is a proving ground for veterans like Leif Babin, who shared his insights on leadership and teamwork at last Fall’s Driving Sales Executive Summit. A former Navy SEAL and co-founder of management consulting firm, Echelon Front, LLC, Babin gave an inspiring keynote address where he translated his experiences as a SEAL and SEAL Officer…

The 36-month lease has long been the norm in auto leasing circles, but Toyota and Chrysler are beefing up their 24-month lease offerings. According to a report in Automotive News:

     "Toyota is seeing a strong shift into two-year leases this year, a trend that promises quicker customer turnarounds   and fuller used-car inventories down the road. At Toyota…

Well its been a long delay in the series but here is the next installation, Working the Deal...

I honestly hesitate to even include this in the series as often it will clash directly with the process that sales managers want to follow when desking deals.  However, the whole point of this series is to address those management teams that actually do hate internet sales and see it as a bottomless h*** of red ink.  If you do fall into a category that this rubs the wrong way, I…

The Business Case

In 1989 the Internet came online and disrupted the car buying and selling process by tipping the scales heavily in the consumer’s favor. The easy access to pricing and product information made shoppers better researchers and negotiators, and to an unprepared industry this shift was unsettling. Since then, manufacturers and their dealers have…

Hello and welcome to the final Beggs on the Used Car Market video blog for June and also for the first half of 2014, with data and insight from Ricky Beggs and Black Book. It is amazing how fast the days and weeks have been checked off the calendar. We have dealt with a spring market that was delayed, a spring market that extended into the middle of May, and an active new car sales market unaffected…

Most auto shoppers start their search on the web but would it surprise you to know that the #1 online destination for women shoppers is your dealership’s website? That’s right, our research lists the top sites nationally that women visit prior to buying a vehicle. They include:

1. Dealership
2. Manufacturer
3. KBB.com
4. Consumer Reports
5. AutoTrader.com
6. Edmunds.com
7. Cars.com
8. Carfax.com
9. Craigslist.com

We also…