10) Jim Ziegler's TRUECar Executive- Dunk Booth

9) The Alan Mullaly- "Ford didn't use tax dollars: Kissing Booth"

8) Chevy Volt's promotional "Sniff my tailpipe" booth

7) Kia's Crayon Corner where children design their next car!

6) VW's "This is the car you want" Jedi Mind trick training booth

5) Mazda's booth- well, they didn't actually have one, they were out front panhandling and looking for investors

4) The Bailout Your Favorite Manufacturer…

10)  Anyone discussing TRUECar will have their membership revoked

 9)  Profile pictures must have been taken within the last five years

 8)  For a kinder, gentler site Jim Ziegler will now be referred to as "The Omega Butterfly"

 7)  Craig Lockerd to be fully clothed in any and all videos

 6)  Bobby Compton to reveal some kind of flaw... I mean really dude there's gotta be SOMETHING!

 5)  Any video posted by Brad Alexander to be mandatory viewing and…

10)  TRUEChair to promote fair pricing for furniture

 9)  TRUECarat to assist in jewelry purchases

 8)  TRUECrib keeping real estate on the up-n-up

 7)  TRUECat either for pet-stores or brothels

 6)  TRUECarriage fair transportation pricing in Amish communities (cost to dealers is 1 goat)

 5)  TRUECall equal phone service for all

 4)  TRUECow (do you know the "actual" cost of a gallon of milk or pound of beef?)

 3)  TRUECustomer (buyers aren't…

In an effort to help dealerElite reach 7,000 members and more I have done a little research and with some help from the home office in Barrow, Alaska here are:  The Top 10 Best Things About dealerElite

10) Tons of great ideas from the industry's best that you can steal and claim as your own!  After all * "Imitation is the sincerest form of plagiarism"

9) Top 5 "posters" each week receive a coupon for a foot massage by Chris Saraceno

8) New subscribers get an autographed…

     Got your attention didn’t I?  Some of you are offended, some are intrigued and others are just wondering what nonsense is being spewed by this dork.  In any case, you’re reading.  It was recently brought to my attention that one of the greatest sales books ever was penned by none other than “Dr. Seuss”.  I’m talking about “Green Eggs and Ham”.  It’s brilliant in its simplicity and the entire focus is on the tenacity of one “Sam-I-Am”.  To start,…

From the home office in Barrow, Alaska... Top 10 Problems with Social Media:

 10)  My last “social media experiment” ended up in “stalking” charges and restraining orders

  9)  People can’t get the real essence of me through a computer

  8)  What happens when this whole internet fad dies off?

  7)  People never believe what they see on the internet 

  6)  Well, wun pozitiv is nobuddy cairs to much abowt speling things rite

 …

Buyers and the lies they tell:  Buyers are not all liars.  In fact, most will be straight up with you but often times we back them into corners and make it to where it will be easier for them if they lie (not that we condone that behavior, but it helps us understand them a little better).  Also, I think some customers believe it's okay to lie to us because we are salespeople so we MUST lie all the time.  Therefore…

Staying Dumb is the Smartest Thing You can Do

While working the desk here recently I handed a proposal (pencil) to one of our senior, veteran, strong salespeople.  It was the first proposal so it reflected a retail price with shorter terms and an average A.P.R. (we hadn’t run credit).  The trusty, crusty veteran looked at the proposal and said, “Here’s what I think we should do…” and proceeded to tell me how we should discount the vehicle, stretch the term…

What’s the most challenging sale? My guess is you probably answered one of the following: Invoice buyers, Internet shoppers, former car-guys, the credit impaired, grinders, slow-breathers, analytical customers or something similar. Actually, I was not referring to the toughest customers to sell. The toughest, most challenging sale is one you must make every day. Sometimes you have to make it multiple times in one day. The sale to which I refer is… selling you.…

I tweaked a speech by General Patton for a sales meeting; enjoy...

"Sales staff, this stuff that some sources sling around about Lithia wanting out of this sales war, not wanting to sell, is a crock of bull. Lithians love to fight and to sell, traditionally. All real Lithians love the sting and clash of negotiating. You are here today for three reasons. First, because you are here to provide for your families and your loved ones. Second, you are here for your own self respect, because…

The Grass is Greener Down the Road

 Turnover is an epidemic in the auto industry. Now I do realize that there are times where turnover is a symptom of other

 internal issues. I concede that point. However, when virtually every dealership in America suffers from the problem, there

 must be something more. Salespeople, by nature, want to be in the action. If traffic has been slow at their current place of

employment, they check around town and find out which…

From the home office in Barrow, Alaska... The Top 10 New Ventures for James A. Ziegler after leaving Dealer Magazine: 

10) Alpha Dawg is joining forces with Grinder Carbucks as tag-team wrestling partners

9) Start shredding new Dealer Magazine publications and selling as hamster cage bedding

8) Co-author a book on humility…

     Got your attention didn’t I?  Some of you are offended, some are intrigued and others are just wondering what nonsense is being spewed by this dork.  In any case, you’re reading.  It was recently brought to my attention that one of the greatest sales books ever was penned by none other than “Dr. Seuss”.  I’m talking about “Green Eggs and Ham”.  It’s brilliant in its simplicity and the entire focus is on the tenacity of one “Sam-I-Am”.  To start, the un-named…

Understanding the “F” Word

Is it bad to fail? No! (Fail is the “F” word to which I was referring.  Get your mind out of the gutter) can any good come from failure?  Yes! Dare to fail! Then learn from it.  You can’t wait for a perfect set of circumstances.  Perfect scenarios never come.  There will always be roadblocks, obstacles and unfavorable conditions. Who cares?  The time to do it is now.  Don’t wait, hesitate or look for reasons to second-guess…

10)  We were all born of women, consider the pain, anguish and toil endured for you to just be here; in other words, if nothing else, do it for your mom dummy

9)  You can't just buy every female customer and co-worker roses and jewelry to make up for stupid things you say like you do with your wife or girlfriend- get it right

8)  Girls stopped having cooties a long time ago, it is safe to treat them as human now

7)  Every woman is somebody's daughter

6)  Women…

All the Lot’s a Stage 

All the lot’s a stage and the men and women merely the players:

There’s nothing like butchering some Shakespeare to make a point, huh?  Not bad for a car-guy.  In the excerpt from “As You Like It” Shakespeare breaks down the seven “roles” people play through their lives.  Let’s take a look at them and compare them to the life of a car-guy.

The Infant: mewing and…

     Vilified, customers petrified of an industry wrought with ne’er-do-goods;

Loathed and convicted of wrongs committed by others- perhaps we’re misunderstood?

What appears to me is an honorable, loyal sister and brotherhood.

Apologizing for the sins of others enduring the scorn and disdain;…

What if we had an all car-guy tv network? I will say that this is in no way meant to offend. It is all just good natured fun and I hope we can all laugh at ourselves. If it offends, please accept my apology. Also, check your card, you may not be a car-guy after all.

All Auto TV Network Program Line-Up

5 -6 AM: Morning Prayer- Brad Alexander and Craig Lockerd open with morning devotions and discuss today’s…

     Did you know that over 80% of auto sales representatives leave the business within the first year?  Not just leave the dealership, leave the business!  Then, a large portion of the remaining twenty percent change dealerships.  How can we lose more than three quarters of our new-hires within the first year?  “They couldn’t handle it.”  You may say.  “Not tough enough.”  “Not cut out for it.”  Or as I have said before, “They’re either lazy or they’re stupid.” …