Auto Retail Heroes
The auto retail industry certainly is a lightening rod for lots of consumer complaints. We’ve gotten a pretty bad reputation over the years for some shady practices. The only problem with this reputation is that a minority of the people working in this industry have caused the majority of these issues. After 25+ years of working in and around auto dealers, I have seen first hand how most of...
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Hey There. Join My Network
Bill would like to be your friend, Carla wants to be a connection, Ralph wants you to join his group, Phil wants to invite you to his blog show, Jeff invites you to subscribe to his RSS feed! This is the lingo of online social networking, and if I get one more invitation to recommend someone my head will explode! The growing online communities that want me to participate are almost becoming a full time...
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People are Talking about YOU
Online social networks are increasingly providing an impact on Internet users in North America. Not only are consumers flocking to these sites, but they are getting recognition from businesses too. This past October Microsoft Corporation invested $240 million (US) for less than a 2 percent stake in Facebook.com. That investment in the small, privately owned company gave Facebook a valuation of $15...
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I’m a Car Dealer. . . Trust Me
You’ve all seen the annual “Trust” surveys showing auto sales as one of the least trustworthy professions. The good news is we are moving up the ladder. The bad news is we, as Americans, have lost trust in many professions and institutions. We have lost trust in our politicians, our financial institutions, our medical providers (except nurses), and in attorneys who are supposed to stand for...
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It’s a Buyers World Out There!
Consumers are taking control online. This is nothing new to most of us in auto retailing. Over the last 12 years the average consumer can glean extensive information, reviews, pricing, availability and ownership history on just about any product you can think of. Since autos are a major purchase item we have gotten extensive scrutiny about our sales process. We have also seen a boom in social media...
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6 Things to Always Tell a Car Salesman
Vehicle shopping is getting more challenging than ever. The Internet is both a source of information and confusion. There are many so called “experts” sharing tips with consumers but rather than inform they often only serve to scare the public rather than educate them about the auto buying process. In a car-buying transaction the salesman and the customer have mutual goals. The customer wants...
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Most Recent Articles
Do You Treat the Symptom or Cure the Disease?
You’ve noticed a suspicious looking growth on your face. You visit a dermatologist and find out it is melanoma, a type of cancer. Your doctor wants to cut off the growth, pursue follow up treatments and work...
Read MoreOld Habits Die Hard
Recently an internet manager posted a discussion asking about looking for “silver bullet” solutions to bring in more business. I shared some of my thoughts in that discussion, and share them here on...
Read MoreTop Reasons Internet Departments Fail
Over the last few years I have been fortunate to meet and speak with hundreds...
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You Know You Work for a Bad Dealership when . . .
I started a discussion on DealerElite last year on this topic. These comments...
Read MoreMy Network Participation
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