Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Advice for a new business manager...

We were all new to to the business office at one point in time. Some of us had great mentors to train and educate us, some of us learned by trial and error. Experience is a valuable tool. If you were going to give a new business manager one piece of advice...

In Market Shopping Behavior has Changed...Are You a Dinosaur?

by Grant Gooley
for DrivingSales.com


Advanced Technology is Affecting Shopping Behavior...

As technology advances so does the buying behavior of shoppers across all retail segments, especially automotive. We all know buying a car is the second largest purchase made in our lives, an important one. Customers are on the search for comfort, their favorite color and most of all a good deal. Technology has changed how the in-market shopper finds the information they require to make a smart purchase decision. GM’s and Sales Management today are mindful of the fact they need an engaging website with some Google advertising and a social media strategy. Wait! What about the most important part? SELLING the vehicle! That shopper that spent 11 hours on line before filling out a form on your website, did they come into the store for an appointment? If the dealership is not converting at 25% or higher, from incoming lead to over the curb and burning rubber, we should all be re-eveluating our strategy. Instead of blaming the “type” of lead and chalking up iLead’s as BAD leads, maybe we should look at the big picture? Let’s dig in to what might be a hefty misconception.

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Why it's time to put F&I online

by Jim Henry
Automotive News, June 25, 2014

It’s common practice at many dealerships to keep F&I products under wraps until customers are in the last stages of a car purchase. But is it wise?

Executives from auto shopping sites AutoTrader.com and Edmunds.com say no.

Monday, July 7, 2014

It's Not an Event, It's a Process

by Michael Marchione
July 1, 2014
for ae-emagazine.com


To the uninformed spectator it may look like professional football players have it easy. Play a game every week for a few months and make big bucks. But professional NFL Players are on the practice field 24/7. And when they’re not on the field they’re watching game film. These pros are the best of the best or they would not be where they are. Do they really need to practice and watch game film (training) when they have been running these same plays week after week for years?
Yes, for one simple reason: They play to win and it takes practice, practice, practice (training) to make sure they do. That’s what makes them better today than they were yesterday or even 20 years ago!