Dealers Need the Right Tools to Compete in a New Sales World
“When I started working in auto sales in 2008,” said Chip Alvey, eCommerce director at Oxmoor Auto Group, “we used to get our leads via fax. Can you believe that? A fax.”
My, how things have changed. Ten years later, Oxmoor has retired the fax and now equips its staff with cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence to ensure they acquire the best leads and are presenting their consumers with timely and relevant information.

The Chatbot Won’t Save Your Business
Chatbots: the latest buzzword in the automotive industry. Effective solution or hype?
As all this talk about chatbots comes to the forefront of our lives, we need to take a hard look at reality versus science fiction. Right now, the machine-learning industry is the driving force of the chatbot ecosystem, while the technology world works toward the world of real artificial intelligence (AI).

The ROI of a Proactive Dealership Culture
There’s a hard dealership truth those of us in this business confront every day: Staff turnover is incredibly high. According to Cox Automotive’s Dealership Staffing Study, the average annual turnover at a dealership is 40 percent, with an astounding 67 percent turnover rate for salespeople. Most dealers know turnover affects their business, but many dealers think there’s nothing they can do about it.

Defining a Clear Service BDC Strategy – Three Keys to Increasing Profits and Retention
The pipeline is full. When a seven-year sales streak ends, it will usually imply bad news. Perhaps it would be bad news in an industry such as big box retailing or with real estate’s housing supply, but it has the potential to be good news if you’re a retailer in the U.S. automobile industry.

Continuing the Incredible Climb
“People can be resistant to change, so you break that resistance down by embracing it, understanding it and putting focus on it. By embracing it, our team adapts to change pretty well.”

10 Innovative Technology Companies Who Help Dealers Dramatically Evolve and Emerge
The automotive industry continues to evolve around the way consumers research, buy and service vehicles. One thing remains the same in the highly competitive industry: dealers continue to implement marketing strategies and technologies to help drive new sales and service business while at the same time retain their existing customers.

The Unexpected Future of the Dealership
The future can be a frightening place, especially for those not able, or willing, to adapt to changing realities and market conditions. While the auto sales industry has enjoyed several years of growth, change is on the horizon.

Sustainable Excellence in the Customer Experience: Start with Your Employees
What keeps a business going strong, year after year, for close to 65 years straight? At Ricart Automotive Group, the answer is uncomplicated: an unwavering focus on the customer from Day One.

GO PRO: How to Harness the Power of Proactivity and Transform
After years of positive growth, the automotive industry is still adjusting to the current trend of declining consumer demand. What lies ahead may still be uncertain, but savvy dealers understand the need to confront the current sales environment by optimizing operations, increasing customer satisfaction and mining for new revenue streams.
The critical element to achieving those goals? Taking a proactive approach. Today’s most successful dealers aren’t waiting for opportunities to come to them. They are actively hunting down new ways to increase profit and decrease costs to push growth despite the challenging conditions. Read on for a closer look at the power of proactivity and how the approach helps dealerships thrive.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Role of Chat
Huzzah! We’ve finally entered a time where car dealers no longer see digital communication as a hot commodity, but a necessity. Unfortunately, it coincides with a boom in communications technology and a surge in chat vendors trying to sell dealers “shiny new things.”
With so many options, how do you discern what features work and which ones are just smoke and mirrors? How do you protect your customers from terrible online service? How do you make sure your chat investment makes you money?
Don’t Panic. This five-step guide has all the information you need to find the most effective chat solution in today’s landscape.

Kendall Toyota Sets Its Sights on No. 1 By Integrating Processes to Better Focus On The Customer
Being second place in a competitive market is a goal many dealerships would love to be able to claim for themselves.
For Kendall Toyota in Miami, Florida, however, that’s simply not acceptable.
For many years, the dealership sat atop the perch in Toyota sales in their marketplace. Through changing circumstances — including the opening of its sister store West Kendall Toyota — Kendall recently slipped to the second spot. This served as a wake-up call for the dealership’s management to examine their processes and methods and to put plans in place to regain that title.

Bust to Blue Sky
“The right messaging, including the right mail piece and electronic messaging, done right is a game changer for any dealership.”
