Terminating someone is never pleasant and not to be taken lightly. As a former service manager, I only had to fire one service advisor — and I did not make that decision lightly. However, in most cases it is the employee’s choice to get fired. What do I mean? Certainly...
Today, dealers are more confused about their digital strategy than ever. Their digital footprint looks fine from afar, but up close it’s fragmented and the dots are not connected. They employ multiple vendors to provide programs and services, but fail to deliver a unified message across marketing platforms. There’s information...
As dealers plan their used vehicle department performance goals for the coming year, I’d suggest focusing on reducing the amount of time it takes to get vehicles retail-ready and online. This suggestion follows recent studies that show it takes dealers an average of 10 days, from the time they...
For decades, auto dealers have combed the Earth in search of the ever-elusive sale or tool or marketing program to steal car buyers from their competitors’ backyard. For years, direct mail salespeople by the dozen have promised to have the secret proprietary formula for success. Dealers have tried and sometimes...
With 2017 just around the corner, you might be considering a change in your CRM. Maybe the contract with your current vendor is ending, or maybe your CRM just isn’t delivering the value you need — and you’re ready for an upgrade. But before you splurge on a CRM with...
“The telephone is virtual reality in that you can meet with someone as if you are together, at least for the auditory sense.” – Ray Kurzweil You look in the mirror before stepping on the sales floor. You stand up straight, look people in the eye, smile and start another day...
David Kimmerle President / Owner Sanderson Ford With five decades in the industry, it would be easy – tempting, even – for Dealer Principal David Kimmerle to implement his old ways from when he joined Sanderson Ford in 1961. Nothing could be further from Kimmerle’s reality. “I don’t understand how,...
I use Google in the title, because they are the 800-pound search engine, but you can substitute Yahoo, Bing or others if you desire. The secret is: There is no secret recipe. Depending on a variety of factors, every recipe is slightly different. But, there are some basic core ingredients...
It’s no surprise that 2017 will be more competitive than ever, and the right email campaigns can mean the difference between prospects buying from you or from the dealer next door. That’s why segmenting customer data in your CRM is critical, because it’s a cost-effective way to target customers in...
Automotive marketing and the consumer’s path to purchase are constantly evolving. Using the strategy you started 2016 with is not going to cut it come January. There are four key areas to success that must be at the forefront of your planning for 2017. Read our entire issue – Click here...
