Up in a Down Market: Navigating the Evolving Customer Experience, Part 3
I believe, eventually, you’ll be able to do everything online and have the dealership deliver to the home. For people who want that, that will be more of the norm in five to 10 years. Of course, there will still be some people who’ll want to come in, drive the car and shop.
Sell at Recon: A Photo-First Workflow Strategy
Used cars offer the best defense against margin compression — and how you leverage reconditioning as an offensive tool makes this work. Getting incoming cars reconditioned and to the sales line quicker can mean healthier gross margins for your used car operation.
Leadership: Coming to Serve, Not to be Served
What is leadership? Leadership is a process of influence. Whenever you find yourself attempting to influence the thoughts and actions of others toward the achievement of a specific goal, you are engaging in leadership.
Loyalty Versus Retention
Customers become loyal when they think you have gone the extra mile. The days of saying, ‘We’ll treat them right and they’ll come back’ are pretty much over. Everyone treats their customers right in this market.
How the Right Employees Can Improve Your Online Brand
The average car buyer in 2004 visited five dealerships before making a purchase. By 2014, buyers visited only 1.6 dealerships. This change happened largely because buyers started completing their research online before setting foot in a dealership.
Why Manager Accountability at the Dealership Matters: A Q&A Session with Automotive Expert Justin Brun
Management is a result-driven discipline; if you’re not holding people accountable, you’re not doing your job. But today’s dealership managers wear more hats than ever — from monitoring the CRM and keeping up with ad spends to handling upset customers and staying on top of training their staff — the list goes on.
Your Frontline Employees Are Your Brand: Do You Have the Right Ones?
Poor hiring practices cost the automotive industry billions of dollars annually. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the price of a bad hire is at least 30 percent of the employee’s first-year earnings
Through the Looking Glass: Are There Missing Profits Sitting in Your Service Department?
Every profit stream is important in your dealership today and should never be overlooked — especially when it is sitting in your service department. Many times, a perceived smaller profit center may not get the attention it deserves.
Are Your Customers Feeling the Love?
Whether you think Valentine’s Day is the most romantic holiday of the year or an elaborate scheme by greeting card companies, it is upon us. We spend this time of year showing our loved ones we care, but is your dealership doing the same for your customers?
Becoming the Dealership for Today’s, and Tomorrow’s, Consumers
“The way we’ve always done it” is a sentiment that keeps some dealerships from growing; in a few years that statement will be carved on their tombstone.
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.”
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.
