One Tech, Two Tech —How to Correctly Staff Your Recon Operation
Want to run your recon department as a profit center for the dealership? Your goal should be to get retail-ready vehicles to the front line in three to five days at the lowest all-in cost. It’s a process to be managed — and managed well. One component of recon efficiency that dealers ask about is
Five Ways to Pump Up CSI, Marketing and Sales in 2017
In all respects, 2016 has been a banner year for the auto industry. The SAAR has soared and we’re ending the year on a high note with a record seven years of sales gains. However, don’t pop the champagne just yet. Reports are also showing a plateau in sales is coming, which means it’s time
GET REAL: Five Ways to Show Your Customers You’re Undeniably Authentic
Authenticity. It’s a word that’s tossed around a lot, but what does it really mean for your brand, your consumers and your bottom line? As it turns out, quite a bit, actually. Consumers are adamant that the businesses they support convey a genuine sense of self, communicating their missions, as well as the ways their
Five Steps to “Turn Up” That Vehicle Turn
Next time you have a lot of a particular vehicle to move, don’t panic. When you follow these five steps you can feel confident that your spending is cost-efficient, you’re effectively targeting the right areas and you’re using a message that has the best chance of resonating with prospective buyers of your particular vehicle. It’s a solid strategy backed by data, and a winning model for success.
FILL OPEN DEALERSHIP POSITIONS BY PROMOTING INTERNAL EMPLOYEES
Each year, the turnover rate for dealerships continues to increase. In 2013, the average dealership saw a 66 percent turnover rate among sales consultants, well above the national average for the private sector of 42 percent. As of 2015, that number has risen to 71 percent. Regardless of the cause, high turnover rates are both
Build a Repeat Customer Base to Build for the Future
Bill Stasek Chevrolet, located in Wheeling, Illinois, is the largest Corvette dealer in the Midwest as well as a Chevrolet Business Elite dealer. Brothers Bill and Bob Stasek have worked together for years to achieve this. They have developed dealership processes and have built a dedicated team who pays special attention to every customer’s needs
WHO REALLY CONTROLS YOUR PROFITABILITY?
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 it’s the manager’s responsibility to
HOW SAVVY “DIGITAL” DEALERS ARE TURNING THE INDUSTRY UPSIDE DOWN
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 overload regarding Big Data. To
FIVE TIPS TO HELP SPEED UP YOUR TIME TO MARKET IN USED VEHICLES
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 acquire an auction vehicle and
IT’S TIME TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FACEBOOK AND GENERATE LEADS
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 succeeded and sometimes failed, but