Do Your Homework Before Choosing a Business Partner
I know this will come out after the big show but, as I’m writing this article, I’m sitting on the plane traveling to NADA right now. As I do, I’m overhearing a couple of dealers in the row behind me talk about the vendors they have appointments to see during the convention and what solutions
Hope: A Magic Ingredient for Employee Retention
Today’s average car buyers go to 1.6 dealerships before they buy a car. They do not move on from that first dealership because they don’t like the brand. They move on because they don’t like the dealership. With a turnover rate for dealership salespeople of 72 percent, customers who want to become loyal to a dealership
Your Customers Will Pay More
The best way to gain and retain customers is by providing services that other dealerships won’t, and making sure that the customers know you value their business. Happy customers not only continue to do business with you, but will often pay more if they value the relationship. In my years in the car business, I’ve
Why Aren’t There More Women General Managers?
After a decade of progress of women gradually emerging as an important and recognized segment of contemporary automotive business, it is frustrating to see statistics from an NADA Workforce Study stating that only 8 percent of women occupy key positions in our national automotive dealerships. This study also reports that women still work in positions
Staying Engaged and Planning for the Future
PEOPLE CAN BE RESISTANT TO CHANGE, SO YOU BREAK THAT RESISTANCE DOWN BY EMBRACING IT, UNDERSTANDING IT AND PUTTING FOCUS ON IT… When David Elattrache stepped in as the general manager of Huggins Honda in 2009, he knew that some changes would be inevitable to keep the dealership competitive for its future. After all, technology
How to Motivate Employees With Effective Communications
Effective communication promotes a culture of sharing ideas and solving problems. Employees who are “in the know” and feel like their opinions are valued are more likely to be engaged and motivated to do their jobs well.
WILL YOUR DEALERSHIP THRIVE, OR SIMPLY SURVIVE IN 2017?
Running a car dealership has been and always will be challenging; but several workforce trends in 2017 will make it even more challenging for dealers who insist on doing “business as usual.” An improving economy, changes in organizational structure and customer expectations are at the root of these trends. As always, the ability to embrace
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
HOW TO BRING YOUR IN-STORE CONVERSATION ONLINE AND INCREASE AVERAGE GROSS PROFIT
What if I told you that you could generate a 15 percent higher gross profit from the leads being sold from your Website? One of the primary ways to do this is by having a conversation with your consumers — but not in the way you think. I don’t mean having a live conversation with
10 Loyalty Tips: How to Build a Strong Repeat/Referral Customer Base, Part 1
Investing in my repeat and referral customers had created the opportunity for me to produce at the highest level delivering 30 to 40 vehicles or more per month working four days per week, seeing customers by appointment only and earning a solid six-figure income.
