A lesson in social espionage, from Search Engine Watch. Competitive intelligence is incredibly important for analyzing and tracking your competitors, whether it’s in SEO, PPC, or social media. What follows is an account of how I used public soc

Build customer loyalty with rewards and other tactics that motivate, according to Marketing Profs. Remember S&H Green Stamps? Our mothers and grandmothers would collect these gummed stamps from supermarkets, gas stations, and other stores, pastin

8 steps to fix your online reputation, according to Ragan.com.  Sean McGinnis recently wrote an interesting post about online reputation and how he ended up in porn. One day, he Googled himself to discover an adult movie called “The Fluffer

Today’s buy/sell market is robust and dealership values are very strong. This chart is based on the Kerrigan Advisors franchise values in the current buy/sell market. Each franchise in the chart is designated with a high, average and low multiple.

Most franchised dealers are not in the business of debt collection; but it is an occupational hazard. Without a buy here pay here lot or a related finance company, the bulk of the debt arises from the service department and body shop work. A typical

As the Greek philosopher Heraclitus famously stated, “No one ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same person.” The same principle of constant change also applies to the automobile market—

If you are a licensed auto dealer, you’ve surely dealt with obtaining a surety bond as a requirement for your license. Hopefully you haven’t dealt with surety bond claims. However, it helps to be informed and prepared in case you do get a bond cl

“OK, it’s time for a break,” I yelled over the deafening shouts of three sibling shareholders and their spouses. “Let’s just chill for 15 minutes or so. Give yourself a break, have a cup of coffee, stretch your legs; do what

Focus on “share of voice” to turn demand into consistent conversions, sales. Did you meet your sales goal for 2013? In-market demand was strong last year, with 2014 off to a rocket start. New research by Compete’s Lincoln Merrihew (Automotive 2