It’s no secret that automotive dealerships universally are dealing with shrinking customer counts in service and parts. Not only has the sudden and significant downturn in new unit sales impacted this figure, but the fact that vehicles only nee

To survive 2009, you probably cut costs by eliminating positions and reducing salaries and benefits, curtailing spending on supplies and services while renegotiating pricing and terms with vendors. But is that effort organized in a way that will yiel

The idea that a dealer may be held liable for personal identity theft began to come up about 10 years ago. At that time most policies were silent on the matter, which meant that there may or may not be coverage depending on how the claims adjuster in

Back in 2005 I wrote an article on issues involved with protecting your valuable intellectual property, in particular marketing and advertising themes, trademarks and slogans. We continue to receive inquires from readers on copyright protection as we

If your store doesn’t have it, better get it Coaching an individual by influencing his view of CRM processes into a positive growth potential is one of the most valuable investments leaders can give their team. “Cosmetic managers” (old school)

As we start a new year, many of us will perform a system “year-end” for the prior year. Before you run your DMS system year-end process, it might be a good time to find out what happens to your data and is there any way to prevent it. As an expla

By all accounts, as long as a supply of eligible vehicles is available, the growth in certified pre-owned (CPO) sales numbers is predicted to follow recent growth patterns of approximately 21% per year. Consumers are becoming more aware of, and confi

Imagine a dealership that only tracks closing ratios against write-ups. That team may or may not be doing a solid job. If the write-up percentage against walk in traffic is good, then the team is performing. If the write-up percentage is poor, the de

I was recently on a trip to Sao Paulo, Brazil doing a used car school for Fenabrave (Brazil’s NADA). On the way to Brazil, while waiting in line at the food garden in the airport, I met a gentleman from Germany also traveling to Brazil. He and I st