There was a time when price was the biggest decision factor in selecting a new DMS system. For many dealers, their choices were limited to the two big DMS providers because those two were the only ones that had full factory integration. Dealers have

I’ve long believed that there is a key difference between new and used vehicle shoppers. The difference boils down to this: After they’ve narrowed their vehicle shopping list, new vehicle shoppers start hunting for the best deal. They understand

Question: In 2014, what will the Nissan Titan, the Mazda6, and the Chevrolet Cruze all have in common? They’ll all be powered by diesel engines! In fact, by the end of 2014, we’ll see 40 light-duty diesels on the market, from full-size pickups to

Big data and marketing: don’t believe everything you read, according to Marketing Daily. With business publication headlines proclaiming “Big Data’s Promise to Business: Three Steps to Success” and “Big Data for Dummies R

3 secrets to professional success, according to Ragan.com. The best Christmas gift I could receive is hearing I no longer have to turn off my phone or iPad during takeoff and landing on a plane. Merry Christmas to me! While my flight was preparing fo

November mid-month update from NADA. After diving by 3.5% on a prior month basis in October, used vehicle depreciation eased up substantially over the first half of November with prices falling by 1.2%, a figure in line with NADA’s full-month targe

Last month’s article generated such good feedback that I decided to devote another one to the same topic. The takeaway from my September article was that money doesn’t motivate everyone. Oh sure, money is important, but most people also want to k

“You want Loyd to do what? Jim, are you gone-to-the-grape?” asked Dr. Merlot, my friendly yet kooky sidekick, with disbelief. “For the last five years you have been deploying a plan to purchase your dad’s stock and recruit tal

Supervising the accounting office was my least favorite tasks as a CFO/controller. I’d rather create a new spreadsheet or write a report on our DMS system. I used the phrase “herding cats” to describe the difficulty involved in coor