All dealerships have the opportunity this month to shape a better and more profitable 2012 by taking some decisive action. For the past few months these articles have focused on reducing costs, checking in on your profitability, identifying a strateg

If you’ve been reading closely, you’ll know that I have been refining a list of critical internet sales success factors for some time. Here is my latest list: Competitive pricing Transparency Initial response Follow-up High touch Happy employees

The annual fall Las Vegas based AAPEX (Aftermarket Auto Parts Expo) and SEMA (Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association) shows feature thousands of parts manufacturers, tool vendors, equipment makers, custom cars/trucks/what is the hell is that?

Is the insurance policy sitting on your desk correct? Are all the “Is” dotted and “Ts” crossed? Did all the changes you negotiated and corrections you made actually end up in the policy? I have reviewed hundreds of policy sets every year and

I was training with a dealer group the other day, and during a break the Internet managers were jovially reminiscing about the days – way back in 2003 and 2004 – when dealers were still not sure they even needed a website. I was working for Deale

One hour into my two-day “Up Your Business 2.0 Super Leadership Workshop,” I present several key differences between managers and leaders. In this section, I help attendees overcome the common tendency to over-manage and under-lead. I suggest tha

Before the credit crisis, many dealers felt an investment in real estate was relatively riskless. Retail real estate prices had steadily increased for years. Few considered the possibility of a national decline in real estate prices. Manufacturers to

In several of my articles I have discussed the importance of compliance with warranty or “lemon laws” in your particular state and given numerous examples of ways to make sure your service department is in compliance. However, one of the most ove

As you close out 2011 and prepare for a much better 2012, make sure your advertising is working as hard as the rest of the team.  Do the research! There is no such thing as a “once size fits all” with media spending. Every market has it’s own