It appears that most dealers have mentally accepted the fact that they need to embrace the digital age. The interesting disconnect is that many dealers are still only allocating 20%-30% of their advertising budget to the digital side of the equation.

Since the 11th Digital Dealer Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas – a place where progressive dealers and managers will be learning some very cool and very cutting-edge strategies and tactics – was last week, I thought it would be appropriate

My firm currently is defending several lawsuits against a dealership filed by customers who entered into “spot delivery” transactions. Spot delivery is the practice whereby a dealership delivers the vehicle on a conditional basis pending the appr

Congratulations! You’ve closed the deal, done the paperwork, taken the trade in, handed her the keys and introduced her to the service manager. (You did take her to the service department, didn’t you?) Now you can relax a bit and wait for the nex

Some 30 years ago, one of my best friends in the car business gave me the greatest advertising lesson of my life. “Appeal to those who don’t think they can afford a vehicle, and watch your grosses grow.” Another of his favorite sayings was “J

At Bass Sox Mercer, we are receiving more and more calls from dealer clients concerning manufacturer advertising programs. The questions range from asking whether a manufacturer can set minimum advertising prices, to whether a manufacturer can enforc

I have always enjoyed training salespeople, in particular car salespeople and financial advisors. Both industries have a common thread. They are both male dominated businesses. Both industries have a poor recruitment record when it comes to hiring an

In its zeal for maintaining the “brand value” of its new vehicles, Mercedes Benz has initiated a program that verges on price fixing. Under the Brand Communications Guidelines, Mercedes Benz requires each dealer to advertise their new vehicles at

I will admit, some of my more progressive colleagues at Dominion recognized the importance of QR codes far earlier than I. Nevertheless, I’ve become an advocate of this remarkable digital marketing tool and how it can help automotive dealers. Why d