Sales & Variable OPS
Customer Pay Service Work is Declining – That’s Great News for You
As an automotive professional, you always want to stay informed on the latest trends in the industry. Economic forecasts, social behaviors, stock market fluctuation, and shifting political winds are all contributing factors in helping you “know what’s going on.” Be...
The Challenge of Scale, Span and Shift
Today’s progressive auto dealer faces three difficult challenges: limited scale, broad span and significant marketplace shift. How he responds to these three challenges will determine how successful his dealership will be. First there’s the issue of scale. A...
Get Creative! Become an Automotive Story Teller
So, you’ve been assigned the responsibility to write the vehicle comments on behalf of your store. While this may be Internet Sales 101, it is more than apparent that dealers can use a refresher course now and again. As I research dealership after dealership and do...
In Unfamiliar Territory You Need a Roadmap
With the end of 2010 in sight, it’s time for proactive dealers to begin finalizing their plans for 2011. Where will you be this time next year? What new products, services, processes or procedures will you pilot? What will be the makeup of your team? Are you planning...
Dynamic Heat Sheet Automation
One of the first tasks that I had in a dealership was typing the daily heat sheet. The fact that I “typed” the heat sheet indicates how old I am and that I still remember this task shows how much of an impact this daily heat sheet had on me. For a young person, the...
Online Marketing for the Dealer Principal
I hear this all the time, “If the dealer doesn’t buy in nothing happens.” Is it any surprise? The vendor or the manager inundates the dealer with all kinds of details he or she can’t process with everything else – and it takes a three-hour meeting the dealer doesn’t...
Jim Flint, Director of Interactive Sales & Marketing, John Eagle Auto Group
Jim Flint, Director of Interactive Sales & Marketing for the John Eagle Group, in Texas, talks about how the group on track to sell 9,000 vehicles out of the Internet department this year, up from 7,000 in 2009. Tell us about the history of the John Eagle Auto...
Mike Reichenbach, Ford Lincoln Mercury
Prior to becoming a dealer, Mike Reichenbach was a factory guy working at Ford Motor Co. After deciding automotive retail was the place to be and going to work for Tim Stewart Ford, Ford called on him three different times to act as interim general manager for...
It Turns Out You Can Fix Stupid — Part 2
In my last column I wailed about free or dirt cheap oil changes, no appointments, and ridiculous commitments impossible to meet, which are too often creating the "perfect service storm." Only this week I witnessed customer after customer entering a medium volume...
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