Everyone talks about working "smart" versus working "hard". The only way I know to work smarter is through time management. Some salespeople and quite honestly, some sales managers, don’t really know the first thing about scheduling their day, making the most of the busy times and keeping themselves busy during the slow times to keep learning, growing and moving forward in their careers. Here are a few pointers:

Sales meeting: If your dealership does not have a sales meeting every morning, it should. These should be well run and highly motivational - not lecture sessions.

Inventory walk: Every salesperson must know the inventory, period. There are two types of product knowledge, technical product knowledge and practical product knowledge, which is knowing what you actually have to sell.

Follow-up calls/mailings: This should be when salespeople call customers they've sold, prospects they're working or ups they have not sold.

Prospecting: Include cold calls, orphan owner letters, or any other form of generating business.

Product knowledge: There should be a scheduled time when salespeople study the technical side of cars and trucks, the engine specs, designs, etc. Then test them, spiff them with contests or whatever to keep them on top of the industry.

Selling: When a salesperson has done everything listed above, he will sell more cars.

Jack Bennett, author of "You Can And Should Sell Cars," can be found at www.youshouldsellcars.com. Click hereto read this article in its entirety.

Your DMS is full of customer "types" -- active, inactive, defective. But there is one thing they all have in common: Service department customers are more savvy and demand better and faster responses than visitors to the service departments of days gone by.

They have less time to spare, some of the technology is beyond them, and breakdowns are far less tolerated in this hectic world we find ourselves in. Bottom line -- there is no time more crucial for understanding the mind of service customers. Click here for some timely insight! 

The Viking 45 vehicle from Western Washington University is one of several entries to advance to the second stage of competition of the Progressive Automotive X Prize. The goal of the Xprize is to inspire a new generation of viable, super-efficient vehicles that help break our addiction to oil and stem the effects of climate change. Hundreds of entries from universities, organizations, and companies are competing for the prize money and recognition.

The first performance stage of the competition, the Shakedown Stage, ran from April 26-May 7. The next stage of the competition, the Knockout Qualifying Stage, starts June 15. Only 10-20 teams will advance to the Finals Stage in July, and about 8-15 teams will likely go on to the final Validation Stage in August. In September, three of the remaining teams will be chosen as the contest’s winners, splitting $10 million in prize money between them. Click here to learn more as the contest advances!