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Jody DeVere has lead a one woman crusade to help educate and create female friendly automotive dealerships. Here is a great example of a dealership that is driving success with a focus on the female Internet buying process.
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55 great strategies to improve your SEO (we all know the importance of using SEO but this article has some great tips and it is a quick read article).
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Identifying your shopper's personality can go a long way in helping you turn a "maybe interested" shopper into one who is ready to purchase.
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How-to’s by industry experts |
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 Get Angry Customers to Eat Out of Your Hand
Customers can be difficult. Difficult is very different from angry, and should be handled in a different way. Difficult might be demanding, detail-oriented, particular or just plain cranky. Many people fall into this category. Angry people can be scary. Even the best shops get angry customers. Never take a customer's anger or aggression personally. Try to understand that it is being directed to you, but it's not about you. It will be easier to take if you do so. You can deal effectively with all of these situations by utilizing some of the following tips.
• Be calm and cool
The No. 1 rule is to stay calm and keep your cool. It is natural to become defensive when someone is inches from your face yelling at you. It is very difficult to stay calm, but it is absolutely imperative that you do. If you stay calm, respond and ask questions slowly and very calmly, your customer will begin to quickly calm down as well. It's like the old adage of using music to calm the savage beast. • Choose your words wisely
Do not say, "OK sir/miss, you have to calm down." That type of patronizing statement will only fuel the flames. Instead, try to ask questions calmly that get to the root of why the person is angry. Let them tell you their story, uninterrupted, even if it is less than factual in nature. Genuinely listen to their story.
• Don't fight to be right
You will never win, even if you are right. Simply try to find out the root of the problem and offer a scenario to fix it. The angry or difficult customer has a problem that needs resolution. If you resolve the problem, or offer a solution to do so, the anger or difficult situation will go away.
Kevin Mehok is CEO of Crashcosts.com. Click here to read the article in it's entirety.
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INDUSTRY NEWS IN THE LAST 24
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Dealer.com Named Top Small Company Workplace by Inc. Magazine and Winning Workplaces
Global leader in online marketing solutions, Dealer.com is one of 20 North American companies given "Top Small Company Workplace" award by Inc. Magazine and Winning Workplaces.
PRnewswire.com, June 8, 2010
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 TSi Auto Solutions Acquires AutoSoft Inc.
A leading financial analytics solutions provider, TSi will expand in North America by acquiring AutoSoft Inc. of Seattle, WA. TSi provides automotive OEMs, dealer groups, banks and captive finance companies with analytical software that delivers dealerships’ performance data and financial status.
TSi Press Release, June 8, 2010
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 Manheim Index Sets Record Yet Again
Values of late-model units are healthy, says Tom Webb, chief economist at Manheim, as the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index hits record high for 3rd month in a row. Prices of late-model vehicles remain high helped by low levels of new-vehicle inventory.
AutoRemarketing, June 8, 2010
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Set yourself apart by learning some new tactics that go beyond just posting listings -- Register now & spend an hour learning more about how banner advertising can raise your dealership profile and the visibility of your Web site postings.
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what’s significant this week in the news
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Daily clicks to increasing dealer revenue & profits
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 CARS Opens Registration for "Plugging-In"
Center for Automotive Research hosts 2010 Business of Plugging In conference, Oct 12-14, at Detroit Marriott at Renaissance Center. Hear up-to-date info on plug-ins, see display vehicles, try one out in "Ride and Drive." Click here to register. For sponsorship/exhibit opps visit www.bpiconference.com or email.
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 Equity Alerts from Autobase Aids Dealers
Autobase, Inc. (division of Dominion Dealer Solutions), has released "Equity Alerts" -- provides auto dealers with automated process to mine their data for qualified customers who, with no money down, could lower their payment and get into a newer vehicle today. Tells dealers which customers are within dealer’s acceptable profit structure. More info at www.autobase.net.
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 AddOnAuto Helps Dealers Succeed
izmocars, a leading Internet business solutions provider for the auto retailing industry, studied 120+ dealerships that were using the company's AddOnAuto (AOA) in-store accessory solution with tremendous success -- seamlessly integrating accessories shopping and financing with the car purchase and eliminating need to carry excess inventory or contract 3rd-party reselles and installers. More info at www.izmocars.com.
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| How-to’s by industry experts |
 Dealers: Echo Boomers Could Be On Your Doorstep – Now
A recent AutoTrader.com study found that Echo Boomers -- people who are between the ages of 19-35 -- view car ownership as an important and exciting event in their life. Seventy-six percent of Echo boomers in the study agreed with the statement that “Owning a vehicle is an important step to adulthood,” and 73% agreed that “Owning a vehicle is exciting.” There is no doubt you will want to capture the interest of this sizeable group of car shoppers. Click here or click on the image to find out what Echo Boomers want – and don’t want – in a new vehicle purchase!
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auto dealer sales & marketing |
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 Its Draft day -- Who’s Your Pick?By Glenn PaschAs a manager of a sales team or a team of supervisors, there will be a time when you need to bring a new member to the team. You have cut the pile of candidates and resumes down to the final few. On Draft day, choose the player who fits into your overall team’s needs. Don’t try to fit a square peg into a round hole or convince yourself that you can make it work. A lot is going to depend on the makeup of your team. But, more importantly, it will also depend on how you RUN your team. Are you a hands-on and structured supervisor, do you deliver consistent employee training to groom your team members? Or do you just let people do it their way and only focus on the end result? What criteria should you follow when you pick up the phone and call someone to offer the job? Here are three things managers should focus on when deciding on a new team member: 1. Recruit for the position. Don’t try to fit a Top Salesperson who is used to working on their own into a position where they have to work by committee. 2. Recruit for the skills that are important to the position. If work ethic is more important than experience, so be it. I personally would always take someone with 100% work ethic and 75% experience than the other way around. 3. Recruit for personality. This is a bit tougher, but if you already have the high energy, big ego salesperson, don’t hire another one. It can tip the balance of your team. Hire someone who is confident, but a more even keel personality. Glenn Pasch is the President of Improved Performance Solutions. Click here to read this article in its entirety.
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bringing sales into service and service into sales |
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 Add MPi EDGE™ and Watch Profits Rise Service Departments continue to be a large source of profitability for most dealerships today, so it’s always nice to read about a success story. One such story comes from the Cascade Auto Group, Klamath Falls, Oregon, using the MPi EDGE™ solution to track and manage their service department repair orders. “Before, we averaged 1.5 hours of work per RO,” says Brian Lepley, Cascade Service Manager. “Now we average 3.5 hours or more per RO, and that’s directly attributable to the EDGE system.” Click here or click on the image to see how you can get in on the profits!
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driving technology in and around the dealership |
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 Human Factors Influence Automotive TelematicsStudy shows Ford voice technology helps drivers keep eyes on road• A Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study lends further evidence that voice-controlled Ford's SYNC® helps drivers minimize electronics-related distractions. • Researchers found participants took their eyes off the road an average of 10 times longer while manually selecting a song from their MP3 players vs SYNC's voice commands • VTTI study released at the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) World Congress during a panel discussion titled "Human Factors in Driving and Automotive Telematics". • Ford-commissioned VTTI study concluded that drivers were able to dial and complete other tasks more quickly and with less eyes-off-road time when using SYNC. "Read more..."
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how to make & keep your delaership environmentally responsible |
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 Meet Trev: The EV with a 93 Mile RangeA team of students at the University of South Australia have put together an electric commuter car that can go 93 miles without recharging, has a top speed of 75 mph, accelerates 0 to 60 in 10 seconds and costs about .0146 cents per mile! Come on, automakers, if they can do it you can do it! Using light-weight materials, a lithium polymer battery, and a whole lot of ingenuity, this is a project worthy of automotive engineers on a much broader scale. Click here and then click on the image to learn more.
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