Practical articles for dealership teams on the service drive, the sales floor and in the F&I office.
327 articles
Service Drive
Autotrader published a study, the Maintenance & Repair Study, in 2016. For the automotive service industry, some very telling facts come to light in its pages. Less than one in three car buyers visits…
CPI2 min read
Sales
Do you dream about what the future will bring for you? Do you set your mind on things you hope to achieve? Do you dream about success? If not, you could be setting yourself up for a life of…
CPI1 min read
Service Drive
Service advisors are like athletes, there’s an expected performance level to stay a professional. Also, a service advisor has hot streaks and slow periods, just like most athletes do. When a service…
CPI2 min read
BDC and Marketing
Effective communication plays a pivotal role in the customer relationship, especially in the automotive industry. It’s recognized as an area that requires improvement by some of the biggest names in…
CPI2 min read
Service Drive
For a process to be successful, you’ll need to make commitments and consistently meet them. This is true throughout the dealership. Getting your service department process to that point takes a lot of…
CPI2 min read
Customer Experience
When your guests ask you for a loaner car, what do you do? Most dealerships pick up the phone and dial one of a half-dozen popular car rental agencies. Whether or not you charge your guests is at…
CPI2 min read
Technology
A recent Axios poll surveyed men and women of all ages about the development of self-driving cars, also known as autonomous vehicles. Across the whole demographic spectrum, only one in four responded…
CPI2 min read
F&I
Financial Services Managers: The early bird gets the worm This old adage addresses the fact that opportunities are best when you get the jump on the situation. And this is certainly true when it comes…
CPI2 min read
Customer Experience
It’s a physiological difference. That’s how Katie Mares, Customer Experience and Leadership Consultant views the differences between male and female customer service interactions. According to Katie…
CPI2 min read
Sales
Recently, the story dropped of a salesman at Les Stanford Chevrolet Cadillac named Ali Reda. Ali has reportedly bested the long-standing sales record of vehicles sold in a year. The dealership claims…
CPI2 min read
Service Drive
The service walk-around is complete. The customer has joined the service advisor as they’ve peeked and prodded around their car in the service drive. It’s been interactive with the advisor involving…
CPI2 min read
Service Drive
Advertising campaigns focus on new models released and special limited-time offers. Car manufacturers target new vehicle sales heavily, and that’s what most people expect. Every carmaker wants to grab…
CPI1 min read
F&I
Vehicle financing is changing. For decades, the F&I manager has been the point person to not just squeeze the bank for rates and terms the customer will accept, but also to upsell those back-end…
CPI1 min read
Service Drive
An elderly lady drives her 10-year-old car into the service drive. The corners of the bumpers are lightly scuffed, the rims have curb rash, and the odometer has a third of the average miles for a car…
CPI1 min read
Industry Leaders
There are many stories of successful business leaders and dealerships using Carl Sewell's philosophies as their bible and giving copies of his best-selling book to all their staff. “Customers for…
CPI1 min read
Sales
Used vehicle sales make up roughly a third of every franchised dealership’s sales every year. But according to National Automobile Dealers Association data, despite a slight rise in average used car…
CPI2 min read
Service Drive
"You will be satisfied." This is the credo that governs the Tasca family dealerships in New England, that achieve success by consistently satisfying customers. Early in his career, founder Bob Tasca…
CPI3 min read
Service Drive
“I’ve been doing it this way for 25 years! I know how to sell and there’s nothing new you can tell or show me!” I’m sure you’ve heard this or something like it. There will always be those who don’t…
CPI1 min read
Service Drive
Motivational speakers would have you believe that simply putting your head down and working hard is the best way to become your best self. While there’s something to be said for work ethic as a…
CPI2 min read
Service Drive
It isn’t a statistic that gets tracked, but service managers spend more time at their desk each day than among their staff and customers. Look in the service department at any dealership, you’ll find…
CPI1 min read
F&I
Equifax, one of the dominant credit bureaus in the world, experienced a targeted attack in 2017. Approximately 145 million Americans were affected in some way, with over 200,000 credit card numbers…
CPI2 min read
Sales
Giving more than you’re paid for earns huge dividends. If you look around you, it will be apparent that there are two types of people in the world. There are those who say, “When this company decides…
CPI2 min read
Service Drive
You look in a mirror every morning. It's simply designed simply to allow us to see ourselves as others see us. “Mirror Imaging” is a way beyond hot concept that requires you to set aside, for a…
CPI2 min read
Sales
Successful leaders rely on the talents, abilities and input of their team members. Bosses rely on themselves. Is there a difference, and does it really matter? When was the last time you had a big…
CPI1 min read