Practical articles for dealership teams on the service drive, the sales floor and in the F&I office.
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Service Drive
A service walk-around should be performed on every vehicle in the service drive. The customer should be asked to participate, but how do you know when you’re doing it right? When the customer kneels…
Ted Ings2 min read
Service Drive
Customer satisfaction and enhanced profitability are two reasons to incorporate a formalized service process at your dealership. So how do you get started? Your service process should begin exactly…
Ted Ings3 min read
F&I
Perception is reality. Picture this: you’re just ironing out the deal on your brand new car. Picking up a pen, you’re ready to sign the dotted line…when you see a few hundred dollars tacked onto the…
Ted Ings1 min read
Technology
Vehicles just five to ten years old have equipment now considered obsolete. How can you stay up to date with automotive technology when it moves at such a rapid pace? It’s not easy, and plenty of…
Ted Ings3 min read
Service Drive
Consistency needs to be a cornerstone of any business if you want to succeed. In customer service, in the application of company policy, in training methods and sales techniques, consistency is a…
Ted Ings4 min read
Industry Leaders
With all of the hype of future autonomous driving and forces of retail disruption, it makes sense to look back and reflect on where our industry got its roots ... Henry Ford was an American…
Ted Ings4 min read
BDC and Marketing
It happens to everyone working in content creation and social media: you run out of things to say. You’ve already written about everything on your content list. The well has run dry. When it happens…
Ted Ings2 min read
Customer Experience
Picture this: a customer’s multi-point inspection reveals an oil leak, a suspension problem, or some other expensive repair. You know the customer, and it’s going to be a tough sell. They’ve been…
Ted Ings2 min read
Technology
Tesla, Volvo, BMW, Toyota, Nissan, and at least 14 other car companies are working feverishly to develop self-driving technology. Billions of dollars are invested, all with the intent that…
Ted Ings1 min read
Industry Leaders
American auto executive Lee Iacocca became a world-renowned business icon for steering the Chrysler Corporation away from bankruptcy toward record profits in the 1980s. “I chose the automobile…
Ted Ings5 min read
F&I
Customers have responded that they wish the F&I process was better and that the car buying experience was faster. There’s a way to address both problems with a single item. When the customer is…
Ted Ings1 min read
Sales
Whether you like it or not, it still takes a car buyer over three hours in the dealership to buy a car, start to finish. It’s the case even when they’ve already narrowed down their choice to just one…
Ted Ings2 min read
Sales
Millennials operate in the moment, evident by smartphone statistics as well as apps like Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter. Facebook is considered passé. It’s an absolutely telling trend that gives new…
Ted Ings1 min read
Sales
Recent statistics indicate that as much as 68% of vehicle buyers never receive a follow-up phone call after they purchased their vehicle. It’s no wonder that the average dealership sees fewer than 30%…
Ted Ings2 min read
BDC and Marketing
Business Development Centers are nothing new to the retail auto industry The conversations, however, surrounding “what is BDC?” continue to evolve with new omnichannel opportunities. Conversations…
Ted Ings8 min read
Industry Leaders
About one in seven people in Massachusetts buy a car from Herb Chambers’ fifty-six dealerships each year, nearly all of which bear his name. So how did he get there? Herb Chambers is the 17th largest…
CPI4 min read
Service Drive
Most customers don’t have a clue about proper vehicle maintenance. At best, they know to change their oil every few thousand miles. If you don’t use a service menu to remind these individuals of the…
Ted Ings3 min read
Service Drive
Join us for a complimentary, interactive roundtable among industry peers, featuring an in-depth discussion of strategies and concepts that will forever change the way your fixed-ops team works with…
CPI1 min read
Sales
If you are to become what is expected of a top sales professional, you’ll need to become a people expert. To do that you must first be able to identify different personality types. Personality…
Ted Ings2 min read
Service Drive
The dealership service experience doesn’t end when the customer picks up their vehicle from the cashier. For the next three to six months, the service department needs to communicate with their…
Ted Ings2 min read
People
Mary Barra, Chairman and Chief Executive of GM is the first female CEO of a major global automaker, 34 years after she had started working at the company as an 18-year-old. Here she shares her life…
CPI4 min read
Service Drive
Imagine getting trained to sell, then being left to do your job for years and years. It doesn’t sound like the way to grow and improve, does it? Your product has changed significantly, and the way to…
Ted Ings2 min read
F&I
Anyone who’s bought a car from a dealership or worked in an auto sales department can identify with “The Box”. The sales agreement has been signed. The next step is to visit the F&I office, also known…
Ted Ings2 min read
Service Drive
Wouldn’t it be great to improve your hours per RO, and subsequently your dollars per RO? That’s one of the goals in every service department nationwide. For a small store that averages 500 repair…
Ted Ings2 min read