Digital

Putting an Empty BDC to Use

Glynn Rodean - In the average dealership without a BDC or call center, the handling of phone calls is still abominable. In reality, business development is more important today than ever and cutting costs in business development can have devastating effects. In some cases, manufacturers are putting more pressure on ..

How BDCs Engage: Phone Calls, E-mails and Twitter

Jim Rucker - While it is possible to complete the details of a car deal through correspondence and ship it to the customer, for the most part a BDC is still shooting for the all-important kept appointment, whether for new customers or be-backs. The tools, however, have expanded tremendously. Every BDC should be taking advantage of the new ways ...

Toyota Sunnyvale's Direct Sales Department Accounts for Half of Dealership Sales

The last month the store topped 600 was September 2008. Its three-month average for December ‘08, January ‘09 and February ‘09 was about 350 units per month, and while those three months are typically the slowest months of the year at Toyota Sunnyvale, Scott Pettitt, direct sales director, said the dip in sales was also partially due to market conditions. The direct sales department, which is similar to an

ILM is Not CRM

Jonathan Ord - Imagine that your dealership was sectioned off into little rooms. When a customer approached your dealership ... they would be escorted to one of the rooms based on something arbitrary, for example, hair color ... Each room would have assigned salespeople ... would have a computer with customer information separate from every other computer. None of the rooms would interact or

Maximizing Lead Performance

Third-party lead providers are still some of the best sources for online leads. The right provider will help you generate the quantity and quality of leads your store needs to boost profits. But it can take more than having a reputable lead provider on board to ensure positive results. Good in-store processes are also necessary to guarantee high close rates...

Prestige Volvo Sees the Future Online

When he was growing up, Matthew Haiken had no doubt about the career he wanted to pursue. “I wanted to be a car dealer from a very young age … I love the business, every aspect of it. I love the competitiveness, the entrepreneurial spirit,” he said. In fact, he started attending 20 group meetings at the age of 16. “I loved being around car dealers; to me they were ...

The Internet and Its Effect on Accounting Departments

Dave Keller - You, your accounting personnel or your accountant can access your data from any Internet connection using communication software such as PC Anywhere, VPN, VNC and terminal services connections. This enables real-time analysis of your dealership data with your accounting personnel. The Internet also lets you download the data to other software or third-party vendors you have authorized to receive your data ...

Warning Bells: The Internet, Pricing and Discounting

Thomas B. Hudson - "Dolly" saw a 2006 Nissan Murano advertised on the Internet. When she contacted the dealer about the car, a dealer representative quoted the purchase price as $15,500. When Dolly drove to the dealership to pick up the car, a second representative told her the purchase price was actually $21,500. “Molly,” Dolly's sister, agreed to act as a co-signer so that Dolly ...

What You Can Uncover with a Few Keystrokes

Harlene Doane - Knowing the basics of how many visitors your site has, the number of page views and the amount of time spent on the site is fairly easy these days, but it is possible to learn so much more. There are several products on the market, many of which are entirely free, that allow you to view your site and marketing efforts from several different perspectives ...

A Time for Change

Jason Ezell - If we can bring people in on pre-owned car deals, then we can show them the excellent deals we have on new vehicles and try to make that switch. Almost half of all people who submit a vehicle lead via the Internet will buy a different vehicle than the one they first inquired about, and over 42 percent of people who submitted a lead on a new vehicle ...

Should Car Dealers be on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace?

Jim Rucker - Social networks have been used as marketing tools since they started getting really hot a few years ago. Businesses have been using MySpace, Facebook and more recently, Twitter to get their message out to an online audience that is willing to listen. The problem that most businesses, including car dealerships, have with marketing through social networks is ...

Raising the Internet Department of Behlmann Automotive

The Internet can be incredibly rewarding with proper nurturing and commitment, and Anthony Bartoli, Internet director and sales manager at Behlmann Pontiac Buick GMC, treats the Internet department like a child—a method that has proved successful at more than one dealership in St. Louis, Mo.

The Bank Defrauded, So I get a Free Car

Thomas B. Hudson - The bailout mentality seems to be everywhere. Here’s an example. Customers borrow money from a bank to finance their car purchases. They default on their loans, and the bank undertakes court actions to recover the vehicles. The consumers discover that the loan officer they dealt with had pled guilty to defrauding the bank. The consumers decided that was reason enough to let them keep their cars ...

Thoughts on the New and Used Vehicle Market

Dave Keller -Chrysler and GM have yet to prove how eliminating dealers is going to save them to a profit. They should let the economics of business weed out the dealers who are not profitable. Sooner or later, the non-profitable and under-capitalized dealers won’t be able to ...

Hangin up the Keys

Ron Smith - If, for whatever reason, you have decided that the time has come for you to exit the industry as a franchised new car dealer, the following is a very brief synopsis of things to consider. The following is a checklist I have given to some clients considering exiting...

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