Auto Retail News

Listening to my iPod while mowing the yard this past weekend, the Eagles song “Life in the Fast Lane” began playing. Hearing it, triggered an experience I had a few years ago and gave way to my thinking about the power of growth potential

As all of you are aware for 28 years I have been teaching you in class that “every used car has a story, but if you can’t tell it, you can’t sell it.” The importance of having a customer involved in their trade in is vitally important to the

I find that most disappointments in the monthly financial statement come from a lack of daily reporting. In fact, I’ve been a long-time hater of our whole month end process. We basically shut down all accounting operations for three to five days wh

What is your dealership real estate worth today? That is a very good question, and not one that is easily answered. Most dealers and their lenders order an MIA appraisal to determine real estate value. Unfortunately, during the recent real estate bub

I discovered a well-written, easy to read, instructional paperback written by Gary Vann, the VP of Sales and Marketing for Mighty Auto Parts, a nationwide aftermarket maintenance parts distribution company located in the Atlanta area. Mr. Vann is obv

The entire history of auto sales has been defined by the dealer’s quest to control the selling process. Pre-Internet, that was straightforward: the customer walked in the door, the music started, and the Four Square Dance began. Today, the customer

A friend of mine bought a vacuum cleaner and was proudly touting the features and benefits over a beverage the other night. To hear him talk, it was the Mac-Daddy of all vacuum cleaners. I think it even discards the junk it collects by itself. His en

Every day I’m more convinced that dealers’ strategy for making money in used car operations is outdated and wrong. Have a conversation with any dealer or manager about used car operations and the words “gross profit” will be mentioned in shor

It doesn’t matter if your name is on the building or if you’re “just drawing a paycheck,” your dealership’s online reputation is quickly becoming the most important attribute of your long- and short-term marketing strategy. Even if you’re