It's no secret that online reviews hold more clout with potential customers than ever before. Digital word of mouth is having an outsized impact on your dealership, whether you like it or not. But, it is absolutely possible to use online reviews to your advantage. Dealing with customer reviews of your dealership boils down to two essentials: engaging with those customers in … [Read more...] about Essential Things to Know About Handling Customer Reviews
Grow Your Base Through Conquest
Humans are born to compete. As far back as ancient times, when we competed over every available resource as a matter of life and death, the idea that survival and prosperity are born from struggle seems to be woven into our DNA. The same concept applies in the business world, and certainly in the automotive retailing industry. The fact is a finite number of potential … [Read more...] about Grow Your Base Through Conquest
Sales Opportunities Start… In Service?
It might sound counterintuitive, but one of your best ongoing opportunities for boosting dealership sales lies in the Service department. Consider the typical sales prospect walking through your showroom front doors. They wait for an average of six years between vehicle purchases.1 Their life circumstances are wildly different from the last time they bought, and yet they … [Read more...] about Sales Opportunities Start… In Service?
Declined Service Work or Targeted Marketing Opportunity?
The word “innovation” gets thrown around a lot when we talk about dealers who manage to stay ahead of the curve year after year, even as the industry continues to change around them. But it gets repeated so often that I fear we might be losing sight of what innovation actually is and why it has value for the dealership in the first place. What innovation is not is simply … [Read more...] about Declined Service Work or Targeted Marketing Opportunity?
Want to be Profitable for the Long Term? Rethink How You Approach Service Marketing
Everything from thinning profit margins in new vehicle sales to increased competition from direct-to-consumer manufacturers – like Tesla and Rivian – is combining to put the squeeze on your variable operations. Indeed, recent NADA reports show the average fixed operations department provides approximately 50 percent of their dealership’s gross profits – and yet, most … [Read more...] about Want to be Profitable for the Long Term? Rethink How You Approach Service Marketing