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
dealerships
The Art of Detecting Manipulations in Marketing Reports
A while back, my teammates looked into performance reports from various vendors and agencies, trying to assess the industry standard. I’d love to say we were surprised by the amount of vanity metrics used by some agencies, but truth be told - it’s becoming more and more common to embellish reports with meaningless statistics, or manipulate data to imply positive results, … [Read more...] about The Art of Detecting Manipulations in Marketing Reports
Plan, People and Profitability: A Lesson in Chicken
When a cashier takes your money for your purchase and then sends you off with a deadpan, “have a good one,” how do you feel? On the other hand, Chick-fil-A restaurant’s signature send-off, “My pleasure,” is a big reason it is the most profitable fast-food business in the country. According to an article in Entrepreneur.com, Chick-fil-A “makes more per restaurant than … [Read more...] about Plan, People and Profitability: A Lesson in Chicken
Tracking Online Reputation: You’re Still Counting The Wrong Thing
There is no denying that generating new reviews, week in and week out, is a critical component to a dealer’s business process, but a common misconception is that review count then, should be an important number to monitor. Well, it is and it isn’t. Review count should be tracked, but only to measure one thing: does my review solicitation process work? However, the volume of … [Read more...] about Tracking Online Reputation: You’re Still Counting The Wrong Thing
Commission Breath
What is that awful smell? You know, that smell you sniff when you meet a “slick” salesperson? What is the definition of a professional? Is it someone who makes $75,000/year or more in their profession? Are you a professional? You probably have your own definition. How do you become a “pro” in F&I? The first step is to brush your teeth and remove the commission breath many … [Read more...] about Commission Breath