Yes. Now let me explain. In our industry – as well as life – we continuously talk about transparency. Let’s be brutally honest here. Sometimes honesty isn’t the best policy. Is it always that way in real life? If your wife asks you whether she looks fat, you know you’re always going to say “No.”[…]
A recent study by the Tempkin Group found that it takes an average of five clients giving positive referrals for your business in order to get one new client. Yet it takes only two disgruntled customers speaking negatively about your business for you to lose one customer. You do the math…that means it’s twice as important to[…]
If you were to ask today’s consumers if they’d like to hang out at a car dealership, chances are that the majority would respond “no.” When consumers do visit a dealership to purchase a vehicle or get their vehicle serviced, many times the process can be longer than desired and is not always a great[…]
In a world filled with loyalty programs, it’s always interesting when I talk to a dealership that harbors doubts. The cost involved in having a loyalty program is minimal compared to the revenue generated. However, at times it seems as if dealers are intimidated by the effort it would take to administer one. Loyalty program[…]
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “Work your pay plan.” It doesn’t matter whether you held a position in sales, service, or parts, this advice has always been considered good. Towards the end of the month, when Sales Managers need those extra units sold on the weekends in order to hit bonuses from the manufacturer,[…]
One of the challenges that dealers and managers face when analyzing their marketing budgets is sourcing traffic. Do you find anomalies in your sources when reviewing the sourcing of your store’s traffic? Is every customer being reported in your CRM as generated via a Walk-in, Billboard, Auto Mall or AAA? AAA sounds great until you[…]
As football season approaches, I am reminded of a story that was widely publicized last spring. Joe Flacco, having just signed a $121 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens which made him the highest-paid player in the NFL, decided to celebrate by going to McDonald’s. Why would a man who could obviously afford to celebrate anywhere choose[…]
A customer becomes loyal to a company and its products and service on step at a time. By understanding the customer’s current loyalty stage, you can better determine what’s necessary to move that customer to the next level of loyalty. Our “Growing Loyal Customers” system comprises six stages: suspect, prospect, first-time customer, repeat customer, client and[…]
Every business should be implementing new growth strategies as the market finally picks up steam. Your CRM system can be a valuable asset if utilized properly. On the other hand, it can be a growth deterrent if mismanaged. Simply put, your CRM system should acquire, grow and retain profitable customer relationships in order to create[…]