Car Pursuit announce new mobile web research and development blog to introduce research, technology, and mobile marketing case studies for the automotive retailers.Read post

Many dealers will tell you that the phone prospect is their most valuable source of new business; yet 1 in 4 sales calls go unanswered. And experts forecast a 25% increase in incoming calls to automotive dealerships within the next year. Register for this webinar to learn proven strategies to improve the way your inbound and outbound calls are managed.Read post

Find out what Star Trek, Chickens, and Brand Management have in common!Read post

You probably have noticed J.C. Penney's heartfelt apology taking over the airwaves afterposting a 13 billion decline in revenue while trying to attract young customers to their stores.  In this newadvertising campaign, the company admits it made mistakes and alienated many of its longtime customers. The voice-over in its most recent ad, "It's No Secret" states: “Some changes you liked, and some you didn't. But what matters with mistakes is what we learn. We learned a very simple thing, to listen to you."   What if YOU make a mistake?   Admit it--  Managers often look to protect themselves instead of helping the dealership move forward. None of these actions will win back your customers; the only way to get past a mistake is to apologize sincerely and swiftly.   Be empathetic--While there are many things outside your control, you can train your staff to practice empathy when the customer ...Read post

I’ve recently been reading a book called, To Sell is Human by Daniel H. Pink, and he writes about how although 1 in 9 Americans work in the sales industry, we are all involved in some kind of non-sales selling activity in our lives - such as, convincing, persuading, and moving others. This certainly applies to dealerships, because although some your employees are traditional salesmen, there are others, such as managers and owners, who need to realize the importance of selling in their own position, which will absolutely improve your business’ culture and customer experiences. In the second chapter, Pink mentions a small business called Brooklyn Brine, whose founder, Shamus Jones, after spending a lot of time away from his factory/storefront, knows that when he returns “his job is to influence employees--so they do their jobs with zeal and with skill.”   Why is it a necessary part of the job for Shamus to influence his employees?   The re...Read post

​Many people really don’t know exactly what a Public Relations firm does. The common answer is “write press releases,” but I can guarantee you public relations firms do not sit around all day and just write press releases (or at least good ones). So what, exactly, do we do? As defined by the Public Relations Society of America, Public Relations is all of the following: “Anticipating, analyzing and interpreting public opinion, attitudes and issues that might impact, for good or ill, the operations and plans of the organization. Counseling management at all levels in the organization with regard to policy decisions, courses of action and communication, taking into account their public ramifications and the organization’s social or citizenship responsibilities. Researching, conducting and evaluating, on a continuing basis, programs of action and communication to achieve the informed public understanding necessary to the success of an...Read post

ALBANY, N.Y. – May 14th, 2013 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (http://www.automate.com) announced today that its AMPS Dealership Management System (DMS) is fully integrated with Xtime ServiceCRM, the leading cloud-based customer retention management (CRM) and scheduling platform for the automotive service industry. Dealers using AMPS can now take advantage of seamless, bi-directional data exchange with Xtime Service CRM to improve customer relationships in their service departments.   “Dealers have come to rely on their fixed ops departments for a significant portion of revenue, and making the service experience pleasant for customers is increasingly important to stay competitive,” said Mike Esposito, President and CEO of Auto/Mate Dealership Systems. “The integration benefits all of our customers who are currently using or would like to use Xtime.”   “Consumer expectations of what a dealership service experience should be have rea...Read post

It seems the driverless car will soon be reality. I had hoped at one time I might retire before computers became so necessary, but that hope was 30 years off. Not so these man-less vehicles. For those of us who enjoy the physical, mental and spiritual act of driving a motor vehicle and navigating it over hill and dale, simply being driven about seems so, well, unfortunate. Given all this change, I was reminded of an editorial I wrote years back when I was a classic car columnist for a major metro newspaper. I thought it appropriate to republish here:  I’ve been asked many times this question: What is it about old cars that appeals to you?  I find it a question not answered in few words. Why? Because owning and driving an old car is part poetry, part history and a lot of enjoyment. Owning and driving an old car is poetry because of the romance the owner develops with his or her car. A romance it is too – complete with affection, anger, pride and satisfaction...Read post