With many state legislative bodies adjourning after a very busy season, we are seeing quite a few states looking at changes that will affect many auto dealerships. The special blog will be updating our members on the bills that are either in the process of being passed or that I anticipate will be active this year. These are all regarding the posting of surety bonds, a common enough requirement in most states for auto dealers. However, as we are all aware, rules change. To help everyone stay up to date on the latest, here are the bills being considered that I think have a good chance of passing or have just passed this year. Alabama and Motor Vehicle Title Lenders While this isn’t specifically aimed at auto dealerships, there is bound to be an impact on them. In Alabama anyone who is doing business as a motor vehicle title lender will now need a license for each title loan officer. As part of this license they will need to post a $100,000 surety bond, with a cap of $1million ag...Read post

The Truth About Your Data almost always begins with contracts.   I know that dealers are often unaware of the full content and ramifications of vendor and services contracts, and that's why the vendor's sales people make a visit and explain the service delivered by the contract.  To sell you on the value.  And the dealer applies his or her trust of the vendor, weighs the value of the vendor's service, and when he or she buys then makes that decision believing the description matches the service.   The problem can come for the dealer when, in the contract, as I put it, "The Large Print Giveth and The Fine Print Taketh Away".  And that can happen with your data, where it goes, and to what purposes it is put. For example, your vehicle inventory can be syndicated to whatever additional partner websites you allowed in your contracts with any vendor handling your inventory information--and you often don't kno...Read post

A common perception of what makes a business successful is as follows: the leader is a genius who has a vision, defines the strategy, and all the employees work to make that vision into a reality.   The reality, however, is far different. In the best-selling business book, “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t,” by Jim Collins, a team of researchers discovered that the most successful leaders focus on getting the right people on board before they set strategy. In essence, they load a bus with the right people and get them in the right seats, before they decide where to drive the bus.   An example of this was in the early 80’s when Dick Cooley became CEO of Wells Fargo. Cooley foresaw great changes ahead in the banking industry, but he did not know exactly what those changes would be. (Sound familiar? As much as the auto industry has changed in the last few years, I believe more change is ahead).   Instead of tryin...Read post

Lady Gaga has her Little Monsters, Justin Bieber has his Beliebers, Kiss has their Kiss Army, and your dealership has ______? Where are your fans? Musicians focus their marketingon connecting with fans, that’s nothing new, but that approach is grounded in solid business sense. A 2010 Satmetrix study found that evangelists or fans, spend 13% more than the average customer, and they refer business equal to 45% of the money they spend.   How can your dealership think like a rock star?   Work to better understand your advocates. This will also help you determine the context of your relationship. Give your fans the tools and the ability to "share the love."   There's an old marketing adage: Sell the benefit, not the product. Remember that your fans typically love your brand for many reasons other than just the product itself. Think about how your fans use your product and what's important to them.   Seek wa...Read post

MarketingProfs recently revealed data by Curalate and Digitas, discussing the engagement of automotive brands and the automotive community on Pinterest. This information reinforces the need for dealerships to get involved on this social media site, and provides helpful information on when it is best to post your content. Below are details from the report that you may find useful for your interactions on Pinterest: 75% of the conversation and engagement around autos on Pinterest is being driven by the community, with only 25% of content originating from brands. Top automotive brands average three repins on every pin, whereas the community averages 10 repins per pin.   Are you using the right keywords? Are you pinning at the right time of day? Are you repinning enough? Are your images eye-catching? These are some questions you should be asking if your brand hasn’t received as much attention as you were hoping for from this social medi...Read post

Web based CRM basically refers to the provision of the functionality of Customer Relationship Management through the internet.Read post

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