Want to crop the background off a new car photo, resize your headshot, or see what your dealership logo would look like in different colors? No need to hire out for a graphic designer or invest in some pricey software. Everything you need is already in your Microsoft Word program. We’re not talking about Picasso or Banksy here. But I’m going to show you how to do a bit of image editing on some of Word’s secret graphic tools.

Insert Your Image

Open a blank Word document (you can always do this on an existing one, too, like a sales sheet or product brochure). Click the Insert tab, click the Picture button (if you’re on Word 2013, this says Pictures), browse to the image you want to edit and double-click it.

Click the picture to open Word’s “secret” Picture Tools tab. It’s pink and it opens above the ribbon, but it only appears if you click and enable the image. Click off the image and the tab – and its associated ribbon – disappears. I’m going to assume from this point on you have the tab open. Hint: If you ever can’t find a button or menu I’m referring to, try clicking the picture and re-opening the tab.

Try to move the picture. Note that Word sort of hangs onto it. This isn’t going to work very long. Click the Position button on the ribbon and choose the Position in Center option. Your picture moves – don’t worry, it’s only slightly – but now you can drag it wherever you want. You can actually choose any of the position buttons, because it just means you get to drag and move the image as you like.

Resize Your Image

Anyone who’s spent any time around a computer knows the old click the corner, drag it in or out to resize technique. I hope, at least, you’re holding down the Shift key if you do this, to maintain your size ratios (unless you want customers expecting you to look like a fun house clown). But you can resize more accurately from the tab.

Click the image to open the Picture Tools tab if you haven’t yet. Note the size boxes on the right side of the ribbon. Type into ONE of the two (either Height or Width). Note that Word automatically resizes the other, to keep your size constraints (no fun house clown). This is really helpful when you know exactly what you need, like your internet manager tells you your website headshot must be 2 inches by 2 inches, for example.

The Crop tool can be your friend, especially if you have excess stuff on the top or sides of a picture. It’s right next to the resize buttons. Click the tool. Check out your image – there’s some weird stuff framing it now. Click and drag in on either side, from the top down, or from the bottom up. For example, if you’ve got a far-off picture of a car length-wise, with too much background on either side, this lets you narrow the focus on just what you want to show.

A note about resizing: It’s always better to reduce rather than enlarge. So, start with a bigger picture than you need and shrink it, rather than taking a small image and trying to make it bigger. When you stretch an image, you put the picture at risk of a process called pixilation. The picture gets fuzzy, blurred, or worse, starts to actually appear as if there are holes in it. Avoid at all costs.

Color Your World

And now for the artistic stuff. First, let’s do a background check. As in, removing it. Click the picture and once the ribbon and tab appear, click the Recolor button. Click the Set Transparent Color tool. Once your cursor changes view, click the background and it magically disappears! You might use this, for example, if your headshot is on a black background and you want to put yourself on a sales flier with a green background. Click around – you’ll probably have to do it multiple times to get as much background off as you can. Remember, this is Word, not Photoshop, so it’s not perfect, but it’s pretty darn cool to see background go away in a click. Hint: The more solid your background is (think a wall, rather than multi-colored flowers), the easier it’ll be to remove.

View your image in an entirely new color scheme by clicking the Recolor button. Then just glide your cursor – without clicking – over the different colors. Watch your picture scroll through the different options, such as drenched purple, saturated red, black and white, washout/watermark. Create an old-timey look in sepia for an ad, for example, in a single click. It’s incredible what you can do with almost no effort at all.

Check out the Brightness and Contrast options in the same area of the ribbon. These can be great to experiment with for quick fixes like if you notice you got a little too much light in your headshot, took a car picture in the dusk, etc. Again, this is Word, but it’s sure better than just leaving things as they are.

Get Framed

And now for a little fun. What better way to bring the eye to your image, especially if you’re placing it on a text-heavy document like a model-release flier, than to frame it?

Click the image, then glide the cursor over the Picture Styles section of the ribbon. Same as above – don’t click. Instead, you can see your picture take on the frame style you’re hovering over. Don’t forget to scroll that section of the ribbon, there are more frame options than you can see. And of course, click if you like the frame. If you like it almost but not entirely, enjoy some DIY courtesy of the Picture Border, Picture Effects, and Picture Shape menus directly to the right of the Picture Styles section.

* A note on versioning. These instructions are written for Word 2007 and Word 2010 users, so if you’re on 2013, 2003, or gasp, something from the 1990s, you may see a bit of differences. I’ve tried to make this pretty much one-size-fits-all, but Microsoft does like to shuffle its menus around. (You know, the whole ribbon vs toolbar, menus vs tabs thing.)

I’m a frustrated technical writer in a marketing girl’s body. Please let me know if there are other tips and tricks you’d like explained. I live for this stuff. Feel free to check out my profile wall for free downloads of eBooks I’ve created for the auto industry. Now go get “in the picture!”

My new free eBook, "Winning the Waiting (Room) Game" just came out, and while it's targeted to auto aftermarket/repair shops, I see a lot of similarities for auto dealership waiting areas. Where I worked @ Ford in NorCal, there was no waiting room. There were 2 facing couches outside my office, in the middle of the floor (high traffic), right outside the sales fishbowl. Not the most ideal setup.

So I created this eBook with the auto industry in mind. There are certain things people seem to be happy to wait for: the perfect table at Nobu, Cabbage Patch Dolls, anything Apple releases, the touring company of “Jersey Boys” to hit their local theater. While you can’t ever expect your customers are going to eagerly camp out in front of your auto repair shop’s doors just to get the hottest new oil change supplies, you can make the experience a little better for them by making it as short as possible.

Pay it forward: Everyone’s heard of pizza companies' “30 minutes or it’s free” promise, and now cable companies are getting into the “2 hour window or we’ll pay you $20” game. Make the same offer to your customers and see how much more quickly things get done. Being under the gun can increase your admins or F&I speed, but make sure you help them buy-in to the process (consider operating on both sides of the fence: give customers a gas card when their service times run late, but give your employees a bonus when they get done under the time frame as well).

Master your schedule: This one takes a little bit of time, but the investment pays off. You may feel like an air traffic controller, trying to keep all your employees’ and customers’ preferences in line. Some sales people don’t want to be scheduled for nights, weekends, or holidays, but guess what? That’s when customers may have the most time to check out cars. So you’ll need to check records of when you’ve had the highest sales volume (Friday nights? Sunday afternoons?) and add in appropriate staff. Someone on your workforce will be glad to have the hours, and more people on the lot means fewer minutes in the waiting room.

Call it concierge: Shuttle service is pretty passé these days, almost every dealership and shop has them. You may be surprised what a slight name change does to customer impression. Offer a concierge driving service while customers wait, to areas of interest such as malls, local colleges, airports, restaurants, and tourist attractions. Of course, your drivers can always take customers home and back. Don’t forget to brand your shuttle with the dealership’s logo and website.

Sometimes, there’s just no way to cut down waiting time. Salespeople are backed up, a credit check is running long, your vehicle is in the car wash. So, you need to take a strong, hard look at your waiting room accommodations. Customers may spend the better part of a day in your waiting room – do you want them to go home cramped, bored, and annoyed, or refreshed after an enjoyable escape from the world? You can win the waiting room game, but you can’t win if you don’t play. Download our free e-book, “How to Win the Waiting (Room) Game," and get tips on the best refreshments, activities, and electronics that will make your waiting room truly worth the wait.

Hey you! Not to sound like your mom here, but don't slouch! If you've been on your feet all day selling, the last thing you want to do is sit ramrod straight at your desk, right? Whether you're cubicle-jockeying your way through the day's quota or taking a break between sales, there's an important message here. The way you sit can actually affect the way you feel the entire rest of the day.

Sitting is something we take for granted – butt, meet chair – but the way you sit can affect your mood, health, and even outlook every day. It’s even got a fancy name, ergonomics.

What ergonomics isn’t:

• Super confusing
• Expensive
• A disruption of your workday and workflow
• Something that will take away from your current décor or floor plan
• Painful

Mama Said It Best

Go ahead, slouch. It feels soooooooo good. But not to all parts of your body. Your stomach is getting squashed, your neck is overextended, and your spine is totally out of alignment. So all those times that Mom told you to sit up straight, she was right. She was gently prodding you to maintain what the University of California, San Francisco calls a “neutral posture.” Neutral posture is win-win, because you don’t have to exert much effort to maintain it, but it also primes your body so that its organs and structures can perform their functions with the least possible strain.

Two on the Floor

Why is arranging your office chair to enable you to sit comfortably with your feet flat on the floor the recommended way of ergonomists? Cross your legs right now and notice how your hips are out of alignment with the rest of your body, and your thighs are squished together, smashing blood flow between the two. One of your shoulders may even be lower than the other. That’s no way to go about the day! Two feet on the floor, suggested by experts such as those at Tennessee Tech University, sets your legs free and puts your body back into that easy but aligned position.

Chin Check

Imagine there’s a laser pointer on your forehead. Now look at your computer monitor. Is the laser beam pointing at an upward angle? Down? Straight in front of you? The University of California, Riverside’s ergonomics experts suggest that your computer screen should sit at a slight downward angle. When it’s up too high, you hold your neck – for 8 or more hours! – at a very straining position. Just for a moment, point your chin up in the air like you’re a seal balancing a ball. (Admit it – sometimes your job tasks make you feel like that trained seal.) While you’d never choose to do this, when your computer is configured that way, your body unfortunately does it gradually, until you’re doing it constantly, under the radar.

Save Money and Yourself

The biggest benefit of office ergonomics may be to your bottom line. While there certainly are products that cater to ergonomic efforts, such as specialty chairs and keyboard wrist rests, you can accomplish quite a lot toward ergonomic success without spending a dime. It’s all in how you configure your existing setup – and yourself! Encourage your fellow employees to do so too, and you may see fewer trips to the doctor, chiropractor, and pharmacist!

So you’ve adjusted your chair, settled your computer monitor, started holding better posture positions and you’re still not feeling tip top? We have some other ideas to soothe your moods. We developed a free soul-nourishing Cookbook eBook, available right here. I created it for office managers (the original target of our educational post), but think you may enjoy it too! Share it with your admins, bring it home to the family, and let me know what you think!

Click the image above, or grab your free cookbook here: http://bit.ly/1fDCdzf

pulled from a blog by my coworker, Brandon Weaver

The winter holidays are fast approaching. For auto dealers this means three things: chilly weather, holiday sales and finally being able to take that much needed, much deserved vacation. Pump the brakes on that idea this year.

1.  Consumer Demand & Hiring Are Up

Historically, holiday shutdowns let U.S. auto makers cut back on their inventories and encourage worker vacations. Not so much nowadays, as the AP reports "factories are operating at about 95 percent of capacity, and many are already running three shifts." Working longer hours is one of the common things we hear from the auto industry. Adding floor space and some much needed equipment to accommodate industry demand is a likely solution.

Auto sales continue to increase, as evidenced by Detroit's Big Three living up to their names, posting their best monthly sales in five years. Plus, you have the traditional Veterans' Day and Thanksgiving sales to move cars off the lot. Adding extra people can help lighten your load. All of this being said, with demand picking up just in time for cars under the Christmas trees, a vacation is probably not in the cards.

2.  Financing is Easier for Consumers Today

"No industry has benefited more from the unfreezing of credit markets than new and used vehicles," says Businessweek. What does this mean? An even bigger incentive for consumers to buy or lease. Case in point: Experian Automotive says auto leasing reached record highs since they began collecting data.

With more consumers spending on autos this year, they're still not going to be carrying wads of cash or putting a down payment on a vehicle using plastic. A program such as C.A.R.S. allows you to guarantee and process check payments faster than depositing them at the bank. In a way, using this is like a mini vacation because it eliminates the time and hassle of going to the bank.

3.  Airline Prices Keep Going Up

Sure, you can travel locally but if you're going anywhere of real distance, chances are it's going to require a plane ride. Plus, we're not only referring to ticket costs. Checked baggage, in-flight services and other fees apply. Recent airline mergers are not helping either because that only means fewer routes and seats. Add in family members and the costs grow exponentially.

With auto sales numbers rebounding to pre-recession levels and the travel industry not really incentivizing you to leave, is a vacation really worth it this winter? If so, we suggest you take it sooner rather than later. Or, make it a shorter vacation you can drive to and from. In the end though, postponing that trip of yours looks like the smarter decision. What else is a smart decision? Downloading a free eBook on scripts that combat those nasty car sales person stereotypes. Get 9 practiceable ways to beat a bad rep!  http://bit.ly/1gK8Ywg

What’s the ratio of customers who arrive on your lot open to buying used vehicles versus the only-new buyers? Probably a fraction of the amount that come looking to buy new. Of course, your profit margin is usually way higher on new vehicles, but there are many more reasons to turn folks down your Used Car Lane. We’ll get to those nuggets of inspiration, but first, here’s a list of other things that you just can’t beat buying used.

Records

When singer Beck mumbles, “Where it’s at?,” the response isn’t “I’ve got two MP3 players and a microphone.” It’s “two turntables,” and Beck and every EDM DJ in the world won’t stop spinning records just because they’re almost entirely gone from the scene. Digital downloads may have killed the record star, but you can still find these bastions of vinyl. Check around college campuses (if you’re near Santa Rosa Junior College in Sonoma County, California, The Last Record Store should be a stop on your tour), urban-hipster areas, and more. What can you do there you can’t do on iTunes? How about flip through actual sleeves with gorgeous cover artwork, make stacks in your arms, and discover works from people long gone from the scene?

Clothes

Ahhh, everything old is new again. We’ve already seen things like flared pants, neon, and fringe vests come and go for a second tour. While you can probably purchase a brand new, mass-produced-in-a-sweatshop version from any store in the mall, if you want something authentic, you’ve got to go used. Or as some stores say, vintage. It can revamp your entire look – or look for a day. The best thing is, used clothes run the gamut of all budgets. In charity shops like the Salvation Army, you can fill a paper sack with new looks for an entire week and spend about a dollar.

Houses

Quick, close your eyes and picture the term “Fixer Upper.” Did your heart just start to race at the fact that you’ve now got a reason for multiple trips to Home Depot, new tools, and getting your hands dirty? Or did you have a panic attack along the lines of the movie “The Money Pit” with Tom Hanks and Shelley Long? Used homes are not always money pits. In many cases, their owners are so desperate to sell that they’ve invested an immense amount of money to increase the home’s value, including fresh paint, updated appliances, new windows, and professionally cleaned carpets. And you’re much more likely to be able to bargain on a used home.

Collectibles

Peanut the Elephant is a Beanie Baby, and at one time, caused so much panic and disorder that people were breaking into malls to get the fist-sized blue beanbag. Oh, and paying around $5,000 for it too. So $5,000 for a small stuffed animal isn’t so great, but the thrill of the hunt is pretty nice. Becoming a bounty hunter for something you collect, whether it is baseball cards, original verified chunks from the Berlin Wall, or Hello Kitty paraphernalia, makes the chase fun. After all, there’s always the thrill of finding something that you know is a diamond in the rough, but the seller thinks is just an old clam.

Cars

Which leads us to cars. Even if you don’t want to memorize statistics, there are some good things to know. The Bankrate website notes that a new car can depreciate up to 30% in the very first year it’s driven off the lot. You can also let your customers know that they’ll almost definitely pay less in insurance on a used car, since insurance is valuated at the worth of the car, as is the registration cost. When you factor in all of the hefty research and stats available on used vehicles through options such as Carfax reports, customers should have lots of peace of mind.

Whether the majority of your sales come from new or used vehicles, present your customers with the opportunity to pay with multiple checks, and save yourself the time to guarantee and process them with our C.A.R.S. remote deposit capture program. Download this NEW (we promise, this time it's worth it) guide for all the details: http://bit.ly/1edQShh