We here at DrivingSales offer our condolences to the families of those involved. Alan Ram was an industry insider who will be missed by many.

Alan Ram, 53, and passenger Krista Buchanan, 22, have been killed after a plane crash near Falcon Field Airport.

The aircraft that crashed was a Lancair Evolution, which Ram was piloting.

Ram was a successful businessman in the automotive space who owned Alan Ram’s Proactive Training Solutions. His business focused on increasing individual and dealership productivity in the industry

Ram served as a Marine early in his life and was about to get married. Ram owned many planes, including the Lancair Evolution that went down Monday afternoon.

Mesa police and fire crews were dispatched to Longbow Golf Course just before 5 p.m. Monday when the plane crashed on the 10th hole fairway.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the plane reported mechanical trouble and couldn't reach the nearby airport.

Ram was talking with the Falcon Field Airport Tower seconds before the crash. Audio of that conversation indicates Ram was experiencing electrical issues.

Here's the conversation:

Ram: And Falcon Tower, Evolution 571JM.

Tower: 571JM Falcon Tower, you're number two...just a two mile final, Runway 22 Left, clear to land.

Ram: Runway 22 Left. And I'm still quite a bit to the west of you. Is it okay if I cross midfield and drop in to a left downwind for 22 Left?

Tower: 10-4, that's fine.

Ram: Alright sir, I'm having, still having an electrical issue. I had one on Friday and I'm... I'm about to go dead. So I'm just going to cross over and make left- Lost of audio.

This investigation is ongoing and has been turned over to officials from the FAA.

Recognition Highlights Importance of Diversity in the Automotive Industry

ATLANTA, July 14, 2017 – Cox Automotive, in partnership with the National Association of Minority Automotive Dealers (NAMAD), awarded its Rising Star Award to Wadette H. Bradford, Martin Kia general manager, in recognition of her strong leadership and commitment to the automotive industry and her community.

In nominating Bradford, Amber L. Martin, co-owner, Martin Automotive Group, said:  "Wadette Bradford is an emerging leader as exemplified by her enthusiasm, dedication and passion to contribute excellence to the automotive industry. Her industry knowledge alone is well beyond her years, demonstrating her to be a notable next generation leader." 

Bradford’s work has been instrumental in growing and expanding brand recognition and profit margins for both new and well-established dealerships. As general manager of Martin Kia, Bradford has increased inventory turns, developed innovative digital marketing campaigns and increased service gross profit. 

Nicole Ashe, senior vice president, talent, diversity and culture, Cox Automotive, said:  “On behalf of Cox Automotive and in partnership with NAMAD, I am honored to recognize Wadette for her phenomenal achievements in automotive. Wadette is aspiring to be a franchise dealership owner-operator, and with her enthusiasm and passion for the automotive industry, I am confident that she will achieve that goal.”

One of Bradford’s most significant career achievements was accomplished under the tutelage of her first mentor, Ellenae Fairhurst. Bradford was encouraged to forge an enterprising partnership with Huntsville business leaders where she established a client relationship to secure a multimillion-dollar contract resulting in improved brand recognition and loyalty for Lexus of Huntsville. The contract execution also resulted in record pre-owned gross profit and unit sales. 

“I am honored to be the first woman to receive this prestigious award,” said Bradford. “My role model, Mrs. Ellenae Fairhurst, a Lexus dealer in Alabama, gave me the foundation for my success with my first management job for which I will be eternally grateful. Ms. Amber Martin’s keen business acumen to recognize talent afforded me the opportunity to sharpen my skills as general manager with the Martin Management Group. As we continue to surge forward growing the business, claiming new market share, increasing our support of the community and our profitability, my hope is to inspire other women to join the automotive industry.”

Martin Kia is one of six franchises comprising Martin Autoplex in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Its parent company, Martin Automotive Group, was founded by Cornelius A. Martin in 1985 with the purchase of a single point Oldsmobile Cadillac dealership. The family-owned company operates automotive dealerships across the nation.

Bradford is a member of the Kentucky Auto Dealers Association, the American International Automobile Dealers Association Rising Dealers Network and NAMAD NextGen. In addition, she participates in the Kentucky Auto Dealers Association Lobby Day in Frankfort, Kentucky, to ensure legislators are aware of the issues that affect consumers, dealers and their employees. Bradford also lobbies in Washington D. C. on Capitol Hill with the American International Automobile Dealers Association. She is active in the community where she is a member of the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals and United Way.

Bradford, a native of Tuskegee, Alabama, graduated from the National Automobile Dealers Association Academy in 2010 at the top of her class after receiving a bachelor’s degree from Alabama A&M and a master’s degree from University of Alabama in Huntsville.

Cox Automotive is donating $5,000 to one of its national diversity partners in Bradford’s honor. She chose National Urban League, a non-profit organization with a mission of empowering African-Americans through economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights.

Ashe presented the award at the NAMAD annual meeting awards dinner in Miami on July 13. Bradford was chosen based on nomination criteria including being a NAMAD member under the age of 40 who shows proven leadership qualities in the automotive industry.

About Cox Automotive

Cox Automotive Inc. is transforming the way the world buys, sells and owns cars with industry-leading digital marketing, financial, retail and wholesale solutions for consumers, dealers, manufacturers and the overall automotive ecosystem worldwide. Committed to open choice and dedicated to strong partnerships, the Cox Automotive family includes Autotrader®, Dealer.com®, Dealertrack®, Kelley Blue Book®, Manheim®, NextGear Capital®, vAuto®, Xtime® and a host of other brands. The global company has 34,000 team members in more than 200 locations and is partner to more than 40,000 auto dealers, as well as most major automobile manufacturers, while engaging U.S. consumer car buyers with the most recognized media brands in the industry. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., an Atlanta-based company with revenues exceeding $20 billion and approximately 60,000 employees. Cox Enterprises’ other major operating subsidiaries include Cox Communications and Cox Media Group. For more information about Cox Automotive, visit www.coxautoinc.com.

Contact:

Dara Hailes

Public Relations Manager

470 658 0656

dara.hailes@coxautoinc.com

We compile the top blogs, forums, and news stories that you need to read. Here are the top 5 blogs from May 2017 just to give you a taste.

1.		Is the Cheaper DMS Really Better?  By Marc Imowitz  A cheaper DMS means missing pieces and the truth is, you get what you pay for.
2.		On this "Memorial Day"  By Center for Performance Improvement The next time your manager splits your commission with a newbie, take a deep breath to regain your perspective.
3.		Where Will Your Ambition Take You?  By Jason Unrau  Do you ever feel restless at your current job position? Perhaps that restlessness can become your greatest motivator.
4.		7 Secrets of a GREAT Sales Meeting By Center for Performance Improvement Managers have specific goals for every meeting but delivering a memorable and effective meeting takes a few these key secrets.
5.		Texting - The Good, Bad & Ugly By Derrick Woolfson  Texting is an integral part of business and believe it or not, texting has it's place in the sales process.

DrivingSales was so excited to have David Mead as a keynote speaker during Presidents Club. David works at the Start With Why foundation with Simon Sinek, teaching company leaders around the world all about work culture. We sat down and chatted with him to learn more about motivating and inspiring employees, making the work environment a safe and productive place, and finding our company and personal WHY. Check out our conversation with David, and learn about your why. 

Find Your Why: https://www.startwithwhy.com/

About David:

Committed to a world in which people go home everyday fulfilled by the work they do, David focuses on helping business leaders and organizations create cultures that make that idea possible. Everything he does is designed to propel positive change so that people can live a more fulfilled life. David is a ‘serial optimist’ and believes that people who work together toward a common cause can change our world for the better.

Much of David’s early career was spent in the corporate training environment. He developed and wrote training curricula, which he facilitated in the US and Canada. Through his work he became acquainted with Simon Sinek, a world-renowned thought leader and the author of Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action. David saw an amazing opportunity to pair his experience with Simon’s vision, which is centered around helping individuals and companies find their Why (purpose or cause) and then to think, act and communicate in a way that brings it to life.. Inspired by the Why movement and the opportunity of creating a greater positive impact in the world, David and his company, Propel, partnered with Simon and his team in 2009. This partnership has paired Simon’s simple, inspiring message with David’s natural ability to capture and apply it in a variety of ways to spread the message at scale.

Among other things, David creates tools and resources based on Simon’s content, co-hosts the Start With Why weekly community mastermind, and hosts the Start With Why podcast. David also works with other clients and partners in sharing the Why through speaking, consulting, coaching and workshops. He is a regular guest speaker at Rotary Clubs and Chambers of Commerce.

David is based in Salt Lake City, UT. He earned a BA in Communication from the University of Utah and graduated Magna Cum Laude from the MBA program at Westminster College, where he focused his studies in Organizational Development.

Check out what Renaldo Liu, from SpeedShift Media, has to say about what's ahead for automotive, what dealers should be doing to prepare, and how Presidents Club is helping the auto industry progress.

Presidents Club Workshops Announced

We are excited to announce the workshops for Presidents Club this year! We've planned a power-packed agenda featuring some of the industry's top thought leaders, check out who you can interact with at the event.Just an FYI - If you haven't registered, we only have 2 weeks left - and limited seats - view tickets today!

Workshop: Hiring and Motivating the Perfect Team

 Workshop: Millennials and Car Buying 

Workshop: Overcoming New Dealer Model Threats

 Workshop: Fixed Ops Retooled for Competition 

Workshop: Marketing in a Mobile First World

Workshop: Used Vehicle Strategy 

View tickets today

Learn how to make your DrivingSales blog blow up! Our recent webinar gave tips on posting a blog, getting a great topic and title, and our other promotional and general tips will help you get your blog the success it deserves. Take a look at the webinar recordings below to learn how to help your blog blow up!

Check Out The Slideshow Here

GetOffRoad.com has been exploring the many financial, practical, and scientific challenges involved in the development of autonomous cars, and have created an interesting infographic.

In the infographic check out:

• The history of autonomous cars
• The challenges involved in engineering the coveted autonomous car
• How DARPA have been involved in testing driverless cars
• The advent of Google X
• The science behind autonomous vehicles
• What the future holds for the autonomous car market
• Which car brands have driving patents for autonomous vehicles
• The projected launch date for driverless card (for test or commercial purpose)
• Projected market penetration of autonomous cars in the UK
• SAE levels explained

We interviewed many vendors during NADA 2017 to hear what they think is ahead for the auto industry. Check out our interview with Team Velocity Marketing.

*The thoughts and opinions expressed by interviewees do not reflect the opinions of DrivingSales. These interviews are purely editorial content and are not sponsored by any party.

For the most part, people are done either gloating or being down in the dumps about the results of the Super Bowl. But something that we haven’t forgotten is the commercials! They’re now running on regular TV or you’re seeing them before you watch YouTube.

Many of you filled out our survey asking which one was the biggest win, and the biggest flop, of the automotive commercials. After getting tons of responses, we’re confident enough to tell you who did the best, and who fell a little short.

Winners: Hyundai, Kia, Ford, and Audi.

These commercials couldn’t be more different; proving that it can be difficult to predict which type of ad will perform the best.

• Kia’s ad was a slapstick, laugh-out-loud commercial featuring Melissa McCarthy, and was the top winner, suggesting that comedy still rules the day when done right.

• Hyundai showed a highly sentimental and feel-good commercial about the military and their families, invoking a strong sense of community and country.

• Ford had a mix of sentimental and comedy with their “Go Further” commercial. The ad was also very relatable, making many people enjoy it even more.

• Audi chose to produce a emotional, and fairly political ad, about equal pay for women. They used a father/daughter scenario to tell the story.

Interestingly enough, some of the “winners” are also on the “loser” list! Why is this? Oftentimes popular commercials are also divisive, making people have a strong reaction either for or against them. Having marketing that is polarizing is often a win for companies, because it means that people are talking about the product or brand all the way around the board.

Losers: Alfa Romeo, Kia, Audi, and Honda.

• Alfa Romeo had 3 spots in the Super Bowl, totaling 120 seconds of airtime. Unfortunately, the ads all just looked like a regular luxury vehicle ad, and didn’t really stand out or seem impressive.

• Again, Kia and Audi hit their mark by having divisive ads, in a way forcing people to either love or hate them because of their strong presence.

• Honda unfortunately missed the mark even though they featured a wide range of celebrity cameos. This proves that it’s more about the content of the commercial than the celebs you get to appear!

But whether the commercial overall was a home run, or a dropped ball (I’m mixing my sports metaphors here…) the reality is that having a coveted Super Bowl spot results in an increase in traffic.

In the eight minutes following their commercial, visits to Alfa Romeo pages on Cars.com saw an incredible 1,179 percent increase in comparison to the same period prior to the airing of the spot, illustrating the big impact of their Super Bowl ad.

In comparison to Cars.com traffic over the four prior Sundays, automotive brands who advertised during the Super Bowl saw the following lifts to their advertised model pages:

• Alfa Romeo Giulia – 7,320 percent
• Audi S5 – 1,391 percent
• Buick Cascada – 424 percent
• Buick Encore – 59 percent
• Honda CR-V – 35 percent
• Kia Niro – 497 percent
• Lexus LC 500 – 861 percent
• Lexus LS 460 – 888 percent
• Mercedes-Benz AMG GT – 910 percent

So here’s to waiting for next year’s commercials to see what the manufacturers will come up with!