Marketing to your existing customer base is critical in today’s shrinking auto industry where new customers are few and far between.  Unfortunately, the auto industry has a well deserved reputation earned over many years by fast talking car salespeople who relied on buy or die selling systems that ignored the importance of relationship based transparent negotiations to earn - and keep - a customer.  Experience has proven that if you make a friend you are more likely to make a sale.  More relevantly to this post, if you plan to market to your existing customer base it is critical that they are more than customers.  If you hope to earn their future business in sales and service they must be friends, not just previously sold leads.  After all, what are friends for!

Human nature drives every aspect of our lives - especially when buying a car - so it always amazes me when auto dealers implement a selling system or design an automotive advertising plan that doesn’t consider it.  This post will provide some insights from the customer’s perspective that must be addressed before you can presume to market to them as a long term customer vs. only a single sale. Read the rest of this entry »

A shrinking economy has been the catalyst for reducing the amount of “brick and mortar” auto dealerships compounded by the consolidation brought about by the reorganization of General Motors and Chrysler.  The growth of the Internet Superhighway could not have been timed better, as 92% of the people buying a car are driving onto the Internet Superhighway in favor of the reduced number of car dealers on their local car row.

The car buying public will always take the path of least resistance and the Internet was already growing as the information resource of choice when selling a car or buying a car.  People selling new cars and/or used cars will naturally gravitate to where people looking to buy used cars and/or new cars are shopping, however the abrupt closing of thousands of auto dealerships across America has increased traffic to dealer websites at a faster rate than anticipated.  The result is an explosive need to improve the technology and the associated applications to enhance selling processes to facilitate buying cars and selling cars in a more efficient and cost effective manner. Read the rest of this entry »

Everyone knows that Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles are late model used cars or used trucks that have the same - or even better - warranties than new cars.  Car dealers are responsible to inspect certified cars to confirm that they have not been in an accident, have no body damage or paint work, are within established year and mileage limits set by the factory that is sponsoring the certified used cars program and that the dealer has reconditioned the vehicle to look and perform like a new car.  Special auto financing terms are offered on many certified vehicles and customers who want to buy used cars with all of the benefits of buying a new car have found that certified used cars represent the best of both worlds for the car buying public. 

Well, if you were one of the few that didn’t know about Certified Pre-Owned Cars you do now! Now that we are definitely all on the same page, let’s discuss why certified pre-owned cars are the best way to go for consumers who are buying cars and for auto dealers who are selling cars. Read the rest of this entry »

Buying cars and selling cars are two sides of the same coin.  If you are buying a car the odds are that you are also selling a car; unless you walked to the car dealership, you just got your driver license or you live in Manhattan where a parking space costs more than a small country!  The point is that the car buying public is usually also selling used cars either to car dealers as a trade-in or to another consumer who prefers buying used cars rather than new cars.   In all cases the answer to “How Much Is My Car Worth” can’t be found on most dealer websites - although a multi-franchise / multi-dealer website like everycarlisted.com will prove to be an excellent guide.  The fact is that the value of used cars and used trucks can only be determined by the market.  If you are a car dealer selling sports cars or Pre-Owned Certified Cars, or a consumer selling a car that has been a loyal member of the family, all you need is to do a little home work so you can negotiate using facts vs. emotions.

As a former auto dealer and author of a book, “How To Buy A Car” followed by another one, “How To Sell A Car,” I have developed a unique respect for both sides of the negotiation table.  Add the time that I have invested as the host of an automotive advertising resource / networking site - http://AdAgencyOnline.Net - to those experiences and I am confident that I can help both sides of the negotiation table wind up with the right deal.

To simplify matters I suggest that you refer to the following list of relevant observations before you jump in your car with your trade-in keys in hand, hit the World Wide Web with your credit card at the ready or presume to price your new car or used car for sale: Read the rest of this entry »

With the C.A.R.S. program in full-swing, or some would say “roller-coaster mode”, I thought I would touch on some opportunities for dealers who want to think outside of the box.

Cash for Clunkers is bringing big business to dealers nationwide who are selling new cars to people who might otherwise be buying used cars.  Some dealerships are having new car deals fall right into their laps without even trying to promote the program while others are using it as an “event” to help drive additional traffic for people considering a new car.  Even when the program was briefly suspended before more government funds were thrown into the rebate coffers, dealerships were receiving calls on whether or not the car buying public could still take advantage.  I think this program will be a much needed shot in the arm for automotive new car sales, but that dealers should invest more of their time promoting it opposed to letting nature take its course.
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Don’t tell anyone, but the economy is in the tank.  Home sales are down and property values are falling.  Auto sales are also down and auto dealers are faced with excess inventory and reduced profits.  Wait a minute - let’s think about that last line!

I may be wrong, but if sales are down and dealers have more new cars and used cars than they can afford to stock wouldn’t that be a good time to buy one?  The answer is - YES!  Of course buying a car can still be a challenge but if you were selling a car right now wouldn’t you be more receptive to an offer - any offer?  Sure you would and car dealers are people too! Read the rest of this entry »

Having worked in the trenches of auto dealers, I would like to share with you what I told every pre-owned shopper that I’ve ever spoken to.  “If I were going to purchase a pre-owned vehicle, I would make sure it is certified.”

This was not some salesperson’s ploy to charge customers more.  Truth is, the cost of a certified vehicle opposed to a non-certified is not a significant difference, but there is the potential to be a major difference mechanically.
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In one of my former lives I wrote a book titled “How To Buy A Car - The Inside Story, Ex Dealer Tells All” which was quickly followed by its sister book, “How To Sell A Car - A Career Guide To The Car Business.”  Frankly, I wrote the sequel so my friends in the car business wouldn’t feel left out, but it surfaced the insights that I will share with you about how to buy a car or sell a car online.  My publisher’s first thought was to print the books together, you know, like they do with operating manuals in English and Spanish where you hold it right side up for English and upside down for Spanish but we agreed that we would make more money if we sold them separately.  After all, business is business and two sales are better than one!

Both books recognized that to sell a car a professional car salesperson needed to understand and respect the customer’s needs and inversely the customer would often get a better deal and a more enjoyable shopping experience if they developed a good relationship with their salesperson.  Tip one on how to buy a car or sell a car online is drawn from the fact that people like to do business with people that they like.  The first investment that should be made is in the relationship between the buyer and the seller.  That logic applies to both sides of the negotiation table and it starts with the first impression that both parties give and get. Read the rest of this entry »

The summer is upon us.  That means it is time for legions of parents to grab the kids and embark on the annual summer getaway.  With the downturn in the economy, more and more people are choosing to take the age-old road trip opposed to flying.  So is it that easy to just pack up the family roadster with luggage, hop in, and set off?  Not so much.

Family motoring is an art form.  If you are taking a long journey with the kids, here are some useful tips to keeping the kids entertained.

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