I am writing this from the airport in Manchester, NH as I head back to Wilmington, NC.  Hurricane Sandy has left her mark on the North Carolina Coast and is heading north for what forecasters think will be a huge event.  I'll be glad if I just make it home today.       Many of the homes up here are equipped with back up generators to handle loss of power issues.  Stores were selling out of extra water and batteries as folks prepared for the worst.  I think we can all agree this is just being…

It is an age old diametrically opposed argument. On one side, we have technology. On the other side, we have personnel.

I can't sell anything without a great Multipoint Inspection.

I can't sell anything without a professional Sales Process.

I must have both in order to be…

Part of our marketing is to monitor help wanted ads for sales people.  I've seen some that should be very effective, but far too many are less than acceptable.  The only way to describe them is pure laziness.  The only other possibility is that the dealer is still running the sales department on "The Warm Body Theory."  That's where dealers who are stuck in the 1980's still believe that if they keep hiring warm bodies, eventually they'll end up with some "natural" sales talent.…

The 3 Most Common Mistakes Salespeople Make That Cost The Dealership Money!

The good news: They are all Preventable! Read below for the latest in how you can prevent Lost Sales!

#1-NO INTERVIEW!

An interview is the most important part of any sales…

Clearly there is a huge gap between what "we" (old school) managers and Leaders consider useful and proper communication, motivation and Leadership techniques and what the "new" generation responds to.

There is a choice to be made.

A. Keep doing what you've been doing and keep getting the same results while expecting a different outcome.

B. Do something different.

In this business "transitional people" are a given. We attract people because we are the largest OJT…

I just returned from my nephew's wedding.  He is the first of our family's next generation to marry so the pressure was on to create a standard to follow.  Being my brother's son, I was excited to go, visit with family that we don't see often enough and most importantly, to honor my nephew and his new bride.  From the rehearsal dinner to the church, and ultimately to the reception, it was perfect.      

Not just for all it had.  It was perfect for the things that were…

You've decided to go outside your dealership to get something handled.  After a lot of thought, you realized it would be better to spend money with the right experts and handle things once, than to save money on paper and take your people away from what they do best for you.  Many times that's exactly what you should do.  But how do you know you have the right company for what you really need?      

To help you see how to rate a company or service, I will be using our company…

Managing a Buy Here – Pay Here dealership can be like walking a tightrope. A manager needs to balance creating a friendly atmosphere against the need to maintain a business relationship. Potential customers should feel welcome when they come in to purchase a new vehicle and current customers should feel…

A traveling salesman had come to the end of a long day and was very hungry. He had not made many sales and was feeling a little frustrated with his results. He decided to stop and get something to eat and mull over his next step.

He stopped in town, parked on Main Street and looked around. He found two restaurants side by side. Above each there was a sign.

The one on the left said “Food, more expensive but worth it” and the one on the right said “Food, average, cheap and will…

January 1979 I sold my first car at a small dealership in North Jersey.  Since then, a lot has happened.  I've personally trained over 15,000 sales professionals, written 10 books, spoken literally around the world, and now work with top dealers to fill their sales needs.  I have seen and participated in three "worst ever" downturns in our industry.  Each has taught me lessons on how to deal with the struggles and what to improve on as business gets better.  There was one lesson that…

That's right! There are 3 Personal Components you need to have to Succeed in the Car Biz!

ATTITUDE, SKILL SET and KNOWLEDGE!

A strong Attitude will get you through the day…

Every Coaching session can be effective if you follow certain steps to improve your chances of a Successful outcome.

There is one word that is critical in determining the outcomes. That word is "Specific." There is an old saying that goes like this. "The more specific you are the better your results" and…

7 ways to tell if you are practicing Management Malpractice.

1. You cannot name your employees and refer to everyone as “Buddy” or “Chief.”
2. You don’t know what the company’s goals are for the year and you cannot tell anyone what your goals are.
3. Every time an employee comes to your door and knocks, you think they will ask for a raise or time…

“The difference between genius and insanity is paper-thin.” Old Japanese proverb.

There is an inherent truth in that statement. How many times have you said to yourself…

Addy's Harbor Dodge in Myrtle Beach, SC has just jumped into the top 5 of all Dodge dealers in the US.  It just shows that having the right programs, the best managers and top sales people, will make great things happen.  We are pleased at this great dealer's success and even more thankful that we have been along for the entire ride.



When we first came to Addy's they had 8 sales people and were doing average numbers.  Rod Ricciardi had just become the GM and brought with him a…

We hear many things in Service.

Stand on any Service Drive on any given day and you will hear Customers describe all kinds of noises related their vehicles. The variety of sounds…

http://dealeretraining.com/…

Have you ever blown up a balloon and then just let it go and listen to the sound it makes? If you have children or a crazy Uncle Lenny, chances are you've heard this noise before. It is so distinctive that once you've heard it, you are not likely to forget it the rest of your life.

I've heard this same noise in my head many times in the service drive right after an Advisor says something he or she shouldn't have. In our business there are many things that must happen to make sure that…

In fixed ops we constantly worry whether or not we are getting a return on every one of our ad dollars. Every manufacturer tracks it. Every ad vendor tracks it. And when we spend the money and don't get an immediate return, we start to fret.

Here is the rub.

Customers don't make a connection with an…