I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the next down market in automotive retail is coming. No one knows precisely when – and none of us is certain what will trigger it – but, it is coming. Moreover, given the current market realities, it might be coming a little faster […]
If you’re like most dealers I speak with lately, you’re either looking to add a Business Development Center (aka BDC) or trying to find ways to make your current BDC more successful? If so, then there are just a few simple “must haves” that are truly non-negotiable if you’d like your BDC to succeed […]
At PLADOOGLE, we just published a white paper detailing our extensive mystery shop study that looked at how well dealerships responded to our internet inquiries over the first 30 days. We read and graded every email and listened to and graded every voicemail. Here are Seven Fast Facts from 425 Car Dealer Mystery Shops: We […]
(WARNING: Salty language ahead. Do not continue reading if you plan to complain about the choice of words used in this post – they were chosen with great care to evoke a very specific meaning. Originally published by The Manager on LinkedIn.) Nobody likes a know-it-all. Nobody. I’m not talking about the know-it-alls who actually […]
If you travel regularly for business, you know sometimes your travel days are unmemorable; just smooth, uneventful, even mature interactions with fellow caring professionals. Of course, if you are an airport regular, you know those unmemorable travel days are few and far between. Generally speaking, for every one mature interaction with another caring professional; […]
You do know you’re wrong about Tesla, right? I don’t even need to hear your opinions about the electric carmaker to tell you that you’re wrong about Tesla. You’re dead wrong. How do I know you’re wrong about Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) without even hearing what you have to say? Because, if you’re like 99% of […]
(The following guest post was written by a respected colleague of mine in the automotive industry. The author, who shall remain nameless, is one of the brightest, most energetic, hardest working and truest “team players” I’ve ever met. His/her frustrations are far too common in most industries; but are especially common in automotive. His/her words […]
Zappos announced at the end of last year that they would be moving to a Holacracy. There will be no managers, no hierarchy and especially NO JOB TITLES. No shit? (It’s not a coincidence to me that Holacracy is just one letter away from Hola Crazy!) Good luck, Zappos. Clearly, you haven’t seen the episode […]
My kids get it. They don’t think about it; they don’t hire gurus to guide them through it; they don’t contrive anything about it; and… they can sniff out anything contrived in an instant. It’s social media, and it’s not mystical or complicated; and it especially doesn’t require any real expertise. Of course, if […]
It was about 6:30 last evening when I found myself at the Delta Sky Club in Tampa, Florida. I was booked on Delta’s 7:45 flight to Atlanta (where I am speaking to a group of Ford dealership managers about Internet processes this morning). I had a yearning for a cup of coffee, but I […]
The 10 Douchiest Job Titles of 2012 For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to keep my business cards free of my title. I feel this way for a couple of reasons: primarily, I don’t want those outside of my company getting hung up on my title; also, I really don’t give a […]
The Internet is (finally) introducing progress to the car business… whether automotive retailers like it or not. While the Internet itself has so far been little more than an evolution of how car dealers do business (think about it: dealers have been receiving and responding to sales leads from Internet customers for more than […]
“Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door.” While this is actually a misquote of Ralph Waldo Emerson from the nineteenth century, the phrase is an affirmation of the power of innovation and a confirmation that hard work and great ideas will be rewarded by the marketplace. Fast forward […]
For Young Managers, it’s not Just About Gaining the Respect of Subordinates One of the most common questions from our readers concerns how they as younger managers can lead older subordinates – all while maintaining respect and sanity. Where we felt we could help, we’ve provided these youthful leaders advice and guidance as recently as […]
Quick, Read This Email… Now! Today I received another in a long line of email messages from a certain vendor touting their newest and greatest product improvement. This email, like all of its predecessors, arrived in my Outlook inbox as a message of High Importance. Because I receive just one in five hundred messages marked […]
You’re Not Ready for Social Networking A colleague who operates a retail franchise asked me my thoughts about incorporating social networking into his Internet sales efforts. Currently, he tracks about 35% of his sales directly to customers who first contacted his store via the Internet. As I explained to my colleague (without trying to sound […]
The Future of Entrepreneurship in America I noticed something strange while sitting on my front porch today: A professional landscaping crew of seven had descended on my cul-de-sac to industriously cut the lawns and trim the bushes at my home and the homes of my neighbors on either side. While this same event happens twice […]
If You Want the Swindlers, Get Their Accountants “If you want the Mafia, get their lawyers,” explains Mitchell McDeere, formerly of Bendini, Lambert and Locke. I think we’re missing the real villains in the Bernard Madoff affair. Madoff, in case you’ve been under a rock for the last few months, is the 70-year old […]
Skynet is Here, and the Nerds are at the Controls (Terminator fans can probably skip the next two paragraphs, as they’re just an explanation of the havoc we can expect in our not-too-distant future.) Skynet, for the uninformed, is a computer-based defense system, created by nerds working for the U.S. military in the 1990s. […]
More Leadership Lessons from Delta Airlines In a recent post, we admonished Delta Airlines for the ill-conceived, confusing Delta Breezeway enacted in late 2007. It seemed that even months after its introduction, most Delta gate agents and Delta frequent fliers still had no idea how to use them. We are proud to say that between […]