In a transparent, information-rich world where showrooming is commonplace, a pricing tactic used by many retailers seems strangely shortsighted. For lack of a better term, let’s call this shortsighted pricing practice “Duplicitous Pricing” or DP for short. Simply put, DP occurs when a retailer posts one price in their store while maintaining a different price […]
We recently received the comment below on our Young Managers – How Do They Lead Older Subordinates post: Hi, I am a female, 28 year older manager leading a mix team of 8 people who are 15-25 years older than me in finance operations. I have slightly different situation. I am an EXPAT from […]
Dear Car Dealer: Congratulations on a record 2015! Yippee! Now, get the slings, because you’ve likely broken your arm patting yourself on the back. If you’re an average dealership – whether privately-owned or publicly-held – you had a record year in 2015. Heck, if you’re a below average dealer you had a record 2015. […]
In case you haven’t heard the news, there’s a current job opening in automotive that none of my peers will even consider: CEO of TrueCar (NASDAQ: TRUE). Most everyone I’ve spoken with about the role calls it a sure career-ender; a poisonous position that will turn even the most respected leader into an industry […]
[With the on-again/off-again debate about Third Party Providers currently on (again), it seems appropriate to present this excerpt from our 2015 Online Automotive Leads mystery shop study.] A high percentage of dealership desk managers still look at the Internet and their own internet sales teams as the enemy. For these shortsighted managers, the […]
Quick Quiz: If you’re part of an automotive dealer group comprised of anywhere between 2 and 290 stores and you do not run a centralized sales BDC, then you’re: A. Wasting Money B. Losing Sales C. At a Competitive Disadvantage D. Not Leveraging Your Economies of Scale E. All of the Above If you […]
I had a fun exchange with Walmart on Twitter last month that I believe deserves sharing here – especially given that the exchange can (I’m hopeful) remind corporations to separate my duties as a customer and their duties as an employer when it comes to training their managers. First, a little background: I was […]
5 Simple Rules… for Eliminating Skating Forever If the only place you’ve ever worked is for one of America’s car dealerships, then you may not be aware that other industries don’t reward those who steal from their coworkers. Only dealership employees enjoy the added perk of being rewarded for cheating each other at will. We […]
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 […]
We recently received the following question/request from a reader: How do you approach your manager? I was offered a better position at my company and also had another interview elsewhere. I took the job at my company, because I hadn’t heard from the other company. I just got a call from the other company […]
Have you ever wondered why some businesses – even after being alerted to oncoming, meaningful risks and threats – never seem to change direction? Or why the managers in these institutions seem content with the same old-same old despite instructions from above to adapt or die? Often, the obstacles to making real changes (especially […]
(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 […]
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 […]
Thank you Delta Airlines for all that you do for today’s airline passenger. Whether our trips are for business or just for vacation, we owe you a hearty “thank you” for making us feel so special. . Specifically: . Thank you to the Delta ticket counter clerks who immediately act annoyed when they have to […]
Today’s Leaders Are Tomorrow’s Followers For some reason I’ve run into too many business leaders lately who know less and less about how their businesses are being marketed on the Internet. From owners and CEOs to vice presidents and general managers, leaders (even good ones) are getting further detached from the realities of what […]
Leadership Lessons from Cash for Clunkers Without diving too deeply into a mini controversy from last week, let me just enlighten you with some quick facts: Edmunds.com estimated that the recent Cash for Clunkers program cost US taxpayers about $24,000 per incremental vehicle sold; The chief economist of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) […]
Keep Everyone Busy So You Can Kill Creativity In the current economic climate (one that we’ve dubbed The Great Necession), it seems that companies are so concerned about productivity that they’re forgetting about innovation and creativity. Whether we’re all trying to cover our asses as managers or whether we truly believe that micromanagement and piling […]
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 […]
How Do You Convince an Interviewer That You Can Lead? Recently, a reader posed a question after finding our article explaining how young managers can lead older subordinates. Because his question (posted below) required more than just a passing comment as a response, we decided to dedicate an entire post to properly address it. Recently […]