This may sound like strange advice since I teach dealers how to implement both an Appointment Culture and The Perfect Appointment in their dealerships… but, will you please shut up about the appointments already? You are failing to set real appointments that show and buy, precisely because you talk so much about appointments that […]
One of the great things about what I do is that I get to speak to a lot of dealer groups. It’s something I really enjoy doing; but more than that, it’s something I feel needs to be done. I believe an educated dealer is a successful dealer; and there is just so much misinformation […]
I hate to break it to you, but if you run a for-profit business – like a car dealership – then your website has just two important goals: Goal #1 – Attract Visitors Goal #2 – Convert Visitors Sorry, that’s it. Attracting and converting visitors are the only real value your website provides and […]
Undeniable Advantage marks the first comprehensive free live training that will actually deliver real-world tactics and strategies your team can employ today! Post Falls, ID – June 27, 2016 In a bold and broad effort to change how businesses receive valuable and actionable training, the leading digital marketing and sales training expert in automotive […]
Stop Overthinking Internet Sales: 7 Simple Strategies for Closing More Deals Today! The perception of internet sales for many dealers and traditional sales managers is that it’s still a confusing area best left to those who are more “technologically proficient.” Moreover, industry vendors, other so-called experts and even some trainers continue to profit in keeping […]
The Best Way To Overcome Today’s Price Objections Whether training sales managers for an OEM or a call center for a single-point dealer, the concern posed more than any other recently is how to overcome price objections on the phone in today’s transparent environment. Most dealers, you see, do a decent job of managing objections […]
The three-minute Be-Back process that actually works… When dealers ask me to help their teams improve their be-back appointment percentage, the first thing I say is “call them.” By that, I mean, “Pick up the damn phone and actually call a be-back for once in your ever-loving life!” I’m not trying to be a jerk; […]
The 5 Car Dealer Sales Call Situations (and why a BDC is best) With today’s connected customer, there really are only a few types of phone calls your team will find themselves involved with. Gone are the days of a customer phoning and saying, “I need something good on gas for under $8,000; what do […]
(Another helpful excerpt from the pladoogle.com free 2015 Car Dealer Mystery Shop Study of more than 400 automotive dealers.) Why Does Lead Response Matter? Lately, much has been written about the drop in the number of electronic sales leads dealers receive – not coincidentally, of course, most often by those wishing to sell more of their […]
While I tend to do a lot of phone training, it’s not my favorite skill to teach. This is not because my phone skills training lacks substance or robustness or even uniqueness – it provides all three (and you can even get most of it for free online) – it’s because that no matter […]
“What’s the Average Closing Percentage for Automotive Leads 30, 60 and 90 Days Old?” I recently received a variation of this question from a visitor to my free video training website; and given that many automotive managers, salespeople and BDC agents likely have the same question, I thought I’d post my original answer here, […]
Did you know that there is a secret to setting firm appointments that will actually show up at your dealership? Not only show up, but actually arrive on time? There is. There is a secret; and most salespeople and managers have no idea what that secret is. The secret is this: You have to […]
At virtually every dealership 20 group I address, at least one dealer will ask the question I hear most often with respect to internet sales: “What’s the best internet sales structure for a dealer today: End-to-End; a BDC; or giving the leads to the floor?” I’ve been asked this question over and over again […]
In a recent article I posted, I discussed the five things car dealers can do today to ensure they stay on top during the next down market; and one of those five was to increase your lease portfolio. In the post I explained why increasing lease penetration was important, but I didn’t give any tips […]
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 […]
92.6% of LinkedIn Users Believe Made Up Statistics If you’ve spent any time at all on LinkedIn, you’ve no doubt been exposed to some terrific statistics about how perseverance pays off for salespeople. These stats, courtesy of a National Sales Executive Association study, detail some shockingly stark data that prove the average salesperson is lazy and […]
Are You Venting or Just Making Excuses? A colleague recently posted a rant about the quality of the leads she was handling on an automotive industry social network. As a part of her diatribe on her most recent batch of Internet sales leads, she gave some great examples of just how bad the leads really […]
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 […]