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AutoSuccess Aug04

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AutoSuccess addresses the specific, researched needs of new car and light truck dealerships by providing entrepreneurial, cutting-edge, solution-based editorials to increase dealership profits and reduce expensesAutoSuccess, magazine, sales, new, used, selling, salespeople, vehicle, dealer, dealership, leadership, marketingFor similar content visit http://www.autosuccesssocial.com/
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. biz . biz . biz August 2004 Selling is a Communication Process Uncommon Success 10 Secrets to Great Leadership How to Identify and Remove the Four Obstacles to Closing You Know What the Challenge is... E NSURETY G R O U P, INC. Whats the Solution? Re-Elect George W. Bush, page 8
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Page 1: AutoSuccess Aug04

.biz.biz.biz

August 2004

Selling is a Communication Process

Uncommon Success

10 Secrets to Great Leadership

How to Identify and Removethe Four Obstacles to Closing

You Know What the Challenge is...

ENSURETYG R O U P, I N C .

What�s the Solution?

Re-Elect George W. Bush, page 8

Page 2: AutoSuccess Aug04

At ADP, we’re committed to helping dealers make the most of their technology investment. This focus has inspired us to develop a new training program that brings an ADP application expert directly to your dealership. We can improve dealership system utilization by focusing on specific ADP applications or a particular job function. The Tune-Up Training Program includes a comprehensive assessment that will help employees make the most out of their current positions and assist them by increasing knowledge and productivity levels.

Get it at www.DealerSuite.comFor more information on the Tune-Up Training Program, contact

your ADP Sales Representative or an ADP Training Coordinator at

866-535-8487 (U.S. and Puerto Rico), 800-387-8015 ext. 3724 (Canada).

How the Tune-Up Training Program works

• ADP Tune-Ups include a custom assessment that will identify current system utilization.

• Application experts will review dealership processes and help implement “Best Practices.”

• The ADP consultant will offer an assessment at the end of training and outline a recommended plan for ongoing training and development.

Available Tune-Ups

Business Office:

• Accounting

• Office Manager

MIS:

• MIS

Parts:

• Parts Department• Parts Manager• Special Order Parts

Sales:

• Customer Relationship Management

• F&I Manager

• Finance & Insurance

• Sales Department

• Salesperson

Service:

• Service Advisor

• Service Booker

• Service Department

• Service Department with Dispatch or ERO

• Service Manager

• Service Manager with ERO

System Administration:

• System Administration

SELL CARS, PARTS AND SERVICE PROFITABLY.TM

ADP, Inc-Dealer Services Group / 1950 Hassell Road / Hoffman Estates, IL 60195-2308 /www.DealerSuite.com / 888.424.6342 ©2004 ADP, Inc-Dealer Services Group / Printed in the U.S.A.ADP is a registered trademark of ADP of North America, Inc.

Work smarter with ADP’s Tune-Up Training Program.

Page 3: AutoSuccess Aug04
Page 4: AutoSuccess Aug04
Page 5: AutoSuccess Aug04

Increases in• Sales & Profits

• Customer Satisfaction

• Processes & Stability

There’s A New Sheriff In Town

“Stop horsing around

with amateur consultants

and trainers with no track record.”

For more information: 1-800-726-0510

www.ZieglerSupersystems.com

SALES MANAGER FORUM:Motivating your Sales Team to

Higher ProfitabilityTaught By James A. Ziegler

Atlantic City, NJ . .Aug. 17 - 18, 2004Atlanta, GA . . . .Sept. 8 - 9, 2004Pittsburgh, PA . . .Sept. 16 - 17, 2004Atlanta, GA . . . .Oct. 5 - 6, 2004Las Vegas, NV . .Oct. 7 - 8, 2004

BATTLE PLANImmediately increase profits!

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Dallas, TX . . . . . .Aug. 12, 2004Dates and locations subject to change

Page 6: AutoSuccess Aug04

profi t solution scott josephBy Scott JosephADVERTISEMENT

www.jandlmarketing.com

Amazing marketing “tool” helps Dealers and General Managers who use direct mail increase

their net profi ts 30% to 100%!Are your direct mail promotions producing consistent and improving

results or are they falling short of your expectations and declining with each promotion? Most dealers who use direct mail are still searching for the elusive combination that produced record-breaking results like their Þ rst direct mail promotion.

The number one objection we hear when prospecting for new dealer clients is that direct mail doesn�t work anymore. When we ask why most dealers say, �My market is saturated� or �It only attracts gift seekers� or �The people who respond are not buyers.�

I agree with all these reasons because if a direct mail promotion is not well thought out from start to Þ nish it will not work. This brings up a question! And the question is�

How can you eliminate all the elements of a promotion that do not give you the return on investment you need and at the same time improve on the aspects that produce exactly what you want? That�s the real question isn�t it? If you could invest advertising dollars only where you see great results and eliminate what doesn�t work, how many more cars could you sell? How much money would you make?

I�ve invested a small fortune to develop the marketing �tool� that will provide you the information that is necessary to produce the results you really want and could quite possibly increase your sales with each promotion from this day forward. J&L Marketing is the only Þ rm with this unique capability. It allows us to research and analyze your promotions from over 100 different perspectives and

gives you huge marketing advantages over all your competitors.

Now, you�ve heard the cliché� Information is what? Right. Information is power. If you could look back upon the history of thousands of promotions, examine the mailing lists, read over the direct mail letters, track what worked, what didn�t, who bought, who didn�t, and why� would this be powerful information to you?

The reality is every direct mail promotion produces both good and bad results. The problem is being able to easily recognize which is which. That problem is solved! Now you can have all the information you need to ensure success at the touch of a button.

Imagine being able to know immediately which market areas produce results that exceed your expectations and more importantly which ones to avoid. Simply asking the computer� �How do we generate more trafÞ c and sell more cars?� J&L�s proprietary Response Analysis System directs us toward those activities that bring success, and away from those that don�t. We reÞ ne the offers, prices, strategies, locations, and even the days of the week that bring the highest return.

Our analysis allows us to produce ever-increasing levels of success. Since the market is a lot smarter than we are, we don�t go by hunches, opinions, or gut feelings about how to improve performance. We rely solely on the numbers to tell us �where to from here.�

How can anyone make recommendations to you without the validation of facts, statistics and numbers? How can anyone implement a growth strategy based on hunches and guesses, rather than this powerful analysis program? It�s obvious�they can�t.

But J&L can, and J&L does. Our statistics tell us that for the last 3.5 million pieces of mail delivered, the Response Analysis has helped our dealer clients sell an average of 33 cars for every 10,000 pieces of mail delivered!

The Response Analysis is the most powerful marketing tool in automotive advertising today. Find out why J&L�s dealership response rates have increased 72% in the last two years. This combined with unequaled professionalism and customer support is why 94% of all J&L customers continue their relationship with us for years.

Just ask them for yourself. Rick Hillman from Hollingsworth Mazda says, �J&L Marketing�s direct mail program is the most cost-efÞ cient form of advertising that I have seen in the thirty years that I�ve been in the car business.�

Pat Fogerty from Classic Toyota says, �We have used J&L Marketing for years because of their continual support and excellent results. This is an invaluable service.�

Billy Gordon from Patrick Chevrolet says, �We have been running with J&L Marketing for four years, and we can attribute more sales to them than any other form of advertising. J&L is the most professional company I�ve worked with since I began in the car business 18 years ago.�

You too can start experiencing consistent results from the most professional marketing company right now by contacting my ofÞ ce at 866.856.6782 and asking for Lisa Wilson. Or e-mail her at: [email protected]. As soon as you contact us we will begin to create a growth strategy unique to your organization, producing more proÞ t, more volume, and more satisÞ ed customers.

Page 7: AutoSuccess Aug04

Here’s what you get:■ (2) 25' x 3' Event Banners■ (200) 8.5" x 11" Double-Sided Event Hang Tags■ (50) 18" x 12" Double-Sided Event Office Posters■ (12) 24" x 36" Double-Sided Event Showroom Posters■ (288) 17" Event Logo Balloons■ (250) 3" Adhesive Event Badges■ 500' of Pennant Strings ■ (25) Event Logo Pens■ B/W Camera-Ready Event Clip Art

If you can match ourquality and quantity for a lower price,from any source inAmerica, we will giveyou our products FREE!

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“We use Sale-in-a-Box every month –

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plus it’s a great value.”–Ventura Toyota

“Sale-in-a-Box exceeded our

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Sale-in-a-Box works!!”

–Gulf Chrysler Plymouth Dodge

All orders must be placed by August 12th, 2004for this Limited Edition Event.

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Everything you need for a Complete Weekend Sales Event

Page 8: AutoSuccess Aug04

www.autosuccess.bizsubscribe today at8

Dealership improves from 40 units a month Dealership improves from 40 units a month to over to over 300300 units in less than units in less than 1212 months! months!

�I received 130 fantastic ideas from a one day seminar. By far the best program I�ve been to.�

Rick Sandoval, GM - Sims Buick GMC Nissan, Warren, OH.

�Totally unique. This is the best information out there. Everyone in the business needs this information. A person would be nuts not to use Tewart Enterprises, Inc.�

Tim Houseburg, Mayes County Chrysler, Mayes County, OK.

Do you believe there is room for your sales team to improve their results by a minimum of 25%?

Do you believe an improved sales process could increase your gross proÞ t at least $200 per unit?

Call Now for a FREE special report and matching audio on how to recruit, Call Now for a FREE special report and matching audio on how to recruit, hire, train and keep a dream team of sales people!hire, train and keep a dream team of sales people!

888 2 TEWART or visitor visitwww.tewart.comwww.tewart.com

Read

Article

: pg 1

2

Mark Tewart

This November, we will determine who is going to lead our country through some of the most diffi cult times in our nation’s history. This article will summarize who George W. Bush is, what he stands for, and why so many Americans want him to continue to lead us into the future. Below you will fi nd a summary of Bush’s platform and some tips on how to have a positive impact on our country’s future.

Leadership is defi ned in the most diffi cult of times and George W. Bush proved his ability to lead shortly after he was elected on September 11th 2001. He led us through one of the most tragic events in American history. Great leaders do not always do what is popular, they do what is right. Great leaders do not always give people what they want but instead they have the courage to give them what they need. George W. Bush is focused, determined, and steadfast in his actions to lead our nation in the direction he believes is best for everyone. He is a man of strong character and conviction and he does not fl ounder or fl ip fl op on issues based on what others think or say because he is led by principles and not polls.

The attacks of September 11th changed America forever and American’s saw the

type of leader George W. Bush was during this tragic event. In President Bush’s own words: “In our grief and anger we have found our mission and our moment.” President Bush declared war on terror and has made victory in the war on terrorism and the advance of human freedom. Already, he has led a coalition of nations who have liberated the people of Afghanistan from the brutal Taliban regime and denied al-Qaeda its safe haven of operations. He liberated the people of Iraq from the terror of Saddam Hussein and thousands of terrorists have been captured or killed and operations have been disrupted in many countries around the world. In President Bush’s words: “Our Nation - this generation - will lift a dark threat of violence from our people and our future. We will rally the world to this cause by our efforts, by our courage. We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail.”

George W. Bush inherited an economy that was in recession, and the economy is strong and getting stronger. The President’s pro-growth policies have helped drive the economy and move the recovery forward, putting more money in the pockets of America’s families and laying a foundation for robust growth and job creation now and for years to come.

• The GDP has grown by more than fi ve percent over the last three quarters, the fastest rate of growth in nearly two decades.• Productivity grew at the fastest three-year rate in more than 50 years.

From 2000 to 2003, the American economy experienced an unprecedented combination of shocks: the stock market bubble bursting; an economic recession; the terrorist attacks of September 11th and subsequent War on Terror including the war in Iraq; and the discovery of corporate accounting scandals, years in the making, that undermined confi dence in corporate America. President Bush acted promptly and aggressively to address these shocks and he has lead us out of the recession and into an era of the fastest growth in GDP and productivity in nearly two decades.

George W. Bush is the man to lead our nation into the future. We need to do everything we can to mobilize our friends, family and co-workers to spread the word and to re-elect George W. Bush on Election Day. If you’re a dealer or a manager, you can make a huge impact by encouraging your employees to vote for our future. God bless America!

Re-Elect George W. Bush

Page 9: AutoSuccess Aug04

Selling is a Communication Process

ZigZiglarsts ms ls fi s lr

sales and training solution

Selling is a c o m m u n i c a t i o n process. We can make it easy for the customer to understand why our

solution will benefi t him/her.

The simplicity of selling is similar to other professions. The great Hall of Fame baseball player Willie Mays was once asked to describe the game of baseball. He replied, “That’s easy. They throw it, I hit it. They hit it, I catch it.” Now, that is simple. Arnold Palmer’s father taught him to play

the game of golf. Arnie’s dad said, “Son, hit the ball hard. Go fi nd it, hit it again.” Selling should be similar.

Here are three principles that may allow us to keep it simple:

1. Selling is not telling, selling is asking.When we ask appropriate questions, we improve our chances of successfully offering the correct solution. We must continually practice the art of asking, listening, tuning in, and seeking clarifi cation. Here is a great question: “Mr. Customer, if you could receive those things, what is the benefi t to you?” The answer to that question allows you to position your presentation.

2. Listen so the customer will talk, talk so the customer will listen.The old saying holds true to this day: people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care…about them. Therefore, we should be open to the words and the meanings of the customer’s answers so he/she is encouraged to give us the vital information we need to match our solutions to their needs.

3. Selling is a transference of feeling.Selling is a “transference of feeling!” If we can have our customers feel the way that we do about our product or service, we will have customers for life. We must communicate a confi dence in ourselves as well as in our products and services.

Selling is easy; keep it simple. Ask questions, listen to the answers, and transfer your feeling for you, your company, and your solutions. Communicate to your prospect that you believe in and are proud of what you sell. Remember -- to be convincing you must fi rst be convinced!

Zig Ziglar is the Chairman of the Board of Ziglar Training Systems in Dallas, TX. He can be contacted at 866.873.0026, or by email at [email protected].

august 2004 9

If we can have our customers feel the way that we do about our product or service, we will have customers for life.

Page 10: AutoSuccess Aug04

www.autosuccess.bizvisit us online at10

MichaelYork

Uncommon Success

sts ms ls fi s lr

marketing solution

Most people in life are looking for the answers. So that would make it “common” right? The real problem

with “common” is that it means ordinary, average, boring, plain, or nothing really special. Is that how you want to be known in the marketplace? Is that how you want to live your life? How about choosing the “uncommon” approach?

Ask Better Questions.When you begin to ask better questions, to yourself and to those around you, there’s a curiosity that propels you to fi nd the answers that are really important to you.

Try some of these...how do you answer when someone asks, “How’s business?” or “How’s life treating you?” Your answer says a lot about you and your attitude. Is there anything about your life or your work or your legacy you’d like to change? It’s available. Are you?

What do you want to be known for?How can you create positive change, personally or professionally? How can you learn to cultivate opportunity from the challenges you’re faced with today?How can you get greater enjoyment from your life?How curious are you about the kind of success you would like to achieve?Don’t settle.Explore.Don’t quit.Never ever give up.

Ask yourself, “What am I becoming?” as a result of what you’re learning...or not learning. The real question is not “What am I getting (paid)?” but rather, “What am I becoming?” What can I learn that I can take and create value that pays me well? And in making plans and setting goals don’t forget your priorities...like “Life fi rst” and “Work next.” Most people begin setting goals for work, and leave the life part undone.

Next question, “Am I excited about what I do?” Are you?

Do you love what you do? If not, what would you change? What would you love to do if you could?

Why can’t you? Why don’t you?

William Faulkner once wrote, “Don’t bother trying to be better than your contemporaries, or your predecessors.Try to be better than yourself.”

That’s the challenge...becoming better than you are at this moment.

Change the way you think, maybe even about something you already know a lot about. In today’s economic show it’s about continuing the improvement. Change is going on around you right now, but how often is it going on “in” you? How are you keeping up the learning curve?

Finding the right answers for you and your life isn’t impossible. It’s just uncommon. What does it mean to “Become uncommon?” What is it? Uncommon is different. It’s unique, remarkable, memorable, and that means you’re unforgettable. Uncommon companies, or individuals...choose to be that way.

Uncommon companies have a unique identity that is instantly recognizable. Companies like Disney, Ritz Carlton, Southwest Airlines, Federal Express and others bring about a mental picture of “yeah, they’re special.”

It’s JetBlue, Wal-Mart, Starbucks and Harley Davidson. There’s a whole new breed of uncommon individuals and organizations. It’s hard to describe any of them, what they do or how they do it, as common.

So what can you do to become uncommon? To set yourself apart as different? To become atypical and unconventional, to be

seen as remarkable and not boring? Lots of things.

1. Be (more) creative.Use your imagination. Be on the lookout for ways you can be more memorable. Take some time and invest it in exercising your creativity and spending time with creative people. What resources can you use to become more creative?

2. Do what�s easy to do.That’s the cool part...any of the things that contribute to you becoming uncommon are easy to do. The common perception is that it’s hard, and time-consuming, and that’s why excuses are common and value-creators are the highly paid top performers. They will always have job security, largely because their security exists within themselves.

3. Go to work on you.Top performers and high achievers work harder on themselves than on their job. When you work harder on you, it means you’ll do any job better...because you are better. What’s your greatest learning asset?

4. Read, Listen & Write.What if it really were as easy as reading, listening and writing? Could it be?

Less than fi ve percent of Americans have a library card (uncommon?), over 80% have a video rental card.Every top performer writes handwritten notes. Does that really make a difference? When was the last time you received a handwritten note? How did it make you feel?How did it make you feel about the person sending the note?Uncommon.

Try doing the things that you know you should do, and you know you can do and see how it works for you. It’s uncommon.

Michael York is an Author and Professional Speaker. He can be contacted at 800.668.5015, or by email at [email protected], or visit www.MichaelYork.com.

Top performers and high achievers work harder on themselves than on their job.

Page 11: AutoSuccess Aug04
Page 12: AutoSuccess Aug04

www.autosuccess.bizsuccessful solutions at12

MarkTewart

Fake It, Till You Make It

sts ms ls fi s lr

sales and training solution

You are who you decide to be at any given moment. It does not take money, a degree, a certain age, a certain appearance,

tons of experience, knowing the right people, past success or any other qualifying factor that you may be currently using as a subconscious roadblock to your desired success. Your belief system creates your results both past and present. If your current belief system is not what it should be to support your success, you must fake it, till you make it.

If you currently don’t appear to be on the path that will create the level of success in the form you desire, you must begin to identify the mental programming that is limiting your success before you can change your resulting limiting actions.

You must pay close attention to your inner-

dialogue when you write goals or have thoughts about anything you desire. When thinking of your goals, if you repeatedly think of the specifi c reasons of how and why your goal may be hard to obtain, you are creating the “When-Then Syndrome.” Your subconscious identifi es your current programming that tells you that for X to occur you must fi rst have Y. If that is the case, your current mental programming is limited and will not allow you to break through your current barriers to further success.

Write down the fi rst twenty mental images or messages you heard or were taught about money. When closely examined, most of the images and messages remembered will be limited, negative, and fear based. Those negative messages and images have taken a life of their own and have been accepted in your subconscious as absolute truths. To increase money, you must identify your current limiting messages and rewrite the messages to create accepted new truths.

Every person you come into contact with tries to defi ne you based upon his/her own thoughts and beliefs. Your workplace is full of people with their own limiting mental programming that want to defi ne you in a way that makes them feel better about themselves. People will create images such as “you are just lucky” or “the favorite of the boss” or “a weak sales person”. So often you act in your work environment in a role based upon the images and messages accepted by your subconscious. Unfortunately, your subconscious accepts all images and messages without fi ltering. However, you can overwhelm the negative messages with your own positive messages. Your conscious mind will choose and react to the strongest messages being given to it. Don’t allow others to create your destiny based upon their own limited beliefs.

Your subconscious can act as an automatic responder in a positive form just as it can negatively. You must bombard your mind with positive and repetitive images for your conscious mind to react with positive messages. Read and listen to the material that will support you in creating the images you desire, while reducing and eliminating the negative infl uences you encounter from relatives, co-workers, and the news. You create your own reality. It’s your responsibility to choose the right sources of information to saturate your brain.

To start manifesting your desires, you must become clear on your goals. Write what you want in present tense using vivid details of your emotions and thoughts at the time of obtaining those goals. The repetitive conditioning of your subconscious with the imagery you have created will begin to grow just as your muscles grow by the repetitive action of lifting weights. Soon your positive imagery will be so strong that your belief system will accept this as reality before it has ever transpired as reality. There will be no difference between your chosen reality and your current state. Your belief system will accept each step and each day as a part of your path to success. Dare today to choose what you desire and the actions that support those desires.

Mark Tewart is the President of Tewart Enterprises. He can be contacted at 866.429.6844, or by email [email protected].

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Page 13: AutoSuccess Aug04

august 2004 13

OFAC, the US Patriot Act and theAutomobile Dealer: How to be in Compliance

FranMcAllister

Legal requirements for industries change frequently and being ready to respond to those changes are critical for every

industry. Recently there has been an increased urgency in the automobile industry regarding the OFAC regulations and the federal requirements of the regulation under the U.S. Patriot Act. Complying with the regulation is mandatory for every industry. Executive Order 13224 ordered the Offi ce of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) to make available to fi nancial institutions (which includes car dealerships) a list of “blocked persons” known as “Specially Designed Nationals” (SDN). The order, among other things, prohibits U.S. citizens and business entities from entering into “any transaction or dealing” with individuals who have been linked to terrorism and appear on the list of “blocked persons”. This order is designed to work in conjunction with the Patriot Act.

In a recent article published by the Augusta Chronicle, Milly Millerwise, spokeswoman for the Treasury Department, which is responsible for enforcing the order, was quoted as saying: “This is one of the most important weapons to fi ght terrorism.” To date, $141 million in terrorist assets has been frozen.

Although this order has been in effect for close to three years, automobile dealers are just now being made aware of their responsibilities and of the consequences associated with non-compliance. Penalties can be severe. Depending on the program, criminal penalties can include fi nes from $50,000 to $10 million while imprisonment can range from 10 to 30 years for willful violations. Civil penalties can range from $11,000 to $1 million for each violation.

There has been some confusion in the industry that background checks are required to be in compliance with this

regulation. In fact, the regulations require you to know your customer by obtaining and documenting valid identifi cation, and being able to provide the documentation should you be asked. No background check is required. However, checking the “blocked persons” list is required under the regulation.

A changing environment is always challenging. Information regarding this regulation is available through the U.S. Treasury by visiting their website at www.ustreas.gov.

Fran McAllister is the Vice President of Sales at Integra Systems. She can be contacted at 800.668.3107, or by email at [email protected].

sts ms ls fi s lr

leadership solution

Page 14: AutoSuccess Aug04

www.autosuccess.bizsubscribe today at14

SeanWolfi ngton

10 Secrets of Great LeadershipThe greatest leadership secret in the world is not a secret to the best performers in the industry. The secret

to their success is their passionate pursuit to serve and satisfy their customers regardless of what it takes. The best leaders have a compulsion for taking care of their customers and the employees they serve. This passion for serving the customer starts with a selfl ess attitude to do the right thing for other people. Below you will fi nd a few of the best practices of leaders in the automotive industry:

1. Purpose:The best leaders have a deep sense of purpose. They recognize that their job has meaning and that they can protect their customers from other dealers. In addition, they are great at communicating that vision to others to motivate them with a sense of mission that inspires the ordinary to do the extraordinary.

2. Passion:Great sales people have a love for what they do and for the customer. Enthusiasm is contagious and they get everyone around them excited about the dealership, their products, and themselves. Enthusiasm is like a heater that spreads heat throughout the entire dealership and it can create an attitude of winning that is crucial for teams to succeed.

3. Belief:The best believe in themselves, the dealership, and the products they sell. This belief will shine through in everything you do. Do you really believe that your product is the absolute best in the market? Do you believe that your dealership has the most to offer? Do you believe in yourself and your desire and ability to serve your customers during and after the sale? If your belief is strong it will help you shine through the diffi cult moments.

4. Attitude:Leaders with a great attitude are more productive than people with a negative attitude. Customers and fellow employees want to be around someone with a positive attitude. If you want to change your behavior you have to change your attitude.

5. Good Thinking:Great leaders have great thinking. The best leaders focus on the positive opportunities and people around them. If you think positively, you will feel and behave positively. You are what you think and therefore you should watch how you think.

6. Circle of Control:Leaders realize that it is a waste of time to focus a lot of time and energy thinking or complaining about things that are outside of their circle of control. The most effective leaders spend most of their time and energy focusing on what they can change or affect. If we recognize a problem and focus on the solutions that we can take action on, then we are being more effective.

7. Constant Improvement:The best become the best because they are always seeking ways to become better. It surprises me that average people are usually content with who they are and what they are doing while the above average performers are always seeking to grow and improve. Pride is the enemy of progress because average people focus on why they are so great but the great people are always trying to reach above and beyond the average. No one is perfect, and some people use this as an excuse for being complacent and not trying to go to the next level.

8. Eager Student:The most progressive leaders are always learning and growing. People who have an open mind and seek new and better ways to do things drive progress. If you ask the right

people the right questions you will get the right answers. When people fi rst start in their job, their attitude is positive and they are eager to study, learn, and grow. Unfortunately, after a little time goes by some of us can believe the myth that we have “fi gured it all out.” The fact is that success is a journey and not a destination and the most productive leaders are always learning.

9. Process:People who follow a clearly defi ned process are usually more effective than those who do not. If someone has a lot of natural talent and they perform well without a process they will normally perform even better with a process. When a dealership has a clearly defi ned process for how they handle all of their customers, they can deliver a constant positive experience for their customers on the showroom, service isle, phone, internet, follow up and more. The best leaders defi ne their process by focusing on how customers buy rather than on how they like to sell. What would you like your customers to experience when they shop, buy, or service their vehicle at your dealership?

10. Execution:In the end, results are what matter and the best leaders establish positive habits that lead to positive execution. There are a lot of talented people in the car business and the one thing that separates the good from the great is their ability to execute and get the job done over the long term.

By following some of these leadership principles and approaches, I hope you make more money and make a real difference in your lives and the lives of the people you serve.

Sean WolÞ ngton is an Owner of BZ Results.com. He can be contacted at 866.802.5753, or by email atswolÞ [email protected].

sts ms ls fi s lr

leadership solution

Page 15: AutoSuccess Aug04

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Page 16: AutoSuccess Aug04

fs feature solution

www.autosuccess.biz16

KevinSmith

You Know the Challenge...What�s the Solution?

The customers that you earn every day are yours to keep or yours to lose, and the challenge is that approximately eight out of 10 are choosing independent repair facilities.

This trend has a quantifi able correlation to your long-term vehicle sales volume. NADA states that “if the customer utilizes your service department throughout their ownership experience, they are 17 times more likely to repurchase at your dealership.”

The numbers strongly indicate that customers who perform ongoing service at your dealership come back and repurchase their next vehicle. Customers who use Jiffy Lube, Pep Boys, Firestone, etc., and have no ongoing relationship with your dealership, don’t.

Additionally, this customer defection has a profound impact on your customer pay labor sales and on your return on investment. For example, if you sell a $20,000 new or used vehicle today vs. selling $20,000 in customer pay labor, how much are you left with in variable gross profi t? You are left with approximately $12,000 in the service department vs. less than $1,000 in sales.

Given that the customer is much more likely to repurchase if they utilize your service department on an ongoing basis, and performing this service work yields a tremendous return on investment, formulating and executing day to day solutions to increase service sales is a major focus for dealers and manufacturers alike.

Increasing sales in your fi xed operations is no different than increasing sales in your new or used car department. What are the factors that lead to increased vehicle sales? More fl oor traffi c or a better closing ratio. The same applies in service; if you want to increase service sales, generate more traffi c (repair orders) or increase your closing ratio (hours per R.O.).

Customer loyalty not customer satisfaction

leads to increased traffi c in your service department. We have all been trained that customer satisfaction is the key to retaining our customers. Taking care of the customer is critical to your long-term success, but it has become the rule rather than the exception.

Due to customers’ infl ated expectations, levels of service are no longer the major contributor to repeat purchase behavior. Simply “satisfying” the customer no longer makes the grade. Look no further than your own dealership: Approximately 90% of the customers who purchase a vehicle at your dealership are “satisfi ed”. If 90% are satisfi ed, why are only 20% coming back for service on an ongoing basis?

In this regard the auto industry is not unlike any other. As high as 85% of all consumers who defect from any brand or product said that they were “satisfi ed”. Suppose the customer used to fl y airline X. The customer wasn’t dissatisfi ed with airline X however airline Y gave the customer a compelling reason to switch; unlimited fi rst class upgrades at no cost, more points if he/she was a frequent traveler, etc. They provided more “what’s in it for me”.

Nine out of the top 10 major industries and scores of other businesses have identifi ed this challenge and utilize rewards programs to provide more, “what’s in it for me”. The airlines, hotels, grocery stores, Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, credit cards, Wal-Mart, Viagra, sports teams, banks, restaurants, dry cleaners, and gas stations, the list goes on. These companies have remained dedicated to customer satisfaction, but they provide customers with a compelling reason to do business with them on an ongoing basis.

Implement a program customized to fi t with the culture of your dealership. The most successful dealership rewards programs follow a consistent pattern. The dealership issues a rewards card at time of delivery. In some cases, the rewards card is mailed to the customer’s home accompanied by a welcome letter explaining the benefi ts and

rewards and how to utilize the program at your dealership. The registration takes place on a secure Web site.

Industry leading dealership rewards programs offer the ability to automatically generate customized electronic CSI surveys to your customers, as well as awarding them bonus points for their input. They automatically provide the customer with a monthly account summary and customized monthly specials.

When returning for service the customer simply hands the card to the cashier. The cashier swipes the card in a customized touch-screen terminal. The cashier touches the applicable icon so you are able to track the benefi ts being utilized by your customers.

An example transaction might be that the customer spent $90, saved $10, and earned 900 points toward future services, or toward the purchase of their next vehicle. The benefi ts are typically dealership-specifi c, but for example; 2,000 points may be redeemed for a complimentary oil change; 5,000 points equates to complimentary detail; or 10,000 points may equate to $250 off the purchase of the customer’s next vehicle.

Look for a system that has automated reporting so you will be able to pick out the applicable reports and data you want fi ltered from the system. It should query the database and automatically send you the information daily, weekly, or monthly.

The system should be programmed to automatically contact the customer over 50 times in four years. Additionally, fi lter the data in order to facilitate targeted marketing campaigns soliciting specifi c segments of your customer base. For example, e-mail all of the customers who purchased three months ago, but who have not come back in for service, or, when the next new model comes out, target previous owners who fi t specifi c fi lter criteria and send an electronic brochure and invitation for a test drive.

Page 17: AutoSuccess Aug04

august 2004 17

There are fi ve key components when constructing a rewards program:

1. How do you get the customer in the fi rst time? You have to get them comfortable with coming to your dealership.2. Search for a long-term hook. Create a fear of loss, something that in effect makes it painful to defect from your dealership. It must have a big perceived value and minimal cost versus your return on investment.3. Develop some type of transactional discount so the customer must use the card each time they come into the dealership.4. Be sure to take credit for the things you are already doing i.e. free car washes, 27 point inspections, bird dogs (check state laws), etc.5. The more money the customer spends, the more they earn toward future services or toward their next vehicle purchase.

Once the benefi ts have been constructed and a rewards program has been implemented, many dealers choose to enroll their existing customers in addition to their current customers. Additionally, many dealers who implement a rewards program not only target their existing database, but they also target all of the (Chevrolet, for example) owners in a market. They lay that data against their existing data and what’s left are all the Chevrolet owners in the market that they did not sell a car to. With the inability to pull DMV data, it is no longer an exact science. However, there are several data extraction and research companies that can facilitate this type of match with up to 70% accuracy.

Increasing service sales requires the same ingredients as selling more cars. Create more traffi c or increase your closing percentage. Rewards programs have a documented history of increasing traffi c. What’s the formula for increasing your closing percentages, and increasing your gross profi t per transaction on the service drive?

We fi nd that many service departments have common areas of opportunity. (Do a quick self evaluation.)

• Effective labor rate at 100-105% of your door rate? (correctly priced labor inventory)• Customer pay hours per R.O. at 2.5 or above? (selling system performance)• 125%-135% shop effi ciency? (tech skill level, work distribution, traffi c count)

Your effective labor rate is predominately a byproduct of properly pricing your labor inventory. Review the 150-200 most performed labor operations. This can be done with a specialized spreadsheet taking into account your cost of labor per hour, the fl at rate time of the job, and your target effective labor rate and gross profi t margin.

In an average store, if your effective labor rate is $10 below your door rate, it is costing you roughly $125,000 in annual net profi t.

In addition to your effective labor rate, your sales production system is a key element to maximizing your profi tability in service. Customers buy when the perceived value exceeds the price. How much value is being presented on your service drive? Are the tests, measurements, or guidelines that dictate the customer needs for a given service being documented and verbalized? Is the customer explained what is included, and what benefi ts will be derived from the recommended service? Is all of this being illustrated to the customer visually?

When your customer is at a restaurant and their waitress comes by and asks if they would like desert after a big meal they may often decline. But put that tray of fresh deserts in front of their face and there is good chance that they may indulge.

Is your customer getting presented the desert tray at your dealership? Take fi ve minutes and evaluate if the value being presented on your service drive exceeds the cost.

If you are falling short of your expectations in this area, you may consider a tool to assist your advisors in this endeavor. A Virtual Advisor has short, multimedia, feature and benefi t presentations housed on the Internet along with hundreds of customized service menus. For example, the advisor may say, “Let me show you what is entailed in our 30,000 mile service, and why those items are important to perform at this mileage interval.”

The advisor spins the screen around toward the customer, clicks a button, and a 15-second multimedia presentation presents the value. The advisor then clicks another button and the system pulls up one of several hundred pre-programmed menus based on the vehicle model, year, mileage, and normal or severe driving conditions.

In an average store .5 hours per repair order is costing you roughly $250,000 in an annual net profi t.

• What if you had implemented these types of solutions 5 years ago?• What would your R.O. count be? What kind of database contacts would you have amassed? • Would you have targeted your competitor’s database and driven them into your service department and in turn back into your sales department?• What if you presented every product to every customer every time on your service drive in a visual, consistent and compliant manner?

Where will you be fi ve years from today?

Kevin Smith is the Chief Operating OfÞ cer at the Ensurety Group, Inc. He can be contacted at 877.631.2903, or by email at [email protected].

Page 18: AutoSuccess Aug04

www.autosuccess.biz18

How to Identify and Removethe Four Obstacles to Closing

sts ms ls fi s lr

sales and training solutionBrianTracy

There are several reasons why the end game of selling can be stressful and diffi cult. First is the fear of failure

experienced by the prospect. Because of negative buying experiences in the past, over which you had no control, prospects are conditioned to be suspicious, skeptical and wary of sales people and sales approaches. They may like to buy, but they don’t like to be sold. They are afraid of making a mistake. They are afraid of paying too much and fi nding it for sale cheaper somewhere else. They are afraid of being criticized by others for making the wrong buying decision. They are afraid of buying an inappropriate product and fi nding out later that they should have purchased something else. This fear of failure, of making a mistake in buying your product, is the major reason why people object, hesitate and procrastinate on the buying decision.

The second major obstacle to selling is the fear of rejection, of criticism and disapproval experienced by the sales person. You work long and hard to prospect and cultivate a prospective buyer and you are very reluctant to say anything that might cause the prospect to tune you out and turn you off. You have a lot invested in each prospect and if you are not careful, you will fi nd yourself being wishy-washy at the end of the sale, rather than risking incurring the displeasure of the prospect by your asking for a fi rm decision.

The third reason why the end of the sale is diffi cult is that customers are busy and preoccupied. It isn’t that they are uninterested in enjoying the benefi ts of your product. They may feel they are overwhelmed with work and fi nd it diffi cult to make suffi cient time available to think through your recommendations and make a buying decision. And the better they are as a prospect, the busier they tend to be. This is why you need to maintain momentum throughout the sales process and gently push it to a conclusion at the appropriate time.

The factor of inertia is the fourth reason that can also cause the sales process to come to a halt without a resolution. Customers are lazy and often quite comfortable doing what they are currently doing. Your product or service may require that they make exceptional efforts to accommodate the change or a new way of doing things.

Perhaps they recognize that they would be better off with your product, but the trouble and expense of its delivery hardly seems to make it worth the effort. They see no pressing need or urgency to stop doing what they are doing and start doing something else with what you are selling.

The good news is that everybody you meet has bought, and will buy in the future from someone. If they don’t buy from you, they will from someone else. You must fi nd the way to overcome the natural physical and psychological obstacles to buying and then hone your skills so that you are capable of selling to almost any qualifi ed prospect you speak to.

Now, here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, recognize the normal fear of making a buying mistake experienced by the customer. Give him/her every reason you can think of to be confi dent in dealing with you.

Second, accept that everyone you talk to is busy and remember to always ask if this is a good time for them to give you their undivided attention.

Brian Tracy is the Chairman & CEO of Brian Tracy International. He can be contacted at 866.300.9881, or by email at [email protected].

You must Þ nd the way to overcome the natural physical and psychological obstacles to buying and then hone your skills so that you are capable of selling to almost any qualiÞ ed prospect you speak to.

Page 19: AutoSuccess Aug04
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www.autosuccess.bizsuccessful solutions at20

Work Demand Benchmark

• Columns 1 and 2 - The successful performance of this work requires:

• Columns 3 and 4 - The successful performance of this work requires:

1 23

Retention of Staff, Part I

CarolMartinsts ms ls fi s lr

leadership solution

Retention of Staff is the second in this series of four articles designed to reduce employee turnover by maximizing employee

morale and productivity.

Who are we?Clearly, the dealership’s age and size are important components of its culture. Older dealerships have years of tradition and their own way of doing things. Larger dealerships may also have their own way of doing things, but the ways have probably become institutionalized, departmentalized and often, in spite of all their best efforts, de-entrepreneurialized.

Apart from the obvious cultural differences caused by the dealership’s age and size is the less obvious commitment to growth. Everyone agrees that if the top line of the dealership’s P&L is growing at 20% plus a year, everything else, including profi ts, is taken care of. But there is a big difference between the dynamic old days of dealership creation and the new days of dealership profi t preservation. Here we have a corporate culture shift of major proportions. And it is very much linked to employee retention, the topic of this, the second article in the series.

First things Þ rst.At the risk of repeating the obvious, the fi rst step in employee retention lies in employee selection. We agree that an employee, be he/she a sales person, a service technician or a porter, is a different character when functioning in a small dealership with 25 or 30 employees than he/she is in a third-generation dealership with 75 or 200 employees.

Agreeing that the fi rst step in employee retention lies in employee selection, we must hasten to add that selection does not begin with a classifi ed ad. Selection for any title, from offi ce staff to general sales manager, begins with objectively and even “scientifi cally” determining exactly what it is we are looking for. Because the new cultural reality of a Generation X and Y workforce brings its own fresh challenges to traditional workplace operations, it is important that we establish a clear target of what we really want.

What do we want?We may want a clone of our superstars, Priscilla or Mario. But what does that mean? What is it about Priscilla or Mario that makes them superstars around here? Well, in most cases, it means they outperform in the jobs they were hired to do. And, environmentally, they work well with us, our dealership, our size, age, and all the other environmental factors.

We are talking about two critical parts of the employee retention equation: environmental compatibility (fi tting with the “corporate culture” of our dealership) and vocational compatibility (the ability to perform above the standard in the type of job being performed).

Vocational issues.We all have an image of the “used car sales man”. We all have an image of the “sales manager”. But is this “manager” managing people or process? Titles can be misleading and that can mean trouble. It makes a big difference if a person is managing other people or a process. The difference lies in the vocational or job demands.

Is what you consider “appropriate job behavior for success” the same as the

defi nition given by people actually performing in that job? Can we agree that if you and they disagree, that the disagreement is important to reconcile, even critical to retention?

How do we fi nd out what are the real demands for success in a given job? Ask the real experts! Ask workers in any job to make a list of the things they do and the time they invest in doing each thing each day or each week. Don’t look for agreement on everyone’s part here. Look for agreement or disagreement with your feelings as a supervisor about “appropriate job behavior for success.”

Employee Retention, Part IThe graphic form is important because so many “position descriptions” or “job descriptions” are in narrative form, and a narrative is very diffi cult to visualize as a point-for-point comparison when sizing up a candidate for employment.

Creating a benchmark of the job demands.We are going to do a short benchmarking exercise. Think of a job or title in your dealership. Write that title here: . Select the most appropriate answer from each of the pairs of statements below:

Column 1

Column 2

Taking risks and facing challenges or

Being cautious and/or non-confrontational

Column 1

Column 2

A strong desire to win or

A low- key, �live-and-let-live� attitude

Column 1

Column 2

Proactivity handling a challenge, or

Comfort following the lead of others

Column 1

Column 2

An assertive, �make-it -happen� attitude, or

An accommodating, supportive attitude

Column 3

Column 4

The use of emotion/charm to persuade, or

The use of proof/fact to convince

Column 3

Column 4

An enthusiastic communication style, or

A direct, speciÞ c communication style

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august 2004 21

• Columns 5 and 6 - The successful performance of this work requires:

• Columns 7 and 8 - The successful performance of this work requires:

Count the column clues and color-in one box below for each clue to create a graphic benchmark of the job demands of an employee with the title you selected above.

Employee Retention, Part IINow describe the work environment in which this job is going to be performed. Pick the one phrase from the following 16 pairs that is most often true of an employee, working the job title you selected earlier, in your dealership.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Win

ning

Securit

y

Inß u

ence

Analys

is

Nimble

Fixed

Self-D

Excel

lence

Job Demands

Column 3

Column 4

A high level of consideration, empathy, or

A high level of objectivity and impartiality

Column 3

Column 4

Establishing, nurturing relationships, or

Working with facts and technical information

Column 5

Column 6

A strong sense of urgency, or

Persistence, strong follow-up skills

Column 5

Column 6

Comfort with multi-tasking and change, or

Comfort with routine, predictable tasks

Column 5

Column 6

The ability to deal with a variety of tasks, or

Working systematically at repetitive tasks

Column 5

Column 6

Working at a fast, demanding pace, or

Working at a relaxed, steady pace

Column 7

Column 8

Independent decision-making, or

Adhering to rules when making decisions

Column 7

Column 8

Being self-sufÞ cient and self-directed, or

Being cooperative, following directions

Column 7

Column 8

A �big picture� focus, or

A strong attention to detail

Column 7

Column 8

The need to act independently, or

The need to follow a well-deÞ ned set of procedures

continued

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life-saving research possible.

Call 1.800.533.CURE or visit

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continued on page 28

Page 22: AutoSuccess Aug04

Millerized.com Increases InternetBusiness by 1,100% in 90 Days

KyleMiller

Miller Ford Nissan VW used to have an Internet initiative that was anemic. However, all of that changed three months

ago when we launched our new Virtual Dealership GETMILLERIZED.COM, which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and promotes all of our profi t centers. Prior to launching our new site we had three sites. These sites were well built but lacked the most important elements: results and additional car sales. Therefore, most of our Internet leads were coming from third party providers. We were spending a lot of money on leads and not getting much of a return on our investment.

All of that changed in May when we released our brand new site to the public. Our greatest challenge was getting the word out that we were back and better than ever. We had to get the message out that our site was not the old school car dealer site nor was it the cookie cutter site that all the manufacturers and template web companies demand that you have. We wanted better and that is exactly what we got.

Our new site appeals to the modern consumer in ways I could have only imagined. It provides the modern consumer a safe and entertaining place to research,

fi nd, and service their vehicle. Plus, it provides Virtual Test-Drives on every make and model we sell. The site is also loaded with multimedia buzz mails that build value in our products and dealership.

Our ultimate goal was to drive all potential customers to our new website and reduce our dependence on third party leads. Within the fi rst 90 days we had tripled the number of visitors to our site and had a 1,100% increase in our leads. We used to get only 25 to 50 leads a month from our old website and now we are receiving over 290 per month. The exponential growth is staggering.

Our strategy is simple. We want to grow our own site leads and reduce our dependence on third party lead providers while increasing our grosses and CSI. Our CRM tool provides us with the perfect opportunity to achieve this goal. There are many secrets that we have implemented to make this a reality and I will briefl y share one with you.

When we receive a 3rd party lead, we instantly send the customer a Virtual Test Drive buzz mail of the vehicle they are interested in. On the email we say the following: “Please enjoy a virtual test drive of the Nissan Maxima. John will be contacting you shortly to help you with

your vehicle research.” And guess what happens? The customer views the amazing Virtual Test Drive and then clicks onto our site and continues their research. Minutes later a new lead from the same customer comes through but this time the source of the lead is our own website. Mission Accomplished. We now have them in our virtual dealership. Once they fi nd us they are hooked. We have had great success in converting the third party shopper into a fi rst party “Miller Only” shopper. And our closing ratio on our new site is fi ve times what it was on our previous site.

Another area of improvement has been our search engine optimization. Our new website provider has a dedicated SEO team that works everyday on getting our dealership maximum exposure in the search engines. We believe that the search engine is the present and future key to any and all Internet research. This is how the modern consumer fi nds everything and anything. If your site can appear when they type it into a search engine, they fi nd and visit you. All of this leads to the ultimate goal of getting them to our site and we’ll get them to our showroom.

Visit GETMILLERIZED.COM to view our new system that helps us fi nd, sell & keep customers profi tably.

Kyle Miller is the Internet Director of Miller Ford Nissan VW. He can be contacted at 800.668.5526, or by email at [email protected].

www.autosuccess.bizsuccessful solutions at22

Our new site appeals to the modern consumer in ways I could have only imagined. It provides the modern consumer a safe and entertaining place to research, Þ nd, and service their vehicle.

sts ms ls fi s lr

marketing solution

Page 23: AutoSuccess Aug04

ADVERTISEMENT

Differentiate Your Dealership for Success & Greater Profi tablity!

In today’s ever increasingly competitive automobile market, dealers need to separate themselves from the competition.

Customers are better educated on the true manufacturers invoice, available rebates, dealer holdback, and other once

sacred information due mainly to the internet and private buying services. Furthermore, nearly 70% of all new

customers are having their vehicles serviced at non-dealer service facilities. To remain competitive and profi table, it is

imperative to look “outside the box”!

A dealership that has done this successfully is Lustine Toyota/Dodge/Scion in Woodbridge, Virginia. A little over

a year ago, Lustine began to offer Auto4Life, a Lifetime Powertrain Service Contract/Warranty provided on every

vehicle. “The results have been amazing” quotes General Manager, Jim Giddings. “We have always wanted to

separate our dealership from the competition and Auto4Life has defi nitely given us a huge advantage.” After only three

or four months of promotion on both the radio and in print advertising, the results began to show-and in a big way.

Auto4Life is a product that truly allows dealers to generate more fl oor traffi c. It’s not a gimmick or a fad. It’s a proven

value added customer friendly product that creates a sense of security among a dealership’s cliental. “After customers

started hearing about Auto4Life at our store, the numbers started to increase,” says Giddings. Lustine increased

their year over year sales by 26% - and their service retention nearly tripled! “Tripling your service retention

may seem great, but it also brings with it some challenges. We were not prepared for the huge increase in service.

The vast number of clients coming back was a challenge with scheduling…a good problem to have” notes Giddings.

Mr. Giddings states that the customer readily accepts the fact that they must return to the selling dealer for all of their

routine maintenance in order for the Powertrain Service Contract to be valid. The F & I department has been selling

Pre-Scheduled Maintenance at a 60% customer acceptance level and this has created an interesting growth/focus area

for his service department. The initial result was a drop in the average RO fi gure, but with a little ingenuity the average

RO bounced back due to the implementation of up selling training in the service department. And the more costly

service intervals at 15K, 30K and 45K come more frequent because the customer was now “trained” to bring their car

to the dealership for all service work.

Asked to summarize his experience with Auto4Life Giddings replied, “The statistics are great, but the most important

aspect of Auto4Life is that it truly gives our salespeople a differentiator. This helps us sell more cars and most

importantly hold more gross profi t! It is truly a win – win for the dealership and the customer.”

For more information on Auto4Life, please call 800.668.5603 or visit www.Auto4Life.com

Page 24: AutoSuccess Aug04

www.autosuccess.bizvisit us online at24

JimTorgeson

More Ups, More Sales, More ProÞ t

sts ms ls fi s lr

leadership solution

Motivating a customer off the couch and into your showroom is tough. Getting them in their car and out of

their home takes urgency and a fear of loss.

What about getting their attention while they’re driving their trade-in? What if your customer saw your ad just a few blocks away from your dealership? What if they saw it a block before they got to your competition?

Offsite signage and sign walkers have the unique ability of grabbing customers en route to the mall, the market, the movies or, better yet, your competitors. Urgent messages turn tire kickers into buyers by acting upon impulse. Urgency makes your competitor’s lifelong customer check you out.

Something as simple as a person waving customers into your driveway increases your traffi c fl ow by making it seem as though something important is going on. Balloons, banners, BBQ’s, and infl atable objects all project the image that your dealership is a place where deals are made and customers are happy. Take that to the next level.

“This Weekend Only” takes on a new meaning when a person is waving the message to you. Your offer has a greater impact when you see a sign just a few minutes away directing you to “buy at $88 per month - while supplies last.” They can just turn the wheel and fi nd out.

Most people “prepare” to deal with car sales people. They have to get in the state of mind to be fi rm, focused and frugal. Customers

who drive in on impulse are much less prepared to object. These are people who are excited about your offer and have driven straight in to fi nd out. Some are already committed to buying a vehicle; now you have the opportunity to grab their business.

Tent sales thrive on this kind of guerilla marketing. Hundreds of cars can be sold just because it seems urgent to jump on the “Huge 3 Day Sale”. These sales almost always forgo the standard electronic and print media and go straight for the buyer. They thrive on getting a driver’s attention and shifting it onto the event lot. Add that dimension to your on-site sales.

Jim Torgeson is the Owner of SignWalkers.com. He can be contacted at 800.526.9829, or by email [email protected].

INCREASE SHOWROOM TRAFFIC!

Fun Vestments, Inc. 125 Town Park Drive, Suite 300 Kennesaw, Georgia 30144 fax: 770.420.8438

ORDER BY AUGUST 30, 2004 AND RECEIVE $100 OFF DELIVERY AND INSTALLATION!

To View A Product Video,visit www.eventstreams.com/funvestments/010

CAR-O-SELL ROTATING AUTO DISPLAYCAR-O-SELL ROTATING AUTO DISPLAY

TURN YOUR SALES,

Do you want a return on your advertising investment?

Do you spend money on advertising people never see?

Do you want to be one of the upscale dealerships that has the new and innovative rotating display?

If you answered YES to any of these questions,CALL US TODAY!

email: [email protected]

800.452.7514800.452.7514

Page 25: AutoSuccess Aug04

Stop wasting money on prospects gone cold.Heat up your direct mail campaigns with the automotive industry’s bestalternative to registration data–Total Market Predictor™ (TMP™)*.

TMP identifies WHAT is currently parked in the garage; WHEN ahousehold is in the market for a new or used vehicle; and HOW MUCHa household is likely to spend on its next vehicle purchase.

Prospecting lists fueled by TMP work harder to:• build showroom traffic• sell more vehicles• gain new and used vehicle market share• increase parts and service business• reach your ultimate prospects

Put an end to cold prospecting resulting from privacy and datarestrictions. Call R. L. Polk & Co. today at 1-866-521-4234, or contactyour agency and insist on Total Market Predictor.

Who are youprospecting?

*Total Market Predictor™ is a highly accurate statistical model based on currentregistration data (title information in CA).

©2004 R. L. Polk & Co.

Page 26: AutoSuccess Aug04

www.autosuccess.bizsuccessful solutions at26

DEALERS MUST BEDEALERS MUST BE ON TELEVISION!ON TELEVISION!

1-800-821-50681-800-821-5068

We produce nearly 4,000 commercials a year from our studios. We give you unlimited, high quality television campaigns and promotions FREE. With computerized media buying technology, we buy television as much as 30%-40% more effectively than any media buyer in the nation and give you

UNLIMITED TV CAMPAIGNSUNLIMITED TV CAMPAIGNS AND PROMOTIONS!AND PROMOTIONS!Call for a FREE demo tape and information.

See why over 100 dealers nationwide have INCREASED SALES MORE THAN 30% IN LESS THAN 90 DAYS WITH TELEVISION!

Larry John Wright, Inc.Larry John Wright, Inc. Automotive AdvertisingAutomotive Advertising

“America’s Premier Automotive Advertising Agency”

Endorse the Service Contract

GeorgeJacksonsts ms ls fi s lr

f&i solution

What if your sales people were to endorse the service contract, not try to sell it? Instruct your sales people how to

properly endorse a service contract and when to do it. The best time for this is when he/she is telling the customer about the limited factory warranty: “You have a three year or 36,000 mile limited warranty from the manufacturer; I also recommend the vehicle service contract that can enhance that coverage for up to seven years.”

Credit union members have a strong loyalty to the credit union, and sales people should not try to convert the customer for the business offi ce or F&I.

When a customer tells the sales person that they are going to their own bank or credit union, the sales person responds with, “If we can meet or beat your credit union rate, would you fi nance with us?” This question is very damaging to the business offi ce. The customer may become unwilling to visit the business offi ce to even hear what rates are being offered.

Train your sales people with an automatic response, “That’s great! What credit union are you a member of?” This will give you the information needed for a successful conversion.

Discourage your sales people from trying to sell your products and show them how to endorse you and the benefi ts you have to offer. The business offi ce should handle any objections the customer may have, not the sales people.

Turn Over to the Business OfÞ ceYou must show your sales people what to say when introducing a customer to the business offi ce.

Turn this need for training into an opportunity to work with the sales people in a group or one-on-one basis. A simple introduction that you design and role-play with the sales people beforehand will help ensure a successful turnover.

Remember, keep it simple, “Mr./Mrs. Customer, this is my business manager, ____________, and he/she will fi nalize your paperwork and show you any additional

benefi ts you may be entitled to.”

It is not fair to object to what your sales people tell the customer before walking into your offi ce unless you show them what to do and say. Working with the sales people will increase the professionalism in your store, allow you to do your job in its entirety, and

increase the overall success of the business offi ce.

George Jackson is the Director of F&I Training for American Financial & Automotive Services, Inc. He can be contacted at 866.280.0301, or by email at [email protected].

Page 27: AutoSuccess Aug04
Page 28: AutoSuccess Aug04

www.autosuccess.bizsuccessful solutions at28

continued

Column 1

Column 2

Encourages competition among associates

Encourages cooperation among associates

Column 1

Column 2

Growth is as important as service

Service is more important than growth

Column 1

Column 2

Supervisor is a Driver, assertive

Supervisor is conservative

Column 1

Column 2

Pay features performance incentives

Pay features beneÞ ts

Column 3

Column 4

Is friendly, welcoming

Is serious, austere

Column 3

Column 4

Is �classy,� impressive

Is practical, no-nonsense

Column 3

Column 4

Supervisor is approach-able, a �Cheerleader�

Supervisor is no-nonsense, serious

Column 3

Column 4

Is fun, social

Is mostly about work

Column 5

Column 6

Rewards fast-pace,muti-tasking

Rewards method, process

Column 5

Column 6

Supervisor is everywherein everything

Supervisor is a coach

Column 5

Column 6

Is full of charge

Is stable

Column 5

Column 6

Favors individual performance

Favors teamwork performance

Column 7

Column 8

Encourages self-management

Has structured, well-deÞ ned

management system in place

Column 7

Column 8

Requires self-manage-ment and self-direction

Has job description, rules,

traditions, guidelines

Column 7

Column 8

Supervisor is absent or �hands-off�

Supervisor is a Controller, �hands-on�

Column 7

Column 8

Supervisor/employee relationships are informal

Supervisor/employee relationships are formal

1 2 3 4

Win

ning

Securit

y

Inß u

ence

Analys

is

Nimble

Fixed

Self-D

Excel

lence

Work Environment

5 6 7 8

The job and workplace benchmarks should be similar. If they are different, the employee will be a star in the job and hate the workplace, or fail in the job, but love the workplace.

Next month’s article will focus on aligning the job and workplace benchmarks in order to boost employee retention. You will need to refer back to this month’s job and workplace benchmarks in order to continue with the employee selection and employee retention analysis.

Carol Martin is a Senior Consultant with The Omnia Group. She can be contacted at 800.601.3216, or by email at [email protected].

Workplace Realities Benchmark

• Column 1 and 2 - Most of the time, the workplace:

• Column 3 and 4 - Most of the time, the workplace:

• Column 5 and 6 - Most of the time, the workplace:

• Column 7 and 8 - Most of the time, the workplace:

Count the column clues and color-in one box below for each clue to create a graphic benchmark of the work environment in your dealership for an employee with the title you selected above.

How do we Þ nd out what are the real demands for success in a given job?

Page 29: AutoSuccess Aug04

How do you know you�ve hired a winner,If you�ve never seen the applicant sell a car?Take your job applicants for a test drive in the car industry, before you hire them. The

online Car Sales simulator can help you slash turnover costs and grow your sales by

attracting and identifying the best salespeople in your area. It puts applicants into the

shoes of an actual rep and scores them on how well they perform.

This Web-based tool from Hire the Winners is:� Fully Inter-active with Video and Audio

� An Automotive SpeciÞ c Recruitment Tool

� A Successful Training Tool

� ScientiÞ cally Proven to Identify Sales Winners

Virtual Car Sales SimulatorThe Car Sales simulator identiÞ es the top performers before they set foot on your

showroom ß oor, scoring them on the seven most important traits of winning car sales

people. Isn�t it time for you to hire the winners?

�TAKE A TEST DRIVE IN THE CAR BUSINESS�For More Information Go to: www.HireTheWinners.com or call: 877-W1NNERS

�The most important key to success for every Dealership is to recruit, hire and train a very good sales staff. The Car Sales Simulator is fantastic technology that empowers a Dealership to do just that.� Mark Tewart � President, Tewart Enterprises, Automotive Sales, Marketing & Training Company.

TM

TM

TM

TM

TM

NEXT!

Page 30: AutoSuccess Aug04

“WE RUN A MUDD INSERT AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH. AS OF OUR LASTSALE, WE HAVE SOLD MORE USED CARS THIS YEAR THAN ALL OF LASTYEAR. I BELIEVE THE MUDD GROUP’S INSERT PROGRAMS ARE THEREASON FOR OUR SUCCESS!”

Let our 100 plus employees put our automotiveadvertising experience to work for your company.

Jim Mudd Sr.Chairman & Founder Jim Mudd Jr.

President & CEORob Mudd

Agency PresidentChris Mudd

Direct Mail PresidentLiz Mudd

Account ExecutiveMary Kay Mudd

Account Executive

Cedar Falls • Chicagow w w . m u d d . c o m Call Today!

CA

LL T

OD

AY

!

1-80

0-60

1-32

26

PROVEN EVENTS THAT DRIVE TRAFFIC!NEWSPAPER INSERTS

1-800-FOR-MUDD1-800-367-6833

-JOE HYSONGGeneral Manager,Harold Chevrolet

Page 31: AutoSuccess Aug04
Page 32: AutoSuccess Aug04

ENSURETYG R O U P, I N C .

ENSURETYG R O U P, I N C .


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