Show you care
THE RETAIL EXPERIENCE IS GOING THROUGH MANY CHANGES. HOW DO YOU WANT TO TREAT YOUR CUSTOMERS? Perhaps it’s because I live and work in Toronto that I’ve become jaded. We think that what happens here is happening everywhere else. So, …
Category: Columns
Putting the work in bench
A TECH BENCH KEEPS THE SERVICE AREA CLEAN AND ORGANIZED. JUST BE SURE TO KEEP YOUR BENCH CLEAN. It was in the 1990s when I first noticed a handful of dealers building windows between the service write-up area and the …
Customer service always wins
THERE’S A LESSON F&I MANAGERS CAN LEARN FROM J.D. POWER’S 2015 CANADIAN DEALER FINANCING SATISFACTION STUDY It’s been drilled into dealers’ heads that customer service, not price, can help differentiate between competitors. The same holds true for lender partners who …
The beginning of the end?
IN LIGHT OF FALLING OIL PRICES AND GOVERNMENT MOVES TO VEHICLE ELECTRIFICATION, DAVID ADAMS EXPLORES WHAT THIS MEANS FOR GASOLINE-POWERED VEHICLES I had the good fortune of attending the Toronto Global Forum of the International Economic Forum of the Americas …
Time to plan
DEALERS SHOULD START THINKING NOW ABOUT ANY SUCCESSION PLANNING AND START PREPARING FOR IT Although January 1 marks a new year, the planning for that year should start now — assuming you have not already started. I talk to many …
Let’s chat
LIVE CHAT IS BECOMING MORE POPULAR IN CANADA, BUT WHAT’S THE BEST OPTION FOR YOUR DEALERSHIP? As someone with deep knowledge in the digital lead business in both Canada and the U.S., I can tell you that live chat usage …
Another step on the road
AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING IS ABOUT TO BECOME STANDARD EQUIPMENT In spite of mass media reports to the contrary, the autonomous car isn’t going to swoop down on us fully hatched — apart, perhaps, from some opportunistic attempts at being first …
Redefining the auto sector
IT’S ELECTION TIME, BUT DOES THE CANADIAN AUTO INDUSTRY CARE WHO WINS? Given that the title of my column is “The Big Picture,” I’d be remiss if I did not spend some time pondering the outcome of the October 19 …
Millennial matters
MAKE MILLENNIALS FEEL COMFORTABLE IN THE F&I OFFICE — AND THEY’LL TALK ABOUT IT Sometimes small gestures can make a big difference in customer experience. Especially when that customer is deciding on a big purchase for the first time — …
Best practices for customer surveys
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEYS CAN PROVIDE INVALUABLE FEEDBACK BUT THERE ARE RIGHT AND WRONG WAYS TO GO ABOUT THEM We’re living in a world where it often seems that people don’t really want to talk to each other any more, aside …
Hot properties
REITS ARE BECOMING MORE POPULAR IN THE CANADIAN AUTOMOTIVE LANDSCAPE —COULD THEY WORK FOR YOUR DEALERSHIPS? With the recent launch of Automotive Properties Real Estate Investment Trust and the purchase of four Canadian dealership properties by Capital Automotive Real Estate …
Living life to the fullest
MEET CULINARY MASTER AND FOOD NETWORK CANADA TV STAR CHEF ROB ROSSI “My favorite feature is the ability to drive the car with a selected drive. My car is a purpose-driven machine, and I like to live my life with …
