2014: What lies ahead
CHUCK SEGUIN LOOKS AT THE ASPECTS OF AUTO RETAILING THAT COULD SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT DEALERS IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS With the start of a new year, many of us are wondering what will be in store for 2014. A new …
Category: Columns
First impressions count
WHY THE IMAGE YOU PROJECT CAN HAVE A PROFOUND EFFECT ON CUSTOMER LOYALTY, SALES AND YOUR BOTTOM LINE In this column, we hope to raise awareness to the importance of creating a positive first impression, and how that can impact …
Transparency always triumphs
BEING CLEAR AND CONCISE WHEN DEALING WITH CUSTOMERS BEATS PRICE EVERY TIME WHEN IT COMES TO GENERATING REPEAT BUSINESS February 11, 2009 seems like yesterday. I was part of a NADA panel discussion when Internet process for the automotive industry …
Are tablets the answer?
RICHARD COOPER POSES THE QUESTION OF WHETHER TABLETS WILL SERVE TO ENHANCE THE OVERALL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE WHEN IT COMES TO DEALERSHIP SHOWROOMS Last year, I wrote about the “digital face” of dealerships and the divide between the digital world consumers …
Social shopping
UNDERSTANDING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON PRESENT AND FUTURE AUTO RETAILING Social media has certainly had a big impact on the retail world, influencing consumer choices, buying patterns and behaviour. The true impact on auto retailing, I believe, has …
Who’s really driving Internet sales?
OUR NEW COLUMNIST ALAN BIRD PRESENTS US WITH SOME SURPRISING INFORMATION WHEN IT COMES TO THOSE CONSUMERS WHO ARE REALLY SHOPPING FOR VEHICLES ONLINE We all like to think we know who our customers are. After all, we’re smart people; …
Figuring out the furniture
IT PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN YOUR DEALERSHIP’S APPEARANCE AND OPERATIONS, SO CHOOSING THE RIGHT FURNITURE IS CRITICAL In this column, we hope to bring up facility-centric ideas that can enhance the customer experience, elevate employee morale and generate a …
Simple steps for selling more
IDENTIFYING AND USING STRATEGIES THAT CAN HELP DEALERS BETTER CONNECT WITH THEIR CUSTOMERS AND MOVE MORE METAL It’s the second day of the month and you’re excited to get to the dealership, this is the day you’ve got new incentives …
The technical side
CONTINUING HIS LOOK AT SUCCESSION PLANNING FOR DEALERS, CHUCK SEGUIN TURNS HIS ATTENTION TO THE NUTS BOLTS WHEN IT COMES TO PASSING THE TORCH For all of 2013, my articles have covered dealer succession. We have covered a wide range …
Value of customers
HOW TO LESSEN THE DEFECTION RATE AT YOUR DEALERSHIP For any dealership, the number one responsibility isn’t just selling or fixing cars — it’s fixing customers’ concerns. And in some cases it is much easier to fix a car’s concerns …
Paving the way
TODAY’S DRIVER-ASSISTANCE SYSTEMS ARE BUILDING BLOCKS TOWARD FULLY AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES Recently, it seems that the mainstream media has become infatuated with the prospect of autonomous cars — vehicles that can drive themselves. That infatuation is due in large part to …
Crashing into change
HOW ADVANCEMENTS IN VEHICLE CONSTRUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY ARE IMPACTING THE VEHICLE COLLISION REPAIR BUSINESS LIKE NEVER BEFORE The significant changes that are impacting all phases of the automotive industry will likely come as no surprise to anyone reading Canadian auto …
