Forecasting service operation sales
IS IT REALISTIC AND DOES IT HAVE A CHANCE OF HAPPENING? By the time you read this article, you will have no doubt worked out your service department forecast for 2014. Our question is how did you arrive at the …
Category: General
A different perspective
CELEBRATING 25 YEARS IN BUSINESS, LEADING DMS PROVIDER PBS SYSTEMS GROUP HAS TAKEN A UNIQUE APPROACH TO THE INDUSTRY SINCE DAY ONE Today, it’s hard to imagine there was a time when the business office in the dealership didn’t rely …
The reinvention of dealer succession
DEALER SUCCESSION IS OFTEN VERY DIFFERENT TODAY FROM WHAT IT ONCE WAS Not that long ago, succession in automotive retail meant transferring the ownership of the business to family members. Many dealers in Canada today are second and third generation …
Convenience and comfort
WHEN RESOLVING CUSTOMERS’ CONCERNS CONSIDER THE CONVENIENCE AS PART OF THE SOLUTION There are many components to great customer service, but few can be weighted as heavily as a customer’s time. In the information age, time is the most precious …
Culinary class
CELEBRITY CHEF FABIO VIVIANI LOVES HIS BIG AND POWERFUL MERCEDES-BENZ Celebrity: Fabio Viviani Profession: Celebrity Chef, Author & TV personality Vehicle: 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLS55 AMG Fabio Viviani is a celebrity chef, author, and TV personality. He gained fame on Bravo’s …
Climate control challenge
EUROPEAN “COLD WAR” HAS THROWN THE TRANSITION TO A NEW REFRIGERANT INTO DISARRAY If you were in the auto business in the 1990s, you probably remember the near chaos that surrounded a change in vehicle air-conditioning refrigerant at that time. …
Painting a clearer picture
WHILE CANADA’S ECONOMY HAS PERFORMED WELL, IT’S STILL IMPORTANT TO KEEP THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE It is often claimed — rightly, to an extent — that Canada has fared the past few challenging years much better than other wealthy countries. Job …
Is social media a complete waste of time?
WHY INDIFFERENCE TO A NEW CONCEPT OR PROCESS IS OFTEN DUE TO A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING IT This may surprise you but until recently I had never played golf. Some friends convinced me to play and I have to admit …
The case for commonality
WHY COMMON STANDARDS FOR LEGISLATION AND REGULATION ARE IN OUR BEST INTERESTS We live in a great country. One that is pretty diverse, as any of you who have had the opportunity to travel across Canada can appreciate. While such …
Going geothermal
SOMETIMES, IT’S BENEFICIAL TO LOOK OUTSIDE OF THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY TO SEE HOW BUSINESSES INVEST IN THEIR FACILITIES TO GAIN A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE When office towers in downtown Toronto saw companies leave for the suburbs, both landlords and some innovative …
Trading times
WHY CURRENT MARKET CONDITIONS ARE PROVIDING GREATER OPPORTUNITIES IN VEHICLE REMARKETING There’s no question that today, used car prices in general, seem to be on the high side. Many industry observers also forecast that they’re likely to remain so for …
Mastering Millennials
HOW DEALERS CAN FIND WAYS TO SUCCESSFULLY CONNECT WITH THE NEXT GENERATION OF CAR BUYERS At this year’s CADA Summit, Ramesh Swamy, of Deloitte’s National and Retail Distribution Leadership Team talked about establishing relevant dialogue for the next generation of …
