On the line
YOU NEED TO MASTER YOUR PHONE SKILLS TO PROVIDE SUPERIOR CUSTOMER SERVICE You interact with your customers every day in many ways to review and resolve their concerns, whether it’s via a personal meeting or using email, text or even …
News
Strong but consistent?
WHILE NEW VEHICLE SALES ARE SHOWING ENCOURAGING GAINS, THE LONGER TERM PICTURE LOOKS A LITTLE LESS CERTAIN After a slow start to 2013 with new vehicle sales growth in negative territory for each of the first three months of the …
Looking to the lounge
WAITING IN A PLEASANT ENVIRONMENT CAN ENHANCE CUSTOMERS’ EXPERIENCES AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO SPEND MORE In this column, we hope to bring up facility-centric ideas that are generally off the radar and can have a positive return on investment, customer …
Changing times, changing names
OUR COLUMNIST’S ASSOCIATION HAS ADOPTED A NEW TITLE — THE GLOBAL AUTOMAKERS OF CANADA Earlier this spring, our association announced a name change from the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers of Canada, abbreviated as AIAMC, to the Global Automakers of …
Certified strength
VALUE AND NOT JUST PRICE CAN BE A MUCH BETTER PROPOSITION WHEN IT COMES TO SELLING USED VEHICLES Depending on who you talk to, the term certified pre-owned conjures up many different associations, definitions and reactions. To a consumer the …
Paving the way
ATTRACTING CUSTOMERS ONLINE — AND THEN KEEPING THEM — IS A DUAL CHALLENGE. BUT EVOLVING TECHNOLOGIES AND METHODS, ALONG WITH A BIT OF GOOD OLD COMMON SENSE, CAN MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE. Sitting across from Alan Bird, president and CEO …
Intimate, informative, engaging
FOURTH ANNUAL AUTOMOTIVE BOOT CAMP STRIKES A CHORD In talking with dealers and their staff at this year’s Automotive Boot Camp (May 14-16), the general consensus was that this has become a must-attend event. Brandon Burling of Desert Sun Auto …
Forward thinking
BOB MYERS INCORPORATED A LOT OF ADVANCED IDEAS WHEN HE FIRST OPENED HIS STORE. THIS IS ONE DEALERSHIP THAT HAS STOOD THE TEST OF TIME. There’s no question that Bob Myers Chevrolet is an imposing place. Located on Bayly Street …
Sticky business
WITH NATURAL RESOURCES CANADA CONSIDERING MAKING ITS ENERGUIDE VEHICLE LABELS MANDATORY, CANADIAN AUTO DEALER TAKES A LOOK AT THIS ISSUE In 1998, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) introduced its first EnerGuide labels. The idea was to provide consumers shopping for vehicles, …
Effective evaluation
DRIVINGSALES’ RON HENSON SAYS THAT ASSESSING YOUR OWN PROCESS IS CRITICAL WHEN IT COMES TO ESTABLISHING AN EFFECTIVE INTERNET LEAD MANAGEMENT STRATEGY A Google search of the term “Automotive Internet Lead Management” returns 27,000,200 results in .32 seconds. Suffice it …
The two solitudes of automotive retailing
AS TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES, IS THERE A RISK OF THE IN-STORE EXPERIENCE NOT LIVING UP TO CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS FOSTERED ONLINE? In a number of articles over the past year, I have addressed the rapidly changing purchase funnel and what this means …
Alberta dealers tackle all things digital
BANFF PROVIDED A BEAUTIFUL BACKDROP FOR THE MDA CONVENTION “Looks like I need a new video strategy,” said one dealer during a break at the Motor Dealers’ Association of Alberta (MDA) convention held in Banff, Alta. “Video, video, video,” said …
