LAST MONTH MARKED THE 23RD YEAR I'VE WRITTEN this column. Before that, my column appeared in the NADA magazine for five years. I have served under three publishers and as many editors. My current editor, Steve Finlay, requested I write this month...
The cowboy hats were on for the grand opening of the Beck Automotive Group's Park Cities VW in Dallas. From left are operating partner Leo Griggs, VW of America VP Frank Maguire, Mayor Ron Kirk, VW of America President Gerd Klauss and managing...
The success of any one dealership department depends on the performance of all the others. No one department should be considered more important. Now, more than ever, dealers must rely on all departments and cooperation between them. In many...
I'm stumped. For the first time I can remember I have no new angle on what's going on. Perhaps it's simply that everything I'm seeing, we've all seen before. Or perhaps it's because there's actually nothing noteworthy going on at this moment in...
Up to the communication test? Si or no? Communicating with all of your customers is important. Bilingual issues are prevalent in many markets. Is your dealership up to the customer communication test? Consider some simple solutions. Look at having...
High prices, bland styling and a lack of incentives are key factors that can cause new-vehicle shoppers to reject models they initially considered, according to an inaugural J.D. Power and Associates' study based on responses from nearly 30,000...
A WESTERN DEALERSHIP'S INTERNET MANAGER wants to share his thoughts and experiences of launching a dealership website. He says business reasons prevent him from sharing his name or the name of his store. Here's what he had to say: I am a regular...
Asbury Automotive Group, Inc., ranked fourth on the Ward's Megadealer 100 list, names Kenneth B. Gilman as president and CEO. He succeeds the late Brian Kendrick. Gilman, 55, joins Asbury Automotive from The Limited, a women's clothing retailer...
Dealers give high marks to Greg Smith, who replaces Don Winkler as the head of Ford Credit. It's great news, says Texas dealer Jerry Reynolds, former chairman of the Ford National Dealer Council. Greg is one of the sharpest and brightest guys I've...
FEELS UNNATURAL? THAT'S GOOD! Sometimes skills that will make you an exceptional performer in any area are skills that feel unnatural. In modern day psychobabble the new buzzword to describe this is counterintuitive, in direct contradiction to...