Dealers: Page 119

Dealers Speak: Straight Talk From Retailers

Ward's talks with NADA dealers across the country to find out what's on their minds. This is the third in a series.

By Emily Genoff • Feb. 4, 2007

CEO Unlikely Dealer Advocate

A “factory guy” is decidedly on the side of dealers.

By Steve Finlay • Feb. 4, 2007

Explore the Trendline➔

Artificial Intelligence

Automakers and dealers alike are increasingly seeing the use case for AI within their operations. Explore some use cases in this trendline.

By WardsAuto staff

Cut Dealership Ranks by Half, Analyst Says

Too many same-brand stores competing for fewer customers are causing problems with throughput – the number of customers per dealership.

By Steve Finlay • Feb. 3, 2007

Sonic Acquires Two Luxury Franchises

Sonic Automotive has purchased two auto dealerships from PPE Houston.

By Ward's Staff • Feb. 1, 2007

Our Mission: Helping Your Bottom Line

The reason Ward's Dealer Business exists is to help you make more money. Period. Okay, we want to make a little for ourselves in the process.

By Cliff Banks Editorial Director • Feb. 1, 2007

What’s On Their Minds

It was a rough 2006 for domestic-brand dealers, not bad at all for certain import-brand retailers. But virtually all dealers interviewed for Ward's ninth annual Dealers Speak feature sound different tones of optimism for 2007.

By Emily Genoff • Feb. 1, 2007

Chinese Auto Dealers Tour U.S. Auction

A Chinese Automobile Dealers Assn. delegation traveled to Hawaii for their first visit to a U.S. auto auction, Manheim's Aloha Auto Auction in Honolulu.

Feb. 1, 2007

Bring Back This Lost Art Form

Prospecting is nearly a lost art. Sales people rely on dealers to bring in nearly all traffic, and dealers, through marketing, should provide approximately 30 first-time customers to each salesperson monthly

By Richard F. Libin • Feb. 1, 2007

Run Dealerships Like Casinos

Auto dealerships should be more like Las Vegas casinos, says Andrew Blazsanyik, executive director of training for Resource Automotive.

By Steve Finlay • Feb. 1, 2007

New Association Vows to Fight Direct-Marketing Misdeeds

Intelligent Direct Marketing Inc.'s owner has formed the first non-profit association to promote honesty, integrity and ethics in direct marketing for the automotive industry.

Feb. 1, 2007

Detroit Dealers’ Big Deal

DETROIT Carl Galeana was waking up at 4:30 a.m., working until after 11 p.m. and expecting the unexpected in between those long hours. Such was the hectic schedule for the co-chairman of the North American International Auto Show here

By Steve Finlay • Feb. 1, 2007

Watch Your Language at Work

Professionalism counts in the auto business, and while many dealerships embrace this concept with dress codes and employee conduct handbooks, most ignore an important facet of businesslike conduct language.

By Jesse Berger • Feb. 1, 2007

H2 Paints Chicago ‘Victory Red’

Expected to arrive at dealerships in February, the special edition appears in either SUV or SUT versions.

By Scott Anderson • Jan. 31, 2007

‘Let’s Get It Rolling Again’

Clobbered by Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans dealers rebuilt their stores and hope customers will return.

By Steve Finlay • Jan. 23, 2007

Car-Loan Terms Get Longer and Longer

Some auto financing experts worry about the repercussions of 72-month and 84-month loans, but car buyers want longer terms and lower monthly payments.

By Steve Finlay • Jan. 16, 2007

DMS Vendors Put to the Test

I have a prediction. Dealer-management systems (DMS) are going to become one of the hottest topics in 2007, and likely will be the hottest topic at next month’s National Automobile Dealers Assn. convention in Las Vegas

By Cliff Banks • Jan. 11, 2007

E-Contracting Doing a Slow Crawl

E-contracting is doing a slow crawl instead of a fast run as it heads towards full and general usage at car dealerships, according to finance and insurance experts.

By Steve Finlay • Jan. 1, 2007

AutoNation Inc. Takes Control

If you are AutoNation Inc. and based in Florida, it's hard to know what's going on in one of your far-off dealership's finance and insurance offices.

By Steve Finlay • Jan. 1, 2007

Don’t Get Dealers Mad

Auto executives take heed. Run afoul of your dealers, and you may lose your job. That's what happened to Joe Eberhardt.

By Cliff Banks • Jan. 1, 2007

Go Easy on Menu Items

Okay, I agree a big benefit of menu selling is the ability to offer lots of finance and insurance products to every customer in a simplified way.

By BRYAN DORFLER • Jan. 1, 2007

GM Sales Chief Focuses on Retail Share

Mark LaNeve says he would like to see Cadillac compete against the Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7-Series.

By Herb Shuldiner • Dec. 13, 2006

AutoNation Takes Control

The nation’s largest dealership chain tightens up on finance and insurance operations.

By Steve Finlay • Dec. 12, 2006

AutoNation Decides to ‘Go,’ While Telling Elway ‘Bye’

The nation’s largest dealer group changes the brand of its 16-Denver-area stores from ‘Elway’ to ‘Go.’

By Cliff Banks • Dec. 7, 2006

Video Recording F&I: the Pros and Cons

For the most part, the JM&A finance and insurance product service group encourages videotaping, on the premise that the camera doesn't blink.

Dec. 1, 2006

What Experts Say About Cameras in the F&I Office

LAS VEGAS What do the experts in the industry think about video recording sessions with customers in dealership finance & insurance offices? We asked several of them at the 2006 F&I Management and Technology conference in this city where eye in the sky surveillance cameras are omnipresent. Here's what they say: Kevin Westfall, AutoNation Inc.'s senior vice president-sales: We considered it but when

By Steve Finlay • Dec. 1, 2006