Dealers: Page 120

Here’s How to Extend Yourself

If you ask a customer to pay $1,500-$2,500 for extended warranty coverage, you better say more than, It pays for major repairs. So says Andrew Blazanyik, Resource Automotive's executive director for training. He says there are 25 good reasons to buy such coverage. Among them: It provides peace of mind. A loaner is provided during repairs. The coverage is transferable. Roadside assistance. Trade-in

By Steve Finlay • Dec. 1, 2006

New Initiative’s Goal: End Confusion in the F&I Office

Salespersons at AutoNation, Inc. dealerships are being trained to furnish finance and lease payment options before customers sign vehicle-purchase confirmations and even enter the finance and insurance offices. The new sales approach, called Smart Choice, is designed to spell out payment options at the top of the process, says Kevin Westfall, senior sales vice president for the nation's largest dealership

By Mac Gordon • Dec. 1, 2006

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

Remember that Leasing Thing?

Some experts predict lease penetration will grow from about 20% of vehicle deliveries now to around 25% and even higher by 2007. If your dealership wishes to capture its share of this re-emerging opportunity, now is not too soon to sit your sales and F&I crews down and rehash what you remember about leasing. This time though, you can probably omit one downside the unrealistic lease rates and terms

Dec. 1, 2006

Autobytel Inc. Thinking Young

At age 11, Autobytel Inc. is a granddaddy, if there is such a thing, in the online automotive retail space. By Internet standards, the Irvine, CA-based firm is a survivor, but there are tough challenges ahead judging from its disappointing third-quarter results. It lost $7.9 million and saw revenue fall nearly 8% to $28.1 million. But CEO Jim Riesenbach has a comeback plan. Now he has to execute it.

By Cliff Banks • Dec. 1, 2006

Chevy Sways Car Buyers in China With Service, Marketing

Sales are up 43.5% year-to-date, compared with like-2005.

By Vince Courtenay • Nov. 22, 2006

This Plug’s For You Kid

A goofy thing about 1950s TV shows was how unabashedly they plugged products. Milton Berle looked in the camera and talked about splendiferous Buicks. Dinah Shore sang and danced to See the U.S.A. in Your Chevrolet so joyfully you expected a '57 Impala and Bel Air to join her on stage for a conga line. We've come a long way from such old-timey approaches, right? Wrong. Product placement is alive and

By Steve Finlay • Nov. 1, 2006

They Love Online Leads

Gone are the days when a dealership's Internet department was like a poor country cousin. It now is considered the place to work at many stores, and Internet leads are considered hotter and easier prospects than mere walk-ins.

By Steve Finlay • Oct. 1, 2006

The Low-Profile Guy Behind the UCS-Reynolds Hookup

Robert T. Brockman may be the most influential person today among information-technology vendors in the automotive retail space. But he doesn't necessarily want you to know it.

By Cliff Banks • Oct. 1, 2006

The Idea Behind All Those Auto Malls

Typically, an auto mall is a collection of individually owned dealerships that relocate next to each other on real estate specifically set up for selling cars. Often, they agree to adhere to certain design requirements and share marketing costs. However, some auto malls are owned by single dealers. Roger Burdick recently built on in Syracuse, NY, consisting of 13 franchises on 92 acres.

Oct. 1, 2006

Special Edition TRD FJ Cruiser Pricing Announced; Camry Hybrid Increases

The TRD package adds $7,265 to the FJ Cruiser sticker with a manual transmission and $7,250 with an automatic.

By Ward's Staff • Sept. 29, 2006

Internet, Leasing Click for Small-Town Dealer

MacNamara's mid Michigan dealerships use the Internet and leasing to stay ahead of competition.

By Mac Gordon • Sept. 28, 2006

Toyota Takes Page From Scion for Tundra Marketing

Toyota Motor Sales says it will model its Tundra fullsize pickup truck marketing plan on the Scion small car “vertical” model.

By Christie Schweinsberg • Sept. 14, 2006

NADA Books at Wal-Marts

The National Automobile Dealers Assn.'s book of used-car values is now available at select Wal-Mart stores in the U.S. N.A.D.A is very pleased to provide millions of Wal-Mart customers with valuable information to help them make the best decision possible when buying or selling a used car, says Stephen Pugh, senior operations director of the N.A.D.A. Official Used Car Guide.

Sept. 1, 2006

Are Your Shoppers Hijacked?

The battle for search terms and key words is becoming more competitive. Some dealers are getting frustrated with competitors who they say are engaging in unethical online marketing. One complaint is that some dealers, to drive more traffic to their websites, are buying key words from Google and Yahoo that consist of their competition's names. Companies can bid on key words that they believe their

By Cliff Banks • Sept. 1, 2006

What’s Up With Ups?

Commissions drive auto sales people. So imagine if they viewed every customer who walked into a dealership as a customer intending to purchase, or, in essence, as a commission. The very lingo of today's automotive retail business referring to would-be buyers as thwarts this perception and reduces the odds for a potential sale. The dictionary defines the word as a higher position or level. The definition

By Richard F. Libin • Sept. 1, 2006

Australian Parts Maker Pacifica Bounces Back in First Half

Global sales rose 10% to A$437.7 million, due in large part to demand from GM for its new GMT900 fullsize light-truck platform.

By Alan Harman • Aug. 4, 2006

Two Dealerships See the Light with Modern Lighting

Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.Two Wisconsin dealers say they've seen the light by reducing energy consumption at their stores after installing modern lighting systems. Do...

By Steve Finlay • Aug. 2, 2006

How to Put Together a Disaster Recovery Plan that Gets You Back to Normal Quickly

Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.For a dealership to rebound from a disaster, it must have a recovery plan. “The overall goal of a disaster recovery plan is to return your b...

Aug. 2, 2006

Bought the Wrong Car!

Okay, you can take back that little black dress to Saks Fifth Avenue if your husband thinks it is too tight in the butt. You can return the gas grill you purchased from Costco because it's bigger than the back deck. But what happens when you try to return a car to a dealer lot because the black-on-black styling makes you feel like a harlot with chrome underwear? It all depends, says Marshall Vyletel,

By Maureen McDonald • Aug. 1, 2006

After the Disaster

DETROIT A new study of Hurricane Katrina's impact on auto sales in New Orleans contains surprising findings on the sales front. It also offers auto makers and dealers crisis-control lessons that can help them get back on their feet after a natural disaster. Urban Science, a provider of automotive retail site location data and sales network development services, did a detailed analysis of what happened

By Steve Finlay • Aug. 1, 2006

Get In Fighting Shape

The General Manager's Boot Camp is a week-long class conducted by Jeff Sacks and myself. Our goal and motto for this dealership management class is Shaping Our Future Leaders. While much is devoted to helping attendees recognize and then act on gross opportunities within the individual operating departments, much of our time is devoted to helping enlistees focus on specific big picture perspectives.

By Tony Noland • Aug. 1, 2006

Close Books in 3 Days

Why does it take so long to close the books? Why can't the accounting department stay caught up? Well, there's no reason it should take more than three days to close month-end books, even for big dealerships. It just takes commitment and cooperation from all departments. The primary commitment comes from the accounting and sales departments. Accounting must commit to being organized. Sales must adhere

By John Davis • Aug. 1, 2006

Dealer Sentenced for Massive Loan Fraud

A former Charlotte, NC-area auto dealer and 10 of his employees were sentenced for taking part in years of fraudulent financing that cheated lenders and inflated vehicle payments, causing many borrowers to default on their car loans. James F. Keating, 42, owned and operated the Five Star, South Boulevard and Monroe auto malls. He's serving three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to fraud

Aug. 1, 2006

Use CRM to Extend F&I

Improvements in dealership customer relationship management systems are a boon for finance and insurance business, creating sales opportunities throughout the car ownership life cycle. Dealers should use CRM to market F&I to existing customers in databases. Since F&I was developed, the sale of its services and products has been almost exclusively during the initial vehicle-purchase transaction. Technology

By BRYAN DORFLER • Aug. 1, 2006

What Dealers Should Do After Natural Disaster

An analysis of post-Katrina automotive retailing in New Orleans offers crisis-control lessons to dealers and auto makers.

By Steve Finlay • July 6, 2006