Dealers: Page 123

Dealer Determination

Humble and unassuming, William Bradshaw claims public speaking is one of his greatest fears. Yet he is in the midst of several rounds of interviews with automotive journalists while thinking about the speech he will deliver to thousands of people at the National Automobile Dealers Assn. convention in Orlando next month as he becomes the group's 2006 chairman. After that, throughout the year there

By Cliff Banks • Jan. 1, 2006

F&I Staff Should Be Up Front

A customer can spend hours with a car salesperson, selecting the right vehicle and such. But the clock starts ticking when the buyer enters the finance & insurance manager's office for a sales presentation of add-on products and services. Studies show the longer a customer is in the F&I office, the lower the customer-satisfaction scores, says Glenn Roberts, an F&I trainer for Universal Underwriters.

By Steve Finlay • Jan. 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

How to Host Car Clinic

Dealerships enjoy a major plus in public perception as the automotive service provider of choice. Savvy car dealers capitalize on this perception, and drive increased business to their stores. In research comparing various service outlets, dealerships rank highest in both quality maintenance and trust, making them preferred service sources. (The downside: dealerships are perceived as expensive and

By DAVID KUNKEL • Jan. 1, 2006

Duped Dealer Offers Crime-Fighting Tips

Auto dealer Ken Rosenfield got a jolt upon discovering that a partner was involved in a kickback scheme at one of his stores. Turns out, the culprit had a dark past, including gem fencing and a prison stretch. Rosenfield, who heads an Indiana dealership group, since has learned a lot about cons committed against dealerships by customers, employees and, yes, partners. He has become enough of an expert

By Steve Finlay • Jan. 1, 2006

Delphi Growing

Delphi Corp.'s Indian subsidiary is looking to increase capacity as it bulks up operations. Despite the U.S. parent's Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, Delphi Automotive Systems Ltd. in New Delhi continues to make investments, expand its business and increase revenues in order to keep pace with the growth of the Indian components industry. Delphi India has four plants, a 52% joint venture with Lucas TVS

Jan. 1, 2006

SEO Keyword: Overrated

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, gather around because we're going to create qualified customers before your very eyes! We're going to sell 100 units more a month, increase parts revenue, retain service customers and yes, we're going to do this without you lifting a finger. Write us a check and poof, like magic, your dealership will be transformed into a mean, lean selling machine. Give me a

By KEITH LATMAN • Jan. 1, 2006

WARD’S DealerBusiness

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. Get Ward’s Dealer Business news, data and analysis – along with virtually all information Ward’s compiles - in a WardsAuto.com subscript...

Dec. 22, 2005

WDB About & Contact

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.About Ward's Dealer Business Ward’s Dealer Business offers useful, hands-on information to help new-car dealership executives operate their ...

Dec. 15, 2005

Dealers Do Good Deeds

Kevin Cunningham knows something about auto dealers. He worked at a family dealership founded by his grandfather in 1914. Now he works with existing 20 Groups and creates new ones for dealer clients of NCM Associates in Overland Park, KS. Cunningham and I met at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants' National Auto Dealership Conference in Baltimore, MD. I was a keynote speaker. He

By Steve Finlay • Dec. 1, 2005

How to Ruin a Christmas Bash

In December of 2003, Sonic Automotive's Jeffrey Rachor was dressing to attend a Christmas party when he overhead a national TV news show airing a scandalous story. He was mortified. Using a hidden camera, Dateline NBC exposed shady finance and insurance doings at certain Sonic dealerships. It was the latest and most public in a rash of F&I woes plaguing the Sonic dealership chain. Rachor collected

By Steve Finlay • Dec. 1, 2005

Dive Right In, the Water’s Fine

The idea of selling cars on the Internet came from a pool boy in California. At least that's how John Honoites, formerly of Autobytel, tells the story at a J.D. Power and Associates dinner in Las Vegas celebrating the 10-year anniversary of dealers selling cars online. Honoites says Pete Ellis created Autobytel to sell cars on the QVC home shopping television channel hence, the Autobytel name. Then

By Cliff Banks • Dec. 1, 2005

AutoNation Inc. Switches Vendors

AutoNation Inc. confirms Automated Data Processing Inc. (ADP) will provide website management and hosting services for its 281 stores beginning in January and ending a longtime partnership with Reynolds Web Solutions, a division of the Reynolds and Reynolds Co. The move follows AutoNation's decision this year to consolidate its dealer-management systems with ADP. While having one firm provide both

By Cliff Banks • Dec. 1, 2005

Dealer Web Advertising

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. Unequaled Online Exposure Put the most information-packed online resource for dealers to work in solidifying your connection with auto dea...

Nov. 11, 2005

Dealer-Advertising

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.Our mission is the same as yours: to help dealers make more money. WARD'S editors are consistently tuned in to what's happening on showroom ...

Nov. 10, 2005

No Sticker Dicker on the Internet

Bill Marsh Jr. 44, president of an 8-brand dealership group in Traverse City, MI, has been using the Internet to help sell cars since the early 1990s, making him a pioneer of sorts. He says, Other dealers have stumbled on the web because they advertise manufacturer's suggested retail prices (MSRPs) for their new vehicles when most consumers know they're inflated. We have consistently displayed the

By Mac Gordon • Nov. 1, 2005

New Ways to Move Used Cars

Used cars are all about the inventory, experts say. Making money in that business requires managing inventory intelligently. While the average dealer has millions of dollars in used-vehicle inventory, the used-car manager often is managing it in ways that some consultants describe as But new computer products are starting to bring used-car managers out of their caves and into the 21st century. Technology

By Cliff Banks • Nov. 1, 2005

Tracking the Mommy Buzz

The mom market spends $1.6 trillion per year much of it driven by word of mouth and personal recommendations and 85% of moms define their role in the home as either the CEO or CFO, according to BSM Media. While the auto industry has traditionally focused its marketing on men (minivans excepted), the growing influence of moms on automotive purchase decisions, as well as their online presence, forces

Nov. 1, 2005

Subprime Is Growing

Special finance will grow sharply in the coming year. That's because of a new federal bankruptcy law, causing an upsurge in Chapter 11 filings, and hurricane aftermaths in Gulf states. Linked to the impending subprime increase, say lender experts, is a gradual rise in establishment of buy-here-pay-here operations at franchised dealerships. Up to 70%-80% of folks walking into a franchised dealership

By Mac Gordon • Nov. 1, 2005

Owners of Closed Dealership Sue Mitsubishi

The owners of Vineland Mitsubishi, a now-defunct New Jersey dealership, are suing Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and subsidiaries Mitsubishi Motor North America (MMNA) and Mitsubishi Motors Credit of America Inc., citing fraud and violations of the state's franchise laws. It may be the first of many lawsuits from current and former Mitsubishi dealers against the ailing brand, says Wayne Mack, an attorney

By Cliff Banks • Oct. 1, 2005

Deal Adds 8,500 Dealers

Wachovia Corp. expands its auto financing enterprise with the impending $3.42 billion purchase of Westcorp, 84% owner of WFS Financial, a firm specializing in auto financing. Wachovia will purchase the remaining 16% of WFS from the public for $460 million. The transaction will more than double Wachovia's dealer financial services business, making it the nation's ninth largest auto loan originator.

Oct. 1, 2005

F&I Shouldn’t Be F&I

For more than a decade, attorneys general, plaintiff attorneys and dealer attorneys have been saying make that screaming that the practice of payment packing is unfair, deceptive, and downright illegal. Yet, I still hear of instances where dealer personnel engage in the practice. What's a dealer compliance attorney to do? I propose that dealers eliminate the selling of financing in the F&I office.

By ROB COHEN • Oct. 1, 2005

Donnybrook’s a Comin’

It's all Google's fault. And you probably should include Yahoo when pointing the finger. That's point the finger, not give the finger. And it's not the finger of blame. Because if you're an Internet manager, you may want to thank them. A donnybrook is coming, and dealerships stand to be the indirect winners. The contenders are third-party companies that generate and sell Internet leads to dealers

By Cliff Banks • Oct. 1, 2005

Keep ‘Em as Customers

The average parts and service department represents 40.7% of total dealership gross and 75.2% of total departmental net profit based on our clients' year-to-date performance. Obviously, customer-pay labor and parts (opposed to warranty work) represent a large percentage of this gross and net profit. Yet once a vehicle's warranty expires, many customers (some estimates range up to 70%) defect from

By Tony Noland • Oct. 1, 2005

CNA Expands F&I Training Offerings

In addition to finance and insurance department training, CNA National Warranty Corporation has added certification and compliance seminars to offerings at its Scottsdale, AZ, training center. Both courses feature open enrollment with discounts for current clients. The need for consistently professional, ethical and compliant practices is widely recognized today in our industry, says Joan Saunders,

Sept. 1, 2005

Why Customers Leave

When customers leave a dealership without buying, 27% blame it on the way the staff treated them, while an equal percentage decide against the store's make of vehicles, according to J.D. Power and Associates. Those two reasons top a list indicating why surveyed car shoppers say: Thanks, but no thanks. (Or, in some cases, say worse.) Runner-up reasons for walking: price (21%); desired vehicle not in

By Steve Finlay • Sept. 1, 2005