Your own employees hate you!!!!

I know…….it’s a pretty strong title for an article.

BUT….it’s true…..

It pertains to a vast majority of car dealerships around the country!

Your own employees MUST hate doing business with you!

They take their own personal vehicles and get oil changes, tires, tire rotations, alignments, batteries and wiper blades at other places!

You have made it inconvenient for them to service with you. You don’t seem to value their business and your prices are too high!

They purchase New and pre-owned vehicles from other dealerships!

They feel unappreciated and they are scared to go through the “sales process” with your sales team!

Your own employees don’t feel comfortable doing business with your own dealership!

WHY????

This scenario plays out at a LOT of dealerships across the Country!

Employees won’t or don’t do business with you!

The accounting office doesn’t trust the sales department. The sales department thinks the service department charges too much for service. The service department thinks that the sales department wants too much for the vehicles.

It goes on and on and on and on………does it sound like YOUR store???

You need to be a true leader and make sure your employees see AND feel the value you are giving them to do business with you!

YOU NEED TO VALUE YOUR EMPLOYEES!

After all, they are the ones taking care of your customers!

You have to make sure that you have a clear cut set of policies that are transparent to all your employees in regards to doing business with your own dealership!

Don’t just proclaim you have “employee pricing”! Make sure that you give your employees that “little extra” to make them feel good about doing business with their own place of work.

Are you willing to extend your “employee pricing” to your employees immediate family?

Are you willing to give your employees “special incentives” to pass along to their friends in order to get their business?

Do you, as a leader, convey these policies on a regular basis with ALL EMPLOYEES?

You HAVE to make your employee your BIGGEST ADVOCATE for doing business in your store!!

After all…..if your own employees won’t do business with you…..who will???

It takes a true leader with great communication skills to make sure that ALL EMPLOYEES feel special!

And when the employees feel special, your customers will feel special too!!!

About the Author: From a Salesperson to a Dealer, I have a vast amount of experience in all areas of the automotive environment.

You can follow me on:

My website: www.JimKristoff.com  

Twitter: @jimkristoff

WordPress blogsite: http://jimkristoff.wordpress.com/

Blogspot blog: http://jimkristoff.blogspot.com/

DealerElite.net: http://www.dealerelite.net/profile/JimKristoff

Automotive Digital Marketing.com: http://www.automotivedigitalmarketing.com/profile/JimKristoff

LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimkristoff  

Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/jimkristoff

Customers “wear” their vehicle!

Have you ever noticed that the type of vehicle that a person buys reflects their character or lifestyle?

People buy certain vehicles for a reason!

People buy pickup trucks for work or play….and maybe a little of both!

People buy minivans mostly because they have children.

People buy sports cars mostly because they like the image it portrays.

People buy high-line luxury vehicles for a status symbol.

People buy “green” vehicles mostly because they are concerned for the environment.

In ALL cases, people simply “wear” their vehicle. Their vehicle is an extension of themselves.

Like the clothes you wear, a vehicle becomes that new suit or that beautiful new dress. Maybe the vehicle becomes that sporty jacket you just bought or maybe the vehicle is that pair of sweat pants you just bought to run around and do errands with!

So if customers “wear” their vehicle, they also accessorize what they wear.

Customers will buy an incredible amount of accessories for their vehicle; just like they buy a new tie to go with the suit or a sparkling piece of jewelry to go with the new dress.

We all need to find every single opportunity to maximize our profits and give the customer a reason to be loyal to the dealership!

By making your store a “one-stop” shopping experience for those people that would like to accessorize their vehicle, you create one more reason for customers to frequent your dealership!

·        Are YOU as a dealer getting your fair share of accessory sales?

·        Are you even offering the customer accessory options?

·        Are you pricing the accessories to make it attractive for the customer to purchase from you?

·        Is your sales team involved in presenting these options?

·        Do you have 10-15% of your “in-stock” vehicles equipped with these accessories so that the customer can see them?

·        Do you have a dedicated area of the dealership to highlight accessories?

I encourage all of you to go to the SEMA show in Las Vegas!

http://www.semashow.com/

SEMA is short for Specialty Equipment Market Association, which was formed in 1963. The SEMA Show is the most excellent trade event for automotive specialty products in the world. It is consists of 6,764 companies worldwide and products in this $27.8 billion-a-year industry. 

The first time I went to SEMA, I spent 2 entire days and STILL did not see the entire exhibit! It covers every square inch of the Las Vegas convention center!

Maximize your profit by checking out this show!

It is WELL worth your time!

About the Author: From a Salesperson to a Dealer, I have a vast amount of experience in all areas of the automotive environment.

You can follow me on:

My website: www.JimKristoff.com  

Twitter: @jimkristoff

WordPress blogsite: http://jimkristoff.wordpress.com/

Blogspot blog: http://jimkristoff.blogspot.com/

DealerElite.net: http://www.dealerelite.net/profile/JimKristoff

Automotive Digital Marketing.com: http://www.automotivedigitalmarketing.com/profile/JimKristoff

LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimkristoff  

Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/jimkristoff

If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door!

“At first people refuse to believe that a strange new thing can be done.

Then they begin to hope it can be done.

Then they see it can be done.

Then it is done………. and all the world wonders why it was not done centuries ago.” 

― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

The people who are the most successful in life are the ones who create their own opportunities.

But all too often, people don’t want to give the extra effort or go the additional mile to realize their true potential!

What most people fail to understand is;

The bravest person is still scared; they are just braver one second longer than anyone else!

The calmest person is still worried; they are just calmer one second longer than anyone else!

The most disciplined person is still undisciplined; they are just disciplined one second longer than anyone else!

The most persistent person is still non-persistent; they are just persistent one second longer than anyone else!

As you can see……success isn’t given to anyone.

Success doesn’t come delivered in a pretty box with a big bow attached to it!

Success comes to those that have the intestinal fortitude to go beyond what most people think is “normal”.

Success comes to those that are willing to leave their “comfort zones” and reach out to do more!

Successful people don’t necessarily enjoy or like the things they have to do to be successful, but they understand that they HAVE to do them to be successful!

You have to have the courage to take the step forward and leave behind the forces that may pull you down!

You have to understand that success just might be……one more second away!

Make yourself have the guts, the heart, the spirit, the spunk, the backbone, the grit, the fortitude, the determination, the persistence and boldness to go forward!

About the Author: From a Salesperson to a Dealer, I have a vast amount of experience in all areas of the automotive environment.

You can follow me on:

My website: www.JimKristoff.com  

Twitter: @jimkristoff

WordPress blogsite: http://jimkristoff.wordpress.com/

Blogspot blog: http://jimkristoff.blogspot.com/

DealerElite.net: http://www.dealerelite.net/profile/JimKristoff

Automotive Digital Marketing.com: http://www.automotivedigitalmarketing.com/profile/JimKristoff

LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimkristoff  

Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/jimkristoff

Pre-Owned R.O.I. – Assess them - Find them – Fix them – Sell them (Part 4 of 4)

(Part 4 – Sell them)

In the first part of this 4 part blog, we reviewed how to “assess” what would be your “perfect Pre-owned inventory mix”.

In the second part of this 4 part blog, we reviewed how to “find” your “perfect Pre-owned inventory mix”.

In the third part of this 4 part blog, we reviewed how to “fix” or recondition your vehicles for maximum R.O.I.

Now that we know what vehicles we are looking for and how to find them and how to fix them, the next step is how to sell them!

Properly marketing and pricing your vehicle for sale is the key to a fast sale with maximum gross profit!

Let’s talk about “on-line” marketing and pricing first.

Once your vehicle is properly cleaned and reconditioned for sale, you have to take multiple pictures of the vehicle both inside and outside. Your perspective customer wants to see a LOT of pictures if they are viewing the vehicle on the internet. Make sure you include pictures of the mileage, tire tread depth and all angles of the vehicle inside and out! You should take a minimum of 20 pictures for each vehicle. Pay special attention to any upgraded factory accessories on the vehicle such as wheels, spoilers, roof racks…etc…..

The first two or three sentences of the vehicle description on-line are very important! Customers do NOT want to read a general list of the vehicles specifications and options! You MUST write the first few sentences as if you were writing a headline of a newspaper! You need to get the perspective customers attention! Sentences that start off with;

“ONE OWNER”,

“EXTREMELY LOW MILES”,

“UNBELIEVABLY CLEAN”,

“ORIGINALLY BOUGHT AND SERVICED HERE”

Get the perspective customers attention with a solid and well written description!

Produce a 60 second video of the vehicle! It not only provides a great marketing piece to help sell the vehicle, it also provides great SEO, (search engine optimization) for your vehicles on the internet! If you “tag” the video with the correct words it will show up in the search engines more easily and frequently!

You can market your vehicles on a vast number of Automotive Pre-owned websites. First, pay attention to marketing them on your own dealership website! Once you get your dealership website set, get the vehicle out to as many automotive Pre-owned websites as possible! The more exposure you have, the quicker and easier it will be to sell the vehicle!

Pricing the vehicle on the internet AND on the showroom floor should be the same! One sure way to upset a customer is to give them a price in the showroom that is higher than what they saw on-line! Seamless and transparent pricing policies need to be adhered to!

Price your Pre-owned vehicles “to market”! Don’t just “add” $ ”X” to the cost of the vehicle to set your pricing. There are many software tools to help you understand what the average retail price of a similar vehicle is in your market. Whether you use “V-Auto, AAX, First Look…..etc….the information is very similar.

The two most important pieces of criteria that a perspective customer is looking for in a Pre-owned vehicle are, price and mileage. Make sure that your pricing is in line with similar vehicles with the same mileage.

Once the customer gets to your dealership to look at your pre-owned inventory, make sure your sales staff knows all about the different makes models and trim levels that you have available!

When the customer walks into the showroom and asks, “What do you have in a 4 door import vehicle for under $12000.00?” you need to have a staff that is trained to give the customer a couple of different options within the first 60 seconds!

Your staff needs to have an overall knowledge of what pre-owned vehicles you have available and at what price points they are available at!

Marketing, pricing, knowledge of inventory and professionalism are important keys to selling a pre-owned vehicle!

Assessing, finding, fixing and selling your pre-owned vehicles for MAXIMUM R.O.I. is essential to the overall success of the dealership!

About the Author: From a Salesperson to a Dealer, I have a vast amount of experience in all areas of the automotive environment.

You can follow me on:

My website: www.JimKristoff.com  

Twitter: @jimkristoff

WordPress blogsite: http://jimkristoff.wordpress.com/

Blogspot blog: http://jimkristoff.blogspot.com/

DealerElite.net: http://www.dealerelite.net/profile/JimKristoff

Automotive Digital Marketing.com: http://www.automotivedigitalmarketing.com/profile/JimKristoff

LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimkristoff  

Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/jimkristoff

Pre-Owned R.O.I. – Assess them - Find them – Fix them – Sell them (Part 3 of 4)

(Part 3 – Fix them)

In the first part of this 4 part blog, we reviewed how to “assess” what would be your “perfect Pre-owned inventory mix”.

In the second part of this 4 part blog, we reviewed how to “find” your “perfect Pre-owned inventory mix”.

Now that we know what vehicles we are looking for and how to find them, the next step is to “fix” them.

The art of reconditioning a vehicle for re-sale is essential to achieve maximum R.O.I. for the dealership!

You have to use common sense when it comes to reconditioning a vehicle.

You want to make the vehicle as presentable and sellable as possible.

You want to make sure that your perception of what the costs are to properly recondition the vehicle fall into line with what the reality of the costs are.

If you have figured that it would cost a certain amount of money to recondition the vehicle when you obtained it and it is costing you more than what you originally thought, you need to adjust your thinking when you are appraising vehicles! That being said, you don’t want to take “shortcuts’ or not recondition the vehicle correctly to compensate for a vehicle that may have been “over appraised”!

I believe proper reconditioning of a vehicle comes down to just two simple elements.

Does the vehicle LOOK GREAT and is it MECHANICALLY SOUND?

Let’s talk about the physical appearance of the vehicle first.

I believe a great looking vehicle is much easier to sell than one that doesn’t look its best!

Have you removed all of the body dings, dents and scratches? Little dings and dents are the first thing a perspective buyer looks at before they even get in the vehicle. Did you re-paint the bumper covers to take away the scratches and scuffs?

How about the interior? Have you cleaned and shampooed the entire interior? Did you remove all of the stains from the seats and carpets? How about a new set of floor mats? New floor mats are an inexpensive way to make the interior look its best!

Was the former owner a smoker? Did the former owner have pets in the vehicle? Removing ALL odors completely is essential to making it presentable to the next buyer!

Is the vehicle properly detailed for re-sale? You have to constantly monitor the cleanliness of the vehicle when it sits on the lot! Is it washed, waxed and vacuumed properly AND daily? Are the wheels clean of brake dust and polished to look good? Did the vehicle go out on a demonstration drive and get dirty by going through puddles or by having dirt brought into the inside by dirty shoes?

Are the proper warranty stickers/paperwork properly displayed in a clean and neat fashion without damage?

Did you take off any of the competitions “badges” or dealership information and affix your own?

Is your license plate bracket affixed to the vehicle properly?

All of these little details are NOT missed by your customers! Make sure you are proactive in making sure you vehicle looks its best!

Now let’s talk about the mechanical aspect of reconditioning.

The obvious part is to make sure that the vehicle is going to pass any and all State mandated requirements for safety and inspection!

I believe if there is less than 40% life on a brake pad or a tire, it needs to be replaced. It makes a great selling point and story to the customer when you explain that this is your policy! Telling a customer that you value their safety by either putting on new brakes or tires builds value in your Pre-owned vehicle!

If the vehicle is within 5000 miles of a major service interval, go ahead and do the major service! It makes two great selling points with the perspective customer! First of all, it again builds value in your vehicle and secondly, when the customer purchase the vehicle, their first service experience in your dealership will NOT involve a costly repair! The first interaction with your Service Department will be a simple oil change. This will build retention and word of mouth endorsements for your store!

Make sure all of the accessories work correctly! Navigation systems, DVD players and stereo systems should all be checked for proper working order.

Does the vehicle have any OEM aftermarket equipment? Roof racks, fog lights, spoilers, etc….it should all be checked for proper function and instillation!

In the end, “FIXING” the vehicle correctly to maximize your R.O.I. is essential for the dealership!

About the Author: From a Salesperson to a Dealer, I have a vast amount of experience in all areas of the automotive environment.

You can follow me on:

My website: www.JimKristoff.com  

Twitter: @jimkristoff

WordPress blogsite: http://jimkristoff.wordpress.com/

Blogspot blog: http://jimkristoff.blogspot.com/

DealerElite.net: http://www.dealerelite.net/profile/JimKristoff

Automotive Digital Marketing.com: http://www.automotivedigitalmarketing.com/profile/JimKristoff

LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimkristoff  

Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/jimkristoff

Pre-Owned R.O.I. – Assess them - Find them – Fix them – Sell them (Part 2 of 4)

(Part 2 – Find them)

In the first part of this 4 part blog, we reviewed how to “assess” what would be your “perfect Pre-owned inventory mix”.

Now that we know what vehicles we are looking for, the next step is “finding” them!

There are many places we can search to find these vehicles!

The “front door” is a good place to start! Are you properly appraising each and every customers “trade-in” vehicle? Are you utilizing all the available tools and software to help you in the appraisal? Have you enlisted several opinions of different Managers in the store? Did you miss something in the appraisal? Take advantage of every opportunity to take these vehicles in on trade! A daily review of trade-in opportunities between all department managers is a key to maximizing your potential!

Are you “data-mining” your database of customers? Do you utilize vehicle equity tools, software or calculators to help you proactively find customers that may be in an equity position OR have the ability to trade out of their vehicle today? Are the customers coming to the end of their lease contract or finance contract? Is the customer, “on-track” to go OVER the contracted amount of miles on their current lease? Is the customer, “out of warranty coverage” on their current vehicle? Could you use a particular year, make and model to enhance your “perfect inventory mix”? There are several great tools out there to help you in this search!

Do you have a dedicated Sales team of people working in your Service Drive? There are customers driving into your Service Drive on a daily basis. They already like and trust your Service Department! Are these customers still happy with their current vehicle? Have the customer’s needs changed since they bought the vehicle? Have the customer’s driving habits changed since they bought the vehicle? Is the vehicle nearing the end of a lease? Is there a new “body style” available in the current model the customer has? Is the customer unwilling to spend additional money to maintain their current vehicle? The Service Drive is one of the biggest opportunities for additional sales in the dealership! However, it is one of the LEAST utilized opportunities in dealerships nationwide! Don’t miss out!

Are you contacting individuals that have their vehicle listed for a “private party sale”? These individuals have their vehicle listed for private party sale for a number of various reasons. These individuals should be contacted to let them know you are willing and able to purchase their vehicle today! Explaining to these private party sellers the pluses and minuses of attempting to sell their vehicle on their own is the key element in attempting to purchase their vehicle! Explaining to the customer the ease in doing business with you is another key! Most individuals do not look forward to strange people showing up at their homes, wasting their valuable time, worrying about getting a safe and cashable payment for their vehicle or taking care of any “payoff” on their vehicle! By doing business with your dealership, you can alleviate all of these customer worries!

Do you utilize a wholesale auction to fill in some of the gaps in your “perfect Pre-owned inventory mix”? Do you have a plan of what you want to purchase and how much you are willing to spend on each individual vehicle? Preparing your “game plan” is absolutely essential to making sure you are purchasing the correct vehicles and for the correct dollar amounts! Don’t get caught up in the auction hype! Preparing a solid game plan BEFORE you start purchasing vehicles at the auction stops you from paying too much for the wrong vehicles!

Finding the correct vehicles to enhance your “perfect Pre-owned inventory mix” is essential to maximizing your R.O.I.!

Get started….NOW!!!

About the Author: From a Salesperson to a Dealer, I have a vast amount of experience in all areas of the automotive environment.

You can follow me on:

My website: www.JimKristoff.com  

Twitter: @jimkristoff

WordPress blogsite: http://jimkristoff.wordpress.com/

Blogspot blog: http://jimkristoff.blogspot.com/

DealerElite.net: http://www.dealerelite.net/profile/JimKristoff

Automotive Digital Marketing.com: http://www.automotivedigitalmarketing.com/profile/JimKristoff

LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimkristoff  

Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/jimkristoff

Pre-Owned R.O.I. – Assess them - Find them – Fix them – Sell them (Part 1of 4)

(Part 1 – Assess them)

Pre-Owned vehicles are the life blood of any successful automotive dealership!

For some dealers, that don’t floor plan pre-owned vehicles, this is where a LOT of cash can be found!

So why is it that some dealers feel that the Pre-owned department takes a “back seat” to the New vehicle department?

Limited allocations or availability of New vehicles can be maddening! You never know when an earthquake and tsunami will impact your ability to get New vehicles.

Economic conditions can also impair your ability to have the correct “mix” of New vehicles. When gas prices go up, you can never seem to have enough “high gas mileage” vehicles available!

You can NEVER get enough of the “hot” New vehicles and there are always plenty of the “slower moving” New vehicles available!

On the other hand, your Pre-owned inventory can be as small or large as you like. You can stock the exact mix of “hot” pre-owned vehicles to maximize your R.O.I. (return on investment).

Taking the time to properly assess your Pre-owned inventory to “find” the correct mix of vehicles for your market is imperative to your success!

You have to assess what are the quickest and best moving makes and models in your area.

Make sure to stock your own “brand” of pre-owned vehicles. Whatever the manufacturers sign says on your building, make sure you have the correct mix of Pre-owned vehicles that were great selling vehicles when you sold them “New”! For example, customers will naturally gravitate to a Chevrolet store to look at and find Pre-Owned Chevrolet’s! Make sure you have the right mix on the lot!

You have to assess market conditions. What are the best Makes, Models and model year vehicles to stock? If there is a lack of New models, do you stock 1 and 2 year old vehicles to fill the void? What if New models are plentiful? Do you stock 3 year old models and older to maximize and balance your inventory options?

You have to assess seasonal conditions. Is your dealership in a northern climate? Have you stocked enough 4 wheel drive vehicles going into a winter season? Is your dealership in a southern climate? Have you stocked enough vehicles for the “snowbirds” arrival? Whatever the season, you need to be prepared and look ahead to seasonal conditions that give you an opportunity to maximize sales.

You have to assess economic conditions. Are gasoline prices going up? If gas prices are up, you need to stock additional “high gas mileage” vehicles. What is the median income of people in your area? If the median income is lower than average, do you stock less expensive pre-owned vehicles? You need to know the economic demographics of your area!

You have to assess availability conditions. Is there a shortage of available new models? Is there going to be a large amount of a certain model that is going to flood the market because there was a great lease deal on it 3 years earlier? Either a lack of or a plentiful supply of a certain model can change dramatically what the vehicles value may be worth! It is important that you research this and know it going forward. If there is going to be a lack of a certain model, you can “step up” on an appraisal of this vehicle. If there are going to be a huge influx of a certain model that is “coming off lease”, you may want to be a tad more conservative in it’s appraisal.

You NEED to have a Pre-owned “perfect inventory” map and guideline to correctly stock your Pre-owned department.

Do you have the correct tools and information to help you in this assessment? Or….are you just “winging it”??

The utilization of the correct tools to help you in this assessment is imperative to your success!

Maximize your opportunity in your Pre-owned department by assessing exactly what your inventory mix should look like!

Constantly monitoring your Pre-owned inventory mix will ensure you are getting your highest R.O.I.!!!

About the Author: From a Salesperson to a Dealer, I have a vast amount of experience in all areas of the automotive environment.

You can follow me on:

My website: www.JimKristoff.com  

Twitter: @jimkristoff

WordPress blogsite: http://jimkristoff.wordpress.com/

Blogspot blog: http://jimkristoff.blogspot.com/

DealerElite.net: http://www.dealerelite.net/profile/JimKristoff

Automotive Digital Marketing.com: http://www.automotivedigitalmarketing.com/profile/JimKristoff

LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimkristoff  

Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/jimkristoff