You spend hours selling the customer a vehicle. All the features and benefits. All the great things about this particular car, and now you have to tell them they can’t have it, but they can have this other great one! The question is, how do you do it right so you don’t blow up your deal?

Would you like to know what the number one complaint from customers is in the car business? Actually, I’m not sure what it is, but I can tell you most of them start with the words, “The salesperson told me…” That much is certain.

Not that long ago, I promoted somebody into a management position, and they asked me a question I had never been asked before, and that question was, “How do I avoid getting fired like the last guy?”

There are two absolute truths in this life that if you know, believe and understand, are the first steps in achieving your goals, living a healthier life, and quite possibly in creating a path to greater contentment and happiness. Understanding the nature and outcomes of responsibility and negativity are the first step in the journey towards a happier, healthier and more productive life. 

Some great salespeople have never become managers, and some average salespeople move on to become great managers. If you’ve been passed over for a promotion, stay tuned and maybe find out why that is.

The current reality in the car business is a great one for some, and a grim one for many.

New car dealers with empty lots, who on the one hand have a shortage of available cars, but on the other enjoy getting full price and instant delivery for every vehicle they sell. For many that means less volume, higher profit. For others, it’s a lack of vehicles, and a lack of business, and thus a lack of profit. Nevermind the impact on sales staff. 

Here is a news flash, your dealership really hasn't changed. Your knowledge and experience in the business is as relevant now as it ever was. AI is basically well written software that searches the internet for answers to complex questions, uses an algorithm to sort which answer is best, and then provides the answer to you. If it’s available on the internet, it’s likely something AI can figure out for you. If you use Google now, you are using AI.

If you happen to be a new or nearly new salesperson in an automotive dealership, I’m going to tell you a true story about someone who learned the one sure way to get yourself fired, at least if you worked for me. You see, the truth about sales, in general, is that ultimately it boils down to work ethic and results, neither of which you can survive without.

I hate to kick someone when they are down, but as a car dealership owner and digital marketing company CEO, I can’t help myself. 

An entire industry of self-help gurus has emerged over the last few decades. Self-professed master motivators who deal in platitudes to pay for lavish lifestyles. You too can have this success if you just listen to me!

In this giant shift into the digital space, a great deal of time and focus is being spent on customers that are already in the market. Take a moment and think about the customers you may have left behind in a rush to the internet, the ones that are not in the market, and the ones you can bring into the market with the right message. They may be your best customers.

We all struggle sometimes. That is the reality. We struggle at work, we struggle in relationships, we struggle in business and sometimes we just struggle with life. Anyone who tells you otherwise is either full of crap or a psychopath. But what is the solution? The way out? The way up?

Why are conversions so low on third party leads? The answer is quite simple. Third party lead gen companies are focused only on converting traffic to leads while the dealer is focused on converting leads to deals. There is a total disconnect. Not only that, but lead generation companies control all the messaging, and source of the lead. They know the messaging and sources that generate good leads, and the ones that generate the bad, and they make sure you get just enough good ones to give you some conversions, but also a whole bunch of bad ones so they can make a profit. That is the reality.

Perhaps you're new to marketing in a car dealership, or maybe you're an old hack. Either way, occasionally the most obvious and important element in any ad gets forgotten or simply omitted: the emotion.

"You must have integrity" they say… and they’re right! "They" just don’t really know what it means. When most people talk about integrity, it’s in the "holier than thou" sense. What they really mean is, you should be a good person. Be honest. Maybe even a good leader. And maybe you should, but none of those have anything to do with true integrity, at least the kind I’m talking about. Integrity is about strength. Internal strength. To be strong, you need integrity and believe it or not, it has nothing to do with good or bad. It’s just about knowing who you are and living that way.

Here's a newsflash. A quality website is the most important piece of your digital presence. ALL of your conversions are a factor in your website quality. It is your digital store. Making sure that your website works well, is easy to navigate, and includes all the relevant products and messaging for your business is the most basic starting point. You can pay a fortune for a fancy site but if the messaging is off, or your prospects get lost in all that fanciness, what’s the point?

Over the last few decades the marketing landscape for dealerships has dramatically changed. T.V., radio, and print all gradually eroding in market share and being overtaken by the internet of all things. Large online retailers like Carvana are taking over that digital space with huge budgets and expertise; new car manufacturers are taking greater control over the marketing funnel; and aggregates like Autotrader are holding dealer inventories hostage to promote their own platform and interests. The small to midsize car dealership is left with very few options to control their own destiny- especially the ones seeking to operate a profitable used car department or dealership.

Occasionally, throughout your life, you will learn lessons that completely change the trajectory of your life in a positive way. It’s happened to me a few times over the years but perhaps none more than one day on the Inca Trail in Peru when I learned the hard way, how to reach your goals.