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For years we’ve been talking about new technology that will allow car buyers to purchase their vehicles online, essentially eliminating the need for sales people and for years this topic has been top of mind. Sure, we have seen a little uptick in online vehicle purchases but whether this has addressed the main issue or […] The post 4 Secrets to Leveraging Technology at your Dealership appeared first on DealerRefresh . by Diana Eidson via DealerRefresh

For me, 2019 not only marks the start of a new year, but a new career.  Naturally, I’ve found myself wandering down memory lane. It was April, 1996. After getting the briefest taste of the politics of coaching, I said “Goodbye” to the university and football, and set-out to find a real job.  Responding to […] The post Back in the day of sales with John Quinn – Story #1 appeared first on DealerRefresh . by John Quinn via DealerRefresh

Some dealers go to NADA and never step into the Expo. Some have a shopping list. Others want to see their current vendor and get the latest product releases. Whatever your plans are, the deals this year cannot go unnoticed. Exhibitors are going all out to grab a dealer’s attention. Many have prepared months in […] The post NADA Deal Sheet: Offers, Deals, Discounts, Promotions at the 2019 NADA Conference appeared first on DealerRefresh . by Molly Curry via DealerRefresh

Accidents and vehicular mishaps can occur any time of year, but winter driving conditions may be much more dangerous in many instances. With this in mind, you understandably may feel anxious about the possibility of having an issue with your vehicle on frigid, snowy or icy days. When you understand some of the situations that you may be in, you can take preemptive steps to prepare for the possibilities. Having a Car Accident If you are involved in a minor fender bender, you may easily drive away from the scene of the accident after exchanging insurance and contact information with the other driver. With a serious accident, however, you may need to call law enforcement officials, schedule a local towing service , obtain medical care and more. You can prepare for a possible car accident by researching towing and auto repair companies ahead of time. You also need to keep your auto insurance card handy each time you get behind the wheel. Losing Control on Icy Roads One of the more sig

When it comes to social media advertising, Facebook reigns supreme with Instagram a close second. These are ideal platforms on which to raise brand awareness, bring customers down funnel and generate leads.   For dealers, a presence on Facebook and Instagram is essential, because quite simply, this is where your customers are spending their time. Check out these usage stats for different age groups. 80% of adults age 18-49 use Facebook 73% of Facebook users check feeds 5-6 times daily 55% of adults age 50+ use Facebook 40% of adults age 30-49 use Instagram 57% of adults age 25-29 use Instagram 78% of adults age 18-24 use Instagram   As you can see, having a dual presence on Facebook and Instagram provides you with a broad reach to social media users in every age range.   I have heard from dealers who have tried advertising on these platforms with varied results. Some see the ROI but many don't. If you haven't seen the ROI you have hoped for, make sure your marketi

Moving is an incredibly stressful time and you want to make sure your possessions will all arrive at your new place without issue. One of the more difficult things to transport, however, are any extra vehicles you may need to move. Here are some suggestions for how to transport a second car safely to your destination during a move. Drive the Car Separately Perhaps the simplest way to transport a second car when moving is to drive it yourself. This option will save you money and you will be able to drive and care for the car how you want. However, this option has its downsides. It will be time-consuming and you may not have the energy to do it. It will also put miles on a new or rarer car, which is certainly problematic if you are hoping to sell or trade it in at some point. Use a Car Trailer You can easily take the second car with you by loading it on a car trailer and pulling it behind another of your vehicles. You will have to decide between different types of car trailers . A c

Heading into the New Year, even the speed of speed seems to be picking up speed. Commercials compress. Attention spans shorten. Faster is better. Learn it quickly. Make the adjustment. Get to where you are going sooner.   Significant business strides will be made with Over The Top (OTT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Artificial Reality (AR) and Digital Retailing (DR) this year.   Some might call them keys to success, but at the same time, many others won’t define or gather the critical mass to command the concepts. When you’re responsible, how then do you orchestrate the human elements required to operationally implement them?   We want the waiter to help guide us through our entire alphabet soup of confusion.   This we know though--we want to eat the soup while it’s hot. Knowing that “now” matters in a society that so values speed. If the page doesn’t load in 3 seconds, consumers leave. Same for you. IDK (I Don’t Know)  turns into a search, and if not delivered, it’s so

While no-one wants to think about being in a car accident and what they would do if it happened, statistics show that it is really only a matter of time before it happens. According to car insurance companies, the typical driver files a collision claim once every 17.9 years . Obviously, that’s just the average, which means you could be filling claims more often than that. So rather than fooling yourself and saying it will never happen to you, it’s wise to be realistic and ask yourself what you would do if you were in a car accident. Here we will take a look at the steps that should be taken after you’ve been in a car accident that will protect your health and wellbeing, as well as protect you financially. Contact Emergency Responders and Stay on the Scene In the immediate moments following a car accident, it's important to contact emergency responders and stay on the scene. When the emergency responders arrive, depending on your injuries, they may take you away for medical atten

Forget about spending hours with your traditional textbooks – it’s time to shake hands with digitalization. Flow with the wave of technological evolution and enhance your experience of being a student or an educator. Adapt to digital textbooks available online and process information through phones, tablets, computers and laptops. Well, contrary lies everywhere and still today, some people debate over accepting digital learning system. Being a pupil of this generation, get conversant with the facts that make e-learning significant. Why should you choose e-learning over normal textbooks? There are a handsome reasons listed below that may trigger you for availing digital textbooks, no sooner than later. Take a glimpse of it – Spend less learn more   Digital textbooks are cost-effective compared to old school books, as the extra charges for shipping and delivery gets eliminated. In addition, online versions always come with added discounts of 50-60%. Buy e-books at money-spinning

Dealing with the aftermath of any kind of major automotive accident can be extremely complicated. It can be particularly hard for people who experience injuries and who have to cover time-sensitive and significant medical expenses. If you have medical bills that cannot wait, then you need to figure out how to pay them within the appropriate timeframe. Health Insurance Providers Insurance coverage can in some cases handle all or some of the costs that are associated with severe auto accident injuries. It’s critical to reach out to your insurance provider as soon as possible in order to determine exactly what it can and will manage for you. The sooner you figure out how much help you’ll receive, the quicker you’ll be able to come up with a tangible plan of action. Personal Injury Claims Personal injury claim filing can often aid people who are unable to cover medical costs that are part of severe auto accidents and injuries. If your personal injury claim filing goes well, you may be

76% of Today’s Popular Leases Retain or Slightly Increase Their Monthly Payment Prices from December Wantalease.com, the nation’s first online car lease marketplace for new lease deals, reports the latest update on new lease offerings, with prices on most of today’s popular leases holding steady or slightly increasing from last month.  Twenty-two different vehicles maintained their prices from the previous month, while twenty-four slightly increased, showing prices are holding steady or coming off seasonal promotions entering the new year. Many vehicle prices have remained steady into January, but dealers have offered generous discounts on compact car and mid-size cars. Only one vehicle is currently offered for less than $150 per month on Wantalease.com. The Volkswagen Jetta is currently priced at $139 per month, making it the most affordable vehicle for the month. The Volkswagen Jetta has maintained this lease price for the past three months. Dealers have continued to offer aggress

When wanting to buy an automobile,there are so many choices of auto to obtain that it is tough to determine what sort of vehicle to even check drive,and looking online or in the great deal can be confusing and also often frustrating.However,considering test-driving can be a really simple decision if one recognizes sufficient about the vehicle.The high performance quality of this vehicle makes it a vehicle that would be a great choice to a minimum of explore it and also take it for a test drive. The Audi A3 is the greatest doing car in the used Audi cars range.It is a compact sports car as well as is the fastest of its models.The body is innovative for the layout of the vehicle.It has a broad front and back wheel arch to include the wider axle track,and also the unique bumpers on both the front and the back of the automobile give a more aerodynamic auto.This attribute aids with wind resistance and also therefore makes the car faster and provides it better gas mileage.Likewise later m

Heathrow and Gatwick are homes for tourist attractions where people can enjoy their dreamiest holidays with the happiest memories. Coming here you don’t need to worry about traffic and transportation because Heathrow to Gatwick Taxi Service is here to help you with all your concerns about transport and help you to have a safe journey. We are also the best known cab service company to offer discounts of up to 25% for online reservations up to two passengers. You can easily estimate your cost using the taxi booking apps.   We specialise in providing a professional, high quality service which you can rely on at very competitive rates. Our company is seeking to offer the best transportation solutions, providing modern and luxury cars and ensuring safety, integrity, and respect to our customers. Our professional drivers who are there at your service whenever and wherever you need them. We provide very reliable service you can depend on 24 hours a day. Moreover, our polite, well-dressed

Buying a recovered stolen cars for sale at an online auto auction, can be a good investment. When a vehicle that is insured against theft is stolen and recovered, it is usually declared totaled, due to damage or other reasons. These cars often end up at auction sites. Insurance companies dispose of these vehicles at rock-bottom prices, and many of the vehicles are still in sound condition. Find out everything you’re eager to know about buying such a vehicle to get a head start. Reasons Behind Theft Recovered Car Title Any vehicle stolen but recovered later on by the police comes under the category of theft recovered vehicles. After a vehicle has been stolen and is missing for a period of time, the insurance company will pay off the insured amount on the vehicle. In case the vehicle is eventually found, it is within the insurance company’s discretion to sell off the vehicle at an auto auction after giving it a theft recovered title. Often, stolen cars are stripped for parts and sold i

Driving always comes with some small amount of risk. No matter how careful or good of a driver you are, there is always a chance that you could get into an accident any time you get behind the wheel. Still, the risks are obviously greater when attempting to navigate snowy, slick or icy roads during winter. With this in mind, here are some simple ways that you can make winter driving easier and, more importantly, safer. Check Your Tires Regularly The tires are obviously one of the most important components of your vehicle since they are the only part that actually contacts the road. This fact means it is essential that your tires are in good condition and thus able to provide proper traction on slick or snowy roads. For this reason, it is vital that you regularly inspect your tires to make sure they’re not damaged, have plenty of tread left and are properly inflated. This last factor is extremely important during wintertime as tire pressure decreases as temperature drops. Driving wit

Authentic Reviews that Deliver to Your Bottom Line Consumers are relying on car dealer reviews more than ever before. Women use them the most, as much as 50% more than men. Women not only turn to reviews about a dealership, but they also expect the posts to convey the most important part of the customer experience – trust. The emotional qualities of a review speak loudly to women and encourage or discourage a visit to your store. Dealerships who learn to utilize reviews that appeal to this market segment create an advantage over their competition. Authentic reviews are invaluable to a dealership – they help tune and refine the brand and reputation building and are part of the toolbox for improving customer experience. Here are 7 tips for helping you build a review platform that invites women to buy and service their car at your dealership: 1. Encourage women to provide honest feedback on their experience. Let them know you want the truth – too often people won’t share how they real

With the onset of monsoon, as always, Indian roads get clogged with water. You need to take extra care of your car as there are several factors that make driving unsafe during the rainy season. Not only does the monsoon bring forth heavy traffic jams, slippery roads, and potholes, it may also cause your car to function improperly resulting in problems such as compromised braking, corrosion etc. So, if you are planning to hit the road during rains, make sure that you take care of the things listed below: Tires You need to thoroughly check your car’s tires during monsoons. Tires are subject to more wear and tear during monsoon, which in turn makes it difficult for the driver to drive properly. While monitoring your tires, make sure that about 30% thread is still left on them. Otherwise, go for the new ones. Wipers Rains can hinder the view which makes it difficult for the driver to get the correct sense of the roads. Wipers help in removing water and dust from the windscreen and of

Welcome to this week's edition of Black Book Market Insights, with in-depth analysis of used car and truck valuation trends and insights straight from the auction lanes.  Click here to download the full report . This week’s Market Insights Report looks at the continued seasonality of current market trends, with cars declining more than trucks. However, a look at the bigger picture shows that the depreciation rate in 2018 was significantly better than expected as tax cuts, strong economic and job growth contributed to high demand for used vehicles. The annual depreciation of used vehicles was only 12.4% in 2018. “In the first week of the new year, values of used vehicles continued to decline on pace with the trend seen in December. The previous year ended with the lowest depreciation rate in three years,” said Anil Goyal, Executive Vice President, Operations, for Black Book.   Volume-weighted, overall car segment values decreased by 0.69% last week. In comparison, the market va

As Millennials get older, they become an increasingly important fixed ops customer segment to retain. A recent AutoLoop study found that currently, Millennials make up approximately 18% of all service appointments. And that number continues to steadily increase year over year. In fact, as shown in the graph below, Millennials and Generation Z continuously increase their appointment rate each year, while other generations either stayed the same or declined.     Ensuring Millennials show up Our study also showed that Millennials have a lower show rate than other generations. However, that show rate increased considerably when they were able to book online. Other factors affected Millennial show rate as well. For instance, those driving import brands had the lowest show rate among Millennials, while domestic and luxury brands are more likely to show. Fascinatingly, these trends held true for the other generations as well, which means that Millennials take after their parents in this

It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the perfume we wear and carry is an extension of our personality. When you smell good, you feel good and the fragrance spreads around the goodness. In a way, the fragrance that you carry and sport also defines you in a way. It speaks a lot about your choice and what you are. Perfumes also rank on one of the top items on the list of things that women are obsessed with. So if you are stuck with what to gift your lady love or any female friend or relative, you know what you have to get. Get a wide range of perfumes and body mists from Bath & Body Works. Use Bath & Body Works coupons to get exciting discounts on your shopping. Take a look at the 10 best perfumes for women that are not just smelling great but also last long. Go through it and find the best perfume for you. Do not forget to use Bath & Body Works coupons on the great products. 1. ROSE FINE FRAGRANCE MIST Get this product one the Bath & Body Works website at $ 14. 50. Each

An upgrade from the standard family vehicle, a luxury sedan is also a step up from the ordinary in life. More interior space, better performance, and superior comfort, sedans comprise one of the biggest segments of the US automotive industry. Talking about the top contenders in the segment, 2018 Acura TLX, and 2018 Audi A4 are two luxury sedans that come to the fore. You can buy any of the 2 cars at affordable prices from online auctions offering salvage cars for sale . To help you get down to a choice between the two, this blog provides a brief overview of the cars. Power and Performance The 2018 TLX is available in two engine options - a 206-hp four-cylinder engine and a 290-hp V6 engine. Both engines are more powerful than the engines in the 2108 A4, which are a 190-hp four-cylinder engine and a 252-hp four-cylinder engine. Unlike the Acura TLX, the Audi A4 does not offer the optional V6 engine. The estimated combined fuel economy delivered by the Acura is 30 mpg, whereas the A

Auto auctions offer one of the best ways to find a good deal on used cars. Whether you are looking for repo cars in Las Vegas  or San Francisco, there are two lines open to you to attend such auto auctions. One is live auction where bidders need to physically attend an on-premise auction site to bid on vehicles of their choice. Another is online bidding, thanks to advancing technology, where one can bid over the Internet from home. Find out what each of these auction types is like so that you can choose the one that might work for you. Live Auctions This auction type is older than the other and it is the standard till today. If a person intends to attend a live auction, they need to appear at the auction site in person. A bidder attending a car auction in Las Vegas can see in person the vehicles on sales. Sometimes seeing the vehicles in photographs may not give an accurate representation due to problems with lighting and angle. In such cases, witnessing the vehicles in person an

  Welcome back for another 2019 automotive predictions post. It appears 2018’s final automotive sales number will come in at approximately 17.2 million vehicles amid a mixed sales environment. The four interest rate increases last year may have slowed progress while the tax reform efforts had a positive impact. 2019 is expected to show approximately […] The post 2019 Automotive Predictions appeared first on DealerRefresh . by Eric Miltsch via DealerRefresh

  Susan G. Komen of Los Angeles is the first charity to create a custom cause digital license plate with the Rplate, the world’s first digital license plate; custom digital license plates designed to raise funds to increase access to breast health services and support research   Las Vegas, Nevada –January 7, 2019  –  Reviver Auto , creator of the Rplate, the world’s first digital license plate, and Susan G. Komen of Los Angeles County, today announced at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show that they have partnered to create a Susan G. Komen-branded digital license plate that will help raise funds to support the organization’s mission of saving lives and ending breast cancer forever.  Susan G. Komen of Los Angeles County is the nation’s largest Susan G. Komen chapter and the only organization in LA dedicated to combating breast cancer on every front.  The partnership will also enable the activation of digital Susan G. Komen logos for interested Rplate consumers who wish to contribute

PHOENIX, AZ, January 4, 2019 – Borrowing from the start-up success handbook that propelled virtual inventory advisory company LotPop to industry prominence, My BDC Success launched this week, providing remote BDC monitoring, tracking, and training services to help auto dealerships maximize the profitability of their business development center investments.   My BDC Success is not a long-term investment for most dealers, rather a three-to-18-month engagement to lift BDC performance to consistently more profitable results for the dealership.   It is an industry fact that most dealerships struggle to realize full potential from their BDC operations:   Few people have the knowledge or experience to run a BDC efficiently and profitably If the right people are found, it can take years of learning to master BDC proficiency And, always, the question remains - how do you balance the number of employees with the volume of activity, so you stop spending countless hours and thousands

CompliancePoint, a leading provider of information security and risk management services for compliance and data security, has established a data privacy solutions focus for the automotive industry, with resources to protect manufacturers, automotive lenders, dealers and other users of automotive data. In 2018, more than 100 automotive manufacturing companies including General Motors, Fiat Chrysler, Tesla, Ford, Toyota and Volkswagen experienced a data breach exposing trade secrets from the carmakers.  Data privacy and trade secrets are crucial components in the automotive industry. A data breach can cost millions in monetary value, not including the loss of priceless trade secrets that lead to unfair advantages to competitors when crucial data is compromised. According to Forbes, it can take companies an average of 200 days to identify a data breach, and another 70 days to contain in. CompliancePoint offers cybersecurity assessments to automotive companies, which are designed to pr

  Next generation tools enable dealers to contact customers in under 6 seconds, converting leads into sales   PACIFIC PALISADES, Calf., January 7, 2018 - fusionZONE Automotive, LLC , the automotive industry’s highest-performing dealer website solution, today announced the launch of two lead generation tools, FastRing and FastPrice. These tools enable dealers to instantly generate competitive pricing on a prospective customer’s screen and contact them in under 6 seconds, converting more leads into sales.   “Consumers spend more and more time shopping online for a vehicle and expect to get the information they want in real time,” said Brett Sutherlin, FusionZONE Founder. “The days of car dealers withholding prices from potential customers are in the past. When the consumer requests pricing online, they want that information FAST! Unfortunately, many potential customers will leave a dealership website because they had to wait too long, or never received the information at all and w

In today's 20 group meetings, in circles, while attending a new car showing, and just about anywhere you go, dealers are talking about their DMS provider. Even DMS providers seem to be talking about each other, sometimes benignly, other times with soft-malice. And finally, it seems DMS providers today, as I read the litany of articles, want to offer advice on how to run your business.   I certainly don't want to assume that we as DMS providers know the car business better than our clients. But I have been around the car business most of my life, and specifically the DMS landscape for nearly 20 years. With all this chatter in the air, one element seems to ring true: making a DMS change is scary to dealers, afraid, if you will, of the disruption or change; 'what will it do to my business?’   Perhaps a good analogy is a story by Charles Dickens about a man imprisoned for many years. He longed for release, hating the confinement and conditions he endured. Eventually, it was