Infiniti store gets new life with hybrid employees
Dealer swaps shoe leather for Facebook
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
When Chris Morrison started out as a car salesman 30 years ago in the placid southern Mississippi city of McComb, he spent every Tuesday at local employers handing out business cards and shaking hands. Today he uses Facebook instead of shoe leather and business cards to help him sell cars and service.... Read More » Comments [0] | Recommendations [0]
Old-school Rizza roars into the digital age
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
In an age when auto dealers are plunging into digital tools for marketing, store management and customer retention, Chicago's Rizza Cars has become a star practitioner. The six-store retailer is a case study of a traditional dealership group transforming in a new era of operating technologies.... Read More »| Related topics: | Retail | Marketing | Dealer Issues | Finance & Insurance | NADA | Vehicle Sales | U.S. Monthly Sales |
Dealer pairs test driver's phone to car
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
A Chrysler Group dealer in Michigan has turned a 30-second routine into a better way to demonstrate his technology-laden vehicles.Before the start of each test drive at Extreme Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram, the salesperson showing the vehicle asks the customer in the driver's seat for his or her smartphone and -- with permission -- connects the phone to the vehicle's infotainment system.... Read More »Custom 'werks' loads up Jeeps -- and revenue
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 6, 2013
The staff at Fields Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram noticed that many of the Jeeps they sold looked different when their owners came in for an oil change or other service appointment. The vehicles might have new tires, flashier wheels or modifications such as suspension lift kits.... Read More »Suzuki's top-selling U.S. dealer finds a new path with Subaru
12:01 am U.S. ET | April 29, 2013
Closing up shop was not an option for Scott Pitman, America's best-selling Suzuki dealer. He couldn't fathom leaving the business and laying off 86 employees at his Suzuki of Wichita. So he bought half the equity in a crosstown Subaru store owned by a business partner and moved the operation to the site of his Suzuki dealership.... Read More »Va. group cultivates home-grown talent
12:01 am U.S. ET | April 22, 2013
Brown Automotive Group used to search far and wide for top talent, picking off store managers and executives who promised to work magic. That changed after the dealership group's president left for a job at Asbury Automotive Group.... Read More »A 5th-generation store with 21st-century skills
12:01 am U.S. ET | April 15, 2013
When you find a thriving seven-franchise dealership in sparsely populated South Dakota that has been in the same family for 106 years, you know they've learned a thing or two about finding and keeping customers.... Read More »From high-tech lasers to ultraluxury vehicles
12:01 am U.S. ET | April 8, 2013
Antoine Dominic was set to ease into early retirement in 2008 after selling the high-tech laser company he had run for several years and making a fortune on the stock he owned. But fate took him in a new direction.... Read More »Live on the lot
12:01 am U.S. ET | April 1, 2013
On Jan. 26, Mike Bowsher had a record day at Carl Black Chevrolet-Buick-GMC of Orlando. About 1,000 people jammed his lot for a two-hour concert by Florida Georgia Line, an up-and-coming country band.... Read More »Young, inexperienced and very successful
12:01 am U.S. ET | March 25, 2013
Rick Case Fiat's top salesman is a 19-year-old from Jamaica. The finance and insurance manager is a 24-year-old former cashier with no previous dealership experience. But the dealership last year was the top-selling Fiat store in its region and No. 4 in the nation, Chrysler Group says.... Read More »Knight School: If you're sunk on Sync, tech-savvy Ford dealer can help
12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 18, 2013
When Bill Knight started offering monthly clinics on Ford Motor Co.'s Sync entertainment and communication system back in 2009, only a handful of customers showed up for each session. Fast forward to 2013. The clinics' popularity has soared to the point that customers have to reserve spots in advance.... Read More »Heir buds: Young dealers swap strategies
12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 11, 2013
A meeting of the Young Dealers Group in North Carolina was discussing the problem of third-party vendors accessing information from dealership management systems without the dealer's knowledge. Greg Westcott suggested a low-tech solution: Smoke 'em out. Unplug the modem and wait for the phone to ring.... Read More »Best Practices video
 Infiniti store gets new life with hybrid employees12:01 am U.S. ET | May 9 2013
Jeff Lupient began overhauling his family's automotive group when he took over as interim general manager at a money-losing Infiniti store near Minneapolis in 2007. To trim costs, Lupient started running the 'bloated' dealership like a boutique. He cross-trained employees, and set an example by handling many jobs himself – including F & I and used-car duties. Lupient personally visited the competition to rebuild his oil-change business, which has helped boost service retention. ...  watch the video |
Dealers of Distinction
- Sports lover's gift helps school, honors family »
- Son's illness made giving personal »
- Techs' checks ensure children travel safely »
- Sharing values, ideas »
- Sharing time and wisdom is part of dealer's routine »
- Penske is a go-to guy for Detroit projects »
- Megadealer Wilson, aka layaway angel »
- Lather up! Hosting car washes is a tradition in Long Beach »
- Ga. dealer rewards great teaching »
- Family illness made dealer an activist »
Dealers of Distinction video
Inventory
DCH Auto blends tradition with new twists
12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 7, 2013
Dah Chong Hong Ltd., a Chinese food and textile distributorship, survived World War II by relocating to avoid military occupation. Thus the company that evolved into DCH Auto Group, which today operates 29 car dealerships in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and California, has a long history of moving and adapting.... Read More »Orange Motors teams F&I and sales staffs to win big
12:01 am U.S. ET | Sept. 10, 2012
Dealer Carl Keegan lets finance and insurance managers take risks and make mistakes. And that's made all the difference at his store, Orange Motors in Albany, N.Y.... Read More »Keeping an eye on F&I
12:01 am U.S. ET | June 4, 2012
When Mirt Ramey went to Target in 1999 and spent $3,400 on video cameras and recorders for Red McCombs Automotive in San Antonio, she didn't realize what powerful tools they would become. Thirteen years later, McCombs' seven dealerships have graduated to more sophisticated digital recorders, but executives still swear by the basic practice.... Read More »'Skin in the game' philosophy guides Kuni
12:01 am U.S. ET | March 19, 2012
After acquiring the five-dealership Pioneer Centres group in December, Kuni Automotive foresees its biggest year ever in 2012. Revenues should jump from around $600 million in 2011 to more than $800 million, CEO Greg Goodwin said. "The way business is looking right now, I'm convinced that's very conservative," he said.... Read More »News by Brand
