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Automotive industry insights, tips, and guides

The Welcome Call After the Sale: What's Changed and What Hasn't

You're sitting at your desk Monday morning, coffee in hand, scrolling through the weekend's delivery reports. Three fresh customers took home their vehicles Sat...

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Myth #1: Texting Customers Is a New Thing That Nobody Wants

Text-based service check-ins work better than phone calls, and anyone who tells you otherwise isn't looking at their CSI scores. That's not a controversial tak...

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Why Referral Programs Still Matter (Maybe More Than Ever)

You're sitting in your service director's office on a Tuesday morning, and she tells you she's got a technician who's willing to bring in his cousin. The cousin...

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Family Dealership Succession: What's Actually Changed Since You Started

Picture this: it's Saturday morning, and the dealer principal is reviewing numbers in the office before the lot opens. The business has been in the family for 3...

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Dealer 20-Group Participation: What's Changed and What Hasn't

What's the one thing every dealer principal says they want more of, but almost nobody gets? Honest peer feedback about what actually works in their stores right...

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Positive smiling agent in trendy formal light brown suit discussing with happy excited female customer details of contract while leaning on car in showroom

Acquiring an Existing Dealership: What's Changed and What Hasn't

The Dealership Acquisition Playbook: What's Different Now In 1954, when the Interstate Highway System was just getting paved and suburbs were exploding, buying...

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Dealership Expansion Site Selection: What's Actually Changed in 40 Years

Back in 1985, when Dealership Magazine ran its first franchise location study, the checklist was straightforward: population within 15 miles, household income a...

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Building a Vehicle Presentation SOP That Controls the First Pencil

How many times this month has a customer walked into your showroom, locked eyes with the perfect truck, and your salesperson showed them the infotainment system...

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Executive Recruiting for Dealer Groups: What's Changed and What Hasn't

The Dealership Talent Crisis: A 40-Year Pattern That Still Governs Who Gets Hired In 1984, the National Automobile Dealers Association published a survey showi...

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How to Build an SOP for New Salesperson Ramp Plans That Actually Works

The Wrong Way to Train New Sales Staff (And How to Fix It) Most dealerships throw a new salesperson on the floor with a product brochure, a prayer, and a "just...

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Building an SOP for Deal Desk Approval Speed: A Dealership Operations Checklist

Why Your Deal Desk Is Stuck in Traffic (And How to Fix It) Back in 1986, when the internet barely existed and most dealerships still used fax machines to send ...

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Open-Book Management at Your Dealership: What's Actually Changed Since 2020

You've probably heard the pitch before: "Open-book management will transform your dealership culture, align your team with profitability, and solve your turnove...

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