by The Alpha Dawg | Apr 18, 2016 | Auto Dealer Monthly, Featured, Jim's Thoughts
Party on, Garth! Light-vehicle sales showed a year-over-year increase of 8% in February. Of course, that’s coming off of a January in which winter storms ground sales to a halt. Still, statisticians, industry experts and analysts are predicting the possibility of a...
by The Alpha Dawg | Apr 10, 2016 | F&I and Showroom, Jim's Thoughts, Training
The car business is tough. The hours are long. We work nights and weekends. If you’re not here, you’re not selling cars. If you’re not selling cars, you’re not making a living. I’ve been in the retail side of this business for 40 years. I’ve seen many things change...
by The Alpha Dawg | Mar 30, 2016 | F&I and Showroom, Jim's Thoughts
I’ve been writing about this for years. As a matter of fact, I’ve screamed it from the mountaintops until the echoes rang repeatedly around the industry. I’ve watched it gain momentum as a consortium of vendors, manufacturers and other assorted rogues and pirates...
by The Alpha Dawg | Mar 21, 2016 | Auto Dealer Monthly, Featured, Jim's Thoughts, News
Never let it be said that Nissan is warm and fuzzy with their dealers. I have written about this for years. But formerly loyal Nissan dealers aren’t just complaining to me privately. They’re talking to the media and they’re talking to their attorneys. They’re...
by The Alpha Dawg | Mar 11, 2016 | F&I and Showroom, Jim's Thoughts, Training
For you sales managers out there, I bet you can remember the excitement you felt when you earned that prestigious title. But that feeling didn’t last long, did it? In fact, it probably came to a grinding halt. But not every manager experiences burnout. I know plenty...
by The Alpha Dawg | Mar 4, 2016 | Auto Dealer Monthly, Featured, Jim's Thoughts
In November, Debbie and I resumed one of our favorite holiday traditions: Thanksgiving at the Ritz-Carlton Lodge Reynolds Plantation on Lake Oconee, Ga., about an hour’s drive from Atlanta. It starts the night before the holiday with the “Lighting of the Lodge” and...
