Selling Trucks: Strategies for the Pickup Market Bottom Line Up Front: Selling trucks at a dealership requires fundamentally different strategies than sedan sales — your team needs to understand work-truck buyers, lifestyle purchasers, and fleet customers as distinct segments with unique pain points, decision timelines, and gross profit opportunities. Top-quartile stores are capturing 15-20% higher … Read more
Test Drive Tips for Salespeople: Make the Drive Close the Deal Bottom Line Up Front Your test drive is either your strongest closing tool or your biggest opportunity leak — and most stores are hemorrhaging deals because they treat it like a paperwork step instead of a selling event. When executed correctly, a structured test … Read more
Gen Z Car Buying Habits: What the Next Generation Expects Bottom Line Up Front: Your sales process was built for customers who walk the lot, shake hands, and negotiate face-to-face. Gen Z buyers research for weeks online, expect instant digital responses, and will walk if your process feels pushy or outdated. Stores adapting their road-to-the-sale … Read more
Agency Model for Car Sales: What Manufacturers Are Proposing Bottom Line Up Front The agency model for car sales flips your entire revenue structure — you’ll collect fixed commissions per unit instead of negotiating margins, while manufacturers control pricing directly. Smart dealers are preparing now by shifting focus to service absorption, F&I penetration, and customer … Read more
Car Subscription Models: Opportunity or Threat for Dealers Bottom Line Up Front Car subscription model dealership programs aren’t replacing traditional retail — they’re creating a new profit center that smart dealers are using to capture younger buyers, reduce inventory risk, and generate predictable monthly revenue streams. The key is treating subscriptions as an extension of … Read more
Dealership Training Programs: Ongoing Development That Pays Off Bottom Line Up Front The stores that consistently hit top-decile performance don’t have better markets or better OEM programs — they have systematic dealership training programs that turn operational excellence into muscle memory. While your competitors are still running their dealerships like it’s 2010, the winners are … Read more
Auto Technician Shortage: How Dealers Can Attract and Retain Techs Bottom Line Up Front The auto technician shortage isn’t going away, but dealers who treat tech recruitment like they do sales recruiting — with intentional systems, competitive comp plans, and clear advancement paths — are pulling away from the pack. Your service absorption rate depends … Read more
Service Writer Upselling: Ethical Techniques That Increase RO Average Bottom Line Up Front Your service writers are your highest-leverage profit center employees. While your sales team might close deals worth thousands, your service writers touch every customer multiple times per year and control the difference between breaking even on fixed ops and hitting 45%+ service … Read more
Sales Manager Leadership: Running a High-Performance Floor Bottom Line Up Front The difference between top-decile stores and everyone else isn’t better salespeople or location — it’s dealership sales manager leadership that systematically executes fundamentals while everyone else chases the flavor of the month. Elite sales managers run their floors like manufacturing plants: predictable processes, measured … Read more
Dealership Employee Benefits: Packages That Attract Top Talent Bottom Line Up Front Your biggest competitor for top talent isn’t another dealership — it’s the tech company down the road offering unlimited PTO and the manufacturing plant with a four-day work week. The days of “steady paycheck plus health insurance” attracting quality people to auto retail … Read more
