I recently had a business owner, who is also a CPA, say to me, “When it’s low tide, you find out who is skinny dipping.” I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. In our conversation, we were talking about all the ways car dealerships have needed to prepare for times of crisis. Here are three examples. Rainy day …
Why bother with corporate values?
Automotive News produces really informative videos. This 4-minute briefing on Serra Automotive’s inventory sourcing is a great example. One of my mentors worked for Al Serra for a long time and has great respect for the team. The opening lines from current President Matt Serra gives me clues as to why: From a values perspective, the way we think about …
Empathy in retail
“I’ll show you wiggle room.” Jalopnik invited readers to send in their worst car dealership experiences. Quite an entertaining read. It will definitely make you think of “the Sales Badger.” Buried in the middle of Jalopnik’s list is a story shared by an employee of a dealership. Here’s the introduction: I’m lucky enough to actually sell cars at a dealership …
Why I bought new tires: The value of coaching and CX
It took more than 3,000 miles, a trip to urgent care for asthma, altitude sickness treatments, a bloody nose that made a hotel room a crime scene, a hail storm, severe weather while fighting traffic during Stanley Cup celebrations and … well, anyway, we’re home from a trip to the Rocky Mountains. I bought new tires. I want to tell …
The open letter to Ford’s CEO
Brian Pasch’s open letter to Ford CEO Jim Farley has gone viral. (If you’re not familiar, Pasch is a longtime consultant helping car dealerships go online.) Farley’s comments and Pasch’s letter and whatever happens next is not content for this blog. But the comments thread on Pasch’s post? They’re worth a read. Some appreciate his advocacy for dealers. Some think …
How car dealerships look from the outside
I recently posted about “the end of car dealerships.” Consider this part 2: Wired recently published “The Incredible Shrinking Car Dealership.” First off, this is a good look for anybody outside automotive retail at the pressures going on within the dealership model. And for those inside, this is a good look at how you are perceived. Second off, I’ve been …
How close is your customer experience to this bookstore?
This is a quick, charming and moving read. It is the true story of a couple who opened a bookstore in the middle of the pandemic. Small businesses didn’t fare well during lockdowns. This one is thriving. I believe that words–the building blocks of books–are special. I had better, since the God I worship used words to speak the universe …
The end of dealerships? Don’t miss the real action item
Service guru Chris Collins has been right about an awful lot of things in automotive retail. See his animated “Pet the dog,” even if you are not in automotive, for some of his genius. His latest video making the rounds has a provocative title. Time will tell if he is right … but watch the video. He and his cohost …
The minutes you have to change the world
I recently lost a friend due to tragic circumstances. My friend had a huge orbit of impact, and those in the orbit are feeling the loss deeply. One of them posted this: People could ask about the business name in the comments, yeah, sure. But can you imagine how good those employees felt that night? Can you imagine the value …
107: Nintendo’s tips for customer loyalty: A clean, well-lighted metaverse
Who wants to take out a home loan and spend your leisure hours paying it off? Apparently quite a few Nintendo customers. … Mike and Mark explore the magic of Animal Crossing–and five tips it gives for keeping customers loyal and employees engaged. We would love your questions and comments for future episodes: Email Mike and Mark. Listen here … …