It’s commonplace for the children of successful business owners to run the business into the ground. They inherit the business but don’t inherit the struggle and learning curve it took to build the business in the first place and move it forward. According to Inc.com, 60% of 2nd generation owners, and 90% of 3rd generation business owners tank the business. Steering the ship isn’t the same as building it and knowing how it runs. This is not unusual to the car business and Mr. Robert Voltmann, CEO of NIADA, understands that there are many such owners in his membership body that need the guidance, coaching, and proper direction that his organization is willing to give. This video series gives you insight into the unique leadership skills that Mr. Voltmann exudes as he takes the NIADA into unchartered waters in the hyper-competitive, “Era of the Used Car.”

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TIP #1 OPTIMIZE YOUR GOOGLE MY BUSINESS PAGE

Many business owners search for their own businesses and are surprised to find that they aren’t in the top handful of businesses listed, let alone page one. What’s worse, they aren’t found in the all-important #Google search “local 3-pack” which is in that map box just above the fold on the results page. Some can’t even find themselves in #AppleMaps, #Waze, #Siri, or any other typed or spoken search apps that provide directional and listing information. It drives many business owners mad.

What makes matters worse is that if you’re not on page one, you are virtually and literally cloaked. Few people searching for businesses make it past the first page of search, and 89% of them are ready to buy when in search mode. YOU HAVE TO BE ON PAGE ONE! There are several reasons for lack of ranking, but over time and at a relatively low cost, you can become visible north of the fold in the Google 3-Pack search block.

#SocialOrdeals has mastered the technique for business ranking using a suite of products in their platform that SMBs from Veterinarians to Car Dealers, Restauranteurs to Attorneys, Carpenters to Retailers, Franchisers and Associations of all shapes and sizes can utilize to grow their business’ visibility and sales volume. There are other companies out there that offer platforms with a similar suite of services but few are as affordable and for lack of a better description, credible in the execution as is Social Ordeals.

Tip #1: Google My Business is responsible for 25% of your ranking in search. The days of a dominant webpage are over. It’s Google’s plan to control as much of the web as they can and want you on their property for as long as possible – so we need to play by their rules.

Step 1: Claim the page as your business and make sure all information on it such as Business Name, Address, Telephone #, and Web Address are 100% correct. Google will send you a postcard verifying the location at the outset of claiming your GMB page.

Step 2: Load it up with your businesses specialties so people can see what differentiates you from competitors. If you’re a medical specialist, make sure prospective patients can see what you focus on, laser therapy, surgery, MRI machine on premises, etc. I suggest the most profitable products and services be spotlighted. If your a restaurant, post some of your specialty dishes, so on and so forth. Post pictures of the facility as well, along with smiling employees and customers if they oblige but not in the business’s products and services section.

Step 3: Pre-load popular questions and answers in the appropriate section given so the public can research you right then and there, and click to call instantly. The Q&A section is public so if you don’t answer any questions that come up without warning, someone from the public will, and you may not like the response. Keeping a vigil on this section is crucial because it’s so forward facing to a public likely in buying phase. Putting revised hours of operation here is a good idea because so many governments are vacillating on who opens and who doesn’t. Some only offer curbside so…you get the idea.

Step 4: Drive as many positive reviews to your GMB as possible. Reviews account for 15% of your search ranking score so make sure to have a review generation and reputation management strategy bought and paid for before you open your doors OR, get one in place if you currently aren’t employing one. Almost everyone looks at business reviews before making a decision. If you aren’t pulling 4.5-5.0, you are a B business in the eyes of the public. But it’s not just high scores that count, rather the volume of reviews that will lift you on any of the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) of which Google gets 70% of the traffic.

Step 5: Drive all of your social media posts to your GMB page. Consider it a crucial social media element to your businesses positive visibility to the public. After all, the GMB page is one click away from the customer’s search engine operation so put your best content forward. Hashtag all of your social media posts (as well as your specialties) as you would on any social media platform because those hashtags WILL help you rank in search on Google. It may be a lesser known fact, but we’ve seen it applied.

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The Frizione Dash Cam:

Is there a better way to record a road trip or have videographic record of a car accident, bigfoot sighting, or other unexpected experience for under $100?

Here are the specs:

Dual Channel, WEATHERPROOF rear camera: 4.0″ full HD 1080P 170 degree front camera + VGA 120 degree rear camera, obtain full lane coverage, shows the things more and can switch among back lens/front lens/both front and back lens display. When backing your car, the rear camera will automatically open reverse image. Open HDR can make the scenery more clear, more three-dimensional,more beautiful color, can better reflect the real environment of the visual effect.

The Bridgestone Auto Emergency Kit:

What a great way to show someone you care! Hey, we all get a flat tire, or break down at some point in our driving experience so why not be prepared for the inevitable. It’s a great gift for drivers of all ages. Here’s what you get:

12 volt tire inflator

12 foot booster cable

Reflective triangle, LED headlight and Batteries

27 pc first aid kit

Blanket, gloves, poncho, screwdriver, tire gauge, duct tape and more

The Ryobi 10” Orbital Buffer:

As a former limo detailer, I can vouch for the fact that having an orbital buffer is by far the best way to apply wax to any vehicle. For those of us living in hot climates, paint surfaces get fried and soon wear out. The wax that’s applied at the local car wash is practically useless and coats the windshield. For those DIY enthusiasts, an orbital buffer is perfect to help maintain the look and value of your vehicle. Aside from wax application and buffing, a 10” orbital buffer is AMAZING and fixing sore backs by relaxing the muscle spasms in seconds!

Here are the Specs: The RYOBI 18V ONE+ 10 in. Orbital Buffer is a brand new addition to the RYOBI 18V ONE+ System. This tool provides up to 2,500 RPMs for a swirl-free finish while offering the user cordless convenience. With a powerful motor, this buffer maintains optimum performance during extended use. The 18V ONE+ 10 in. Orbital Buffer runs up to 90 consecutive minutes with the 18V ONE+ LITHIUM+ High Capacity Battery (P108 – sold separately). The RYOBI 18V ONE+ 10 in. Orbital Buffer works with any 18V ONE+ battery and is a part of the ONE+ System of over 50 great tools that all work with the same 18V battery platform.

The Dronemobile App:

When it’s cold outside, remote start your engine using the DroneMobile app and stay connected to your car in a way that you never knew was possible. The last thing you want to do on a sub zero morning is to sit in a frozen car and wait for it to kick in the heat. This app takes makes life just a little bit more convenient! Dronemobile gives you the power to start and/or track vehicle from your smartphone and your smart watch.

Well, there you have it! 4 great gift ideas that I firmly believe anyone would find out of the ordinary and useful! There is something to be said for gifts with functionality, they just keep on giving!

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The impact isn’t due to any kind of vehicle emissions and doesn’t even taken into consideration the pollution to landfills from dead batteries. Rather, it’s all about source of extraction of raw materials including lithium from mines, the processing of raw materials, and production of lithium-ion batteries in factories.

Ironically, a gas powered engine can run for 8 years until it has the same environmental impact a Tesla Model X. Since the Nissan Leaf has a smaller battery, it takes 3 years to have equivalent impact. That’s the ugly truth folks. For those of us who proudly drive our hybrids and EVs due to environmental concerns (sorry Larry David), but we’re driving an illusion. My chosen illusion is that I’m sticking it to OPEC by using less gas.

According to Mia Romare, one of the researchers; “Unnecessarily large batteries weigh more on the environment. One should therefore consider whether one can manage with smaller batteries.”

Even Toyota admits it’s production of the Prius Hybrid emits more CO2 than it’s conventional models due to more advanced components that includes a smaller gas engine, and large lithium battery packs.

A 2013 report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Design for the Environment program concluded that batteries using nickel and cobalt, (lithium-ion batteries), have the “highest potential for environmental impacts”. It cited negative consequences like mining, global warming (poppycock), environmental pollution and human health impacts.

Although lithium-ion batteries are considered non-hazardous waste, would you be willing to filter drinking water through a funnel consisting of 1,000 lithium-ion batteries and not fear for your life?

The reason why more lithium ion batteries aren’t recycled boils down to simple economics: the scrap value of batteries fails the economy of scale test – at $100 per ton, Conversely, the cost of collecting, sorting and shipping used batteries to a recycling center exceeds the scrap value, so batteries are classified as garbage by you and I. What’s worse is that the industry does not factor in the fact that recycling battery metal material like cobalt has a much lower economic and environmental cost than mining raw materials.

The reality is that there will never be a fully environmentally safe technology to replace the combustion engine until either free energy is harnessed or solar energy has a quantum leap forward. 120 years ago, the streets were covered in horse crap. It was a huge issue as cities stunk to high heaven from road apples and dead horses. The car was supposed to alleviate the issue of such “pollution”, and it did…for a while. The ironic twist is that our green solution to our green solution of 120 years ago isn’t green at all regardless of how industry markets it as such.

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