The Driving Sales, Three Day Executive Retreat in Q4 designed to study retail innovation with world-leading experts, to help you write your business plan for next year. Save $100 by using code Kelley 100

For: Executive Teams, Owners, GMs, Marketing, GSMs, Fixed Ops

When: Oct. 8-10, 2022

Where: The Bellagio, Las Vegas

The post Driving Sales Executive Retreat is Oct. 9-10 at the Bellagio – It’s Gonna Be Big Time! appeared first on DealershipNews.com.

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.”

The post CEO of the NIADA: Why 2nd and 3rd Gen Dealers Fail appeared first on DealershipNews.com.

ACERTUS, an omnichannel automotive logistics platform, today was named the preferred vendor for vehicle logistics by the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association (NIADA). This new, strategic partnership brings ACERTUS’ comprehensive technology to thousands of NIADA members nationwide – giving independent automobile dealers access to enhanced services to seamlessly move, store, recondition, title and home deliver vehicles to compete in today’s market.

Providing necessary technology to small and independent dealers is paramount to leveling the automotive retail playing field, allowing every auto dealer, no matter the size, to easily sell vehicles nationally and meet customers where they are without logistics or title and registration being a roadblock. The new dealermallUSA by NIADA provides association members access to a range of affiliated products and services supporting the needs of small and independent dealers, including ACERTUS’ proprietary Transportation Management System (TMS), VINlocity. Through ACERTUS’ platform, members can instantly connect to capacity of more than 7,400 carriers, 1,000 drivers, 66 hub and home delivery prep locations and title and registration processing capabilities in all 50 states, as well as get quotes, place and manage orders.

“Automotive retail has a long tail of small and independent dealers critical to meeting the current unprecedented demand for inventory,” said Trent Broberg, ACERTUS CEO. “Through this strategic partnership we can deliver technology to thousands of dealers, empowering and enabling them to expand the markets in which they can sell and acquire inventory, meet expectations for faster fulfillment and upshift the customer experience all on our logistics platform.”

The partnership kicks off during the 76^th annual NIADA National Convention and Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada bringing together independent dealers to learn the latest strategies, best practices, and emerging trends from the industry’s top minds, subject matter experts, and peers.

“Independent retailers are disproportionately feeling the effects of industry disruptions and inventory challenges,” NIADA CEO Bob Voltmann said. “NIADA members are calling for a solution to navigate these challenges and address the current gap between the independent dealers and the top 150 dealers and large digital retailers. ACERTUS provides a unique blend of technology, infrastructure and experience to empower our members to remain competitive.”

The post Trent Broberg CEO of Acertus Discusses Their New Partnership with NAIDA appeared first on DealershipNews.com.

ACERTUS, an omnichannel automotive logistics platform, today was named the preferred vendor for vehicle logistics by the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association (NIADA). This new, strategic partnership brings ACERTUS’ comprehensive technology to thousands of NIADA members nationwide – giving independent automobile dealers access to enhanced services to seamlessly move, store, recondition, title and home deliver vehicles to compete in today’s market.

Providing necessary technology to small and independent dealers is paramount to leveling the automotive retail playing field, allowing every auto dealer, no matter the size, to easily sell vehicles nationally and meet customers where they are without logistics or title and registration being a roadblock. The new dealermallUSA by NIADA provides association members access to a range of affiliated products and services supporting the needs of small and independent dealers, including ACERTUS’ proprietary Transportation Management System (TMS), VINlocity. Through ACERTUS’ platform, members can instantly connect to capacity of more than 7,400 carriers, 1,000 drivers, 66 hub and home delivery prep locations and title and registration processing capabilities in all 50 states, as well as get quotes, place and manage orders.

“Automotive retail has a long tail of small and independent dealers critical to meeting the current unprecedented demand for inventory,” said Trent Broberg, ACERTUS CEO. “Through this strategic partnership we can deliver technology to thousands of dealers, empowering and enabling them to expand the markets in which they can sell and acquire inventory, meet expectations for faster fulfillment and upshift the customer experience all on our logistics platform.”

The partnership kicks off during the 76^th annual NIADA National Convention and Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada bringing together independent dealers to learn the latest strategies, best practices, and emerging trends from the industry’s top minds, subject matter experts, and peers.

“Independent retailers are disproportionately feeling the effects of industry disruptions and inventory challenges,” NIADA CEO Bob Voltmann said. “NIADA members are calling for a solution to navigate these challenges and address the current gap between the independent dealers and the top 150 dealers and large digital retailers. ACERTUS provides a unique blend of technology, infrastructure and experience to empower our members to remain competitive.”

The post Acertus Ties the Knot With the NAIDA to Best Serve Indies and Others As Well appeared first on DealershipNews.com.

The post Is the Computer Chip Shortage End In Sight? appeared first on DealershipNews.com.

The Lewis Black of Almonty Industries Interview

Kelly

So let’s talk about the fun stuff. And that would be mining in the United States. And there needs to be a political will. But I would assume that there also has to be environmental impact studies that need to be annulled. And that’s got to take some time as well. Do they have the testosterone across both sides of the aisle politically here, the United States actually started doing this here in the US? What’s your take on that?

Lewis

No, I don’t believe it’s going to really be feasible for either side, you know, to really get behind this, because ultimately, neither of their bases are pro mining.  Mines had that day, and they’re now seen as a very 19th century kind of, you know, throwback to history. They, you know, there is no appetite to now push domestic mining, you know, yes, there’s regulations. Yes, they’re the, you know, this is normal in every democracy, but they don’t want it in their backyard. I read this thing the other day, about wind farms of Cape Cod, that you have an enclave of people who are very environmentally active. And yet they don’t want to look at the wind farms. 

So it is apparently, according to the candidates who were there, that it’s difficult to land your plane with a wind farm, which, you know, I suppose, is one rationale. But ultimately, you know, I think that really sums it up. There are some communities still in the Appalachians and some communities that are pro mining, but it’s not on a national level. And it’s I don’t think that I think that what we’re looking at, there’s a bill going through now called the Irie shore act, where it classifies say tungsten as a rare earth. And they’re basically saying that if you’re in the defense contractor business in the US, you can’t use Chinese sourced rare earths and that includes manganese, lithium and tungsten, and then all the rare earths 17 of them, that I can’t even pronounce the atrium and the opium and, and so on. 

But it also talks about stockpiling commodities, strategic minerals and government offtakes, and I think that’s the direction they’re gonna go. They’re going to basically say, Look, you know, you’ve got to build it, where we can see transparency. But we’re not going to say you should build it here. We’re just going to say, here’s a government contract, if you meet these conditions of ESG, we’ll buy for you. And I think that’s probably the most creative approach they can take.

Justin

Yeah, so Louis, a little bit lighter of a question, how much earth do you have to move to get enough tungsten to make, let’s just say, one semiconductor and I know you’ve already mentioned they’re very, very small.

Lewis

Well, I mean, to be honest, not a huge amount. Because we use, you know, the Tungsten is used in a semiconductor is crushed down to a nano sized fraction, which is then injected into a gas because you can’t smelt a tungsten. And then the gas is pumped into each semiconductor, the coat on a microscopic level, a coating of tungsten, because one it’s very conductive. And secondly, it dissipates heat. So you don’t have to worry about, you know, a cobalt in anodes, they combust you know, a battery can go up and it burns, what 48 hours, you put tungsten on that same anode, it’ll get as hot as the sun and it won’t smelt,the temperature of the sun, it will smelt tungsten, but noncombustible. So it can take the heat. So you don’t need a huge I mean, the entire planet, we only produce about 90,000 tons a year of tungsten. That’s it. So it’s very dense, same density as gold. But we don’t mind. We don’t move a lot of Earth.

Justin

When a mine is kind of fished out, so to speak. Is there a reclamation process that you guys do around the globe? I know you have mines elsewhere, and I would assume that that process would be different in the United States due to our regulation. Can you elaborate?

Lewis

You’re working in a democracy, that’s all pretty much the same thing. Yeah, yeah, it’s, it’s, you know, you have certain, you know, different like in Canada, for instance, now you have first nations as well and have to be consulted. In Australia, you have indigenous Aboriginal people. So you have these additional layers, but ultimately, in terms of reclamation, environmental compliance, the international standards are just that now that they’re pretty much across the board. I think the main difference in the US is that even if you comply with all of the regulations, and all the laws that exist, you can still run into trouble if the political will is against you. So there’s the legal framework in the United States, there’s also the emotional framework and that can also impact you so that’s something to also consider in the US.

Justin

Yeah. So which has more impact on the land is it oil drilling, strip mining? What what has more impact on the environment?

Lewis

Strip mining. I mean, you know, drilling for oil is your drilling drill, it’s a hole and they kept the hole after you finished and that’s the end of it. When you strip mine, I mean, we hard mine, we strip mine, the strip mine, you have to when you finish, you have to fill in the hole. It’s a big hole. But in that time where the hole exists, it’s very visible. The mining in South Korea is underground. And we’ve developed systems where we put all of our waste and all of our tailings back on the ground. So that we know evidence that we’re there. And that’s the future. But strip mining has a lot more of an impact on the environment. Well, optically, environmentally.

Kelly

Yeah. So that’s a big nay nay. So um, I, for one, I’m in favor of the bill. I’d like to see it actually increased the amount of money that we put towards some of the most absurd things that just defies logic. Our dependence on China is ridiculous. It’s costing jobs. It’s blowing up prices left and right. And if we have the ability to eat more of the semiconductor pie, we may as well open our mouths. That’s the way I look at it, though.

Lewis

You  in the United States are the biggest consumer of semiconductors? I mean, it’s a classic example of how globalization has put everyone sort of, you know, in a precarious position, the US consumes more semiconductors than anybody else. And yet, you really don’t produce any semiconductors. But that doesn’t really make an awful lot of sense. But then you can say that about many, many industries. I mean, the car sector in the in the Europe right now, they have problems with wiring looms that you know, they have companies that make the wiring looms and then ship them to the cloud plants have installed, they have problems because over the years, they’ve been pushing that the subcontracting that out further and further east because they’ve been following the cheap labor and then are done by Ukraine. Of course, now Ukraine is rather busy to be making wiring looms for Volkswagens. So you know, you have, you know, car plants that are sitting idle because there’s no other, they don’t have anyone else right away that can now replicate that job. So I think this is probably a good wake up call to say, You know what, globalization is a wonderful idea, but you’ve got to remember, sometimes chasing, you know, the cheap route can cost you a lot more in the long run.

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I was recently auditing the lead channels of a local car dealer and found that the word “SOLD” was costing this car dealer 10 to 15 delivered units per month.

If you are in the car biz, you know what an additional 10-15 delivered units per month is worth.

When you consider the all-in, front to back, …..that’s a lot of money.

Now add in the long-term value of those missed deals, like fixed-ops, repeat buyers, referrals, etc. It’s a staggering amount of money in long-term value.

My son has bought 5 cars from the same dealer and will not go anywhere else for service. He is only 30.

OK. We are both busy, so let’s get right to it. So, how was the word “Sold” costing this dealer so much money?

When you sell a car, it can take time to get that vehicle out of your online inventory and all your lead funnels.

As was the case for this dealer. They were getting messages from in-market car buyers on sold units asking:

“Is this vehicle still available?”

To which their BDC rep was replying with one word:

“SOLD.”

I found 37 of these exact message conversations, in the previous 30 days.

I picked up the phone, called the dealer, and asked him to give me access to incoming leads and let me moderate.

It did not take long. A lead came in on a vehicle that had sold that morning.

The conversation went like this:

Propsect: Is this vehicle still available?

BDC Rep: Sold this morning.

Me: Are you looking for a traverse? Or are you looking for something in that price range?

Prospect: I’m looking for something with a third-row seat. We have 4 kids, two are in sports, and we aren’t a mini van kind of family. LOL

Me: LOL OK! I can relate to that! So the most important feature you are looking for is a third row seat? Besides a third-row seat, what would be on your wish list?

(Now, while I am responding to the lead, I am also on the dealer’s website searching for vehicles with a third-row seat. I found 4.)

Prospect: Black.

Me: So, a third-row seat, color black? Anything else?

Prospect: price, payment etc.

Me: Hey! I just found 4 vehicles in our inventory with third row seats and two are black! I need to run out onto the lot to make sure they are still here and not already sold. What’s the best number to reach you, and I’ll let you know ASAP. I can even send you pictures and live video.

To make a long story short, I got their number, and they bought a Black Durango.

The customer was happy, the sales rep was happy, the dealer was happy … even the BDC rep was happy.

I was happy.

Just making this simple tweak resulted in an additional 12 units delivered by end of month.

These were sales the dealer might not have made had they not made this simple change to how they respond to the word “sold”.

My advice to you? Take a deep dive into your sales funnels from top to bottom. You might just find some missed opportunities and make those end of month numbers.

The post How Much Money Is The Word “Sold”​ Costing Your Dealership? appeared first on DealershipNews.com.

Tom Murray, co-founder of WebBuy discusses the benefits and advantages of their newly designed, modular valuation tool (CarValuator) that adapts to any franchise or Independent dealer’s site. The success they had early on with digital retailing for Rimrock Auto Group as well as many others, was the incentive to enhance the design of this customizable, modular solution that delivers instant purchase offers and converts at unusually high percentages (I’ve seen the data). Dealers don’t have to engage the entire WebBuy digital retailing solution, rather they can simply implement CarValuator ala carte.

The post CarValuator Delivers on Custom Appraisals and Instant Purchase Offers for Dealer Sites appeared first on DealershipNews.com.

With over 20 years and 3 generations of Ford dealerships in the family, the Sperau brothers David and Dan, understand a dealer’s pain points when it comes to shipping vehicles. This interview elucidates why a company like Autosled makes sense to those franchise and Indie dealers who no longer look at geographic barriers when it comes to finding customers and literally…moving units, affordably, and efficiently, with full transparency.

Kelly Kleinman

The post Third Generation Ford Dealers Segue into Shipping, AUTOSLED Open for Business Coast to Coast appeared first on DealershipNews.com.