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Articles by Ken Strong
Business networking for introverts
It is a common misconception that all entrepreneurs are extroverts. The misconception perpetuates with the thought that networking comes easy for entrepreneurs because they are all extroverts. Nothing could be further from the truth. Some of the most successful entrepreneurs are, in fact, introverts. Some of the big names in entrepreneurial introversion include: Larry Page (Google), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Warren Buffet (Berkshire Hathaway), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), and Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX).
Nippon Cargo B748 at Tokyo on Feb 1st 2021, tailscrape
A Nippon Cargo Airlines Boeing 747-8 freighter, registration JA13KZ performing flight KZ-258 from Hong Kong (Hong Kong) to Tokyo Narita (Japan), had departed Hong Kong's runway 25L at 14:34L (06:34Z) and was about to land on Narita's runway 16R at 18:51L (09:51Z) when the crew initiated a go around after touch down at 158 knots over ground.
What are the benefits of using a service menu?
What are the benefits of using a service menu? Why do restaurants have menus? Well, if you didn’t know about the Super-Mega-Epic Burger, how would you ever know to order it? Automotive service centers need menus for the same reason. From a customer perspective, owning and maintaining a vehicle… Join now to view this exclusive content. Click here to subscribe or login. Retail automotive veteran and writer for CBTnews.com
How your service department can improve the trade-in process
How your service department can improve the trade-in process The vehicle trade-in process has evolved a lot over time. One of the biggest changes is that there used to be a lot more room for error. In the past, an under-informed buyer was more likely to fall for a… Join now to view this exclusive content. Click here to join or sign into your account. Retail automotive veteran and writer for CBTnews.com
The Power of Google My Business and How to Use It
Nobody would argue that Google is the most powerful search engine on the planet. To supplement their ever-evolving search technology, Google also has a host of other tools to help your small businesses. Among these many tools is an absolute gem that most businesses entirely under-utilize. This tool is called Google My Business, and it can mean the difference between getting noticed online, and being lost in obscurity.
Three-Tier Approach to Long-Term Service Department Growth
Three-Tier Approach to Long-Term Service Department Growth A successful long-term service growth strategy is really just about taking care of the customer. In order to grow, you need to retain the customers you do have, get them to spend more money with you, and attract new customers.… Join now to view this exclusive content. Click here to join or sign into your account. Retail automotive veteran and writer for CBTnews.com
Keeping Your Service Drive Packed in a World of Social Distancing
Stressful young woman waiting for job interview As our world gets back to work after the initial pandemic shutdown, we are noticing successful social distancing protocols implemented all around us. Grocery and other stores now monitor the number of people in the store, with markings on the floor to remind people to social distance. Many restaurants have been allowed to reopen with tables spaced out to allow for social distance.
How to Streamline the Claims Process for Service Contracts
CBT News is a multimedia platform where top dealership professionals go to stay ahead and learn how to sell and service more vehicles more profitably. Automotive industry professionals learn the latest automotive news, sales and management training, best practices and so much more.
Is There Value in Aftermarket Accessories and Performance Upgrades?
According to a recent study by the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), young car enthusiasts ages 16 to 24 spend $7.2 billion each year customizing their vehicles. “More than 7.9 million young people customize, modify or upgrade their vehicles each year,” says SEMA Director-Market Research Gavin Knapp. “Their vehicles not only help them get from A to B, they are also an integral part of their social lives.” Of course, vehicle customization is not new to the rising generation.
How to Improve Close Rates on Service Quotes
Increasing revenue and improving profitability in your service drive does not necessarily mean more traffic. Efforts to drive more traffic into your drive can be expensive. Furthermore, money spent to attract more customers is wasted if you can’t close the sale once they arrive. Before driving more traffic into your service drive, why not take a look at your quote-to-close ratio? How much work do your service advisors quote out that never gets performed?
Maintaining Level of Service Consistency Through Pandemic Recovery
Maintaining a consistent level of service at all times is extremely important to the long-term success of your service department. It only takes one bad experience to drive a customer away, even if previous experiences were positive. These are challenging times we are all living through. Maintaining a consistent service experience for each customer every time can be more difficult now than ever before, with stringent health protocols in place and heightened customer anxiety.
How Service Kiosks Affect Fixed Ops
Self-service kiosks have started to pop up in more dealerships. What started out as a novelty, is quickly being hurled into the mainstream, partly with the help of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a world of ever-increasing automation and out of desires for less contact with other humans, it is important to take a look at how this technology could affect your dealership service department.
How Will the Internet of Things (IoT) Reshape Fixed Ops?
The Internet of Things, or IoT, refers to the billions of physical devices around the world that are now connected to the internet, all collecting data, sharing data, and using data to communicate and perform functions for us. This is all made possibly by the ubiquity of high-speed wireless networks (think 5G) and super-cheap computer chips. IoT can turn something as small as a car or something as big as an school bus, into a part of the IoT.
Best Practices for Post-Pandemic Express Lane Service
In wake of a global pandemic, the safety of guests and employees is foremost on dealers’ minds. Safety is foremost on the minds of your customers too. While health and safety are important, it is also important not to lose sight of industry best practices. When it comes to oil changes and express service, there are many things you can do at your dealership to ensure that customers feel comfortable servicing their vehicles with you.
What Are Dealers Doing to Stay Busy with Slower Service Departments?
With social distancing, and “shelter-in-place” orders issued in many states, automotive service and aftermarket shops continue to operate, but under a different set of rules and expectations. A survey conducted April 1-7 by the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) of its member companies indicates that the majority of businesses in the specialty automotive industry continues to operate during the coronavirus pandemic.
Managing Dealership Service Operations During COVID-19
The coronavirus has drastically changed the way we live, work, and play. As our current situation continues with no definitive end in sight, businesses, including car dealer service centers, are adapting to what may possibly become the new norm for several weeks to come. The good news is that reliable transportation continues to be considered essential for many Americans.
Managing Dealership Service Operations During COVID-19
The coronavirus has drastically changed the way we live, work, and play. As our current situation continues with no definitive end in sight, businesses, including car dealer service centers, are adapting to what may possibly become the new norm for several weeks to come. The good news is that reliable transportation continues to be considered essential for many Americans.
How Dealers Can Support Fixed-Ops through the Coronavirus Pandemic
As the coronavirus pandemic stretches from weeks into months, dealers are shifting focus from short-term fixes to long-term plans in order to adapt to the lengthening economic restrictions. As car sales continue to slide, fixed-ops will necessarily become a bigger part of the plan to survive and even thrive in the downturn. The survival plan should include sound business principles that have worked well for all businesses during times of recession and crisis.
How COVID-19 is Affecting Parts Departments
With social distancing, isolation, and quarantine efforts dominating news and daily life, coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on the U.S. and world economies. The automotive industry has felt the impact. Manufacturers and dealers are all working on innovative ways to make it through the crisis. While sales departments are implementing digital retailing efforts, parts and service departments are also working on ways to put customers at ease and stabilize business operations.
How Fixed Ops can Boost Dealer Revenues in Times of Uncertainty
Amid flattening auto sales, many dealerships are turning to their back-end operations to future-proof their businesses. It is likely that the recent outbreak of coronavirus in the U.S. will only accelerate this trend. In the face of the massive economic challenges we face, dealers need to be working on ways to ease the blow. Vehicle sales were at 17.2 million units in 2018. While sales for 2019 exceeded expectations, they still fell short of previous years at 17.1 million units.
5 Technology Trends that will Change Automotive
It is safe to say that the world of automotive is changing and its most rapid pace in history. With autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles, digital retailing and the general IoT (Internet of Things), automotive looks vastly different today than it did 10 years ago and is destined to look even more different 10 years from now. So, what are the technology trends that are driving this rapid change? Here is a look at what has changed and will continue to change automotive in coming years.
6 Tips to Make the Reconditioning Process Easier and More Efficient
One of the fastest ways to increase used vehicle sales and profits is to streamline the reconditioning process. Buying great inventory at a great price is only half the battle. Great inventory buys can lose their effect fast if that inventory sits for too long and/or incurs too much expense during the reconditioning process. Let’s take a look at some ideas that will help you get your inventory front-line ready faster and lower your reconditioning costs.
Increase Service Retention with These Innovative Service Contract Features
Service contracts have been around for a long time. They provide additional profit opportunities at the time of sale, and theoretically provide more service opportunities after the sale. The problem is that most service contracts do not tie a customer to the dealership where they are purchased. Some of the latest innovations with service contracts revolve around ways to tie customers to dealerships as well as ways to increase take rates. Here is a quick look at some of these innovations.
5 Ideas to Help Increase Profits Across All Departments
In the information age, there has been an increased focus on the customer journey as a whole, instead of its individual moving parts. No longer is it about selling cars, and selling service, and selling parts. Now it is about building relationships and meeting ALL of the customer’s needs at every stage of the vehicle-ownership journey, from online to the showroom. With that in mind, it is no secret that increasing profits across all departments requires a holistic approach.
Dress to Impress: What Message is Your Dealership Staff Sending?
30 years ago, it seemed that everybody wore a suit and tie to work. While suit and tie may be overkill for most industries by today’s standard, there should still be a sense of pride and professionalism in the way we dress. Many employers, especially in the tech industry, are leaning toward t-shirt, jeans, and sandals over the traditional attire.
Take Pressure Off Your Service Techs with Chat Support Tools
Your service department is a busy place. Customers come to you on a daily basis to solve problems with their vehicles. They come in person, and they call on the phone. It requires a lot of manpower to communicate effectively and efficiently with all of these folks. Adequately trained service receptionists, service advisors and other personnel can make a big difference, but hiring enough staff to meet the high demand is not necessarily the right answer.
How to Run a Successful Dealership Rental Program
Making the decision to open a rental agency at your dealership is a huge commitment. There seems to be a lot of risk involved. Tales abound of dealership rental agencies that have crashed and burned. While nothing is a sure bet, the risk of starting a rental department can be mitigated with a solid strategy and proper planning. Here are some points to consider that will help you succeed in starting a rental agency within your dealership.
Why Are Service Departments Still Not Texting?
Technology has become so advanced. Most technology is designed to improve communication and make us more efficient, but technology is really just a means to an end. In the end, we want to take care of customers and sell more cars, service and parts. Text messaging is a simple technology that has been around since the 1990’s. It is old technology, but it is still a very effective means of communicating with customers.
How to Get Your Clients to Pay Invoices On Time
As a small to medium sized business owner, you understand that cash flow is everything. While a big number on your receivables line does make your profit & loss statement look good, it will do absolutely nothing to help the daily operations of your business, if you can’t collect. In order to meet the demands of payroll and other obligations, you have to convert receivables into cash as quickly as possible.
Pros and Cons of a 4-Day Work Week for Service Technicians
In 1930, during the Great Depression, economist John Maynard Keynes predicted that a 15-hour workweek would become a reality “within 100 years.” At the time of his prediction, the industrial revolution was in full swing, spurred on by ever increasing automation, which made the idea not so far-fetched. Over the last 100 years we have experienced hyper-growth and unprecedented change in technology and the automation of things.
Why Dealers Need to Be More Transparent with Data, Communication, and Pricing
Buyers have long been suspicious of auto dealers. Historically, there has been a lot of distrust here, as the perception is that prices can vary widely from dealer to dealer, depending greatly on how willing the dealer is to “deal”. The negotiation model has worked for years in the car business because there wasn’t much of an alternative, and pricing was not easy to understand.
Improving Your Sales-to-Service Handoff
Sales and service have their own distinct roles in any dealership. In an ideal world, sales exists to attract and new customers and to sell cars. Service exists to keep those customers coming back and turn them into loyal, lifelong customers. With this in mind, it is important to take a look at how well do sales and service departments work together. Do they work well together? At the end of the day, the success of one department is inextricably tied to the success of the other.
The Atlanta Small Business Show: Fix Your Business with Melinda Emerson?
On today’s edition of The Atlanta Small Business Show, Melinda Emerson joins Jim Fitzpatrick to chat about her book “Fix Your Business“. Her book is based on the 12 P’s of running a successful business. Each chapter is another P word. Some notable chapters include preparation, purpose, people, profit, and processes. Tune-in to find out more about Melinda’s new book and how it can help you fix your business.
What the New Steel Tariffs Mean for the Car Business
The Trump Administration is serious about keeping jobs here in America. Part of the strategy to keep those jobs here in America is to impose stiff tariffs on goods imported from other countries. One of commodities with the greatest potential for impact is steel. 20 years ago, most of the steel consumed in the United States was produced here, but in recent years, a series of free trade agreements have facilitated the downsizing of the U.S. steel industry.
Becky Chernek, Author at CBT Automotive Network
Rebecca Chernek, founded Chernek Consulting, LLC in 2001, has nearly three decades of experience in the automobile dealership industry. She started her career by working with her father at their family-owned auto dealerships in Have De Grace, Maryland. She gained hands-on skills and experience in almost every aspect of the automotive sales process: new used cars and trucks sales, F&I, Director of Finance for volume operations and general management.
We are beginning to have a voice
To support Experience of Care Week 2018, the latest blog in NHS England’s healthy ageing series builds on the concepts discussed so far and brings a shift in perspective. There are almost 1.3 million people aged over 65 who care for a friend or loved one in the UK. Here, Ken, 79, who is the main carer for his wife and an active advocate for carers’ needs, shares his experiences: My wife Elizabeth is now wheelchair bound so I have taken on the running of the house.
Brian Benstock: How Paragon Honda Uses Technology to Properly Serve Their Market | Why Dealerships Should Consistently Train Their Staff
How Paragon Honda Uses Technology to Properly Serve Their Market – Brian Benstock Can you imagine the day when your customers can ask their Google Assistant to schedule their car for service? Or if their car is ready to be picked up from your service department? Well, that day is here for Brian Benstock, Vice President add General Manager of Paragon Honda who’s group has developed this exciting new technology.
Business Networking for Introverts
It is a common misconception that all entrepreneurs are extroverts. The misconception perpetuates with the thought that networking comes easy for entrepreneurs because they are all extroverts. Nothing could be further from the truth. Some of the most successful entrepreneurs are, in fact, introverts. Some of the big names in entrepreneurial introversion include: Larry Page (Google), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Warren Buffet (Berkshire Hathaway), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), and Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX).
DIY SEO Audit For Small Businesses
What is Your SEO Weight? SEO is a big part of online success even for small businesses. It is your ticket to getting a favorable website ranking from search engines and making it easier for your potential buyers to find you and the products they are searching for. To be SEO compliant, there are a handful of things that you need to constantly keep an eye on.
How to Increase Profits & Customer Satisfaction
Remember our 2018 New Year Resolution on how make your dealership more profitable by increasing customer satisfaction and creating more profit retention while lowing the cost of doing business? Good! Well, that requires us to get in touch with what matters most to your business! I refer to it as “Management Alignment” and that defeats the many hidden activity-based costs associated to Management Malpractice! As we all know margins are getting thinner in every profit center of the dealership.
The Dead Deal File
Rebecca Chernek, founded Chernek Consulting, LLC in 2001, has nearly three decades of experience in the automobile dealership industry. She started her career by working with her father at their family-owned auto dealerships in Have De Grace, Maryland. She gained hands-on skills and experience in almost every aspect of the automotive sales process: new used cars and trucks sales, F&I, Director of Finance for volume operations and general management.
Trail Blazing Ladies in the Automotive Industry
In celebration of International Women’s Day, meet a few of the high-profile female leaders who are closing the gender gap in the male-dominated automotive industry and paving the path for the next generation of young women to take the stage. Mary Barra “I always tell young w omen that when you get that little knot in your stomach and you feel a little bit of discomfort because of the new assignment, you should take it.
Is Your Website Attracting the Right Candidates for Your Dealership?
If you want to attract the right talent and improve your job search, then make yourself visible online. Steve Munyan, President of Hire the Winners, joins us to explain how having an attractive website, optimizing your keywords and creating a plan for what you may need are all things you should implement to attract, hire and retain the right employees. The ultimate hope is that your dealership is thriving and allows growth in all ways.
A Step Forward or Backward with Stair Step Incentive Programs?
They’ve been cursed, blamed for sales blips, and looked down on by many dealers, manufacturers, and even retail customers. Yet, stair-step incentives, whether they are called such or manufacturer-to-dealer incentives or “Volume Growth Bonus Programs”, are a tool that several automakers choose to keep in their toolbox. The effects emanating from using stair-step programs have been hotly contested. Mark Scarpelli, chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association, has been a fierce opponent.
Simple Changes That Increase Profits | Porsche Equips 189 Dealerships With Charging Stations | Are Consumers Upgrading Cars like They Would a Cell Phone? |
Simple Changes That Increase Profits Steve Stauning, Founder of SteveStauning.com and regular contributor at CBT News, sat down with CBT’s Joe Gumm to discuss some simple changes you can make to increase profits at your dealership. Watch Now Are Consumers Upgrading Cars like They Would a Cell Phone? Remember when you were your dad’s remote control, getting up from the sofa to change channels? What a day when your family got its first TV with a remote.
What are the Most Appealing Features for Car Buyers Now?
Technology is evolving at a faster pace than ever before and no industry is evolving faster than automotive. Cars that drive themselves and communicate with other vehicles as well as the urban infrastructure are within our field of view in the near future. With all of the technology rapidly making its way into new cars, it is no wonder that the most appealing features to buyers now revolve around technology.
Making Changes and Meeting Customer Expectations | Trump administration tax hike might impact car shoppers | 4 steps Hyundai is offering customers & how it benefits dealers | CBT Automotive Network
Michael Anderson: Making Changes and Meeting Customer Expectations Consumers have changed and it’s impacting Car Dealerships. Michael Anderson, CEO of The Rikess Group, has some suggestions on how you can you can make changes and continue meeting customer expectations. Watch Now A Trump administration tax hike that might impact car shoppers When lawmakers in Washington come up with a plan to pay for their ideas, sometimes consumers end up paying for them.
The Ultimate List of Automotive Retail Conferences | CBT Automotive Network
Attending conferences seems to be a way of life in the car business. We are all striving for that next cutting edge strategy that will give us the advantage over our competition. While some conferences can seem like a waste of time, you cannot argue that surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals has a synergy about it. That being said, what are your conference going options?
Why the Job Applicant Experience is Critical to Long-Term Success at Your Dealership | CBT Automotive Network
While 67% of the U.S. workforce would be open to a new career opportunity, only 1% of the workforce would even consider working for an automotive dealership, according to recent data from Hireology and Cox Automotive.With the right hiring strategy and a strong employment brand, your dealership can reach top candidates who may have not even considered working at a dealership and can have a significant impact on your dealership profitability.
Should Fixed-Ops have its own Marketing Budget? | CBT Automotive Network
If your fixed-ops doesn’t have its own marketing budget, then shame on you! Far too many dealers treat fixed-ops as an afterthought, content to spend unconscionable amounts of money on attracting new buyers without any thought as to cultivate those new buyers and turn them into loyal repeat buyers. Furthermore, your service department is not just there to run internal tickets on your used vehicle inventory. Service, as a stand-alone, is a huge gold mine that most dealerships leave untapped.
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