PLATO MIGHT HAVE BOUGHT A CAR HERE Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business, Maynard M. Gordon MILWAUKEE, WI - The late Harold L. Wilde used his hands to demonstrate why he became such an innovator at his store, the biggest Toyota dealership in
Editorials
FORD DIV. PREZ DOES THE DEALERSHIPS Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business, Steve Finlay "BILL, THERE'S THE TOWN'S FORD DEALERSHIP," says Ford Div. President James G. O'Connor, looking out the window of a new Ford Focus that Public Affairs
GOING FROM APATHY TO FASCINATION Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business, Tim Keenan THE FOLLOWING IS THE TALE OF A JADED WRITER (ME) who went into an event with one feeling (mostly apathy) about a car company (Saturn) and left with another
"MY SON DOSEN'T WORK AS HARD AS ME!" Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business, Hugh B. Roberts Dad, the aging dealer, doesn't think his off-spring is as hard-working as he is. Sound familiar? Sound like something you have said?All too often this
STICKER PRICES UNFAIR TO DEALERS Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business, Nat Shulman MANY THINGS ARE UNIQUE TO THE RETAIL automobile business. But nothing is more unique than the retail price sticker on pre-delivered new vehicles.Why is
Management
MAKE YOUR BODY SHOP GAIN, not drain... Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business
To better communicate the importance for improved body shop operations, ASC Retail Consulting and ASTN jointly feature a program titled, "Body Talk,"
How to compete in the repair industry Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business, Jeff Snider How does one compete or even continue to exist within the fast-changing collision repair industry? Constant changes come from every direction.Consider
The quest for the perfect close Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business, Jon Quade I recently received some feedback from a talk I gave a few months ago at the Wisconsin Automobile and Truck Dealers Assoc. in Madison that I think might
Tips on buying & selling dealerships Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business
Be cautious yet aggressive, if and when you join the rising ranks of dealers buying or selling stores.That's the advice from Gary L. Ellsworth, 48, of
Are you ready for the Internet? Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business, Steve Walker About a year and a half ago it seemed I couldn't turn on the TV without people of all ages and races asking, "Are you ready?" Ready for what?After a while
GRAB THIS USED-VEHICLE OPPORTUNITY Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business, Tony Noland It goes without saying that, thus far, 1999 has been a tremendous year for new-vehicle sales. The NCM benchmark dealers have seen increases in both their
SO WHOSE CUSTOMER IS IT ANYWAY? Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business, Mark Rikess THE TUG OF WAR FOR CUSTOMER LOYALTY IS intensifying. Dealers and manufacturers, traditional allies in that contest, face new challenges to their "ownership"
Information Technology
INTRODUCING THE USED-CAR SUPERSITE Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business, Fred Bonnie As consumer interest in Internet shopping grows, so do the web sites where car buyers shop.The appearance of new Internet car-buying services - such as
Microsoft CarPoint seminars offer instruction and advice Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business, Tim Keenan Want to save tens of thousands of dollars a year in service reminder mailings in this age of the Internet?Simply collect e-mail addresses from customers
Sales & Marketing
SELLING CARS TO THE NOSE-RING SET Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business, Steve Finlay A young person wearing clothes three sizes to big and body-piercing jewelry that wouldn't clear an airport metal detector saunters into your dealership.What
How to figure out what makes your sales people tick Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business, Mary Ruth Austin To paraphrase the old saying, "a good salesperson is hard to find." That's why today's smart sales manager does everything he can to keep talented salespeople.
Finance & Insurance
99.999666% NOT TO SHABBY AT ALL Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business, Tim Keenan A finance and insurance firm is taking a scientific manufacturing quality control system and applying it to the company's cust-omer service.GE Financial
E-sales and more lure 2 big banks to build dealer bases Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business, Maynard M. Gordon E-commerce for cars and related goodies - such as F&I services - is off and jumping. Not to be outdone as an Internet F&I marketer, Wells Fargo & Co.
Wynn's Warranty hooks up with e-fin Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business
The Wynn Oil Company enters a strategic alliance with e-fin, Electronic Financial Mark-etplace (www.e- fin.com), an online, indirect auto finance channel.Wynn's
Fixed Operations
SIEMENS DIAGNOSTIC TOOL FINDS FAULT Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business, Tim Keenan Siemens Automotive, the Germany-based supplier of original equipment electronic systems, is trying to convince various automakers to adopt its Siemens
SPX offers a way to keep track of tools in service depts. Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business, Tim Keenan About 1,000 General Motors Corp. dealership service departments, a couple of Ford Motor Co. shops and at least one DaimlerChrysler service point have
'Oldest' Ford store opens stand-alone auto care facility Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business
The world's oldest family-owned Ford dealership has become part of the automaker's newest customer concepts - the Auto Care stand-alone service facility.Tenvoorde
News
VOLVO HITS GENERATION X HANGOUTS TO HYPE 2 NEW CARS Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business, David C, Smith With two new small cars coming out, Volvo Cars of North American Inc. (VCNA) is targeting 200,000 sales in North America by 2004, VCNA President Hans-Olov
FOLKS TAKE TEST DRIVE, KIDS GO TO BASEBALL CAMP Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business, Tim Keenan For the third consecutive year, Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. and Chevrolet teamed up to stage a series of August baseball camps in Oakland,
DON'T LOOK FOR MERCEDES IN THIS NEW MUSEUM Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business
The Chrysler corporate brand name may not stand alone anymore, but it now has a new museum that does.The Walter P. Chrysler Museum, adjacent to the DaimlerChrysler
...People and Places Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business
Used-Car Champ Northern California's Roseville Toyota was Toyota's top certified used-car seller for the third year in a row. Toyota's Used Vehicle Oper-ations
Letters
LETTERS Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business
Even Her Dad Liked the F&I Article Thank you for the wonderful article in your May edition on our API finance and insurance seminar in Lansing, MI. I've
...Idea Time: HOW TO GET USED-CAR BUYERS IN FOR SERVICE Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business
The Problem: Getting our used-car customers to bring their vehicles into our service department, otherwise missing a large segment of potential business.We
A Hot Time in Spring Hill Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business, Tim Keenan SPRING HILL, TN - Saturn Homecoming was a hot time both figuratively and literally.Homecoming '99, the automaker's sec-ond national owner appreciation
Saturn Blasts Off Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business, Tim Keenan Before leaving office early this year, former Saturn chairman Don Hudler predicted that the automaker would double its sales in two to three years.His
Selling Cars in Saturn Country Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business, Tim Keenan COOL SPRINGS, TN - Spend time at the Saturn retailer nearest to Saturn Corp.'s assembly plant in Spring Hill and one begins to understand why Saturn customers
Push Shouldn't Come to Shove Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business, Stacey Lewis Opportunities are meant to be seized upon, but not even David Jac-obson, author of Non-Confrontational Power Selling, could have guessed his part-time
HALF-TIME Report Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business, Maynard M. Gordon Sonic Automotive just acquired stores in two of the fastest-growing markets - southwest Florida and Las Vegas, NV.The acquisitions add impetus to Sonic's
Training on the Tube Sep 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Ward's Dealer Business, Maureen McDonald School bells are ringing in dealerships thro-ughout America as salespeople, technicians and other staff gear up for the '2000 model vehicle launch. But
