Paul Potratz wrapped up a discussion on Tuesday highlighting what he contends are the six key touch points to increasing service retention. The chief operating officer and founder of Potratz Partners Advertising gave franchised dealers the tools he said can help to keep service bays busy and cash registers ringing. In the most recent post […] [Read More]

With millions of viewers tuning in to AMC’s “Breaking Bad” each week — 4.77 million for the Aug. 18 episode, according to Nielsen — there’s a chance that a used-car shopper on your lot is a fan of the show and can easily spot the Pontiac Aztek that Walter White steers through the streets of […] [Read More]

In what organizers called an unprecedented show of unity in the repossession industry, Allied Finance Adjusters, Recovery Specialist Insurance Group and Time Finance Adjusters agreed to come together to offer training to their members as well as non-members throughout the industry at a unified event. These three organizations are sponsoring seminars and client discussions on […] [Read More]

In an effort to get more contracts bought in the F&I office, Equifax recently rolled out the availability of a new product, Equifax Dimensions, which can deliver what the company highlighted is a more in-depth picture of past credit behavior in order to better predict future credit trends. Using this new solution, Equifax explained lenders […] [Read More]

In a tie for seventh last year, Mercedes-Benz boosted its customer satisfaction score by 4 percent and took the lead in the American Customer Satisfaction Index rankings, which were released today. The 2013 Auto Industry report from ACSI measures how satisfied customers are with different nameplates that run the gamut from domestic to import and […] [Read More]

After decreasing most of the spring, prices in the auction lanes have begun to rise this summer — pushing prices up on the lots slightly, as well —  much to the chagrin of dealers and buyers. That said, it seems they shouldn’t worry too much. In August, the prices for late-model used vehicles on Cars.com […] [Read More]

Manheim chief economist Tom Webb pointed to a series of summertime reports and other consumer trends that show middle-class and lower-income individuals — the primary potential buyers of used vehicles — are continuing to be pinched by a wide array of economic conditions. In this month’s Auto Industry Brief produced by Manheim Consulting, Webb recapped […] [Read More]

Millennials — potential buyers between the ages of 16 and 32 — are representing a greater portion of a dealer sales base, so what should managers and salespeople highlight on used models that might appeal to this demographic? AutoTrader.com aims to shed some light on that exact subject. A new study from the site reveals […] [Read More]

This week, a diverse group of senior executives from 16 different companies across the auto industry — including a few major players in the used-car and remarketing fields — announced the launch of the Automotive Executives Association, an organization the founding members say is dedicated to facilitating business networking, providing new resources to help members […] [Read More]

Swapalease.com reported continued increases this year for customer credit approval on lease transactions through the end of July. According to website data, total year-to-date credit approvals stood at 75.6 percent through July, up from 73.9 percent through the end of June and the highest cumulative average recorded so far this year. Analysts indicated that historical […] [Read More]