Jim Ellis Automotive Group announced recently that Jimmy Ellis, president of the family-owned and operated dealership network, has decided to launch a giving campaign that will benefit local first responders in Atlanta. Each of the group's 14 locations will participate in the first responder campaign. A portion of the profit from every new or pre-owned […] [Read More]

For well over a decade, I have worked with, led and trained some of the best sales professionals in the world. They all, without exception, share a single common trait.  Somehow they know more about their customers’ business and what their customers are trying to accomplish than customers do.  The reason for this is simple: Most successful […] [Read More]

Union Pacific has earned the 2016 Toyota Logistics Excellence Award in customer service for the ninth consecutive year, along with the automaker's Kaizen Excellence Award in recognition of excellence in continuous improvement, the company announced on Monday. "We’re honored to receive the inaugural Kaizen award, demonstrating our dedication to continuous improvement, efficiency and shipment quality," […] [Read More]

The T.J. Martell Foundation for Leukemia, Cancer and AIDS Research has announced that it will honor Facebook's U.S. Automotive director Stephanie Latham at the Women of Influence Awards and Luncheon next week. Latham, a breast cancer survivor and passionate supporter of the cause, will join five other women in accepting their awards during the foundation's […] [Read More]

Wise F&I recently announced that it is expanding its vehicle service contract programs and has developed WiseMVP, a pre-owned motor vehicle service contract that provides coverage for vehicles that are up to 20 years old and that have up to 200,000 miles. The company said its new plan allows consumers who purchase an older vehicle […] [Read More]

Generally speaking, consumers and dealers often don’t seem to see eye-to-eye when it comes to trade-in appraisal, says Black Book senior vice president of sales Jared Kalfus. “The consumer feels that the appraisal being delivered by dealers is not necessarily as accurate as compared to the valuations that they’re doing themselves online,” Kalfus said in a […] [Read More]

The latest move from Lithia Motors continues what has been an active few years on the acquisition side of the business.  The retailer has expanded its operations to Pennsylvania with the purchase of Baierl Auto Group in Pittsburgh. Lithia announced the acquisition on Monday afternoon. Baierl, which  has Acura, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Kia, Subaru and […] [Read More]

Over the past 28 years in executive search and several years as a general manager at a dealership prior, I have found seven components common to all terrific hires. We focus on these components when we are evaluating candidates and I want to share them with you. Hopefully this helps give focus to your searches. […] [Read More]

Like many organizations, FICO indicated Toyota Financial Services was looking for ways to achieve better outcomes from its collections efforts. At the same time, FICO acknowledged it was critically important for the captive to demonstrate to its customers that the company values the relationship. They sought to help customers avoid repossession or credit impacts due […] [Read More]

An environment where leases account for 30 percent of new-vehicle sales (give or take) may be the new normal. While there is not likely to be another major increase, lease penetration isn’t likely to “drop off any time soon,” says Eric Lyman, ALG’s chief industry analyst. The firm spotted 32-percent lease penetration earlier this year, […] [Read More]