Auto Dealer Monthly, February 2014

Vice President Group Publisher AutoGroup Sherb Brown 310 533 2451 sherb brown@ bobit com Publisher Dealer Group David Gesualdo 727 947 4027 david gesualdo@ bobit com Editorial Director Gregory Arroyo 310 533 2592 gregory arroyo@ bobit com Managing Editor Tariq Kamal 323 377 0929 tariq kamal@ bobit com Senior Editor Stephanie Forshee 310 533 2496 stephanie forshee@ bobit com Associate Editor Brittany Marie Swanson 310 533 2588 brittany swanson@ bobit com Art Director Vince Taroc Graphic Artist Jeff Polman National Sales Manager Gregory Noonan 607 437 3061 gnoonan cei@ gmail com Sales Marketing Coordinator Tracey Tremblay 310 533 2518 tracey tremblay@ bobit com E Media and Print Production Manager Brian Peach 310 533 2548 brian peach@ bobit com Audience Marketing Manager Tony Napoleone Chairman Edward J Bobit President CEO Ty F Bobit Chief Operating Offi cer Cyndy Drummey Chief Financial Offi cer Richard E Johnson Business and Editorial Offi ce Bobit Business Media 3520 Challenger St Torrance CA 90503 Fax 310 533 2503 Change Service Requested Return Address Bobit Business Media PO Box 2703 Torrance CA 90509 Subscription Inquiries 888 239 2455 BobitPubs@ Halldata com Printed in U S A OPENING OBSERVATIONS NEW CUSTOMS Keeping up with technology requires us to constantly re evaluate our needs and take no tool for granted By David Gesualdo I oft en marvel at the way my young son interacts with technology He has had an iPad almost since birth and it didnt take him long to learn how to use it It makes perfect sense to him He can cue up a video and play a new game for the fi rst time with what appears to be minimal eff ort As for his parents well were still learning And thats just the thing I have long since resigned myself to the fact that my son could best the old man at all contests electronic What amazes me is the constantly recurring realization that having the collective computing power of thousands of years of human advancement at his fi ngertips doesnt even faze him Nor does the fact that we all call each other on tiny phones we carry o sin hav everywhere and sometimes use to take pictures Of course we do he might say Why wouldnt we Th e people who are new to our industry labor under a similar pretense Dealer websites mobile apps and online retailers are fundamental aspects of the car business that simply didnt exist a few years ago Less recent but no less useful is the dealership management system or DMS that handy apparatus that logs and when needed recounts all the vital contacts numbers and statistics your stores produce Th e DMS is such an intrinsic system that we have decided to dedicate a series of articles to its very existence But we didnt ask our writers who rank among the industrys foremost experts on dealership operations to recount the saga of the DMS We asked for practical advice on maximizing its eff ectiveness and our fi rst entry does that in what may be an unexpected way On Page 14 F I Express and Intersection Technologies Brian Reed asks the question that he believes few and certainly not enough dealers are asking themselves What exactly am I paying for As he points out the agreements dealers make with their DMS providers are oft en completely out of touch with the services provided Th is is not due to malice on the part of the provider Th ings change services are added and dropped and third parties sometimes take over certain functions Reed highlights three areas in which overcharges can oft en occur Its good useful advice that I hope you are able to use Speaking of useful advice this months cover story is one for the ages Stephanie Forshee went one on one with Rose Cruz a Lexus sales pro from Long Island N Y whose shift in focus toward female car buyers is paying dividends for her store Cruz realized that although the majority of her buyers are women they rarely show up to the dealership alone What is compelling them to bring along their husbands fathers and sons she wondered when the women have the buying and decision making power Cruz decided that like most people women who bring backup to the dealership are intimidated by the sales and fi nance process To relieve them of their apprehensions she began hosting evening events designed especially for women Th e fi rst annual Cars Cupcakes and the monthly Technology Night are free informative events that make female buyers feel welcomed and appreciated Th ey require an investment of time and money for Cruz and her team but they have already resulted in several additional sales Th e lesson learned from both stories is clear Let us take nothing for granted Th e latest tools electronic and otherwise are ours to use to the best of our ability and to the betterment of our cause 4 AUTO DEALER MONTHLY FEBRUARY 2014