more car dealership customers, more sales and more money.

     These week I want to encourage us to acquire more car dealership customers because this will lead to more sales which will in turn lead to more money for the owner of the car dealership.
     First let's define the word 'customer', according to wikipedia. "A customer (also a client, buyer or purchaser.) is a recipient of a good, service, product or idea obtained from a seller, vendor or supplier for a monetary or other consideration.
     If you are offering any of these customer wants as a seller, vendor or supplier, then you are on a serious journey. I f it were possible, you would have been glad to just make money without customers. But because it is not possible, you scratch your head, clean sweat from your forehead and have sleepless nights over how to sell more to more customers.
     Understand the following facts about customers and you are on your way to having more of them and selling more and more to them because you gain their loyalty and brand recognition.

• YOU NEED CUSTOMERS TO MAKE MONEY :- The whole business of car dealership is about the customer. Understand this fact and the sky is your limit. It is the number of customers you are able to satisfy that determines your turnover, it is your turnover that in turn determines your income. And without income and adequate cashflow, your business grounds to a halt.
• HOW DO YOU SELL MORE TO MORE CUSTOMERS? :- As a dealership business you need quality sales to stay alive. And sales volume depends on the number of customers you  have and how much you are able to sell to each customer. This goes to show that the question you should be asking yourself as a car dealer is how do you sell more to more customers. Please always crack your brain about this.
• CUSTOMERS REACT DIFFERENTLY TO THE SAME PRODUCT DEPENDING ON THE SEASON OR ENVIROMENT :- Seasons and enviroment affect customers reaction to the same product. In the case of cars, a customer might like one car during the rainy season but prefer a different one during the dry season. He might ride one type of car when in Nigeria and seem to be loyal to that brand, but when in another country, the customer changes loyalty and becomes loyal to another brand.
• THE CUSTOMER'S LOYALTY :- I want you to as a car dealer understand that the customer is not really loyal to the brand of the car, the customer is loyal to you the dealer, because, you are supplying him a particular car brand that is for the time being, loyal to meeting the customer's needs.
• THIS IS 2013 :- Some 80-90 years ago, advertisements were meant to persuade customers to buy a particular product. Today's customers have changed, customers are not the same. Even the most expensive adverts fail in terms of customer conversion. The cost of advertising is even going higher everyday and if you are not one of the strong companies you might not even survive the high cost of advertising. So now how do you reduce your heartache and get more customers? The answer is very simple. The solution is the last fact amongst those I said will put you on the way to having more of them, just read on.
• BE LOYAL TO YOUR CUSTOMERS :- Yes that is correct. The times have changed, the customer is now king. Make your marketing and advertising team understand that the focus has now shifted from how to make the customer loyal to your brand. The focus is now on learning how to be loyal to your customers. You have to ask your customers genuine questions on how to help them, and make sure you help them. It is a fact that in terms of cars, most customers don't really know what they want. And for that, your advertising should be meant for educating them about your products. Ask them questions, know what they really want, provide genuine solutions to their problems and watch how they crown you king with their money.

     In concluding, I will assure you that if you can know and implement these facts, then, be rest assured that you will truly have more car dealership customers, more sales and more money for sure. Please add your comments, I will be glad if you do.          

car dealers can become billionaires

   Welcome reader, this week, we shall be looking at car dealers and the billionaire status. We are going to look at how car dealers can become billionaires. I am not going to list car dealers that have already attained the status because that is not the focus of this article. Rather, this article shall look into traits and attitudes of billionaires to encourage car dealers that are just starting out and even those that are already established but are not seeing much growth.
    I have studied individuals that have attained the status from around the globe. This is a summary of my findings on their traits, attitudes, mindsets and behavior. I am not saying that a car dealer has to copy all this traits as a businessman or an entrepreneur. Modelling success is about picking out those things that will work for you in relation to where you are headed. Here is a list of the traits that I have summarized.

• DRIVEN:- Billionaires have drive, they are always stretched, about to take off. It's like there is one fire in their bum bum and if they sit too long in a place, their bum will disappear. They are always moving.
•   COMPETITIVE:- The competition they have is about going inside of themselves to look for ideas of improving on already valuable services/products.
• DISCIPLINED:- This means they are not out of order, they are in control. They move when they want to move, something doesn't just move them.
• FOCUSED:- They do not let themselves get distracted by smaller details/issues. They are always focused on their set goals/targets.
• DECISIVE:- They are not hesitant, whenever they decide to do something, they immediately hit on target.
• PURPOSEFUL:- Purpose is the magic of meaning to life, when you are out of purpose, you are out of order, you don't have direction. this shows they are deliberate in their actions.
• CREATIVE:- They always bring something new and unique into existence. For this trait of being originative and imaginative alone, car dealers can become billionaires if they are creative enough.
• PLAYFUL:- The pursuit of success is always fun for them. If you study them closely, you will find that their journey to success is always pleasantly humorous.
• RISK TAKERS:- We are not talking about the weight or volume of risk here. We are talking about how they view risk.
• DARING AND COURAGEOUS:- When you take risks, you need this trait very much. You need the character of boldness to go through risky business ventures like car dealership.
• PIONEERS:- Billionaires are not copycats, they are pioneers. They always arrive the earliest in new business territories. They are the first in any effort of solving problems.
• PERSISTENT:- They don't give up. If they try a formula and it doesn't work, they find another one and try it.
• RESILIENT:- They see everything through to the end. They perform against all odds.
• OBSESSED WITH EXPANSION:- They believe that whatever status you have reached, you can still use more.
• THEY THRIVE ON DEALS:- They are always negotiating and striking deals.
• RESPECT FOR VALUE OF MONEY:- They buy expensive things but they always insist on quality.
• FEROCIOUS CURIOSITY:- They are always asking questions. This curiosity leads them to constant improvement.
• FIERCE DEDICATION:- They are not only dedicated, but they are dedicated fiercely.
• HUMILITY:- Humility is agreeing with who god says you are, they do just that.
• LEARN BY MISTAKES:- They pay close attention to feedback and they use it to adjust their radar.
• FLEXIBILITY:- Since change is the only constant thing in life, billionaires always adjust to accommodate change.
• CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT:- No matter where they are, they are always improving themselves, their business and any other thing about them.

   There you have them, my summary of traits of billionaires, which if they will model and follow them, I believe car dealers can become billionaires. The reason being, if you model success, you are bound to become successful yourself, or what do you think. Please post your comments and additions.   

3 sure tips that put your car dealership ahead of competitors.

     Remaining competitive is one important area every serious business owner needs to concentrate on. You can even dominate the market place. If you do, you gain huge sales, profitability and general success to the business.
     To get ahead of your competitors and dominate the market, here are 3 sure tips that put your car dealership business ahead of competitors you can use.
    
     1:KNOWING YOUR CUSTOMER:- We have always heard phrases like "the customer is always right", "the customer is king", etc. This is especially true for car dealerships. So why don't you try and know what the king wants. The best thing to do is to give him what he wants so that you can remain in business. This is because he has the power to do and undo your business success. Be a pioneer ( by being innovative and creative ) in understanding what the customer wants. Be sure that your customers get the 'wow experience' with you. Let all the cars you sell at your dealership have quality and style. Let those that buy your cars feel good and they will surely come back. Instead of being a copy-cat, let your customers copy you. A lot of things are happening in the car dealership business world today that people are reacting to. This is because a few dealerships are creating a standard style to stay ahead in competition. Customer wants are always changing so be knowledgeable, always research and study to know what's new in the industry.

     2:-ALWAYS ADJUST:- "Change is the only constant thing in life". Because this is true, be ready to adjust to all change demands of your customers. Don't say that's how you met things or that's how they are done in other places, so you have to leave it like that. If you leave it like that, you might not be meeting the demands of your customers. Once they know you will not change with their demands, you are out of business, because they are the reason you are in business in the first place.
     Always look at what products your competitors have in stock, the price they are charging, what value they add and what features customers are asking for. Is there a gap in a particular area of your market?

     3:-BE SMART:- Most companies have standard modes of operations. This is what gives them their own techniques and strategies for staying ahead in business. You must create and implement modes of operation that will give you an edge in the car dealership industry.
     Competitors are often predictable. They might compete with price or quality. You have to be smart to find out what your competitors are up to. So get really involved in your industry's community, know what is going on, don't just be an observer, participate in the community.
     Having an ear to the ground often has a lot of merit. When you know the competitor's strength and weaknesses, you can beat or counter their offers.
     By looking at their websites, other people's websites and requesting data from places like companies house and libraries, you can discover much about your competitors without commissioning a new research project. This is possible because some companies accomplish feats and place them in libraries for generations to see.
     In conclusion, remember, gaining the market leader position brings huge sales, profitability and success. So use these 3 tips that put your car dealership ahead of competitors and watch yourself become the market leader.
     Please post your comments or other tips. You are welcome to do so. Till next week.    

5 important habits for the car dealership owner to get your business to the top.

     Welcome reader, This week, we are going to look at the issue of habits. There are important habits for the car dealership owner to get his business to the top and I shall look at 5 of them.
     Having good habits is a must for car dealership business success. It is clear that the only difference between successful car dealership businesses and unsuccessful ones lies in the differences of their habits. Therefore it is a must to create and have good habits.
     People usually become slaves to their habits. Bad habits such as procastinating, lying, improper management of time etc.How do we change these habits? I think only a habit can subdue another habit. Therefore, the only way to change a bad habit is to replace it with a good habit. Here are 5 habits you can use to replace your old bad habits.
    
     1:- SINCERITY:- As a car dealership business owner, there are a lot of things you need to be sincere about. You need to be sincere about which habits you need to change. you even need to be sincere about your intention and reasons for needing the change of habits. And you also need to be sincere in your implementation of the changes. I've mentioned sincerity in relation to habits only, because it is the topic we are looking at.
    
     2:- INCREASING SELF VALUE:- This is what psychologists and business experts use the word 'personal development' to refer to in relation to development of self-awareness, talents and identity. This is often for the purpose of progressing towards achieving some overall life goal. A successful, ambitious car dealership owner may develop himself further in order to advance some of his business goals. The importance of self development rests simply on the fact that people are capable of being more, doing more and having more whenever they improve themselves. Greater personal health, stability and ability can lead to better opportunities and to an increased state of happiness and satisfaction with life.
    
     3:- MANAGE YOUR TIME:- Time management is another positive habit that is a must for success in our car dealership businesses. We have so many obligations and commitments outside our business, eg, family activities. Sometimes, they make us overlook our business commitments without noticing it. Therefore, it is important to draft a daily time allocation schedule for your business and your personal life. Know that income producing activities are tasks that generate money into your business.
    
     4:- COMMUNICATE:- By saying communicate, I mean you should interact. Interaction in car dealership business puts an end to confusion. To enjoy consistent progress in your car dealership business, there should be a spirit of communication in the system. Many start-ups fail because of tiny communication mistakes that could have been easily handled by the team. This is not uncommon in the car dealership business world. Some of the top companies out there are there because they have very great interaction systems.
    
      5:- ALWAYS TAKE ACTION:- I have left action taking for last because, taking daily action is the most important habit a car dealership owner can create and develop. Having the positive habit of taking daily action is the only bridge between our inner world and our outer world. Our outer world is simply the results of what we have in our inner world expressed outwardly. Our inner world consists of our thoughts and feelings that create our goals and dreams. Action is the bridge between the goals of our inner world and the results of our outer world. It is a fact that the habit of daily action is the only factor that determines the value of our car dealership business. You may be one of the smartest, most intelligent or most educated people in the world, if you do not have the habit of daily action that puts what you learn and what you know into action, nothing is going to happen in your car dealership business. Success in any area of life is all about habits. Develop these habits today!
     There you have them, my own 5 important habits for the car dealership owner to get his business to the top. Please feel free to add your comments and habits you think should be included.  

tips for starting a successful auto dealership business

     Are you an auto dealer that is just starting out trying to build a business? Or you have been in it for sometime but don't know where you are headed? Don't worry because it's natural, (trust me, I've been there). I have been able to set up a successful auto dealership business and here are my personal lessons on success as an entrepreneur. I've called them the 10 tips for starting a successful auto dealership business. Read them and I hope you learn from them.
     1: THE RIGHT PRIORITIES:- Make sure your priorities on which components should come first are clear. Know which components will have the most impact. Repeat the design phase time upon time until the component is simple to use and understand. Begin by seeing the picture of the actual destination you want to see the business land. This helps you navigate through the high and low moments of entrepreneurship.
     2: COMMITMENT:- An entrepreneur can only have either results or excuses and not both. Set your personal bar and be responsible for it. Your center of influence is you. Do not procastinate or leave things halfway done. If you really want to be an entrepreneur then put your 100% into becoming one. Forget any other thing.
     3: COMFORT IN DISCOMFORT:- Entrepreneurship to me is like a roller coaster; massive highs sometimes, massive lows sometimes. This should be your driving force. The lows are always inevitable, but coming out of a massive low to a massive high can be most exhilarating.
     4: STUDY AND UNDERSTAND YOUR TARGET MARKET:- You need to really do your homework on your potential clients and customers. Always ask your customers what they think because you can only sell them what they want to buy and not what you want to sell when it comes to automobiles.
     5: BE TRUTHFUL AND SINCERE:- The need for trust and reliability cannot be overstressed in business relations especially with the way people already view car salespeople. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Don't change meeting times and venues. Be reliable and trustworthy.
     6: GOOD NETWORKING:- Networking is the best way to get ahead in the modern business world. Offline, attend conferences, after-parties and other events in your field and connect with fellow auto dealers. Online, use facebook, linkedin, twitter and other social media platforms to connect with potential customers, investors, advisors etc. You never know where and how your paths will cross.
     7: BE IN BALANCE:- All work no play makes jack a dull boy is a true saying when it comes to entrepreneurship. Take short/daylong breaks here and there. If you burnout, you become very inefficient, and you will burnout if you go too hard for too long. Take a weekend off and recharge yourself once in a while.
     8: WORK CAN BE FUN MAKE IT SO!:- I know that starting up is hard work, but that should not stop you from having fun. This part is very easy if you are doing something you really love. So as an auto dealer, do you love cars?
     9: PERSISTENCE:- This in my opinion is one of the most important ingredients for auto dealership start up success. The lows we talked about can get so low that you sometimes start to consider giving up. It is persistence that you will need when this lows occur. So whatever happens look ahead and not down. Keep going with persistence you shall come out tops.
     10: YOU NEED A BUSINESS COACH:- What you can achieve alone as an entrepreneur has a limit. Engage the help and services of a professional business coach. Take advantage of his expertise.
     There you have it, my own 10 tips for starting a successful auto dealership business. What do you think? Do you have other tips you think need to be added? You are welcome to add your comments. Keep looking forward and not down and you shall come out tops.      

real publicity for your automobile dealership business? checkout these 8 platforms.

     Publicity for your automobile dealership business is one of the major ingredients for long term recognition and success in the business world as a whole. Business publicity is a major playing factor of any business's success because it is what makes people aware of your product and services and it helps them make up their minds whether or not, to patronize you.
     I will not be going too far if I say that publicity is the lifeline of your business because it is one of the major factors for your business growth. You are in business to make money and people must know about you and what you do for you to make that money. You can get people to know about you through one form of publicity or the other. Some of the ways by which you can get effective publicity for your automobile dealership business are:
     1. YOU: I think this one is obvious, you are the number one publicity for your business because no one knows or can talk about your business better than you. You need to talk to people around you. So talk to your friends, your neighbors and all other people you meet about what you do. Encourage them to also help you tell their friends.
     2. WEBSITES: You can get publicity for your automobile dealership business by harnessing the power of the internet. Create your own website, make use of popular media like facebook, twitter googleplus etc. Encourage your friends to like and share your business pages.
     3. TELEVISION ADVERTS: This medium works very fast in publicizing your business because of its large audience. You can target popular programs and series and run advert slots on them.
     4. RADIO ADVERTS: You can also get publicity for your automobile dealership business through this medium. It also works very fast because it is perhaps the most affordable medium in developing economies.
     5. PRINTED MEDIA: This medium also has its own audience and you can use either:

• newspapers/magazines: These come in daily editions, weekly editions, monthly editions and so on. You can choose the one that best suits your business plan and see how it augurments your business publicity.
• fliers: You see people most times at strategic locations sharing out fliers. This is because they are a very  effective way of bringing your business to the awareness of the public. They are particularly effective when you are launching a new product or starting a new business entirely.

     6: POWER OF THE TONGUE: Word of mouth from person to person makes a business go viral in a little time. This is the referral system. When someone who has patronized your product or service recommends it to someone else. This only works when that customer is satisfied and pleased, so, ensure you deliver quality at all times.
     7: QUALITY ASSURANCE: This not only publicizes your business, it lets you be in business and makes your business experience fast growth. Whether you are offering products or services, if you ensure quality, you will always have patronage. Imagine you selling a car to someone and everyone keeps asking the person "where did you buy this car?" That is what I call real publicity for you.
     8: GIVE AWAYS: From time to time give something away that won't break you, because everyone loves free stuff. If you are not strong enough to give away samples of cars, you can always make do with car accessories and related services. You can also give away free trials and promotional gifts.
     In conclusion, whether you are a small, medium or large scale auto dealership business, or even a 'one man' business, publicity for your automobile dealership business is a must. This is because without the public being aware of your business, there won't be business expansion and eventually you might have to close down the business. Please your comments and ideas of other platforms will be appreciated.

5 major questions for you before you buy that car. have you answered them?

     Welcome reader, this week we shall look at major questions for you before you buy that new car. I hope you learn something.
      Purchasing a car is most people's second biggest lifetime dream after house ownership. That is why it's very important to ask and answer questions before buying a car especially if you will need an auto loan or credit from the dealership.
     There are different reasons why people buy cars. Answer the following 5 top questions to ask  yourself before you purchase a new vehicle and you will discover what your reasons are.
  1  WHAT ARE THE FEATURES THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO ME?: Figuring out how the new car is going to work in your day to day life is important so you might want to answer the following questions.

• Will I use the vehicle for only transportation? if not what else will I be using it for?
• What requirements do I need in terms of space and accommodations for others in the vehicle?
• For how long am I in the car on a daily basis? These are the kind of questions that show you what's really important to you in your next vehicle.

  2  HOW DOES IT FIT IN MY BUDGET?: The automobiles market has a lot of cars to pick from that fit all kinds of budgets. New cars will naturally be more expensive than pre-owned vehicles. This makes it easy fro those with limited budgets to decide what way to go. A good rule of thumb fro an estimated monthly payment on a car is to figure 4% interest on any loan or credit you want to take.
  3  WILL I RECEIVE INCENTIVES?: Manufacturers typically make rebates and incentives available to customers to entice them to buy new cars. The rebates can be just hundreds or a few thousands depending on the type of vehicle you are buying. Always take a look at special financing offers because their special interest rates sometimes saves you more than a rebate in the long run.
  4  IS PRE-OWNED NOT A BETTER OPTION?: If you find yourself in the middle trying to decide on a new car, you may want to consider a pre-owned vehicle instead. The benefits of buying a pre-owned vehicle is you can get a similar vehicle to the new one for thousands less in most cases. Or, you can get more features and equipments on a pre-owned  vehicle than you can on a new car that has the same price point.
  5  HOW LONG IS THE CAR'S WARRANTY?: You should always consider asking yourself how long you plan on keeping the vehicle then, find a car with a warranty coverage to match. Most new cars have a warranty of 3 to 10 years depending on the manufacturer. Some manufacturers certify pre-owned vehicles that meet their requirements through dealerships, giving you the same assurance as a new car would.
       These are not the only questions you should answer before making that purchase as there are other questions like, is it safety or what that is most important to you?, do you really require an upgrade in luxury?, how many miles do you drive in a year and so on. I could go on and on with questions you should answer but the 5 I have listed are the major ones only that their answers could go a bit deeper so I will advise you to search deep for yourself and find out what works for you.
       If you have any questions of your own that you think should be answered before buying a new car, you are welcome to drop them in the comments box please, I will appreciate it.
       If you want me to answer these questions in a lot more detail, you are welcome to contact me through the contact form.
       That will be all for this week, till I come your way again next week.