Saturday, 26 October 2013

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.  

Sunday, 20 October 2013

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.      

Sunday, 13 October 2013

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.

Sunday, 6 October 2013

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.