Blog

Http://www.seanvbradley.com 

Lets keep it as "real" as possible... We are in the car business for one reason... TO MAKE MONEY!!  If you want to hug trees and save the earth, you are in the wrong industry. Don't get me wrong, you can make a ton of money and DONATE it to those charities... but as far as anything deeper... a Car Dealership is not the place to "change the world". So, lets be honest with each other... PLEASE. 

Now, that we got that out of the way we can focus on the issue at hand here... MAKING MONEY. If you are NOT interested in making money, then please LOG OFF NOW. 

Let me start by introducing myself to those of you who do not know me... I am Sean V. Bradley, CEO of Dealer Synergy and I am a Millionaire Car Salesman! There are numerous people in the Auto industry that are Millionaires but few who who have come from the places I have come and achieved what I have achieved. 

Let me give you a little background. I came from a HORRIBLE Child Hood, Psychotic Family, Terrible Abuse, Tortured both physically and mentally. Dead Beat Father... He was NEVER around. Everyone HATED me as a kid. I was sent to a boys home when I was 12 until I was 15... 3 years in an institution as a kid. 

I came home put myself in College. I put my self in the ARMY ROTC, I put myself in Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity... I worked for every cent I had. It was hard, but it was MINE.

(I had SOME TRULY SUREAL EXPERIENCES THAT I WILL OutLINE iN THE FUTURE) But... Long Story Short, I dropped out of college and got a "JOB" at a car dealership... mostly because they gave me a DEMO LOL!! 

I then went from being DEAD broke to being salesman of the month... salesman of the YEAR (Weisleder Lincoln Mercury Mazda). I was a REAL 30 Car GUY!! 

I went through EVERY training the dealership gave me, every training from the OEM, EVERY training from the  Internet Sale Companies... Hell, I studied EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING I could! 

** I actually studied website design. I read books on HTML, Dynamic HTML, JAVA, Macromedia FLASH, Front Page, Dream Weaver etc...

I studied the VERY early Search Engine Optimization... utilizing software like "Web Position Gold". 

I went to workshop after workshop... I even got certified at the International Academy of Search Engine Optimization & Wordtracker...

I spent YEARS chasing and FINALLY getting the partnership with FranklinCovey... I spent another 3 years flying all over the United States getting CERTIFIED as a Facilitator and Instructor of the "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" AND... "The 5 Choices Of Extraordinary Productivity". I even got the opportunity to meet Dr. Stephen Covey!! 

I even managed to get accepted into the National Speakers association (NSA). 

I went from a College degenerate, broke and desperate to... successful.

Because, I was gaining knowledge, I started gaining success.... because I was successful, I started to MAKE MONEY. 

***People, I left Cherry Hill Nissan in 2003 making approximately $170,000 as a BDC Director!! 

I had ONLY been in the car business 5 years... 5 friggen years!!! From BROKE to FLUSH... $170,000 at age 26 

I was 26 making almost $200,000 per year, driving a Lexus etc... And then I gave it all up to "roll the dice" and start a consulting company. 

You have NO idea how many people told me I was crazy giving up that Salary, that demo, that security, everything... 

I didn't care! I felt I was destined for something BIGGER... I felt I had it in me to do something even bigger. I had NO official business education or skills yet I decided to "roll the dice" and start a national company with NO MONEY... LOL! 

Well people it worked! I have generated OVER Ten Million Dollars. ($10,000,000+) Not Bad for a "Piece of Shit" "project kid"... 

I LOVE this industry. I really do... I BLEED Gasoline. I am a "Car Guy". I LOVE this industry, because you can EARN as MUCH as you want! 

Do you REALLY want to make money? Are you tired of the "carats"? Let me HELP YOU FOR FREE! 

Why should you listen to me...?

• Well for starters I am a Millionaire
• I have generated over 10 Million... actually $11,000,000+ for MYSELF! 
• I Own Millions of Dollars in Real Estate 
• I have Porsches, Mercedes, Motorcycles, ATVs and other Motor Sports 
• I have security... Millions in Life Insurance, 401Ks etc... 
• Hundreds of Thousands in Jewelry....
• Assets, Assets, Assets and MORE Assets... 
• Married to a BEAUTIFUL Woman with 3 AMAZING Kids and Boxer Puppy Named "7". 

*** I know how to make money

I have EVERYTHING that a Human Being can possibly want or NEED!

Everything I have is BECAUSE of the Car Industry... Everything I am, Everything I have is because of the Car Industry.

You have NO IDEA... I am FIRST GENERATION in this country. My family was and some are STILL VERY POOR. They live in the "Hood", They live in the projects of New York City and London... 

I have realized the American dream. I am able to give my children things I ONLY saw on TV... Things that I only fantasized about as a kid. These things are my everyday reality. 

How crazy is it that I own a whole national company with over 20 FULL time employees (not to mention part timers, interns and general contract agents...) that depend on Dealer Synergy to feed themselves and their families... It is surreal! It is an honor to have this responsibility and it is crazy that I went from destitute to BOSS... But it is all thanks to the CAR BUSINESS! 

I am tremendously grateful for being in the BEST INDUSTRY in the world. In an industry that can take a "piece of shit nobody and make him into a Millionaire BOSS that can change lives all over this country! 

Guess what... YOU CAN TOO! Seriously if I can do it... YOU CAN TOO! I have literally trained THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of people! I have seen fledglings become successful, I have been blessed to have mentored  countless entrepreneurs and Automotive Professionals...

Do you REALLY want to be successful...? Do you REALLy want to learn how to MASTER YOUR CRAFT and BECOME a Millionaire Car Sales Man?  

I can help You and I will help you... As a matter of fact, it is MY RESPONSIBILITY and DUTY to HELP YOU! 

I have been Blessed by having some AMAZING Mentors in my life that took the time to teach me, motivate me, inspire me... be PATIENT with me. And thank GOD they did... Look at me now! 

I want to help as many people as possible. All you have to do is EMBRACE ME and my philosophy.

You might ask "Why"... Why do you want to help me? 

Great question! 

Here is my Answer... Life is too short! We ONLY have 86,400 seconds in a day and when they are gone they are gone! 

A VERY dear friend of mine, an inspiration of mine, a friend of mine and a business associate of mine just DIED at age 42 years old. WTF?? He was a beautiful human being... hell, a BETTER person than ME and he is gone. As an Automotive Professional Would Say "It Is What It Is"! But I think of Karry EVERY DAY. I DO... I realize that life is TOO SHORT. I sincerely want to help people. I want to see people EVOLVE, I want to assist people with their "work / life balance". I have been blessed with more than I could have EVER hoped for. I want to GIVE BACK. 

If you are seriously interested in learning from me, if you are serious about evolving, if you are serious about SYNERGY ... let me know. It would be my pleasure to share in your success! 

This is the third in a series of blogs I’ve been writing on metrics: in my last blog we discussed the average percentage of sales in dealerships that can be attributed to Internet leads. This week, I’d like to talk about average front-end gross per vehicle.

In a recent survey we conducted, we asked dealerships representing all types of makes and models:

These were the two questions related to front-end gross in the survey:

1) What is the average front-end gross per vehicle sold in the showroom (floor sales) in your store?

2) What is the average front-end gross per vehicle sold in the Internet department in your store?

We wanted to first quantify the difference between gross from showroom sales and Internet sales, and we wanted to compare the averages of stores in different “performance brands.”

Here are the survey results:

• 29% of respondents said the average front-end gross per vehicle in the showroom is > $1,300

• 15% of respondents said the average front-end gross per vehicle in the Internet department is > $1,300

At the same time:

• 9% of respondents said the average front-end gross per vehicle in the showroom is < $800

• 21% of respondents said the average front-end gross per vehicle in the Internet department is < $800

It’s clear there’s quite a disparity between averages in the showroom and the Internet department. We consulted David Kain of Kain Automotive on this question, because he believes (and the survey results reflect this), that most Internet salespeople tend to discount too soon. This tendency leads to lower front-end gross averages in the Internet department.

Regardless of what your dealership’s average gross per vehicle (PVR) is, the goal is for the showroom and Internet department averages to be the same. Why is this important? The higher the gross per vehicle, the higher your ROI and profits are.

We compared answers from dealerships making seven times or more ROI on their Internet spend, to those making three times or less ROI on their Internet spend, regardless of make or model. The results were compelling:

So how can you increase your average front-end gross per vehicle, as well as get the Internet department gross in line with the showroom gross? Here are a few tips:

1)    Always provide the customer with choices and carefully review leads for model selection and trim levels. If you’re quoting your customer the loss leader or base model and they want the luxury model, then you’re setting them up for a price expectation way lower than is reasonable.

2)    Just like when you’re face-to-face with a customer, focus on building value in the vehicles. Customers want to know what they’re buying is worth the money, and you have the opportunity to explain why the price is what the price is

3)    Don’t be tempted to immediately give a discount, and be wary of programs that send inventory selections to customers with quotes designed to beat your competition or that are loss leaders. Big discount quotes make the customer believe all vehicles can be significantly discounted.

4)    Mystery shop your competition from time to time on key vehicles to ensure you’re pricing your vehicles to market.

5)    Consider location. If a customer is close to you, then price in the convenience of shopping with you. If the customer lives 20 miles away and has to drive past multiple competitors in order to get to your store, you may be more aggressive in your pricing.

6)    Set the rules in the Internet department based on what vehicles are selling for in the showroom. If they know the ‘floor’ price, you’re less likely to have a significant discrepancy between the showroom and the Internet gross.

What other tips do you have to raise the average front-end gross per vehicle, and more importantly, to increase the averages in the Internet departments to be more in line with showroom averages?

http://www.automotiveinternetsales.com
Blind Automotive Sales Trainer, LA Williams Shares A Powerful Success Story - Phone Sales

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- U.S. car buyers flooded showrooms in September, sending auto sales to their highest level in more than four years.

Overall sales were were up 13% from a year ago, according to sales tracker Autodata, which put the pace of sales at an annual rate of just under 15 million vehicles. That easily topped most forecasts and was even better than the spike in sales caused by the government's "Cash for Clunkers" program three years ago. The last time sales reached this level was February 2008, before gas prices surged and the financial meltdown caused a deep, sustained drop in auto sales.

The sales pace came despite some disappointing results from the two leading Detroit automakers.

General Motors (GM, Fortune 500) reported only a 1.5% increase in sales from year-ago levels on Tuesday, while Ford Motor (F,Fortune 500) sales slipped 0.1%. Both results were a bit below forecast.

But Chrysler Group reported that sales jumped 12% from a year earlier, easily topping forecasts. Toyota Motor (TM) also beat expectations, reporting its sales surged 41.5% from year-ago levels, while Honda Motor(HMC) posted a 30.9% jump in sales as well. A year ago both automakers were struggling with limited supplies of vehicles due to the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. 
But it wasn't just the Japanese automakers who posted strong gains. Volkswagen Group, which includes the VW and Audi brands, posted a 32% jump in sales while Hyundai Motor, which operates the Hyundai and Kia brands, posted a 23.4% gain.

Related: The 11 best cars in America

"Pent-up demand continues to be released, and it's being supported by the fact that car loans is more widely available," said Michelle Krebs, senior analyst with Edmunds.com.

The automakers were able to achieve the strong sales even without using cash-back offers and other discounts to attract buyers.

"It's a dream scenario for automakers - low incentives, higher sales. It all equals higher profitability," said Jesse Toprak, analyst with TrueCar.

Consumer confidence has also been on the rise, which helps to boost sales. But Americans are also hitting showrooms due to the limited supply -- and high prices -- of used cars, said Krebs. Production of new cars was at such a low level three to four years ago that the supply of late-model used cars is now much tighter than normal.

"Retail sales in early September were 15% higher than they were a year ago, which is reflective of a healthy market," said John Humphrey, senior vice president of global automotive operations at J.D. Power and Associates.

GM and Ford had strong months a year ago due to the supply problems at Japanese competitors, which kept them from posting some of the big gains that their rivals reported in September. Part of the reason both companies missed forecasts was a drop in their less profitable fleet sales to businesses such as rental car companies. Sales to consumers, the more important sign of strength, were pretty much on target. 

Source - http://money.cnn.com/2012/10/02/news/companies/car-sales/index.html?hpt=hp_t3 

Ok the month is pretty much over now and I wanted to reach out to everbody in regard to the amazing transformation that we have went through here in our E-Commerce Dept.  As a E-Commerce Director I've learned that there are many things that the director needs to be doing on a daily basis.

1. Making phone calls with the coordinators!!  Have you heard of the saying "Lead by example."  Before I would barely make phone calls during the day; NOW I'm right in the middle of combat banging out calls also!!  My goal every day is at least 50 calls and most days I'm making 60-80 calls with my team.  Productivity has increased drastically and the team has much more respect for me now that they see that I don't mind getting my hands dirty. 
2. T.O.  Every time that a valued internet customer says that they want to wait to make a purchase or they are no longer in the market etc; I want to talk with the customer.  The goal of this strategy is not to micromanage but to give the consumer options that the coordinator may not know existed.  Being that I sold cars for five years I have learned that many customers want us to educate them on the best way to buy a car.  For example a customer leaves the dealership that didn't purchase a vehicle I'm going to call that customer and thank them for coming in and when the right time presents itself ask the customer why he/she didn't buy.  I've been told "I don't have the money for the down payment" WHAT!!  "Mr/Ms customer if I can get this deal to fit into your budget with no money down can we earn your business?"  I have had customers respond with "Absolutely."

I truly believe that a dealership with a strong E-Commerce Dept and equally relevant EVERYBODY at the dealership supports the E-Commerce Dept there will not be a dealer in town that would ever be able to compete.   

Out of the 92% of Americans that shop  for vehicles online, 80% of them go to: Edmonds.com
Are you and your team masters of www.Edmunds.com ? Spend some time getting to know Edmunds.com and all of your other third party websites.

http://www.internetsales20group.com 

AutoByTel Is Sponsoring & Attending The Internet Sales 20 Group... Are You Going To?

http://www.internetsales20group.com 

Automotive Internet Sales Interviews Terry Isaac, Sales Trainer for the Neil Huffman Automotive

Congratulations Nicole! You were responsible for MORE Internet Sales than some ENTIRE Internet Departments!

WOW!!! We are Proud of You!!!!

Sean V. Bradley is LIVE training a dealership on Automotive Internet Sales. 

Understanding The Automotive Internet Sales Prospect & Profile - The Online Shopper / Buyer

http://www.internetsales20group.com 

http://www.dealersynergy.com

http://www.internetsales20group.com 

$500 Discount Code For Upcoming Internet Sales 20 Group in Chicago - www.internetsales20group.com "DSIS20"

http://www.internetsales20group.com 

Are you watching the Olympics?

Some very compelling story lines and great competitions. I'm always inspired by these athletes who have put in hours and hours to reach that level of excellence.

Sometimes when I watch with friends or family, I find myself distracted from the message by the comical comments people make concerning the appearance of the people. I think it must be natural. you've probably even done it.

"What's up with that dood's hair?"

"There's no way he was an Olympic athlete."

"Why does one eyebrow move up and not the other?"

"She look like she stank."

"Didn't she look in the mirror after she put THAT on?"

My take on this, and the sales message for us is that the PERSON behind the words-- their delivery and appearance-- makes a huge difference in how the message is interpreted.

I'm probably not going out on too much of a limb here by stating that you probably sell a pretty good product or service. But unless it sells itself, YOU play a major role in how it is perceived when you're on the phone talking about it. The better YOU are, the more you sell. The common sense and the obvious are tough to be improved upon.

Some people believe that communicating on the phone is a disadvantage because listeners can't see us. I believe that actually is an advantage... you don't need to worry about physical appearance. On the phone, it all relies on what they hear. That's why to be your best you need to work on it. Here are some ideas.

GET RID OF THE NONWORDS I find some people have this nasty habit to a very severe degree. When a listener counts how many times they hear "um" instead of focusing on the message you know there's a problem. The persuasive speakers, on the other hand, don't use these filler sounds, or at least their use is minimal.

Action Item: Susan Berkley, author of Voice Shaping, suggests that the first step to the cure is identifying the enemy. Record yourself and count how many fillers you use. Once you're aware of your most common non-words, consciously replace them with pauses.

You can also control the nonword habit by getting your spouse or friend or cubicle-neighbor to say "bingo" or some other code word every time you use a nonword. By the way, this also applies to habits such as "you know," "like," "I mean," and anything else you use way too often.

ENUNCIATE! A guest on The O'Reilly Factor mumbled so much I had to turn the volume WAY UP so I could try to make out what he said. If I didn't care about what he was saying, I wouldn't have worked so hard. And your listeners might not work that hard for you.

Action Item: Read this several times- "If, I, Place, an, invisible, comma, after, each, word, and, an, invisible, semicolon; after, some, words, my, speech, has, presence." This forces you to enunciate.

Action Item 2: Practice tongue twisters to articulate clearly. Recite this one now, several times while picking up speed each time: "Frank phoned four pharmaceutical factories feeling fresh and fulfilled."

GET UP TO SPEED The more persuasive of the talking heads during interviews make their talking points quickly and don't mince words. We all can learn from that. After all, why use 100 words when 50 could make the same point? And don't speak at 33 RPM's when your listeners are at 78. (You won't get that reference if you don't know what record players are.)

In the book, "Smart Speaking, " Laurie Schloff and Marcia Yudkin say that when you speak too slowly you could be perceived as boring, tried, or less intelligent than you actually are.

Action Item: Practice getting to your point more quickly. Ask yourself a question you get during calls. Use stopwatch and give yourself 45 seconds to answer. Then cut it to 30, then 20. Tape your response and refine your answer content and delivery.

FINISH WITH STRENGTH Professional speaker and presentation coach and trainer Marjorie Brody http://www.marjoriebrody.com/ cautions against letting your voice rise at the end of a sentence.

In her book, "Speaking your Way to the Top," she suggests recording yourself. If you notice your voice rising at the end of a sentence it sounds as though you are asking a question, are tentative, or are a junior-high girl. If you tend to swallow your last few words, that reduces the impact of what you're saying.

Action Item: Practice finishing sentences completely and drop your pitch slightly while keeping the volume strong.

The interest that others have in your message is largely controlled by YOU and your delivery. Strive to reach Olympic-level performance. When you do, you'll sell more cars, more profitably, more often.

Thank You