Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 15

By Chuck Barker
President & Founder,
Impact Marketing &
Consulting Group

// Dealership
Management

Shifting
From Crisis
to Opportunity
Avoid Focusing on
the Crisis & Quit
Decision Wobbling
Imagine for a moment
you are walking along
a trail in the forest which
has a swollen swiftly
running creek off to your
right with a 100-foot
waterfall drop-off well
downstream. You decide
to venture over to the
edge and take a closer
look. As you approach the
creek's edge you fail to
notice a tree root exposed
above ground and you
trip. Your fall tumbles you
down the hill and into the
fast-moving turbulent
water. As you are rushed
downstream you become
a prisoner to the creek
and cannot escape the
power and grip of the
water ever mindful of the
impending upcoming falls.
You are pushed under the
water for several seconds
at a time, surfacing briefly
gasping for air. Becoming
fatigued due to your
struggles as you surface
for the fifth time you
notice someone downstream on the upcoming
bank holding a life ring

with a rope attached. You
have to make a decision.
Are you going to prepare
and position yourself to
accept the life-saving ring
which will pull you safely
to shore or are you going
to say to yourself, "Well, I
have never done that
before so because I have
no experience doing it I
will continue to drift
downstream?" Like most

people in this life-threatening moment you would
go for the life ring.
Although not life threatening, in business we often get caught up in what
appears to be never-ending swift-moving tasks
of running the business
where we often need a
life ring to pull us out of
the slump or craziness.
The good news is that it

doesn't matter what is
causing the craziness or
poor performance. What
does matter is if and how
you go about identifying
the problem and instituting a winning strategy
to correct the proverbial
sinking ship. I will attempt
to provide some insight
to problems and then
address how you can implement a few solutions.
Remember, this is an
ongoing battle and you're
not alone, but if you
don't monitor and affect
solid change, things can
become worse.
Ask yourself this question; could we be doing
20% better? When I ask
that same question, 90%
of the dealers answer by
Continued on pg. 16

CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR
OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE YOUR
PROCESSES THEN IMPLEMENT
WINNING SOLUTIONS."

D I G I TA L D E A L E R . C O M

JANUARY 2018

15


http://www.DIGITALDEALER.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Digital Dealer - January 2018

Digital Dealer - January 2018
Contents
The Art of Handling Mistakes
Motion and Commotion – The Buy/Sell Market Intensifies
You Don’t Have to Be Blood to Be Family in the Dealership
Shifting From Crisis to Opportunity
Warning! Your Customers Know More Than Your Salespeople. But Not for Long.
Advertising Your Tech-Spertise!
From the Show Director
Drawing the Curtain Back
Digital Dealer Workshops Chicago
Cover story
Interview with the 2018 Chairman of the Chicago Auto Show
Ready… Fire!...Then Aim
Turning Cash Buyers into Auto
Need a Tech – Keep a Tech or Other Staffer?
The New Car Buyers’ Clinic: A Case Study in How to Royally Mess It up!
The Pros and Cons of Building a Dealership Facebook Page
Is Your Dealership's Advertising Stuck in the '60s?
4 Ways to Sell More Cars in 2018
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - CT1
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - CT2
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Digital Dealer - January 2018
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Cover2
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 1
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Contents
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 3
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - The Art of Handling Mistakes
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 5
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 6
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Motion and Commotion – The Buy/Sell Market Intensifies
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 8
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 9
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 10
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 11
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - You Don’t Have to Be Blood to Be Family in the Dealership
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 13
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 14
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Shifting From Crisis to Opportunity
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 16
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 17
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Warning! Your Customers Know More Than Your Salespeople. But Not for Long.
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 19
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Advertising Your Tech-Spertise!
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 21
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - From the Show Director
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 23
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 24
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Drawing the Curtain Back
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 26
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Digital Dealer Workshops Chicago
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Interview with the 2018 Chairman of the Chicago Auto Show
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 29
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 30
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 31
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 32
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 33
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Ready… Fire!...Then Aim
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 35
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Turning Cash Buyers into Auto
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 37
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Need a Tech – Keep a Tech or Other Staffer?
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 39
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 40
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - The New Car Buyers’ Clinic: A Case Study in How to Royally Mess It up!
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 42
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - The Pros and Cons of Building a Dealership Facebook Page
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 44
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Is Your Dealership's Advertising Stuck in the '60s?
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 46
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 47
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 4 Ways to Sell More Cars in 2018
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Cover3
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/202004
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/202003
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/202002
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/202001
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201912
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201911
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201909
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201908
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201907
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201906
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201905
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/dd26showdirectory_042019
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201904
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201903
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201902
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201901
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201812
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201811
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201810
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201809
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201808
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201807
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201806
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201805
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201804
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201803
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201802
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201801
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201712
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201711
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201710
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201709
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/digitaldealer/201708
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com