Guides
Every guide,sorted by theproblem it solves
These guides are written for owners and managers of independent car dealerships. They are grouped by the problem they solve: getting leads, following up on them, the words to use, the channels that produce them, planning, and keeping customers. Every one judges its subject the same way, by appointments that show up.
Free to read, and nothing to sign up for.
017 pages
Leads
Where leads come from, what they are worth, and what happens to them once they arrive.
- Lead generation for dealershipsLeads generated for your store alone, and how we work them.
- Automotive leads explainedThe kinds of car sales lead, where each comes from, and why some never convert.
- Buying car leadsShared or exclusive, how vendors source them, and how to test one before you commit.
- Subprime and special finance leadsWorking buyers who are worried about being declined, without promising what you cannot.
- Choosing a lead generation companyThe kinds of provider, what each is good at, and the questions to ask any of them.
- Automotive lead managementRouting, ownership, response and cadence: everything between the inquiry and the appointment.
- Lead generation for car salespeopleHow an individual salesperson builds a book of business of their own.
0210 pages
BDC and follow-up
Who answers the lead, how fast, and what happens when nobody is free.
- Outsourced BDC and appointment settingEvery lead contacted in minutes and booked into your calendar.
- What a dealership BDC doesThe role explained, from BDC rep to BDC manager.
- BDC best practicesThe cadence, the training and the four numbers that matter.
- After-hours BDCCovering evenings and weekends, when buyers have time and the store is thin.
- Automotive internet salesInternet sales department, BDC or the floor: who should own the online lead.
- Live chat for car dealershipsWebsite chat as a lead channel, and where a person has to take over.
- AI BDCWhat automation handles well, and the conversations it still cannot.
- Service BDCWhat a service BDC does, and how service visits turn into vehicle sales.
- Automotive call center or BDC?Why a provider measured on calls answered gets a different result.
- Choosing a BDC companyThe four types of provider and the questions to ask before signing.
033 pages
Scripts and templates
Words for every stage of a lead, each with a note on why it works, ready to copy.
0412 pages
Marketing channels
Every channel judged the same way: by appointments that show up, not by clicks.
- Car dealership marketingHow marketing for an independent store should be judged.
- Automotive digital marketingHow the online channels fit together, and how to measure them honestly.
- Car dealer PPCGoogle Ads for dealers, judged on appointments rather than clicks.
- Facebook ads for car dealersInventory ads, lead forms, and the rules for finance offers.
- Facebook Marketplace for car dealersWhat dealers can and cannot do there now, dated and sourced.
- Social media managementA social presence that produces conversations, not just posts.
- Automotive video marketingWalkaround videos, video replies and short social clips.
- Automotive email marketingWhich lists to email, what to send, and how to stay out of spam.
- Text message marketingConsent, opt-out and what to send, with the rules dated.
- Automotive direct mailWhere mail still earns its place, and how to measure it.
- Automotive call trackingWhich campaign made the phone ring, and what happened next.
- Automotive reputation managementAsking for reviews, replying to them, and what the rules forbid.
055 pages
Plans and ideas
What to do this week, this month and this quarter, in an order that makes sense.
- Car dealership marketing planA fill-in plan that starts from a unit target.
- Car dealership marketing ideasFifteen ideas sorted by cost and how fast they sell cars.
- Advertising, promotion and event ideasConcepts for independent lots, and what each needs to book appointments.
- Used car dealership marketingWhat is different about marketing a used lot.
- How to start a car dealershipLicensing, bonding and a lot, then finding the first buyers.
065 pages
Customers and retention
Selling to people who already know you, and the experience that brings them back.
- Dealership CRM managementClean records and follow-up cadences that keep leads alive.
- Dealership customer retentionService, equity, lease-end and lapsed customers.
- Car dealership referral programsWho refers, what to offer, and how to track it.
- Automotive customer experienceThe moments between inquiry and delivery that lose buyers.
- The car sales processThe road to the sale, including the part before the customer arrives.
07Next step
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