Don't Let Your Dealer Go Up In Smoke! Protect Your Assets by Going Back to Basics!

Recent reports indicate that there could be as many as 2400 dealers closing due to the GM restructure. Chrysler themselves have said they plan to close around 789 themselves. With more than 100,000 people working for those dealerships, local communities around the country will be hurting due to the loss of employment. However, the demand for new and used cars are still there. The average person who has a car that’s getting old, got into an accident or plain just stopped working still needs to buy a car and with over 3000 dealerships around the country closing, that leaves smaller, independant dealers and big box dealers from other brands in the mix. So what are those dealers going to do to make sure they don’t fall prey to similar circumstances as GM and Chrysler dealers? Here’s a short list to make sure you’re maximizing what you do in this tough time:

1. Talent is plentiful right now. Make sure that you have the best sales staff you can get. Many of the dealers closing has a solid staff that knew what it takes to get someone into a car. Ask around and see if there are any mavericks looking to get out before the axe comes down. If you’re in a small town, perhaps hiring some of the soon-to-be laid-off staff will be a good gesture to those in your community. Ford, GM or Chrysler, we’re all in the same boat. Sometimes helping those less fortunate can be better for business than pushing out that next sale.

2. Make sure your own dealer finances are sustainable in these tough times. Cash is king, especially in a downturn like our current one. If you’re making your money selling used cars, play to that strength and make extra effort to move your used inventory. Look outside your immediate town and look to other parts of your state. A larger population is looking outside even their home states to get great deals on cars in the current economy. If parts and labor are your main source of income, make sure the local community knows that your dealer is the best place to have their cars worked on. Have an open house. Build relationships with your community. It’s hard to find someone to work on your car you can really trust. Sharing some conversation over a hot dog and soda can go a long way to consumer trust.

3. Technology is key! Why spend thousands of dollars on antiquated forms of automobile ads. Pay only for those sources that are bringing in money. EasyAutoSales knows exactly what you’re going through with some sources that charge you thousands of dollars just to be listed on their website. Being smart means only paying for what you need. Listings these days are all but free in most cases. Utilize pay-per-lead systems where available so you’re not throwing money out with no measurable results. Free and premium tools may not make you money (directly), but will save you time and allow you to spend more efforts elsewhere.

The picture at the top of this post is a rare McLaren F1 that recently caught fire and burnt up. It was later found that the car hadn’t been driven in almost 6 months. Cars, like businesses, need to be cared for every day. Even neglecting something for a few months can get your into a drastic posistion. Just like you drive your car every day, drive your business every day. There are a thousand things you can do to make your business more profitable and ensure you’re safe in these tough economic times. The above 3 are important though, albiet basic. Sometimes you need to get back to basics and streamline what you do to ensure you’ll be around.

WBUC: What are some of the trends you see happening within the automotive retail industry?

WY: As more people rely on the internet for research, I believe the rest of the retail auto industry (small & medium sized dealers) will catch up by establishing a web presence, so they too, can be in front of the customers when they’re ready to buy. I’m personally hoping that sites with crazy scripts and virtual assistants will go away in exchange for more useful, and user friendly sites. Flash is only cool the first time you see it, afterwards it’s just another barrier between you and the users.

Hopefully within a couple of years every dealership out there will at least have an internet connection on site and hopefully they will all pay attention to their online leads.
Check out the rest of the interview at WhyBuyUsedCars.com

After watching yesterday’s Top Gear Australia, I got the Ford GT bug again and thought, “What the heck, let’s see what eBay’s got in it’s inventory these days.” After doing a quick search and organizing Ford GTs by date (sure, an original 1966 Ford GT40 would be sweet, but the premium these cars bring is huge and as much as I love the rawness of the old ones, I would drive the car daily and stuff like AC would be nice in GA) I came up with this Gulf Color’d beauty. The colors are a throw back to the original GT40s in the 1960s and the performance is as much race car as the original too. This particular car has had a 3.4L Whipple Supercharger upgrade, upgraded diffs and axles, big brake kit, uprated adjustable suspension and performance tuning, among other things.
This car screams speed, handling and “meant for extreme track use.” Truth be told, I would love to have this car for something like the One Lap of America or the Targa Newfoundland. However, until the time comes when I can drop $375,000 on a whim, this car’s going to have to sit on my desktop as inspiration for the future.

By the way, if you happen to be looking for a nice new GT, check these Ford GTs out.

Could EasyAutoSales really offer the best used cars EVER? According to the new URL (http://best.usedcars.ever.com) over at The Ever Project, EasyAutoSales has the best used cars ever. Well, we of course created this page, and are decidedly biased, but there’s a section for you to weigh in on whether you think our used car selection is the best online…or not. So head on over and let us know what you think of our used car inventory. How do we stack up compared to our competitors? Who do you think has the best selection of used cars? If you are a car dealer and think our selection is lacking maybe you can help us by uploading your used car listings for free. While your checking out our Ever page you’ll also find a link to or Facebook Group, our Twitter Feed, and our Flickr photo stream.

Does EasyAutoSales have the best used cars EEEEEVVVVVVEEEERRRRR? Tell us what you think…

Thank you Squidoo and Seth Godin for this really cool platform.

What are some of the things you look out for when shopping for used cars?

Most Fuel Efficient Used Cars Under 10K

1. 2000 Honda Insight (manual) / 51
2. 2001-02 Toyota Prius / 41
3. 200-05 Toyota Echo / 38
4. 1998-2002 Chevrolet Prizm / 32
5. 1998 Mazda Protege LX / 32
6. 1998-2000 Toyota Corolla CE/LE / 32/31
7. 1998-2001 Acura Integra LS (manual) / 32
8. 2004-05 Scion xA (manual/automatic / 31/30

We hope you can find what you are looking for here at EasyAutoSales. If not, check back soon. Our new and used car inventory is always growing.

In addition to just showing free reports for many of the used cars listed on EasyAutoSales.com, you can also filter your search by Carfax 1-owner vehicles and vehicles with free reports.

Now you can save time and shop with confidence at EasyAutoSales.com, the free car classifieds online service for car dealers, private owners, and car buyers.

ATLANTA, Georgia, April 24, 2008 — Easy Autos LLC, Georgia’s fastest growing web 2.0 automotive startup, is pleased to announce the beta launch of EasyAutoSales.com; a free-to-list automotive classified for private sellers and dealerships to sell new and used cars.

EasyAutoSales.com combines free automotive listings with advance technologies to help sellers and dealerships track online activities and identify potential leads.

“Ten years ago, online classifieds revolutionized traditional classifieds by replacing the 1-inch column ads found in print newspapers with more pictures and descriptions. However, with increasing competition online for user attention, dealers now need better and more cost effective ways to reach internet users than simply paying for distribution on select websites.” says Wei Yang, CEO and co-founder of EasyAutoSales. “EasyAutoSales.com will allow sellers to engage and interact with prospective buyers and help sellers identify highly qualified leads amongst various online activities performed by today’s internet users. Our goal is to help sellers generate more interest for their vehicles or at the very least, advertise their used cars listings for free on the web.”

EasyAutoSales.com generously supports unlimited pictures and descriptions for all vehicles whether they are from auto dealers or private sellers. New or used car dealers using inventory management systems can easily request to have their inventory be sent to EasyAutoSales.com for inclusion in the online listings.

“We’ve talked to a number of auto dealers who are unhappy with annual price increases without proof of added value from existing online classifieds.” says Bryan Palmer, co-founder of EasyAutoSales.com. “Many dealers are eager to try something new that will help them shift metal – we are looking forward to being that solution.”

To add your vehicles on EasyAutoSales.com, contact service@easyautosales.com for more information.

About Easy Autos, LLC

EasyAutoSales.com is Georgia’s fastest growing, web 2.0 automotive service designed to help auto dealers pinpoint qualified buyers. The company was started in December of 2007 and the beta website launched just 4 months later with over 160,000 vehicle listings. EasyAutoSales.com provides support for video, interactive questions & answers, and unlimited pictures. Private sellers and dealerships are encouraged to advertise their vehicles on EasyAutoSales.com for free. For more information, visit the company website at www.easyautosales.com.

All inquiries should be sent to the following:
EasyAutoSales.com
4244 River Green Dr. NW, Suite 112, Atlanta, GA 30327
Phone: 404-492-9782
Fax: 404-745-8142
Email: press@easyautosales.com
Web: www.easyautosales.com

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