There are many wonderful talented women in the auto industry holding important roles in the dealership arena. Women can make a difference in this industry. They are smart, hardworking, can think outside of the box and genuinely want to make a difference in the outside world!  There is story upon story of successful women who fought hard to get where they are today. Two women that stand out to me is Tammy Darvish Vice President of DARCARS Auto Group. I read Tammy's book and it gave me an insight to dealers that I had not known and I have been in the automotive industry for 21 years!  Another woman I had the pleasure to meet is Cherie Watters, General Manager of three dealerships in the Los Angeles area. Cherie won the Women's Automotive Spirit of Leadership Award. During the downturn Cherie went to work one day and found the dealership where she worked had shut their doors. A year later Cherie found a buyer for another dealership and opened Puente HIlls Hyundai with all of her team following her!  She now is General Manager for three dealerships.

I attended the PCG Digital Marketing Strategy Conference as well as the National Automobile Dealers Assocation convention with Jody DeVere CEO of AskPatty.com recently.

My impression of dealers and experiences with dealerships as a consumer has not been positive. I have many stories of how I was treated as a women and as a customer by several dealers with unsatisfactory customer service. So my perception going to this conference was more on a negative view.

What I saw and learned over the past several days is you cannot judge a book by it cover.  What I found is many dealers want to have the best customer service to all of their customers no matter what the demographics are. They make a concerted effort to try and understand what will make a customer happy. The are placing emphasis on the experience of you buying the car. Yes,the car is important, but what is going to make the customer feel different about the experience of purchasing a car from my dealership.

Spent a week in Vegas leading up and over Super Bowl weekend immersed in the world of car dealerships, auto makers and the best and brightest minds at the Digital Marketing Strategies Conference (DMSC) and attending the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) convention. Wanted to share some highlights to give you an insider view of what goes on behind the scenes with highlights of what happens when 20,000 automotive industry professionals gather in Las Vegas!

Digital Marketing Strategies Conference (DMSC) Tuesday - Friday

Best Speaker by far was Inspiration Speaker - Todd Durkin, CEO of Fitness Quest 10 Strategy. If you ever have the opportunity, run do not walk to hear this man speak! He will energize you and the entire room.

Fitness Quest 10 is a premier health and human performance facility in San Diego CA. We specializing in Sports Performance, Personal Training, Massage Therapy, Pilates, and Yoga. Owner and founder, Todd Durkin, is a leader in the fitness industry training athletes like LaDainian Tomlinson, Drew Brees, Carson Palmer, and Reggie Bush just to name a few. Todd’s passion for health and fitness has lead Fitness Quest 10 to be recently named one of the top 10 training facilities in America by the nationally publicized Men’s Health magazine. To find out more information about Fitness Quest 10 please visit his website at www.FitnessQuest10.com.

Lots of thought leaders and awesome workshops during DSMC on social media strategies and connecting with shoppers at ZMOT, Winning the Zero Moment of Truth, a new Google 75 page FREE eBook. Attended social gathering galore with some of the brightest minds in the industry. Had the opportunity to keynote on "What is Your Strategy To Dominate Your Market with Women Buyers?" to rally dealerships to deliver a WOW experience to women.

Thank you Brian and Glenn Pasch and PCG Digital for including me in this powerful thought leader educational event.

Go here to watch the video highlights of the DMSC Conference.

Many women are apprehensive about the new car buying process. Some of us wrinkle our noses at the thought of haggling over price with a dealer. Others of us are worried that we’re going to be treated differently, as a woman. We bring our fathers, husbands, boyfriends, brothers or guy friends with us to the dealership, hoping not to get taken advantage of.

Working at CarWoo!, I’ve witnessed thousands of new car negotiations take place over the past year. From Fords to Fiats, from Volkswagens to Velosters (can you tell I love alliteration?), we’ve seen enough deals to know the folks who are negotiating right from the buyers who could use a little help.

Whether you decide to buy your new car online, offline, or from outer space, these tips can help you negotiate like a champ!

Born to be wild!  Last month our own Jody DeVere had the pleasure of visiting the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, WI and was shown around by some pretty great people at Harley-Davidson Motorcycles.  This video offers a recap of the tour with Jody, Julie Scroggins, VP of Waukegan Tire, Amanda Lee, Manager Product Communication, and Claudia GarberDirector, Women's Outreach Marketing Harley-Davidson Motor Company.  

Join them for this special peek into the history of Harley-Davidson, including a look at some of the ladies who have had a hand in making them the greatest American motorcycle manufacturer.

Some of the best days left to get a great deal on a new car will fall between now and the end of the year, so if you've been waiting to buy a new car, now is the time to get the best price. If you'll be venturing into dealerships during December, we want to offer some tips to make that shopping experience as good as possible, given that the holiday shopping season can be hectic, regardless of whether you’re buying a blanket or BMW.

Dealers want to clear their lots of excess inventory so they can earn their end-of-year bonuses and avoid paying taxes on unsold vehicle stock. They do this by offering sizeable cash-back rebates, super financing discounts, and special lease deals, which means great pricing with discounts of up to 30% on some models for new car shoppers who want to buy a vehicle before January. Most consumers are aware of this, so car dealerships get just as busy as retail stores during the holidays; be prepared for crowds and delays at the auto malls too.

Many women are apprehensive about the new car buying process. Some of us wrinkle our noses at the thought of haggling over price with a dealer. Others of us are worried that we’re going to be treated differently, as a woman. We bring our fathers, husbands, boyfriends, brothers or guy friends with us to the dealership, hoping not to get taken advantage of.

Working at CarWoo!, I’ve witnessed thousands of new car negotiations take place over the past year. From Fords to Fiats, from Volkswagens to Velosters (can you tell I love alliteration?), we’ve seen enough deals to know the folks who are negotiating right from the buyers who could use a little help.

Whether you decide to buy your new car online, offline, or from outer space, these tips can help you negotiate like a champ!

Holiday Car Shopping? Costco Auto Program and GM have partnered to bring Costco members GM Preferred Pricing at participating dealerships, along with a $500 Cash Card

to use on any Costco goods! We sat down with Gina Paolino, president of the Costco Auto Program, and India Rayl, VP of Marketing for the Costco Auto Program, to talk a little about the initiative.

Established in 1989, the Costco Auto Program has always operated with the same philosophy, according to Gina: “To make it easy for Costco members to purchase vehicles at a great price. We select dealerships across the nation that offer both service and value, and we direct all of our members into those dealerships.” These select dealerships are subject to a training and certification program to ensure that Costco members receive only the best in service and value when they shop for cars there.

This GM promotion is unique in the Costco Auto world. Though they are often approached by OEMs to partner, they want to make sure that the program's value doesn't suffer as a result. “Our very first promotion was with Volvo,” says Gina, referring to their 2007 partnership with the manufacturer “and it worked out extremely well,” saying that this program's success was a major contributing factor leading to the current, comparatively larger, promotion with GM.

"Jenny from the block" has a new licensing deal with FIAT, and is featuring her ner partner in an upcoming music video for her song "Papi."  Now, I'm not sure when the video will be released, or how (do any of the "music" channels still show videos?), but in the meantime, FIAT has a condensed, 30-second version of the video as a preview and television advertisement.  

Now, I certainly am not going to begrudge JLO her choice of brand partners, a girl's gotta eat, and according to FIAT, they're approaching their partnership with Lopez from an angle of empowerment: 

"[She] fits perfectly with the brand not because of who she is but because of what she is - authentic, passionate, modern and a fighter determined to stand out from the rest"

Sounds great, right?  Well, take a look at the 30-second spot after the jump, and then we'll talk.

The used car market is in full swing as the US consumer, wary of extra spending, is leaning toward the used car over the new one.  If you're among those comsumers (I know I am!) you should pay attention to some of the things AWARE (Americans Well-informed on Automobile Retailing Economics - an awkward acronym, but a solid organization) has to say about used car shopping, particularly their thoughts on your rights and responsibilities as a consumer and potential used car buyer.  So - who are these AWARE folks anyway?