Featured MarketeerIan Godbold
Responsible for developing and executing an aggressive digital ROI focused business strategy for profitable growth and increase market share in the automotive dealer sector, whilst effectively integrating online with the core business
All Article & Video Search
OCT-2021 - dalepollak.com
A Brighter View of Used Vehicle Buying Power
I appreciate moments when someone offers an insight or perspective that gives me pause and shapes my thinking.
| Comments OCT-2021 - dalepollak.com
5 Best Practices for Customer Vehicle Acquisition Success
There’s been a remarkable shift by dealers in the past 18 months to acquire more vehicles directly from customers rather than rely on auction and trade-in purchases.
OCT-2021 - dalepollak.com
A Look at Winners and Losers in the Current Used Vehicle Market
There’s a general rule in business and life that if someone’s winning, someone else is losing.
OCT-2021 - dalepollak.com
A Curious, Cautionary Moment in the Used Vehicle Market
If you’ve been busy buying used vehicles to stock up your inventory, you may want to temper your acquisition efforts. This suggestion comes as Cox Automotive economists have found a curious wrinkle in current data for retail and wholesale prices of used vehicles.
SEP-2021 - dalepollak.com
4 Factors to Consider as Opportunity Rises (Again) in Used Vehicles
It’s a tempting moment in the used vehicle market for dealers to stock up on vehicles, knowing that both wholesale and retail prices are currently on the rise, and there will be money making opportunities in the weeks ahead with the cars you acquire and stock today.
SEP-2021 - dalepollak.com
A Misunderstood Aspect of Investment Value-based Pricing–“the Overlap”
When dealers use ProfitTime’s investment value-based method of pricing vehicles, they will often see vehicles where the ProfitTime price recommendation range doesn’t seem to make sense.
SEP-2021 - dalepollak.com
Rising Retail Prices Bring Relief in Used Vehicles
It’d be easy for dealers to view the sustained, unprecedented rise of wholesale values for used vehicles this fall as another sign that the wholesale market in 2021 simply doesn’t make any sense.
SEP-2021 - dalepollak.com
A Revised View of Wholesale Market Conditions in 2021
Just last week, I shared how wholesale values had begun to appreciate as dealers and consumers learned that expected incoming supplies of new vehicles would not arrive.
SEP-2021 - dalepollak.com
An Unexpected Upward Turn in the Wholesale Market
If you haven’t been following the wholesale market closely in the past two weeks, you may have missed what amounts to a historic and unexpected upward turn in wholesale values.
SEP-2021 - dalepollak.com
A Closer Look at Current Dealership Buy/Sell Activity
I had the honor of being asked to participate in a Q&A panel on the reasons behind a remarkable rise in dealership buy/sell activity in 2021. The other participants where two individuals for whom I hold a great deal of admiration and respect–dealer Don Flow, Chairman and CEO of Flow Automotive Companies and Alan Haig, Founder and President of Haig Partners.
AUG-2021 - dalepollak.com
ProfitTime in Practice: How Days in Inventory, Days to Sell Work Together
One of the biggest benefits the ProfitTime system provides dealers is the ability to manage and price vehicles based on their unique investment values. It’s a more sound and sophisticated approach to inventory management than using a vehicle’s days in inventory, or days on the lot, as the primary basis for critical decisions.
AUG-2021 - dalepollak.com
ProfitTime 2.0 in Practice: A Tale of Great and Greater
Most dealers and used vehicle managers would agree that the used vehicle market has settled down in recent weeks.
AUG-2021 - dalepollak.com
ProfitTime 2.0 in Practice: How VDP Values Vary Across Used Vehicle Investments
More than a decade ago, dealers were coming to understand the value of Search Results Pages (SRPs) and Vehicle Details Pages (VDPs) metrics for their used vehicle inventories.
AUG-2021 - dalepollak.com
4 Reasons We Won’t See a “Crash” in Used Vehicle Values
A recent Forbes article suggested that dealers and vehicle buyers will soon see a crash in used vehicle values that causes negative financial consequences.
JUN-2021 - dalepollak.com
ProfitTime 2.0 in Practice: Five Take-Aways from a Fast-Moving Market
If there’s one thing that dealers might conclude from the used vehicle market through much of this year, it’s that if you’re not paying close attention to vehicle values and retail prices, you’re likely missing opportunities to make more money.
JUN-2021 - dalepollak.com
ProfitTime 2.0 in Practice: How the Fallacy of “Fresh Cars” Lives On
There’s a bit of what I would call an investment value disconnect with dealers and their used vehicles that offer the least amount of potential profit return.
MAY-2021 - dalepollak.com
Missing the Import of Current Retail Automotive Conditions
It seems as if nearly everyone in the industry, especially dealers, wants answers to two important questions:
MAY-2021 - dalepollak.com
Reconditioning Inefficiency Comes Back to Bite–Hard
Amid the current, incredible run of strong retail demand for used vehicles, some dealers are forced to do something many would have considered unheard of in recent years–selling cars to customers and reconditioning them after the deals are done.
MAY-2021 - dalepollak.com
Ripple Effects of Current New Vehicle Inventory Constraints
There is absolutely no question that the micro-chip and COVID-19 constraints on factory production and sales of new vehicles has landed franchise dealers in uncharted territory.
MAY-2021 - dalepollak.com
Early Signs of a Market Moving to More “Normal” Dynamics
When you boil eggs or pasta on a stovetop, there’s a point when it’s wise to lower the heat to avoid a boil-over. You shouldn’t drastically reduce the heat; you lower it just enough to prevent the boil-over and maintain the cooking process.
APR-2021 - dalepollak.com
ProfitTime 2.0 in Practice: A Case of Moonshots and Missed Shots in Used Vehicles
If you examine how dealers are pricing used vehicles in the current market based on the investment value of each vehicle, it amounts to a tale of two cities. Or, more specifically, it boils down to a case of moonshots and missed shots.
APR-2021 - dalepollak.com
4 Pointers for Acquiring Inventory in an Appreciating Market
With wholesale values of vehicles reaching record highs, dealers are asking if it makes sense to continue acquiring inventory at costs at, near or sometimes above current retail asking prices for the same or similar vehicles.
MAR-2021 - dalepollak.com
A Remarkable–and Familiar–Time for Used Vehicle Retailing
This is normally the time of year when I caution dealers about their high hopes for a strong spring selling season in used vehicles. The caution relates to the tendency of dealers to speculate about the future of retail sales, and stock up on cars in anticipation of selling them as customers come out of their winter mode, often with tax refund checks in hand, and start buying used vehicles.
FEB-2021 - dalepollak.com
NADA 2021: A View from the Home Office
Like a lot of dealers, I’m missing NADA this year.
FEB-2021 - dalepollak.com
A Better Way to Price Used Vehicles Arrives
It’s a big week for vAuto as we unveil ProfitTime 2.0 at the Cox Automotive Experience, a precursor to the system’s official launch at the upcoming virtual National Automobile Dealers Association convention.
A Closer Look at an Uncertain, Unpredictable Used Vehicle Market
Are Car Dealerships the Safest Retail Experience?
Digital Marketing Strategy - A return to a traditional KPI
Desire, Commitment Drive Impressive Used Vehicle Turn-Around
A 2019 Priority: Managing Your Inventory Investment Value
Independent Dealer Realizes His Car Business Dream
4 Misunderstandings About Price In Today’s Auto Retail Market
3 Best Practices To Beat Used Vehicle Margin Compression
3 Takeaways to retail a larger share of vehicles in less than 30 days, and improving overall profitability and ROI in used vehicles.
Key Benchmarks Top Used Vehicle Dealers Achieve to Outpace Others In The US Market
Comment: 2924 Days Ago
3 Best Practices To Beat Used Vehicle Margin Compression
Old habits and expectations are hard to break. More profit made because the sale price increased. ..