Joseph Foti

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Thoughtful and specific steps Texas business owners must take to create and complete a company dissolution: https://bit.ly/3XoDUvg

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The topic of DMS systems have been the theme of my most recent dealer visits…… DMS databases should be simple and easy to manage right ……. Their are so many variations of integrations and codes that need to be inputted, how can you make sure your data is clean, no duplicates, all have a first name, last name and email address ……. Its simply a minefield. A few years ago email addresses wasn’t a thing, now you need one to get a receipt from the shop…. So how do you manage updating the customer details, does your system allow you too? How do you keep your DMS databases cleansed ?

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Combating Automotive Retail Scams or C.A.R.S. FTC rule. Consumers love it, lenders will make money either way, and dealers HATE it. National dealer groups and the State of Texas dealer group are currently suing the FTC. Why do they hate it? In 2022 the FTC proposed the most challenging rules to the dealership industry; it's the Dodd-Frank for dealerships. Here's what the FTC is proposing: • Bans on all products like, nitrogen in tires, additional warranties, or insurances that provide no additional benefit to buyers. • Any add-ons must be itemized and displayed on all online listing • Bans on misleading pricing advertising. A buyer must be able to purchase the vehicle at the price listed online minus taxes, registration, and title. • Disclose in writing the Cash Price without Optional Add-ons if a buyer were to decline all optional add-ons when purchasing a car. These rules disrupt dealers' high-profit F&I centers. Dealers argue that complying with these regulations adds additional costs to consumers. As a dealer, there will be added time and cost. But this is the pushback we receive when shady dealer owners and hard-selling F&I managers take advantage of consumers for decades. I believe these changes are fair. I think they're protecting some dealers from themselves which are facing a lot of disruption from online competitors and EV startups that don't leverage a franchise model. Car buying has ranked as the worst consumer buying experience in the US and has for some time. If we don't provide a better experience for consumers, then the government or market will force us to. So this is a step in the right direction. https://lnkd.in/gCq4G4rA

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The Pro Mule lives..... Last night Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. released a bulletin announcing the impending update that will allow dealers to restart Pro-Mule sales. The CPSC still needs to sign off on the recall before it's final, but after 90 days of almost no communication from the factory, this is something. ( I did give it a shot this morning but you still can't order parts) From the dealer standpoint, I think Kawasaki has generated some significant reputational damage to the Pro-Mule lineup, and I believe this will set them back 2-3 years. KMC put dealers in the worst possible situation. We were the sounding boards for our customers' frustrations. They'd call in daily wanting updates, and all a dealer could say was "we don't know". Everyone at the dealership was frustrated. Customers were Pi$$ed off! With the advent of cell phones, many customers also have a direct line to the sales staff. They were constantly reaching out to those front line employees, only to get the same "sorry, the factory ain't telling us anything". Those issues sit deep with sales staff, and many of them will choose to exercise their frustrations by promoting other brands that offer marginally better customer and dealer support. The other issue is lot rot. Dealers now have thousands of Mules that have been rotting in the lot for the last 3 months. They are worth significantly less today than they were 90 days ago. KMC needs to come out with some STRONG consumer programs if they expect to start rebuilding any market momentum. I think it will be a long uphill climb. I know many dealers who had large piles of unsellable Mules on their lots, and going forward they aren't going to be as inclined to stock deep with a non-communicative vendor. Anyway, what are your thoughts on the recall situation? How do you think Kawasaki handled this debacle? #Kawasaki #StopSale #ProMule #Recall

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Once again it's time to renew dealer agreements. My recent posts have sparked numerous discussions about provisions in powersports dealer agreements that potentially violate franchise laws governing OE operations in different states. These laws vary from state to state, yet many OEs utilize a single agreement/template nationwide. Recently, I received advice from a legal professional in a related field that resonated with me. They pointed out that while common sense might suggest that state laws supersede any conflicting clauses in dealer agreements, signing such agreements could set a precedent, leading to potential legal challenges or administrative complaints for dealerships. Their recommendation was straightforward: either ensure the dealer agreement contains a statement that they explicitly defer to state laws, or attach an addendum to that effect when signing. While I'm not a legal expert, this approach seems prudent. Before consulting legal counsel about drafting such an addendum, I'm curious if any fellow dealers have a similar addendum they'd be willing to share for the benefit of others in the industry? p.s. As a side conversation, most dealer agreements state that dealerships are not franchises, although an attorney in TX told me that the state laws and statutes actually define when a dealership would be a franchise. He felt that in TX, every dealership with a valid dealer agreement was a franchise, regardless of the wording in the agreement. Whether or not we are franchises could soon come into play as there are some important labor law cases winding their way through the legal system. Anyone ever dug into this? #StateLaws #Statute #DealerAgreements #FranchiseProtections

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Every successful business has a strategy behind it. At SLIC Texas, we tailor sales strategies that fit your unique business needs. Let’s talk growth! #SalesStrategy #GrowthMindset #SalesXceleration

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Heading to San Antonio next week for #NAFA2024! Stop by our booth to learn how easy it is to leverage PAVE's automated vehicle inspection technology to help you gain insights into the current condition of your fleet. Maintain your brand image, enhance driver safety, track damage occurrence, and leverage PAVE's inspections for Remarketing. #PAVE #AutomatedVehicleInspections #FleetMaintenance

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