Steven Osvatics

🌧️ Flood The Floor Or Sprinkle It? 💦 We are turning back time where you have to roll up your sleeves again to EARN a customers business. The competition is being aggressive and the gross profits are no longer $XXXX over MSRP. To put it bluntly you actually NEED to know how to work a deal like we OG’s did before some of you were even born! This reality of 2024 has caused a dilemma with Management. Do you flood the floor knowing you have coverage for those late Summer nights and Saturdays? Or do you run with a thin sales staff so everyone continues to make money? The answer is NEITHER! When I sold cars I COULD CARE LESS how many salespeople were on the floor. I knew I was going to get my share as I bet on myself to win, and my results proved it. If you ask my Mentors and former Owners they will back me up on this. But today most salespeople don’t know how to develop this mindset of “creating your own shot.” They just get negative and pissed off thinking management is slicing their share of the pie in half! This has made management keep fewer salespeople working them longer hours. On the surface it appears that’s the right decision, HOWEVER in the long run you wear everyone out where they eventually will break down. Just ask the NY Knicks how this philosophy is working out for them right now. 🏀 Now when your salespeople become exhausted, emotionally spent from trying to justify that money is the trade off from spending time with their families, or have a situation happen (breakup, death, or sickness) that causes them to miss time, the production drops or worse yet they quit! Which leaves you short handed then the animosity builds up because of the conflict of interest between time and money. Sound familiar? I too have been faced with this dilemma the past few years. Where I’ve elected for a softer travel schedule and better quality of life. As I said to someone very special recently I’m not putting work over a relationship ever again. So we identified the problem, what’s the solution? The solution will vary from store to store but it should start with everyone (GM down to the newest salesperson) being on the same page BEFORE you take or not take any action. This will ensure the work/life balance everyone desires. Preventing you from stepping on dollars to save pennies or worse yet lighting the profit you are making on fire.🔥 #GrowthGratitude2024 #GOALLIN

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🚨 Automotive ID Fraud: The $619 Million Problem You Can't Ignore 🚗💳 We just got our hands on the IDScan 2024 Automotive Fraud Report, and the numbers are shocking. Here's what every dealership owner needs to know: 1️⃣ 4.15% of IDs scanned in automotive showed signs of fraud. That's 1 in 24 customers! 2️⃣ ID fraud cost our industry $619 MILLION in 2022 alone. 3️⃣ 79% of dealerships have experienced identity fraud-related vehicle loss. Are you one of them? 4️⃣ Most fraudulent IDs claim to be males aged 36-55. But here's the kicker - over half are from out-of-state! 5️⃣ October saw fraud rates DOUBLE the yearly average. Is your team ready for the next spike? 🤖 AI-generated fake IDs are the new frontier. But there's hope - 90% were caught by advanced verification systems. TAKEAWAY: The old ways of ID verification are dead. It's time to evolve or risk becoming another statistic. At QoreAI, we're obsessed with staying ahead of these trends. Our AI-powered identity verification doesn't just catch fakes - it adapts to new threats in real-time. How is your dealership combating ID fraud? Are you still relying on the "eyeball test," or have you embraced AI-driven solutions? Share your experiences below. Your insights could save a fellow dealer tens of thousands of dollars. 👇 Want to learn how QoreAI is revolutionizing automotive identity verification? DM us for a chat. Let's protect your dealership together. 🛡️ #AutomotiveFraud #IdentityVerification #DealershipSecurity #QoreAI

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New challenge facing dealers: A dealer purchased 8 Volkswagen EVs (ID4 model) But, apparently, because of the battery weight… Only 7 could fit on the back of a vehicle hauler (with standard capacity for 10 vehicles). Has anyone ever heard of this before? This dealer had no choice but to schedule a second truck — At an additional 15% cost. Bottom line: As more dealers begin acquiring used EVs in light of the improving deals, expect shipping costs across the industry to rise given the transport limitations. Shipping insight from the Auto Hauler Exchange: https://lnkd.in/gYkqB2xd (Data via CDG Partner: Auto Hauler Exchange #autohaulerexchangepartner)

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"And this is the overage stock from that dealership that refused to embrace video in 2024..." Ok, so it's a bit of a wild exaggeration. And I don't foresee any dealerships turning into scrap yards because they didn't use video. HOWEVER... The second worst thing to cars going to a scrap yard is having cars goes OVERAGE! But did you know? Car listings with video sell on average 3-5 days faster than those without. Improving stock turn and profits! So, if you currently have either no videos on your online stock, or have just a picture carousel, you are missing a big opportunity to engage your potential buyers and influence their decision to enquire on your vehicles. Thus potentially slowing down the enquiries on your own stock!

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🚙Used Car Managers🔥 🔥General Managers🚗 🚘Dealer Principals🔥 🔥Automotive Professionals🚖 Keep trusting the following 3 things and you’ll go broke. 😩☹️⛓️‍💥 Adam Arens breaks it down in this exchange with Darrell Steed on David Long’s All Things Used Cars. 🤯🫳🎤 Every Friday morning at 9AM EST/6AM PST… Jump into the conversation or be a 🪰 on the wall like me! Either way, you’ll walk away with amazing insights and actionable tips that you can implement at your dealership TODAY to make you and your bottom line better. 💰🤑💵💲 👀 in the comments for a link to the full episode replay of 2024 Appraisal Process. #automotive #autodealers #automotiveindustry #carbusiness #automotivesales #newcarsales #usedcarsales #usedcardealer #sales #cardealership

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A significant cyberattack on software maker CDK Global has caused chaos for auto dealerships across the United States. CDK Global provides essential software for car dealerships to manage sales and transactions. With their systems compromised, many dealerships have reverted to manual processing, as reported by local news. This attack is the latest in a growing trend of cybercriminals targeting large companies through their software suppliers. The group behind this hack, known as BlackSuit, emerged in May 2023. Analysts believe BlackSuit is a new offshoot of the infamous Russia-linked hacking group, RoyalLocker. RoyalLocker, which primarily targeted American companies, was known for its tenacity, ranking as one of the top ransomware groups alongside LockBit and ALPHV. Despite this, BlackSuit appears less aggressive, with fewer hacking partners, as noted by Kimberly Goody, head of cybercrime analysis at Mandiant Intelligence. 🕵️ Who Has BlackSuit Targeted? BlackSuit has breached at least 95 organizations worldwide, with the majority being U.S.-based. These include sectors like industrial goods and education. The true number of victims is likely higher, according to security firm Recorded Future. 🛡️ How Does BlackSuit Operate? BlackSuit employs "double extortion" tactics, stealing sensitive data, locking systems, and threatening to leak information unless a ransom is paid. They also provide infrastructure to smaller cybercriminal groups, supporting extortion efforts and even taking down victim websites to pressure payments.

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Imagine if every dealership had LoJack by Solera as a second layer of protection so thieves stop ramming cars through the dealership because the capture and arrest stats were close to 100%. Imagine how enthusiastic law enforcement would be to take your call if you could tell them exactly where the vehicle is? Just imagine if dealers realized OnStar, Hyundai blue link and ford pass only work when it’s actually still connected. You don’t have to comment, just inbox me that you or someone you know needs a LoJack demo and we are on the way. https://lnkd.in/e-GAuaNd

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Here’s how I’d assist an Automotive dealer groups sales team to increase their performance Breaking down each part of the process with strategies you can use: 1. Meta Ads (facebook) I’d first buy data. How can you lose when you know what your customers want and how they best want it? Ads are the perfect way to understand your customers, generate leads & accumulate data in the fastest way. Strategy → think like a funnel. Large amount of data in the top. Less but much more specific out the bottom. Start broad, understand who & how your customers react to your offers. Test creatives then scale those winners. 2. Use AI (Shift Digital - Automotive Solutions) Using tools like Shift Digital - Automotive Solutions let you filter the good from the bad, the time waster from the legit customer. Creating higher qualification in your leads meaning increased productivity speaking to real customers & creating more success. Strategy → think time. If you had more time to spend on leads that convert how could you improve the way you sell? Use systems that assist. Nurturing the leads, qualifying the conversations. 3. Get Reminders / Booked appointments. Whether it’s through your CRM or an alternative lead management / qualification tool like Shift, reminders are key. Strategy → Leads are time sensitive no matter the qualification. Set systems that automatically set time sensitive tasks or create bookings, so when your leads are primed and ready for the next steps. The result from using all three? More leads → less time wasted → more deals done. How many of these are you currently using in your sales process? P.s share this with a friend, let’s help each other achieve!

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🚙Used Car Managers🔥 🔥General Managers🚗 🚘Dealer Principals🔥 🔥Automotive Professionals🚖 If you’re not looking at customers this way you are losing money hand over fist!✋✊🤯 Larry Feldman of Career Changers USA shares this simple yet brilliant mindset on David Long’s All Things Used Cars. Every Friday morning at 9AM EST/6AM PST… Jump into the conversation or be a 🪰 on the wall like me! Either way, you’ll walk away with amazing insights and actionable tips that you can implement at your dealership TODAY to make you and your bottom line better. 💰🤑💵💲 👀 in the comments for a link to the full episode replay of Non-negotiables For Success.. #automotive #autodealers #automotiveindustry #carbusiness #automotivesales #newcarsales #usedcarsales #usedcardealer #sales #cardealership

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To the 15000 Dealers out there Affected by the CDK recent shutdown I feel for you, but I know this challenge comes with the potential of bringing new possibilities You can make Papers and Spreadsheets fun too, for now Let everyone unite and work towards making this a good turnaround Caleb #automotive #automotiveindustry #CDKoutage

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Get a DMS that listens to you and introduces product enhancements to make your job easier!!! Always love the quarterly enhancements notifications that come with Tekion. Over the last year since we partnered with them as our DMS provider, they have continued to show their ability to innovate their product offering across all departments. What is especially unique about some of the updates, is when they specifically mention that dealer feedback resulted in a product enhancement. There are plenty of active, forward-thinking dealerships on the Tekion platform, and we all work together to provide real user feedback to Tekion. Tekion makes it really easy to submit product feedback in the application, and the best part of that? THEY LISTEN!! What made me think of this?? The most recent update regarding applying parts fees to ROs without parts. Just one example of how dealer feedback led to product improvements. #TekionPartner #automotive #fixedops

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👉 Please be aware that there are bad actors posing as CDK support representatives who are contacting dealership personnel to gain remote access to their systems. ⛔   CDK support is *NOT* contacting anyone at this point. ⛔ DO NOT ALLOW anyone on your system without your IT or IS department. Please stay vigilant and notify support of any suspicious system behavior or if you accidentally click on something. ⚠If you notice or experience anything severe and you cannot contact any IT support, please notify your leadership immediately. My companies 24/7/365 Emergency incident response hotline is available, please see comments for more information. 🚨 Do not try to open CDK Drive; your 'always on' connection to CDK should be off; these are critical! 🚨 🤷‍♀️ Please note: There is no word on when CDK will be available. It takes a considerable amount of time to perform a full security audit, we assume they will be working 24/7 to bring systems online. We are providing updates to as soon as they become available. By now, it should be clear that manual processes are critical to business continuity. If you do not have any, DM me for a pack of ~20 different generic automotive forms for various department operations. We can do this; we are strong 💪. Let's show the world once again how resilient we are! If you are a automotive team member, I see you, I feel for you, I am praying for you. We will get through this.

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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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“My scan tool said I didn’t need to calibrate this car.” We hear this phrase a lot from collision repair shops. At Revv we’re ADAS educators as much as we are calibration identifiers, and the scanning device myth is one we have to banish pretty often. The scanning devices most shops are using only work on the surface. Sure, they tell you if your ADAS sensors are working - but they don't tell you whether or not they're calibrated to the exact OEM specifications. Remember, even one degree of misalignment can result in sensors missing a target and potentially causing an accident. There is zero margin for error out on the roads! #adascalibrations

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Thinking about switching from CDK Global to Tekion or another competitor? The soul of your dealership is the DMS and if you’re moving platforms, in present times to save some money or just to try something new, you’ll want to talk to me as soon as the ink is dry on your exit from CDK. Don’t take your duplicate and bad data with you to the new landscape you’re developing at your dealership. Contact Empire Data Management, speak with me, and I’ll clean your DMS up at a rate far less than CDK will charge you, and I’ll have it done in time for your conversion and install at your new platform guranteed, or your money goes right back into your digital pocket. I’ve done DMS name consolidation for over a decade and there has never been a time where more stores were converting off CDK. Destroy your dupes, clean up your name file, and start fresh. My services come with a coaching plan so that employees can have a uniformed best practice going forward. Let me help you help your team. No glory for me, just the goal of clean data in DMS’s across the globe. Let’s do it together! #cdk #dms #nct #namefile #tekion #reynolds #accounting Find me ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

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imho because a company's stock rises and breaks out, as it did today on a surprise earnings announcement, doesn't mean the company is in the clear and that they proved doubters wrong. Carvana still has debt leveraged to the eyeballs, a PE ratio of 38, etc. But it is a positive for them that they actually made money in the last quarter instead of losing money as they have done most of their existence. I have no idea if Carvana will turn the corner permanently. But overall I think it doesn't matter to the dealership groups that "grind every day" as Charles says so well here. I say bring on the competition. Great dealerships win by having the right people in place, the right processes, by executing a sound plan, and continuously monitoring themselves for improvement. Dealerships focused on making customers and employees feel important and heard will always be tough to beat. Customers want to do business with that kind of dealership. Great employees want to work for that kind of dealership. #hondaoflincoln #hondaoflincolnway

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