Huge step forward…
Your EasyVend orders can come from
YOUR WEB SITE!!!! Automatically!
Is a handheld still needed?

Contents

New MiniVend, is it ever coming?

Development over the past 2 years has been intermittent and maybe this has been a good thing. The cost of the new PDA hand held device for MiniVend is not small, and then you need to ask how long before a new improved model is available.

To be ahead of our competition we must always be looking at new technology and take full advantage of it, but keeping up with the latest greatest device is virtually impossible & costly.
How Many Vendors have a mobile Phone?
Could we modify MiniVend to run on a phone?
Why limit MiniVend to a particular device?
After answering these questions we have turned the whole MiniVend Idea on its head.

Here’s the exciting news.
We have started the development of “EasyVend Websites” for each of YOU – this will allow online ordering.
Customers, Franchisee’s & if needed Reps can place their own orders, which will automatically export back to your own EasyVend data base.
The websites will allow orders to be entered from virtually any device, Iphone, windows phones, Ipads & most hand held devices as long as they can connect to the internet & open a web browser.
Sounds exciting doesn’t it
This huge step forward will make it easier than purchasing MiniVend. Do you still want to know “when is MiniVend coming”?

Read more about EasyVend web pages below.

EasyVend Websites

Now that all Fonterra Franchisees have come on board with EasyVend we have a huge opportunity to move ahead of our opposition.

The development of “EasyVend Websites” for each of you is now well underway.

Each Franchisee can have their own custom website.
Customers will have a logon password for security.
You’re Messages, specials or any other notifications will be displayed for your customers to see.
Tell them how good your Milk is; tell them about the New Mammoth products.
It really is a sales tool as well as an ordering system.
Your Rep could be with the customer & then place an order on their behalf after promoting a particular product.

Customer can:
Enter orders
View standard orders
Select specials
Franchisees will be able to automatically view orders being placed by customers then import directly into EasyVend, this could even eliminate the need for an answering machine.
Franchisees will be able to enter deliveries from anywhere in the world.

New EasyVend Features

Credit Limit Management

You can now exercise greater control over customers who have gone over their credit limit or are overdue in their payments.
If you enter a credit limit amount, you will receive an alert message whilst entering deliveries informing you that the customer’s credit limit has already been exceeded or the sale you are entering will exceed it. You can choose to continue with the sale or cancel.

A password can be set for those data entry staff that do not have the authority to override the credit limit.
To use this option go to the customers details screen then Invoice options, enter credit limit.
To set password click setup options then the delivery Tab, enter password.

Rebate History

Rebate history may change from time to time depending on the situation. This can be tracked & used in the sales report.

Over Due letters

Credit control and collections activities during the good times are often overlooked whereas in today’s market no business can afford such oversights.

Whether you are a small or large franchisee good credit control practices are essential for success.

Overdue letters are designed to make this process easy to perform.
For any customers needing to be included in this process and maybe that should be all customers, click invoice options on the customers screen.
Tick the box “This customer is included for overdue letters”
Under the reports menu then the overdue letters can be selected & printed.
We have 4 pre defined overdue letter templates which can be used or modified

Order Reconciliation & why it should be Used – OOS Report

EasyVend has always had the ability to track & reconcile your Fonterra Invoices. Predominantly used by the Franchisees utilizing the stock control function.

This should be used by all franchisees, here is why.
It is Easy & only takes a couple of minutes to do.
It helps to easily identify discrepancies in Fonterra invoices for products ordered but not received.
Helps monitor & report any trends with out of stock problems back to Fonterra management.

For help utilizing this function a document will be sent via email to all Franchisees
Of course call the support line if guidance is needed

MiniVend (Palm) recent improvements

MiniVend now has the capability to print invoices for new customers added whilst on the run, no need to sync back to EasyVend before producing the first Invoice.
This is useful for those cash Van sales

1. Open your Easycars software
2. Check for update to make sure you have the most current version
3. Click the “Advertising” button
4. Tick the logo of your preferred advertisers
5. Press the Setup tab
6. Select your preferred advertisers Tab and enter your unique dealer ID, which you would have received when you registered. (If you don’t have one, please call us and we will give it to you) make sure to tick the passive mode for FTP transfer if there is one available
7. Select the To Send tab
8. Select Vehicles for upload
9. Press Create and send
10. If you are happy with the information in the pop up window then press “Yes”
11. Congratulations!!! You have now uploaded your Vehicles to your preferred advertisers!

Contents

Workshop Mate Software Updates for 2011

Workshop Mate Tip of the month.

Creating a Quote in Workmate:

Have your say!!!

We are constantly developing Workshop Mate in the order of importance that we see. Now its your turn to make the call.
What would you like to see our developers work on next?
The most popular responses will have their wishes granted. Have your say today!

Joke of the Month

The JCS Team moving into 2012

Leads please!

Help us find new workshops that need Workshop Mate. Look out your window (the real one not the Microsoft one) and email the name & phone number of any workshop that has popped up around you in the past 3 years. For every copy of Workshop Mate that we sell from your list, you will receive a $150 spotters fee. Email sales@jeal.com.au. You will also be our best friend.

I just wanted to let you know that the Federal Government has confirmed that PPSR ( Personal Property Security Register) will commence on 30 January 2012.

This means that it is now even more important that your Dealers have their Carhistory.com.au Account set up, as REVs NSW will no longer be available for them to check encumbrance information on vehicles, after 30 January 2012.

The Carhistory Dealer Report will continue to supply all the important information to Dealers to ensure that they remain protected and control their risk profile. We will deliver reports that provide national information including:

• VIN Validation ( Federal Chamber of Automotive Industry- FCAI)
• Encumbrance Information ( PPSR)
• Written off/Stolen Status ( NEVDIS)
• Odometer History
• Insurance Claims History
• ANCAP ratings
• And more

It is important for Motor Dealers to understand that the VIN Validation that Carhistory.com.au conduct will be even more crucial once PPSR commences. The Australian Government has confirmed that under the PPSR Act:

“the correct VIN or chassis number depending on the vehicle is essential when making a registration and searching on the PPS Register because failure to use the correct number will result in an ineffective registration and inability to find the registration on the PPS Register. No protection is provided by the PPS Act if an incorrect VIN or chassis number is provided.”
(FACTS SHEET: MOTOR DEALERS: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE PERSONAL PROPOERY SECURITIES (PPS) REGISTER, AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT)

Carhistory provides a level of confidence by ensuring that the VIN or chassis number is validated first with the FCAI before the PPSR is searched. It is now even more important that Dealers who have not yet subscribed to access Carhistory Dealer Report through Easycars, do so as soon as possible.

I am happy to extend the waiver of the initial Subscription Fee of $195 for Easycar users until 31 of January. If you would like to invite your customers to take advantage of this offer, they may complete the Application form and email it back to me, prior to 31 January, and I will submit their application without the fee.

Kind Regards

Sharon Sheather

The motor Industry has never known change like it has experienced over the past five years. Changes in industries always present opportunities and challenges. The objective for dealers is to evolve and excel in the face of change. Unfortunately this is where many dealers fall by the wayside – change is simply too hard and too foreign. Other more entrepreneurial dealers find ways of taking the share of fallen dealers and some. We have got to face facts; almost all car sales originate from the internet some where along the sale process.
Your objective is to replace all those physical prospects with online prospects. This will ensure your future in the new marketplace.

O.k. so now you accept the fact that you actually need a web presence, what else is critical to a successful future in the motor industry?

SEO

SEO is an abbreviation for Search Engine Optimisation. It simply means to optimise your website so that potential car buyers can find your website when they type in relevant search terms into the Google’s (or other search engines) search bar.

For example; if you are a car dealer in Parramatta and you specialise in 4 Wheel Drives, do you think you should appear on the first page of Google when someone types in 4WD for sale Parramatta? I would!!! If you do appear then you either have SEO covered or you are lucky that you don’t have opposition in your area.

As the general public grows more and more computer literate they become far more intelligent about their vehicle purchases. Quite often they have researched enough online that they know what type of vehicle they want and because the internet offers them the ability to reduce their search area they further define by area. These people don’t rely on advertisers such as Carsales, Drive etc.

The objective of Google and other search engines is to give the “user” which is the “car buyer” in our case, the best relevant experience. How annoying is it when you search for “golf course in Parramatta” and all that comes up is nude women??? O.K. so that was a bad example for car dealers… I didn’t hear one complaint, but you know what I mean.

For fantastic SEO results to increase your lead generation, you will need to consider many different facets to your site. Many of these are not realistic for a motor dealer to know and have to keep track of. There are many Companies including ourselves that specialise in SEO that can manage this task for you. I will go into more detail on these topics in my next edition of “The Motor Industry online”.

Keep selling

• Super Easy – try it, you’ll never go back
• FREE to dealers with up to date support agreements
• Automate feeds for every advertiser
• Send 20 photos per vehicle
• Add a video link for every vehicle
• Includes all major advertisers
• FREE advertising available NOW
  • Carbuddy
  • I’m on-line Media (6 months)
  • Cars Guide (Free until end of May 2012)
  • My Car Ads (First 3 months Free)

Check out the offers from your favourite advertisers below:

Run your ads until they sell for one upfront cost. Web combined with newspaper allows your ads to be seen by an average of 1.5 million potential buyers. You can call 1800 550 864ext 1 to organise a Drive.com rep to visit you.

With pay per lead approach you can be assured the guys at Carsales.com.au have filtered out the “time wasters” from the genuine leads. Carsales.com.au average 1.2million visitors per month. Contact Carsales on 1300728800 to get started.

Country Cars is without a doubt the largest and most successful advertiser focused on regional and rural areas of Australia. You can contact Country Cars on 1300 737 161 or e-mail support@countrycars.com.au to get on aboard.

Print advertising is back and its FREE.
Sign up for twelve months on a $99 per month online deal and you get Four quarter page PRINT adverts worth $1320 FREE.

List all your cars as classified ads, free 1300 number to track your calls, option to run auctions. No lock in contracts, no lead or sales fees, unlimited listings at great prices. EBay Motors provides one of the largest pool of buyers in Australia, as per AC Nielsen. Ph Curtis Perri 1300 661 133 to get started.

There’s not much more to say about Trading Post that you guys don’t know. They’re advertising veterans. To get on-board with Trading Post a.k.a Auto Trader – Call 13 26 26

With a collective total of over 50 years experience in the automotive sales and service industry. They are a no frills online classifieds website. They are the place to be if all you want to do is either buy or sell cars. To register online – www.mycarads.com.au/register.php or call us on 02 9119 3000
Don’t Forget they’reFREE to Easycars dealers for 3 months.

Who are we?: CarBuddy is backed by CarAdvice.com.au Pty Ltd. For more information on CarAdvice visit www.caradvice.com.au. Contact us
What do we do?: We are all about providing dealers and private sellers with the most cost-effective and useful car classifieds website service. CarBuddy provides a place to sell, buy, value, research and chat about cars.
Dealers: We have partnered with major content distribution suppliers like EasyCars from Jeal Computer Services to get your stock listed with minimum effort. Simply fill out the dealer form and we will do the rest.

Carsguide.com.au is focused on delivering serious and much needed competition within our industry. To deliver this we know that it’s all about building on our relationship with you, our dealers. Which is why we’re offering you unlimited FREE leads until 31 May 2012. Register now at Carsguide.com.au/dealer

The ImOnline Media Classifieds Network is the only geographical classifieds network in Australia. Our network consists of eight websites created to target specific states and nationwide searches.
Our simple to use, but user-savvy approach to online classifieds means that your dealership will have an advantage in your local area.
Our network is geographically driven, and our sites are content specific, to drive effective visitor search results from Google.

EuroDB Automotive, a division of Euro DB Group Pty Ltd is an Independently Owned and Operated Australian online classified with its head office located in Melbourne, Victoria. Since 2009 Launch Euro DB achievements includes strong online recognition with 18,000 already recognized keywords followed by 5Mil+ impressions and growing. Our highly competitive level of services will soon be joined by SMS verification* for all online enquiries and I Phone application (Dec 2011). To find out more about Euro DB please call 1300 299 231 for more details.

Easycars Dealers…reduce your marketing costs by partnering with CarNet
Just one low, flat fee per car until sold
NO LEAD FEES, no set up fees and automatic uploads from Easycars.
For more information visit us at: CarNet Dealer Offers
CarNet – By Dealers for Dealers

Contents

20 Ways to train your Brain for Peak Performance

How has technology changed the way we sell Cars and how can you get buckets of leads without paying per lead?

Wow! This is a huge topic.

It is fact that there are now far more computers than there are households in Australia. Reviewing statistics I think it is fair to say that at least 90% of all car buyers will use the internet to some degree for finding their next vehicle purchase. This means that Car Dealers have no choice but to take their presence on the internet seriously… actually I mean more than seriously.

Historically you paid a premium to be on a busy road which produced the majority of leads from traffic passing by. Today this equates to how much you spend on being found on the internet.

This money can be put into advertising sites such as Carsales, Drive etc or it can be invested into SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) for your own website. A balance between the two is necessary.

As car buyers get younger they get far more computer savvy. One of the ways this effects how you market to them is how they search. More and more buyers are better informed and know what kind of car they are after. The search terms are more often like “BMW Sydney” or “BMW Parramatta”. If you can cater to
this buyer you want to be right up there on page one of Google. Don’t wait for them to choose other more expensive methods of vehicle searching like carsales.com. You’ll still need to compete with every other car dealer in NSW.

Work your website. Spend time creating articles of interest and stories that car buyers may benefit from. Google and other search engines objectives are to give the user the best experience (content) relevant to his search term. Therefore the more relevant and up to date your website is the more Google will like you.

JCS now specialises is SEO focused Websites and ongoing SEO for the Motor Industry. Call Jullie on 9623 6403 to discuss your website or have a look at our portfolio at www.websitesmadeeasy.com.au

PPSR

PPSR will replace 42 Revs databases nationwide. It will cover Property, Cars, Boats, Trucks, Motor bikes, Farming equipment and more. The aim is to simplify encumbrances Australia wide. Car History is the Motor Industry portal for PPSR. The Car History Dealer Report available through EasyCars currently extracts data from a myriad of Revs databases. This will automatically switch to the PPSR simplified database when it takes over.

Go to www.ppsrsearch.com.au for more info.

Car History Dealer Report

There has been so much publicity about Car History’s Vehicle reports lately that we must all understand how it can benefit us all. The report covers nationwide encumbrances, written off status, clock wind backs, actual rego expiry dates, special circumstance use like taxi etc.

It’s easy to see why the general public would be interested in this but it seems that it is also benefiting dealers as well.

Some dealers are using it to protect themselves on purchasing written off vehicles, Incorrect rego expiry stickers and special use vehicles. Other dealers are making it a marketing exercise to increase the value of their cars and their
credibility. Either way I suggest you take advantage of their current free sign up (normally $199).

Check out a sample report

Get the application form

Whats new in EasyCars

There have been so many updates to EasyCars over the past 12 months that I am only going to include the topic headings. If the topic interests you please click on the link for more information.

EasyCars Tip of the month

If you purchase CarHistory reports through EasyCars, you have the ability to preview those reports in the future straight from EasyCars without being charged again!

1. Go into the CarHistory Button
2. Click the ‘Auto-Reports’ drop down menu and select ‘Open Saved Reports’. That will bring up the following window which will contain all the purchased CarHistory reports:
   
3. Simply select which report you wish to view, and click ‘Open’

We need your Feed back PLEASE!!!

We are about to upgrade our lead management software and our advertising button in EasyCars. There are many very intelligent and very forward thinking EasyCars Dealers that we would love feed back from. Please say now or forever hold your peace. For the rest of you just sit tight and we will do the work for you.

We are looking for opinions on things like web based access, ability to add cars that are not in EasyCars etc.

Joke of the Month

JCS Products to make your life easier

Have a look at this JCS Brochure for a summary of products to make your life easier:

Top 10 Selling Vehicles in Australia at the moment

Summary of Advertisers

Confused about who all the advertisers are on the advertising button? Want to know what they all offer? See a summary of all of them.

The JCS Team moving into 2012

Leads please!

Help us find new yards that need EasyCars. Look out your window (the real one not the Microsoft one) and email the name and phone number of any yard that has popped up around you in the past 3 years. For every copy of EasyCars we sell from your list, you will receive between $150 – $300 spotters fee. Email sales@jeal.com.au. You will also be our best friend.

In order to stay sharp, it is important that you exercise your brain. The less we use our minds, the duller they become. There is a lot of emphasis these days on staying physically healthy, but we should also be concerned for our mental well-being. Our brains continue to expand and adapt to the stimuli they receive throughout our lives. The more we take care of our brains, the better thinkers we become. Here are twenty ways that you can develop a training regimen for your brain!

1. Read a good book. Reading a book stimulates the imagination. Your brain can’t keep from drawing mental pictures when you read. Reading gets your mind off its butt and to work. I love to let a book carry me away. I always have a book that I’m reading and sometimes I have 3 or 4! I get most of my books from the library to avoid the cost of buying each one. This also allows me to try a wide variety of books without risk.

2. Big Brain Academy. Video games have a bad reputation for causing brain rot, but there are some that will actually help you strengthen your mind. I like Big Brain Academy for the Wii. It is a collection of brain teasers that tests your mental acuity. The tests are entertaining and addicting. You can even compete with others which will make for some great family fun.

3. Practice meditation. Don’t worry; I’m not going off the new age deep-end here. There are a lot of different forms of meditation. To me, in its most simple form, meditation is about spending a little time alone to relax and center your thoughts. It is amazingly therapeutic.

4. Get plenty of rest. A lack of sleep can interfere with your ability to assimilate new information. This means those all-nighters you pulled back in college were much less effective than you thought. Your brain needs rest to operate at its peak performance. This may be why things always seem clearer and brighter after a good night’s sleep.

5. Exercise regularly. You didn’t think you were going to get away without a little time on the treadmill did you? Cardiovascular exercise improves blood flow to the brain which improves brain functioning. One study found that physical exercise actually helped to increase the volume of the brain. So, if you want a bigger, better brain, then get to exercising!

6. Eat a good breakfast. It is not a myth. Eating a good breakfast does get you off to a better start. You should eat a breakfast high in protein and good carbohydrates. A couple of pieces of whole-grain toast with peanut butter will fit the bill. Eggs are also an excellent source of protein. Nuts, milk, and fresh fruit are also great ways to feed your brain.

7. Think positive thoughts. Encourage yourself. I am convinced that positive thinking increases the effectiveness of the brain and helps to avoid things like depression. I like to say that your brain works much like a computer, garbage-in, garbage-out. Find positive, encouraging people to hang around, read material that jazzes you up, do whatever it is that makes you feel good about yourself. These things will also help you be more mentally productive.

8. Be a continual learner. Never stop being curious about your world. Seek out new experiences, skills, and knowledge. Think of something that you’ve always wanted to learn to do and then get started. A now famous study, showed that certain areas of the brains of London cab drivers were more developed compared to the average citizen. This was due to their need to learn how to navigate the maze of downtown streets. We can use this technique of challenging our brains to improve our abilities.

9. Lay off the alcohol. Alcohol is of course a depressant. It slows down mental functions. The negative effects of alcohol on a person’s cognitive ability are well-documented. If you need peak mental performance, then stop drinking alcohol. In addition to its obvious effects, it also decreases the restfulness of one’s sleep which, as we have already discussed, impedes your ability to think clearly.

10. Get romantic (especially if you’re a woman). Studies have shown that there may be a link between regular sex and improved brain performance in women. Love-making increases a woman’s estrogen levels and higher estrogen levels are tied to better mental performance. Of course, the mental benefits probably do not outweigh the risks, unless you are in a faithful, monogamous relationship.

11. Break your routines. Drive a new way to work. Try writing with your less dominant hand. Mix things up a little. This perks up your brain because it requires you to think more. You aren’t just running on auto-pilot. Challenge your brain by getting out of your routines and it will respond. This is a great way to get your mental juices flowing.

12. Stop watching so much television. Researchers have found that too much television between the ages of 1 and 3 leads to attention problems later in childhood. Let’s face it, TV is mind-numbing. Get up off the couch and away from the television. Sure, there is some good educational stuff for children and adults, but the average American watches way too much TV. If you want peak mental performance, then turn off the boob tube.

13. Work with numbers. Do math problems in your head instead of on a calculator. For many of us, it is use it or lose it. We have become mentally lazy. We rely on our gadgets instead of thinking for ourselves. Working with and memorizing numbers is a great way to get your brain back in shape. This could pay off big dividends down the road!

14. Stop relying on your GPS to tell you where to go. Remember the cab drivers in #8 above? Using your brain to figure out how to get from Point A to Point B is good mental exercise. You have to use your brain’s ability to determine spatial relationships to effectively read a map and navigate a city. Traveling in an unfamiliar area is even better!

15. Recall old memories. Get out those old picture albums and start thumbing through them. This taps into your brains memory banks. Pictures will help you recall things that you thought you forgot. Dig deep to see just what all you remember. If you have other ways to stimulate your memory, like old letters or home movies, then by all means use those too.

16. Make beautiful music. Learning to play a musical instrument is a great way to super-charge your brain. It requires a number of different parts of your brain to work together to make the melodies that you desire. Of course, if you are already a musician, then learn a new piece. Push yourself to learn new techniques. Music is a great workout for the mind.

17. Speak a new tongue. Many people agree that learning to speak a new language is a powerful way to give the mind a stretch. If you’ve ever tried to learn even a few new words, then you know this can be difficult. Of course, the harder something is for the brain, the better! You have so much more mental capacity than you might imagine. Give it a try!

18. Memorize a song. Many of us have lots of old songs stored in our heads, but why not expand your memory by learning a few new tunes? It may take awhile at first, but if you keep at it, you will find it gets easier. This is your brain getting back in shape.

19. Walk around the house blindfolded. It might seem like a strange activity, but your brain can handle it. Once you try it a few times, you will probably find it fun and challenging. Again, this one draws on your memory, motor skills, and reasoning abilities. What a workout!

20. Expand your vocabulary. Decide to learn one new word a day. There are several websites out there that can help you with this endeavor. You’ll not only be expanding your mind, but you’ll also be able to impress your friends and co-workers when you work one of your new words into a conversation.

The study is a comprehensive analysis of the new vehicle purchase experience. Overall customer
satisfaction is measured across four factors, all of which directly affect the dealer’s role in the sales
process.
They are:

• Working out the deal (33%)
• Salesperson (25%)
• Delivery process (21%)
• Dealership facility (20%)

The study finds that more than half of new vehicle buyers (52%) cite dealer treatment as a reason to
purchase their new vehicle from a specific dealer.

In comparison, 38% of buyers cite vehicle price or the deal offered as the reason for selecting their
dealer. Furthermore, once the dealer is selected, the ease of coming to an agreement on the final vehicle
price has the single greatest influence on buyer satisfaction, surpassing the importance of fairness of the
actual price paid. With the exception of selecting a vehicle, negotiating the deal is the aspect of the new
vehicle buying process that takes the longest time – almost an hour (53 minutes, on average).

According to Jon Osborn, director of automotive research at J D Power and Associates, “the process of
working out the deal is the primary indicator of whether new vehicle buyers have a satisfactory
experience. While there are some buyers who enjoy the negotiation process, many find it to be the most
unpleasant part of purchasing a new vehicle. It is particular important for dealers to make this process as
efficient and collaborative as possible, given its importance to overall satisfaction.”

Showroom approach

The study also finds that 60% of new vehicle buyers visit more than one dealership during the shopping
process. While many dealers are rejected for not having a vehicle that the buyers wanted to purchase,
almost one in five buyers walk out of the showroom primarily due to poor customer treatment by the
dealership’s sales people.

While some new vehicle buyers complain about the dealership’s sales people applying too much sales
pressure – an equal proportion complain about receiving insufficient attention from sales people. Other
frequently mentioned complaints include dealership sales people being discourteous and rude or not
being straight forward with the buyer.

“With new vehicle retail sales remaining soft and manufacturers spending considerable amounts on
incentives and bonuses to get customers into showrooms, the value of prospects coming in to a
dealership is extremely high,” said Osborn.

“Dealers cannot afford to drive away customers through poor treatment. In addition, many of these
rejecters go on to purchase a different brand of vehicle entirely, meaning that both the individual dealer
and the manufacturer lose out!”

The role of the internet

The internet continues to play an increasingly important role in the new vehicle buying process, with eight
out of every ten new vehicle buyers using the internet during the shopping phase.

One in four buyers in 2010 submitted an online request for a quote to a dealer, and interestingly, were,
on average, more satisfied with the negotiation process and the price paid. However, perhaps expecting
a quicker sales process, these buyers are more likely to express dissatisfaction with the length of the
sales process than are buyers who did not submit an online request.

“Dealers need to streamline the new vehicle buying process for customers who do a lot of research
online,” said Osborn. “These buyers tend to be affluent, well-informed and time sensitive. They
generally know the exact vehicle they want and how much they expect to pay for it. Despite often having
little familiarity with the dealership they are buying from, they want to get in and out as quickly as
possible. Dealers need to balance respect for the customer’s time while still providing what the customer
needs”

Whilst this study is based on new vehicle buyers who purchased or leased their new vehicle in the US, we
wouldn’t be at all surprised if a study was to be conducted in Australia that the responses would be very
similar. After all, many aspects of our automotive industry are very similar to the US.

Dealer service satisfaction grows

Another recent J D Power and Associates study found that customer overall satisfaction with dealer
service departments keeps on increasing – marking the 10th consecutive year of industry wide
improvement.

In particular, customer satisfaction has increased in the following areas: ease of driving in and out of the
dealer facilities; convenience of parking; thoroughness of the work performed; the total time required to
complete the service on the vehicle; flexibility of accommodating customer schedules; and thoroughness
of explanations.

Several other time-related metrics have also improved – including the ability of customers to get an
appointment on the same day as their initial enquiry call and the service being completed in full the day
that the vehicle was brought in for service.

What’s Happening?

• The industry appears to be improving considerably. Many Dealers have adjusted to change and embraced Technology and seem to be the real winners. Expensive yard rentals are being replaced with appointment only warehouses. Not only is this improving the bottom line, but dealers are able to “get a life”.

• Michael & Jullie hosted a stand at the AADA National Dealer Convention last month in QLD. This was our official debut into the new car market. Much of the value was in the speakers and the contacts made. We jotted down as much of the good stuff  as possible. This information is at the end of the newsletter.

• Statistics have confirmed that almost 10% of web searches are performed via mobile devices. We are  will be releasing a mobile application for our website customers very shortly. You will notice the amazing increase in buyers using their mobile phones to look for cars. By creating a mobile experience you will have a better chance of capturing these buyers.

URGENT UPDATE: RTA WRITTEN-OFF VEHICLE REFORM

This affects all car dealers as of October 2010. From our understanding you will not be able to register vehicles that have been written as of October 2010. This means you must check REVS, Vcheck etc before you buy vehicles.  REVS & Vcheck will hand over this responsibility to a new department called PPSR (Personal Property Security Register) as of April/May 2011. We are currently working with a Company that will allow you to print a revs certificate & a VCheck cert through EasyCars. Stay tuned for an update on this shortly.

For a short explanation of the reform from the RTA click here.

What’s New?

Certainly not “the Advertising Screen in EasyCars!!!”

Recurring transactions in EasyCash Pro. This feature will be in the next version of EasyCash Pro (not this one). This will be a major celebration for some people including myself. Enjoy the extra time this creates for data entry into EasyCash Pro.

If you are not using EasyCars to send your vehicle details to drive.com, Trading Post, Carsales.com etc etc … or taking advantage of the FREE advertisers … You are Crazy. We can more than likely save you a bundle of money and a bundle of time! Call us and we will investigate for you… no cost… no obligation.

Check out the new Advertisers … Mycarads and Auto Showroom. Mycarads has a 3 month FREE period and Auto Showroom have a physical paper presence that replaced the Trading Post paper.                               Check them out at;

www.mycarads.com.au

www.autoshowroom.com.au

If you want us to set you up on these sites, just let us know.

JCS Team changes

We have a couple of new people for you to break in. Welcome to Brad and Martin in Support and MD in programming and development. We really appreciate your patience with the new support staff.

Leads please!

Help us find new yards that need EasyCars. Look out your window (the real one not the Microsoft one) and email the name & phone number of any yard that has popped up around you in the past 3 years. For every copy of EasyCars we sell from your list, you will receive between $150 – $300 spotters fee. Email sales@jeal.com.au. You will also be our best friend.

What is SEO and why do I need it for my Website?

SEO stands for search engine optimisation. If you’ve got a website and expect it to bring you business, you need to look at search-engine optimization. Just like every company needs a business plan, you need a search-engine optimization strategy. Fortunately, it’s not rocket science.

This terminology is new and therefore has an air of mystery and complexity about it. We will remove this layer of mystery and get you working on your SEO strategy immediately. It’s mostly about common sense.

In business, location is everything — and that includes where you are on the Internet. The way people find that online location is through search engines. The higher you rank every time someone types in a product or service you sell … the more you sell.

Search-engine optimization, the art of improving your search rank, isn’t hard, but it’s something a lot of small businesses don’t pay attention to — either because they’re too busy, or because it sounds both technical and scary.  More info

EasyCars Tip

When you cancel a sale, return a vehicle or make an adjustment on the vehicle acquisition or disposal in EasyCars it is important that you know what happens with the ‘Adjustment Date’. In 90% of cases you would be clicking on the down-pointing triangle near the plus and minus buttons. This will automatically enter in the acquisition date if this is a return, disposal date if the sale is being cancelled, or if it is an adjustment this will depend on whether it is an adjustment on the purchase or sale of the vehicle.

However, if the business activity has been finalised for the month with your accountant, you should use the current date today so as to avoid changing information that has been finalised without notifying the accountant.

Please think carefully about what date is the most appropriate to use before finalising a cancellation or return.

Should you ever need to cancel or return a vehicle in EasyCars please call JCS for instructions on how to do this.

Random Joke of the Month

The Funeral

A man was leaving a convenience store with his morning coffee when he noticed a most unusual funeral procession approaching the nearby cemetery.

A long black hearse was followed by a second long black hearse about 50 feet behind the first one.

Behind the second hearse was a solitary man walking a dog on a leash.

Behind him, a short distance back, were about 200 men walking single file.

The man couldn’t stand the curiosity.

He respectfully approached the man walking the dog and said, “I am so sorry for your loss, and this may be a bad time to disturb you, but I’ve never seen a funeral like this. Whose funeral is it?”

“My wife’s.”

“What happened to her?”

The man replied, “My dog attacked and killed her.”

He inquired further, “But who is in the second hearse?”

The man answered, “My mother-in-law. She was trying to help my wife when the dog turned on her.”

A very poignant and touching moment of brotherhood and silence passed between the two men . . . .

“Can I borrow the dog?”

The man replied, “Get in line.”

JCS Products

Stop double or triple entering your stock!

JCS is a one stop shop. You enter your vehicle details into EasyCars already, so why wouldn’t you use this data to automatically create entries into your accounts, prepare for your advertising and update your website? It just makes sense.

Websites Made Easy.

One of the most time consuming and costly exercises of websites is keeping it up to date. With Web sites made Easy, your vehicle information is kept completely up to date via your EasyCars software. As and when you buy and sell vehicles the page is automatically updated. JCS support staff will make as many changes to other web site content as often as you like. NO Technical expertise is required on your part what so ever.

$299 start up & $99 per month is all you need to spend! Or if you want some fancy Flash items $499 start up & $99 per month.

Workshop Mate for Workshops

View our guided tour at www.workshopmate.com.au or give our sales staff a call to run through a 10 minute no obligation guided tour and revolutionise the way you run your business. It is designed to manage and enhance the efficiency of mechanical Workshops and Spare Parts Centres.  WORKSHOP MATE makes your invoicing, job control, costing and stock control so EASY!

Payroll (Wages Manager)

Your wages, PAYG tax withholding and superannuation obligations are so simple with Wages Manager.

It is uniquely designed to protect employers by automating as much of the payroll process as possible in accordance with the Tax Laws and Tax Office rulings.

Calculates pays and generates pay slips for employees whether they’re on an hourly rate, a salary base or even a piece rate.
Automatically selects the correct tax withholding scale for employees based on forms they must complete for the Tax Office.
Automatically calculates PAYG tax withholdings and superannuation contributions for your employees pays.
Includes flexibility for employees with multiple pay rates, allowances, deductions etc.
Comprehensive list of reports helps you; manage your business and meet your employer obligations for tax as well as calculate superannuation contributions.
Also available is a Superannuation Guarantee Audit Report to save you days or weeks if you get a tax audit.

Accounting Software made simple for Car dealers using EasyCars

EasyCash Professional Accounting offers you a chart of accounts that includes Assets, Liabilities, Equity, Income, Cost of Goods Sold and Expenses.  The chart of accounts is designed specifically for Workshops & Car Dealers. You can now produce a full profit/loss statement and BAS report for your entire business. EasyCash Pro integrates with Workmate and/or EasyCars for a total solution.

Features Include:

• Full Profit and Loss statements
• Instant 3 year comparison for sales and/or profit & loss
• Balance Sheets
• Trial Balance Reports

• General Ledger Transactions Report
• Cashbook payments and receipts
• BAS Report for the entire business
• Bank reconciliations
• Creditor and Aged Creditor Reports
• Debtor and Aged Debtor Reports
• Chart of Accounts with Assets, Liabilities, Equity, Income, Cost of Goods and Expenses
• Automated Journal entries for stock control
• Ability to manage multiple bank accounts
• Powerful & easy to use password system.
• Ability to link in with a Payroll Package

24 Hour 7 Day telephone Support.

To learn more about Wages Manager, Websites or Accounting for EasyCars and how it can help your business, Contact our sales staff.

Tips from AADA

There were many very successful and motivating speakers at the convention. We jotted down points that we felt were important to all businesses.

Employing and motivating staff

• Never employ staff out of desperation.
• Don’t accept mediocrity.
• Give bigger and better inductions to new staff. You can make them feel proud to work for your Company and it shows. Spend a whole day getting to know them and them getting to know you and your Company. Be passionate remember why you started. Let this rub of on them.
• Thank staff for all the good things they do like coming in early or even coming in on time.

• Spend at least 15 minutes out of the office, one on one time, with EVERY staff member at least once a month. You will be surprised what you learn.
• Use the information you learn about each person to motivate them. Motivation is individual and should be a daily habit. You will be surprised at how motivated people can get from a simple “well done, keep up the good work!” Praise is cheap but effective.
• Make the office a fun and inviting place to work.
• Make bonus schemes only based on OUTSTANDING performance, not mediocre performance.

Leadership. Plan – Share – Follow through – Keep going

• A business plan in writing is a must. If you can document your vision and the steps to achieve your vision clear enough, you will be able to share that with every staff member from your manager to your detailer. You will reach your destination much quicker when everybody understands and is heading in the same direction.
• Follow through – Make sure you follow everything and everyone up. Unless you are driving change it will not happen. Follow through is the key to making things happen.
• Keep going – don’t stop, don’t let people steel your dreams especially yourself. You are your biggest critique.

Sales Facts

• Workshops close 30% more sales simply by following up on leads and enquiries.
• Prestige car buyers travel far less than common more.
• New car buyers want to see reviews. These reviews must have both positive and negative results to make them real.
• Sub headings in websites are a must for easy reading
• Instant call me and chat features becoming standard on websites
• 70% of used car buyers get a professional Inspection
• 30% get a Revs report
• 8% of all internet searches is via mobile phone these days

Workshop Ideas

• If you drive customers home when they drop their vehicle in for servicing, consider the effects of a sales person sending them home instead of the apprentice. How busy are sales people first thing in the morning anyway?
• Before booking in a vehicle with complaints of squeaks or bumps, make it compulsory to go for a test drive with the customer. It isn’t always obvious to look in the boot for squeaks and bumps.

This terminology is new and therefore has an air of mystery and complexity about it. We will remove this layer of mystery and get you working on your SEO strategy immediately. It’s mostly about common sense.

In business, location is everything — and that includes where you are on the Internet. The way people find that online location is through search engines. The higher you rank every time someone types in a product or service you sell … the more you sell.

Search-engine optimization, the art of improving your search rank, isn’t hard, but it’s something a lot of small businesses don’t pay attention to — either because they’re too busy, or because it sounds both technical and scary.  More info

The Internet is a crowded, noisy place, and SEO applies a few logical techniques to make your web presence stand out.

All search engines, like Google, Yahoo and Bing, want their users to find the quality websites they are looking for. You need to make a top-notch website, in a way that both human customers and search-engine “spider-bots” can identify. These programs crawl the Web to find sites, and send back information that allows the search engineers to rank the sites through complex algorithms. So SEO is the process of establishing your site as attractive and relevant to these Web crawlers.

There are three main steps or considerations:
Clean up your site design, create quality content and reach out with links.

Step 1: Designed to Succeed

Your website needs to be both easy to find and easy to read. To make it easy to find, consider what your customers would search for. “The first step is to figure out what people type into Google etc when they are looking for what you sell. “The basic terms should be pretty obvious, but later you can expand that with a bit of keyword research.”

If you’re a used car yard in Penrith, the searches you want to top are variations of cars for sale in Penrith or better still if you specialize in Sports Cars in Penrith. Start with the page title, that field in the code that tells search engines what the page is called. “Bob’s Autos” won’t tell Google anything. “Penrith Sports Cars — Bob’s Autos,” or “Bob’s Autos — Penrith Sports Cars,” will be more relevant to someone trying to get a hot new Sports Car in Emu Plains. Working with your web designer and/or webmaster, make sure your site is easy for search engines and humans to navigate, and make sure the key terms appear prominently. If you have a JCS Website we will do this for you.

Step 2: Quality

Google and its competitors spend millions of dollars on search algorithms that have just one purpose: to present the highest-quality websites to users anytime they search for something. An important aspect of rising to the top of a search is to actually be a quality website. Smart, well-written content on the topics close to your heart (and bottom line) will improve your rankings, and it’s an ongoing effort. You or a qualified marketing writer should routinely expand your site with good content on relevant subjects, such as how to preserve paint work in a hot Penrith summer, which Sports Cars are the best deals in Penrith, or a feature on pro’s and Cons of Sports Cars.

Step 3: Get Out There

What search engines value most is a site that real humans’ value and that appreciation are measured by inbound links? When other sites start pointing to your site, you look more authoritative and rank higher in search engines. As a Penrith Sports Car Yard, you would probably want to trade links with local prestige panel shops and specialized parts Centers, and might comment on forums and blogs about the community or industry, with a link back to your site. There’s considerable etiquette involved in link exchange (check out the resources below), but the basics are: relevance, politeness and quality comments.

Don’t be intimidated by SEO. There’s a lot of information online, and the basics are pretty easy to pick up. After all, knowing who your customers are and how to create an appealing storefront were part of your original business plan, right? SEO shouldn’t take over your life.

With a quick education, you and your team can effortlessly incorporate SEO principles into many of your existing tasks.

True, human resource management must be addressed as part of any dealer’s profit improvement process; and, you must have professional and dedicated personnel. But what’s more important is how your people perform and execute the plan. What seems to be the answer is the environment in which the personnel operate.

Most dealers operate in markets where there is competition from several same-franchise dealers as well as competitive dealers with other franchises. Long gone are the days when customers only supported their “local” dealer.

So how is it that some dealers can be so successful when many of their competitors are having issues?

Most of them are hands-on and pro-active dealers. Without exception, successful dealers have processes and plans in place that everyone in their dealerships must follow, and all employees are accountable for their area of responsibility.

One example is the inventory-management standards with regard to unit-count, aging and model composition that have been established, and on which there is no compromise. The successful dealer insists that no used vehicle remain in inventory past 60 days, if that is his aging standard.

He also insists that used vehicles meet the dealership’s inventory profile. If a vehicle doesn’t, it goes to auction or is wholesaled sooner rather than later so that capital and space is freed up for a vehicle that has historically sold well.

The successful dealer monitors his monthly new-vehicle sales rate by individual model and knows by month what the average sales have been. If he sees a change in the market, he adjusts the selling price to avert any inventory and turn-rate stagnations.

If he senses an opportunity to gain market share in an area, he creates a plan in advance of ordering the vehicles. There is a written plan to sell these vehicles that includes the advertising message and campaign.

In his fixed operations, the same types of plans are created as well as game plans outlining the required execution. He knows, for example, his car parc and monitors the penetration of certain types of mechanical services such as menu-related items.

Obviously, service department and technician productivity and efficiency are monitored daily, as well as individual service advisor performance in areas such as hours per-repair order, effective labour rate and parts-to-labour ratio. He prints a list of open RO’s each day and meets with his service manager to go over each one and finds out why it is still open.
He monitors his gross and true turn of parts, plus his day’s supply level and his level of service to ensure the department operates at the highest level.

Accounts receivable are reviewed monthly to ensure that customer credit limits are appropriate. Overdue accounts are investigated and cut off if necessary until the account is brought back to current.

Non-parts-department employees are used for doing bin counts on a regular basis and they submit a written report to the dealer.

The successful dealer holds manager meetings daily to review the previous day’s performance as well as the dealership’s month-to-date results compared with the business plan.

And more importantly, the successful dealer is passionate about his business. When you realise what it takes to be successful and refuse to relax your standards, you too can achieve the results that successful dealers are achieving.

Important: This is not advice. Clients should not act solely on the basis of the material contained in this bulletin. Items herein are general comments only and do not constitute or convey advice per se.
Also changes in legislation may occur quickly. We therefore recommend that Asides’ formal advice be sought before acting in any of the areas. This bulletin is issued as a helpful guide to clients and for their private information. Therefore it should be regarded as confidential and not be made available to any person without prior approval.

Your Workshop through its team have the responsibility of controlling and selling time. Time…..is an intangible commodity that cannot be stored and discounted for sale tomorrow nor can it be sent back to the manufacturer in the next parts return. It can also be one of the most expensive resources for the Workshop to acquire and maintain.

50 % of the available selling hours for 2010 have already gone. Your service manager and his/her team’s ability to plan, measure, control and market the remaining 50% of hours available for sale in 2010 can have a dramatic effect on the success or failure and profitability of your Workshop.

To meet the challenges and to take advantage of the many opportunities in 2010 and beyond, there needs be a change in the culture in Workshops.

Owners spend large amounts of money building new premises and branding their businesses to attract customers and to instil the perception that they are customer orientated and that they are a professional business to deal with.
So why is it that after investing huge amounts of money to promote the business, the Workshop area is still referred to as the “back end” of the business? The perception of being the back end of anything is not an inspiring or a pleasant one for the service staff or the customers.

First impressions, perception and relationships are the tools the Workshop use to sell time – what sort of first impression or perception do you create when introducing the customer to the back end of your business? Do 5 star restaurants refer to the kitchens as the back end of their business? The successful ones don’t !

Perhaps a more accurate description of the Workshop should be the “back bone” of the business.

The following are some strategies you may want to consider:

• Customer retention strategies – make use of the “kiss” system.
• “Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, ‘Make me feel important.´ Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life.” Mary Kay Ash.
• You can create loyalty programs much more cheaply than you may expect. Simply by using your customer’s name when they come into your Workshop is a great place to start.
• The only time that the workshop has 100 % customer retention is at the time of the service. Introduce the service team and the many services they provide at the time of delivery.
• Implement consistent and innovative service marketing programs together with increased training for all front line service counter staff.
• Offer appointment times that are most convenient for the customer and confirm appointments.
• Prioritise the customer’s needs; attend to the “primary” concern first. Ensure the vehicle is fixed right – the first time – on time.
• How many of your current employees use your Workshop for recommended vehicle servicing or repairs?

“People tend to live up to what’s expected of them and they tend to do better when treated as if they are capable of success.”

Important: This is not advice. Clients should not act solely on the basis of the material contained in this bulletin. Items herein are general comments only and do not constitute or convey advice per se. Also changes in legislation may occur quickly. We therefore recommend that our formal advice be sought before acting in any of the areas. This bulletin is issued as a helpful guide to clients and for their private information. Therefore it should be regarded as confidential and not be made available to any person without prior approval.

Len recently introduced our Workshop Mate Software into his Dealership and is tickled pink with the results.

He has documented his setup experience below.

This is a must read for all Workshops considering purchasing Workshop Mate and, for all existing users looking to save more time with a bar code scanner.

“Just a quick note to tell you of our progress with the Workmate system.

In the beginning the whole task was a bit daunting…..but with perseverance and getting all the customers, vehicles, parts, services etc. into the system, it has drastically reduced our times taken to produce repair orders, invoices for our customers and job cards for our staff. Importantly, for the mechanic working on the job, what the customer requests can be given exactly to the staff member doing the job, they are unable to miss any of the customers concerns so the job goes out right the first time, with nothing missed or overlooked. From the customers perspective that is one of the most important aspects of vehicle service or repair.

With the latest development such as the bar code scanner it saves us heaps of time and it is just a matter of gathering up the parts required, a quick “pip” and the mechanic can get started on the job. Saving further employee down time. It’s a great idea and saves additional time and effort through every step of the job. Again, it does take some time to get all the parts into the system but once it’s in there, it is a breeze to add the parts into a repair order and get the job underway.

The email facility to send our customers either repair orders or invoices will also save plenty of time. It’s a great feature and as we add in the customers email addresses it will save postage, stationary etc. It will also be handy if a customer has lost an invoice, rather than printing and faxing or printing and posting it can be emailed almost instantaneously. Saving time, money and effort.

Overall, I think it has saved me a day a week in paperwork and administration to operate the workshop successfully. It produces accurate and professional looking invoices for our customers and numerous reports that can be used as business tools to improve our service to the customer.

As an example the end of the month of June, I had all the invoices in

Workmate up to date and just had to wait for the final jobs completed on the 30th and was able to charge out the last few into MYOB and printed out our statements on the 1st July and got them into the post by the 2-30pm cut off time. Something that we haven’t been able to manage…….ever!! Once our customers received the account in the mail they begin to come in and pay us which improves our cash flow position because the accounts are out earlier in the month and we are paid earlier in the month. Another saving…..another bonus.

So overall, it’s a great system, it saves time and money and gives our business a professional look and feel.

I thank you for being available at all times to listen to (and fix) any

issues that I have had. As you know I am “electronically challenged” but even with my limited computer skills, I can operate the system with confidence and accuracy. It has given our business an edge and made us look and act much more professionally.

Keep up the good work, it’s been a pleasure to deal with you.

Kind regards,
Len MacFarlane
Dealer Principal
MacFarlane Mitsubishi.
(02) 69722131.