Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 29

the many pleasures of being on the
board. And, of course, following in
my father's footsteps forty years
later-what an honor!

PHOTOGRAPHY BY TODD PIERSON

YOU'RE ALSO SERVING
AS CHAIRMAN OF THE 2018
CHICAGO AUTO SHOW. HOW'S
THAT GOING?

We have a saying at the CATA.
When you are the Chairman of the
Board you are busy doing everything necessary for the dealers.
When you become the Auto Show
Chairman you get to enjoy the fruits
of that labor! We have been very
busy on the board preparing for the
2018 auto show. We travel across
the country calling on all the auto
manufacturers. We want to make
sure they have all they need to make
their show display the best in class.
Whether it's adding more square
footage, adding a back wall, creating
a test track or including an interactive robot, the manufacturers know

the more time a customer spends
in their given display the better the
odds one of their dealers will sell
them a new vehicle.
Today, budget constraints have
forced many manufacturers to
pull back from auto shows. Not
in Chicago! Most manufacturers
have added more space or more
test drives. They know Chicago
is unique among the larger auto
shows because we're always focused
on the consumer. The Chicago
Auto Show is not only the nation's
largest and longest-running auto
show, it also sells cars. More than
60 percent of the people who attend
the show buy a new vehicle within a
year. In our industry, that's the low
hanging fruit!
Chicago is a family tradition.
Generations of family members visit
the show every year. When I was a
kid, my dad would take one of my
siblings out of school just to come

down to the Chicago Auto Show. We
would stay with him, walk around
the show, meet his fellow dealers,
manufacturer friends and an occasional Chicago sports star. It was a
blast. I could see growing up as an
eight or nine-year-old exactly what
my father did for a living and how
his hard work helped others. To
think I get to ﬁll that role forty years
later is unbelievable. To say that I
am proud is an understatement. I
am blessed to be the face and voice
of my fellow CATA members during
the 2018 auto show. My fellow
board members are some of the best
dealers in the nation.
HOW, WHEN AND WHY DID
YOU BECOME A DEALER AND
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO
YOU AFTER SO MANY YEARS?

As a kid, growing up, I had one
brother and three sisters. I was
the one always at the dealership.

D I G I TA L D E A L E R . C O M

Continued on pg. 30
JANUARY 2018

29

http://www.DIGITALDEALER.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Digital Dealer - January 2018

Digital Dealer - January 2018
Contents
The Art of Handling Mistakes
Motion and Commotion – The Buy/Sell Market Intensifies
You Don’t Have to Be Blood to Be Family in the Dealership
Shifting From Crisis to Opportunity
Warning! Your Customers Know More Than Your Salespeople. But Not for Long.
Advertising Your Tech-Spertise!
From the Show Director
Drawing the Curtain Back
Digital Dealer Workshops Chicago
Cover story
Interview with the 2018 Chairman of the Chicago Auto Show
Ready… Fire!...Then Aim
Turning Cash Buyers into Auto
Need a Tech – Keep a Tech or Other Staffer?
The New Car Buyers’ Clinic: A Case Study in How to Royally Mess It up!
The Pros and Cons of Building a Dealership Facebook Page
Is Your Dealership's Advertising Stuck in the '60s?
4 Ways to Sell More Cars in 2018
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - CT1
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - CT2
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Digital Dealer - January 2018
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Cover2
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 1
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Contents
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 3
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - The Art of Handling Mistakes
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 5
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 6
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Motion and Commotion – The Buy/Sell Market Intensifies
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 8
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 9
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 10
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 11
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - You Don’t Have to Be Blood to Be Family in the Dealership
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 13
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 14
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Shifting From Crisis to Opportunity
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 16
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 17
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Warning! Your Customers Know More Than Your Salespeople. But Not for Long.
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 19
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Advertising Your Tech-Spertise!
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 21
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - From the Show Director
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 23
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 24
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Drawing the Curtain Back
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 26
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Digital Dealer Workshops Chicago
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Interview with the 2018 Chairman of the Chicago Auto Show
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 29
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 30
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 31
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 32
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 33
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Ready… Fire!...Then Aim
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 35
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Turning Cash Buyers into Auto
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 37
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Need a Tech – Keep a Tech or Other Staffer?
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 39
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 40
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - The New Car Buyers’ Clinic: A Case Study in How to Royally Mess It up!
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 42
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - The Pros and Cons of Building a Dealership Facebook Page
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 44
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Is Your Dealership's Advertising Stuck in the '60s?
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 46
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 47
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - 4 Ways to Sell More Cars in 2018
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Cover3
Digital Dealer - January 2018 - Cover4
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