Sept - Oct 2011

Leaders in the Sale of Quality Mopar Parts

September - October 2011 Newsletter

Mopar Masters Guild Fall Performance Group Meeting held at Niagara Falls!

Mopar Masters Guild Magazine

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Mopar Performance Group Fall Meeting Aug 18-19 Niagara Falls, NY Hello all.

Well, August has come and gone and we had our annual fall meeting in the beautiful location of Niagara Falls New York.

Kudos’s to President Dan Hutton for picking such a scenic and wonderful place to visit.

This was a dual meeting with Service Managers. Although we had only 3 Service Managers attend along with our dual Parts/Service directors there was plenty of dialogue, ideas and potential solutions shared!

We would like to thank the Service Managers who did attend the meeting and provided great input. We would also like to thank Tom Rice for conducting our performance group.

Some topics we discussed were:  Core Issues  Denied Mra’s  Tech Training  Warranty no pays  Recall restrictions  SOP Parts We also set aside time for Jillian Starman from Starman Consulting who gave a presentation on improving staffing, retention strategies and proactive hiring. This was some really good information. Her presentation was very informative and anyone who would like a copy please email her at jillian@starmanconsulting.com

Keep it Real Keep it Mopar!!!

Rick Cutaia MMG Secretary

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Guild Executive Committee Meets with UPS Executives from the MMG used some of their time while in Niagara Falls to meet with one of our Supporting Vendors, UPS. We were joined by UPS’ Tim Quinnette and Gary Meyer.

Quantum View was the focus of the presentation and what a valuable tool this is to our day to day operation. Did you know that you can track small and oversize freight from Quantum View?

This information is critical to relay to our own service dept as well as our wholesale customers to keep them updated on referrals coming into our dealerships.

Make sure you get signed up on Quantum View to receive E-mails when shipments arrive at your local UPS receiving center. What about Saturday orders? Are you placing any?

Some other valuable information shared was, when Saturday orders are placed before 1:00pm UPS will pull and ship these orders! Special Handling orders and some referrals also get picked and shipped on Saturdays as well.

Also check and see if you have a local UPS store near your dealership that you can take packages to for late shipments after your regular driver has already picked up your daily packages.

These gentlemen were kind enough to share their presentation with us and if you would like a copy of their “Saturday Delivery” and “Quantum View” Power Point presentation please email dcpub@cox.net and Don will make sure you receive a copy!

Remember to get plans together for our 20th Anniversary meeting @ NADA in Las Vegas in February.

Keep it Real Keep it Mopar!!!

Rick Cutaia MMG secretary

Also In This Issue Mopar Performance Group Meeting MMG Meets with Snap-On Business Solutions Went to a Tire Warehouse and Found a Partner!

The Wisdom of Will Rogers Mopar Service Drive OEConnection Rousseau Storage FenderBender Snap-On Business Solutions Team Belief System MMG Executives & Committees

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What Type of Leader Are You? MMG Meets with OEConnection NADA 2012 - 20th Anniversary MMG Supporting Vendors Corporate Billing Inc. ADP UPS Reynolds & Reynolds Mopar News Rick Cutaia Named New R&R Chair

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What Type of Leader Are You?: Segment 2 Transformational leadership and Empowerment Steve Hofer - September 22, 2011

As you may recall in the past issue we discussed the traits found in the Leader Member Exchange. These traits included dynamics such as in and out group member interaction and the relationship found therein with the leader.

In this issue the discussion will include transformational and an empowerment model. Deeper understanding for these various leadership styles will help develop staff and leaders alike.

As the discussion of leadership theory continues, the next topic of leadership theory is transformational leadership. In this style or theory, a leader often possesses traits such as charisma and inspiration (Cherry, 2011). Examples of charismatic leaders would include people such as Martin Luther King, Jr. or Adolf Hitler. One used his charisma for good the other for creating a scar on the history of mankind. In each of these examples the leader was able to evoke an emotional response from his followers that led to a strong bond. This bond can also be described as loyalty and trust, which is often found between a charismatic leader and those who follow (Nahavandi, 2009). Along with this bond the transformational leader will be able to stimulate the intellect of the follower. This is done through encouraging the follower to participate in the creative solution process. If a leader is able to involve individual(s) in any type of decision process, there will be a greater bond formed due to the loyalty built through encouragement and inspiration. This is one of the inherent byproducts of a charismatic leader often found in transformational leadership theory.

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Another leadership style is one where the leader empowers the associates. As discussed in some of the previous leadership theories, there are times when empowering associates can be beneficial.

However, when fully adopting the ideology that associates should be empowered, many things need to be taken into consideration. For instance, empowering other employees requires a greater degree of sharing knowledge and information (Nahavandi, 2009). Before sharing information, the leader needs to evaluate the associates within the organization. Can the associates effectively use the information to improve overall performance and the performance of the organization? This can only be answered if the leader has the ability to expand empowerment to all aspects. These additional aspects include goal setting, emphasis on a team environment, and variable factors from within the organization as well as outside it (Nahavandi, 2009). The empowerment movement is quickly growing. This is happening on the basis that many individuals with the same goal utilizing effective communication can achieve far more than any one individual can. The empowerment process also involves a cultural shift whereby a CEO truly becomes the “Chief Empowerment Officer� and puts all ego aside.

As always it is important to remember that as a leader these various leadership theories may feel familiar. It is important to recognize that there is no one theory, style or decisions process that is perfect. Over the coming months look back and reflect on the Leader Member Exchange Model (found in previous issue), transformational leadership and empowerment theories. Start to consider ways that these theories are working for your business and where improvements can be made. Moving forward the next issue will discuss the informative decision model and how decision making plays a role in leadership.

Steve Hofer is the Parts & Service Director at Park Chrysler Jeep in Burnsville, Minnesota. Steve is also the Treasurer for the Mopar Masters Guild. He can be reached at: Park Chrysler Jeep 952-808-2459 shofer@parkchryslerjeep.com

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Guild Executive Committee Meets With Snap-on Business Solutions Guild members Dan Hutton, Tom O’Brien Chrysler Jeep Dodge, Greenwood, In. and Paul Allred, Stateline Chrysler Jeep Dodge, Fort Mill, SC., met with representatives from Snap-on Business Solutions at their headquarters in Richfield, Oh. Representing Snap-On Business Solutions: John Johnson, Bob Locke, David Foutz, Cory Roberts, Ken Satz and Jim Sever.

John Johnson opened the meeting with an overview of the agenda for the day. One of the topics we talked about was how we can get independent repair facilities to use Snap-On’s RepairLink with More….more!

Some of the ideas we touched on were:  Different price structures for shops that use the product  Added promotions to More such as Mopar True Blue rewards, etc.  Remove part numbers so shops wouldn’t have the ability to cross the part number to the aftermarket  A way to report shops usage Another product that we discussed was the update on the new PAIS (Cornerstone Demo) that is in development as we speak. Some of the new features:  The ability to open multiple lookups for wholesale business  SIP feature for ADP customers  Ability to search faster.

We also talked about how we could integrate our Dealer Business Systems right into the PAIS to improve Price quoting and being able to save the quote in our DBS from PAIS. We feel like this is a function that would greatly improve our performance. We also touched on adding MagnettiMarelli products, and updates on Fiat parts being added to PAIS. Discussions were also on the Easy product. Some of suggestions were being able to link to Easy from our Dealer.com website and being able to sell to our customers online, adding s shopping cart, being able to include shipping and Handling, UPS labels, and also how we can get images (Continued on page 7)

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faster from Chrysler so Snap-on can set-up a configuration for our customers. Our MMG group suggested that they develop a way to add Repair Link to our Dealership Website so we would have the ability to sell to the do yourselfers.

I would like to thank Cory Roberts for Sunday night’s Barbecue at Snap-on’s Business Solutions Headquarters. Cory and his team had all the “fixins” for one great barbecue. I think all of us ate way too much that night.

In closing I would like to say Snap-on Business Solution is a top-notch company, and they have greatly helped dealerships all over the world to sell parts faster, with more accuracy, and have always been very dependable!

Dan Hutton President Mopar Masters Guild Tom O’Brien CJD

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Guild Executive Committee Meets with OEConnection Dan Hutton and I recently visited OE Connection, our business partners in Richfield, Ohio. Mark Tomasetti led the group and provided the direction in discussions involving all of their dealer business solutions. We learned that they had recently gone through some internal reorganization that now puts Collision link and Repair link under the same management group.

Repair link has now been launched in 47 markets with a roadmap to get this balance of the country up and running. We discussed the cataloging issues that had been brought up at Snap-On where we were requesting the view to show all applicable parts as in new, reman and Value line without having to drill down into the data. There was discussion about having Mopar provide them with True Blue rebate information that could be published in the tool as well as giving the dealer the ability to flag promotional parts as well. Interestingly in the discussion I learned that they have the capability to file for the True Blue rebate pending Mopar’s approval. We got a peek at the new reports that will be available soon. These will show the number of times a shop looks at Repair link with your store. It also supports sales reports by customer and by parts sold. This additional information will be valuable to determine why the customer is looking and not buying. This will allow the dealer to put together a strategy to convert these views to sales. We were shown a business case from a dealer in the Chicago market that offered an extra 5% discount for orders for the first 30 days and an additional 2% going forward on orders processed through the tool. His success was phenomenal with a 300% gain in business the first 30 days.

The discussions surrounding Collision Link were about some of the future challenges that will occur as a result of how insurance companies will drive the parts procurement process. OE Connection is working diligently to position themselves to help the OE dealer’s best interest in the ever changing market. I hope Mopar embraces these changes and will utilize OE Connection to help the dealer retain market share as we go forward in this segment of our business. The tool has seen significant growth with the implementation of the other OE manufacturer’s involvement with Collision Link. Ford, Honda, VW and now Southeast Toyota will require all conquest orders be processed through the tool. This should help the Mopar dealers with consumer usage of the tool. I was amazed at the data collection that (Continued on page 9)

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they can provide the manufacturers. They can provide parts usage analysis reports that would help all of us conquest the sale when we have to and hold gross when we don’t have to give it away on a conquest sale. Currently this data is not being used by Mopar like it has been with some of their other manufacturers. My opinion is that we should be able to conquest what is really available in the aftermarket. Could these reports get us there? They are evaluating the cost and market gain potential by putting a sales/training representative in a given market for a 4 to 6 week period to work with dealers to convert their shops into users of the tool. This would be beneficial in managing phone traffic if they can make it affordable.

OE Connection is currently providing Ford dealers with an e-commerce store front for their dealers at fordparts.com. We saw the functionality the day before at Snap-on. This site is supported by Ford and it allows the consumer to choose a dealer. Dan and I expressed that we would like to see a toll where we could just brand our store exclusively and replace the static parts request on our dealer web site. We also discussed having multiple choices of an e-commerce solution that would support a dealer store front in multiple arenas. My store needs these solutions today that I hope they will bring to market soon.

The OE Connection team we met led by Mark Tomasetti, Bill Lopez , and John Kovac are committed to helping us, the OE dealer, to retain and grow our business in the wholesale collision, wholesale mechanical and retail market place.

We appreciate their efforts and their support of the Mopar Masters Guild.

Paul Allred Stateline CJD Fiat

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We Went to a Tire Warehouse and Found a Business Partner!

It was Tuesday, September 20th, we were just east of downtown Cleveland and Dan Hutton and I pulled into the parking lot of an apparent revitalized center city warehouse.

Our expectation of a tire warehouse and twenty-five employees or so was short lived. We were greeted and taken to a second floor filled with hundreds of people interacting and working in cubicles and offices. I got the impression that someone was interested in modern art based on all of the art work on display. We found out later in a guided tour that the Mueller family that started the business in 1918 and still manages it today was behind curating and displaying art from local artists. This 3 story downtown warehouse building has been refurbished to house their national headquarters that includes the Carline Services teams, Inside Sales Associates, Supply Chain procurement and distribution. They also have groups dedicated to working with vehicle OEMs and training and personal development.

Dealer Tire employs nearly 900 people with about 350 at this headquarters location. They work exclusively with over 15 OE manufacturers and their dealer networks making it easy for them to purchase the tires they need and then providing support to help dealers make the sales.

Guys, let me tell you, Dealer Tire is not just a company selling tires! Meeting with David Jordanger the National Sales Director and reviewing their organizational approach and business model I was truly impressed. These folks are on the right track.

They have determined if they assist the OE dealer with developing the dealers’ service lane processes that include inspections, sales & profit and service retention that their business grows exponentially as well. David says, “We are just as concerned with the dealer presenting and selling customer maintenance needs such as wiper blades, filters and brakes as we are with selling tires!”

The thing that really resonated with me as I sat there listening to David was realizing the kind of business partner Mopar and its dealers have with Dealer Tire. They are pursuing the same common goal we all have and that is to take care and service customers by establishing a 100% inspection process. This process includes “sticking tires” (checking tread depth and not just eyeballing them) and documenting (Continued on page 11)

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the results.

The inspection process is like the old hound dog we have been chasing for 20 years and just can’t seem to get him to consistently hunt! These guys are working to help us crack the code on getting this done in our stores. They are thinking outside the box and looking at strategies that may include regional service advisor training that would require the service manager to attend the first day for reinforcement.

They are also very familiar with Mopar Elite and will partner up with Mopar to assist in that program as well.

I also learned a little about tire production. When the auto industry slipped into the down turn three years ago the tire manufacturers closed costly plants and cut back production. As a result all of the major brands are selling everything they can produce for their top brands and have cut back on private label and lower priced tires. Supply and demand is driving the price.

If you deal with a used car department like mine that wants something black, round and holds air, help may be forthcoming. Dealer Tire and Mopar are trying to set up a line with a Korean manufacturer, Nexen to give us a tire that meets reconditioning needs.

In summary these guys get it! I encourage all of you to embrace Dealer Tire and engage them to help you! All of this comes with being part of the Mopar Tire Works Plus program.

Paul Allred Stateline CJD Fiat

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The Mopar Masters Guild will meet for our 20th Annual Event during the NADA convention in Las Vegas, NV in February, 2012.

The Dates for our meeting are Friday February 3rd and Saturday February 4th-------This year we are looking forward to hosting our events at the MGM "Signature" Hotel which is also where our sleeping rooms will be as well.

The Signature is your gateway to the best of Las Vegas. Three all-suite towers adjacent to MGM Grand set new standards in personalized service and amenities in a non-smoking, non-gaming environment. Directly connected to the energy and excitement of maximum Vegas™ at MGM Grand as well as the serene luxury of The Signature, you get the best of both worlds.

The Signature invites relaxation with private balconies, pillow-top beds, flat-screen TVs, full kitchens and lavish bathrooms. Venture out for a swim in one of three private pools, a workout in our fitness center, or a drink at The Lounge.

The rates vary by date, due to the fact that NADA is in town as well as that weekend is also Super Bowl Sunday----The rates are as follows: 2/2 $179.00 2/3 + 2/4 $249.00 2/5 $109.00 As is our custom we will once again be hosting our Friday evening Reception at the "TABU" nightclub, inside the MGM Grand Hotel For our 20th Anniversary Celebration, we will be hosting a "Casino-Night" as well as enjoying live music during the evening.

Watch your email as more information will be coming in the next few weeks!

Mark Skinner NADA 2012 Planning Chairman

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The Wisdom of Will Rogers Submitted by Marvin Windham - Benchmark CJD

Will Rogers, who died in a plane crash with Wylie Post in 1935, was a great political sage. Enjoy the following: 1.Never slap a man who's chewing tobacco.

2.Never kick a cow chip on a hot day.

3.There are 2 theories to arguing with a woman...neither works.

4.Never miss a good chance to shut up.

5.Always drink upstream from the herd.

6.If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.

7.The quickest way to double your money is to fold it and put it back in your pocket.

8.There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves.

9.Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

10.If you're riding' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.

11.Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier'n puttin' it back.

12.After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him.

The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.

ABOUT GROWING OLDER...

First ~ Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.

Second ~ The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.

Third ~ Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me, I want people to know "why" I look this way. I've traveled a long way and some of the roads weren't paved.

Fourth ~ When you are dissatisfied and would like to go back to youth, think of Algebra.

Fifth ~ You know you are getting old when everything either dries up or leaks.

Sixth ~ I don't know how I got over the hill without getting to the top.

Seventh ~ One of the many things no one tells you about aging is that it is such a nice change from being young.

Eighth ~ One must wait until evening to see how splendid the day has been.

Ninth ~ Being young is beautiful, but being old is comfortable.

Tenth ~ Long ago when men cursed and beat the ground with sticks, it was called witchcraft. Today it's called golf.

And finally ~ If you don't learn to laugh at trouble, you won't have anything to laugh at when you are old.

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Our Supporting Vendors Support those who support you

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Our Supporting Vendors Support those who support you

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TEAM BELIEF SYSTEM Submitted by Marvin Windham - Benchmark CJD

We believe that if we work together as a team that our achievements will multiply.

We believe that when we focus on and achieve our goals, we will increase our effectiveness as individuals as well as an organization.

We believe that each individual is responsible for achieving goals that they set and agree to.

We believe everyone must drive their own bus!!!

We believe in order to think big – you first have to think small.

We believe that by applying the “and then some” concept, we will become a better organization.

We believe we should be mindful of the “Golden Goose” and never become greedy.

We believe in asking for help.

We believe success comes from the inside and is a direction we choose.

We believe it is not over until you win.

We believe someone’s opinion of us does not have to be our reality.

We believe when things go wrong we can choose not go with them.

We believe if we ask . . . We will receive.

We believe it costs a lot to win but even more to lose.

We believe we can change the world one life at a time.

We believe attitudes are contagious, and as an organization will not tolerate a bad one.

We believe we will achieve huge results if we practice consistent persistence.

We believe we can have more than we’ve got, because we can become more than we are.

We believe integrity is our overriding mantra and we will not sacrifice it for any business or personal gain.

New Reynolds & Reynolds Lead I have been involved with the Reynolds & Reynolds committee since the inception of our guild for almost 20 years now. I have established a bunch of great friends as well great business partners with that company over these years. Time has come to pass the torch. I am pleased to announce that Rick Cutaia from Rick Hendrick Dodge will be taking the lead as the new R&R committee chairman and will be assembling a new committee at NADA in February. Rick is an active guild member and will be working to be the liaison for all R&R Guild users in communicating market conditions and working with R&R to promote and better their solutions.

This new leadership is effective immediately. I am sure that Rick will serve the guild well in this capacity.

Paul Allred Stateline CJD Fiat

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2011 Mopar Masters Guild Committees President Vice President Treasurer Secretary

Dan Hutton Mike Mulkins Steve Hofer Rick Cutaia

Tom O’Brien Chrysler Jeep Dodge Go Chrysler Jeep West Park Chrysler Jeep Rick Hendrick Dodge

Executive Committee

All of the above and: Gerry Oakes Paul Allred Rick Monteiro Marvin Windham Alan Yancey Brent Hoge

Baxter Chrysler Jeep Dodge Stateline Chrysler Jeep Dodge Jack Powell Chrysler Jeep Dodge Benchmark Chrysler Jeep Dodge Hayes Chrylser Dodge Jeep Larry Miller Chrysler Jeep Dodge

Membership Committee

Mark Skinner (West) Doug Price (East) Larry Morris (South) (North)

Power Chrysler Jeep Dodge Security Dodge Chrysler Fred Bean’s Dodge Chrysler Jeep TBA

Vendor Chairmen

Paul Allred Gerry Oakes Marvin Windham

Stateline Chrysler Jeep Dodge Baxter Chrysler Jeep Benchmark Chrysler Jeep Dodge

Newsletter Chairmen

Don Cushing Mike Mulkins

Bald Hill Dodge Chrysler Jeep Go Chrysler Jeep West

Performance Group

Mike Gerber

Rairdon’s Chrysler Jeep Dodge of Kirkland

Finance Committee

Brent Hoge Steve Hofer

Larry Miller Chrysler Jeep Dodge Park Chrysler Jeep

UPS

Rick Monteiro Paul Allred Marvin Windham

Jack Powell Chrysler Jeep Dodge Stateline Chrysler Jeep Dodge Benchmark Chrysler Jeep Dodge

ADP

Gerry Oakes Mark Skinner Dan Hutton

Baxter Chrysler Jeep Dodge Power Chrysler Jeep Dodge Tom O’Brien Chrysler Jeep Dodge

Snap-On

Dan Hutton

Tom O’Brien Chrysler Jeep Dodge

OEConnection

Brent Hoge

Larry Miller Chrysler Jeep Dodge

Dealer Tire

Steve Hofer Mike Mulkins Alan Yancey

Park Chrysler Jeep Go Chrysler Jeep West Hayes Chrysler Dodge Jeep (Dan, Brent, Steve, Mike & Alan are the Chairs for Snap-On, OEConnection and Dealer Tire)

Tracy Industries

Mike Mulkins Steve Hofer Brent Hoge Guillermo Nava

Go Chrysler Jeep West Park Chrysler Jeep Larry Miller Chrysler Jeep Dodge Buerge Chrysler Jeep

Reynolds & Reynolds

Rick Cutaia

Rick Hendrick Dodge

NADA 2012 Planning

Mark Skinner

Power Chrysler Jeep Dodge

Website Chairman

Steve Hofer

Park Chrysler Jeep

THE GUILD MOTTO “THE EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION BY LIKE SIZE DEALERS IN A NON COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT” This is the reason the Guild exists. The strength of our existence relies not on the voices of a select few, but on the combined knowledge of all. With this in mind, everyone should remember to become as proactive as possible. The Guild is YOURS, be proud of it and be part of it!