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I should really have waited until this article was on the Car Dealer Magazine Website however I feel so strongly about what has been said in this article I have decided to talk out now! For those who have no idea what I'm on about please read Trader Tales on page 108 of the latest CD Magazine first! I will start by saying I don't disagree with all James Litton has pointed out, i.e. the fact that Social Media has changed over the last 4 years on this point agree, however I can't agree with his points about being Nasty & Narcissistic! The majority of FaceBook and Twitter post are very social, yes there are nasty people everywhere but you can't possibly class Social Media as nasty! Yes I feel that there are a number of narcissistic people active on Social Media however this is a very small minority. Social Media has been very good to us, we embraced it back in 2011 and have never looked back, we have made loads of new contacts, customers and friends through Twitter and have found an easy way to sell vehicles through Facebook. As for the statement that he is bored with his Twitter feed being populated of dealers tweeting pictures of happy customers I can't understand, I follow a huge number of car dealers on Twitter and never see this, anyway it's great PR, don't you think? When has good PR and self promotion become narcissistic? I'm more than happy to meet with James to help educate him with the way we feel Social Media should be used as a car dealer and show him that it can work. We have made thousands of £'s of profit thanks to FB and Twitter. Yes, social media is changing and Twitter has changed quite a bit over the last few years however it is still (at least for us) very social and sociable, so I suspect that James maybe following the wrong people on Twitter and FB. To sum up, "You reap what you sow" that goes for Social Media too!

Hi everyone. I am looking for some advice please. I don't very often take part exchanges and when I do they rarely involve removing a customers private registration plate. The last one I did was when the DVLA local offices still existed and I just told them what I wanted and they did it. So, I have sold a vehicle that is being collected on Tuesday. I am also taking the customers part exchange vehicle. The customer wants the priavte plate off his old car putting onto his new car. A simple procedure for someone with both V5's in their name but what is the easiest way of me sorting this out for him? I am assuming I will have to send both V5's off on the customers behalf and then once the customer has both V5's returned with correct registrations allocated, he can send me the V5 for the p/x? Any guidance would be much appreciated. Many thanks.

Thanks to everyone involved, it's always appreciated and hope you find it useful and insightful. Generally for a post new-plate month, the over-all dealer sentiment remains, in the main, positive for the retail market. Notwithstanding some easing in areas that you may expect at this time of the year around Easter, there are reports of profit margins seeing signs of recovery and stock becoming more readily available to satisfy the areas where the consumer demand continues. Although an easing from 50% respondents reporting an increase in footfall during March compared to February; this month in a post new-plate month c.30% are, nevertheless, reporting an increase and 20% experiencing no change. The on-line activity sees a little more change, with 61% reporting an increase. This would be no surprise for many when comparing the month of April with March, on the back of an Easter break. An area very much close to the hearts of many, as year-to-date the market sentiment has been focused on margin compression; 26% are still experiencing pressure and 42% seeing little or no change from March into April. The positive news in April, is that over 30% are reporting an improvement to their margins. The trend seems to be continuing as expected, as 56% report that the availability of stock is better, with below than half experiencing a worsening or no change. Although volumes of stock on the increase, approximately two-thirds of the respondents have stated the quality has continued about the same, and the remaining majority report an improvement. This raises the question around ‘what is happening with those poor quality, less desirable unsold cars?’ As expected at this time of the year, following a new plate month; the retail/consumer demand has eased with a drop from 63% in March to 30% this month experiencing an improvement on the previous month – in many ways; this is a very positive sentiment that the retail and consumer market remains buoyant. The other two-thirds split between those reporting it’s declined and those that haven’t seen a change. This month we asked whether the market is anticipating an increase the availability of stock throughout this quarter, and interesting the sentiment was marginally mixed. With the majority of 68% believing, it will and the remaining 32% not expecting to see any change in volumes. Interestingly, there are some concerns, whether it will be the right vehicles to satisfy demand and stocking profiles. The Market Survey – for Dealers, by Dealers Why has this survey been done?This market survey has been created in response to dealers hankering for a more holistic current sentiment of the questions they ask themselves daily, so they can understand the temperament of the wider market. Who is it for?Respondents cover a very diverse sector of the automotive industry, from the larger franchise groups, supermarkets, independents, single site owner-driven operations, through to auctions and remarketing. When is it undertaken?The survey is done monthly, within a very small open window. This ensures that the responses are market relevant and current. The data in this survey is for last month (April 2015). Get involved!If you want to be involved in next month's Dealer Survey – for Dealers, by Dealers - then please contact CAP's Black Book Editor and Retail & Consumer Specialist, Philip Nothard. philip.nothard@cap.co.uk 07702 382025 The results of the latest Dealer Survey for April 2015 are in... http://business.cap.co.uk/cap-extra/news/dealer-survey-april-2015

Yes James, but I like to hear the car as it drives through the hall. I can't do that online, but I pay an extra £40 anyway.