Thomas Ieracitano - Digital Car Guy Blog information selling cars trucks suvs auto dealer internet
Consumers Have Changed The Game.
Consumers Have Changed The Game
Popular social sites like Facebook, Twitter and Myspace
have allowed consumers to change the game in the automotive industry.
Popular social sites like Facebook, Twitter and Myspace
have allowed consumers to change the game in the automotive industry.
Dealers across the country are scrambling to set up social sites that potentially connect them to their customers.
I have begun to notice a trend that automotive dealers have placed their focus on selling and not connecting.
Dealers are traveling in the right direction, yet they are all on the long wrong to success.
Consumers actually like
the ideal that they have the ability to connect with their local car dealer on Facebook, yet dealers have failed to establish a real relationship with their buyers. We as dealers have a tradition of trying to recreate the wheel, social networking became popular long before the automotive industry decided to jump on the band wagon.
Pushing the needle to increase sales is the long road to success for dealers; we have failed to recognize the processes and procedures that these social sites have already implemented to reach their success today.
Consumers Have Changed The Rules, and local car dealers have not yet decided to play the buyers game. It appears that dealers and manufacturers have come up with their own game plan to change the face of Social networking, implementing annotated methods that in the past have made the auto industry successful.
Whenever there is a Paradigm Shift, everything changes...including the rules and dealer's have refused to operate under the new rules.
The way I see it, and keep in mind this is just one man's opinion "Dealers Who Don't Do It, Won't Get It
Consumers spend more time on social sites Right Now than they do anywhere else on the web, yet we are not speaking their language on these sites! In order to capture and maintain friends or fans, as they are called on Facebook, content, connections and links must be fresh and appeal to your fans. Most of these sites give you a breakdown of your visitors; the analytics of your pages along with demographics, what else would you need to manage the behavior of your fans? Automation and technology can be good, yet without the human element, it will be a longgggg time before Car Dealers will see a measurable ROI for any type of investment made through social media. Consumers are yearning for Online Negotiations, Online Trade Appraisals, and Online Real-Time Communications....these services are being offered across the board, yet we have only taken a small road to achieve this goal.
"One place to do all you need to do, before you buy".....
is what one guy told me in a recent online poll I launched.
We in the automotive industry operate a lot like Big Businesses in other industries, We Out Source!! We have learned to depend on outside services to speak to our guest, after we were the ones to establish the relationship, spent the two-three hours selling them a vehicle.
Think about this, would you allow someone else to come into your marriage, to help keep it together, after you have established the relationship? lol!! Well that is exactly what car dealers do, strangers talk to our customers, do the follow-up calls, email our friends and family.................
The Rules have Changed, why not us? There is a lot more to this Automotive Social Networking thing than we want to recognize!
Additional questions, comments
Thomas@Ieracitano.com
www.DigitalCarGuy.com
(229) 251-2462
Top 10 Customer Excuses Not To Buy Car; Crazy Salesman Responses
Posted: 29 Jan 2010 06:07 PM PST
I'm Just Looking:
This one has been used by Car Buyers for ages. Everyone is just looking when they come to a Car Lot. If you are new to Selling Cars remember, ALL customers are just looking. Your job is to assist them in the process of looking without being smart about it. Crazy Salesmen Response: "I'm just looking too." or "Looking is Free Today." Dont be smart about it, just realize everyone is just looking when they first arrive. I have even heard salesman ask in the greeting, "are you here to buy a car today."
Check with Spouse:
Check with Spouse is one of those excuses that is hard to overcome because if I were making a major purchase, i would have to check with my spouse too. Just give the customer all the information they need so the spouse will have all the answers to their questions. Crazy salesmen response, "I have to check with my spouse to sell it to ya." I have actually heard that one! And, don't assume that a female shopper has to have a spouse to buy a vehicle. Women buy the cars in the household or have the influence of what is bought! Remember this, Women may not like to negotiate, but they decide what is purchased!
Have Doctors Appointment:
I have never seen so many customers that have Doctors Appointments. This is a good excuse because it is hard to overcome or question. I don't know which customer started this one, but its a good one. Crazy salesmen response: "Can you get me some good meds too."
Go To Work:
This one does not work too well because how many people actually leave early enough to look at a car before going to work. The only time this might come into play is when a customer may be on a lunch break. Crazy Salesmen Response: "Are they hiring."
Have 5 Minutes:
All customers only have 5 minutes. This is because they do not like you in the first 30 seconds. They will give you 5 minutes before they go to another dealer. Crazy Salesmen Response: "That's not enough time, come see me later when you have more time."
Not Ready:
A customer is telling you they do not have enough information to make an informed decision. Do not take this as a customer wasting your time, give them more information. Crazy Salesmen Response: "Come see me when your ready." That is too funny, call the customer tomorrow and see what kind of vehicle they purchased!
Do You Have Other Color:
Have you ever seen a customer look around to see what you have to ask you for a color that you do not have? This is sometimes a defense mechanism to get away from you. You now say you can locate one, but they say they would have to look at it first. The customer is usually one step ahead of you. If you are new to car sales, realize the same excuses come up every time and have a response ready. Crazy Salesman Response: "You want a white one, that is the most popular color. Why would you want what everyone else has?"
Price Too High:
This is another excuse for not enough information.. You may have to go over features of the vehicle again and make sure customer test drives the vehicle! Customers already know what you can sell a vehicle for because they have invoices just like you. They know you cannot take 5k off the price, believe me! Crazy Salesman Response: "I am trying to feed my kids."
Not Enough For Trade:
Its never enough for trade, but explain where this number comes from. Just like the price of the car, they know what the car is worth. Crazy Salesman Response: "You want more, its a Piece of sh%#!!!"
Have To Look At Other Make:
Customers always want to compare your vehicle to other vehicles. Just remember this, call them the next day to see they purchased the same vehicle from your competitor.. Once this happens a few times, you will quit listening to this. Crazy Salesman Response: "You want to look at that. Why? They are ugly!!!"
I have been in the car business for over 10 years so I have heard and seen it all. Customers have excuses for every situation, but i have found out why they come up with these excuses. They either do not feel comfortable with the salesman or in the situation they were put in. You have to give a customer all the information they ask for and let them make an informed decision. You don't have to be pushy, just informative.
This one has been used by Car Buyers for ages. Everyone is just looking when they come to a Car Lot. If you are new to Selling Cars remember, ALL customers are just looking. Your job is to assist them in the process of looking without being smart about it. Crazy Salesmen Response: "I'm just looking too." or "Looking is Free Today." Dont be smart about it, just realize everyone is just looking when they first arrive. I have even heard salesman ask in the greeting, "are you here to buy a car today."
Check with Spouse:
Check with Spouse is one of those excuses that is hard to overcome because if I were making a major purchase, i would have to check with my spouse too. Just give the customer all the information they need so the spouse will have all the answers to their questions. Crazy salesmen response, "I have to check with my spouse to sell it to ya." I have actually heard that one! And, don't assume that a female shopper has to have a spouse to buy a vehicle. Women buy the cars in the household or have the influence of what is bought! Remember this, Women may not like to negotiate, but they decide what is purchased!
Have Doctors Appointment:
I have never seen so many customers that have Doctors Appointments. This is a good excuse because it is hard to overcome or question. I don't know which customer started this one, but its a good one. Crazy salesmen response: "Can you get me some good meds too."
Go To Work:
This one does not work too well because how many people actually leave early enough to look at a car before going to work. The only time this might come into play is when a customer may be on a lunch break. Crazy Salesmen Response: "Are they hiring."
Have 5 Minutes:
All customers only have 5 minutes. This is because they do not like you in the first 30 seconds. They will give you 5 minutes before they go to another dealer. Crazy Salesmen Response: "That's not enough time, come see me later when you have more time."
Not Ready:
A customer is telling you they do not have enough information to make an informed decision. Do not take this as a customer wasting your time, give them more information. Crazy Salesmen Response: "Come see me when your ready." That is too funny, call the customer tomorrow and see what kind of vehicle they purchased!
Do You Have Other Color:
Have you ever seen a customer look around to see what you have to ask you for a color that you do not have? This is sometimes a defense mechanism to get away from you. You now say you can locate one, but they say they would have to look at it first. The customer is usually one step ahead of you. If you are new to car sales, realize the same excuses come up every time and have a response ready. Crazy Salesman Response: "You want a white one, that is the most popular color. Why would you want what everyone else has?"
Price Too High:
This is another excuse for not enough information.. You may have to go over features of the vehicle again and make sure customer test drives the vehicle! Customers already know what you can sell a vehicle for because they have invoices just like you. They know you cannot take 5k off the price, believe me! Crazy Salesman Response: "I am trying to feed my kids."
Not Enough For Trade:
Its never enough for trade, but explain where this number comes from. Just like the price of the car, they know what the car is worth. Crazy Salesman Response: "You want more, its a Piece of sh%#!!!"
Have To Look At Other Make:
Customers always want to compare your vehicle to other vehicles. Just remember this, call them the next day to see they purchased the same vehicle from your competitor.. Once this happens a few times, you will quit listening to this. Crazy Salesman Response: "You want to look at that. Why? They are ugly!!!"
I have been in the car business for over 10 years so I have heard and seen it all. Customers have excuses for every situation, but i have found out why they come up with these excuses. They either do not feel comfortable with the salesman or in the situation they were put in. You have to give a customer all the information they ask for and let them make an informed decision. You don't have to be pushy, just informative.
test post with distribution list = 1- my blogs
I just want to get it right!
Tech Tips of the week
Once in a while I will come across a few items to make our busy lives a little less heck-tic.
http://www.idrivelite.com - this is a Free Service to back your phone contacts on your BlackBerry, iPhone or iTouch wireless with just a touch of a button.
iDrive also can backup your computer files remotely and securely!
I am sure like me to do not have the occasion to send a fax but now and then it is the only method so........ how about a Free Service
That's all for now and be productive, be a good person, do the right thing!
Conquer the Social Media Frontier
Conquer the Social Media Frontier
Five strategies to help you navigate the Wild West
Another important part of social media is defending your brand through reputation management. Use a "listening tool" to follow dealer rating sites, blogs and social networks. Track keywords, such as your name, OEM name, competitor's names and other names of interest to your brand. Have a plan for leveraging good comments about you and engage the negative comments to solve problems. A note of caution: you need to be nimble, transparent and calm in responding to user reviews. If there is a problem at your store fix it, and let the customers know of the resolution. You will be rewarded not because you are perfect in execution, but perfect in effort.
Links around the web not only create multiple paths back to your site for human visitors, but they also act as "votes" for your website when Google determines your site's authority. The more quality inbound links you have that say, "Honda Accord Boston" helps Google rank your site higher for the search term "Honda Accord Boston." Now, there are lots of other factors in determining your site's ranking, and poor link building can actually hurt you in Google's eyes. But correct social media participation can be an excellent source of link juice.
Five strategies to help you navigate the Wild West
Social CRM
Your dealership should already have a storewide Customer Relations Management system to help you track and transact with your customers. Social CRM has a parallel goal to your CRM system: to maintain and strengthen ongoing relations with your customers. However, Social CRM is much less focused on creating transactions and much more focused on creating relationships. These relationships are built and maintained through efficient conversations on social media sites.
Your dealership should already have a storewide Customer Relations Management system to help you track and transact with your customers. Social CRM has a parallel goal to your CRM system: to maintain and strengthen ongoing relations with your customers. However, Social CRM is much less focused on creating transactions and much more focused on creating relationships. These relationships are built and maintained through efficient conversations on social media sites.
High quality content that engages customers and creates ongoing dialogue is the key to social CRM. When your customer has a question about a 60k mile service, the answer should be on your blog. When you sponsor your customer's little league team, you should post pictures, articles and stats about the team. When your local bank raises money for a charity, you should use your social assets to support them. If your OEM has a recall, you need to transparently blog about it as soon as it happens. Anytime someone comments on any of your posts, you should answer them. Likewise, your dealership's social manager should be an active participant on other community forums. Don't just participate on your site, that is not being a good online citizen.
Reach out to your customers in the communities where they already participate such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. You will sometimes bring these users back to your blog through links.
Branding
Your branding goal is to solidify your name in the market as synonymous with the brand values you stand for. When someone hears "Your Dealership Name" they should think, "Best price with no hassle" or whatever your brand stands for. Social media is an excellent medium to build your brand because you do not have any of the constraints or costs of a 15-second TV spot or a 30-second radio promo. Tell your story in conversational ways. Use video, blog posts and tweets. You should create ALL of the content but should share other people's content too.
Your branding goal is to solidify your name in the market as synonymous with the brand values you stand for. When someone hears "Your Dealership Name" they should think, "Best price with no hassle" or whatever your brand stands for. Social media is an excellent medium to build your brand because you do not have any of the constraints or costs of a 15-second TV spot or a 30-second radio promo. Tell your story in conversational ways. Use video, blog posts and tweets. You should create ALL of the content but should share other people's content too.
Remember, your content will be consumed and shared in direct proportion to its quality. Your view on what is quality content and your customers' view are most likely different things. In this case, your opinion does not count! The customer is in control. Give them the quality content they want.
Reputation ManagementAnother important part of social media is defending your brand through reputation management. Use a "listening tool" to follow dealer rating sites, blogs and social networks. Track keywords, such as your name, OEM name, competitor's names and other names of interest to your brand. Have a plan for leveraging good comments about you and engage the negative comments to solve problems. A note of caution: you need to be nimble, transparent and calm in responding to user reviews. If there is a problem at your store fix it, and let the customers know of the resolution. You will be rewarded not because you are perfect in execution, but perfect in effort.
Traffic Generation
The future of marketing is about content. So, the better your content, the better advantage you will have at building traffic. There will be a natural boost of traffic from your participation in other communities as users follow quality links that you leave.
The future of marketing is about content. So, the better your content, the better advantage you will have at building traffic. There will be a natural boost of traffic from your participation in other communities as users follow quality links that you leave.
Think of links as paths back to your website. The more legitimate paths you create, the more traffic you will garner. The better your content, the more reason people will have to share your links. Become a destination site by sharing good content and measure the traffic gains and leads from your analytics. Inbound marketing is important, so be a magnet for consumers by being the best place for them to get information.
SEO ValueLinks around the web not only create multiple paths back to your site for human visitors, but they also act as "votes" for your website when Google determines your site's authority. The more quality inbound links you have that say, "Honda Accord Boston" helps Google rank your site higher for the search term "Honda Accord Boston." Now, there are lots of other factors in determining your site's ranking, and poor link building can actually hurt you in Google's eyes. But correct social media participation can be an excellent source of link juice.
In addition to the value of the links you will notice that pages you create on social sites can often rank quite easily themselves for long-tail keywords. For example, perhaps you create a presentation about "getting the most for your trade-in" and share the presentation on a site like slideshare.net. That page on slideshare could rank for the term, "getting the most for your trade-in." Google visitors that are searching for help with trade-in valuations will find this slideshare page, and if your content is good, will go from there to your site.
In this example you will get positive branding, link value from the post, another page that ranks in the SERPS and additional referral traffic. All of these benefits can come from one high quality post on a social site.
It's not rocket science. Don't be afraid because of the nay-sayers. Social media is the Wild West right now and there are lots of people causing dealers to fear this medium. The critics often do not understand social media. But there are substantial benefits to being involved. Don't be shy. Invest some time and try things out.
I hope these five strategies help you gain a better perspective and direction. If you are looking for more social media tips and strategies, visit DigitalCarGuy.com.
Why Service Customers are Leaving
Why Service Customers are Leaving
...and what you can do about it
by Kevin T Root, VP Product Strategy, DriverSide.com
Current economic market conditions are creating dynamic shifts in the automotive service industry, which have led to consumers keeping their vehicles longer. This trend does not translate into more traffic to the dealership service department.
Consumers feeling the economic pinch are taking their business to independents and national light repair chains. These firms are becoming more aggressive in their pursuit of what has traditionally been a dealers' service customer. Recently published data from NDP research illustrates where new car service department customers turned to when their dealership closed due to recent point reductions by General Motors and Chrysler.
Only 51% of those previous dealership service customers continued servicing their vehicles at another new car dealership. Of the remaining 49%, a full 24% moved their service business to an independent auto service center, while 12% remain undecided at the time of the survey.
To better understand this, DriverSide.com conducted research to learn more about consumers' perceptions of dealership service departments, national light repair centers (like Pep Boys, Precision Tune and independently owned local service providers).
We were amazed to learn that most consumers felt they would get higher quality of work from their local independent mechanic than at a new car dealership service department or light repair center-even if price were not a factor.
In addition to fighting consumer perception, dealerships are increasingly feeling pressure from national light repair chains that are successfully pursuing the dealer service customer with aggressive marketing campaigns and incentives. More challenging is that 66% of consumers feel that new car dealerships will overcharge them for service work.
The final battleground for the service customer is being fought on the social media front. Ratings and reviews of vehicle service providers are rapidly gaining scale and influence. 86% of consumers read online business reviews before making purchase decisions and 90% say they trust these reviews (Kudzu..com survey of 600 users, December 2008). A staggering 74% of consumers report that they choose companies and brands based on what others say online about their customer service experience (Society for New Communications Research, May 2008). The good news is that dealers can look at this as an opportunity. Given that consumers expect to be overcharged, dealers that are competitive and highly transparent in pricing will be rewarded by positive reviews from consumers who are compelled to tell others about their unexpected experience. Vehicle service providers will begin to see that their online reputation will either drive their business or erode it.
All of these dynamics mean dealers must change the way they manage their customer base and acquire new customers. Service marketing and prospect acquisition must evolve beyond simple oil change window sticker reminders and CRM system mailers that are not highly specific to the actual service history of the vehicle.
Customer communications must be highly relevant to the customer and their specific vehicle needs. Dealers will benefit from helping their customers understand the tangible advantages of using a dealership service department, like parts quality, technician certification and access to specialized tools and the latest OEM technical advisories. When you combine this information with additional tips and tools that are helpful to the customer, you create relevancy and break through the clutter.
The way that dealerships grow their service customer base must evolve. Advances in technologies that leverage disparate database mining, consumer profiling, multi-variant testing and incentive optimization are combining with new media marketing techniques to produce impressive results in the areas of service marketing and prospect conquest.
Social media must be leveraged, specifically managing and growing the online service department's reputation. New services covering the task of 'Reputation Management' are available to help retailers embrace social media and do so in a fully automated way that does not burden daily operations.
Forward thinking dealers who combine service customer retention, new media marketing and social media to stand out from the crowd will not only gain competitive advantage, but also market share.
This article is a summary of research and service marketing information that is available in a new white paper titled: Service Marketing: New Solutions for New Challenges. Study highlights will be delivered in an upcoming webinar. All participants will receive the free white paper.
...and what you can do about it
by Kevin T Root, VP Product Strategy, DriverSide.com
Current economic market conditions are creating dynamic shifts in the automotive service industry, which have led to consumers keeping their vehicles longer. This trend does not translate into more traffic to the dealership service department.
Consumers feeling the economic pinch are taking their business to independents and national light repair chains. These firms are becoming more aggressive in their pursuit of what has traditionally been a dealers' service customer. Recently published data from NDP research illustrates where new car service department customers turned to when their dealership closed due to recent point reductions by General Motors and Chrysler.
Only 51% of those previous dealership service customers continued servicing their vehicles at another new car dealership. Of the remaining 49%, a full 24% moved their service business to an independent auto service center, while 12% remain undecided at the time of the survey.
To better understand this, DriverSide.com conducted research to learn more about consumers' perceptions of dealership service departments, national light repair centers (like Pep Boys, Precision Tune and independently owned local service providers).
We were amazed to learn that most consumers felt they would get higher quality of work from their local independent mechanic than at a new car dealership service department or light repair center-even if price were not a factor.
In addition to fighting consumer perception, dealerships are increasingly feeling pressure from national light repair chains that are successfully pursuing the dealer service customer with aggressive marketing campaigns and incentives. More challenging is that 66% of consumers feel that new car dealerships will overcharge them for service work.
The final battleground for the service customer is being fought on the social media front. Ratings and reviews of vehicle service providers are rapidly gaining scale and influence. 86% of consumers read online business reviews before making purchase decisions and 90% say they trust these reviews (Kudzu..com survey of 600 users, December 2008). A staggering 74% of consumers report that they choose companies and brands based on what others say online about their customer service experience (Society for New Communications Research, May 2008). The good news is that dealers can look at this as an opportunity. Given that consumers expect to be overcharged, dealers that are competitive and highly transparent in pricing will be rewarded by positive reviews from consumers who are compelled to tell others about their unexpected experience. Vehicle service providers will begin to see that their online reputation will either drive their business or erode it.
All of these dynamics mean dealers must change the way they manage their customer base and acquire new customers. Service marketing and prospect acquisition must evolve beyond simple oil change window sticker reminders and CRM system mailers that are not highly specific to the actual service history of the vehicle.
Customer communications must be highly relevant to the customer and their specific vehicle needs. Dealers will benefit from helping their customers understand the tangible advantages of using a dealership service department, like parts quality, technician certification and access to specialized tools and the latest OEM technical advisories. When you combine this information with additional tips and tools that are helpful to the customer, you create relevancy and break through the clutter.
The way that dealerships grow their service customer base must evolve. Advances in technologies that leverage disparate database mining, consumer profiling, multi-variant testing and incentive optimization are combining with new media marketing techniques to produce impressive results in the areas of service marketing and prospect conquest.
Social media must be leveraged, specifically managing and growing the online service department's reputation. New services covering the task of 'Reputation Management' are available to help retailers embrace social media and do so in a fully automated way that does not burden daily operations.
Forward thinking dealers who combine service customer retention, new media marketing and social media to stand out from the crowd will not only gain competitive advantage, but also market share.
This article is a summary of research and service marketing information that is available in a new white paper titled: Service Marketing: New Solutions for New Challenges. Study highlights will be delivered in an upcoming webinar. All participants will receive the free white paper.
Conquer the Social Media Frontier
Conquer the Social Media Frontier
Five strategies to help you navigate the Wild West
Another important part of social media is defending your brand through reputation management. Use a "listening tool" to follow dealer rating sites, blogs and social networks. Track keywords, such as your name, OEM name, competitor's names and other names of interest to your brand. Have a plan for leveraging good comments about you and engage the negative comments to solve problems. A note of caution: you need to be nimble, transparent and calm in responding to user reviews. If there is a problem at your store fix it, and let the customers know of the resolution. You will be rewarded not because you are perfect in execution, but perfect in effort..
Links around the web not only create multiple paths back to your site for human visitors, but they also act as "votes" for your website when Google determines your site's authority. The more quality inbound links you have that say, "Honda Accord Boston" helps Google rank your site higher for the search term "Honda Accord Boston." Now, there are lots of other factors in determining your site's ranking, and poor link building can actually hurt you in Google's eyes. But correct social media participation can be an excellent source of link juice.
Five strategies to help you navigate the Wild West
Social CRM
Your dealership should already have a storewide Customer Relations Management system to help you track and transact with your customers. Social CRM has a parallel goal to your CRM system: to maintain and strengthen ongoing relations with your customers. However, Social CRM is much less focused on creating transactions and much more focused on creating relationships. These relationships are built and maintained through efficient conversations on social media sites.
Your dealership should already have a storewide Customer Relations Management system to help you track and transact with your customers. Social CRM has a parallel goal to your CRM system: to maintain and strengthen ongoing relations with your customers. However, Social CRM is much less focused on creating transactions and much more focused on creating relationships. These relationships are built and maintained through efficient conversations on social media sites.
High quality content that engages customers and creates ongoing dialogue is the key to social CRM. When your customer has a question about a 60k mile service, the answer should be on your blog. When you sponsor your customer's little league team, you should post pictures, articles and stats about the team. When your local bank raises money for a charity, you should use your social assets to support them. If your OEM has a recall, you need to transparently blog about it as soon as it happens. Anytime someone comments on any of your posts, you should answer them. Likewise, your dealership's social manager should be an active participant on other community forums. Don't just participate on your site, that is not being a good online citizen.
Reach out to your customers in the communities where they already participate such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. You will sometimes bring these users back to your blog through links.
Branding
Your branding goal is to solidify your name in the market as synonymous with the brand values you stand for. When someone hears "Your Dealership Name" they should think, "Best price with no hassle" or whatever your brand stands for. Social media is an excellent medium to build your brand because you do not have any of the constraints or costs of a 15-second TV spot or a 30-second radio promo. Tell your story in conversational ways. Use video, blog posts and tweets. You should create ALL of the content but should share other people's content too.
Your branding goal is to solidify your name in the market as synonymous with the brand values you stand for. When someone hears "Your Dealership Name" they should think, "Best price with no hassle" or whatever your brand stands for. Social media is an excellent medium to build your brand because you do not have any of the constraints or costs of a 15-second TV spot or a 30-second radio promo. Tell your story in conversational ways. Use video, blog posts and tweets. You should create ALL of the content but should share other people's content too.
Remember, your content will be consumed and shared in direct proportion to its quality. Your view on what is quality content and your customers' view are most likely different things. In this case, your opinion does not count! The customer is in control. Give them the quality content they want.
Reputation ManagementAnother important part of social media is defending your brand through reputation management. Use a "listening tool" to follow dealer rating sites, blogs and social networks. Track keywords, such as your name, OEM name, competitor's names and other names of interest to your brand. Have a plan for leveraging good comments about you and engage the negative comments to solve problems. A note of caution: you need to be nimble, transparent and calm in responding to user reviews. If there is a problem at your store fix it, and let the customers know of the resolution. You will be rewarded not because you are perfect in execution, but perfect in effort..
Traffic Generation
The future of marketing is about content. So, the better your content, the better advantage you will have at building traffic. There will be a natural boost of traffic from your participation in other communities as users follow quality links that you leave.
The future of marketing is about content. So, the better your content, the better advantage you will have at building traffic. There will be a natural boost of traffic from your participation in other communities as users follow quality links that you leave.
Think of links as paths back to your website. The more legitimate paths you create, the more traffic you will garner. The better your content, the more reason people will have to share your links. Become a destination site by sharing good content and measure the traffic gains and leads from your analytics. Inbound marketing is important, so be a magnet for consumers by being the best place for them to get information.
SEO ValueLinks around the web not only create multiple paths back to your site for human visitors, but they also act as "votes" for your website when Google determines your site's authority. The more quality inbound links you have that say, "Honda Accord Boston" helps Google rank your site higher for the search term "Honda Accord Boston." Now, there are lots of other factors in determining your site's ranking, and poor link building can actually hurt you in Google's eyes. But correct social media participation can be an excellent source of link juice.
In addition to the value of the links you will notice that pages you create on social sites can often rank quite easily themselves for long-tail keywords. For example, perhaps you create a presentation about "getting the most for your trade-in" and share the presentation on a site like slideshare.net. That page on slideshare could rank for the term, "getting the most for your trade-in." Google visitors that are searching for help with trade-in valuations will find this slideshare page, and if your content is good, will go from there to your site.
In this example you will get positive branding, link value from the post, another page that ranks in the SERPS and additional referral traffic. All of these benefits can come from one high quality post on a social site.
It's not rocket science. Don't be afraid because of the nay-sayers. Social media is the Wild West right now and there are lots of people causing dealers to fear this medium. The critics often do not understand social media.. But there are substantial benefits to being involved. Don't be shy. Invest some time and try things out.
I hope these five strategies help you gain a better perspective and direction. If you are looking for more social media tips and strategies, visit DigitalCarGuy.com.
Focus on what this is all about, SELLING VEHICLES
You know how important the Internet (and your Internet Department) is to your dealership. If you didn't, you wouldn't be reading this. The biggest step in developing an Internet Department, or turning around an ineffective one, is to acknowledge that you don't know everything. Managing an Internet Department differs greatly from managing traditional dealership departments. There are specific skill sets and tactics required to make an effective Internet Manager and/or Dedicated Internet Salesperson. Identifying and developing those skills, and the best ways to apply them, takes time and effort. I've spent the last 10+ years researching, developing and perfecting methodologies specifically for Internet Departments. I have a proven approach that can help you identify the right personnel (both internally and externally), put them in the right structure for your dealership, and secure the services that give them the tools they need to be successful.
There are a few key elements to consider:
Do you know how to structure your Internet Department to make best use of your resources? Over the past 10 years I've built successful Internet Departments ranging from small (1 Internet Manager who is also the dedicated salesperson) to huge (5 Managers and 50+ salespeople). I take into account your location, sales and inventory volume, marketing strategy, financial and personnel resources and more to identify the best structure for your department. In addition, I will work with you to grow the department over time. Not ready to jump in with both feet and make sweeping overhauls or time/cost investments? No problem. I can help you start small, while building an effective core around which you can expend.
Do you know how to maximize your marketing budget? How big a part of your overall marketing budget is dedicated to electronic-based initiatives? If it is less than 10%, you are missing a huge part of your demographic. Most dealers spend more than 90% of their total marketing budget on traditional marketing campaigns (Print, Radio, TV). They do this despite the fact that Internet-based marketing is more targeted, cheaper, track able and flexible.
When asked why they don't spend more on such a crucial medium, most dealers say they are worried about losing money on endeavors that don't work, that they just don't know what works and what doesn't. I do.
I have worked as executives, managers and salespeople at the dealership level, and turned Internet Departments selling 4 cars/month and hemorrhaging money into cash-cows selling over 100 cars/month. I have spent the time and money to determine what is effective and what is not. You can benefit from the trial and error of over 10 years of experimentation with nearly every conceivable Web-based tactic and technique.
Do you have a dedicated Internet Manager? If so, how do they spend their time? First, you must have a dedicated Internet Manager. Managing an effective Department requires the time, effort and attention to detail that only a dedicated Manager can provide. Unfortunately, even dealers with a dedicated Internet Manager rarely make the best use of them. Most dealers waste their Internet Manager's time and effort by asking them to manage 10-20 vendors for services ranging from third-party leads and websites to CRM Tools and mass mail campaigns. That is a waste of their precious time. Your Internet Manager should be spending their time managing their sales team and working with customers...tasks that will MAKE YOU MONEY. Spending valuable hours managing the services that COST you money is wasteful and unnecessary. I can manage those vendors for you, freeing your Internet Team to focus on the tasks that MAKE you money (like sales and customer follow-up).
I can handle management and billing of any vendor who provides services to your Internet Department. Anything from dealership websites, CRM tools and Banner Advertising to Search Engine Marketing and Optimization, Third-Party lead sources, Mass E-Mail campaigns, Inventory Data Feeds, Portals and Marketplaces. You don't even need to start over with the services you receive. I can take over the vendor management without changing a thing (though I'll provide some recommendations for how to improve your current services).
I can put your Internet Marketing dollars to best use, using my knowledge and expertise to identify which products and services will be most beneficial based on your specific set of circumstances. In addition, I can save you money by leveraging the purchasing power of all of the dealers with whom I work. I can get more services at a lower cost than any single dealer could alone.
Are you sure your Internet Team Members have all of the knowledge and tools they need to perform to the best of their ability? I can build, or re-build, your internet department from the ground up. I can help you hire a manager with the right skill sets and train them and their dedicated salespeople in our proven and effective methodology to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of your Internet Department.
Is your current department under performing? I can take the personnel you already have and give them the tools they need to do their jobs better. They don't necessarily have to work harder...I can teach them how to work smarter. They'll sell more cars, make more money for you both, and be happier.
Did you Internet Department come with a manual? When you work with DigitalCarGuy.com, it does. I will provide your manager with an Internet Department Bible that acts as a manual for how to run the Department. It gives guidance on how to structure sales teams, how to organize leads and follow-ups, provides templates for e-mails and phone calls, and even charts what an optimal daily routine is for dedicated Internet Salespeople and Managers. Employee turnover is never a problem when you can give them documentation on how your Internet Department operates.
The truth is, there is no panacea, no magic formula. Each dealership and its specific set of circumstances dictate what approach will be most successful. I've worked with (and worked for) countless dealers in countless different situations. You can leverage my 20 + years of experience and benefit from my years of trial and error in determining what combination of services and methodologies will work for your dealership.
I can come to you for training sessions or simply help you re-define your approach and determine what services will make you more successful. I can be as involved as you'd like, working with your Internet Manager and salespeople on a daily basis, or simply aggregating your existing vendors to save you time and money on marketing and services.
Let me help you define (or re-define) your Internet strategy, ensure you put the right personnel in the right positions, ease the burden on your Internet Manager, help you make better use of your marketing budget, and
give your team the time they need to focus on what this is all about, SELLING VEHICLES.
There are a few key elements to consider:
Do you know how to structure your Internet Department to make best use of your resources? Over the past 10 years I've built successful Internet Departments ranging from small (1 Internet Manager who is also the dedicated salesperson) to huge (5 Managers and 50+ salespeople). I take into account your location, sales and inventory volume, marketing strategy, financial and personnel resources and more to identify the best structure for your department. In addition, I will work with you to grow the department over time. Not ready to jump in with both feet and make sweeping overhauls or time/cost investments? No problem. I can help you start small, while building an effective core around which you can expend.
Do you know how to maximize your marketing budget? How big a part of your overall marketing budget is dedicated to electronic-based initiatives? If it is less than 10%, you are missing a huge part of your demographic. Most dealers spend more than 90% of their total marketing budget on traditional marketing campaigns (Print, Radio, TV). They do this despite the fact that Internet-based marketing is more targeted, cheaper, track able and flexible.
When asked why they don't spend more on such a crucial medium, most dealers say they are worried about losing money on endeavors that don't work, that they just don't know what works and what doesn't. I do.
I have worked as executives, managers and salespeople at the dealership level, and turned Internet Departments selling 4 cars/month and hemorrhaging money into cash-cows selling over 100 cars/month. I have spent the time and money to determine what is effective and what is not. You can benefit from the trial and error of over 10 years of experimentation with nearly every conceivable Web-based tactic and technique.
Do you have a dedicated Internet Manager? If so, how do they spend their time? First, you must have a dedicated Internet Manager. Managing an effective Department requires the time, effort and attention to detail that only a dedicated Manager can provide. Unfortunately, even dealers with a dedicated Internet Manager rarely make the best use of them. Most dealers waste their Internet Manager's time and effort by asking them to manage 10-20 vendors for services ranging from third-party leads and websites to CRM Tools and mass mail campaigns. That is a waste of their precious time. Your Internet Manager should be spending their time managing their sales team and working with customers...tasks that will MAKE YOU MONEY. Spending valuable hours managing the services that COST you money is wasteful and unnecessary. I can manage those vendors for you, freeing your Internet Team to focus on the tasks that MAKE you money (like sales and customer follow-up).
I can handle management and billing of any vendor who provides services to your Internet Department. Anything from dealership websites, CRM tools and Banner Advertising to Search Engine Marketing and Optimization, Third-Party lead sources, Mass E-Mail campaigns, Inventory Data Feeds, Portals and Marketplaces. You don't even need to start over with the services you receive. I can take over the vendor management without changing a thing (though I'll provide some recommendations for how to improve your current services).
I can put your Internet Marketing dollars to best use, using my knowledge and expertise to identify which products and services will be most beneficial based on your specific set of circumstances. In addition, I can save you money by leveraging the purchasing power of all of the dealers with whom I work. I can get more services at a lower cost than any single dealer could alone.
Are you sure your Internet Team Members have all of the knowledge and tools they need to perform to the best of their ability? I can build, or re-build, your internet department from the ground up. I can help you hire a manager with the right skill sets and train them and their dedicated salespeople in our proven and effective methodology to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of your Internet Department.
Is your current department under performing? I can take the personnel you already have and give them the tools they need to do their jobs better. They don't necessarily have to work harder...I can teach them how to work smarter. They'll sell more cars, make more money for you both, and be happier.
Did you Internet Department come with a manual? When you work with DigitalCarGuy.com, it does. I will provide your manager with an Internet Department Bible that acts as a manual for how to run the Department. It gives guidance on how to structure sales teams, how to organize leads and follow-ups, provides templates for e-mails and phone calls, and even charts what an optimal daily routine is for dedicated Internet Salespeople and Managers. Employee turnover is never a problem when you can give them documentation on how your Internet Department operates.
The truth is, there is no panacea, no magic formula. Each dealership and its specific set of circumstances dictate what approach will be most successful. I've worked with (and worked for) countless dealers in countless different situations. You can leverage my 20 + years of experience and benefit from my years of trial and error in determining what combination of services and methodologies will work for your dealership.
I can come to you for training sessions or simply help you re-define your approach and determine what services will make you more successful. I can be as involved as you'd like, working with your Internet Manager and salespeople on a daily basis, or simply aggregating your existing vendors to save you time and money on marketing and services.
Let me help you define (or re-define) your Internet strategy, ensure you put the right personnel in the right positions, ease the burden on your Internet Manager, help you make better use of your marketing budget, and
give your team the time they need to focus on what this is all about, SELLING VEHICLES.
Your Online Advertising Checklist
Ok, I have a website, NOW WHAT?
I have a checklist of items that based on your goals for your website that will systematically help you to create your website. Want to get started? Just contact me !
... << MORE >>
I have a checklist of items that based on your goals for your website that will systematically help you to create your website. Want to get started? Just contact me !
... << MORE >>
