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Stay In The Driver’s Seat and You’ll Put More In Theirs

When it comes to the selling of cars today, it's not any easy task. Compared to the past twenty plus years, the cake walk has slowed to a drunk crawl. So what allows some folks in the 'Internet' sales world to deliver 15, 20 or even 25 and more per month? Control.

Staying in the driver's seat is not about dominating a conversation (or having a monologue with a prospect in front of you) or barely raising above a whisper for the fear of the person leaving the lot. Control is first about confidence, knowing that what you have to offer is more important than the piece of inventory that you're trying to sell. Being a dynamic listener and taking the time to qualify your customer keeps you from falling into sales (although there is nothing wrong with that, don't make it habit).

One of the greatest parts of staying in the driver's seat is learning, whether about the client or yourself. When you learn, you are taking steps toward the art of being in control. Once realized, you are no longer a victim or circumstance or, as Larry PInci of Sell The Feeling puts it, on the 'effect' side of the equation.

If you are typically in the driver's seat, you'll likely have your 2009 plans carved out (if not already in motion), have your targets planned for January, realized some things that you will both do and not do to cause change in the coming year and, chances are, have some 'use-of-technology' goals on the radar.

It is interesting to watch some of the data that comes out monthly (if not weekly as of late). Look at the trend in truck and SUV leads and sales over the past month. Surprised that people are buying them again, even with all of the focus in Washington D.C. over relevancy and MPG tied to providing loans to the domestic OEMs? Give people a reason to buy and they will.

Remember that people do what they want to do. Sometimes they need permission. When someone wants to buy a house, do they go to a dry cleaners or trash collector? Do you watch E! Television when you are considering which college to send your child to? Understand your market, your customers, your skills and your opportunities. Use control for all it's worth…heck you might even influence someone!

Stay in the driver's seat and people will come to you when it's time to buy a car.

Best practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

Week At IM@CS: Chats With The Industry

With the year coming to a close, it was time for a bigger perspective break from our traditional focus on smaller companies. This is a look back a the bigger conduits that may not always have had the spotlight, considering the focus on the OEMs, economy and other reasons. IM@CS would like to give credit to the following:

HomeNet: If Jesse Biter and the team at HomeNet don't continue to impress, you're not looking. With everything else they're doing to make inventory 'that much better', they added their IOL community to the list of accomplishments. Then they polished off the year by getting Neal Gann on board…great work Jesse and the folks at HomeNet! http://www.homenetinc.com

DealerSocket: We continue to be impressed by their product, innovation and support. The industry is focussed on CRM now, but there has to be more than strong intent to help dealers succeed or put out a great campaign to solicit signups. Some of the smallest and largest dealers in the country rely on Jonathan Ord's company daily and they seem to be sold on the whole package and not an image, great stuff! http://www.dealersocket.com

Automotive Digest: Outside of the fact that their content has been finding its way into the inbox here for a long time, their content is relevant, compelling, easy to read and timely. Chuck Parker and the team of contributors and editors seem to focus on what dealers need most, especially in the online world. There a number of titles to satisfy nearly everyone on your holiday list!! Dealer Digest Daily is the IM@CS favorite. http://www.automotivedigest.com

We'll try to keep these updates weekly and ultimately have an area where you can get in touch with the vendors.

Best practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

Don’t Worry About 2009…Unless You Have To

If there has ever been a time to realize the benefits of creating and executing on new strategies, it is the coming year. For those who went digital, got behind online completely, build their brand and reputation where the public actually spends their time, engaged their clientele via effective software and database activities, you will already have a great look into how your 2009 will sort out. Keep doing what you're doing and don't worry.

Now, if you haven't spent time assessing, looking at, determining and then executing your Interactive strategy, you have one decision with two options. And if you do opt for the 'stay in business' route, be prepared for a significant amount of technology this year, even simply from an integration standpoint. Things on the software, video, mobile and other aspects of marketing are going to accelerate.

Over the weekend, a number of conversations I was around included statements about newspapers, relevancy and readership, none of them positive. Separately, two people will be buying vehicles by March, their impressions already biased by sites they like. Others talked about past experiences being indicative of the future. Many people talked about making brand decisions based on the automotive industry coverage in the media, so I straightened those out at least. But overwhelmingly, people are using the web and not thinking about stepping foot in a dealership that is not in their specific scope of consideration.

Everything points to us having to do a better job attracting and connecting to our customer base online. It's winter, when is the last time you've had a banner ad on the local online traffic reports or weather updates on your local network news' website? Do you have links from local businesses' websites that have purchased vehicles from you? Even though we've focused a lot of attention on this lately: how many customers are providing online testimonials for you? (read: not many! Need ideas to get your customers to do that? here's one: ask them).

Your 2009 results will be based on what you are doing today and have been doing for the past few months. Those leads and customers are going to share their experience with others. The brand impressions people received months ago will undoubtedly affect who walks in your door tomorrow. There is no denying that your 2009 will be build on your ability to create a more significant presence in the areas where people consume media and data. Who's blogging, commenting and Twittering for you?

Challenge yourself to layout a plan for the first quarter that is web-based, create an environment of support throughout your entire store and get everyone to assist in deploying your new brand strategy. Get creative, become savvier, see yourself doing things that are not comfortable but will deliver results and ultimately take back ownership of your future.

There are a number of events that are dedicated to the Internet side of the business at the beginning of 2009. Commit to making those a part of your strategy and don't back out. Go the extra mile to figure out what you are going to do instead of being a victim of current circumstances.

Leave the worrying to others that don't take the time to invest in their future. Be confident in your direction and commitments. Spend your time and energy on things that deliver results rather than doubt. Thank you for reading this, now do something else online to further your business!

Best practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

Live By Process or Die By Process: A Message To Management

Dealers/General Managers and General Sales Managers, this is where the accountability starts: You and Process. I've not yet entered a store where the Internet business excelled despite management (ok, for more than one month). Heading into 2009, you must understand all of the fundamentals, be able to speak to the critical points with ease, know your vendors along with holding them accountable and stay up on what's happening in your store as well as outside.

The opportunity to hide behind anything that keeps you from being engaged with your online identity, understanding what your (Internet) sales staff is doing, knowing how your leads are being handled and taking part in how you message all of your customers has to end. In order to lead, be able to influence your staff and hold meaningful conversations with your sales team you must:

    1. Embrace the web and your presence (likely for the same reasons you use the Internet)
    2. Immerse yourself in learning, reading and understanding technology and the tools
    3. Have complete transparency (logs, reports, analytics, vendor updates/meetings)
    4. Validate the use and effectiveness of the web in everything you do

Stores are managed top down, period. People have faith when their leadership does the things that matter, support and recognize them.  A few questions to ask yourselves:

   Do I:
    1. have a clearly understood web plan, marketing platform and the appropriate staff?
    2. read magazines, e-newsletters and industry information that informs and validates the efforts?
    3. take time to sit down with staff that handles my Internet business?
    4. clearly define goals that make sense and hold people accountable?
    5. support online efforts by staying in touch with both my staff and customers?
    6. know at all times what my online brand, messages and staff are doing to promote completely?

It is not enough to put up a website, buy leads, plug in a CRM and wait for customer to run in. Think like a customer, act like a customer, ask like a customer, shop yourself like a customer and task your staff like a customer. Then you must make sure that you have a viable process and support it. Not half way. Not three quarters of the way. All the way.

Failure is not an option when you understand, plan and execute. Process is a great thing that breeds results. Process also shows areas of failure, possible improvement and validates all of your efforts. Remember, you can have the latest and greatest of everything but it won't matter if you can't back it up.

Make it your goal to set all of these things in motion now so your 2009 is something to talk about. More customers will enter your store online now than will ever physically walk into your dealership. Make sure you are 100% confident that those people will see and experience exactly what you want them to. Then do it over and over again…oh, and change your website a bit regularly just in case they actually spend some time on it…

Best practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

Week At IM@CS: Chats With The Industry

Little fish in a big pond or big fish in a little pond? If you have process, vendors that back you and a great staff, it doesn't matter. In the event that you're looking for some smaller companies that 'fit the bill', you may want to check these out:

Customer For Life: CRM is not just emails. No, seriously! Get the most out of your database, at least until someone at your dealership actually gets to them. Having worked with Salesforce-based systems in the past, the foundation is rock solid. Put Ivan Feher and the team at CFL on the case at your dealership and you might just see great results, for less than you think. In addition, they seem to be launching something of value about every quarter so they like to keep you on your toes! http://www.customerforlife.com

Undertone Networks: Online media doesn't get a lot of attention compared to SEO and SEM for individual dealers but if you're part of an association, 20 group or own a number of dealerships, you may want to know a lot more about ad networks and starting to interact with your public the way that the big boys do. Not for everyone, but this is one of the areas that is a must going forward considering that you've already dropped all of your conventional marketing (or will this month). Contact Brad Fox, he has a great background in everything online automotive (or any of their regional offices). http://www.undertone.com

Free Press Release: When it comes to all of the activities that dealers want to but don't execute on, one that can help greatly and doesn't take a lot of time is press releases. Free is better (if you don't mind Google ads and other no-in-your-control aspects) but there is a minor charge to get rid of the 'other stuff'. Remember, it's a great SEO tool and gets your events, specials and other news-worthy events in front of the public. http://www.free-press-release.com

DealersCompass: Fixed-Ops seems to be saving at least a few lives for the proverbial cat as of late. Outside of merely cutting costs, dealers need ideas. Brad Bossen at DealersCompass has a couple decades of experience in making service and other facets of fixed operations work better, make more sense and deliver more dollars. He's based in Phoenix but planes, trains and automobiles go everywhere. Call Brad at (480) 234-7877 or visit him at http://www.linkedin.com/pub/dir/brad/bossen or http://adpadm.ning.com/profile/BradBossen

We'll try to keep these updates weekly and ultimately have an area where you can get in touch with the vendors.

Best practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

Water The Tree…Then Turn A New Leaf

Many people in training and consulting today focus almost entirely on the 'what-to-do-now' with a few fundamentals which can work well for some dealers, even those that are struggling with online marketing, lead handling and brand extension/equity.

That can be absolutely fine, turning a new leaf and running down after what's next. Do that without watering the whole tree…and the leaf dies with the tree. Your wonderful new iPhone, Storm or Omnia are wonderful, technological wonders…that can't stop you from having an entire conversation of "uhhs, umms, ahhs and ya knows".

Dealers, it's time to get serious about the help you need, not the help you think you need. Hot on vSEO to drive organic traffic? How many more leads can you take when your current ones are being answered effectively? Paying more to market your pre-owned vehicles so more traffic sees your inventory? Only for the public to see mediocre (or no) pictures and realize that you haven't taken the time to focus on keywords and correct descriptions? Guess what…your competition got it right! Afraid to ask your next customer for a recommendation? How then can you get it online?

It's past the time to seriously look at everything you are doing today and how to improve those before you go onto the next thing that can mask an inadequacy. Not that you're expected to be perfect, nobody is going to ask you of that…gosh, consultants and trainers aren't either!

But you have to absolutely do the fundamentals consistently and as correctly as possible before you spend the extra $2,000 a month on the new whippersnappermagicaldoodah. Water the whole tree and every leaf gets lifted higher and everyone gets to grow together (and stay around a little while longer).

Best practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

If You’re Living By Service…Don’t Die By Service

We don't touch on service much here…time for a little breather!

More dealers than ever are floating (or simply sinking slower) on the revenue from their service department. This trend should be supported with an overwhelming conviction to completely satisfy customers. The risk is just too large to lose clients both on the front and the back end of the store.

Things being what they are, it should come as no surprise that achieving such a goal is as far away as the next 20 walk-in customers. Equally as daunting, many service directors have had their budgets and discount capabilities slashed when exactly the opposite should be done. At the same time, it would be great to report that at least some budget has been thrown over to the web for marketing. But the jury that we could ask on that one was laid off.

Folks, don't kick the gift of traffic in the mouth! By the same token, don't give away the farm either. Instead live by balance, planning (yes, plan ahead, execute on the plan and don't change the ding-dang plan) and accountability. Make sure that your service marketing completely and clearly explains the benefits of servicing at your dealership, tangible perks (VIP club, fixed pricing or discounts, upgraded loaners, pick-up/drop-off, etc), guarantees and anything else that puts you up a level.

Get your customers to write up their positive experiences (and to offset the bad ones) on sites like DealerRater, CarFolks, MyDealerReport, Yelp, Google, etc. Provide maintenance clinics at your store (since you're already doing new owner events every one to three months, right?) to help your customers get more for their money and feature your parts and accessories. And then set up service scheduling on your site to make it easier for your customers (TimeHighway, XTime, UDC, MyCarPage).

This is not rocket science, it's customer sense. Over the past two days I've been told about two completely different examples related to service departments:

One via a friend in Michigan talking about his BMW. The service light came on, he called the dealership 30 miles away and the service writer informed him how to avert the visit (the 'fix' worked). He could have still had my friend drive to the dealership, get a complimentary inspection, spend time at the store with -insert a salesperson's name here-, and sent on his way with a $30+ charge. Instead they created a customer for life (with the exception that the service writer didn't get his email/text address, log the call in the CRM and create a GREAT follow up for the event).

The other you'll have to read for yourself here on Edmunds' Inside Line which is just plain astonishing.

Now is the time to go the extra mile, not cut off a few inches. There's nothing worse than stepping over a dollar to pick up a penny. Do what it takes to deliver the best experience everywhere in your dealership. And start with your next customer…

Best practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

Week At IM@CS: Chats With The Industry

What drives the traffic in? We haven't addressed that much so let's look at a few smaller providers in the realm that IM@CS believes provides the service, backs it and provides additional value:

GetAutoAppraise: Barry Brodsky and the crew at GAA have been doing appraisals for quite a while and know what is most important: the lead, not the value of the car. While the other companies focus on their own traffic around appraisals, GetAutoAppraise gets it done for the dealer with a great admin tool to boot. Check them out at http://www.getautoappraise.com

SEO For Dealers: When dealers ask about complex services they don't understand, they request to "keep it simple". In regards to SEO/SEM and the areas around that, Jeremy Hambly at SEO For Dealers knows how to get it done right: http://www.seofordealers.com

DealerBug: What in the world would drive a 'car guy' to build a widget for consumer to add to their desktop from their favorite dealer when most dealers can't even communicate effectively with their leads? Thank goodness for engagement and for Mike Jennings (former Ford and Compete guy) who understands one of the things that will drive people to and back to your store: http://www.dealerbug.com

We'll try to keep these updates weekly and ultimately have an area where you can get in touch with the vendors.

Best practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

Tear It Apart and Rebuild It…Better

Most of us who have spent any amount of time in sales realize that our
database/contact/Rolodex carries an incredible amount of value, in many
cases more than our skills or abilities. With the prevalence of CRM and
other database software, many believe that the job is done. Nothing can
be further than the truth.

Today it's more important than ever to continually tear down the client
database and make sure it delivers the most value and revenue possible.
Auto retailers are notoriously bad in this area and, quite honestly,
deserve the reputation. When we send the same newsletter, flier, direct
mail, etc to every customer/prospect, what type of message are we
delivering?

Better put, consider John Doe who's shopping for a Heeker Shnazer Beta
1. He sends two leads directly to two Heeker Shnazer dealers and also
requests quotes from dealers through CarsStink.com and
DontBuyACarHere.com which send the leads to three more Heeker Shnazer
dealers. When he doesn't buy for a few weeks, every dealer sends him
virtually the same eNewsletter linked to the same site with the same
content! It's great to be fast, respond, ask questions and try to get
the appointment but what are we really doing to connect with our guests?

If you are not segmenting your database and your customers, specifying
your content and setting expectations, someone else will. Or worse yet,
the lacking experience continues to validate consumers' opinion of car
dealers.

So, what does it take?
1. Start understanding why your 'ups' are in the market and actually put that info in your CRM
A. Empty nesters
B. Soccer mom
C. Petmobile
D. Weekend driver
2. Create a field so you can segment your database based on those categories
3. Set certain fields in your CRM that must be completed
A. email and/or text (customers cell & service carrier allow you to text message for free)
B. Reason in market
C. Follow up parameters
D. What they do (work, leisure, family, etc)

Remember, contextually relevant content will bring a person back. If
they don't open your first three emails/eNewsletters, they most likely
won't open one 36 months from now (if they don't unsubscribe in the
first place) when they're in market again. Don't blame your email
marketing company, you're the one that bought the same service your
competitor did. Remember: YOU are the marketer. Not the brand you sell.

Don't waste all of the data that you get when you're qualifying,
walking and delivering your customers or store it in the computer
behind your eyes. Work your database, update your database, market your
database and use your database effectively.

If you regularly check and rebuild your database, it will pay you back
handsomely. Do it yourself so you are not depending on something or
someone else to do it, which is the road to failure. Once you start
being really relevant, you won't believe where all the customers came
from.

Be smart, be efficient, be relevant, be timely, be smart…be successful.

Best practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results