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Week At IM@CS: Chats With The Industry

Keeping up with the 'Joneses' in the industry is something that most people want to do, if not beat them. The issues are typically time, resources, knowledge and access. While I've been using many of the online resources for a while, it's not the case for the majority of our industry friends.  Also, there is a reluctance at different levels of the industry due to misunderstanding and ignorance.

Part of what IM@CS brings into clients is eliminating mistakes or the 'what not to do and why' as compared to simply telling people 'do this'. There are a few newer resources that address that in a great way, and they deserve plugs.

First and foremost, it is imperative to stay up-to-date with education from your vendors and use their products fully. Second, leverage the eNewsletters, webinars and events that are free to 'inexpensive' (defined by you or your dealership) run by companies including Automotive News, Cars.com, KBB, Automotive Digest, Ward's, Dealer Magazine and more.

Then you have access to sites that are community based and living on the real-life, day-to-day, cut-your-teeth edge in order to provide value where it's needed most.  Here's two that are prominent players and should be bookmarked:

AutomotiveDigitalMarketing – What can you say that hasn't been said about the prolific Ralph Paglia? Don't waste your time (sorry Ralph), just go to the website and immerse yourself in the groups, discussions, blog posts and more because these are the people (about 1,600) making it happen at retail every day. http://www.automotivedigitalmarketing.com*
*The fact that this post will end up on the site as well is not an additional endorsement and no, we're not being paid!

DrivingSales – Jared Hamilton started this site as a way to stay in touch with people he had taken NADA courses with. Still in beta (and a number of bugs to work out), this is another community that aims to be the knowledge base for folks starting and maintaining their digital presence, including vendor rankings, video interviews and more. http://www.drivingsales.com

Nothing is static about our industry anymore. Your success depends on accumulating an incredible wealth of knowledge, deciding how to move forward and then doing it. Both sites are testimonies that these communities must exist and are of significant value. And if you have an idea, comment and question, go ahead and get it out there. Chances are there's at least one other person that has the same.

Best practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

Week At IM@CS: Chats With The Industry

With more focus on the bottom line and getting more out of every dollar, it's more important to know that your suppliers are working for you.  Here's some that understand that:

Time Highway: Karen Dillon knows what it takes to deliver a value, but she also knows how to stay relevant. Things at many dealers in the country are being held together by 'service glue'.  With Time Highway's UI and ease of having customers book their own appointments online in real time, Check it out at  http://www.timehighway.com

Google: We've been talking about it, the JD Power conference recently featured it, there have been Webinars about it and, for some reason, dealers are still not using it. Have your website vendor(s) add it or do it yourself: http://www.google.com/analytics

DealerPeak: There are plenty of CRM companies out there. When it comes to adding value, making things simpler and supporting clients with great customer service, only a small amount over the past few years have really made it their mantra to evolve. There are other companies that offer lead management and more, just not like Jock and the team in Oregon.  http://www.dealerpeak.com

DealerImpact Systems: Brian Cox and the crew at DealerImpact used to just focus on websites. Many of their competitors still are and they've gone down the road of making sites deliver more traffic to you. They are extremely confident in the plug-ins and widgets they make, since consumers are actually using their tools on client sites.  I've known Brian for about four years and have followed DI's progression. http://www.dealerimpact.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

Week at IM@CS: Chats With The Industry

If you ever get the chance to go to SEMA, do.  Mind boggling is one way to describe this arena of excess which causes you to ask "what downturn in the economy?".  Now there were fewer exhibitors and one or two less 'Blinged Out' rides, but the aftermarket world is more than healthy without question.

VW: Amid their hyped-up CC and soon-to-come magna-blogged Scirocco, their booth was definitely one to see of the OEMs in attendance. They seem to be in-line with consumer trends and have their ears locked on to communities, so it will be interesting to see how they fare over the next year or so.

Subaru: One of only two brands that are 'up' year over-year in 2008 (read: anything that's not down 20% is doing really well, and they are actually up in unit sales), they continue to hangout with the tuner-set and aftermarket gurus. This year's show was no different. They are looking to enter the social networking/viral marketing area for their Rally following and so we threw our hat in the ring.

Lexus:
IS-F here, IS-F there, custom IS-F's everywhere.  Not to mention that you could hop in one on the dyno and get it up to…well, let's just say enough over 100MPH that the Nevada Highway Patrol would have a heck of a time catching you.  As always, Lexus did classy and the IS-F mods were very impressive.

Chevrolet: Skip the rest of the cars and go to the back row: Camaro-ville. A nice heads-up to what should be the full-blown production cars and looking good. Of course SEMA had the expected rounds of tricked-out 'Vette's (including the first new ZR1 IM@CS has seen in person) but the nostalgia heads were talking about the RS and SS and they looked good.

Now back to your regularly scheduled program:

bridgeSpeak: The folks at one of our favorite technology secrets headed up by Jon Poploskie continue to do a great job at making process work at dealerships. Their latest telephony and integrated (CRM/DMS) solutions are impressive, especially when it comes to providing a better customer experience. While IM@CS has been pleased with their outbound phone/reminder system in the past, these updates are relevant and cost saving. Check them out at http://www.bridgespeak.com

ActivEngage: The leader in live chat announced the launch of multiple language translation for live chat on
auto dealership websites. Now dealers can engage website visitors in
their preferred language, without having to employ multi-lingual staff
members. The new technology offers dealers a huge competitive advantage
through increased personalization for their website visitors’
communication preferences, which all happens real-time. This is what best-practices is about.  http://www.activengage.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

Week at IM@CS: Chats With The Industry

This week was busy in many ways: a number of new vendor conversations were started, speculation trickling out on the October numbers and there's the build up to SEMA in Las Vegas.

MotorVation: Got the chance to talk with Don Mimm about what his company is bringing to market. It's always interesting when there's a new spin on handling what's not being done consistently or effectively at retail.  He has his hands on what could be a better way to keep in contact with prospects and clients, we'll see.  http://www.motorvationinc.com/index.html

Sensible Driver: A very engaging improvement to the eNewletters and eMagazines that are being used by dealers that otherwise would not be regularly contacting their customers.  Not only that, these guys (Terry Alling and Jay Alling) are willing to do things that other vendors are not.  http://www.handsfreeusa.net/Sensible_Driver.php

DCI Marketing: Looks like the folks who know order guides, kiosks, dealership showrooms and technology are making a push back into the West Coast OEM's. Glen Caffey is heading things up and he's excited about what's next for the brands and dealers.

WebRidesTv: SEMA coverage done different.  They are changing their coverage of the parts and accessories glam showcase as compared to the past.  Larry Harvey wants to keep ahead of the eyeballs on the WRTV site and make sure that they're adding more value for the advertisers on their huge network of video distribution (that is still the only ones shooting completely in HD).  http://www.webridestv.com

Driverside: Still in launch mode, Jad Dunning and his team seem to be set on turning the industry on its ear in regard to consumer engagement from the point of purchase covering service quotes, your 'garage' (your vehicle's service history is stored for easy access), recommended service data, recalls, vehicle values, find a service location, ask a mechanic, parts and accessories and much more.  http://www.driverside.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