Tag Archives

Posts with answer tag.
The Dealership Environment: Inspired By Everything, Motivated By Nothing

Face it: You’re whipped. Which way is up? Which way is down? Is flat the new growth? Is the shiny object the new thing keeping you from the golf course of from your sales course? Fact: the dealership environment is as fragile and unsteady as it’s ever been. Yet there are more opportunities than ever.

Look around for a little while at any dealership and on the surface it looks functionally no different than it did just a few years ago. Dig a little bit and everything changes. But you already know this. You’re obviously more progressive or being informed by someone who is because you won’t find the sports score ticker or a reality show recap here. It’s all business. But is it new business?

With more advice than ever, including a massive dose of simply republished (or regurgitated) articles and data, and more tools than ever, including predominantly recreated, re-skinned and relicensed  products, it easy to get inspired by everything while ultimately motivated by nothing. So how do you stop the regression and inevitable redirection?

Have a plan. Plan your work. Work your plan.

More than ever, and especially with the speed of all things “new”, it is critical to write everything down, have a plan (including accountability for yourself), build support and see things through. Anything less is simply “blocking and tackling”, which is crap. Is this advice sage? Not at all!

In order to succeed you’re likely doing a number of the things listed above anyway. But are you doing it for everything, every day and do you have a plan of action? Can you get uncomfortable long enough to become perpetually motivated? Can you create the buy-in needed for at least a year? Two?

With the level of community support available, on DrivingSales for example, it’s easier than ever to get the motivation necessary. Remember, the platforms are for sharing and doing. DrivingSales and the other networks are some of the most underused resources! They are not supposed to be selling platforms. Simply reading and not sharing is akin to watching an accident unfold in front of you and not helping. Considering most dealerships are not the most positive environments around why, aside from the ego and time excuses, would you not go to where you can participate, learn, ask and excel?

While there are some great people sharing and answering questions, the purpose of the forums is to engage. The challenge ahead of us is not the economy (national or fuel) or the products. Our collective Achilles heel is not process or response times or the OEMs enforcing programs they don’t understand. Our greatest faults are relaxing, waiting for things to automatically happen for us and not participating. Not asking more questions and letting go of our egos. Not taking more responsibility for our staffs, interactions and brands. Being in the store but not being aware or active. Like most dealers in social media, we might be inspired but by not listening, involving and really trying, we are limiting our success. All of us.

1,000 people at the largest events for dealers, vendors and the OEMs? If those in attendance were just dealer staff, that would represent only 0.0005% of the retail industry. 50 people involved in a community with 50,000+ that touch the content? That’s a slightly better 0.001% involvement.

How can we motivate an industry? It’s not a CRM. It’s not going to happen with a DMS. And it’s surely not going to be spurred by a dealership website (have you actually looked at yours? Really?!) We must be motivated by what can move or change things for the better. We must be motivated by those things that last longer than 30 days. We must be motivated by how much more we can do. We must be motivated and then validate those that did the motivating, then motivate others.

Our industry does have more leaders than are presently obvious. It’s just not obvious. Not for now.

Businesses, already challenged, are going to be challenged more in the foreseeable future. Do you want to go into that future armed with only a pea shooter? Why not an arsenal? Why not a team? We are better than that. An industry that represents the largest part of our (shrinking) GDP deserves to be better, not lethargic!

Take the challenge and get a plan together with solid fundamentals and a road map. Let your inspiration without action turn into something greater.  What would happen if 2,000 people were active on communities? What if 3,000 showed up at the best events? We don’t know.

Best practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

 

August 9, 2011 by Gary May 0
Floor Traffic Down? Invite Them In! (Including 5 Ideas That Work If You Do)

Reading a number of great posts recently (while trying to ignore the blatant self-promotion via a popularity contest glorified by a number of industry members last week), all focused on getting dealers to make the shift to digital or social media, it hit me once again what we're all trying to do: get people in the door.

While a number of dealers (maybe 5% in the country) are seeing growth many are seeing flat or declining numbers. Others are experiencing unit lifts while dealing with large drop in gross or back end. And everyone is dealing with selling fewer vehicles in the past 18 months than in the previous 4-6 years.

So in this online world, what aside from actually selling a vehicle to a customer or servicing their car drives traffic? One thing that can be looked at, especially in a world of smaller budgets, staffs and sales is events. With rare exception over the past two years, the factories (and therefore the dealers) have spent less and less on driving valuable traffic via new-owner events, clinics, ride-and-drives, sponsorships, meet-and-greets and the like. While the quantity of tire kickers may be down, real purchase intention is down significantly less (we'll leave the statistics and "pent up demand" gibberish talk to others).

Fewer and fewer dealers are doing what it takes to being people in: WIIFM. Yes, the most popular radio station in the world. What's In It For Me! More and more consumers are out there, looking for answers on how to program their seat memory, sync their bluetooth, update their navigation system, find out the difference in maintaining their car at the dealership versus aftermarket besides price and a whole lot more. So…they're left with going to a discussion group/blog/forum/portal, relying on word of mouth or not knowing at all. And you believe you 'had them at hello' when you sold the car.

So no new owner clinics. No barbecues. No comparison drives. No meet the staff days. No fundraisers (let alone getting a link from the event website to your website with all of the traffic they're receiving. What's that? What's a link? What does that do?). Boy, that will work! Then tell yourself that the drop in floor traffic is fine since 70-90% of the same-brand stores in your PMA are also down rather than kicking ass. Forget about building a brand, or answering the questions that many customers won't ask you over the phone, or stopping that brand new owner from driving into (fill-in-the-blank)-Lube, let alone even retaining the customers you have and that WANT to come back for a good reason or two.

No. Maybe this whole thing is wrong. The factory is supposed to do and promote events. The factory is supposed to drive floor traffic. The factory is supposed to give you all of the handraisers in the area. The factory has to do all of the advertising so you can copy the ad and put it on your (mediocre) website. The factory is supposed to give you all of the pitter-patter of footsteps so you can just kick back, put your feet up (or in the golf cart), make money and retire in 20 years.

DING, DING, DING. Wake Up!!! (that was your floor traffic meter just hitting zero)

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

August 2, 2010 by Gary May 1
Death By Response: You Lost Me At Hello!

Let's take a moment to ignore the store front, avoid the showroom,
shed technology and just get back to being human. Do you know how to
talk and carry a conversation? Well, if you judge that by much of the
email and phone communication going on at automotive retail, you'd be
left with more questions than answers.

Face it, we have a lot
of room to grow when it comes to 'inviting' the public to car
dealerships. Oh sure, they'll continue to come when they have to buy.
They will find somewhere and someone to buy from. But the fact that most
of you had an easier time asking your first date out, shows we still
have issues when it comes to how to engage a person that wants to
buy!

Many people shrug off their verbal and written skills
when they can deliver a fair amount of cars each month. When lean times
come, they'll blame everything but the water cooler (maybe some will
actually blame the Sparkletts man) rather than look at their own
communication.

So here's a 4-step recovery program that should
help you (who needs 12 steps anyway?):

1. Know what you
want to say before you touch the phone or start typing

At least
with an email you can proof it before sending but most salespeople
aren't in the habit of doing that. The biggest hint that a salesperson
isn't ready for the call? Uh, um, er, ah, eh, well, gee, ayyyyyyye (the
long 'I' as they reach for something to say) and other stalling tactics
tell the customer on the other end of the phone clearly that there might
be a more professional person in the building.

2. It's about the
customer, silly

I did this. I did that. I'll talk with my
manager, I usually tell people that ask me that. I, I, I, I, I. Stop it!
It's about them, always has been, always will be. Go to a nice
restaurant for dinner, the waiter or waitress doesn't say "I have some
specials tonight"…do they?!?!?! No!! What you'll usually hear is
something like "would you like to hear what your choices are for
specials tonight?" or "Would you like to start with a drink or
appetizer?". Go to fast food and they say "can I take your order?". Are
you selling a hamburger value meal or a choice steak? (or Gorgonzola
salad for our vegetarian readers!). Change your focus to the customer
and you'll be amazed at how different your interaction goes.

3.
Questions are like water. Go without and you die.

You've get
them qualified. You walk them. You drive them. You sit them down. You
pencil them. You close them. If you stop asking questions, you likely
lose somewhere along the process. When the questions end, the
conversation ends. Sure, they can pick it up again. Our job? Keep them
talking. About the car, themselves, their family, their likes, anything.
Stop asking, you're on your own because you've lost control. Questions
(as well as answering theirs) are the lifeline of communication along
with emotion and everything else the expensive consultants and sales
coaches tell you is important (that you already knew).

4.
Validation and excitement. Oh, and courtesy!

Who can be excited
about calling you back if your message sounds like it was made in a
monotone machine? Ten messages down and ready for call 11? Get pumped up
again! Nobody wants to call a boring sales person back about what is
exciting for then. And how about validation? Can you relate to your
customers, even the ones with challenged credit? Don't kid yourself
because people can see through fake. And remember, especially in today's
social age (sorry, had to go there for a moment), their experience with
the 'less than exciting, not quite interested in me buying a car from
him/her' now translates to dozens, if not hundreds or thousands, more
people who may not shop at your store now.

And with regard to
courtesy, if you're not asking if the person you are calling is
available for you in a way that doesn't completely let them off the hook
from talking with you (because they must, must, must buy the perfect
car for them from you), you don't deserve to be selling cars. Don't ask,
don't tell. If you don't ask if they're available, they'll likely never
tell you they're buying from you.

In today's age with
complete transparency on the web, don't kid yourself into doing a less
than a complete, exciting job with your customers will work. We're not
saying to be something your not, but if you're in automotive sales and
expect to do well, just do it. It may not be fair that a book is still
judged by its cover but don't treat anyone trying to do business with
your store any differently than what you expect when you go into someone
else's.

Welcome back to the business about people. You can now
return to your technology-laden existence.

Best Practices:
Professional Insight, Powerful Results

June 17, 2010 by Gary May 2
Hey, It’s Digital

Another event in the history books. Digital Dealer 8 provided a new round
of talk, perspective, conjecture, ideas and repetitiveness. Well
attended, the eighth iteration of the event made way for a full expo,
some great sessions, loud receptions and the proverbial automotive
industry buzz.

It was a bit funny last week when two things occurred that caused me to
think about what it is to be "digital", take the leap of faith, change
some (ok, a lot) of the broken practices in our business and bring as
many willing people along with us. Brian Pasch and Ralph Paglia both had
digital device "snafus" in front of a bunch of people. And it was
funny. While some loudmouth from the crowd chirped "it's digital"
(please, no guesses) , it caused me to reflect on how connected we are
to everything digital. And what we continue to do wrong, including the
so called education of the dealers looking for assistance.

Automotive retail's entire existence is based on success in the digital
realm. We don't need a bunch of people, many barely versed themselves,
standing in front of rooms of people telling them that the train has
left the station. Dealers need real assistance, in real time, in real
terms, from real people to build real results.

One thing that tends to rub me is the intention versus goal aspect of
the conferences. What's happened to AAISP? certification programs? "put
the dealer before profits" and all of the other chatter over the past
four years? This is not a post meant to call bullshit on everything but
to avoid it completely would be a disservice. At many conferences, more
netowrking and business happens away from the event than at the event.
And…there is a belief structure that has to be maintained.

It strikes me as odd when people attend events that can have a
significant impact, offer extremely relevant information and otherwise
influence attendees in a positive way are charged the most, treated as
less-than-desireables and not invited to particiapte in the most basic
way. Actually it's flat out wrong. The leading events let the audience
and industry decide what's best. Not the promoter.

Changes in the industry are happening at such a rate now that those in
position to create, promote and execute on large-scale events need to be
more in line who they claim to help. Watch the bottom line? Sure you
should make a profit if you're going to be bold enough, especially in
these economic times, to front cash (which can be significant) and put
an agenda together.

Ego and enforcement also have no place in today's events. Protocol,
yes. Guidelines, yes. Omnipotent overlords focused on anything besides
what drives the most value need to, well…be somewhere else. The
digital shift is about practices, assistance, positioning, data and
more. Our industry has been dealt a deserved blow in the digital space
due to ignorance, denial and a refusal to recognize our own customers
and public. How can the auto industry be so large yet engage and learn
so little?

In my opinion, there should be more Internet department directors
(pardon the phrase), field reps for the larger companies and consultants
that are not beholden to vendors on stage. Those are the people moving
the industry digital every day. Attendees don't want pitches. They need
honest answers. They need examples. They absolutely want to understand
what to do. Not being told. Not being sold. Remember, just like a
customer at a dealership, they want to buy from someone they trust, that
listens to them, that can deliver on value and promises. Why should the
B-to-B part of our business be any different?

It time to start doing the work instead of talking the talk. No more
"we do that" and then scramble to execute it for the first time. No more
canceled cook-offs. No more delays in production. And a lot more
customer service. That's what we need at retail. That's what we need
from the companies making the claims and filling the magazines with ads.
The one's retailers are trying not to do themselves anymore. Because
they're listening to us.

Because, hey. It's digital.

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

May 1, 2010 by Gary May 0
This Is What Happens When You Do It Right

It's not every day that you come across as example of what you're preaching, especially when it's in the automotive world. To be brutally honest, it almost never happens around social media, blogging, websites and the like. And then, just like in the movies, a kid gives you hope. This is not a typical post at all for us but this much-needed fresh air deserves credit.

A jaunt down dealership social media lane today will reveal about 85% plus of franchises screaming "buy here" and all sorts of offers, incentives, links to inventory and other huge no-no's. Finding stores that are actually talking with the public is so rare you'd think that, even considering the poor reputation car dealerships have, all hope of being real humans was gone.

Enter Scott Mitchell and his online brand: www.IAmAudi.com, or @I_Am_Audi on Twitter. After following his social media moniker for a while, I ventured to his site/blog and was even more impressed. Not being a client (nor his Audi store in Oregon) and never having met, his content comes across purely and without a drop of pretentiousness. This is interesting considering the Audi history, massive brand awareness of late and knowing how aggressive they're being in (old school) offline marketing and (new school) online marketing, Scott's property could have screamed "Audi Is King'.

Rather you get taken along on a ride (drive) through Audi's past, present and future. The articles are engaging and have purpose. With a fair balance of statistics, news, photos and '4 ring' passion, there's not a list of current incentives or begging you to come in to the store.

Have a question about Audi? Find this site or his Twitterperson and you feel like you're going to get an answer without having to sit around a showroom for 20 minutes, let alone have a salesperson hounding you for the 'best deal of the year'.

And outside of the link to and map location of the dealership employing him (kudos to that general manager!) there's not an ad, money generating link or anything else that hints at outside-interest-ladened affect. Folks this might be the wholly grail. Look, listen and learn because there's a new resource around.

Great job Scott, welcome to the 'gets it' club…oh, are you on Facebook?

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

January 5, 2010 by Gary May 0
On Your Mark, Get Set, Think, Plan, Then Go! And Then Review.

You hear it all the time: "this isn't rocket science", "a monkey can do this" and "you're kidding me, that's easier than chewing gum".  Yet process seems to be as rare as a walk-up customer these days when it comes to the Internet side of the business. Not necessarily the sales process, although there are still many that struggle with that, but the part that deals with planning, accountability, results and reviewing.

Based on the non-scientific data at the recent round of automotive industry events, many are surprised that the majority of leads from dealer (and OEM) websites still are not responded to well, timely, with engagement or even at all.  Most people from the consulting and coaching side of the business are not surprised.  While there is definitely more attention and dollars flowing toward the online part of retail, more opportunities are slipping away as software and solutions are expected to run the business.

CRMs, as great as some are today, websites, as well as they take visitors 'through the process',even social media, as poorly as most dealerships handle it, are not stand-alone solutions that take your store from zero to hero.  Your customers won't rank your vendors, they'll rank you.

Planning, visualization, tracking and accountability (yes, to someone else that can call 'bullshit') are all tools of the sales trade.  Not printing your queue every day or starting off with a priority list when you first sit down?  You will not experience success at the level you should.  Fact is your database, no matter how clean, can't sell cars.  It may be a goldmine, but it's covered up until you have a work plan that actually takes prospects and changes them into completely satisfied clients.

While it may seem that the top producrs always have things 'go their way', it's due to working smart, prioritization (that doesn't mean you chose which customers to respond to effectively), visualizing positive results ahead of time (not just saying 'yup, this one's mine and they're taking chromes! and window etching') and being consistent in what you do.

The 'best' location, dynamic website with strong SEO, a bulletproof CRM, well-written templates, intriguing videos and a mission statement that is generations-old with a mediocre staff to back it up will be out-gunned by a competitor with less-than-perfect technology but an eager, process-oriented, customer-connecting, motivated and excited group of individuals working as a team.

Not to take anything away from some great companies in our business, including many that IM@CS recommends, but we must remember that we're in the people business and the badge on the sheet metal is not more important than the person buying it, nor is the voucher more more important than the techniques to achieve it.  Think about that the next time you skip asking the next guest how you can improve their experience , what would excceed their expectations or simply how they see things happening to earn their recommendation.  Yes, asking and truly listening are on the path to perfection!

Ready, shoot, aim does work…as long as you understand how to improve every time and have had the chance to review where you are at and why.  Go get 'em tiger!

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

November 12, 2009 by Gary May 0