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Gut Check: What Are We Doing? Oh Yeah, Measuring!

Overstated? Maybe….but likely not. What are we doing? If we go by the numbers, and they're estimated but well known, we've got the second largest employer in the Untied States behind our back. The automotive industry is massive, even if you don't consider the associated businesses it keeps thriving. So, let's say we have a few million directly employed in the car biz (which is likely conservative) and had less than 3,000 in Las Vegas recently for the most important events that actually can move the needle. Pitiful. This week's SEMA show will kill that in attendance. And within the first hour.

What are we doing? So add the OEM eCommerce summits, conferences and events (which represent vendors more typically than push owners and general managers into the uncomfortable zone) and you've got at best a few thousand more that are around the discussions of online marketing, online customers, online retention and online success.

Ignore it at your own willful demise. Attack it like people trying the 72 ounce steak at Big Texan, you might go crazy trying to figure out which end is up. So how do you go down the road somewhere in between the two extremes and still try to maintain that "blocking and tackling" BS mentality that makes ownership and management comfortable? Simple: a plan.

While they are in fact out there, the count of dealers who have a written-down, approved, executable monthly strategy for doing and increasing amount of activities to promote success is likely somewhere around the chance of us having a space program in 2011 that lands us back on the moon. It's on the radar, they're might even be some dollars against it but I will venture a strong guess that it won't happen. That's not quite as disappointing as a dealer that is a few months from increasing their results and market share significantly, and does nothing about it.

Folks, the information is out here. And don't be afraid to ask. Yes, you might have to do some digging through the typical crap: an article on one of the popular automotive communities that doesn't answer your question but does have the "expert's" contact information. Or one of our recent favorites: white papers that will confuse the &^@# out of dealers that also end with a signature block that looks more like a proclamation. (Hint: generally speaking, automotive communities are not the place for white papers. Link to your website from the community website. Better yet, if it's a white paper done in conjunction with a company OUTSIDE of the industry, definitely publish it but keep your post on the communities to the synopsis. Please. Tip: not only that, you get back-links!!!!!!)

There have been fantastic pointers and forecasts about what will happen in the digital/online space for the past two years. Over 95% of the dealers missed or ignored them. Maybe it's time to have 2011 be "The Year Of Great Automotive Listening" (do that will your Movie-Guy voice). No matter what, this is the year of honest measurement, in our opinion.

So here's a few places to go to get your feet wet (or immersed) in measurement:

  1. Google.com (Analytics, Trends, Insights, Alerts, Webmaster tools, etc)
    A. If you've never used the above, start with going to Google and entering "links:www.YOURDEALERSHIPWEBSITE.com" or "site:www.YOURDEALERSHIPWEBSITE.com" and see what Google sees!
  2. Hubspot.com (Website grader, Facebook grader, Twitter grader, PR grader, etc)
    A. If you attended DrivingSales Executive Summit, you got more than you need!
  3. SEOmoz.org, Yahoo Site Explorer, etc (Linking and content tools)
  4. Twitalyzer, TwitterCounter, Untweeps, TwitterAnalyzer, etc (amazing tools if you're on Twitter)
  5. FourScore (found this recently for your FourSquare ranking/effectiveness)
  6. Compete, Alexa, etc (even though many dealership sites won't rank, be creative!)

There are so many other great FREE tools available for you to do more than just count on others, like your website company, and actually improve while holding people accountable but too many to list.

It's time for a gut check. How much further can you go down the road mostly (or absolutely) blind to what is essential to grow your business and be able to talk to the main points….without fudging it anymore.

Here's to doing things with more tools than just passion. Here's to knowing what we're doing!

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

So Much Good Stuff…Does It Make You Want To Ignore It All?

It's no secret that over the past few months things have really been taking off in the online automotive space for dealers and a lot of attention is being paid to the more leading edge, innovative companies (and some not-so-leading-edge ones).  It really seems that retail is starting to embrace, at a minimum, the 'change' in mindset.  At the same time it's not too hard to see that it may be overload.

When you consider the amount of good information, new technology, availability of tools (especially those that are free or inexpensive), vast selection of downloads/blogs/webinars and more, it really seems like a heyday for flipping the switch and going forward like a gleaming new Boeing 787,  But just like the impressive 'Dreamliner", you can't get off the ground if your resources aren't trained for the flight.

We still seem to be hamstrung by our best resource: staff, desire, goal-setting, application, training and simple commitment.  In a recent meeting, a general manager was talking about how he'd like to offload the lead handling to a staff member.  Yes…a GM wanted to have someone else take up the task of correctly touching, responding to and managing the leads.  Huh?!?!?!?!?

All of this made me flash back to the AM/PM radio spots with their campaign "Too Much Good Stuff".  We can SEO/PPC/CRM/DMS/PMA/CPO/RO/MICKEYMOUSE a dealer to death.  By the same token, you've got to be able to execute on all of those lovely acronyms.  Start with the leads.

Don't have the right person(s)?  You had better look at all of your sales staff.  Don't apply any excuses to any one of them.  Can't type an effective email?  Chances are you can't communicate very effectively on the floor.  Sorry, you must not ignore one and not the other.  They go hand-in-hand.  Can't turn on a monitor or CPU?  Just imagine that all of the 'old dogs' on your sales floor had to learn something about navigation/Bluetooth/OnStar/Sync/back up assist/iDrive and more on new cars over the past few years.  And chances are your 40-50 plus year-old techs in the back have had to learn something (actually a heck of a lot) that's new under the hood.  Again, stop excusing lack and ignoring ignorance.

Don't have someone that can lead efforts on your website, integration, social media, templates, vendor management and more?  You need one.  Don't hire a salesperson to do it…and don't hire an IT person either.  Hire someone with a balance of skills covering all the aspects: communication, technology, customer service and ensure that it's someone that can conjugate what they'll do for you, not what they did for someone else.

Understand, staff, educate, execute and then lead with some consistent effort and passion.  Every dealer that wants to thrive, let alone survive, must be able to assess and improve on ALL aspects of their presence, brand and sales, especially online.  To get better results you've got to think and do things differently.  And that doesn't mean thinking differently by keeping the person on that has been selling 3-6 cars a month for months just to have them post in social media networks (by the way, that's a mistake!).

Here's a challenge: Make your business plans by December 31, target your staff and online needs, plot your strategy, write everything down, stick to it all year long and (here's the hard part) do everything that you're in control of and ignore the rest.

The difference this coming year between you making online work for you and not making it work can be devastating.  Make "Too Much Good Stuff" work for you and then take it all…

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

What Did Thanksgiving Do For You?

If you're in sales, chances are you needed the Thanksgiving day break.  Badly. If things are good or not-so-good, the day off allows you at least to decompress.  If you're in automotive, many would say that the break is more than deserved.  You should return with two things: the day off and something new.

Too often we take the greatest chance to improve and dismiss it with a focus on the short-term gain.  Will you return simply energized or with new, more aggressive goals and a dedication to really build your brand?  It's not only the things we're thankful for, it's also the things you plan on being thankful for.

If you sell, are you doing everything you can?  Using your CRM as a static database or a real tool?  Is the day after Thanksgiving the day that you start leveraging your website with live chat, video, widgets, blogs, calls-to-action to convert your traffic (campaigns, truly unique offers, integrated items, etc) and more.  Or maybe it's not time to do that.  Right?

Is it time to start customizing your newsletters and other email marketing instead of thinking that simply sending things out means you get results?  Maybe Friday is the day that you start holding vendors accountable.  Or when you start leveraging social media and online reputation management?  Yes, that means you'll have to start asking, connecting and setting expectations.

In order to expect different results, you must do different things and do them consistently.  If there's ever been a time to distinguish yourself, your brand, your dealership, your clients, your community and your industry, it's now.  The gloves are off.  The transparency is ever clear.  The opportunities are there.  The opportunities are yours.

Chances are most of your competition is going to be doing something when they come in Friday: the same thing.  What are you going to do?

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

Everything About Social Media That Can Be Explained In A YouTube Clip (Where Else Would It Be?)

This has to be the easiest post ever. And probably the best since it’s in someone else’s voice (video). This is one of the best ways to ingest some compelling data around social media, even if you take it with a grain of salt.

Whether you believe in the fundamentals of social media or not, understand the impact as well as influence or not, agree with the investment of time and resources or not, this should at least open your mind to the scope and reality. If you’re in business, you should be using every tool in the shed rather than excluding one since it didn’t come with instructions and a guaranteed return of investment.

Enjoy, let us know what you think!

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

“That’s What She Said!”…and other lies since you’re just not listening

You were the class clown, your friends' center of attention, captain of the sport team, oldest in your family, standout of sorts in various jobs and now you lead the sales ranks…and you're flat out lucky! Considering the last time you listened actively was to get an extra scoop of ice cream in eighth grade, it is hard to understand what, outside of ambition, fortune and favor, has you topping the charts. As a passive listener, you can remember that your first customer ever made a nice comment about your tie…

OK, that was a little over the top, but hopefully the message hit home.  How do you know what he said, she said, they said, if you're not listening!?!? Consider the amount of leads that are not sufficiently handled, floor ups that aren't greeted correctly (let alone qualified), prospects that aren't followed up with in a timely, contextually relevant way (sending a pre-populated eNewsletter DOESN'T qualify) and you can start to understand how broken things are for consumers.

Most dealers pay for a CRM, typically in addition to their (substandard but used for 'oversight') factory lead management system, and don't even use it. Store by store, a visit can reveal that most of the notes in a customer's file (if there are any) are easily described as archaic. Ask a salesperson to explain the notes, you'll typically hear "I don't have time to put in more detail" and "I've spoken with them so I'll know what's going on when they come in to buy the dang car". You might even hear "it's my customer, not the store's" from a more honest staffer.

Task the same salesperson with fundamental questions about the customer, family, kids, how long they've researched/shopped for the car they're buying,what their third color choice or second option package preference is and you might get a more educated look from a deer looking at the front of your car in the middle of North Dakota on a desolate highway that you're driving 95 miles per hour on at 2:38 in the morning. You know that look…

"What she said" is so dang darn important that, gosh forbid the person actually felt you cared about them, they might recommend more customers for you in the next three months than you had from all your past customers in the last 12 months. People, it starts with really listening. No, REALLY listening. Look at it this way: you were so lucky to have it the way you do. Two ears, one mouth. Like mom said, use them in the same ratio.

Try listening for a week. You'll get some interesting changes in your business., Do it for a month, you'll actually create a trend. Make it happen for six months and you'll likely never be held back like you were in the past. Take notes. Document how your business has shown you new opportunities. That might happen when you listen to your customer talk about something that they're passionate about. You'll actually pick up on it, share it with your boss before they leave in their new car…next thing you know your dealership is involved with an amazing event in your market that helps sell another 25 cars. All because you listened.

Listen, confirm, validate, document, review, share, store, leverage…and then listen again. It's the greatest tool you'll ever have, besides that whosimawhatsie you have our your desk that you've not taken the time to use once since the seminar you received it at 11 years ago!

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

The Shiny New Tool Loses Luster: When The Belt Is Full

Come on, let's admit it. If someone launches a new tool, application, service, widget, doohickey, gizmo or gadget, we'll all explode. We are so full of tools, you likely feel like the Craftsman section at your local Sears…

Fact is we can probably expect more and that is what keeps pushing the bar forward. With the store closures, OEM staff reductions, agency layoffs and more you can likely look forward to more consultants, new software, increased industry service providers and just plain more 'stuff'.

And considering how most owners, GMs and GSMs buy stuff, there may be cause for more companies wanting to get their piece of a smaller spend pie because they're 'new, shiny, better, sexier or have great advertising'. Folks, we're not using all the tools you have currently, even if you don't really know how to use them in the first place (Ok, you can put all of your hands down because we know you haven't seen your so-called rep in nearly a year who promised the latest training you needed months ago).

More than ever, it's not about sticking with who you already have, simply saving a buck or not taking meetings with new vendors (excuses today are a penny a dozen). Simply put, you get what you pay for. If you are saving $200 a month between one service and another, you had better know what you're missing. If you're not investing in your staff's education/training (yes, I hate that word but the old guard will understand it), you might as well lower your unit forecast by 25-40%. And if you're not willing to take 'another meeting', you might as well hand a few extra dollars to your competitor down the street and take the rest of the week off.

Overwhelmed by technology? Don't ignore it, please! Don't understand something? Get a non-manager in your office that will use the tool/service and get THEIR take on it first hand, don't just give them a sell sheet and have them make a decision.

Over the next couple weeks, IM@CS is going to take a deeper dive into services available to the industry and write 'em up. We'll cover mobile, chat and inventory to start and see where it takes us. We hope to clear up misconceptions, especially around price since nearly everyone seems to be completely misguided on saving a buck versus being more effective. And then we'll try to take it from there…hope you get to use the information in profitable ways!!

Best practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

Don’t Have The Time? You Can’t Make It But You Can Absolutely Get It Done!

So many people…so little time! Man, you can't get away from the fear and excuses….it's the age of "I don't have enough time do to that"…"I can't add anything to my plate"…"If only I had another day in my week to pull that off"! Everyone is busy but few are actually doing much. The ones who see opportunity always figure a way to get things done, followed by the rest thinking they're just 'lucky' or that they have more 'resources'.

Can you hear it now? Most people pulling up to the drive-thru and…"I'd like to get a couple orders of comfortable, one with a side of laziness and the other with some lack of desire. Oh, and a serving of nothing new please for dessert!". Fear may keep you from being the bottom producer but only a strong control of your calendar and priorities can make time seem like your friend, even advocate!

Prioritization is not a strength of many. It's a skill put to good use by the few. Most of the time the difference between getting something done and not is simply how much drive you have to get to a desired result. Last time I checked, you can't make a mortgage payment selling two, three or even four cars a month. In bike racing it's not the fittest that typically wins. Rather the smartest, most attentive and thorough that takes the gold.

Is what you're doing taking you toward your goals or further away? It's that simple! Planning, priorities, assessment, review, comparison, tracking and visualization are all tools that you must use to be an effective user of time. Read: user, not controller. You absolutely can not control time. However it is your effectiveness that allows you to be less controlled by it!

Challenge yourself to learn the skills of better controlling what you do and fitting more into your schedule that drives results. Your other choice is to have another month of the same. Which is your better opportunity right now?

Time is relentless…You should be as well!

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results