Tag Archives

Posts with analytics tag.
Focus Daniel-san, Focus!

Focus. We all need it. Sometimes we loose it. Hopefully we get it back. Focus is what, along with goals and direction, on the path to success. Simply put we're in the business of selling products and services, backing them up, and maintaining relationships with those that bought the products or services.

Broken focus is what allows us to view the products and services that we buy as those that will sell what our customers will buy. Yup…long sentence. What does it mean? It means simply stop thinking that websites, CRM, widgets, gadgets, software/SAAS and all of the other stuff (including social media) sells cars and then makes people service them at your business. People buy from people.

Don't get me wrong, we're all about more efficiencies and lower costs through all the items above. But if you think for a second that you can forget about an up, any kind of up, you're dead wrong. Companies continue at a break-neck pace to promote their "two cars pays for our service"and "with our leads you'll sell 8.7 more cars more month".

People sell cars, people sell cars, people sell cars. The 'best' lead, scored by some company that doesn't sell cars, sold to you by a company spending millions to promote themselves with your money, with the most gross ever not followed up on is a floating, polished  t**d. At the same time, the 'worst' perceived lead from your overpriced third parties, let alone your own website (if your cars actually showed up on Google from your own website which most don't), is closed in a 5 minute call or three emails because the person was dealt with quickly, honestly and had all of their questions answered.

Focus on setting appointments. Appointments that are confirmed. That then show up. That then are handled right. That then are closed right. Because they nearly all come from your website or some displayed listing. Focus on what drives people to your store…you and your co-workers.

It's amazing the amount of dealers spending $20,000 per month or more to sell a few more cars (plus salesperson's commission, managers' cut, overhead and all the rest) because they're convinced that without buying what they're selling, they'll be crushed. Yesterday a meeting at a store revealed that, while the staff was asking for more leads, one of their marketing sources had about 20 plus leads that weren't touched. At all. Yeah, it was from service marketing. So I guess people that service don't also buy?!?!?! Focus…

Your website is there to get appointments. Everything online and in marketing outside of your website is intended to drive traffic to your website. To get appointments. Everything else you use to drive impressions and retention is supposed to eventually drive people to your website. Please don't fool yourself. Look at your analtyics. Yours. Google's. Not your website company's 'unique' statistics.

Please focus. Dealers (And everyone in business that is trying to grasp online), it's time to stop. And focus. We're trying to invite people to buy cars and maintenance and parts and accessories. As an industry we say that but it's not how we buy services. We buy because our buddy did, our competitor did, all of our 20 group says to and so on.

It's down to focus. Remember that Daniel-san could block, sweep and jump AFTER he focused on painting and all the other chores that Mr. Miyagi gave him. No distractions. Complete focus.

So focus Daniel-san, focus.

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

May 13, 2010 by Gary May 0
Start With The End In Mind, But Mind What You Start

One of the beauties of working with those businesses that want to move forward is just that: the move forward. One of the drawbacks is the distractions that can stop clients in their tracks. Even the most excited dealer, on any given day, may end up with a list of fire drills that can stop a freight train. Downhill. When you start your move in the digital direction, it must be a complete commitment.

More and more principals and senior management at the dealer level are getting their hands, minds and ambitions set around their online presence, brand reach, consumer interaction and spending real time in understanding what is out there. By educating dealers rather than just taking over the whole ball of wax, change is visible. By involving them rather than avoiding them, cooperation is established. By partnering, accountability becomes easier.

Even with the greatest level of engagement, however, retail is still retail and some habits die hard. Dealers can't ignore their fixed operations for a day. Management can't (and won't) turn a blind eye to the sales floor for 24 hours. Not even the parts manager gets a day without a general manager visit. So how can you afford to go a week or two, if not longer, without chatting up what's happening online and not just leads.

Two areas that might need more work are setting expectations and goal setting. Too often relatively major aspects of online operation are glazed over that can easily be addressed by keeping both vendor and client accountable to updates, the calendar and results.

These days you hear about more dealer service providers being tasked by their dealerships, companies providing more amenable terms, dealers sharing more information with their 20 groups and huge attendance at events around Internet and social media efforts. Great! What is happening to hold the dealer responsible? The web and everything associated with it is so fluid today that it almost makes more sense to have a meeting about what's happening and how to adjust and direct once or twice a week compared to having another sales meeting. Folks, if you have the right staff, it's about bringing the people in…salespeople know what they're doing and not doing especially when they hear it from the desk consistently.

Set expectations, draw out what steps must be done to excel. We must start with the end in mind AND be completely committed to it. Advisers, consultants, webinars and conferences are what you start and maintain with. In other words those are tools, just like 3 by 5 cars, tickler files, walkarounds, and CRM software. They are the conduits to results you want: the sale. They don't sell cars but you can't exist without them.

If you have committed to put your emphasis online, no matter what phase of the process you're in, stick with it. This isn't toe-in-the-water. This is died-in-the-wool. You can't get anywhere without having both the keys and a destination. You can't take off without the right equipment and a flight plan (yeah you pilots of the auto industry, you know who you are). And you can't win online without being part of it, staying in it and knowing what you want out of it.

Best practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

March 4, 2010 by Gary May 0
Getting and Keeping Customers Through Digital Marketing Strategies

You'll get a clear playbook, based on hard data, clearly defined tactics and illustrative case studies, for how to make the most of the digital tools that are driving business results.

Geoff

Speaker: Geoff Ramsey, eMarketer CEO (see below for more info on Geoff)
What: Getting and Keeping Customers Through Digital Marketing Strategies
When: Thursday, February 4, 2010, 1 PM ET/10 AM PT

Geoff Will Brief You On:

  • Effective digital strategies used in retention such as e-mail, mobile, social forums, apps, widgets, and webinars
  • The wide range of digital tools that are used in acquisition such as search, online video, social networks, and other viral sharing and peer-to-peer tactics

Click Here to Register

In today's tough economy, marketers need to simultaneously hold on to existing customers and constantly bring in new ones in order to be competitive and survive. New digital technologies and tools can support both these objectives—usually more cost-effectively than traditional media and marketing efforts.

January 18, 2010 by Gary May 0
Free Live Webinar: Doing a Website Redesign for 2010 with an Internet Marketing Strategy in Mind

The
Internet has made apparent that a company's website is an increasingly
important asset, and many businesses are now embarking on website
redesign projects to "improve" their websites. However, in order to
really get the most out of a website redesign, companies need to
construct their website in the context of a greater Internet marketing
strategy. Attend this free webinar presented by HubSpot's VP of
Marketing, Mike Volpe, to learn stategies for a successful website redesign.

This live webinar will cover:

  • Before you get started: when and why to do a website redesign
  • Keyword research to build out website content strategically
  • Building your website's reputation via blogs and social media
  • How to measure results from your Internet marketing efforts

Live Webinar: Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 1pm EST


Reserve Your Spot For This Free Live Webinar

January 7, 2010 by Gary May 0
What Do You Think It Will Take To Change? Hello?

Sometimes it helps being a cynic and a pessimist, or at least devil's advocate but at the end of the day you're either your own worst enemy or best ding-dang advocate.  It is always beneficial to see things with a different perspective but critically important to maintain your identity and job jump in the pool for the sake of it, no matter how fun the party.

Recently I've read two good articles. One by Joe Webb (President of Dealer Knows) in Digital Dealer Magazine. The other a blog post by Matt Watson (VIN Solutions) on AutomotiveDigitalMarketing.com. Both deal with perception versus reality, pitch versus practice and simply understanding what you have and need before you're had.  Two common carriers of bias at the dealership level: a rep and an excited, overzealous  employee. Both are doing their job but if you to change anything you've got to address everything.

While results typically flow bottom up, change is managed top down. Changing your online results will not come from some videos on YouTube and some 'vSEO' on your website. Update all of your touch-points, become contextually relevant and timely, make sure your brand connects and apply process consistently. Changing how your employees act will not come from a new company policy solely either.

SEO and SEM are hot topics…and should be managed in tandem with your website and CRM. Having a bunch of disparate systems and efforts out there is like fishing with two poles…3,000 miles apart from each other. It just doesn't make sense!

Search engine optimization is an ongoing task with great opportunity, not a "got it with my website two years ago" item. When was the last time you looked closely at your analytics or, better yet, looked at your site with an overlay so you can see real numbers and statistics against what you think your consumers see. That's always an interesting meeting with my clients.

Change is never done. If you don't continue to change because you need to, because your competition is or because you can and make the right changes…you lose. The change everyone has been talking about for months is cutting everything and everywhere with very little regard. You see, that's not a change from troubled times in the past, especially for dealers and OEMs.

Our greatest changes are still in front of us. Are you ready? And what do you think it will take to change? Think about it and do it.

Best practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

February 9, 2009 by Gary May 0