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Social Media Is Just Like Sales: It’s What They Say And Think That Matters, Not You

It's been said that in business, it's not what you know but rather who you know. In social media it's not much different! It's not what you say, it's what everyone else thinks about what you say (and who repeats it that has a significant following). In today's auto industry social landscape, we're ruled by "buy here", "special of the day", "unbelievably cheap oil change", "home of the bla-dee-blah-blah-lease!" and more ranting and ravings about "me me me" than I'd care to acknowledge.

It seems that the opportunity for a bunch of folks to so-called "save" their dealership from "paid advertising" and more importantly "relevant advertising" by getting "free advertising" has horribly skewed the mindset of otherwise savvy people. I can see it now…just imagine with me….(fake clouds of dry ice are filling the stage in your mind)…

"Hey boss, you're not going to believe this! Me, your amazing but otherwise unknown Internet salesperson, just came up with the way to save $20,000 a month or more from your advertising budget! Guess who ran smack dab into Twitter and Facebook!? ME!! If you can manage, I'll take over our social stuff and you can get someone else to close all of the leads that I'll generate FOR FREE!! Ok, ok, ok, get this: I'll put all of our inventory on Facebook, post all of our specials on Twitter, upload videos to YouTube for vee-ess-ee-ohh or something like that, put photos of happy customers on Plaxo and get EVERYONE to do write ups on Yelp, Google and all the industry reputation sites! And guess what else?! I'll respond to every comment, squelch every heater and unwind and steal our competition's customers…all online!! Whatdayathink boss???!!"

Simply put, social media is not for advertisements. Ads do have their place in social media and some sites, but that's not the driver. Create conversations, share unique and exclusive information (being first still 'sells'), point to great videos, old commercials, one-of-a-kind events, validate both satisfied and unsatisfied customers, promote events that you donate or are somehow involved with and THEN take time to put up a special (and make it really special)…I hope this is getting through…

If all you post is "buy here, buy here, buy here", nobody will listen, care or interact. Imagine going to a number of parties over the summer, getting to know the regulars, and one person is promoting their business and trying to get you to buy incessantly. You'd avoid them, almost at any cost for sure.

Now think to yourself: "why would I want to be that person online"?

Kick the "sell, sell, sell" binge and start some great conversations that turn to great relationships that turn into a larger book of business than you'd otherwise have. Go be great in social media and leave the selling to the tweeps that don't get it.

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

August 2, 2009 by Gary May 0
What Innovation Matters Most Right Now?

Are you excited by the latest technology in the newest model arriving at your showroom? Were you going crazy waiting for FedEx/UPS/USPS last week for your latest iPhone? Can't believe that your newest CRM ties your site, third party leads, phone calls, mail automation, showroom visits and more together? Didn't have to break traffic laws a week ago since you Tivo'd the first 10 minutes of the NBA finals knowing that you'd work late? All that is absolutely fantastic, but it's not the innovation that matters most.

Nothing that technology delivers, nothing that (supposedly) makes our lives better, nothing that is guaranteed to make our businesses run like clockwork matters until someone understands it, knows what to do with it and ultimately figures out how in hell to apply it, will mean anything…until there is a reason to use it in the first place.

In other words, why use Tivo (as good as it and DVRs are!) if you don't watch, let alone care about, anything on television?

What you care about getting done, so that you move closer to your dreams, goals and ambitions, should be the driver in using technology. The greatest innovations we can use best centers around communication. SImple. Period. Communication!

If you don't have anyone to communicate with and nothing to communicate about, technology means nearly nothing. As passionate as you can be about the latest $400-$4,000,000 items that center around innovation and technology aren't worth the patents they're built from until there is a real reason behind them.

If you're in business and plan to stay in business, use the latest and greatest but please have a purpose first. And make sure the purpose dovetails with process. Are you one of the stores that works on one CRM for 'the floor' and one for 'the Internet'? Why, why, why, why, why? Oh, I see…you like keeping other companies in business more than you want to save your own…ok. Got it!

One race matters and it's not to the sales title. It's the human one. Nobody will care about you until you show that you care about them first. Then you build a relationship (read: listen). Then use technology until the cows come home to communicate, track, follow up, excite, invite, connect, compel, validate, reward, incent, share, promote and so on and so on. And never make the technology more important than the relationship or the message. People ignore MASSIVE amounts of otherwise compelling content. We call it advertising (and most of it sucks people…especially in the auto industry).

For now, stick with the best innovation you have no matter what: your brain. Use it wisely, use it well, use it regularly…

And see you at the finish line!

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

June 20, 2009 by Gary May 0
Some Good Time With Some Dealers…MPG Style (Why Weren’t More There!?)

Tuesday's MPG event at Proud Bird at LAX was another great session. While we're typically greeting marketers, OEM executives and industry suppliers, this was a great departure and informative (if not inspiring!). Charlie Vogelheim moderated the panel and the room finished the day with great questions. In between, it was all perspective, passion, personality and even a little bit of 'personal'.

Enter Jon Gray (Orange Coast Jeep Chrysler Dodge), Peter Hoffman (Sierra Automotive Group) and Beau Boeckmann (Galpin Motors). OK, there were three domestic dealerships on the panel so you could say the 'bend' was deserved. That being said, dealership owners I've met have all spoken the same way regardless if they were a domestic or import store owner. Fact is these guys know the business and definitely from a perspective rarely caught in the 'media' headlines after networks and publishers are done devouring the OEM stories.

The three principals were asked about everything from the cost to sell a car, how long they've been in business, how many employees they have, involvement with charities…to their take on government involvement in the automotive industry, specifically GM and Chrysler (with the two dealers speaking about being 'in the clear' of store terminations…for now).

One of the most interesting answers the panel gave was in regards to the impact of the Internet on car sales. All were in agreement that our favorite technology has added cost to dealership sales operations, not decreased, while acknowledging that the transparency has provided some significant advantages to their business.

As expected, the most pointed comments were about Washington's takeover of GM and Chrysler (let's say Fiasler since the Fiat purchase is complete as of this morning) and Ford's ability to stay out of the Cirque d' AutoBiz. They spoke of close friends and associates being on the short end of the decision stick.

Reflecting on how auto retail has changed, Boeckmann talked about how attrition in their local market area over the past years has taken the Ford dealership count from 9 to 3. Hoffman related the story of Oldsmobile's unwind a few years ago and how different it is this time around. Gray talked about how disconnected the factory reps are from the reality of dealership business. Both Hoffman and Boeckmann talked about Saturn's new life, albeit from polar opposites: Galpin still has their Saturn franchise while Sierra sold theirs. They both hope for the best with Penske's purchase of the brand.

Boeckmann provided a unique perspective in being a retailer that has a very close relationship with headquarters, even getting to have input on future cars. Mostly, the three businessmen related how hard it is to get both consumers and manufacturers to think of dealerships in a positive light.  All three are obviously passionate about what they do and provide to their communities, and very likely more so today. Even if most dealerships today are in defense mode, these three seem to have a forward-thinking perspective that is completely refreshing backed by the fact that none are throwing in the towel anytime soon.

These retailers don't have golden parachutes, multi-million (or
billion) dollar bailout packages, rarely get to sell cars for the same
price every time (as the factories do), and  are searching for the
logic behind the banks over-reactive pull back (and well as the search for loans so consumers can buy cars). Having seen a handful of dealerships speaking on panels over the past four years, it is clear that it needs to happen much, much more. Kudos to the Motor Press Guild for having the three fine retailers in for a dose of reality (and even a little bit of business and political conjecture).

June 10, 2009 by Gary May 0
What Bankruptcy Means To You And Me…Just Between Car People

Chances are you'll wake up June 2 and head to work, just like on June 1, with most people doing the "same place, same thing" jig and trading their time for money. Sometime (and consistently) over the coming months, however, that will change for far too many people. What we do and what becomes of us will define what impact Chrysler's and General Motors' bankruptcies will ultimately have as well as what will be written.

What bankruptcy means is "a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay its creditors". What it means to you and me depends on what starts on our June 2. It's no secret that a myriad of factors slayed the once-giants. Without getting into the gory details let's say simply that a 'change order' is due (while salespeople might not get that, production folks will!). If everyone continues to focus on the OEMs and not the retail and supplier channel, we'll likely have more 'little' bankruptcies to talk about, soon.

Chances are the real place of change (not discounting what needs to happen at car companies' headquarters) is at dealerships. No doubt the ads will tout change, listening to the public, making better/safer cars and the like. With all of that, people still buy cars from dealerships and not the factories. People buy cars from people. Those people need to be given reasons, explanations, respect, validation and more for ANY purchase they do now.

If you are in retail and are not willing to make difficult changes, you must ask yourself why you're in retail. Bankruptcies will add layers of scrutiny, questions, doubt, consumer pullback and more. You must be prepared to proactively address your market, your clients, your prospects, your business model and more.It might even have people believing they can practically steal your inventory for pennies on the dollar (and tell you they should be able to since the creditors will get about the same!).

There is no such thing as "business as usual". Even in great times, that type of mentality will get you cut at the knees. The market is always in flux, even throwing some curve balls just because the world gives back what you want.

You see bankruptcy is a part of business, unfortunately. It will mean exactly what you want it to mean for you, your staff, your customers and suppliers. If you continue to drive a value, offer benefits, show genuine interest and respect, do what you say you'll do (hello auto industry – wake up!!), give real reasons to return, guess what. People will really do business with you. They have with other businesses in the throws of bankruptcy.

What does bankruptcy mean? What do you want it to mean? Don't allow it to be a crutch, an excuse, a reason to wait, a sign of weakness, a road hazard or anything but a word. If anything, let the transparency be a fear and lethargy removal machine, an opportunity creator and really go out there to be IN business rather that OUT of business. The rest is up to you.

Best practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

Author's note: At no time over the past year has IM@CS changed its focus for dealerships: process, branding, communication and accountability. Customized solutions tailored for each client. Commitment to your business and our word. It's time for a partner like that…

June 1, 2009 by Gary May 0
Webinar: Ward’s eDealer 100

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Ward's Dealer Business Editorial
Director Cliff Banks will introduce you to successful dealers from the
Ward's e-Dealer 100, each of whom have implemented unique sales
strategies for driving sales.  The Ward's e-Dealer 100 is considered
the industry's benchmark for measuring top franchised new car
dealerships by Internet sales, and we've selected dealers from the list
to offer insights into the business practices that helped get them on
our ranking, and to describe how they'll keep sales rolling in during
an economic slump.

Our webinar discussion will offer real-world
examples and best practices to help you craft new strategies to ensure
you stay strong through this challenging sales climate.  You can't
afford to miss it!

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April 28, 2009 by Gary May 0
Webinar: Industry experts REVEAL THE POWER of 1st Party Leads

 

Dealer.com_Webinar_Main

FREE WEBINAR

By now you understand the capabilities (and limitations) of 3rd
party leads. But have you heard of 1st party leads? Join our
interactive webinar and learn how generate the highest quality leads
directly from your website.

What You Will Learn:

1st party leads close at a higher rate with higher profits

Not all leads are created equally

How to harness the power of your website to generate higher quality leads

How to implement a first party lead strategy at your dealership

When:
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM EDT (11:00 AM – 12:30 PM PDT)

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April 27, 2009 by Gary May 0
Digital Dealer in 500 Words Or Less (It Should Be Way More…)

If you could find a fundamentally harder time to think about events, traveling, speakers and spending time (and money) in Las Vegas, it would be a stretch.  Fact is that you would be justified by not even thinking about anything but 'the next customer' right now.

For the 420 plus dealership staff that just spent the last three days at Digital Dealer: CONGRATULATIONS! The fact that you put your money where your mouth is about growing your business is a great step forward in addressing the market, getting a foot up on your competition and utilizing newer ways to connect with your customers.

Chances are you left with too many ideas and strategies to remember and that's great. Some of those ideas likely came directly from the speakers at the event. Now before you go rushing out signing up new vendors, canceling your existing ones, bringing in the flavor-of-the-week, well-polished messenger and other gotta-do-it-now activities, stop and think.

How does everything work with your direction, intentions, brand, budget and goals? Was there a Dealership Goal Setting 101 session? Shoot, I missed that one! Also I couldn't find the 'Connecting and staying in touch' networking event (although you do have a partial list of attendees). You most likely had more than enough time to talk with session speakers in the 10 minutes you had before the next session… If you paid to come to the event, you should have gotten everything you needed out of it. So check before you spend (yes, there were completely qualified, hard-working vendors speaking on stage but many biased as well, just to be straight).

There are likely multiple suppliers for the solution(s) that you're thinking about but chances are you didn't hear from their competition on stage (credit to the always honest Dennis Galbraith of Cars.com who pulls no punches, mentions their competition and tells people it doesn't matter who you're going to hire as long as you know what you need).

Mike Roscoe has put on a number of events that our industry needs…to this point. It's time to get all of your thoughts back to the team that runs the conference to make sure that the value stays in. With all of the attention on the OEMs and suppliers, dealers are not getting their fair support. In my mind, everyone that paid the money to expo in Las Vegas wants and needs dealers to be successful (and make a few bucks).

Now is the time to take our industry where it needs to go. We can't wait. We can't accept things as they are. We can't put our heads in the sand and cross our fingers that it will be better in 2-5 years. Take the bull by the horns or we'll be simply left with bulls–t. I'm proud to have the involvement with Digital Dealer, many of the associated companies and the great folks that attended.

Let's make sure that we can keep getting together a few times a year…

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Power Results

April 22, 2009 by Gary May 0
Cracking The Code: Marketing Presence

What is it about marketing that has dealers so perplexed? It's not the act of marketing your brand, inventory, service panache, amazing staff, luxury facility, location, exclusive offerings and more that matters as much as how you do it and the completeness of your marketing.

It used to be enough to 'silo' advertise: one ad in the newspaper, one direct mail, one newsletter, one TV spot (over and over again…) and the like. The issue was that if the target didn't see/threw out/ignored/didn't fully read, etc your ad, you were done for. Remember: people want to consume content when they want, how they want, where they want, the amount they want and react to it the way they want.

So why are you content with a website and some email blast activities? That's not marketing as much as it is a band-aid. Think of it this way: how complete is your coverage? Would you buy insurance for two tires, a headlight, the drive shaft and tailpipe and not the rest of the car? Why are you partially marketing then?

Not only does your content need to be timely, contextual and relevant, it needs to be able to be seen by anyone, any time and anywhere.  Do you have a mobile site with inventory? Do you text message? Is your website dynamic? Are your eNewsletters actually engaging and do they drive results (traffic and sales)? How is your Facebook and Twitter volume in addition to your other social media efforts?

You wouldn't want to leave the house with one sock missing, half your collar sticking up, two different shoes and a jacket with a hole in the back (although I've seen some salespeople looking like this…) so don't leave your marketing undone or incomplete.

And another thing: you don't have to do everything you hear about. Do what you do well, learn news ways to market and effectively communicate, work with your vendors on new technology and push the envelope consistently. Every dealer tells me the same thing: "I just want to sell cars and not worry about the other stuff!". You have to worry about it and do something as well, but if you market the same way you did six months ago, how are your results going to be any different?

Build a presence that you're proud of and work it…or someone else will work you!

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Power Results

March 18, 2009 by Gary May 0
You Might Drop The Ball, But Don’t Let It Become An Anchor

When you're in sales, management or any position dealing with customers, you're likely to do it: drop the ball. It's part of the continual education process. Even today with unbelievably well-working software, applications, technology and our electronic leashes, it's inevitable that you'll not do what you were supposed to do.

So why do some people drop the ball only occasionally and recover while others seem to live in the mire of their undone tasks? Perspective, ambition and goals as well as an undying commitment to the customer. If you find that you consistently leave the 'little things' undone, get help. It's most likely that you have the ability to, but lack some of the keys to break through to success.

Lately I've had the pleasure of reading articles in ADM and Selling Iron (Brain Food) that deal with the "if we had done this, we wouldn't have had to do that" mentality. And they're totally right! Car dealerships are notorious when it comes to taking care of customers. So why not go the extra mile and make sure that you've followed up, called, delivered, asked, surveyed, invited, confirmed, qualified and more?

Many salespeople I talk to or witness after they've dropped the ball have the same issues:

1. Lack of ownership (ie. blame someone else at the dealership or the customer!)
2. Didn't set a reminder or some other tool to support accomplishing the task
3. Didn't adequately pass off the task to another responsible party (when needed)
4. Didn't ensure that the customer was completely taken care of/satisfied
5. Didn't care (which is just plain pitiful so go sell flowers or oranges on the street corner PLEASE)

If you make a commitment to handle something, do it. It doesn't matter if it's part of the sales process (which has its own ramifications), or simply sending the spare key to the customer after it was dropped in the showroom. In today's environment, it's more important than ever to dot your i's and cross your t's. The stuff that would be swept under the rug just a couple years ago will have you looking for a new job now.

We're all likely to make mistakes. Do everything you can to avoid those mistakes but following a process and following up. If you can't handle something simply don't make the comitment that you will. The difference in learning from salesmanship mistakes and not repeating them versus dropping the ball repeatedly and refusing to improve is dramatic. It's also what's separating many dealerships today.

Don't be an anchor, pick up the ball and run Forrest, run!

Best practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

March 10, 2009 by Gary May 0
How Are Your Numbers? It Is A Numbers Game Alright So Change Things!

Anyone with a background in sales has heard, read and/or said the following: "it's a numbers game". And it's amazingly true no matter what your industry or product. The best in any field contact, communicate and retain better based on the fact that they've got to get to more people. So what is your excuse?

Let's face it, sales are not only down (some estimates last week put February's number at well under 700,000 units) but they're expected to be so for quite a while. If you're 'expecting' a turn-around in the next year or two (many are) and you're waiting…you're dead. Einstein was credited with saying "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result". Do you fall into that description? If so, there are a few categories you can slide into going forward:

1D: If you view things one dimensionally, keep talking to people. Only talk to more people. Again, it's a numbers game. Let's say your "nut" is $6,000 per month. How can you do that if traffic is down 50%? You've got to stretch your mind and get out there and talk with more people. Heck, you may have to actually give your business card out at lunch, dinner, baseball games and chamber of commerce meetings.

2D: You are used to doing more but two dimensional people just do more of the same type of activities. You've built a referral network on top of your walk-ins and repeats but it's just not delivering. Start doing new activities including taking copious notes about your clients and get your database to start working for you.

3D: Yes, you are among the people that make things happen: showroom, network, database, online, social media, email, text messaging and even, yes, live chat. While you have the greatest opportunity, don't get complacent. Since you have more people to contact from, it should be the easiest for you to move ahead!

If you don't like your numbers, do something about it. And don't do the same thing you did last time. Really do something new, creative, different, innovative. Your greatest obstacle is not your inventory or customers or location or facility…it's you. Suggest things, move things, try things, change things.

Your challenge is to work the numbers. Don't stop short under any circumstance. Plan your work and work your plan. Make sure the numbers make sense which means one thing: there's more of them.

Best practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

March 1, 2009 by Gary May 0