Google AIS Custom Search

All Posts (2768)

Sort by

Recently Ideal Inventory Solutions was written up in the Automotive News after an extensive study by the publication into the overall effectiveness of the new vehicle ordering process and dealers' perceptions of it.  Donna Harris wrote about our company because we launched specifically to address the issues dealers are facing when managing their new vehicle inventory.  Until now dealers have been at the mercy of an inflexible and highly constrained allocation and ordering process.  With the evolution of our website, dealers are able to wholesale and purchase both units in their physical inventory, as well as units that have been allocated to them but not yet built or shipped by the factory. 

 

It is a very exciting time for our dealer network.  They have much more control over their new vehicle inventory as a result of our site, and the broader our network becomes, the more efficient and effective the trading platform becomes.

 

Last week this theme was hit upon by a professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.  I've linked below to both the Automotive News article as well as the blog entry by Professor Lariviere.

 

http://operationsroom.wordpress.com/2011/01/18/matching-supply-and-demand-in-the-auto-industry/

 

http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110110/RETAIL07/110109890/1422

 

www.idealinventorysolutions.com

 

 

 

Read more…

http://www.dealersynergy.com 

Do You have a Social Media Employee Policy At Your Dealership...?  You Better Create one ASAP!!

 

I think that got your attention...

 

*** This is VERY important ***

 

Every dealership should have a "Social Media" EMPLOYEE USE Policy. What I mean by that is that EVERY Employee at the dealership (Front and Back) needs to know about Social Media and its effect it can have for the dealership during work hours and OFF work hours. 

"Off Work Hours" ????? Confused...?

 

Let me give you an example... a REAL example, not just a cool story to throw in for training and impact reasons...

 

I had a dealer client call me a while ago and tell me he had a "unique" problem. I was intrigued and asked him what happened. The dealer goes on to tell me that he had a voice mail from a very upset woman. And then he went on to detail the voice mail. It turns out the woman came into the dealership to purchase a vehicle and was working with a sales person. She did not buy the vehicle there, but was very interested in purchasing from them. So, she went home to "think about it" she went online and "Googled" her sales person's name... You won't believe what showed up on the FIRST page of Google... The sales person's MySpace Page. The woman "Clicked" the link and right there on the sales person's TOP of his MySpace page was the Sales Person smoking a "Marijuana Bong" (TRUE STORY) and the CAPTION on the Photo Read "Party Animal" - WOW!!! The woman was very disturbed that this person worked at the dealership and she did NOT want to do business with him or ANYONE that employed a "Drug Addict". It did not matter that the dealership had no idea what the employee did on his own time. It did not matter the sales person was one of the top earners in the dealership, it did not matter that the dealer was a great guy and helped a lot of people in the community. It ONLY mattered what her perception of the dealership was at this point. And what she told the dealer in that message stung him... She said she was a 50 year old woman and if she can "Google" her sales person in 5 minutes then SHAME on the dealership for not doing a better job hiring people that represent their establishment... Ouch, what can you say to that?   

 

The sales person had NO idea that their "Off Work" antics, habits, exploits would EVERY hurt the dealership that he worked at or was trying to build a career at. Some might say it is NONE of ANYONE'S business what they do AFTER work... or while they are NOT working. 

 

*** The problem with that is that if a person, a sales person, service, office person posts their life, posts their beliefs, posts their antics for the public. Then is NOT "Their Private Life" anymore... especially if they work at a MULTI-Million Dollar establishment. There is WAY too much at stake here so I iMPLORE you to pay attention to your dealership and your employees.

 

Here is what I suggest:

 

Immediately create a Dealership "Social Media Employee Use Policy" something that states that if you are employed at ABC Motors, you AGREE NOT to post ANYTHING compromising online, specifically Social Media sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Tumblr, Flickr, YouTube etc... If employees choose to have accounts like these they MUST EITHER Post PG - PG13 Content OR KEEP Your Account on "PRIVATE". This also goes about personal beliefs about sensitive subjects. 

Then after you create the policy, have the dealership's attorney create a formal agreement and put it into the employee handbook and make sure they all sign off on it.

 

* This might seem extreme BUT please think of YOUR Dealership RIGHT NOW and YOUR Employees... ALL of THEM. Can you imagine if you left your dealership's reputation uncensored online, allowed employees post anything and everything without educating them of the harm to themselves and the dealership's reputation unintentionally. PLEASE believe that Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, PhotoBucket, Ning, YouTube, Twitter, Tumblr... ALL of these site INDEX WELL!!! Meaning, that they show up on GOOGLE, MSN, AOL, BING etc... VERY VERY Well.

 

Protect your reputation-

 

*** Here is a COOL idea:

When you are about to hire someone... BEFORE you do, "Google" Them, "Facebook" them, "Twitter" them etc... Use the Internet as your own personal FBI Background Check :) 

 

If you have any questions or if you would like some more information on how to secure your dealership's Online Reputation or if you need help educating your employees of Social Media / Online Reputation please email me at seanb@dealersynergy.com It would be my pleasure to help you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read more…

Alan Krutsch is the Director of Marketing for the Walser Automotive Group, which operates 14 dealerships, in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Minnesota. He talks about how the Walser Rewards Program differentiates the Walser brand from the competition.

Ready to start building your branded loyalty program? Contact the re:member group. www.remembergroup.com

 

Read more…

The 2011 Digital Marketing Strategies Conference (DMSC) scheduled February 1-3, 2011 just prior to the 2011 NADA Convention has exceeded its pre-registration goals. Brian Pasch, CEO of PCG Digital Marketing, who is organizing the conference, attributed the pre-registration success to dealers focusing on education.

“In a recent survey conducted by PCG, 45% of car dealers said that their staff was not adequately trained to lead a competitive digital marketing and social media strategy for their dealership. With the outstanding lineup of speakers and educators at the DMSC, it is no surprise the dealer principals, managers, and eCommerce directors have registered.”

The Digital Marketing Strategies Conference is conveniently schedule prior to the popular NADA Convention, which is held this year in San Francisco. Attendees of the conference who are planning to attend NADA will be transported to San Francisco on Friday February 4th and will not miss any of the scheduled events at NADA.

Attendees of the Digital Marketing Strategies Conference will also benefit from the conference format. All meals are included in the registration fee so that attendees will have ample time to build lasting friendship over mealtime. Since the conference is being held in the Napa Valley, dinners will feature award-winning wines introduced by the winemaker/owners of the vineyards.

Conference Handbook Exceeds 150 Pages

Pasch added, “This year we have also created a 150 page digital marketing and social media handbook. The book is packaged with articles, resources, and tips from the speakers and educators at the conference. The handbook will be a great resource to review and leverage all year round since there are few books in print specifically targeting automotive digital marketing.”

Automotive educators and speakers include Jared Hamilton, Sean Wolfington, JR Rucker, Alex Snyder, Gary May, Matt Murray, Glenn Pasch, Christy Roman, Joe Webb, Scott Falcone, and Christine Rochelle.

 

Sponsors of the DMSC include Dealer.com, VinSolutions, TK Carsites, Smart Web Concepts, Presto Reviews, DealerFire, CAR-MERCIAL, and DealerTrend.

Registration for the 2011 Digital Marketing Strategies Conference closes on January 28, 2011. Dealers interested in attend can visit http://www.digitalmarketingstrategies.org to register.

Hotel rooms can be booked at http://www.marriot.com since the event is being held at the Napa Valley Marriot Hotel.

ADM Members Invited to Superbowl Party


For dealers attending the 2011 NADA Convention in San Francisco, PCG extends an invitation to join their Superbowl Party, which is billed as the largest Superbowl Sunday party at the NADA, show. Dealers can register by contact Carrie Hemphill at 732.450.8200 ext 2.

Read more…

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dealer-synergy-and-review-boost-partner-to-enhance-on-line-reputation-for-automotive-dealerships-and-are-launching-dealer-review-boost-at-nada-2011-in-san-francisco--booth-4464n-114570549.html

PHILADELPHIAJan. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Dealer Synergy has announced its newest service today, Dealer Review Boost, to provide both a proactive and reactive process to maintain and improve automotive dealers' on-line reputation. Dealer Synergy is the industry's number one training, consulting and digital marketing service provider for car dealerships. Review Boost is the leading on-line reputation company that helps companies promote their on-line reputation by syndicating positive reviews from their clients throughout the major search engines and directories.

"Our new service, Dealer Review Boost, complements all the services that we currently provide to our many associates in the industry. We feel this is a huge component that will continue to serve all of our clients' needs," said Sean V. Bradley, Founder and CEO of Dealer Synergy. Bradley goes on to state, "The automotive industry is plagued with negative perception and stigma. There is a very serious need to monitor your dealership's reputation both positively and negatively as well as have an action plan / strategy to protect it. There are a lot of Dealership Online Reputation sites, software, strategies that are 'proactive' that can assist a dealership in harvesting positive reviews. However, there are NO 'reactive' solutions for dealers that are victims of negative reviews or point blank 'Cyber Terrorists' that try to decimate a dealership's reputation online for whatever reason.Dealer Review Boost is a POWERFUL answer to negative reviews a dealership might get as well as the ONLY real 'reactive' solution once a dealership has an 'online reputation' issue. Dealer Review Boost can rectify the situation and neutralize the negative reviews very quickly."

William Rivas, founder of Review Boost, states, "We are aligning ourselves with excellent companies like Dealer Synergy to provide a truly authentic reputation management service. We are very careful in selecting our partners. Being experts in 'Reputation Management' we are careful who we align ourselves with. With that being said, we are proud to be partnering with a company like Dealer Synergy and are looking forward to creating awareness and solutions in the automotive sales vertical."

The service will consist of two packages and will cater to dealerships that are experiencing varying degrees of on-line reputation. While most dealerships have at least some reviews, both positive and negative, the proper package will be determined by the number of reviews, the directories and search engines that the reviews are currently listed in and the severity of the negative reputation.  For the premium package, "we encompass all angles and strategies possible" to restore and enhance their reputation, said Rivas.

The Dealer Review Boost is scheduled to launch at the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Convention,February 5th, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, Ca.  Bradley, a featured speaker at the convention, and Rivas will also be hosting a press conference at the center.

Dealer Synergy and Review Boost have both displayed a commitment to setting the standards of best technology and marketing practices and consistently venturing a step ahead of the industries.

Review Boost- Founded in 2007, is headquartered in Oceanside, Ca. Its proprietary technology and processes continue to assist companies of multiple sizes and years in business secure and maintain a healthy on-line reputation.

Dealer Synergy – Founded in 2004, is headquarter in Philadelphia PA. Dealer Synergy is an Award Winning Training, Consulting and Digital Marketing Company for the Automotive Industry.

Contact – Sean V. Bradley, 856-264-0564 – sean@dealersynergy.com

 

SOURCE Dealer Synergy

Read more…

Most don't know the difference, do you?

The differences between social media and social networking are just about as vast as night and day. There are some key differences and knowing what they are can help you gain a better understanding on how to leverage them for your dealership.

1. By Any Definition
Social media is a way to transmit, or share information with a broad audience. Everyone has the opportunity to create and distribute. All you really need is an internet connection and you're off to the races.

On the other hand, social networking is an act of engagement. Groups of people with common interests, or like-minds, associate together on social networking sites and build relationships through community.

2. Communication Style
Social media is more akin to a communication channel. It's a format that delivers a message. Like television, radio or newspaper, social media isn't a location that you visit. Social media is simply a system that disseminates information ‘to' others.

With social networking, communication is two-way. Depending on the topic, subject matter or atmosphere, people congregate to join others with similar experiences and backgrounds. Conversations are at the core of social networking and through them relationships are developed.

3. Return on Investment
It can be difficult to obtain precise numbers for determining the ROI from social media. How do you put a numeric value on the buzz and excitement of online conversations about your dealership? This doesn't mean that ROI is null, it just means that the tactics used to measure are different. For instance, influence, or the depth of conversation and what the conversations are about, can be used to gauge ROI.

Social networking's ROI is a bit more obvious. If the overall traffic to your website is on the rise and you're diligently increasing your social networking base, you probably could attribute the rise in online visitors to your social efforts.

4. Timely Responses
Social media is hard work and it takes time. You can't automate individual conversations and unless you're a well-known and established brand, building a following doesn't happen overnight.

Social media is definitely a marathon and not a sprint.

Because social networking is direct communication between you and the people that you choose connect with, your conversations are richer, more purposeful and more personal. Your network exponentially grows as you meet and get introduced to others.

5. Asking or Telling
A big no-no on with social media is skewing or manipulating comments, likes, diggs, stumbles or other data, for your own benefit. Asking friends, family, co-workers or anyone else to cast a vote just to cast it, doesn't do anyone much good for anyone and it can quickly become a PR nightmare if word leaks out about dishonest practices.

With social networking, you can tell your peers about your business or blog and discuss how to make it a success. The conversations that you create can convert many people into loyal fans, so it's worth investing the time.

Social media and social networking do have some overlap, but they really aren't the same thing. Knowing that they're two separate marketing concepts can make a difference in how you position your business going forward.

Share your thoughts or add a comment or two. I'd love to hear from you.
Read more…
http://www.dealersynergy.com Great Video on seo meta tags, search engine optimization, seo optimization, seo services, seo tools (Conversational Marketing / Cool Site Of The Day)
Read more…

INTERNET CUSTOMERS NEED LOVE TOO



My Grandfather was a man of few words. (I am not much like him in that respect.) When he did speak everyone listened. He would speak his mind and it was usually words of infinite wisdom. He was a farmer in the Ozarks of Missouri and I guess he got that way due to all the time he spent alone in his fields. I remember as a little boy, a conversation he had with my Grandmother. My Grandmother asked my Grandfather why he told her only once in all their 45 years of marriage that he loved her. My Grandfather's reply was very simple. "I told you I loved you once and that was good enough. It's when I tell you I don't love you is when you have to start worrying."

I have often thought of this conversation. The average ISM will attempt to contact the customer after a request maybe only once whether by phone or email. The customer is often left wondering if the dealership really cares if they buy from them or not. They may have gotten your message that you called, but lack of follow up will leave them wondering after that. Looking from my Grandmother's point of view, she went all those years knowing my Grandfather loved her because he showed her with actions. But she still had that need to hear it.

The more personal information you are able to gather during that first contact will enable you to have greater insight into their needs and wants. Spend time with them on the phone as if you have been friends for years. It will ease the tension of buying a car and enable you to better serve their needs. This will build trust authority, trust, link juice, Google juice: The amount of trust that a site is credited with for a particular search query. Authority/trust is derived from related incoming links from other trusted sites. that cannot be accomplished anywhere else in the sales process. This is a major difference from the conventional customer.

Show them a reason why their personal needs will be fulfilled up front and you have won the battle. You can show them, as my Grandfather did, that you care for their needs after they come in. But you only get one shot at telling them upfront their needs are important. They will sense it and willingly accept showing them you care after their arrival at the dealership.

You can call it corny or attempt to brush it off, but the plain truth is that Internet internet:  customers are a lot like my Grandmother. It was always more important that she felt loved than to hear it. That is why she stayed with my Grandfather for so many years without hearing those words. She felt safe and secure.

I miss my Grandfather even today. He told me he loved me once.

About the Author

Dennis Rushing is one of the true pioneers in Automotive Internet internet: Dennis has personally sold over 4300 vehicles through the Internet internet: which makes him easily one of the most successful ISMs in automotive history.


Read more…
http://www.dealersynergy.com This is one of my clients in Iowa!!! They came up with a BRILLIANT idea... They created a website "Buy Your Ford" (dot com) and it was a site dedicated to DRIVING Traffic!!! **They used this as an "X" Plan site... But, the perception was that this is a site that could get you ALL of those "SECRET", "HIDDEN", "AWESOME" Deals, savings "HOLDBACK" etc... Then they created this TV Commercial... it drove HUNDREDS of people to the dealership OVER the WEEKEND! As a matter of fact the TV commercial and Website (www.buyyourford.com) did so well it UPSET ALL of the Local dealers around my client and FORD stepped in and made them shut down the site BECAUSE it had "Ford" in the URL... So my dealer just created http://www.driveyourdeal.com - It is the SAME concept just without the "OEM" Branding...
Read more…

http://www.dealersynergy.com

 

I am telling you all that this dealership... John Hinderer Honda is AMAZING. Look at this dealership!! They have a GREAT team. Lets wish them luck and assist them anyway we can in growing their department.

 

SVB-

Read more…

This does not apply to just dealership sites this applies to all sites:  Keyword Selection.  The keywords you choose to use in your search engine optimization (SEO) campaigns is the most important step. Most owners do not know how to pick a good list of Keywords.

When choosing your keywords quit thinking, about trying to rank for what you want and instead think as a viewer. What keywords best show what your site is really about? An example of a poor selection for a keyword is this: A site about pet supply retail, ranking for keywords dealing with pet health information without actually owning such information just to gain the additional traffic is very bad. This misled traffic will load up your site just long enough to realize that they was duped and will head back out of your site.

If your site is still very young or just created you should not go after the largest trafficked keywords. Yes, it would be nice to have those keywords but think logically. Can a brand new site actually rank over a veteran web site for such competitive words? I think not!

Once you know what type of keywords you are going after, zero in on the specifics. If you sell, only blue laptop cases do not go after the term laptop cases. With this selection, most viewers will again leave the site with only a handful that actually wanted a blue case convert to a sell. In cases like this, the more specific the keyword the better chance to convert your viewer and the more general the term viewers may in reality just be looking for information not to buy. When dealing with your keywords stay true to your site! As long as it is staying true to the site you should go after as many variations of the keyword as possible (I will cover the answer why in another article about Latent semantic Indexing or LSI). To help you find good keywords you can use both the Overture keyword selector tool and Google keyword selector tool.

Read more…

Hello everyone and welcome to another Blog posted by Richard A. Browne CEO/Founder of Synergy Fixed Operations Training/Consulting and Technologies. I want to talk today about a experience that I personally had with 2 Mercedes Benz dealerships fixed operations departments in Pa/De TODAY!

 

Issue #1. My beautiful mother is a highline customer and has been for over 25yrs. She was a loyalBMWcustomer for years, In 2008 I convinced her to try something new. She went and purchased a brand new "E" class with all the bells and whistles. I was fought from day one, compared everything to BMW, from there pick up and delivery to there maintance programs. I told her be rest assured that Mercedes Benz and there strong convictions to customer service they would be stellar. Well I was very wrong. Her first experience with the dealership she arrives and the service consultant doesnt know why she is there, nor did the loaner car department, WOW!!!  Not a great first impression. They had admitted and past blame to one another for a period of time then finally realized they needed to take care of the customer. Mind you this is a 1st visit! Finally they "Took Her Order" and said they would call her when it was completed. They called her mid day and stated there was a few warranty issues they where resolving and the she needed a BRAKE FLUID FLUSH!!! and if she chose not to do this MERCEDES BENZ REQUIRED SERVICE, it may void her warranty..(Scare Tactics).

Aain my mother did not phone me prior to bringing her vehicle in. She ok'd all there reccomendations as she wanted to do what Mercedes benz wanted so as her warranty doesn't become voided. Now she leave Mercedes Benz Of Wilmington with a $500.00 bill for a "B" service and brake fluid flush...shame on you Mercedes Benzof Wilmington for taking advantage of a woman and utiliazing scare tactics. SOUNDS LIKE ANOTHER DEALER THAT NEEDS SYNERGY FIXED OPERATIONS TRAINING/CONSULTING AND TECHNOLOGIES!!!   MY OWN MOTHER!!

 

Issue #2. A very close to friend of mine has his 2008 GL450 in for service at Mercedes Of Fort Washington. He called me and asked if I wouldnt mind being conferenced in on the call as the service consultant wasnt very clear in what he was trying to sell. My friend was told his vehicle needed pads and rotors on the front and back along with a service and the Bill would be $1550.00. This is when I was asked to be on the call. I was introduced into the conversation and asked the service consultant at Mercedes Benz Of Fort Washington what the vehicle "Really Needed" He stated well now he rechecked with his technician, that the rear rotors could be reused. Hmmmmmm why didnt he mention that the first time on the initial sale?  In the state of Pa. there is inspection which is done at independent dealers, hence they capture you and utiliaze the "If you want your vehicle to pass inspection" routine. Once again scare tactic to create a inflated service bill. Now Iam intrigued by this "Man" that is the conversation stated to me I have been doing this for years and I know what Iam talking about. Wow...is that how you build a relationship/trust/integrity. At this point he begins to back pedal and offering discounts of 10% for the trouble. At this point in the conversation I say to my friend, which by the way is the CEO of one of the largest automotive internet training/consulting and technologies company in the U.S. what do you want to do. He asked me if it is worth it to have the vehicle taken care of there today. Well at this point we are both laughing so hard as we shared 2 Mercedes Dealership stories in one day. Myself being apart of both. He opted to have it done as the inspection had expired. Nothing like feeling violated by a UNTRAINED/UNMANAGED...NO PROCESS ORGANIZATION.

 

SHAME ON YOU MERCEDES BENZ OF WILMINGTON

SHAME ON YOU MERCEDES BENZ OF FORT WASHINGTON

 

In a round about way you where mystery shopped and failed. I suggest that both these organization attend NADA and seek some help. My friend and I would be more than glad to offer our services. Mind you we are car guys that are nationally recognized trainers and consultants in what these people where doing. They did everything we teach our clients NOT to do. Lie, cheat..mislead..scare tactics..and thats there road to there sales...hmmmm scary isn't. TRUE STORY!

 

Richard A. Browne

Synergy Fixed Operations Training/Consulting and Technologies

Read more…

Thank you for joining Automotive Internet Sales; we are becoming the fastest growing Social Community site in the Automotive industry!

 I would like to make a small request... Can you please upload a profile picture of yourself :) I have received several requests from members asking me to ask the rest of the community to post a picture, its more personal than the AIS logo. This site is designed to be a "Social Community" for Automotive Internet Sales... actually TOTAL Automotive Internet OPERATIONS... Sales, Fixed, F&I, Digital Marketing etc... I want people to feel comfortable here, interact with each other, learn, educate, motivate, inspire, excite :)

 

THANK YOU AGAIN!!

 

*** Now, to let everyone know, this site has been live for a little over 2 months and we are working hard daily to build the site up... But this is a community and we are going to need your help to make this site truly amazing. So, please feel free to upload your own content... articles, blogs, pictures, videos etc... If you NEED help or are not sure what type of content to post. PLEASE JUST ASK ME and it would be my pleasure to assist you in doing so... * By you uploading content, you can properly do SEO to it and back link to your dealership or company and increase your overall SEO visibility! (I can show / tell you how to do this as well).

 

I am in the process of speaking to and recruiting some AMAZING writers, experts, moderators etc... to be a part of this community and lead / moderate discussions, groups and provide subject matter expertise. For example, I am NOT a fixed ops director but I have several that are AMAZING at fixed ops and are part of the community and have already been posting a lot of GREAT content for you all.

 

I would also like your advice and opinions as to the direction you would like this community to go in... The more feedback we get from the community, the better we can customize this for US!

 

You will notice that there are about 25 "Groups" that have been created, basically these are areas where you can find specific information in regards to your particular interests / needs... please let me know if you have any ideas on creating additional groups that are not currently there...? Also, I encourage EVERYONE to join and or create a group!

 

And Finally, I would also request that if you like what you see... if you see value in what are community is doing PLEASE tell everyone :) Invite everyone you can to join AIS! 

 

Have a wonderful day!

SVB-

Read more…

As professionals and eccentric people in our own right, we all start our day a certain way. Some people have to lay out their clothes prior to getting in the shower. Some people need to have a cup of coffee or brush their teeth prior to telling the world I am here to succeed another day. Well I get the mail from the day before,my start to my day. I walk outside to the mailbox and get my mail and 2/3rds of it is from neighboring car dealerships with service specials and we want your trade and or your preapproved for 25k.

Lets just say we aren't in the car business and just the regular consumer. Ok that still doesn't work for me, all that direct mail would/will be thrown in the trash and you are already on the phone with the post master saying I thought I was on the no junk mail list. The point Iam trying to make is that we all start our day in the morning, but our routines all differ. As all dealerships prospective markets differ. Why are organizations still utializing basic/same old same old direct mail pieces that cost dealerships a fortune, when they can utialize alittle hard work internally and get the same results,they just don't know how to drive customers to your service drives and showrooms with todays technologies. Why are dealerships so apprehensive to hire a 3rd party vendor to help teach them a PROCESS/TECHNOLOGIES?  

Are they afraid to move with the times or is it WE as Trainers and Consultants aren't doing our jobs to educate our clients on what works? I'll say we aren't doing our jobs. This isn't a post on direct mail pieces, its a piece on us raising the BAR for 2011. We all get out of bed, our routines all differ yet we all want to accomplish the same results. If you say money..stop reading now! With success comes financial stability. We all want to be the best at what we know and what we do, unfortunately yes, there are alot of trainers and conultant companies,marketing companies that are stuck having breakfast with Fred Flintstone and refuse to evolve as we have let them survive. They are content with what they do as you the DEALERSHIPS also are allowing them to remain stagnant. If the work is still coming in and the same old SALES PROCESSES....SERVICE PROCESSES...DIRECT MAIL PIECES...are being sold why change. Help the automotive industry by evolving as CLIENTS. Educate yourself before you chose a vendor. See who is making history. Who has a system that doesn't cost you monies upfront. Who has a system with guaranteed results where you don't have to turn your dealership upside down to achieve what they say. Who has the programs and processes that will work with what you have. The biggest problem with these dinosaur companies is they create parameters to fall back on aka excuses. Being you didn't want to invest in this or that is why you failed our program. BLAH BLAH BLAH. It goes back to my cookie cutter theory I've spoken about before. I've seen programs where a certain Fixed Ops trainer state they have stood on over 600 service drives....yeah and? Well I'v actually operated service drives and developed service drives. I don't care how many service drives you have stood on, nor should you as a Dealership....what you should be asking me is what can you do to increase business on MY service drive. Iam sure I'll get some negative feedback from people on this post, or will I? Most of the people/companies/trainers and consultants that don't appreciate what I have stated probally don't have the technology to find this post.

 

With that being said, If you want to be the best consultant,trainer,social networker,technologies company,marketing company...etc..... help move the industry forward(create partnerships,work as a team) and help make our clients/dealerships more profitable without stealing from their budgets. Most importantly help move these OLD technologies/Trainers and Consultants to 3am Tv. selling shamwows or nonstick cookware. They have taken from OUR reputation as Trainers and Consultant and tarnished our industry long enough!

 

Thank You

Richard A. Browne

Synergy Fixed Operations Training/Consulting

Read more…
We all know Facebook is right now for dealerships around the nation the #1 choice when trying to engage with customers off-site, next to the biweekly or monthly ownership email marketing “blast” (my God do I hate this term “blast”) and/or dealer newsletter provided by IMN, Outsell, 3Birds Marketing or OnStation.

But I could discover throughout my held trainings and seminars that we as dealers very rarely know about the motives of consumers, why they are following us or a brand – why do they like us. What make fans and followers click?

A recent conducted research of Co-Tweet and ExactTarget came closer to provide an answer. The following motives and answers will possibly help dealerships to adjust their engagement level on Social Media Networks. It will help us further in creating new approaches to “catch” potential customers’ attention.

Here the Top 10 Motivations why Consumers “Like” a Brand on Facebook and Follow

1. 40% want to receive discounts and promotions

2. 37% want to show support for the brand/company to thers

3. 36% hope (want) to get free samples, a coupon (a.k.a. freebies)

4. 34% want to stay informed about the activities of the company

5. 33% want to get updates on future products

6. 30% want to get updates and information on future sales

7. 27% like to get fun and entertainment out of it

8. 25% want to get access to exclusive content

9. 22% mentioned they were referred by someone to follow this brand/company

10. 21% want just to learn more about the company

Wow, would you have guessed it. Consumers actually like to receive update and information on future sales!

And by the way, don’t feel bad when you do not have too many interactions, shared thoughts and ideas or provided feedback from your “fans, followers and likes”.The survey found out that indeed only 13% want to interact directly with the company.

So, my suggestion would be: Take the numbers, share them with your sales and management team and start to tailor a Facebook Marketing plan around the findings.

Happy reading, planning and executing...VJ the Social Media Buzzer
Read more…
Many of the Google Places listing that I check for car dealers are NOT setup properly for their business. This impacts the number of times a dealership's Business Listing will appear in search results. For some dealers in metro areas, their Google Places listing will show over 15,000 a month. With this in mind, anything that could increase the visibility of your local business listing should be embraced.

Every Google Places listing DEFAULTS to a 20 mile service radius around the business address. This is one of the most important setting on your Google Places listing because it sets the geographic positioning of the consumers you serve. Car dealers routinely deliver cars to customers that are outside of a 20 mile radius of their business. With this is mind, dealers should inspect your service area settings in Google.

Google Places Special Geography


Dealers that have physical locations near bodies of water will find that a simple radius setting is not the most accurate map of their service area. In the screen shot below, Harris Auto Group in Canada is located on Victoria Island. If they left their Google Maps service area radius set at 20 miles, which is the default, they would not cover Victoria which is a major market for the island.

Google Maps Service Area Settings

Fortunately, Google Places will allow you to enter in specific town names to create a polygon that covers the areas that the dealership serves. In the photo above, you can see that the shaded area was created by inputting the towns in the "List of Areas Served".

Don't Abuse This Setting


I encourage dealers not to abuse this setting and show unrealistic service coverage maps. I have a feeling that Google may penalize anything that would be contrived as scamming the system. I would say that a 50 mile radius for most dealers is reasonable. So take a minute and look into your Google Places service area setting and see if it has been set too conservatively.

Also, while you are looking at your Google Places listing, make sure that it has:
  • Five great photos of customers taking delivery of cars or your work in the community. Kill the building photos.
  • Five great videos. Three customer testimonial videos, one welcome video, and one service video.
  • Proper categories that describe your business. There is a category for every OEM brand
  • Make sure one category you select is "Used Car Dealer"

If you have any questions on Google Places, just type in your question below.
Read more…

Having over 15yrs experience in fixed operations and business development I have come across the same obstacles as many of you have. It is called PRIDE. Pride is what gets you out of bed every morning, Pride is what motivates us to take our game to the next level, but Pride is also what leads us down the road of self destruction! Many companies I have worked for and with suffer from the sickness known as Pride. As professionals in our field we feel our way is the best, you should do things this way and there is no other options but what I say and do. I commend every individual for having this sickness from CEO'S to Detail Manager. Is there a cure to having Pride, Is there a way to turn Pride into success and help take your game to another level? YES THERE IS!

 

The biggest obstacle to over come is to be a delagator not a doer all the time. What I mean by that is create the thoughts and feelings and have them executed. All great business owners, GM's, Service managers, GSM's etc.. all have had great ideas and tried to execute them individually. The only way they have truely been succesful has been by creating a team of professionals that can execute there Process, without interfering, holding people accountable, giving constructive advise vs taking the bull by the horns and the "I'll just do it mentality" Business doesnt grow and become stable with that mentality. It maintains, if that......What just got in your way to success?  PRIDE! 

 

I ask everyone who owns, manages and or leads a depatment to put there Pride in there back pocket and utiliaze that time to create new ideas and create a "Strategic Circle" of what you will need and how your department can accomplish those goals. At that time have a department meeting and roll out your thoughts and feeling. Gather information from your team. Assign a timeline to what is realistic for the size of the project. Allow your department heads to execute what they feel is right for the company. From hiring to training. When your timeline is reached...see where you are at, you will be very surprised at how much progress will occur when you put your Pride in check. Wow  you have happier employees as they now have a agenda to complete and a purpose for being there.

 

As a Ceo,Manager,DP,GM,GSM do you create a daily schedule to lead your teams, Do you build a better staff from continuous training? Do you give your employees the tools to succeed? Or does your Pride get in the way. Take a strong look at yourself and why your departments aren't growing...what you will see 99.9% of the time its your PRIDE that hasn't allowed it to. All you find yourself doing is putting out fires you shouldn't be involved in. Settling underlying concerns that shouldn't concern you. If you are in that position then maybe you need to take a strong look at your staff. Are they the right people for the job or is it that you didn't allow them to do there jobs. Everyone has Pride and yes it is a sickness, but you know what I never want to be in a room with some who doesn't have it.

 

Best Regards,

Richard Browne

Fixed Op's Trainer/Consultant

Read more…

http://www.dealersynergy.com

Does your ONLINE Reputation Suck...? Are you sure... You better check and if Does, You better know what to do!

OK... I know you all have heard about online reputation mangement...but it is VERY IMPORTANT!! I have clients and soon to be clients calling Dealer Synergy asking for HELP!!!! They say they are being attacked by "Internet Terrorists" I am dead serious, thats what a dealership told me the other day... You have to protect your online reputation. It is SOOOO Important, that I dedicated (FOR FREE) a portion of my site to show the community several of the major online reputation resources out there. But, I came across this resource recelty and I now have sevreal Dealer Synergy clients that are using this company. I have NO AFFILIATION with them at all. I am ONLy going by what I see personally and what my clients have told me their experieinces are and they are ALL positive... If you are getting CRUSHED by BAD reviews then you NEED to look into these people. They can FIX it... but its NOT enough to "wash away" the bad reviews... you need to have a strategy going forward to create a positive online reputation management protocol and integrity... This on the other hand is to help you out of a BAD situation. Here is a Quick Video from a client of mine, the President of Peruzzi  Toyota talking about "Review Boost", Bill Finocchiaro

 

 

http://www.facebook.com/seanvbradley

Read more…

SPONSORS