All of your advertising won't help you if your showroom and digital showroom aren't managed correctly. Too many dealers are ignoring two of their biggest points of sale. On this episode of Hard Facts, learn where you maybe making your mistakes and what to do about them. 

          Google has said they are testing their self-driving car prototype this summer on the streets of California. Are we, as humans, ready to give up control of driving ourselves?

            If you were to visit Google’s page endorsing their self-driving prototype you will be greeted with some staggering statistics. The likes of which include “94% of accidents in the U.S. involve human error.” Their claim is that if building a car loaded with sensors, lasers, and cameras to detect movement in all direction it will greatly reduce the possibility of an accident. The prototype also has a rounded shape, which, will help maximize the sensor’s field of view.

            I will agree with the fact that these cars will give independence to those who normally would not be able to drive themselves. Even business professionals who spend much of their time on the road, it will allow them to travel and work at the same time. These cars will allow the passenger to program their desired destination. Which would allow the car to bring a friend home, then, return back to you without anyone riding inside. What about those of us who remain independent and want to feel the rumble of an engine, not the soft hum of a battery?

            For years now cars such as the Mustang, Camaro, and Subaru WRX have garnered a following of loyal fans, which created a cult affect. Their owners are very proud owners, some adorning their wardrobe with hats or shirts, which proudly display the logo. They want you to know; I’m a fan, this is my car, I’m a proud owner. Also meaning, I love driving this car. While there are perks for the self-driving car, I don’t feel as if it will eliminate the vehicles we operate, at least, not for a long while.

            What does this mean for us? Once the self-driving cars are released for public purchase, it means coming up with new and unique strategies for advertising and pushing your product.

If you are interested in discussing this, or, any form of advertising please contact us today!

Here's How to Turn Your Autoresponders into a Powerful Sales Tool!

Too many dealerships are guilty of having poor e-mail autoresponders. You’re missing an amazing sales opportunity if your autoresponder is lacking. Watch now to generate more sales, build more trust, and skyrocket engagement with these simple steps.

How Do I Manage Facebook's New Private Customer Messaging?

Have you heard the news? Facebook will soon allow customers and companies to take their conversations to a private chat. On this week's Hard Facts, Samantha covers this latest feature roll-out and what it means for you.

Outsourcing Your Daily Social Media Posting is Crippling Your Potential!

You sell yourself short when you don't personally engage with your fans and followers. Learn how to build relationships to sell more cars and become a staple of the community. On this week’s Think Tank Tuesday:

• Learn why hiring a company to handle social media hurts you.
• Understand how Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are the new rotary clubs of the digital age.
• Develop a personal, unique, and effective social strategy by yourself.

         For many of us email management isn’t always a top priority, but perhaps that is something we need to change. By doing so, you can cut the clutter; reduce your stress and delegate tasks to your employees and coworkers.

            One of our team leaders utilizes a method he calls the 3D method and says if followed correctly it works wonderfully.

            First D: Delegate. Should you receive an email and run in to a scenario where you either don’t have time or you know of someone who is better suited for the task, delegate the email. Prior to doing so, ask yourself “Can they handle it?” If your answer is yes, send it their way, if you hesitate to answer the question find another team member.

            Second D: Delete. We all receive emails about someone having a baby or a birthday. You offer your well wishes along with 35 of your coworkers. Next thing you know you are receiving numerous alerts with animated GIFs. Get rid of it and carry on with your day. I’m guilty of leaving those emails in my inbox, forgetting they exist and moving on. They just build up and serve no real purpose. Reducing clutter will help lower your stress level.

            Deleting an email also serves as a mini to-do list. You’ve read the email, you’ve either delegated the task or you completed it yourself. Check it off your list-or delete it.

            Third D: Decide. Decide what to do with the email, do you delete or delegate? Should it be read now or later? Setting up filters, such as color-coding, can help make this decision easier and quicker. You can set it for specific groups of people, subscriptions, and level of importance. For example, if I create an orange filter for the management team, blue for subscriptions and green for clients, my inbox may have 1 orange, 3 blue and 3 green. I can see right away which email needs to be handled immediately and which can wait.

            These are some simple tips and tricks that work for us and keep us on track during our day. You might have a different system that works for you, and, that’s fantastic. Let us know what you’re doing! We’re always open to suggestions, tricks and tidbits. 

          As you know, we are constantly researching technology, trends, and best practices for our clients. This includes finding the best way to film dealership footage.

            Our team is use to attaching their cameras to a jib crane system in order to achieve a wide shot for our clients. Which, works great, but is there something better out there? Unless you know someone with a helicopter, or have the finances to rent one, purchasing a drone and attachments is the next best thing. When they made their first appearance the cost was through the roof and they were hard to find. Now they are a bit more economical; you can buy one for around one thousand dollars. They are also more readily available and easier to get your hands on than they were a few years ago.

            Another great aspect of using a drone for shooting footage is that it can reach higher heights than a jib and can fly lower than a helicopter. The controllers are similar in functionality to that of remote control car, which makes learning to fly one a fairly easy task. Drones also have a threes-axis stabilization, meaning; even if your control skills are a little choppy your footage will still look great.

            Now you’re thinking, ok sounds great, but how do I know the camera is filming what I want? You are able to view everything via Smartphone video feed displays; which will connect to the drone via Wi-Fi. You can do this either with your phone or with a remote with a display screen.

            As far as the battery is concerned, most have the capability to recognize when the percentage is low and will fly back to your GPS location. Others come with a bracelet for you to wear which the drone will fly back to.

            As of right now there are not a lot of rules, regulations and restrictions for drones. At this point we know they cannot be used near airports, government facilities or state parks. This as we know it will change the future for how our team will work on their production trips.

           If you're looking for an opportunity to take your video production to the next level, contact us today!

You Have Countless Options for Streaming Live Video to Your Customers

Want to video chat your customers? Find out what tools are available. This week, learn how to use Periscope, Meerkat, and Facetime to build a personal connection with your customers and sell more cars!

Much like the rest of the social media world, Facebook is continually changing. One aspect they have been working on and improving is their approach to videos.

Thankfully, the days of scrolling through your news feed and having a video instantly play are long gone. Facebook has stepped up their game for desktop in regards to a user’s video options. We are now able to detach a video from your newsfeed and move it off to the side of your browser window. We are able to do so by an icon located in the lower right hand corner of the video.

This functionality is especially helpful for those who want to multitask; view endless memes and status updates while catching up on a news story or event from the day.

As of right now it is only desktop compatible and once you navigate away from the news feed, the video will end. However, you are still able to Like and share the video, in addition to play/pause and close the floating window.

Interested in advancing your social media marketing strategy? Contact us today.

How You Can Sell a Car to Your Customers' Neighbors

You're losing sales every month, and by making this one simple change you can put a stop to missing high-converting leads. On this week's Think Tank Tuesday, I cover how you can turn all of your sales into multiple sales by just following this simple strategy. And to ensure your success, I'm offering you a downloadable template to make implementing this strategy today easy.

You spend a lot of time in meetings and discussing your strategies. On this week's Hard Facts, Samantha teaches you how to make sure everyone works together to reach your goals and ensure everyone is accountable.

Make These Changes Today To Get Your Marketing Strategy Running Smoothly

On this episode of Think Tank Tuesday, Senior Account Manager, Michelle Campbell joins me to cover these simple mistakes that can ruin your solid marketing strategy. Watch the video now to learn how to maintain consistency, use color to drive conversions, talk your customers' language, and how to determine what price-point should be advertised.

A Single Word Changes Your Emails' Open and Click-Through Rates

Want to send better e-mails? The trick is to A/B test it. This week on Think Tank Tuesday, I discuss the key points to remember when creating your subject lines and email templates that will drive more conversions.

Latest Facebook Update Is Exactly What We've Been Looking For

Facebook is the 3rd largest search engine, and they are about to make some changes that will affect your Facebook advertising. With this change, we will be able to get better analytics, better bids, and much better campaign options. There's also a big update coming to the mobile Facebook app you will need to know about!

Follow These Tips to Find Out If Your Digital Strategy Is Working

Is your business keeping you up at night? We want to offer ways to uncover some great opportunities in your strategy, including:

• Focusing on the handling of phone calls
• Generating more content for your website
• Emphasizing the value of tracking your leads
• Maintaining top-of-mind awareness with retargeting

On this week’s Think Tank Tuesday, discover the areas you need to start investing in and the ways you can improve what you're already doing.

I Got Retargeted and It Works

You need to use Dynamic Retargeting. On this episode of Hard Facts, Samantha explains how it works, and how you can use it to sell to indecisive shoppers.

There's so many new things everyday, it's easy to get overwhelmed! 

With all the new flashy technologies being developed everyday, we get caught up in the hype and miss the basics. This week on Think Tank Tuesday, I'm focusing on what you may have missed that's costing you leads and sales.

Join The Content VS Retail Debate! 

This week on Think Tank Tuesday, Robert Donovan of DOM360 joins me to discuss the importance of both merchandising AND content development. Get inside knowledge on how you can marry the two schools of thought to build a robust and rock-solid marketing strategy.

Change isn't easy; but what I'm about to share with you is worth the challenge.

Breaking routines isn't easy but change yields long term results. On this week's Hard Facts, Samantha shows you how to shake up your routine and your priorities.

You Have to Watch this Video to See Why We Were Fired

I'm sharing 3 tips to handle leads, increase sales, and how to turn more shoppers into lifetime clients. There are many shiny nickels that seem like they can solve everything, but watch this episode of Think Tank Tuesday to discover what will really grow your dealership.