Dealers can learn a LOT from this video!
Great job Grant-
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The last 3 years, infographics have grown as one of the most effective marketing tools available. They're easily sharable on social media, can offer tremendous SEO benefits, and can help your dealership offer content that people enjoy seeing.
Still, it's also the most underutilized tool by the automotive industry. A lot of it is our fault; vendors in the automotive space have seen infographics as too challenging and too expensive to bring to market. We've had a handful of forward-thinking dealers take advantage of it, but there hasn't been nearly the adoption that has occurred in other industries.
Even at the OEM level, Ford is the only company that has dipped their toes into infographics and found success.
First, let's look at what they do for dealerships:
- - They give content to visitors of both their websites and social media profiles an item will be shared. People share good content on Facebook and Twitter. They don't share new car specials pages. Some have asked what the benefit is. We've seen that when people share content on Facebook, a good percentage of it is localized. Friends, relatives, and coworkers that see a nice piece of content from a friend will visit the link and land on your site. If you're running remarketing campaigns or simply going for social media exposure, landing them on your site is an opportunity to generate a lead. Don't forget, every Facebook user has 8-9 Facebook friends who are in the market to buy a vehicle in the next 30 days.
- - Powerful inbound links are the most important aspect of search engine optimization. Having graphics that can be embedded on other sites is an opportunity to use this "link bait" to generate free links to your site.
- - Infographics that portray useful information such as proper SYNCing on a Ford or localized information such as a crime-rate map of the area positions the dealership website as a resource on top of being a place to look at cars. Whenever you can become a resource for people, they are more likely to want to do business with you.
Once you know what they do for you, let's take a look at the most successful infographic that we built in 2011. This particular one was generated for a non-automotive client but it will be easy to see why it was so successful. Here are the stats:
- - Posted on over 400 websites that linked back to the source, including high-value websites that included the New York Times, Mashable, TheNextWeb, and TheAtlantic.
- - Shared on Facebook over 17,000 times with Mashable having the highest share-rate of nearly 10,000.
- - Tweeted over 25,000 times with Mashable again leading the way with over 6,000 retweets.
- - Estimated 2.3 million views of the infographic.
- - Made the front page of Digg, Reddit, and went viral for 3 different sites on StumbleUpon.
Now, here's the infographic. If you have any questions about why it worked so well or how it translates in the automotive industry, please feel free to email me or ask in the comments.
US Auto IndustryShuts Door On Another Strong Year- By Tony Pugh - Re-Post from McClatchy - Tribune http://www.dealersynergy.com
WASHINGTON – After a near collapse at the height of the Great Recession, the streamlined U.S. auto industry defied the odds and outperformed the greater economy this year with solid sales increases, job growth and product innovations that signal that a full industry recovery no longer is just possible, but probable.
Credit better quality and pent-up consumer demand for the industry’s slow, steady improvement. Customers who were unwilling to gamble on automobile purchases during the recession are coming back to showrooms because the average age of vehicles on U.S. roads is more than 10 years – the highest ever.
U.S. car buyers also are getting comfortable with making large purchases in the volatile economy, experts say.
“And that’s a big behavioral change from what we saw in ’08 and ’09. That’s good for the industry,” said Jesse Toprak, the chief industry analyst for TrueCar.com, an auto-pricing Web site.
After selling roughly 11.8 million cars and trucks last year, U.S. vehicle sales to businesses and consumers are expected to hit nearly 12.8 million in 2011, Toprak said. That’s up from 10.6 million at the height of the Great Recession in 2009.
Through November, new-vehicle sales had logged six straight months of year-over-year gains. That should continue in December, when 1.2 million vehicles are likely to be sold, Toprak said.
Those numbers are well off their pre-recession levels, which topped 16 million vehicles a year. But the industry’s plodding recovery in the past two years has helped stabilize the greater U.S. economy and power a regional recovery in the Great Lakes and Rust Belt regions, where auto production is king. Both areas have seen some of the sharpest declines in unemployment in the country in the past two years as automakers regain their financial footing.
U.S. and foreign automakers are poised to add nearly 167,000 U.S. jobs by the end of 2015, according to the nonprofit Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich. That breaks down to 30,000 hourly and salaried workers at the Big Three U.S. automakers, 17,000 jobs at foreign automakers and about 120,000 auto-supply sector jobs.
“The industry has pretty much hired back just about everybody from the automotive side that had been laid off. And now they’re hiring fresh, so they’re actually adding to their rosters,” said Aaron Bragman, senior analyst at IHS Automotive in Northville, Mich.
Most analysts say the industry’s growing stability is sweet vindication for the federal government’s $80 billion bailout, which allowed General Motors and Chrysler to reorganize. The Center for Automotive Research estimates that the bailouts saved more than 1.1 million jobs in 2009 and another 314,000 in 2010, while avoiding personal income losses of more than $96 billion.
Today, all three major U.S. automakers are on the comeback trail with increased investment in U.S. manufacturing plants, improved new models, greater profitability and thousands of new hires.
Chrysler’s rebound has been dramatic. In its best November since 2007, the beleaguered automaker sold more than 107,000 vehicles in the U.S., up 45 percent from November 2010. It was the 20th consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains for Chrysler and the best November for Jeep brand sales since 2003.
Foreign automakers also are expanding their U.S. operations. In May, Volkswagen opened a new plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., that now employs 2,000 people. The Mercedes-Benz factory in Vance, Ala., will add 1,000 jobs when it begins producing the C-Class in 2014.
Toyota just opened a new $800 million plant outside Tupelo, Miss., where about 2,000 workers will assemble the popular Corolla. The plant is Toyota’s 14th in North America.
Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia saw their U.S. vehicle sales explode this year. But U.S. sales of Japanese autos faltered after a tsunami in northern Japan disrupted production in March and caused worldwide inventory shortages during the summer months, when car sales are hottest.
“They didn’t have full strength of inventory because they weren’t able to make enough cars,” Bragman said.
U.S. automakers were prepared to capitalize with new designs and models. Chevrolet’s new Cruze became the second-best-selling car in its class this year, behind the traditional industry leader, Toyota’s Corolla.
Improved quality among all automakers also helped drive sales.
“You’ve got to give the automakers some credit here,” Toprak said. “The new products that have come out of virtually every single automaker in the last year or two have been the best that consumers were ever offered. When you have great product, it fuels buying.”
Ford’s redesigned Explorer has continued strong sales even as the U.S. market has moved away from SUVs. This year, the Explorer moved from a truck-style, body-on-frame design to a lighter, more fuel-efficient one-piece body architecture, which most cars have.
“It has been a big success and is selling very well,” said Bernard Swiecki, senior project manager at the Center for Automotive Research.
After recently inking four-year agreements with the United Auto Workers union, Ford, Chrysler and General Motors plan to add more jobs. The UAW agreements call for 20,000 new jobs over the life of the contracts: 6,400 at GM, 2,100 at Chrysler and more than 12,000 with Ford.
The new pact reduces labor costs for the automakers because new workers will earn lower wages than longtime employees, who will get profit-sharing and inflation-adjustment payments rather than annual raises.
In exchange, the companies agreed to bring back more foreign manufacturing jobs to the U.S. Last month, General Motors said it would begin assembling its Chevrolet Equinox next year at the old Saturn assembly factory in Spring Hill, Tenn., along with a midsized vehicle for the 2015 model year.
Earlier this month, Ford announced that production of its F-650 and F-750 trucks will move from Mexico to its Avon Lake, Ohio, assembly plant in 2014. The move retains about 1,400 jobs at the plant, which is slated for a $128 million upgrade.
New labor agreements and cuts in retiree health benefits also have helped the automakers become more profitable. Before a 2007 UAW labor agreement, Ford and GM’s wage and benefit costs were about $78 per hour. They’re now $58 an hour for Ford and $56 for GM, said Kristin Dziczek, director of the labor and industry group at the automotive research center.
While Chrysler’s sales have increased the most from last year, its per-vehicle profit margin is only $1,066, according to the center. General Motors clears an average of $3,327 per vehicle, while Ford earns $2,819.
Barring a European debt crisis next year or a double-dip domestic recession, most analysts think that 2012 will be another strong year, with vehicle sales approaching 13.8 million.
“The industry is ready, when the economy recovers, to make a lot of money,” Dziczek said. “If we get back to moderate economic growth of about 3 percent a year, we could be talking about there not being enough (manufacturing) capacity” to keep up with demand. “That’s a good problem to have.”
The vast reach of the auto industry, through its parts and supply chain, helps drive the economy in times of expansion. The industry typically accounts for up to 3.5 percent of the gross domestic product and fuels about 10 percent of U.S. retail sales.
When automakers were cutting jobs in 2008 and 2009 at the height of the recession, the industry’s economic ripple effect worked in reverse, causing millions of additional jobs to disappear.
“Now that huge economic multiplier is once again on our side. It’s working as an engine of growth. But we paid a dear price in ‘08 and ‘09, when the hit was really enormous,” Swiecki said.
I am GIVING AWAY $1,000 CASH… (AGAIN!!)
I am so thankful for being a Car Salesman. I can NOT imagine what my life would have been if I never stepped foot onto that showroom floor and took a chance selling cars. I went from being a BROKE College Drop Out to owning a Multi-Million Dollar Company in such a short time. I love this business because of how successful we can ALL be, if we applied ourselves. “Millionaire Car Salesman”, I would NEVER have thought it possible. This business is simple… What you put into it is what you are going to get out of it.
I recently have been giving CASH away to my clients who have been successful, who have applied themselves, who have earned it. As a matter of fact today I will be announcing a winner of $1,000 CASH to an Automotive Internet Sales Coordinator (An Appointment Setter / BDC Rep). There were NO strings attached. I simply wanted to see who was the BEST Dealer Synergy Coordinator in the country and the winner would (And will) receive $1,000 CASH!
So, I had ANOTHER idea… I spoke to Susan Givens, the Publisher of AutoSuccess Magazine and we have decided to create a FUN Contest for AutoSuccess readers. We are going to be giving away $1,000 CASH to a Lucky Reader! Why would we do this you ask? Simple… Because we can J We are blessed to be in this industry and to have achieved so much success. We want to spread the love.
Here is what we are looking for… We want to try to HELP Automotive Sales Professionals BE MORE SUCCESSFUL!!! So, we are looking for ideas, thoughts, tips, secrets, best practices, examples, websites, objections / rebuttals, mobile apps, habits, ANYTHING & EVERTHING you can think of to be successful in Automotive Sales, etc…
Please send your emails, videos, links etc… to seanb@dealersynergy.com Susan Givens from AutoSuccess and I will BOTH review every one of the entries and choose the “Best Success Idea / Strategy” and we will publish the winner in the following issue of AutoSuccess Magazine with an interview as well as their “Best Idea / Strategy” of course.
Please remember, we are NOT just trying to throw $1,000 cash away for nothing. We are not showing off, that money isn’t an issue. As a matter of fact, believe it or not but this is coming out of our pocket. There are NO Sponsors, No reimbursements etc… This is what it is. A real contest. We all know that out of the hundreds of thousands of automotive sales professionals in this country, some are truly successful and others are not so successful. There has got to be a reason, actually there are a lot of reasons but I want to FOCUS on JUST one of those reasons… Information! Some people truly might NOT know HOW to be successful. They were NEVER taught, they never believed they could, they were never trained, motivated, mentored etc… I want to help as many people as I can and I know Susan as well as the rest of the AutoSuccess team want to do the same. So, please when you submit your entry for a chance to win this contest please remember what the end result in mind is… Synergistic Success. Explain what your idea, strategy, secret, tip, best practice, website, resource, mobile app, objections / rebuttals, “What If” Answers, etc… is AND WHY you think it is so important, why it makes YOU truly successful. Please try to provide any examples, any validation you can for this.
I am honesty looking forward to all of the entries. This is going to be fun and purposeful!
Good luck everyone. Please call or email me if you have ANY questions about this contest!
Dealer Synergy Furthers Its Commitment to Assist the Blind Community
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Aroga Assistive Technology and Dealer Synergy increase their vision by finally joining hands.
Dealer Synergy is very pleased to formally announce that we have been approved as an Authorized Aroga Reseller for Assistive Technology in the world of Apple computers and iPods.
For over 23 years, Aroga has been helping their clients attain a measure of independence. "Adding synergy will only elevate our clients toward interdependence," says Steve Barclay, BP of sales and marketing with Aroga. "We are Canada's premier Assistive Technology retailer; however, we really want to get our products in the hands of people whose lives will be enhanced because of them ... no matter their geographic location."
Dealer Synergy is also excited about adding to our award winning automotive dealer training, the ability to offer our visually impaired clients training on the Voiceover screen reader for Mac computers as well as Voiceover for iPhone, iPod and iPad.
Dealer Synergy has been blessed by the leadership of VP of Training, L.A. Williams in the area of the seeing impaired. L.A. Williams himself is Blind. L.A.'s lack of sight has not hindered his attitude, his capabilities or his success. He is a valued executive with the company as well as an inspiration. To watch the way L.A. has evolved the Dealer Synergy curriculum, training and delivery is amazing. His influence is so profound, Dealer Synergy clients have been so inspired to specifically seek out Blind candidates for employment in their Dealerships.
L.A. Williams III, VP of Training with Dealer Synergy says, "Here at Dealer Synergy, we want to influence the success of all our clients. Since that includes visually impaired individuals, how better to show our commitment than to offer them the best training and technology in North America. Aligning ourselves with Aroga gives us that very opportunity."
If you have questions about Dealer Synergy and their services for the blind, please call L.A. Williams III at 1-866-314-2553 extension 32 or Email Support@DealerSynergy.com.
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Honda fights TrueCar's prices
Below-invoice online discounts frustrate some dealers and automakers
Honda, leery of brand-eroding discounts, has warned its dealers to stop offering prices below invoice on TrueCar.com and other Internet shopping sites.
The discounts jeopardize payments that Honda sends to dealers for local marketing, the automaker told dealers in October. Industrywide, the payments range from $300 to $600 for a $30,000 vehicle, one dealer said.
TrueCar is a leading player in the growing online retail industry that channels Internet leads to dealers. TrueCar CEO Scott Painter last week criticized Honda's position.
"They're trying to say Hondas are worth more than invoice, but if everybody's paying less than invoice, that's not true," Painter said.
The dispute highlights frustration among some dealers and automakers who say third-party Web sites such as TrueCar are eroding their power to set transaction prices.
TrueCar publishes recent transaction prices on its Web site and offers what it calls guaranteed low prices to shoppers. Dealers who sign up with TrueCar agree to pay the company $299 for each new vehicle sold from a TrueCar lead and $399 for each used vehicle sold.
Honda spokesman Chris Martin said that the automaker considers TrueCar an advertising medium. And Honda does not permit dealers to advertise prices below invoice, in part because it erodes Honda's brand equity. Dealers who do so jeopardize per-car payments from the factory under Honda's dealer marketing allowance.
But Painter said Honda is ignoring the realities of the marketplace, in which dealers compete aggressively on price.
In response to Honda's actions, TrueCar last week began warning Honda shoppers with a banner on its Web site that they might not get TrueCar's low price.
Upfront price guarantees are a key part of TrueCar's pitch to shoppers. And the prices listed for vehicles on TrueCar's Web site often are below invoice.
For example, a TrueCar search near Ann Arbor, Mich., for a 2012 Toyota Camry SE with automatic transmission and four-cylinder engine returned three guaranteed prices from local dealers, two of which were for less than the car's $22,075 invoice price. One dealer was offering the car for $21,875, another for $21,025 and a third dealer listed a car at the invoice price.
In TrueCar's terminology, the invoice is several hundred dollars above the cost of the vehicle to the dealer because the price does not include such factory payments to dealers as the holdback allowance.
Painter said Honda sales via TrueCar have declined since October because of Honda's warning.
He said the 278 Honda dealers under contract with TrueCar sold 2,389 vehicles in November. TrueCar's Honda dealers sell an average 8.6 new Hondas per store per month, and leads from the Web site generate 12.2 percent of the total sales volume of TrueCar's Honda dealers, he said.
"They could be doing twice as many sales through our platform than they are right now," if Honda revoked this policy, Painter said.
Painter was careful to add, though, that he was not picking a fight with Honda.
More clout
On Jan. 1, TrueCar's role in auto retailing will grow. That's when TrueCar becomes the exclusive online vehicle shopping partner for Yahoo.com. Traffic to TrueCar's Web site is expected to jump from a couple of million unique visitors per month to 20 million per month as a result of the deal, Painter said. Now, though, TrueCar leads account for a small slice of U.S. auto sales. TrueCar-participating dealers are expected to sell about 250,000 vehicles from TrueCar leads in 2011 either from shoppers on the TrueCar Web site or through agreements with more than 100 large associations, such as USAA and AAA. Painter said he wants to almost double the number of dealership franchises that participate with TrueCar to 10,000 next year and facilitate the sale of about 500,000 vehicles. USAA, a financial services association for military families, has asked Honda to reconsider its TrueCar action on behalf of its 8 million members who did 500,000 searches for Honda and Acura vehicles this year, according to a recent letter from David Bohne, president of USAA federal Savings Bank, to John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co. |
Protecting profit
The Toyota Camry SE: In Michigan offers of $1050 below the invoice price.
Mike Warwick, director of digital marketing for the seven-store Kelly Automotive Group in suburban Boston, agrees with Honda's policy toward TrueCar. "Honda's trying to protect the gross profit in selling a car and trying to protect the salespeople who are the backbone of the industry," Warwick said. Kelly, with a Honda store and two Nissan stores among its holdings, dropped out of its TrueCar contract this month after just three months as a participating dealer, Warwick said. In November alone, the group was inundated with 700 leads from TrueCar customers who took a guaranteed vehicle price that Kelly offered, he said. But the stores closed on just 20 of those deals and only three were profitable given the discounts negotiated, Warwick said. The vast majority of customers went elsewhere, using the deals negotiated on TrueCar to get lower prices for vehicles at other non-TrueCar dealers, he said. Meanwhile, Kelly had to follow up with all 700 customers, Warwick said. Few Honda dealers, he said, would be willing to risk their dealer marketing allowance for the additional volume that TrueCar can bring. Industrywide, that type of quarterly allowance is 1 to 2 percent of the sticker price for every vehicle sold, Warwick said. On a $30,000 vehicle, that would be $300 to $600. Other dealers, though, like TrueCar. Taylor Chevrolet in suburban Detroit is eager for TrueCar's tie-up with Yahoo to begin, said Jeff Kotlarek, Taylor Chevrolet's Internet sales manager. He gets about 15 new-car sales per month from TrueCar. He said Taylor Chevrolet offers vehicles to TrueCar shoppers at $100 below invoice and still makes money on the vehicles by upselling on warranties, accessories or additional options. The store sells about 175 new vehicles total per month. In a recent speech, AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson said of TrueCar: "The good deal that they're pitching to the consumer is lower than average. So to the extent that everyone goes with the TrueCar price, it moves the average down. "It's a death spiral, and the question is whether they are powerful enough to unleash that dynamic in the U.S. marketplace." AutoNation's COO, Mike Maroone, sits on TrueCar's board of directors, but neither he nor AutoNation has financial ties to TrueCar. Amy Wilson contributed to this report |
An Email From a Random 17 Year Old Girl Who Saw One of My Videos on YouTube and My Response To Her...
I was about to record a new audio series when I received her email, I was motivated to create this video for her. I hope you all enjoy too. There is a lesson here we can all learn from this 17 year old girl-
http://www.dealersynergy.com
Sean V. Bradley CEO of Dealer Synergy Talks About His Background, How He Got Into The Car Business & Offers to HELP People for FREE!
Follow Your Dreams... They can come true-
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful day with the ones that you love. I would love to hear what you all are thankful for... For me, I have so much to be thankful for, but I will start with what is top of mind. My amazing wife Karen AKA Karina Bradley -She is one of thee most incredible people I have ever met in my life and for whatever reason, she chose me to be her husband (That or I AM the SICKEST CLOSER in the World :) Our beautiful and AMAZING children Tianna, Kalina and Sean V. Bradley "The Sequel". Everyday with family is a Thankful day. I am also thankful for all of the people in my life... Family, Friends, Colleagues, Co-Workers, Clients... EVEN the "Haters", even the people that make my life difficult, challenging, frustrating etc... Because those people are my inspiration to strive harder and be BETTER. Having adversity in my life allows me to appreciate all of the things God has blessed me with. I know I have ONLY scratched the surface at ONLY 35 years old. I have much to learn and much to evolve to and I do NOT mean to accumulate MORE Wealth, I mean be a better human being... being the BEST person I could be. I want to be a great role model for my family. I want to inspire people. Because, if I could come from where I did... And be where I am now in life... ANYONE has an opportunity. I am THANKFUL for ALL of the AMAZING people that have influenced me, mentored me... EVEN the people who "Hated" on me or have hurt me, those people MADE me work harder, work smarter and gave me my "Failure is NOT an Option" mentality. Here is an AWESOME FranklinCovey Video, the "80th Birthday"... Think about it and have a Wonderful Thanksgiving!
What is the One "Thing" you can do today to dramatically change your life, your future, maximize your career, evolve...?
I am still in Indiana and have been up for over and hour now (Central time)... I have been working on a project for my client as well as getting caught up on over 100+ emails (That is just from yesterday LOL!). I am also finalizing my most recent article for AutoSuccess Magazine. And its NOT even 7:00am... Today I am going to be training an entire Internet Sales Department. What I do today will influence and enhance numerous people and their future. Then when I have finished, I will jump on a plane and head home to my wife and children. I am truly Blessed, I love what I do and am so grateful to my entire team at Dealer Synergy. Without them, there would be NO Dealer Synergy-What are you going to do today when you wake up...? What is the 1 thing that you can focus on today that will dramatically make a difference in your life, your career, for your company, for your family...? Life is way too short, live today to its fullest... Be the absolute best you can be and settle for nothing less. Make sure you tell the people that you love that you love them. Try to make a difference in someone's life today... Start with yours :)
Don’t talk about it –
be about it
You truly have to be committed to being successful. If you just say it without actually living it each and every day — without exception and without fail — you are not going to be successful. To build my company, I am on an airplane all over this country every week training and consulting. I do what I have to do to be successful in order to provide my family and myself a lifestyle we enjoy.
What are you doing to be successful? Are you just saying that you want to be all you can be, but only do what you have to in order to get by? Are you convincing yourself that mediocre is a good thing? I want to be brutally honest with you — it takes a long time to be an “overnight success.”
If you want to be successful, be successful — every breath you take, every thought you think, each and every day should be to personify the word “successful.” No excuses. No exceptions. If you want the things that the average person does not have, you have to be willing to do the things that the average person won’t do (within the bounds of law and ethics, of course).
Don’t talk about it. Be about it.
So, maybe you really want to be about it, but maybe you’re not sure where to start. In our industry we are told over and over again that “this is your own business,” but no one ever shows us how to run “our own business.” If we teach, lead and motivate people in the right direction, however, and show them how to build, maintain and evolve their own business, they will have a more realistic opportunity for that to actually happen.
If you really think about it for a moment, human beings have accomplished so much since we have been in existence. We have invented some amazing things, like automobiles and computers, and we have traveled to the moon. There are those who have made billions who were college drop outs. So, if all of that is a reality, then the possibility that you can achieve greatness is possible. It all starts with one simple thing: You have to make the conscious decision to be successful. If you make the conscious decision that you are going to be successful and nothing — I mean nothing — is going to take you off of your goal of success, then nothing will. Every thought you think, everything you do and your very essence will personify that word “success.” For example:
• Every morning, take a moment to be grateful for everything you have (even if you don’t have much, you are alive and that is a gift we should be grateful for every day).
• Every morning you tell yourself that today is going to be a great day. Today you are going to move one step closer to being even more successful. Cleanse your thoughts of stress, negativity, of “haters” who tell you that you “can’t” or that you “won’t.”
• Begin with the end in mind. Have a clear picture in your mind and your heart of exactly what success is to you. If you can’t do this, how are you ever going to achieve something that has no definition? Remember that success is different for different people — only you can determine what success means to you. Is it being the best in your career? Is it making a lot of money? Is it having freedom to do what you want, when you want? Is it providing for your loved ones? Is it the ability to help people and change lives? Whatever it is, you must understand exactly what “it” is and you must understand exactly how you can achieve this success. What is it going to take each minute, each hour, each day, each week, each month, each year?
• You must surround yourself with people who are successful or are on their way to becoming successful. It just doesn’t make sense to surround yourself with lazy, complacent, negative, excuse-driven people who have no desire to change their life or situation. I’m not saying that you should drop long-term friends or be snobbish, but you need to be realistic. If you are at a dealership with people who are always complaining about this and that (not making any money, the manufacturer stinks, the incentives stink, they don’t like the President of the United States…), that’s a problem. We all know that these people exist in our dealership. Do you really think hanging around this type of person will help you on your path to success?
• You need to constantly self motivate and self educate. Read as much as you can. There are countless magazines, newsletters, Websites and blogs in our industry that focus solely on automotive sales success, automotive Internet sales, automotive digital marketing and so on, and there are books both in and out of our industry that are awesome, such as The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. You need to master your craft. If you are an automotive sales professional, you must become an expert in communication, qualifying, identifying expectations, objections and rebuttals. You must also become an expert in psychology, sociology, public relations, marketing, reputation management, digital marketing, analytics, trends, time management, leadership, motivation, customer service and product knowledge. You need to practice, drill and rehearse and have a great attitude. You also need a contingency plan, in case things don’t go perfectly — and not just “plan A” and “plan B”; you need plans A through Z.
Why aren’t most people great at anything? Because it takes hard work, strategy and consistency.
Don’t talk about it. Be about it.
If you have any questions about this article or you would like some free advice or suggestions to
start or evolve you on your path of success, please feel free to call me or e-mail me.
Sean V. Bradley is the founder and CEO of Dealer Synergy, a nationally recognized training
and consulting company in the automotive industry. He can be contacted at 866.648.7400, or
by e-mail at sbradley@autosuccessonline.com.
Sean V. Bradley CEO of Dealer Synergy goes over the RULES for his $2,000 FREE CASH Give-A-Way
Who should be running my internet department or bdc?
This is another question I am asked from dealers all over the country — and the dealers who don’t ask me this question really should. While I acknowledge the fact that there are many different types of dealerships, please have an open mind to what you are about to read.
First, I am sure that we are all aware that 88 to 98 percent of people go online before they ever step foot into the dealership. We also know that social media is the No. 1 form of communication in this country. The problem that I continue to see, however, is that many dealerships in this country still don’t view the Internet or business development department as a “real” department.
Too many times I walk into dealerships and you can immediately feel the tension in the air; it’s an “us vs. them” mentality. There is dissention on the floor, frustration, anger and even sabotage — not to mention disrespect. I often hear the same thing from Internet coordinators, managers, directors and BDC reps; they are neither appreciated nor respected, and are treated as the “stepchild” in the dealership, and that goes from the dealer to the GM to the GSM, all the way down the food chain.
And, as we all know, perception is reality. If the dealer feels this way — that the manager of the department isn’t a “real” manager — they aren’t going to have an idea of who the right person is for the job, or what type of a pay plan to put together. They might not give this manager authority in the dealership. They might only make this person a “manager” in title only.
They also might put in place the wrong people. They have people who aren’t working out on showroom floor, so they give them a shot in the Internet department. Or, they might hire someone computer savvy because they feel that qualifies them to run an Internet sales department. Dealers also hire young people because they feel they can relate to the prospects better. These are all wrong strategies. The Internet Department or BDC in the dealership should be a major department, on a level with the new, used, finance and fixed ops departments. We are focusing on Internet “sales” department, but it goes deeper than that (Internet sales, service, parts, body shop, finance,
aftermarket, leasing, fleet, special finance, etc.).
Here are some facts: The average dealership delivers approximately 100 units new and used a month. An average dealership has approximately 10 salespeople, a finance manager, a sales manager and either a GSM or GM. All of that goes into selling about 100 units. Now, I have dealers who tell me that they want to sell 50, 100 or 150+ units per month from their Internet department, but they don’t want to treat the department as more important than the other departments or profit centers in the dealership. Furthermore, they want to put in place the wrong type of person to manage and run the department. They don’t want to pay the Internet sales director like the other “real” managers in the dealership. They also do not allow them to have any “real” manager authority, but they will put all of the responsibility on that person’s shoulders.
So, what exactly is the right profile? Who should run an Internet sales department? First and foremost, you want to make sure you have a person who is an automotive sales manager, or at the very least have someone who is a great sales consultant and closer with the potential to be a great sales manager with the proper training and support. Let’s go deeper: If you are trying to run a department that delivers more than 100 units a month online, you should have at the bare minimum a great sales manager, or even a GSM or GSM-caliber person running that department. Answer this question: Would you ever have a non-salesperson run your entire dealership, or even be a GSM at your dealership?
You want a sales manager in that department who can drive the momentum in that room. You want someone who can put a deal together and can even desk a deal if necessary. You also want to have someone who will be respected by the other managers and the showroom sales force — not just by the Internet department.
So, how in the world do you expect to deliver that number of units without having the caliber of individual I just outlined? The argument is that dealers need someone to manage the Website, take pictures, create videos, get testimonials, handle I.T., take care of the CRM/ILM, handle online reputation management, SEO, VSEO and all other forms of digital marketing. I agree 100 percent — all of that needs to be taken care of. However, I do not think that the Internet sales director or Internet sales manager should be that person, especially when you are trying to deliver 100+ units per month from the department. You should either hire a person to do those jobs, or outsource those duties. Anything else is not going to be as productive in the long run. They are, at a minimum, two different jobs.
Don’t freak out if you are a current Internet sales or BDC director and don’t fit the profile I just mentioned. And don’t freak out if you are a GM or dealer who just hired someone who doesn’t fit the profile outlined in this article. I would say, if they were the “right” individual who you believe in, get that person training on product knowledge, I would have them get certified as a sales consultant from your OEMs and I would get them certified as a sales manager by your OEMs. If you have to invest time, money and training to get the department head at the level of any other department head in your organization, it is what it is. If you don’t, you will suffer.
The bottom line is that having the right Internet sales / BDC director is crucial to the success of the dealer’s online initiative. If you have any questions about this article or if you would like some examples or ideas of ways to ensure your department’s success, feel free to e-mail me or call me.
Sean V. Bradley is the founder and CEO of Dealer Synergy, a nationally recognized training and consulting company in the automotive industry.
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Sean V. Bradley, CEO of Dealer Synergy is giving away $2,000 CASH FREE (NO B.S.) to the Lucky Winner(s) - Automotive Internet Sales
