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Does your dealership have a process in place for a quick transition from the sales floor to the finance dept? Are your customers waiting for a hour or more to get into the finance office? Does your F&I producer come out to meet the customer before the consumer get's to his/her office? Ladies and gentleman I could go on and on with questions that I talk about with automotive managers and what we find is very concerning.
First, the transition from the sales floor to the finance office should be seamless. I was in a Toyota store a little while back and they had what was called a finance lounge. Now the goal with their finance lounge was to remove the customer form the sales floor over to a much more comfortable lounge so that while they were waiting to get into the F&I office they could begin the process of getting logged into the Toyota system database. It is a very upscale lounge with Ipad's at each chair and snacks if someone is hungry. Now unfortunately most dealerships have a completely different process in place and it's as follows: the customer just agreed to purchase your vehicle and now they have to sit in those hard chairs and round table for the next hour while they wait to get into finance!! What do you think most of these people are doing while waiting to go to finance; they're talking about how maybe we're moving too fast we didn't plan on buying today, let's get on our smartphone and see how much the car we just bought is down the street or even worse after a hour of waiting you go to get your customer and they're gone!! For the love of God this is not what people want to deal with after they just made the next biggest purchase next to buying a home.
Consumers after they give us their business need to be in the F&I office as quickly as possible. Another brillant strategy is to have the F&I producer get out of his/her office and come out to the sales floor to meet the customer for a interview to build some rapport and gather field intelligence. What this does is make the process much easier when you present a menu to sell products.
In this day and age the old school way of doing business has to change. Their is too much money on the line to take the chance of conducting business as usual.
I was talking with a GSM today and he had no idea how many calls his coordinators were making per day. Equally relevant, is that I talk with people that have positions of authority in the dealership all the time and it's unfortunate to see the majority have no clue when it comes to their E-Commerce Dept. The E-Commerce Dept is the heart of your sales dept and the sales staff are the body i.e. without a heart the body will die. We also talked about a store that they have a few miles away and the GSM mentioned that at that store the leads are given to sales people. WOW!!! As we know the sales staff are not going to consistently follow up with the leads and unless the consumer buys within 5-7 days most salespeople are never going to call again.
Now the purpose of this blog is to spend some time talking about the importance of your coordinators making 120 calls per day. As you know you have a 11-14% connection ratio when making phone calls. In other words per day if you make or take 120 calls you will get 13 to 16 people on the phone per day. The thing that blows my mind is that I know of stores that have coordinators that make 50 calls per day. When you look at your connection ratio that's only 5-7 people per day!! I speak from experience in regard to coordinators making every excuse for why they can't make 120 calls per day. I've been told "I don't have anybody else to call" and when you check their leads in the ILM they have people that haven't been contacted in days. Even better I've been told that "I don't want want to bug the customer."
The key to success in your E-Commerce Dept boils down to the coordinator's pounding the phones!! 50 calls per coordinator is not got going to get the results that the owners/GM/GSM are wanting to see. Demand excellence and put spiffs in place for the coordinator's like you have for the sales staff and watch your E-Commerce dept grow to the point where it's generating a major percentage of total sales.
Words are cheap. What matters is the true belief system behind your words and the actions you take because of those belief systems. Economies don’t improve, people improve. Waiting for something to happen is for losers. The most important economy is the one created between your ears.
During down markets you have to get creative to make things happen. Although you may not be able to push a new car market if it’s not there, you can niche market, create affiliations, utilize your customer base better and push a used car market. In other words, there are options for success. Standing and waiting for the world to create your economy is not a good option.
There is an old quote that says, “When you go to work on yourself and get better it’s amazing how much better your customer’s get.” The one activity that can always pay off during a down economy is individual and organizational development.
Everything boils down to the four P’s of business - people, process, product and positioning. Do you work daily on your personal development? Do you work daily to increase your knowledge and ability to sell your product? Do you work daily to increase the effectiveness of your process? Do you work daily to increase your positioning through better marketing? If you work on these things daily you will determine your sales success in good times or bad. Good times will now become the norm.
Thoreau said it best: “Things don’t change; people change.” Make a commitment to figure out why you want to do something. When the why gets strong, the how gets easy. When you know why you want something, ideas of how will flow to you. Concentrate on the solution, not the problem. When you dwell on the idea of a prosperous market you create the reality of a prosperous market.
When you open the door to your belief system, you close the door of scarcity. When you are suffering from a lack of something it’s because you have a mental condition of lack. Everything apparent in your outside world of today is a direct reflection of your inside world from yesterday.
As you improve yourself you begin to think and act on another level of energy. Imagine the analogy of playing a video game and having to get a good enough score at one level to go to the next level. Once you improve enough you enter a whole other level that creates another opportunity for improvement.
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Powerful video testimonial from the Jones Family that was at a dealership across the street and they walked over looking at the Ford Escapes and ran into a closer that sold them a 2011 Ford Escape!! Sell or be Sold!!
5-8-13%20Best%20Process%20one%20page.doc
4-10-13%20how%20to%20Sell%2030%2B%20one%20page.doc
http://www.internetsales20group.com
Sean V. Bradley Will Be Speaking & Presenting Workshops For The Detroit Auto Dealers Association
Have You "EMI'd" Lately?
Rickyyyyyyyy!
Calling for my hero, my mentor, my first manager.
Way back when, on Dec 19th 1980, I got my first start. It was with Kearney Mesa VW & Peugeot in sunny San Diego, California. Rick Rodriquez, or “Rickyyyyyy” as I called him every time I needed help, jumpstarted my career in the auto industry.
Rickyyyy! Do we have this?
Rickyyyy! Do we have that?
Rickyyyy! Where is this? How much is that? What do I do now?
You get the point.
But Rick never ignored my persistent requests. Not only that, he was always there with a smile, always polite, and always to the rescue.
Of course my customers always appreciated me calling for Rick’s expertise. Granted, some were a little frustrated with my broken English, but Rick’s willingness to help me always impressed them.
“Yes, Danny” he would say, and then immediately greeted the customer:
“Hello and thank you for coming in! You are in excellent hands with Danny.” The customers and I could both tell this was to build my confidence, which had an excellent effect on the customers, and an even better one on me. “Danny will show you around and hopefully find you exactly what you are looking for.”
And that was my cue! I promised to take care of the rest, and after a couple trials and errors…
“Rickyyyy! They like this one!”
I sold my first car! A 1980 Dasher Diesel, earning me my first commission of $132.00.
From there, it only went up. My English got better, my commissions got higher, and Rickyyyy got a whole lot busier trying to keep up with me.
EMI (Early Manager Introduction) was a cornerstone in my foundation as a young salesman, and continues to be a cornerstone in every sales environment I am involved in.
Would you try EMI today?
Shortly after meeting a new prospect on your showroom floor, after personal connection and before going to product selection, just wave to your manager and call for your “Rickyyy”!
…Or whatever his or her name may be!
Note: If you are going to try EMI, be sure to:
- Look for/create the perfect moment.
- Don’t make an announcement, Just do it.
- Invite the manager to come to you. Don’t go to him/her.
- Introduce the customer first & the reason for the visit.
- Introduce the manager and pay him/her a compliment.
For more information on this or any other RBI strategy:
Email me directly danny@odoclub.com
Do You Have Any Idea How to Make Money in Your Internet Department or BDC?
It is a simple enough question to ask. I am disappointed to have to say that most dealers do not know how to make money in their Internet department or BDC. Some dealers know how to sell cars from their departments, but they don’t know how to build value, which means they cannot make gross on these deals — so they give units away. Even if they are making a little bit of profit, it’s not because of some thought-out strategy, business model or action plan.
If you are reading this article, it means that the world didn’t end. The Mayan calendar had no effect on us. It also means that it is January 2013. 2013. I was selling 110 units online and making gross profits in 1999/2000. If you aren’t crushing it online, it is not because…
- … of the election. It’s over.
- … of the economy. People are buying vehicles, and we are having record months.
- … you can’t make money with Internet prospects. Everyone is an “Internet Prospect” to some degree. More than 90 percent of people go online before they ever step foot in your dealership. If you can make gross on the showroom floor, you have no excuse not to hold gross with Internet or BDC customers.
- … you don’t have the right manager. If you actually don’t have the right managers, find them.
- … you don’t have the budget. Make changes with your antiquated marketing and advertising strategy.
- … you don’t know how or where to even start. Join an Internet Sales 20 Group or hire a consultant — do not settle for mediocrity.
I have a friend who is the dealer principal of a domestic dealership in Chicago. He sells more than 200 units online. He has zero conventional advertising, and his average cost per sale is less than $100 (NADA says average cost per sale is $600 per car). That is how it should be. You should be able to sell more cars, more profitably, more often with Internet sales. I have built hundreds of Internet sales departments all over the country that are ridiculously profitable. It doesn't matter what franchise you have or what region of the country you are in. As long as you set up the business model for your Internet department or BDC the right way, you will make money and lots of it.
Here are some things that you need to make sure you are doing and tracking; if you’re not, you’re probably not making money in your department, or as much money as you should be.
- Make sure your average cost per sale with your Internet customers is $200 or less per car. If it’s higher, then that means you have a problem. You either have a problem with your digital marketing or advertising initiatives, or you have a problem with your people not converting the right way. It might be a training or process issue.
- Make sure that your gestation period is around 20 days, meaning that the average Internet prospect is a 45 to 90 opportunity, but most dealerships’ “average selling ratio” is only seven to 11 days.
Here is how you can check your status. Take your last month’s Internet sales (let’s say you sold 50 “Internet Deals”), then add three additional variables to track: the date the lead came in on, the date the lead closed and the “window period.” Now, go and track that for all 50 Internet sales from last month. Now, I want you to add all 50 Internet sales’ window period, then divide that number by 50. This will give you the “average window period” or “the gestation period.” You want to make sure you are not just selling to the “low hanging fruit.” Think about it: If the average buying cycle for Internet prospects is 45 to 90 days, then why is your average selling ratio to Internet prospects only seven to 11 days? Exactly!
- Make sure that you are attempting to contact prospects during prime time, which is between 6 and 8 p.m. I am shocked that dealers all over the country close at 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. This is like making it to the Super Bowl and saying “no, thank you,” or making it to the Super Bowl halftime and saying “Thanks, we have had enough; we’ll try to see you next year!” This just doesn't make any sense. Think about it: What do you expect if you keep calling someone’s home number during work hours and they are at work? Exactly — you will not reach them. Now, does it matter if you are calling them for 30 straight days, numerous times a day? No, it won’t. Please remember, its not just about working hard. It is also about working smart.
I can seriously go on and on about this subject, but at the end of the day, it’s about making money. If you are not making money in your Internet department or BDC, or if you have no clue if you are really making money or not, e-mail me or call me ASAP.
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 888-3-SYNERGY, or by e-mail at sean@dealersynergy.com
The Hickman's were driving a loaner from a dealership in Wichita KS when they came to Long McArthur in Salina KS. They were given a Ritz Carlton like buying experience in Salina KS and decided to leave the loaner with us so that we can return it to the dealer in Wichita KS!!
Are you building value during your presentation/demonstration?
In Part 3 of this series I'll go over the issue of spending some time outside of work perfecting your skills. As we know in the automotive industry when you start your career most never receive any real training or if there is training it's very rudimentary. When I started in the business I was given a box of about 20 VCR tapes and told to sit in a room for two days watching them. Equally relevant, during this two day marathon I had a sales professional come in the room and talk to me for over a hour about how I was going to hate the business. Upon completion of this worthless endeavor I was given an office, directed to where the forms were and told to shadow a 6 car a month salesman.
How many great people have we lost in the automotive industry due to this lack of training? This strategy is setting new people up for failure and most importantly it's not giving new people the opportunity to fulfill their dreams. What's even worse is that I know stores that still have this strategy in place for new hires.
We must analyze true professionals to see what separates the Oscar winner or #1 draft pick from the pack that never make it. Do you think that a #1 draft pick just showed up for the game and never perfected their skill before the game? The movie start that get's $20 million a movie do you think that is by coincidence? The student that graduates with a 4.0 do you think he/she spent time outside of class studying? What's inherent in all these professionals is that they spend a vast amount of time outside of their field perfecting their craft.
Do we think that the automotive industry is any different? If you want to take your career to the next level it's imperative that you also sharpen your saw!! Study websites, listen to lectures, read books and go to seminars to help increase your human capital. Those that make the real money in this business have a strategy in place that made their dreams a reality. Successful people take it upon themselves to become the best in their industry and that's why they are compensated as such.
Last but not least we must look at what we do as a career not just a job!! Those that have the career mindset will put in the extra effort to take their career to the next level. Good luck and good selling....
http://www.autodealermonthly.com
Its official! Auto Dealer Monthly & Special Finance Insider Magazines have been purchased by Bobit Business Media
I received this email from Greg Goebel on Friday...
I am pleased to announce that Auto Dealer Monthly magazine, Auto Dealer Monthly website and Special Finance Insider Website have been purchased by Bobit Business Media. The decision to sell the media properties of Auto Dealer Monthly, LLC was made based on having the absolute best fit for continued publishing of the magazine and Bobit Business Media was the perfect choice.
Bobit Business Media is an experienced publisher with many automotive publications and will continue to serve the dedicated readers of Auto Dealer Monthly magazine well. Anna Hildebrandt will continue to serve all of Auto Dealer Monthly's client as she has done so for so many years now.
In keeping with the sale agreement here are some things you should know.
Auto Dealer Monthly, LLC will be changing it's name to Used Car University, LLC. which is where I will be spending my time developing more training for the industry.
My new email address effective immediately is Greg@UsedCarU.com
Harlene Doane can be reached at Harlene@UsedCarU.com, effective immediately.
The new phone number for UsedCarU is 812.467.0594, and the fax is 888.386.2236
If you have any questions about any of this, please do not hesitate to call our office.
Sincerely, Greg Goebel
I want to congratulate both Harlene & Greg! We wish you both tremendous success in your future ventures!
http://www.internetsales20group.com
http://www.automaxtraining.com/
Automotive Internet Sales Interviews Craig Lockerd, CEO Of AutoMax Recruiting & Training
The value of video testimonials is a strategy that every automotive dealership needs to have in place as a part of their social media online presence. Photo's are very important too however, the impact that your video will have on the consumer is much stronger with video.
With the average dealership selling 100 units a month imagine the impact that the dealership would have if a strategy was in place to get either a photo or a video of every sold customer, customers in service, customers in the bodyshop and customers in the parts department just to name a few. We know that most stores nationwide are not taking advantage of this opportunity to dominate the market with these videos which is great for the stores that do to steal market share from stores that are sleep at the wheel.
Now what is awesome about these videos is that one can take these videos and spread them like wildfire all over the Internet. There are multiple video sites that the dealership can use to upload these videos to and then use different titles for each site to dominate other dealerships. For instance, imagine if a consumer did a search on Google and typed Ford Mustang Manhattan, KS and your video shows up as the first result on the first page of natural Google for your dealership which is by the way over 50 miles away. The consumer that would have went to the local dealership has now clicked on your video which takes them to your social media site with links to your inventory and video testimonials of happy customers. Now who do you think that consumer is going to call?
It's great that most dealers are asleep at the wheel and still operate under the premise of if we build a dealership they will come. What this does is gives a competitive advantage to the dealership that understands this strategy and crushes the competition online.
I had the pleasure of watching a very informative webinar last night that really brought home the importance of having a robust dealership presence online. I truly enjoy studying the shift in advertising from the traditional way of doing business to the modern way of doing business. I've seen dealerships that had all the right brands under one rooftop but sell 70-90 units a month while their competition sells over 200 units a month; due to the fact of poor leadership, nonexistent online presence, horrible culture and negative online reviews about the dealerships service dept. (a service customer is 7 times more likely to buy at the dealership that he/she uses for service) just to name a few. The days of just building a multi-million dollar facility and waiting for the customer to come is over!! We know that by the time the consumer actually gets to your store (unless a real pro made contact during the ZMOT and you never seen the consumer) they are no longer at the point of interest but now at the point of sale. Look at these alarming numbers:
- In 2006 the average consumer visited 4.1 dealerships and conducted 68% Internet research.
- In 2011 the average consumer visited 1.3 dealerships and conducted 84% Internet research and some conducted over 90% Internet research depending on the brand.
- In 2000 dealer ad spending was newspaper 52%, Internet 4.6%, T.V. 15.5% and radio 14%
- In 2010 dealer ad spending was newspaper 22%, Internet 23.7%, T.V. 20.1% and radio 16% (and of course we know that Internet ad spending is much higher now in 2012).
And when I have sales people that are friends of mine call me and tell me how slow it is and how they only got 5 cars out and it's the 25th of the month; yes some are LAZY however, some are at a store that in 2012 the owner and GM does business like it's 1980.
SEM and SEO is such a interesting subject that if you want to bring value to your store it's imperative that you study these ideas because when you begin to talk with your owner or GM about what you're studying you will become a valuable asset at your dealership or the competition will hear about you and start calling you. Good luck and good selling....
VIP%20Appointment%20Agenda.pdf ==> Scanned Copy of Waynesville Automotive VIP Appointment Agenda
This video shows how to structure your BDC to Sales handoff to effectively turn the internet customer over to the sales floor without losing rapport for the purpose of a true VIP experience.
** This video was inspired by information we learned at the Internet Sales 20 Group in Chicago
The term wif-fi does not have a meaning. It is a shortened name given by the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance, the group which ensures compatibility between hardware devices that use the 802.11 standard. Wi-Fi is used for high-speed connections (10 Mbps or greater) to laptops, desktops, smartphones, tablets and any other wireless device located within proximity indoors or within several hundred yards outdoors.
Wi-fi service providers are networking cities and other areas with a high concentration of consumers. These location networks are called "hot-spots" and access can be free or fee based. The original wi-fi service providers had no idea this technology would have such broad appeal and acceptance by even small businesses owners. Blacksburg, VA was one of the first cities wired with free wi-fi for the entire city.
Some wi-fi service providers use their sign-up page as new space for advertisers in hot-spots in airports, train stations, shopping malls, hotels for example.
With such high level of use by wireless device owners can wi-fi become the next successful marketing and advertising channel? Most businesses, that offer free wi-fi, provide the hot-spot as a tool to keep shoppers in the business longer in hopes of getting sales for products and/or services offered.
What if a business with free or secure wi-fi had a cost effective means to place opt-in ads for all users of the wi-fi service? That would mean the business owner could control advertising of its products to all shoppers casually using the wi-fi for Internet surfing and make more sales.
As a dealer would you expand your wi-fi to an advertising tool for more sales opportunities? If so, ANProximityMarketing has the exclusive rights for such a service in the U.S. Call 571-235-6538 and sign-up now.
LA Williams launches a brand new Internet Sales Team at Clift Auto using the Dealer Synergy process.
Are you building value during your presentation/demonstration?
The first variable that I would like to go into is the matter of getting the consumer excited about making their next biggest purchase next to buying a home. I've been studying the Ritz Carlton Gold Standards and I would like to place emphasis on one of the standards called the "three steps of service." It's defined as follows:
- A warm and sincere greeting. Use the guest's name.
- Anticipation and fulfillment of each guest's needs.
- Fond farewell. Give a warm good-bye and use the guest's name
Imagine for a second if your dealership gave every customer a Ritz Carlton like experience. Are you aware of the value that it would bring to your dealership!! Equally relevant, imagine how much easier it would be to close the deal with this added value.
Let's look at some issues that may start the buying process off on the wrong foot:
1. 30 people standing outside like a pack of wolves.
2. Putting your cigarette out as you approach the customer.
3. The attire that you are wearing looks like it was balled up in the corner.
These are things that one would never see at the Ritz Carlton and that is why people don't mind spending the extra money due to the fact that their is a perceived value. You must separate yourself from the old way of doing business and let the customer know that you take the opportunity to do business serious. This added value will be needed when you are $200 away in payment or needing a cash investment that he/she didn't consider prior to coming to your store.
Last but not least is be a professional!! Act like you're at the Ritz Carlton when dealing with customers and watch how your numbers grow i.e. offer your customer something hot or cold to drink, give them a tour of the dealership, take them to the bathroom don't just point where the bathroom is located and if the owner or GM is walking around introduce your customer to those in executive positions. We must learn that we are in the "Wow" business which means we must have a strategy in place to "Wow" the socks off our customers.
I'll go over the other variables soon good luck and good selling....
