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How Customer-Centric is Your Dealership? Take the Test!

Posted by Anne Fleming on December 17, 2014 at 12:57pm

We are well into December. It's time to take stock of your year and your accomplishments. It’s definitely time to have fun and to be mindful of what is ahead. As we turn the corner into a new year, 2015, today’s Women’s Wednesday you are invited to take a short, interactive quiz to evaluate where there is room to expand your dealership’s customer excellence. And in doing so, your competitive edge.

The idea to establish a quick test came from a family of dealerships with extraordinarily high CSI and WSI (Women Satisfaction Index) scores. They asked Women-Drivers.com to establish a baseline to gauge how they compared to other dealerships in order to further increase customer loyalty and engagement for their business. We interviewed a number of other forward-thinking dealers in the following areas: Sales, Service, BDC, Brand Reputation, Concierge Services, Social Media, etc.

Read the Latest Her + His Car Review
Share with your Social Communities

There are always two sides to everything, right? To keep our car reviews innovative and well-rounded, we are providing you with not just one, but two points of view on the same exact vehicle – Her + His perspectives.

DID YOU KNOW?

Ever notice how narrow advertising messaging is from one dealership to another? According to most marketing messages, every dealership has the ‘best’ pricing. Truth is, not all dealerships offer the best customer service. How come more dealers don’t advertise their customer excellence+service? A-HA! THAT’S what women+families are most interested in is having a trusting, respectful and comfortable experience!

Litmus Test Take Aways
After completing the 12-question test, dealers are assessed and scored into one of four categories: Leading the Pack, Standing Tall, Holding Your Own and Missing the Mark. In this highly competitive industry, dealers are constantly looking for new ways to expand their level of customer service and retention.

Some simple recommendations are provided upon completion of take the testthe quiz such as courtesy cars and a child-friendly area. These are not novel ideas, yet it is surprising how many dealerships have yet to embrace fairly effortless changes such as these. The quiz feedback also includes innovative initiatives in each of the four categories to stretch your customer service and standards to meet the changing landscape of the customer. What's your score?

Get Started Here: www.HowFriendlyisYourDealership.com to take the test

Want to Sell More Cars and Distinguish your Dealership to Women?
Click here

Did you receive a Free copy of the 2014 Women’s Car Buying Report? Click here

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7 Ways to Leverage Sales to Women and Increase CSI Now

Posted by Anne Fleming on October 29, 2014 at 1:27pm

In today's Womens Wednesday, we focus on selling to women. Let's get real: Research indicates that women rely on reviews 50% more than men. They account for 52% of the vehicles purchased in the US and influence over 80% of the total purchases! So developing a marketing strategy to target this substantial buying segment is critical. Wouldn’t becoming a Certified Women-Drivers Dealer be a great first step?
 

7-Ways to Leverage and Merchandise your Certification to Increase Sales and CSI
Leverage your Women-Drivers Certification by distinguishing your dealership from others in your city! Advertising the Certification like this shows women that you are serious about their business and treat them exceptionally. Over one-third of women buyers feel that the dealership website that they visited was not helpful. So that is an excellent place to start!

1. Integrate the Women-Drivers Car-Buying and Service Guide into your website. The WCBSG is a micro-site within your site that contains an abundance of content and tips for women on many areas of shopping and servicing vehicles and is a clear indication that you appreciate their business. CLICK HERE for more information. Make sure you include the WCBSG in your navigation and main site rotator.

2. Incorporate the Women-Drivers logo into your website. Include it in main navigation items such as About Us, New Cars, Used Cars and Service and Parts. Provide a link to your reviews.

3. Be a ZMOT practitioner. Incorporate W-D Reviews on your VDP’s to take advantage of that Zero Moment of Truth when the shopper is trying to determine if you have the Right vehicle and if you’re the Right dealership for her!

4. Improve your Women-Drivers conversion ratio by including your Certified Logo and status in every lead response to female shoppers. Let them know that you are the only, or one of few, W-D certified dealers in your town and provide them a link to your reviews.

5. Make your reviews more engaging. With our mobile platform and photo upload system, you can get a positive review AND take a picture of your happy customer with their new vehicle, right at time of delivery. This will make your reviews much more engaging and more likely to be shared by your women buyers. Remember all Women-Drivers positive reviews are automatically pushed to Facebook.

6. Targeting your Digital Advertising. One of the best ways to reach women these days is on Pandora radio. Its unique format and technology allows you to target JUST women. One of the neat aspects of Pandora radio is your radio ads come with “companion” digital display ads. So you could create a digital ad specifically targeting women and link the ad to the WCBSG on your website. Pretty cool!

7. Traditional Advertising still strong among women. As you know, there are certain TV and Cable shows geared specifically towards women. Your rep can show you the research and put together a buy to target women. Using your W-D Certified Logo, produce a commercial specifically designed to reach women and leverage your certification and desire to make their shopping experience both pleasant and productive.

Want to Sell More Cars and Distinguish your Dealership to Women?
Click here

Did you receive a Free copy of the 2014 Women’s Car Buying Report? Click here

Read more…

The Good + Bad News about Your Service Drive: What Women Want

Posted by Anne Fleming on October 1, 2014 at 11:27am

Today we are looking at the Service Drive. This is the critical department where your female customers visit in between purchasing or leasing their vehicles. With all the touch points in the service department, it's also happens to be the highest gross margin department in your store. It's the place where retention happens - or doesn’t.

The Good News?
Women are having very good experiences on the front end of the dealership. 93% of women report it was easy to schedule their service appointment. Furthermore, a stellar 95% of women report being satisfied with the way they were greeted by the service advisor. Better yet, 96% were completely satisfied with their dealership experience. Bravo!

The Bad News?
There is a drop off at the end of the interaction. How so? Only 69% of women report receiving follow-up communication from their dealership… a huge miss! Why not send them a personalized email for a free car wash? A free tire rotation or oil change? Additionally, 13% of our reviews report the service was not completed correctly, on time or at the estimated price. This is more troubling, as over one in 10 women can be leaving your dealership, and because you don’t even know it , you can’t resolve the issue and retain that customer.

Want more information on this all-important topic? Click here to read

Want to Sell More Cars and Distinguish your Dealership to Women?
Click here

Did you receive a Free copy of the 2014 Women’s Car Buying Report? Click here

Read more…

Women Walking Out - What is it Costing Your Dealership?

Posted by Anne Fleming on September 17, 2014 at 12:34pm

Today’s Women’s Wednesday is a must-read as we focus on the cost to your dealership when women walk out.

In the Wall Street Journal last month, it was reported there are now more women drivers on the road than men. The last several years the auto industry has witnessed a big and not so surprising shift in the car buyer demographics particularly in terms of gender.

This leaves many dealerships shifting their paradigm in terms of how to re-strategize their business and marketing plan to truly optimize sales to women. And, it’s leaving other dealers unsure as to exactly how to do that!

Women Walkouts: A $4 Million Cost Analysis
Dealerships don’t even know that they can increase their sales another $4 million dollars a year. How? Most walk 10-15 women out their door each month and don’t even know it. By paying more attention to women and providing critical respect + trust the whole way through the sales engagement process; those browsers can be converted to buyers. Easily.

Did You Know?

Today, when a woman walks out your store dissatisfied without making a purchase, it’s a matter of concern, because:

  1. If she isn’t buying from you then she IS going to buy from your competitor
  2. If she isn’t buying from you then there is a good chance she will be writing a review on a car dealer review platform about that experience
  3. If she isn’t buying from you, you not only lost the sale, you lost the RESIDUAL REVENUE
  4. RESIDUAL REVENUE = Vehicle + (Service Drive Visits X 3-6 years)
    + Future Vehicle(s)
  5. THIS is happening at your store EVERY DAY; It's what you DON’T KNOW THAT YOU DON’T KNOW

Double Check Your Automatic Response, “That Doesn’t Happen Here, We Treat Everyone the Same”
Women shop at 1.9 dealers before buying a vehicle, or the equivalent of 30% more dealerships than men. Why is that? They want to get it right, and avoid getting it wrong. Don’t be so quick to think she is not leaving your store. An unhappy potential car shopper walking out of your store costs you a fortune - literally. Here’s what is put on the line when this happens:

1. You Lose the Opportunity to Make a Quarter-of-a-Million Dollar Sale
Women buy or lease an average of 8 cars in their lifetime. At today’s average price of $32,500 that money adds up quickly. Plus service drive visits over the long haul; that is a huge chunk of gross profit and sales, too.

2. You Lose a Customer for Life, or at least a Long time
Lose the loyalty that this woman and family + friends bring. Not to mention, her many referrals. Huge miss!

3. You Lose More Potential Buyers
Women are influential. This can work in your favor or against you. So, whether she is just looking around and browsing, you need to offer the ultimate shopping experience so that she walks out your door feeling content. If that happens, she’ll spread the word and - return to buy. If it doesn’t, she will walk and talk. It’s a pretty simple formula. Which side of the $4 million will your dealership be on? In today’s hyper-competitive market, its time to pay much closer attention.

Want more information on this all-important topic?  Click here to read

Want to Sell More Cars and Distinguish your Dealership to Women?  Click here

Did you receive a Free copy of the 2014 Women’s Car Buying Report? Click here

Read more…

Boost Your Dealership Sales by Embracing the Potential of Facebook Offers

Posted by Todd Bryant on September 5, 2014 at 9:33am

facebook-offers-auto-dealers 

Facebook Offers For Auto Dealers

As an auto dealer, you are probably used to hearing that you should be on Facebook. It gives your brand more visibility, it's an opportunity to connect with customers, and so on. But you might also be frequently reminded that, when it comes to selling cars, Facebook is anything but effective. Experts claim that only a small percentage of car shoppers use social media as part of the car buying process. But what if there was a way to change that?

There might be a real solution, and it's called Facebook Offers. Read on to find out more about this new tool, and how it can bring more sales to your dealership.

How Do Facebook Offers Work?

ddpavumba/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

ddpavumba/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Facebook Offers is one of the ad tools offered by Facebook to owners of business pages. Currently, Facebook is lagging behind Google when it comes to online ads, so Facebook Offers is clearly a way to gain a bigger share of the market.

The way Facebook Offers work is very simple. Once your dealership's page has at least 50 likes, you can create an offer, which is exclusive to the people you choose to receive it. It's easy to think of it as a modern version of а direct mail pamphlet, which comes with a 20% discount coupon, for example. You upload a photo with a description of the offer, and you can either put a limit on how many people can claim it or you can make the offer limitless. Then you pick a budget, and depending on the dollar amount you enter, you can get an approximation of how many people will be reached by the ad.

Target the Right Audience for Best Results

sheelamohan/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

sheelamohan/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

But here is by far the best thing about Facebook Offers. What makes Facebook Offers especially suitable for your dealership is that you can be very specific not just about the number of people, but also the type of people who will receive your offer.

Facebook will give you a very specific set of criteria to fill out, with which you can target your specific buyer persona, so your money won't go waste. For example, you can make your offer available only to people with a particular make or model of car, people who have driven the same car for a certain number of years, people who tend to go to dealership with a certain frequency, or many other specifications. Because Facebook is partnering with data brokering companies, the available criteria reach far and wide and can get so specific, that you'd be surprised how useful the results will be! And you don't have to worry about your clients' privacy, because the algorithm works with anonymous data, without revealing their personal information.

How to Use Facebook Offers in Your Dealership: 3 Strategies

digitalart/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Once a Facebook user likes your offer, they can “claim” it, after which Facebook will send them an email containing instructions on how to redeem it at your dealership. In order to tempt the maximum number of people with your offers, make sure you come up with something creative. Here are just a few suggestions:

  • Target people with cars older than 5 years, and make your discounted cars available only to them through a Facebook Offer. People buy a lot of new cars -- even though not all of them plan to, a tempting offer often makes them change their minds.
  • Offer to do a routine check for free, since your target buyers' vehicles probably have a high mileage by now. How about people who tend to visit service shops rarely? Send them an offer explaining the benefits of regularly changing a car's oil, along with a 25 percent discount if they come to your dealership for an oil change? Or the air filter? The possibilities are many, you just need to be creative.
  • Accompany each offer with a curious educational fact to make it more appealing. Or make a contest on your Facebook page, awarding a Facebook Offer to the winner. And this will have the added benefit of increasing engagement with your page.


Conclusion

Facebook Offers is definitely a good way to harness the power of social media for more than just brand-building. If you are not feeling confident about running ad campaigns, you can always use the services of a dealership consultant.

Have you used Facebook Offers yet? Was your campaign successful?

And what other ways are you using to keep your social media audience engaged? Share your experience by leaving us a comment below.

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The Top Rated Car Brands by Women: How does Your Stack Up?

Posted by Anne Fleming on July 9, 2014 at 10:30am

Today, our Women's Wednesday focuses on the ranking of the top 20 auto brands, as of July 1st, and how they are rated by women car buyers.

After analyzing the car dealer reviews written by women when purchasing a vehicle from January through June, the information below summarizes the top 20 brands by Women Satisfaction Index® scores on a scale of 5.0 (perfect) to 1.0 (lowest). The average WSI® for all brands is 4.72 during this time period.

1. Mercedez-Benz - 4.98
2. Volvo - 4.96
3. Lincoln - 4.89
4. Dodge - 4.88
5. Mitsubishi - 4.87
6 & 7. Chrysler & Jeep - 4.86
8. Buick - 4.84
9. Volkswagen - 4.83
10. Lexus - 4.82
11. Chevrolet - 4.80
12. Ford - 4.79
13. Audi - 4.78
14. Toyota - 4.74
15. Mazda - 4.72
16. GMC - 4.71
17. Honda - 4.70
18 & 19 & 20. Hyundai & Nissan & Subaru - 4.68

Did You Know?

3 in 10 women are apprehensive about their car dealership visit when buying a car. In fact, 20% feel downright overwhelmed. Top rated dealerships get the critical importance of establishing trust with their female clients the moment they walk onto the showroom floor or reach
out digitally. It is the only thing that matters to her. Price is secondary.
If rapport and respect cannot be immediately established, she will buy a vehicle elsewhere.

Congratulations to dealers that are using the Women-Drivers.com Certification to distinguish and market their store! They are selling more cars and their WSI® shows how satisfied - how happy - women are when buying their car.

Our model goes beyond reputation management to an expanded level of really understanding your women clientele. Dealers with 50 reviews and more receive their own customized WSI® Dealer DATA Report that helps take guesswork out of marketing to women. Click to view Demo.

Want to Sell More Cars and Distinguish your Dealership to Women?  Click here. 

Did you receive a Free copy of the 2014 Women’s Car Buying Report? Click here.

Read more…

Your Website is #1 With Women

Posted by Anne Fleming on June 25, 2014 at 10:00am

Most auto shoppers start their search on the web but would it surprise you to know that the #1 online destination for women shoppers is your dealership’s website? That’s right, our research lists the top sites nationally that women visit prior to buying a vehicle. They include:

  1. Dealership
  2. Manufacturer
  3. KBB.com
  4. Consumer Reports
  5. AutoTrader.com
  6. Edmunds.com
  7. Cars.com
  8. Carfax.com
  9. Craigslist.com

We also know that women account for over 50% of all vehicles purchased and influence up to 80% of those purchases. It would seem important that a dealer’s website cater to this substantial segment of the market.

Did You Know?

A new report by Women-Drivers.com shows a huge upside still remains. One-third of women buyers report that the dealership website that they visited was not helpful. What can you do to improve your website?

A. Understand the Target Market
To make your website more female friendly you need a better understanding of women buyers, their online research behavior and buying habits. A global leader in measuring the digital world, comScore Inc., has released a new study that sheds some light on this topic, which includes highlights:

1. Social networking is central to women’s Internet experience: Integrate social tools into your website that allow for photo viewing and sharing. Show vehicle models that appeal to women.

2. Community and Lifestyle sites attract women: Create a community page on your website. Women relate to family activities. Create a Lifestyle page showing vehicle in various settings.

3. Women have different preferences when it comes to online search. They prefer Bing in a way that men don’t” – When running BING PPC campaigns, use female centric search phases like “Most Popular Cars For Women” and link to a page featuring those vehicles.

4. The rise of online solitaire, card and board games has generated a new audience of gamers: women.

5. Women tend to consume less video overall than men but show more of a propensity for YouTube. Develop “How To” videos, host on You Tube and have links on your website. Ah…. a real plus for SEO.

B. Other Areas to Increase Women’s Engagement & Sales
1. Women are style conscience: Maybe it’s time for a modern site “makeover”. Hold the pink.

2. Quality + Informational Content: Another way to keep women hooked is to post quality and informational content on the site. Make sure it’s relevant and valuable for women+families. Be her trusted advisor 365/24/7 – not just the 3 days a year she is in your store. How? Visit here.

3. Chat feature: Is a nice way to start interacting and is a safe, non-threatening feature.

4. Create a staff page where customers can see who they are interacting with; can put a face to the name and include email links.

For more on Engaging Women on your Website Click here.

Want to Sell More Cars and Distinguish your Dealership to Women? Click here.

Did you receive a Free copy of the 2014 Women’s Car Buying Report? Click here.

Read more…

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