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Cross Promotional Marketing, (REAL) Business Development written by Sean V. Bradley and originally published in Digital Dealer Magazine

Posted by Sean V. Bradley on November 7, 2010 at 12:51pm
http://www.dealersynergy.com http://www.internetsales20group.com "The Power of the Network" originally published in Digital Dealer Magazine June 2007... Currently Verizon Wireless television commercials show crowds of support people for their wireless network. This conveys in a very clear fashion that Verizon customers have an incredible amount of support behind their service. Business people have known that networking is a great way to get the word out about their business. Think about MBNA credit cards. They offer private-label “affinity” programs for all sorts of fraternal collegiate and charitable organizations. Consumers’ loyalty to their college institution means a MasterCard with a campus image on the front and fees for the credit card company and the college when the card is used regularly. Business development is an art form; you cannot expect to do what everyone else does and be great at it. You need to think outside the box. What would you say if I told you there was a way for your dealership to attract an audience of over five or ten thousand possible buyers and control that opportunity and literally steer them to you and your dealership? This program takes the best aspects of affinity marketing and leverages it to the next level to create excitement, build loyalty and sell more vehicles. Instead of prospecting one person at a time, the goal is to go after major accounts, organizations that have hundreds to thousands of members. Think of it as fleet sales on steroids. Just so we are clear on what I am sharing with you, here are examples of the groups you can target for your dealerships: • The United States Military: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, National Guard and Coast Guard • Law enforcement agencies: local branches of the FBI, DEA, Secret Service, ATF, INS, state police, police departments, sheriff departments, and correctional facilities • Fire departments • Hospitals • Teachers’ unions, schools, colleges, and universities All you need to do is contact these organizations, build some rapport and establish a relationship with them. To aid in that effort, offer them a “Value Partner” Program (VP). What you are going to do is let them know you have designed a “special” program and a website not open to the general public. The web site is exclusively designed for the sole purpose of providing valuable information for their group. Once members of the organization log on to the site and enter their password they will be admitted to the site and receive real benefits such as: • Discount pricing on vehicles • Discount pricing on service • Discount pricing on parts • Free or discounted items or services from other businesses Imagine a program with a military base close to your dealership. You would have access to a huge demographic. Instead of prospecting one by one you would have an entire military base where you could focus a specific marketing message. You can include not only the soldiers but also all the civilian department of defense workers on base. Then you could extend it to all of their family members, too. The potential prospect and the opportunities are incredible. If you tell these members with the military and their affiliated groups that they will get incredible services and discounts, why wouldn’t they explore their options with your organization? Think about this from your perspective. If your spouse is a teacher and in a union and that union offers discounted interest rates on vehicle loans wouldn’t you look into it? This would be irresistible to many of the members in the group. Where do you begin? Before you approach an organization you want to secure commitments and services from local businesses in your local market. What do you look for? Frankly just about anything should be under consideration. Discounts on beauty salon services, spa visits, sporting events (both professional and collegiate), dining, nightclubs, limousine services, electronics, computers, dry cleaning, and so on. These are all items that can be part of your offering. For the program I created in the Philadelphia area, I went to prominent and well-known establishments and pitched them on how they could increase their business by being part of my network. Naturally you want to speak with the owners who have the authority to implement these types of programs and discounts. One nightclub/restaurant was a favorite watering hole for athletes, actors and musicians and always had a line waiting to get in the club. I shared my plan with the owner and the potential audience we were targeting. They offered $25 off coupons on any meal $50 or over. I then asked him to provide an awesome prize once a month that can be raffled off or given away. With hopes of increased business, he provided an unlimited amount of those $25 coupons and then once a month he committed to offer a bottle of Cristal Champagne or another top shelf champagne plus two complimentary entrances into the establishment, plus two VIP entrances so the winners can go mingle with celebrities in the crowd. The point was to have a night out with VIP treatment for the lucky winner. The retail value of the monthly prize was over $600, and there was absolutely no direct cost to the dealership. The net value of the donated monthly prize was less than $200 for the night, but the advertising the restaurant got to the military base members and others in the group was worth thousands of dollars. Plus the idea is that they have such an awing experience they will want to come back and, at the very least, tell everyone about their great experience at the restaurant. A limousine company provides another good service. They often have downtime and are looking to pick up extra business. I packaged the monthly night out to the restaurant with a limousine ride and again, the limousine company received great visibility in the program, and our members received free limo rides. We were able to promote our dealership services and the products and services of our partners on radio, television, in print and of course on the Internet. This program differentiated our dealership from every other one in the market. We had articles written about us in the military newspaper on base and that helped feed the number of users on the program. I guess today they call this viral marketing, but we just saw it as a great way to leverage existing networks, add strong value to the program and provide incredible service to the members at our dealership. This program was business development at its best. Sean V. Bradley
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