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I truly belive in all my heart that CARS.COM is trying to do the right thing!!

THANK YOU to all of the dealers, Trainers/Consultants/Advocates, especially Jim Ziegler and Sean V. Bradley that made noise about this new program that was launched.

As of today here is a message from them :

http://dealeradvantage.cars.com/da/2013/05/moving-forward-testing-new-ways-to-drive-exposure/

He did also refer to a 23 minute video from Brian Pasch FOR the idea, which I have personally NOT watched.  I think overall, this "test" was a good and bad one.

Good - we are engaging customers more and following up, and anything that does slip through the cracks on the dealership level, we can find out if the customer is still on the market with another automated email process. This does increase value to Cars.com to me as a dealership....ONLY if we fix the BAD!

BAD - ...which really should be "horrible"!  Bottom line, a company we are paying for a car buyer...is now turning that buyer into a shopper with other suggestions.  They are also providing financing options and other 3rd party validations, and that part is OUR JOB as the dealership to do! 

**(Please refer to Robert Wiesman article EXACTLY about that written a few days ago!)

We can ALL work together (aka Synergize!!) to make this a HUGE WIN/WIN/WIN situation for us as the dealership, Cars.com as a trusted vendor and advertiser, AND the customer looking for the best deal!

Andy Fedo

Director of Internet Sales, Lithia Nissan Hyundai of Fresno

afedo3@yahoo.com

This blog was inspired to me when I got here in the late morning (I'm usually the closer!), and both of my two Internet Coordinators were running around; one looking for pictures of a particular vehicle, and the other was finding out from our Sales Managers if we can do "better than the internet price" because the customer wants to know before she gets here...

All I could do is shake my head, and try to explain some facts in the automotive world:

- More than 3 out of 4 customers will NOT buy the vehicle they originally inquire on via the internet

- Most customers will ask about price as an inquiry, but most of the time it is NOT an objection

- About 9 out of 10 customers go to the internet before coming into a dealership

- Most customers visit 2 OR LESS dealerships before making a purchase

I'm sure this is happening more often than it should in dealerships everywhere, and it is very ineffective.  To put it blunt...a waste of time! 

Don't lose mind of the fact that we do this every day, and know the quickest and easiest way to get it done.  Most often we help people purchase vehicles more times in a week, than most people experience in a lifetime!  So why are we as professionals running around on wild goose chases looking for information that will end up being irrelevant in the sale? 

Spending more than 80% of your time on less than 20% of your customers is a recipe for disaster!  You will not be happy with your end-of-month results if you tend to try to give the customer too much "TLC" before they get to the dealer.  Imagine all of the customers you can be calling, scheduling for appointments and getting to show up, rather than having a few valuable employees seeking information on one tough prospect.  This is the opportunity cost that you have to sacrifice to do this for one customer, in hopes of that one customer you are spending all that time on is going to convert to a sale.  Does this make sense?  ...I hope you said NO

The customer controlling you, the professional appointment setter, is indeed getting what they want, but not helping you get what you want in return.  We want to create a reason for the customer to come to the dealership, and without avoiding the question, give the best answer to make us both happy.  For example, we tend to get scared when a customer asks the price and treat it as an objection before we have to.  Even worse yet, bring up price before the customer because we THINK that is the most important thing to them.  Having a list of fact finding questions and good answers that make sense to the customer will help you avoid running around, and get the customer to do what we want...and that's to come into the store.  We can find out information about what they want, to better guide them to the best deal possible.

Asking question a question like: "what was it in particular you liked about that vehicle?" is a very simple but powerful statement.  You will find out if your customer likes the budget, brand, style, etc...of that car, and then be able to make suggestions of similar vehicles.  A customer may have been looking at 3-5 vehicles on your site, but only asked about one.  You may make suggestions, and find the vehicle is one of the same ones that they were also looking at!  By making numerous suggestions you are creating an "information overload" situation, while also understanding what the customer’s wants and needs are.  I have even found that sometimes they come to the conclusion themselves that it would be easier for them to come in and take a look, simply because of how informative I am on the phone.

Constantly mixing in phrases like "when you get here..." and "I'm glad we had this chance to talk before we meet..." paired along with being helpful on the phone will help you convert more "lookers" into "buyers" when they do get to your lot as well as get more prospects interested in coming to see you soon!

Great follow up to the Dallas event everyone!  Also great to hear the updates from some of our members, and thank you to everyone that helped me learn last month in at the Internet Sales 20 Group.

I got back to the office and my scatter-brain didn't know what to do first.  I have had the advantage of doing this a few times before with a previous job... ;-)  so we are doing a pretty good job of not making mistakes as we build moving forward.  I find myself continually referring back to my IS20G handbook, and the Thirty-something pages of notes I took in 3 days to help me be thorough in anything we work on improving. 

As Karen and Sean Bradley mentioned on the phone, we have to focus on a few goals, then define a way to get there, then have an action plan to accomplish it.  I am taking the next step now on working on the next 3 action plans to grow the department.  I feel that our team has implemented strategies and process to address our first 3 issues that I deemed urgent at IS20G.  Our most important goal was to get rid of our sub-par rating on all customer review websites NOW, and we did some VERY basic things in just one month to see INSTANT improvement:

- Make colorful flyers and put them at all salespeople's desks, as well as the sales tower.  Have them actively put them in customers hands while delivering their new vehicle.

- Send "Thank you" cards for everyone that purchased and visited the previous day. 

- Conduct "how was your experience" surveys while addressing the "Thank you" cards. 

- Send my flyers for reviews in the "Thank you" cards, especially the customers that I speak to and complete the quick survey

- Take pictures of everyone with thier new vehicles! Ask for permission to use the picture on Facebook and other social media websites..and make it FUN!  Ask the customer to tag themselves, like/share the picture, and be active in your dealership's pages.  Who doesn't like to brag and show-off to everyone when they purchase a new vehicle!?? 

- SPIFF our salespeople on getting reviews, and asking customers to mention thier names.  My personal reward that we came up with here: I buy them a drink! (...no alcohol!  Starbucks, Rockstars and Monsters to keep them alert!!! LOL  "Drink of thier choice" is inexpensive and goes a long way with your sales team!)

The key to implementing successful proceedures is to have everyone embrace the new process, show everyone in your dealerships that it is a positive thing that you are implementing, and most importantly, make sure everyone is AWARE and proactive in sharing with customers.

I did a simple "S.W.O.T." (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities to grow, Threats to hinder us) analysis to see where I was when I flew back to California a month ago, as opposed to where I am at month end.  I can see where I have improved, and where we still have room to implement new strategies to continue to sell more cars, more profitably and more often! 

p.s. Let's get on the phone with our Accountabila-buddies!  Synergize to be more successful...and see you all in L.A. in November!

Andy Fedo

Director of Intenet Sales, Lithia Nissan Hyundai of Fresno

afedo3@yahoo.com

Wow! After 48 hours, I believe the jet lag is gone! And just under 48 hours (and waiting over an hour in the airport AFTER I spoke to someone) to FINALLY get my bags back from my trip to Dallas!! Aaahhhhh!!! 

I'm still flying high, though, because I have so much energy from the Internet Sales 20 Group, which in my opinion was the most motivating 3 days of my life.  I say my "life" because my "career" is only a tip of the iceberg.  If you are not happy as a person, you will not be happy as a professional.  Attitude does not start with an "A" by coincidence...it's because that's where it all starts!!  I made some genuine connections with great people that I can't wait to see in Los Angeles at the next event and they have definitely changed my attitude for good! 

To sum up 32 hours in 3 days of intense learning and sharing thoughts, great customer service rules the world, and everything else, including the sales, will come naturally!

Being in customer service myself, I find that I analyze others in the same profession daily.  Sometimes, it benefits us to adjust our approach on the phone, and in order to do that, we need to make sure we understand where it all starts.  I believe we all know this to be the obvious, but common sense isn't so common...right!!?? 

Case in point.  I recently had an issue with a common furniture company. I called into the trusty "800" number, and after a few minutes playing with the "automated person" trying to tell a computer what my issue was, I finally got a human being!  I wanted to exchange some office cubical pieces I ordered.  I then got transferred to a guy in I-dont-know-what-country-land...that was absolutely no help.  I had asked the company to return the pieces, or instead of returning them, just help me exchange for what I need.  He proceeded to explain why he couldn't exchange the broken parts for new ones.  After this conversation going nowhere for about 10-12 minutes, I then requested to speak to a supervisor that can help me....hopefully.

As if you didn't already get my point, the supervisor was even better at giving me reasons as to why they "couldn't do it" (GREAT at using 3rd parties as verification for procedure, just like we do in the car business with bank programs, vendors, and even state and federal regulations).  I then realized I had to put my salesman cap on, and along with that comes "the sweet man voice" ...and for the record women, this works better for you than it does for us men! ;-) 

Remember the thing about bees with honey, as opposed to bees with vinegar...right?

I proceeded to put myself in her shoes, and bluntly asked to put herself into mine as the customer that spends a lot of money with her business.  I literally asked her to "close her eyes, and imagine my frustration with having to deal with your company, that you charged me (and didn't disclose) a ridiculous amount of money to deliver furniture that I could have picked up (across the street). One piece was missing, another broken, and all I want is to do what my company hired me for...build an Internet Sales Department to help my business grow!!! ...and quite frankly, I hope you can appreciate that my time is money, and I don't like wasting money!  I do not mean to have an attitude with you ma'am, but I'm really hoping you can make this better.  Can you see what I am saying and appreciate where I am coming from?"

IMMEDIATELY, she put me on hold for less than 20 seconds, and came back with a 10% credit and refunded the WHOLE delivery charge!  My new furniture is coming Next Friday, and I told her that I am very eCommerce savvy, and that she just turned the murderous review that I was about to put ALL over, into a satisfying experience that I appreciated her making right! 

 

Don't be afraid of bad reviews and irate customers!  Even if we put our happy face on everyday, we can't please everyone, all the time.  No matter how hard we try, there will be "that one".  The real professional will acknowledge the objection,  isolate it, and come up with a satisfying solution that helps both parties better themselves.  If the customer is right, let's do the right thing.  If the customer is wrong, then let's explain to them why it is, what it is.  Use 3rd parties when evaluating trades, telling people interest rates, or even quoting price!  "We have a cash price, retail (financing) price, and a leasing price...which one were you most interested in Mr./Ms. Customer..??" 

Now you are asking an open ended question to find out what the customer's concerns are.  When the prospect suggests a ridiculously high number for their trade, we can't tell them they are wrong and how it really is (as much as we want to).  There is a right way and an even better way to handle every situation that arises.  As Dr. Covey says to begin with the end result in mind, and simply handle every situation with the care it deserves.  Without customers we wouldn't have a job! 

Happy selling!

 

Andy Fedo

Director of Internet Sales

Lithia Nissan Hyundai of Fresno

afedo@lithia.com

 

I was so happy to see you guys really take it to the next level and now you are on the cover of AIS!! Congrats to you all, and keep it up throughout the summer!

As many of you may know, I have moved and settled into my new home in California, and I am very happy to say that I will very much still be involved in the AIS website and helping people sell more cars, more profitably, more often!!

I am also working as a Finance Director here in Visalia, CA. and looking to help everyone excel around me and bring Dealer Synergy to more dealerships on the west coast.  Remember (East Coast collegues) that I am 3 hours behind you in time, so feel free to ask any questions as I will be able to help during the later hours. 

I hope everyone is having a great start of the month, and keep up the strong work phone ninjas!!!

Andy Fedo

Even with all the training and skills possible, sometimes we run into a customer on the phone that says they will “try to stop in sometime this weekend” or “I will make it there when I can”. 

When only 11-14% of all of our phone call attempts result in a contact, we try to make sure that every one counts, and try to set as many appointments as possible.  It is frustrating doing everything right, and still getting that resistance from the customer to lock in a time and day to come into the dealership like we want them to.

So how do we get around that and get the customer to do what WE want them to do?  The answer is very simple!  Put aside what we want for a second, and let’s identify what the customer wants – a smooth and easy purchasing process…right?!

We need to create the benefit for the customer and make it make sense for them to set an appointment with us, and tell them WHY it will help them have a great car buying experience.  Here are some phrases that we can use to do that:

• This is what we do for our special internet customers:
• We would like to have the vehicle we spoke about ready for you
• We would like to have a Sales Manager ready for you
• We would like to make sure that you are not waiting around and assure you that purchasing a car doesn’t have to be an all-day process

Creating a benefit and convenience for the customer will more often than not have them do exactly what you want them to do; not because it’s what you want, but because you are creating a scenario and service level that exceeded their expectations, and created a preference for them to make them feel like an important “VIP” customer!

Happy Selling!!

Andy Fedo

VP of Training

andy@dealersynergy.com

PRICE PRICE PRICE....Well take a look at these numbers!!  AutoUSA is a lead source provider to 4000+ dealerships nationwide! 

http://www.imakenews.com/autosuccess/e_article001976082.cfm?x=bhTC7kM,b7Wgd1Lp

VERY interesting article...look at what MOST dealerships recognize as the main reasons for growth (where is PRICE at on that list?!?).  This why it is so very important to not only be online, but also have a GOOD reputation and reviews by our customers that we deal with everyday!  Make sure that when our internet customers close thier eyes and invision your dealership(s)...what do they see?  An untrustworthy place to do business? or a fun and easy place to purchase their next vehicle???

You must have a "difference" in the way you do business and treat customers...rather than be the Badger Salesman (see the "Fun Stuff" Group if you have NEVER seen the badger!) 

A proven better solution to "buying more 3rd party leads" - as the article suggested dealers are doing moving into 2011 - we all know that generating our OWN leads is a much more successful operation in overall closing ratio, not to mention name exposure and exclusivity. 

If you need any help with your Digital Marketing, Social Media, Online Reputation, and/or overall exposure on the Internet, please don't hesitate to contact me personally for a FREE Synergy Session, and a customized digital solution for your dealer group!  Happy New Year to everyone!!

Andy Fedo

VP of Training

andy@dealersynergy.com

A great question was asked just over 24 hours ago, and I would like some of our "phone ninjas" to give opinions on how they address the issue of "price" without giving a price...? As we know, we can create value in ourselves, and our dealership value package to make price not the most important thing in the whole mix if we have other things to offer to ensure it's the BEST DEAL! 

We also know that most customer won't be leaving the dealership with the exact vehicle that they originally inquired about, so chances are details about pricing, options, color, etc...are going to change a few times before our customer's buying process is over.  Having said that...

http://automotiveinternetsales.com/group/customerloyaltyownerretention

Please join the group and post any feedback/comments in the Group Discussion, and be sure to look at which other groups listed interest you!  Happy Selling!! (and New Year!)

Andy Fedo

VP of Training

andy@dealersynergy.com

www.dealersynergy.com

www.internetsales20group.com

Hello All,

Just wanted to send out a reminder that the contest for all my fellow "Phone Ninja's" is going to end on December 31st, So please make sure you have submitted your best objections and rebuttals in order to win some great prizes. Just take a few moments and think of that 1 customer that really was hard to deal with and let us know how you were able to overcome their objections and get them into the dealership. So far I have received some great entries but I am still looking for some more. Hope everyone had a Wonderful Holiday and also that you have a WONDERFUL NEW YEAR! Lets work hard and make 2011 a GREAT YEAR!!!

Thank You,

Kristy Ehmann

Dealer Synergy

Kristy@dealersynergy.com

Over a foot of snow in Philadelphia!  Funday Monday....and back to work!  Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend, I know I had a very eventful 3 day weekend, and ready to finish the year strong!!  We have 5 days to get in all that we can...STAY FOCUSED!! :)

We just added "Groups" to the website, and will be continuing to better the website with some enhancements coming into 2011.  Click on the section on the bottom left side of the page, and take a look at some of the topics that interest you.  As always, I encourage comments, feedback and questions so we can all "synergize" to get better at what we do. 

I'm proud to say that not only will Sean Bradley be a featured speaker all 3 days at the NADA conference, but we will also be holding a MAJOR Press Conference with some exciting announcements for Dealer Synergy for the New Year!

WOW!  The Holiday Season is here!  Did it creep up on you too?  Where has the last month gone!?!

I know I have had my head down working hard to make sure that Dealer Synergy is prepped and ready for 2011, but I did want to stop everything I am doing just for a few minutes and...

Wish everyone a very wonderful, merry, joyful, happy, safe and prosperous Holiday Season and New Year!!  I hope everyone gets what they want, and especially gets time to spend with great family and friends!  Enjoy it!!

Best Wishes,

Andy Fedo

VP of Training

Dealer Synergy

andy@dealersynergy.com

I would like to start off by saying “Happy Holidays". I hope each and every one of you has a wonderful holiday season.

The "Holiday Season" is in full effect and the end of the year approaching quickly, I am hoping all of you are using this time of the year to your benefit. This is the best time of the year to set and close more appointments than any other month of the calendar year. Customer's are in "Shopping/Buying" mode during the holidays so use this mentality to your advantage!!

With that being said, my question to each "Phone Ninja" out there is this.....

-  What issue/objection are you hearing customers say most and trying to overcome? 

-  How and what rebuttal have you been using to overcome these objections?

In order to make this a little more interesting and to generate some feedback, I would like to make this a little contest. We are going to judge who came up with the best, well thought out rebuttal and give away a holiday prize!   

So please take a moment and think of each call you have taken and decide what is the most common objection you’re dealing with on a daily basis and how have you effectively overcame this objection. Is it the customer who is waiting till tax time to purchase a new vehicle?  Is it the customer who has to wait till after the holidays to see how much money they have left to put down on a new vehicle? 

I look forward to hearing from everyone and seeing how and what you said to help your customers and set more appointments. Once again Happy Holidays!

Thank You,
Kristy Ehmann
Dealer Synergy

Some dealers will even LOSE money to sell you a car, because it could mean tens of thousands of bonus dollars or incentive money from our manufacturers. I have watched the owner of a dealership that I previously worked at actually lose over $2,000 to make a deal. You say how? That particular deal, made on the last day of the month, was the number 30 new car for the month, and we hit our OEM goal and got $1,000/copy for EVERY new car we sold that month.

Hello! I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe holiday yesterday with friends and family. Sometimes that's exactly what we need in order to hit the "reset button" and refocus on our careers. I know that I am very thankful for being back to Dealer Synergy, and one of my favorite and rewarding things, in my mind, is to give back to our clients and other people we come in contact with to make them better people and better skilled professionals. We are here today AND tomorrow for any support you may need throughout the weekend, and ensure a strong month-end.

People across America have one thing in mind today and this weekend...and that is to shop, shop, SHOP!

Perception is reality, and every TV, newspaper and website advertise that you will absolutely get the BEST deals of the YEAR today and have all kinds of weekend blowout sales. RIDE THE WAVE! Make sure that anyone you speak to knows that this is very true especially in the Automotive business. From my experience, dealerships are just as busy as malls, retail stores this weekend, so turn these shoppers into BUYERS! Really push for appointments for today and tomorrow, and worst case scenario, if they can't make it, you can always relay that this holiday sale is going to be extended through month-end, and push for Monday and Tuesday to ensure you finish your month strong!

In Sean's Turkey day post below, he included quite possibly one of my favorite videos I have ever watched. One of my favorite sayings is "Carpe Diem", which is Latin for "seize the day" and I believe this video really sums it up in one of the best ways possible. If you haven't already, watch the video, and take about 2 minutes to think about it. I guarantee it will be 5 minutes (or 300 seconds) well spent. Make your time efficient and productive...and make every minute, second and phone call that you make count!

As always, our team here at Dealer Synergy appreciates and encourages comments, blogs, testimonials and participation...so let us know what you think, because we look forward to hearing from you!

Have a great weekend!

Andy

Hi everyone! It's been a great 1st week back to Dealer Synergy and I have spoken with many of our clients so far for a phone training or just to say Hello! There is so much that can be done to get our dealerships ramped up for year-end, and I promise I will reach out to those of you I haven't spoken to yet very soon. I have been working on more material to help improve Dealer Synergy's action plan in keeping our dealers ramped up, and better than ever on the phones. With the economy constantly changing, I have new scripted rebuttals that will help our departments handle more types of customers.

Our phone trainings have been going great, and we have some new clients that will be able to take advantage of our brand new cirriculum of phone trainings to make you a "Appointment Ninja" faster than ever! Everyone that is fluent and already taking advantage of "the 10 steps" will get even better! It's the perfect time to start making the end-of-year "push" to really CRUSH the competition and finish the year with fantastic numbers (and PAYCHECKS!!).

As of now, I wish everyone a safe and happy weekend...and we all know the weekend is always better after having a BIG Saturday....so CONFIRM those APPOINTMENTS!! :)

Andy Fedo

VP of Training

Dealer Synergy

andy@dealersynergy.com