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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-
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
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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
The Truth About CRMs…
Customer relationship management (CRM) software is always on a dealership’s agenda in our 20 Groups, and they almost always come up in every single workshop. And this is how it should be — it is one of the most important tools and resources that a dealership has in its arsenal for automotive Internet sales. Over the last 12 years, I’ve seen Internet lead management (ILM) and CRM technology companies evolve to have amazing offerings.
But over the years I still get the same question “What is the best CRM for dealerships?” The answer is complex, because there are different “flavors” of CRM, and what’s right for one dealership can be the wrong fit for another; we’ll get to that in a moment. The goal of a CRM package is to reduce redundancy by offering with multiple tools and consolidate to one centralized platform. That means if you have multiple tools / products that do the following:
• Digital or manual showroom control system (desk log)
• Service reminders
• Permission-based e-mail campaigns
• ILM tools
• Phone up tracking system
• Inventory management system
• Call tracking software
• Service appointment system
• Data mining
• BDC campaign management
• Special finance
• Reporting and analytics
With the right CRM, you don’t need a separate tool to perform all these functions. Theoretically, the right CRM lets you consolidate all of this with a single technology platform. The benefit here is multiple. It’s certainly cheaper to pay for one CRM tool than having to purchase numerous tools individually. While an individual tool will almost always be cheaper than a full CRM, if you add up all of individual tools out there, the total cost would be much more expensive than the average cost of a CRM.
One of the most powerful benefits of using a single CRM solution, however, is the fact that all information is on one centralized platform. For example, if you have a prospect that sends an Internet Purchase Request, the CRM will have that in its database. If that prospect decides to walk in the dealership and is “logged” into the dealership’s CRM as a showroom prospect, it will be recognized immediately that that prospect was originally an “Internet opportunity.” Furthermore, if that prospect was ever in the dealership’s service department or did any type of business with that dealership, it would show up in reports. Most CRMs will calculate the amount of profit made from each customer, and the dealership can see the whole picture of a customer or prospect. This is important because if the dealership has the full picture on a situation, it can make better business decisions.
Not all CRMs are perfect fits with all dealerships, though. CRMs can be designed to focus more on one area of sales than another. If your dealership also focuses on this area, it’s a good fit. If you don’t have a particularly strong Internet sales department, but your CRM specializes in Internet lead management, that can be a bad fit. You have to do your research before committing to a CRM solution.
The best advice I can give is to stop trying to shove a round peg into a square hole. Too many dealers out there buy one tool, and then try to make it do what it wasn’t designed to do. I’ll give you an example. I have a dealer client that purchased a tool that was 100-percent designed for special finance. It was designed for a “special finance” depart ment, and was designed by a “special finance” branded company. But the dealership uses this tool for its entire store, and they depend on it for their Internet sales department. The crazy thing about this situation is that the dealership doesn’t even have a “special finance” department. They bought this tool without researching the situation, and are now paying the price.
Here are some steps you can take before you buy a CRM:
• First, simply ask yourself “What do we want or need a CRM for —Internet, sales, service, BDC?” When you answer that question, find a CRM that specializes in that area of need.
• If, for example, you have an extreme need for Internet lead management, compair CRM tools that specialize in that area with each other. Find out why they feel they specialize in ILM, and find out what credentials they have for ILM.
• Get references, and then actually call other dealers using the tool. Ask for references who aren’t in their marketing, and speak to the actual department you are investigating. Don’t ask the dealer principle or GM about Internet lead management; ask the Internet or BDC director. Get their real opinion from a day-to-day operational level.
• Accept the fact that you might need to have more than one tool. For example, I have a lot of dealer clients who have multiple tools. They might have a full CRM and an ILM tool, as well. Yes, this goes against the myth that a CRM can do everything, you’ll be better off in the long run with the right tools for your dealership.
Look at it this way: You wouldn’t go to the ophthalmologist if you had trouble breathing. The ophthalmologist is a doctor, but that’s not his specialty. Use this same mindset when selecting your CRM.
Please e-mail or call me if you have any questions about CRM or if you would like a free strategy session/assessment on your current CRM solution.
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.
Thank you for joining Automotive Internet Sales; we are becoming the fastest growing Social Community site in the Automotive industry!
I would like to make a small request... Can you please upload a profile picture of yourself :) I have received several requests from members asking me to ask the rest of the community to post a picture, its more personal than the AIS logo. This site is designed to be a "Social Community" for Automotive Internet Sales... actually TOTAL Automotive Internet OPERATIONS... Sales, Fixed, F&I, Digital Marketing etc... I want people to feel comfortable here, interact with each other, learn, educate, motivate, inspire, excite :)
THANK YOU AGAIN!!
*** Now, to let everyone know, this site has been live for a little over 2 months and we are working hard daily to build the site up... But this is a community and we are going to need your help to make this site truly amazing. So, please feel free to upload your own content... articles, blogs, pictures, videos etc... If you NEED help or are not sure what type of content to post. PLEASE JUST ASK ME and it would be my pleasure to assist you in doing so... * By you uploading content, you can properly do SEO to it and back link to your dealership or company and increase your overall SEO visibility! (I can show / tell you how to do this as well).
I am in the process of speaking to and recruiting some AMAZING writers, experts, moderators etc... to be a part of this community and lead / moderate discussions, groups and provide subject matter expertise. For example, I am NOT a fixed ops director but I have several that are AMAZING at fixed ops and are part of the community and have already been posting a lot of GREAT content for you all.
I would also like your advice and opinions as to the direction you would like this community to go in... The more feedback we get from the community, the better we can customize this for US!
You will notice that there are about 25 "Groups" that have been created, basically these are areas where you can find specific information in regards to your particular interests / needs... please let me know if you have any ideas on creating additional groups that are not currently there...? Also, I encourage EVERYONE to join and or create a group!
And Finally, I would also request that if you like what you see... if you see value in what are community is doing PLEASE tell everyone :) Invite everyone you can to join AIS!
Have a wonderful day!
SVB-
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Here is an email from Whitney, the Internet Director for Willis GM...
The Willis Automotive Internet Department worked very hard all through October, ending up with 46 deliveries!!! Our best month ever so far!!! Mr. Bill Willis made a deal with the Internet Department that if we sold more than 40 in the month of October he, and Mrs. Mary Jane Willis, would fix and serve our department a fresh salad, a big baked potato, and a big filet mignon! Today--- we were served an awesome lunch (salad, baked potato, wonderful filet mignon, rolls, and warm pecan pie) with outstanding table side service!!!Now.... just to keep everyone awake for the rest of the day ;)
Whitney-
Sean:
I believe in the thought process but the variables of market size, ethnicity, income level, and educational background taint those numbers more than anything else. We have been involved in 20 groups for the past 5 years and I know dealers that print multiple statements (phony financials) to exceed group performance averages. I also know that Dealers need more training and input from the Manufacturers to get a handle on internet marketing and sales.
We need you to work with GM, Chrysler, and Ford to get us caught up and moving forward.
There are no easy answers and thanks for listening,
Dave Walsh
Re:
Dave,
Thank you for your email in response to my article in AutoSuccess Magazine.
I too have sen fictional numbers from dealers but that is what an Internet Sales 20 Group Moderator can filter through... Plus, not everyone is going to be allowed into the 20 group. this 20 Group is ONLY for dealers that want to be successful...
I am excited for our November 20 group, there will be a lot of Dealer Principals, GMs and High Level Internet Directors... These people I personally interviewed before I allowed membership. They are ALL focused on Success.
I would love an opportunity to speak to you and brainstorm some ideas with you.
*** Please sign up for www.automotiveinternetsales.com ITS FREE and it is the technology that supports the 20 Group. I would love to hear your opinion on it-
SVB
