http://www.internetsales2ogroup.com

Sean V. Bradley & Karen M. Bradley Review The Internet Sales 20 Group In Chicago - 2012

http://www.internetsales20group.com

The Internet Sales 20 Group

Recently the Internet Sales 20 Group just concluded in Downtown Chicago and it was a huge success! It wasn’t just a “regular” workshop or convention. It was set up like a traditional “20 Group”, including a full blown benchmark composite. The first 20 different dealerships that signed up for the Internet Sales 20 Group were thoroughly analyzed in 7 Key Performance Indicators “KPIs”…

1. Two different  “Mystery Shop” phone calls that were recorded and graded (Executed by Dealer Synergy)
2. Complete analysis of their Social Media penetration and relevancy (Executed by Social Dealer)
3. Complete analysis of their online reputation (executed by Social Dealer)
4. Deep analysis of their SERP reports, Search Engine Optimization Standings (executed by Car-Mercial)
5. Complete 3^rd Party Lead opportunities within a 10 and 25 mile radius (executed by Dealix)
6. Complete Website effectiveness analysis (executed by Dealer Synergy)
7. Complete Market Rater Reports (executed by Rich Dealers)

All this data was extracted or created without any assistance of the dealer(s). Once all of this data was created it was put into composite form, which means that the Dealerships’ names were removed and replaced with a dealership “ID Code”. This was to protect the identity of the individual dealerships and respect their privacy in public. Then the dealerships were “ranked” in numerical order based on the very best at the top of the composite list and the weakest at the bottom. This makes it very easy for the members to see what is “good” and what is “poor” and more importantly where they stack up against their peers.

So when the workshop opened up, everyone received a yellow legal envelope sealed with a gold “Internet Sales 20 Group Seal” and inside was an actual composite. If you were one of the dealerships analyzed, you would have additional content in your envelope. Basically an additional 50+ pages of the composite breakdown.

The very first part of the Internet Sales 20 Group was a Dealer Principal and Orlando Fuller from Dealer Synergy explaining exactly what an Internet Sales 20 Group composite was, how do you read one, where the data comes from and when you get back to your dealerships, where you can extract that data yourself.  Then for about 2 and half hours the Internet Sales 20 Group reviewed each part of the composite, almost like “question starters”. Once we reviewed a particular section, we would have incredible interaction with the audience and remember the audience was a majority of Dealer Principals, GMs and high level Internet / BC Directors. So, the interaction was powerful and strategic.  For example when we reviewed the section on online reputation, it spurred into this major section on EVERYTHING “Dealership Online Reputation”. Ralph Paglia and JD Rucker were amazing subject matter experts and kept the audience captivated with best practices, ideas and strategies for maximizing dealership online reputation.

Susan givens gave a powerful presentation on “AutoSuccess Dealership Best Practices” Including in her presentation were case studies and examples from some of the top dealerships in the country. Susan was very unique because she comes from a neutral position. She gets feedback from both dealers and dealer vendors. People were taking pages of notes during her presentation.

What was crazy was that was only the first day! After the day came to a close, everyone met downstairs of the Chicago Hilton and awaited the caravan of 14 passenger limos, courtesy of Car Ad Guys  that took everyone to the Ultra VIP party, courtesy of Reach Local at the “Carnivale Chicago”. The group was met by fire breathers and dancers outside the Carnivale that performed just for them. And inside their were other “Carnivale” entertainment… They had people lying on a bed of nails and some of the Internet Sales 20 Group members were able to stand on the chest of the guy laying on the bed of nails lol! The food and ambiance was utterly fabulous but the night got even better when we hosted the “Best Idea” contest. We started with almost 60 “Best Ideas”, the judges narrowed it down to the final 5 and then the audience voted (like X Factor or American Idol style) for the “Best Idea”. Mr. Ben Heath from Clift Buick GMC won the $1,000 Cash prize, courtesy of Helion. Ben’s idea was called “Perfect Match”.

I can not possible go over the entire hugely successful Internet Sales 20 Group in one article, so I decided to give a first day overview. Next article I will break down the rest of the Internet Sales 20 Group with actual details and strategies learned at the 20 Group.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call or email me.

Thank you-

Here are some videos from the event:
Ralph Paglia was a Speaker at the Internet Sales 20 Group

http://www.internetsales20group.com

Automotive Social Media Expert, JD Rucker of KPA Online Reviews The Internet Sales 20 GRoup

Every night before you fall asleep, give heartfelt thanks for the wonderful day you just had (no matter what kind of day you had). Think about the next day, and intend that it is going to be wonderful. Intend that it is going to be the best day of your life. Intend that it is going to be filled with love and joy. Intend that all good is coming to you and everything is going to flow perfectly, etc. Then when you wake in the morning, BEFORE you get out of bed, again declare your intentions for the day and give deep thanks as though you have received them all. As you do this, you will begin to create your life deliberately, and you will experience firsthand the power that is within you to create the life you want.

http://www.robertwiesman.com

Do Hyundai Cars Suck? Is Hyundai A "Throw Away Car"? Robert Wiesman Answers Your Question(s)...

I just wanted to say thank you to Dealer Synergy for the great event that happened in Chicago last week. I have attended a number of corporate training sessions in my life prior to the car business and this was the best. The information gathered was well beyond my expectations.

I must admit, I went with some reluctance since past experience has taught me that these events can be lengthy and boring. I now have to re-think what my expectations are prior to attending anything in the future. We came home from the event with a plan of three items we wanted to implement. We have already started to use our Facebook page differently and we have hired the company called "hirethewinners.com" which was suggested by Ralph Paglia and endorsed by one of the other attendees. hirethewinners is an awesome tool if you want a great tool for pre-interviewing employees.

I now set at my desk entering this blog with an understanding of the phrase, "you don't know what you don't know". I walked away from Chicago (actually flew in my case) realizing as a BDC director, that there is still quite a bit I just don't know and yet, we are having our best month in history. So my question is, where can this thing go if I have a better understanding of what I don't know.

In closing, I want to thank Dealer Synergy and all the vendors and speakers that put such a beneficial and successful event together. I hope everyone got as much out of it as i did.

I asked General Managers and Internet/BDC Directors at Digital Dealer, why Online Reputation Management is on the front burner for 2013.

Response I wanted to hear more and did not:

Google’s algorithms are aggressively measuring the amount and authenticity of positive and negative reviews, impacting your overall SEO score with Google. Online reviews appear with every Google search.
I need a solution PRONTO!

Common Responses:

1) Our reputation is everything and my competition seems to be doing better in the online review internet game.

2) With Siri and Yelp in bed together the stakes are even higher to get moving.

3) I need a solution to generate more reviews on a regular basis and be proactive at catching unhappy customers before they post a poor review.

4) We don’t have a plan to get to the source of the problem of what’s going on that’s generating those bad reviews.

Takeaway:

1) ORM algorithms will drastically affect your SEO rankings.

2) Businesses who want to win in the search results will encourage customers authentically to post fresh feedback to their preferred reviews sites on a regular basis.

3) ORM will shift the dealership’s operational culture in terms of the increased volume of handling unsatisfied customers by rectifying the situation with those affected, making certain that the customer service or product failings that generated them are fixed.

4) Dealerships with no online reviews or only negative may be losing valuable customers.
You have the option to automate ORM by pulling closed R.O’s and closed sales from the DMS.

5) Automated emails that offer options to post positive or complain directly to you is fully integrated, simplified and compliant with blacklisting rules.

6) Steer the Conversation and reply to negative posts and interact with reviewers to create a more positive brand image. You’re more believable when you make an effort to understand and respond to unhappy customers.

7) If your business has no online reviews or only has negative reviews, then you may be losing valuable customers.

eReputationBUILDER adds juice to your SEO ranking by making sure that the positive reviews and constructive feedback shows up when our clients are searched, and that the false and inflammatory comments are suppressed in searches so no one can find them.

We automate ORM, pulling closed R.O’s and closed sales from the DMS everynight sending a video email that encourages positive reviews with active links to highly ranked review sites and intercepts complaints. 

Jerry Hart
President
eReputationBUILDER

There have been debates in the past about whether or not it's good for businesses to follow everyone who follows them. The old way of thinking (for some, including me) was that if they take the time to follow you, that you should be courteous and return the favor.

I switched my way of thinking in 2009 but for many it continued. Many today still feel that way. It's no longer the right way to work with your Twitter account regardless of what business you're in. Here's why:

So Much Spam

Twitter has always been loaded with spam ever since the days of Ashton Kutcher trying to get to 1 million followers. Once it hit the mainstream the spammers saw an opportunity and they've seized it ever since. Twitter does what they can but with half a million users, the spammers and bots are impossible to keep down without damaging real accounts.

They are often easy to spot and if you are already only following important and relevant people, vetting your new followers is easy. If you follow too many people, it's time to start vetting. Unfortunately, this can be a manual process, but it's worth it.

Start Vetting if the Volume is Low Enough

For those with under 2000 followers, vetting them is something that can be done a little at a time every day until you're done. This is still tedious but if you commit to check out 100 Twitter accounts a day, you'll be done in a month (assuming you end up skipping some days).

It's not as hard as it sounds. If you're at least a little active on Twitter you'll be able to recognize many accounts by name. No need to check them out - just whitelist them and move on. Others will be obvious spammers based upon their name, avatar, or both.

The others will need to be opened manually and checked out. Here's what you're looking for:

• Autoposters: If they are simply using their Twitter account as an RSS feed, you won't see any @replies from them. These are relatively worthless to follow as they aren't going to engage with you or anyone else.
• Overposters: To some, this isn't a problem. For me, I can't stand following someone who Tweets hundreds of times a day. Nobody's life is that interesting to me and I don't need their posts flooding my stream.
• Inactives: It doesn't apply to everyone and some would say that following someone who posts 5 times a year is harmless because they aren't filling up your feed, but there's something that can be said about selectivity. As you can see by the @TKCarsitesInc following, we've knocked it down to where we're only following 700 accounts versus being followed by 19k.
• Spammers and Bots: You'll be able to tell the difference.

Get it down to a manageable number and your feed will be useful, your account will look good, and Twitter can be useful.

But I Followed Thousands!

There is a major challenge facing some Twitter accounts. If you have an account that's simply too large to go through manually, you'll have to start from the bottom up.

It's impractical to think that you can vet tens of thousands of accounts. If, like the TK Carsites account, you followed over 10k (or over 2k for that matter), then it's easier to simply unfollow everyone and refollow the important accounts.

To do this, you'll first want to make a list. If you're using lists on Twitter or other tools like Tweetdeck, this is easier. You've already identified the people you definitely want to follow so unfollowing everyone and refollowing them is a piece of cake.

If you don't have lists, make one. Twitter itself has a decent List option, so build your list of accounts that you want to follow. Then, send out a message to all of your followers letting them know you're about to unfollow everyone.

"Hey everyone. I'm purging my list and following everyone I really know. If I unfollow you, please send me a reply and I will refollow you."

Now, it's time to unfollow. I use JustUnfollow. It's not free, but Twitter is very picky about following and unfollowing, requiring a direct click to do the action. They cut off any programs that allow you to bulk follow or unfollow without individual clicks on each account, but JustUnfollow has the easiest interface that allows you to click straight down the line and unfollow hundreds per minute depending on how fast your index finger can hit the mouse button.

Once you make it through the list, add everyone back that you really want to follow. Then, Twitter gets easy. It will help you by recommending other similar people you might want to follow. By having an accurate following, Twitter can help you find others.

When you're done with the process, the doors to using Twitter as an actual communication and marketing tool swing wide open.

http://www.internetsales20group.com 

25 Ways to Use QR Codes - Automotive Internet Sales - Digital Marketing - Car Dealerships

Businesses and organizations have made strides in the last year to improve their overall understanding and strategy in social media. Many who once played in the social media realm using traditional internet marketing techniques such as posting only self-serving links have changed gears and focused on higher-visibility content such as images. Unfortunately, many are still lacking the understanding of how the networks work and how to post properly. It’s like eating. Social media in general likes balance. Facebook and Google+ in particular are most effective when the right balance is created.

They like a balanced diet of content. Both are very similar in the way their algorithms work. Google uses a formula similar to Facebook’s EdgeRank to determine where content appears on the feed. While the strategies surrounding content on each is different, it is better (for now) to post mirrored content on the two networks simultaneously. The main reason for this is human nature; since Facebook has so much more engagement than Google+ right now, splitting the strategies might lead to shortcuts and eventually Google+ will not get the same level of attention. By posting to each together, it simplifies the process and reduces the chance of getting “Google+ fatigue”.

By feeding the networks with the appropriate levels of each type of content, your overall social media strategy can improve. Here’s how:

Understanding the Four Content Food Groups

Just like the food groups comprising a good diet, social media content types have different strengths and weaknesses.

1. Links are like vegetables. Many people don’t like their veggies and wouldn’t eat them if they didn’t have to. They’re healthy, just as links are healthy for your marketing efforts, but they aren’t as desirable as other food types. On Facebook, links are given the lowest “weight” when it comes to EdgeRank. People like them less. The news feed displays them lower (if at all) when your fans surf the stream. Still, they are a necessary component of a strong social media strategy just as they are an important part of a balanced diet.
2. Videos are the starches, the potatoes and grains. They can be very desirable at times but are often merely a side dish to balance out the rest of the food. Videos are treated by Facebook much the way that direct links are, just a bit higher on the news feed.
3. Text posts are the meat of the meal. Many people (other than vegetarians and vegans, of course) love meat. Likewise, both users and EdgeRank put text posts high on the scale. A well-received message posted in the form of text can go almost as viral as the final social media food group…
4. Pictures are the sweets, the dessert that many crave. Just like sweets, pictures are craved by social media users as well as the news feed. They are by far the most popular, but just like with desserts, a diet that consists of only sweet pictures will not be a productive page. There simply aren’t many strong marketing messages that can be conveyed with images alone. Still, they have their place.

Now that we know what the food groups look like, let’s examine how to apply them to your social media strategy.

The Balanced Diet

EdgeRank is a complex algorithm that would require a blog post or two in order to convey the basics. The short version is this: EdgeRank determines how high your content appears on the news feeds of your fans. Not all content is created equal. Not all fans are created equal (or rather, different fans’ news feeds will display your content differently). If you play the EdgeRank “game” by mixing up your content, you can develop the appropriate strategy for your business.

The first thing to understand is thatyour strategy is different from everyone the strategy of other pages. Your goals are different, as are your assets. This is only a guide to help you develop your own strategy. Anyone who has the right “formula” for everyone doesn’t really understand how it all works.

With the understanding that Facebook and its users love pictures and text, you can start to improve your EdgeRank by getting interaction from your fans using them. Videos are not required; they are not liked by the algorithm as much as images or text and are usually not as effective from a marketing perspective as links. That’s not true for some, but most get more bang for their buck from links. Links, the veggies, are least loved and most useful, so they have their place in the diet as well.

Your strategy should be one that builds up “EdgeRank love” through images and text. Once enough of this love is accumulated, you slide in your links or videos. One common schedule is to post 2-4 images or text for every link or video you posts. If your page is very popular and your content is highly-valued, you can increase the frequency of the links, but keep in mind that even the active and engaging pages have to use links sparingly (if at all).

One trap that pages often fall into is the addiction to likes, comments, and shares. Some would argue that posting only images is the best way to go because even though they aren’t necessarily getting specific messages across, they’re able to keep the brand at the top of the news feeds and therefore get more overall exposure. This is true to some extent, but just as a diet of chocolates and candies tastes good and keeps everyone happy in the short term, long term it can be unhealthy. Too many images makes it to where the links themselves get very little visibility. In essence, they are overpowered by the sweet sugary image mess of your Facebook page.

If you’re Audi, for example, you can get away with an image-only strategy. If you’re an Audi dealer, it just won’t work. Your brand isn’t strong enough as an Audi dealership to be able to get the benefit from a dessert-only strategy.

Twitter is not a challenge for most car dealers. It's pretty easy be above average as a dealership because most of your competitors aren't doing it at all. Getting to the next level isn't that hard, either, as long as you apply some basic strategies.

Hashtags are one such strategy.

In the video below, we discuss how to apply Twitter hashtags to your Tweets and posts in order to improve their exposure and enhance your messaging. There are more strategies that we'll discuss soon that are much more advanced, but starting with the basics is often enough to take a Twitter account from above average to really good.

Here's what happens when magnetic feet on tripods meet wind and speed. Note to self, insure camera equiptment :/

In my attempts to create one of a kind experiences, sometimes there's risks... 

I was filming a quick video for a customer- which I have done many times, and I have gotten these cool angles in the past using a magnetic tripod that sticks to the side of any car.

This time, things were different. It was windy and there was a long sweeping turn. Watch the video below to see what happened.

http://www.internetsales20group.com
Can You Really Measure Automotive Social Media ROI? Watch This Video - Automotive Internet Sales

It seems as though YouTube is usually left to the waste side due to Dealers feeling as though it takes too much time or effort in keeping up their channel, or even more so coming up with a subject to talk about without making it sound like an advertisement. Getting inspired to make a video can be as easy as capitalizing on the people and customers that surround you daily, even your inventory can make an appearance, but how?

You need to evoke emotion.

You can make a YouTube video using your smartphone or digital camera; it doesn’t need to be a fancy production, just a clean one. Try to keep it steady or invest in a tri-pod to be your camera person. Have your sales reps be advocates of the dealership by sharing which car they love the most or by sharing their story of how they became a part of the Dealership.

Tap into loyal customers and ask for reviews on their vehicles or to have them share their customer service experience on camera.

Showcase your inventory by telling a story about the car, more like what the car can do FOR you than how much it will cost or quickly going over its specs. Instead, share how to use the Ford Sync or why your form of the mini-van is great for families, walk them through it as a friend, not a salesperson.

In the following video you can learn more on how your Dealership can use YouTube with three easy steps in 3 minutes.

BY Erin Ryan

TK Carsites

Source: DrivingSales.com

Wow!!!! I am still feeling the energy from the synergy that was going down at the Internet Sales 20 Group in Chicago this week! I was not just blown away by all the presenters Ralph Paglia, JD Rucker, Sean V Bradley, Karen Bradley, Paul Sansone, Fran Taylor, etc but all the attendees had great information I as well! I have pages and pages and pages of notes that I am taking back to my store to make a career changing presentation to her. Thank you everyone for being so cool and all the kind words!! Had a blast and I truly believe it will be a career changer for me! See you all next time!!

Social media is about conversations. It's not a broadcasting platform like traditional advertising, search marketing, or other forms of internet marketing. Conversations on social media happen all over the place and are pertinent to your dealership's local area. YOU should be involved in as many of these conversations as possible.

The reason is multi-layered but easy to understand. First, it gives the human component that is so often missing from dealerships' social media marketing strategy. You want your dealership to have a personality on social media. People don't like robots. They don't like automation. They don't like broadcast messages.

What people do like are conversations and businesses willing to take part. When your dealership makes comments on posts from other pages that serve the local area like the one displayed above, people become acutely aware that there are real humans behind the operation of the Facebook page. They will be more willing to check you out. They will be more willing to follow you.

Second, the exposure that you gain through a thoughtful comment that takes 20 seconds to write can be wonderful. In the example above, both students and administrators of the page will see the comment and take note of where it's from. Believe it or not, these simple little interactions are often known or even subconscious factors that help them to consider your dealership now or in the future whether they're aware of the connection or not. The thoughtfulness of this single sentence registers with them. In a split second they're minds understand at a subconscious level that your dealership (1) supports education, (2) is active in the community, and (3) thinks highly of the cause being highlighted by the post.

Again, this post took 20 seconds to write but brings goodwill (even at a subconscious level) to your dealership.

Finally, and there are other factors to consider but these three are the most important ones, you get more branding for your dealership while the potential customers' brains are in their most receptive state. Science has proven that one of the reasons that television commercials are so effective for some is because the messages are being placed in the mind during "TV time", an experience that many people have every day when they are more relaxed and enjoying the day rather than doing something strenuous, tedious, or unpleasant (such as work).

Facebook falls under the same category. Our brains or more active while on social media than while watching television but we're still in a "good place" and the branding that happens during this time will make a deeper impact than normal branding. It's one of the reasons that some are shying away from billboard and radio advertising. That's not to say that you should take down your billboards or stop your radio spots but unfortunately the brand is often exposed during a bad time - while sitting in traffic. You want your brand exposed during happy times.

Find local businesses and organizations. "Like" them on Facebook while logged in under the dealership's account. Follow them on Twitter. Interact with them. Unfortunately it's not the most easily trackable ROI activity but if you understand the importance as well as the ease in which it's done, you can find a way to squeeze in the 10-15 minutes a day it takes to make an impact.

Http://www.internetbattleplan.com 

I highly recommend that if you are able to make it to New Jersey that you make it to the Internet Battle Plan. This one is going to be AMAZING!!

I just concluded the Internet Sales 20 Group in Chicago and I had the honor of having JD Rucker and Paul Sansone Jr. As Speakers for my event and WOW!! They killed it! Everyone LOVED their presentations!! 

And Cory Mosley is one of the best trainers in the industry PERIOD. He is an amazing speaker, you will get so much from going to see him speak.

Jim Ziegler's Battle Plan is filled with top subject matter experts. If Jim has them on the Roster... They are good. 

I had the pleasure of co-hosting the original two Dealer Battle Plans and they were phenomenal back then, I assure you they have evolved into an even more amazing and powerful educational platform. 

Jim knows how to pick venues... Revel is the Newest and BEST Hotel in Atlantic City. I am not just saying that. I live in New Jersey and I just bought a building in NJ. I am in AC from time to time. Karen and I have stayed at Revel numerous times and LOVED IT. You will too! 

So, have fun, learn and be inspired at the upcoming Internet Battle Plan!