Hello, first of all i would like to introduce myself. My name is Amanda Hodge and i have been in the automotive industry for eight years. I started off as a receptionist in a small town dealership that sold around 50 cars a month to now working in one of the greatest internet departments in West Tennessee. I remember the first time Sean Bradley came into our dealership. It was a whole different experience for me. I knew right then after all the training i wanted to be that successful. The training has helped me more than anything with customers and abled me to break records this year. I look forward to more training through out the years. 

Experience, what a word!  What can you make of life that's full of experiences? When you look at it, you have a wide range of experiences both good and bad. But when Sean Bradley came to Alan Vines my eyes were opened to the possibility that every experience can be determined by how you react to them. If you come to work it is an experience. If you go home it's also an experience. So what i am trying to say is whatever you make of that moment, it is an experience. If you want to make money, it is also an Experience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zHPhVTw3YgM#!

I just watched that video and it made me start thinking about if I am truly giving my best every day I come in to work and every time I get on the phone with a customer. See you come in knowing that you have a set number of calls that you are suppose to make each day. Do you ever wonder if you didn't keep any track of what you make and what you do and you truly give your best how many appointments you would set and how many attempts you would make? I have said that I don't have anymore people to call, I have done everything that I can today what do I do now? For some people it would be different maybe you can try reaching out on Social Media sites or to your friends and family. 

The Dealer Synergy team teaches us that "If you want the things that average people don't have then you have to do the things that average people won't do." I guess my real question is, do you want to be average or do you want to succeed and flourish in life and business? Maybe start challenging yourself each day do to be better than the last. I think we would all be surprised at what we could truly accomplish if every day we pushed ourselves to be better and make more calls and set more appointments. 

Hey dealers, is your website equipped to out-perform competition this holiday season?  Your 2011 holiday planning should already be well underway but there a few last-minute tips to get you in the spirit of closing sales from web leads.

Cyber Monday is a marketing term created by companies to persuade people to shop online on the Monday immediately following Black Friday.   Between November 28 and December 31, a record number of consumers researching their next vehicle purchase will be visiting your dealership website.

Forrester Research predicted in its U.S. Online Retail Forecast, 2009 to 2014 report that the web would influence 48% of 2011 in-store sales, predictions which are set to come true.  The average holiday shopper plans to do 36% of their shopping online – whether they’re comparing prices, researching products, or making a purchase (or an appointment to make a purchase). Data from Experian Hitwise indicates that website traffic increases in a troubled economy because buyers research purchases more carefully online to stretch shopping budgets.

Is your digital showroom (dealership website) ready for this spike in traffic?

To capture these leads, streamline your sales process and put your holiday marketing into high gear, try these tips:

1)  Review online sales and customer-support options for better, more personalized service.

Integrating a live-chat option into your online sales strategy will help both you and prospective customers.  Live-chat allows consumers to receive the full automotive shopping experience without having to leave the comforts of home.  With the majority of consumers doing extensive research online prior to visiting a dealership, live-chat gives dealers the opportunity to engage website visitors in a personal sales process, answering questions, providing information and obtaining contact information.  Live chat will save you time and money by transforming your already present website visitors into ready-to-buy leads and appointments.

2)  Review last year’s SEO strategy

Which keywords sent the most and highest converting traffic to your website?  This holiday season, create content and paid search campaigns with a high density of these best performing keywords.  Drop the season’s worst performing keywords and determine which holiday-relevant keywords should be added.  Doing so will maximize the findability of your dealership and inventory online.

3)  Create a Mobile Site

Many holiday shoppers will be researching online and on their smartphones both before and during their trips to your dealership.  Dealers would be wise to integrate the showroom experience with relevant, timely and personalized website and mobile app info.  This can be done using QR codes that link to relevant videos, vehicle specs and inventory comparisons.  Google is forecasting that 15 percent of total online search this holiday season will come from mobile.  Dealers interested in quickly and cost-effectively building a mobile site should try out Google’s new GoMo initiative.

4)  Ask for an email address wherever you can, both online and in-store.

Design an email strategy that includes holiday purchasing incentives and promotions.  ”Email is still the king of Web marketing,” says Allison Howen, Associate Editor of Website Magazine.  ”There are about three times as many email accounts as there are Facebook and Twitters users combined, according to a recent study from Smarter Tools.

5)  Act fast to plug your leaky conversion funnel with split testing.

Use your web analytics to determine the pages on your website critical to conversion that have the poorest engagement.  Use Google’s simple A/B Split testing solution to see how subtle changes to buttons and forms can make a big impact on your conversion rate.  There’s no better time to start testing than now and there’s no more critical time to achieve your highest conversion than the holiday season.

6) Add social sharing to product pages to turn customers into sales channels.

Ask showroom visitors and customers alike to rate your dealership on your Facebook page (as well as other rating sites).  Encourage consumers on the lot to check-in via Social and incentivize the sharing of photos and testimonials of their in-store experience.  Keep your social profiles updated with holiday specials along with pictures and videos of inventory.  Also, resolve customer service issues on Facebook or Twitter to publicly display your customer service chops.

Remember dealers, these strategies are not just for the holidays.  Don’t stop just because it’s December 25.  Take advantage of the last six days of the year by ramping up the promotion of year-end sales on your website and social media.  Don’t forget to record your holiday season metrics too.  They will come in handy next year.

When did you start your holiday season digital marketing strategy?  Do you plan on implementing any of the mentioned strategies?  What can you share with the online community that will help dealers be better prepared for next year?

http://www.twitter.com/seanvbradley

http://www.twitter.com/dealersynergy

Twitter Announces NEW Re-Design, New Features and Promises An Easier & Better Tool

Honda fights TrueCar's prices

Below-invoice online discounts frustrate some dealers and automakers

Honda, leery of brand-eroding discounts, has warned its dealers to stop offering prices below invoice on TrueCar.com and other Internet shopping sites.

The discounts jeopardize payments that Honda sends to dealers for local marketing, the automaker told dealers in October. Industrywide, the payments range from $300 to $600 for a $30,000 vehicle, one dealer said.

TrueCar is a leading player in the growing online retail industry that channels Internet leads to dealers. TrueCar CEO Scott Painter last week criticized Honda's position.

"They're trying to say Hondas are worth more than invoice, but if everybody's paying less than invoice, that's not true," Painter said.

The dispute highlights frustration among some dealers and automakers who say third-party Web sites such as TrueCar are eroding their power to set transaction prices.

TrueCar publishes recent transaction prices on its Web site and offers what it calls guaranteed low prices to shoppers. Dealers who sign up with TrueCar agree to pay the company $299 for each new vehicle sold from a TrueCar lead and $399 for each used vehicle sold.

Honda spokesman Chris Martin said that the automaker considers TrueCar an advertising medium. And Honda does not permit dealers to advertise prices below invoice, in part because it erodes Honda's brand equity. Dealers who do so jeopardize per-car payments from the factory under Honda's dealer marketing allowance.

But Painter said Honda is ignoring the realities of the marketplace, in which dealers compete aggressively on price.

In response to Honda's actions, TrueCar last week began warning Honda shoppers with a banner on its Web site that they might not get TrueCar's low price.

Upfront price guarantees are a key part of TrueCar's pitch to shoppers. And the prices listed for vehicles on TrueCar's Web site often are below invoice.

For example, a TrueCar search near Ann Arbor, Mich., for a 2012 Toyota Camry SE with automatic transmission and four-cylinder engine returned three guaranteed prices from local dealers, two of which were for less than the car's $22,075 invoice price. One dealer was offering the car for $21,875, another for $21,025 and a third dealer listed a car at the invoice price.

In TrueCar's terminology, the invoice is several hundred dollars above the cost of the vehicle to the dealer because the price does not include such factory payments to dealers as the holdback allowance.

Painter said Honda sales via TrueCar have declined since October because of Honda's warning.

He said the 278 Honda dealers under contract with TrueCar sold 2,389 vehicles in November. TrueCar's Honda dealers sell an average 8.6 new Hondas per store per month, and leads from the Web site generate 12.2 percent of the total sales volume of TrueCar's Honda dealers, he said.

"They could be doing twice as many sales through our platform than they are right now," if Honda revoked this policy, Painter said.

Painter was careful to add, though, that he was not picking a fight with Honda.

More clout

Painter: The stats don't lie.   On Jan. 1, TrueCar's role in auto retailing will grow. That's when TrueCar becomes the exclusive online vehicle shopping partner for Yahoo.com. Traffic to TrueCar's Web site is expected to jump from a couple of million unique visitors per month to 20 million per month as a result of the deal, Painter said. Now, though, TrueCar leads account for a small slice of U.S. auto sales. TrueCar-participating dealers are expected to sell about 250,000 vehicles from TrueCar leads in 2011 either from shoppers on the TrueCar Web site or through agreements with more than 100 large associations, such as USAA and AAA. Painter said he wants to almost double the number of dealership franchises that participate with TrueCar to 10,000 next year and facilitate the sale of about 500,000 vehicles. USAA, a financial services association for military families, has asked Honda to reconsider its TrueCar action on behalf of its 8 million members who did 500,000 searches for Honda and Acura vehicles this year, according to a recent letter from David Bohne, president of USAA federal Savings Bank, to John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co.

Protecting profit

The Toyota Camry SE: In Michigan offers of $1050 below the invoice price. Mike Warwick, director of digital marketing for the seven-store Kelly Automotive Group in suburban Boston, agrees with Honda's policy toward TrueCar. "Honda's trying to protect the gross profit in selling a car and trying to protect the salespeople who are the backbone of the industry," Warwick said. Kelly, with a Honda store and two Nissan stores among its holdings, dropped out of its TrueCar contract this month after just three months as a participating dealer, Warwick said. In November alone, the group was inundated with 700 leads from TrueCar customers who took a guaranteed vehicle price that Kelly offered, he said. But the stores closed on just 20 of those deals and only three were profitable given the discounts negotiated, Warwick said. The vast majority of customers went elsewhere, using the deals negotiated on TrueCar to get lower prices for vehicles at other non-TrueCar dealers, he said. Meanwhile, Kelly had to follow up with all 700 customers, Warwick said. Few Honda dealers, he said, would be willing to risk their dealer marketing allowance for the additional volume that TrueCar can bring. Industrywide, that type of quarterly allowance is 1 to 2 percent of the sticker price for every vehicle sold, Warwick said. On a $30,000 vehicle, that would be $300 to $600. Other dealers, though, like TrueCar. Taylor Chevrolet in suburban Detroit is eager for TrueCar's tie-up with Yahoo to begin, said Jeff Kotlarek, Taylor Chevrolet's Internet sales manager. He gets about 15 new-car sales per month from TrueCar. He said Taylor Chevrolet offers vehicles to TrueCar shoppers at $100 below invoice and still makes money on the vehicles by upselling on warranties, accessories or additional options. The store sells about 175 new vehicles total per month. In a recent speech, AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson said of TrueCar: "The good deal that they're pitching to the consumer is lower than average. So to the extent that everyone goes with the TrueCar price, it moves the average down. "It's a death spiral, and the question is whether they are powerful enough to unleash that dynamic in the U.S. marketplace." AutoNation's COO, Mike Maroone, sits on TrueCar's board of directors, but neither he nor AutoNation has financial ties to TrueCar. Amy Wilson contributed to this report

    Coming in this morning I'm fired up and ready to get that money.  Sean V. Bradley left yesterday afternoon and I'm now more inspired than ever.  I had to get here early before we hit our 3-Minute Books and hit the phones to let you all know I'm coming and I'm getting that money!  Let's get fired up!  I don't want it if I don't have to earn it!

Good luck everyone, and no hard feelings! 

http://www.twitter.com/karinabradley

http://www.twitter.com/seanvbradley 

http://www.dealersynergy.com 

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-

Social media isn't that different from writing a book. I've written a few manuscripts and short stories, albeit, crappy and unpublished so far. However, regardless of their quality, I know there is always one rule when writing fiction: Pull in the reader with your very first line/paragraph. Hook them.

* I think the same goes for Social media. If you can engage the fan/follower on Monday with a question peaking their interest, then you've got their attention. That's what you want if you're trying to conduct a successful social media strategy.

Yet, what about after that first page? Just filler? Of course, not. Regardless if you're opening paragraph is as great as Shakespeare, it won't matter if the rest is crap. The reader will put the book down and never look at it again. Once you have the reader's attention, you have to hold on and never let go. Be relentless. Keep them wanting more. Keep them turning the page. (Easier said then done!)

*The same applies to social media. Okay, so you've posted an interesting question on Monday. You've got 20 responses. Great. Tuesday comes along. It's not time to sit back and relax. It's time to keep the conversation going. Establish a relationship. Granted, if you're not active for one day on social media, that doesn't mean you'll lose fans immediately. However, if you revert to posting non-dynamic, non-relevant content such as endless promotions, then you're bound to drive that "Reader" away.

Obviously, there is one huge difference between writing a book and propelling at social media: eventually, you'll finish writing that book. Nonetheless, if you're not devoted to producing relevant and engaging posts to build your "social community" (not devoted to keeping the reader on the edge of their seat), you're going to have a tough time with social media.

Hello, first I would like to introduce myself, my name is Marsha Luther. I work as an Internet Coordinator at Alan Vines Automotives in Jackson TN, I have been with this dealership for eighteen months. I love my job. I have been through Dealersynergy Training with Sean Bradley, I use his training on a daily basis.

I really like all the rebuttles that have been created for the dealership. The rebuttles help me when a customer asks me a questions that I might not know the answer to. In our department we work with a lot of challenged credit customers. With a high unemployment rate in the United States, it's hard for customers to maintain a high credit score and this causes them not to have A+ credit. So with the awesome credit rebuttles that have been created it makes it easy for me to convince the customer that not only do we have 30  different Lenders that we work with, but we also have Lenders that understand and will allow the customer with not an A+ credit to buy a vehicle. With just a few requirements, the customer will be driving off in a vehicle of their choice. Thanks to Dealersynergy, my job is easier and more fun with these Great Rebuttles.

There is a distinct taste of irony to this post. I made my feelings known about cross-posting on all of the social networks earlier this month. Now I must break my own personal rule.

This time, I have good reason.

We're trying to compile a complete list of automotive social networks. We've put together a good list but I'm sure I'm missing some, so with a heavy heart I must do the thing I prefer to avoid: post this article across all of the social networks I know.

Over the past 5 years, the automotive industry has managed an amazing transition. We were behind the times half a decade ago as an industry with many dealerships still using old technology or leaning on traditional advertising as their primary method of pushing out their message.

In the short amount of time since, we've gone as an industry from being behind other industries in internet marketing practices to setting the trend and embracing the internet as the primary method through which we market our dealerships. It has been an amazing transition and I believe we can thank the networks on the list for helping to blaze the path that has gotten us all here.

Please review the list and let me know if I'm missing any. You can comment here or email me at jrucker@tkcarsites.com with any additions.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful day with the ones that you love. I would love to hear what you all are thankful for... For me, I have so much to be thankful for, but I will start with what is top of mind. My amazing wife Karen AKA Karina Bradley -She is one of thee most incredible people I have ever met in my life and for whatever reason, she chose me to be her husband (That or I AM the SICKEST CLOSER in the World :) Our beautiful and AMAZING children Tianna, Kalina and Sean V. Bradley "The Sequel". Everyday with family is a Thankful day. I am also thankful for all of the people in my life... Family, Friends, Colleagues, Co-Workers, Clients... EVEN the "Haters", even the people that make my life difficult, challenging, frustrating etc... Because those people are my inspiration to strive harder and be BETTER. Having adversity in my life allows me to appreciate all of the things God has blessed me with. I know I have ONLY scratched the surface at ONLY 35 years old. I have much to learn and much to evolve to and I do NOT mean to accumulate MORE Wealth, I mean be a better human being... being the BEST person I could be. I want to be a great role model for my family. I want to inspire people. Because, if I could come from where I did... And be where I am now in life... ANYONE has an opportunity. I am THANKFUL for ALL of the AMAZING people that have influenced me, mentored me... EVEN the people who "Hated" on me or have hurt me, those people MADE me work harder, work smarter and gave me my "Failure is NOT an Option" mentality.  Here is an AWESOME FranklinCovey Video, the "80th Birthday"... Think about it and have a Wonderful Thanksgiving!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z7iHB24Oqg

http://www.dealersynergy.com 

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 :)

http://www.dealersynergy.com

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

http://www.dealersynergy.com

Imagine you are blind, it's 9:00 AM and you just walked from the tarmac to witness the training of a brand new Automotive Internet Sales team.  You're excited to meet the people and watch them learn as you learn.  You've got your note taker all charged up and you get a phone call from the lead trainer saying he missed his flight and won't make it until the end of the day...but that he's done you a big favor and                          called the dealer and there on their way to pick you up.  What do you do?

Quite naturally, you're terrified.  Here you are in the airport, with zero agenda, thirty minutes away from the biggest moment in your career and you want your mommy.  But of course you represent the number one training/consulting firm in your industry, so you gotta take this shot.  You've been through the trainings, you know this stuff and you can teach it.  You just have to let them get to know/like/trust and believe you.  You make that your only mission...well, that's if you think like me!

I experienced this firsthand and let me tell you; it was exhilarating!  Standing there with seven brand new Internet Coordinators, three more experienced ICs and an internet director with over fifteen years in the car business...it was the rock star stage spotlight all over again.  We conducted preliminary introductions, then began to synergize!

Throughout the week, my goal was to show them not only how much I knew…but how much I truly cared about their success.  We discussed the numbers, we talked about the minds of the prospective customers and even dove into how important their personal success is to the entire automotive industry.  I had to show the entire place, that although I don’t have physical sight, I do have an amazing vision…and if they bought into it, they would reap the benefits.  Wow, did they ever.

I felt the love and respect from the moment I walked in the door.  From the managers, to the frontline employees, even a few customers expressed how they felt the excitement of change…an upgrade in quality.  My career was completely altered by these encounters.  I now have even more esteem for my company because I was privileged enough to come into contact with a dealer group that was tired of the old and ready to completely embrace the new.  We…were able to introduce them to the “new” they were searching for and more.  As per their testimony, it also changed the lives of the people with whom I interacted.  This is what Dealer Synergy is all about, a new approach to doing business in the automotive industry.

More importantly, this experience inflated my self-confidence balloon.  I already knew there was nothing I couldn’t accomplish, but the ability to transcend that belief into others was what I questioned.  Honestly, I thought I lacked it.  Well…I was proven absolutely positively wrong!  If you're thinking there’s something you can’t do, you’re more than likely in the wrong column as well.  Here’s the Bottom line…If I can jump on an airplane to a far away/strange land by myself and make out alright, then don’t tell me you can’t succeed at selling some cars over the internet!