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As I have been working hard on the final conclusions for the 2009 ASMA Study, I took some time to read what other have said about the the 34 website providers that I am reviewing.
What I found was disappointing from an Automotive IRM perspective.
Automotive industry professionals have been quick to claim the benefits of posting positive customer reviews online. Articles are flourishing on how important an effective Internet Reputation Management (IRM) program can be to sales.
However, when you look at DrivingSales.com Vendor Reviews, one of the few places that post automotive industry vendor reviews, the numbers are telling.
The shoemaker’s kids have holes in their shoes! Let’s see why.
Automotive Website Vendor Reviews
Dealer.com has 14,000 dealers using their software and has the most customer reviews and the best scores in this category but a measly 44 dealers posted their comments. That’s less than 1%. (36 Positive / 8 Negative)
BZ/ADP have over 2,000 dealers using their platforms and only 15 review, less than 1%. (5 positive / 10 negative)
Dealerskins - 11 Reviews (5 positive/ 6 negative)
Reynolds & Reynolds - 9 Reviews (5 positive / 4 negative)
eBizAutos has zero reviews.
You get the idea. DrivingSales.com and DealerRefresh.com are two places where dealer website platforms and vendors can be reviewed. On both websites, the representation is the same, very few customers have posted positive reviews.
eBizAutos also has no reviews on DealerRefresh.com nor any I could find doing and Internet search.
As DrivingSales.com grows, I believe it will become to premier place for automotive vendors to be evaluated and scored by the automotive community.
If IRM is good for car dealers, then IRM is good for car dealer vendors and suppliers.
Tags: automotive reputation management, automotive website reviews, automotive websites, car dealer website reviews
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Brian Pasch and Cash For Clunkers, vv0dix. vv0dix said: Automotive SPiCE Automotive Vendors Need IRM Too - http://bit.ly/xG5WB http://ow.ly/15WLQL [...]
I expect what is true in research to be true for reviews. In research, businesses have poor response rates relative to consumers. Additionally, businesses provide lower satisfaction ratings of their vendors compared to consumer ratings of the companies they buy from.
I think Brian’s point about the importance of the two ratings being equal has merit. However, business ratings of their vendors is going to take off slower and the results are going to be much harsher. That is just a fact of life. Available time, negotiating, and the vast economic differences all play a factor in this.
Giving a rating is an altruistic act. Consumers risk nothing when they help other consumers separate the good vendors from the bad. Indeed, their honesty contributes to a more efficient market, which they will eventually benefit from. Dealers altruistically help other dealers all the time, but there is a risk. Buying from the right vendor can yield a competitive advantage. Broadcasting that information can make the vendor more valuable (ultimately inflating rate) and allow competing dealers to select the right vendor without the same trial-and-error process you went through. A business rating of a business is a much greater act of unselfishness than is a consumer rating of a business.
Negative ratings are often an act of revenge, so you will see them from both consumers and businesses. Legitimate positive ratings are purely unselfish acts committed by caring people. They need to have time to do it; it needs to be easy to do, and those who do it must be made to feel intrinsically rewarded for having done so.
Encouraging businesses to respond is fine, but we must be careful about setting expectations that are simply unattainable. Consumer responses cannot be the benchmark.
Some of the worst vendors and products also have the best reviews because they focus on getting people to put up a lot of positive reviews.
As a former AutoBase user I can confirm what Matt is saying. AutoBase sent out an email to many dealers asking for positive reviews on DrivingSales.Com They even sent a link to the site. That’s how I first learned about DrivingSales.
I agree with Brian. If, as we are supposedly the elite in the Auto business we need to hold the vendors accountable so that other dealers don’t make the same mistakes we did and sign contracts with inferior products. The opposite is also true. The great vendors need our support so that other dealers could grow and prosper and we can bring the Auto business back to the great business it is (Just not our competition). It is awfully sad that less than 1% of us have rated our vendors. I guess I’m in the minority as I’ve rated not only every vendor I currently have but vendors I’ve used!
Gonna play devils advocate a little bit.
Vendors like Brian and myself work with several
of the platforms available to dealers. However
the terms of service here do not allow us to really
discuss those platforms other than generally.
I wonder if dealers think reviews from professionals
such as us good and bad have any bearing on their decisions?
I know Brian is publishing his report which is based on
his opinion and I have given some feedback on one platform
to him as well. While at the same time I have seen some of
the garbage by Sogenfrei that is clearly agenda driven and
easy to see through and full of holes.
Do dealers see case studies such as what Brian is preparing
as non biased, I am not inferring that it is biased, or do they
view it as agenda driven?
Reports like Brian’s and Sogenfrei cannot easily be dissected
and different opinions offered here due to TOS by someone like
myself. However they can be distributed via this medium, because
companies may be offended by our view points.
Just because xyz said something does not make it so, while rational
unbiased confirmation or rebuttal starts a conversation to help
dealers make better decisions for their business. Especially
when they have seen the greater universe of products in action
not just one sided marketing pitches and confirmation of them…
Paul,
You bring up two points here, and let me address both. Everyone on this forum, if they have used a product or service from a vendor, should feel that their review has weight. Vendors will take notice if DrivingSales.com grows in the sheer number of reviews posted. Right now it may be ignored due to spotty participation. This is a parallel to Google Map reviews; at first everyone ignored them.
My point was that major vendors had a very small number or no practical base of customer feedback to help other dealers evaluate their products. This is basic IRM for their own products and services. I believe addition peer reviews will help sales.
I understand the point that Dennis brings up about sharing your secrets of success but the website vendors all advertise their services in plain sight so the offerings are no trade secrets.
A vendor review does not have to spill the secret sauce but it can lend a voice to say that their customer service and products are effective. That does not give away any competitive edge. In many cases, your competitors already know what tools and platforms you are using.
To your second point, any review or article has the bias of the writer so the key to evaluate case studies or reviews is whether the article provides a perceived value to the reader.
In the case of the 2009 ASMA study, I was not aware of anyone who had done a recent extensive review automotive website platforms for their search marketing strengths. Since I am often asked who has a good SEO platform from my clients, I thought it would be important to collect data and share the results with the automotive industry. There are not many people qualified to create such a report.
The good thing about the 2009 ASMA study will be that the data tables can allow readers to draw their own conclusions. I will draw my conclusions from the data as well as my experience, which you could call bias. I will be awarding some of the best platforms, and by that choice, I introduce bias.
However the agenda is to hold automotive website platforms up to the light and let the dealer community see them side by side on criteria that I feel is important. This report will be a big step up from last year and will be over 30 pages in length.
Will it be perfect? Nope. But I believe it will be part of future dealer research and discussions when website contracts come up for review. I am hoping my insight can help dealers make an informed choice.
Will some people think its biased? Sure. As I said, you can’t write without a bias.
I’m driven by a philosophy that I did not know had a name until I heard Chris Brogan speak at the Driving Sales Execution Summit. I write to help people and in turn to increase my visibility for my expertise. I hope the way I write can develop my reputation as a “Trust Agent” and not someone that tries to promote themselves shamelessly.
The 2009 ASMA report will create conversation and dialogue on search marketing, SEO, IRM and Social Media. If that is accomplished, it was worth the effort.
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by automotiveseo: Automotive Vendors - Heal Thyself for Internet Reputation Management http://bit.ly/YZXOd...
Guys - When was the last time any of you received a CSI survey from a technology vendor? I never have. I think the technology companies would be smart to start surveying their customers via email to find out how they are doing. In the world of technology, especially auto dealership technology, my experience has been that dealers buy tech products because of the sizzle but not the steak. They buy something because it looks good and supposedly does the right thing but when implemented the product falls short. I agree that there needs to be more vendor ratings on sites like DS and DR but at the end of the day, can a technology vendor or a DMS customer really say that they have the pulse of their customer base? JD Power - Are you listening? It sure would be nice to be on the other side of that equation!