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Consider This By POTRATZ

Digital Agency talks about creating more leads for less cost

Selling Cars with Social Media Part 2

May 11th, 2009 by Paul Potratz

 Part 2…

Side Note: No Snake Oil here just a rapid change in how we market today….well not really that rapid since we have been selling cars the same way for over 50+ years. Facebook is the third most visited site in the United States as of this post and growing quickly.  YouTube is 4th and MySpace is 5th.  Source: www.alexa.com  

   

The snow has melted, the sun is shining and your feeling like it is a brand new year and you are not going to allow the negative Nancy’s to hold you back since all they are trying to do is sell some newspapers or increase 5 and 10pm news ratings while in fact they are chasing their once loyal audience away with all the doom, gloom and negativity!  

 

The Fact Is…People want to be happy and worry free oh and they are still buying cars since buying a new car is a happy time so put a smile on your face and give the people what they want…a shiny new car!

 

So let’s get started,

 

The big difference is shoppers are not going to the newspaper like they use to months and years past but shoppers are going online and they are actually spending more time online than with newspapers, radio, TV, and magazines combined.  I am not saying traditional media is a waste, quite the contrary it is still a viable source and needed but with Social Media YOU as an individual sales person can do something TODAY and EVERYDAY that will increase your income this month, next month and next year.  I can also promise you put the effort in you will be part of the 80/20 rule.  20% of the people make 80% of the money! 

 

Let’s say Joe “future” Carbuyer decides it’s time to get a new Ford F150 so what could have inspired him to think it’s time to shop?

 

  1. A friend or neighbor is driving a new car
  2. There is a need e.g. for work or play
  3. Repair bills are climbing
  4. Just an impulse
  5. Cool TV commercial
  6. Etc.

 

The point I want to make is people start the buying process by talking about their want or need with friends and at times with complete strangers at a gas station, water cooler chat or Social Impulse.  People like to talk and you have the opportunity to part of the conversation or should I say you have the opportunity to build your Word of Mouth sales force with Social Media. 

 

So let’s say you were (Ricky the car salesman) that sold Sally “past” Carbuyer an F150 two months ago and she pulls into a gas station and Joe “future” Carbuyer is admiring Sally’s F150 so they start talking since he wants a new F150 BAD!.  

 

Would Sally feel connected to you and be able to say oh call my friend Ricky or actually would Sally even remember your name or were you just a sales guy that sat in the back seat as she took the test drive with a smile on her face?

 

She would feel loyal if you connected with her on a personal level on a friend level and again this is why I feel and seen a tool like Facebook is a powerful tool every salesperson should make part of their daily habits! 

 

Facebook is a powerful database that could make the difference of 3-5 cars per month or 25-35 cars per month depending on how you work it and your dedication.

 

So let’s continue from my last post of how you can become a Facebook Pro = Top Performing Ricky the car salesman!

 

You should now have your Facebook page set-up, pictures of you, your friends, your family, and have all information complete e.g. YOUR PHONE NUMBER, EMAIL ADDRESS, YOUR DEALERSHIP…anywhere in the facebook profile it asks for information complete it and please don’t do it all in CAPS since this is NOT REY REY and all CAPS means your YELLING.  Use correct grammar and spell check since it is the impression that counts.  

 

Some things not to do:

  1. Write anything your Mom would be embarrassed about
  2. Play Mafia Wars during the workday…You Know Who You Are :)
  3. Partake in any groups/pages that could be questionable or offend
  4. Don’t be passing drinks 
  5. Don’t be doing pokes or super pokes
  6. Don’t pester people with numerous request

 

Now some things you should do…

 

Do share and be part of the conversation be an asset to the Facebook community.

 

Below your actual profile picture is a box you can edit and add some information to…use this box as your elevator pitch.  If you don’t have an elevator pitch then it’s time to come up with one.  Note: If you don’t have an actual profile picture you are wasting your time so get some real pictures on that profile and leave the cheese head picture out of the profile section pictures be professional but not stuffy.  (You will be using this same picture on all of your profiles which we will talk about in more detail later on in future post since there is more than Facebook).  Make sure the picture represents you in the best light since again this is the first impression at times.

 

In the top right corner of your facebook page you will see the “Search” box and this is where I want you to Search for local groups and pages to become part of.  So for example if I was selling cars I would enter “Schenectady” in the search box and join local groups and pages that make sense having to do with Schenectady, hence these are locals that I want to connect with.  

 

Now that you have joined some groups/pages it’s time to partake in the conversation and I don’t mean with post like “Hi I am Ricky the Car Salesman so Call me I have Cars for Sale” I mean become social and partake in the topics.  

 

Let’s pretend again I am selling cars in Schenectady, NY and just joined the page “Downtown Schenectady” so to partake in the conversation I would review previous wall post and comment on post that I could actually comment on and not sound like I am just trying to highjack the wall post.  To take this further let’s assume on the Downtown Schenectady Facebook page there was talk about a new restaurant opening called Bombers Burritos and I went there for lunch.  I could shoot some pictures on my iPhone and post it to the Downtown Schenectady Facebook Page/Group talking about how great my lunch was…this will drive conversation and allow you to stand out and connect.

 

You are thinking this has nothing to do with selling cars?  You are right and you are wrong since it is a numbers game and FRIENDS BUY FROM FRIENDS AND FRIENDS RECOMMEND FRIENDS!  I AM YELLING HERE…THE MORE PEOPLE YOU KNOW AND THE MORE PEOPLE KNOW WHAT YOU DO… THE MORE CARS YOU WILL SELL!  Again it’s a numbers game!!!

 

Now that you have joined some groups/pages and our partaking in the conversation let’s move over to adding more friends, friends are good if you sell cars or widgets.\  

 

Click on the Friends tab across the top blue Facebook bar and select add friends then you will see “Suggestions” and this is where I want you to add these people since they are connected to you in some way.  Don’t be Shy? ADD THEM but don’t go crazy since Facebook does watch this so only add 10 or so every few days.  You do want to sell them a car? Don’t you? So add these people.

 

Ok on this same page you will see ‘Find People You Email” and this is where that Gmail account is going to come in handy from the last post.  Enter your information and whooosh it will pull the contacts in you have automatically and if they are on Facebook they will receive your friend request and if they are not they will receive a request asking them to join.

 

Again on this same page “Search for People” so let’s say you have some post it notes, business cards, and napkins with past customers and leads names and email address so this is where you want to search for them.  I want you to invite everyone…AGAIN EVERYONE. Do not pre qualify anyone since every person you know has a car and will need another car in the short term!  They also know many people that will be purchasing a car soon so the question is will they know who Ricky the car salesperson is and how to contact him quickly?  They will if he is on the best Contact Management System in the World AKA Facebook!  This is your chance to become part of the gas station, water cooler talk or social talk.

 

Add the cars.com rep, autotrader.com rep, newspaper rep, radio rep, TV rep, bathroom supplies rep, past customers, past ups that bought else where, ADD EVERYONE…even add your own Mother!!!  Add your competition but don’t spam their wall with who you are that is not cool but it is cool to watch what they are doing and learn from their success and not so successful attempts.

 

NOW FOR SOME TASKS…

 

Go to Wal-Mart and invest in a Flip Video 30 minutes for $49.00 yes a video camera for $49.00…I love technology :).  Don’t make excuses of why you can’t get one it is so cool and uploads to Facebook, and YouTube among others with ease! 

 

So you have a camera in your cell phone and I want you to use this whenever possible but I want you to use the Flip Video many times per day….I love my HD Flip!

 

Let’s say you have a delivery today….Then flip video the customer saying how excited they are and how YOU Ricky the Car Sales Guru is the better than Barry White and a bottle of Chilled Wine on a First Date with their High School Sweetheart…or just maybe how you made the car buying process a blast.  

 

Now upload that video to your facebook profile and tell the customer what you are doing with the video so they can be sure to be your friend on facebook and they will tell their friends and family to check it out!  This means “WORD OF MOUTH MARKETING FOR YOU” It also means that customer approves of you and you are not just another sales person but someone they trust!  You are RICKY the Sales Dude! Did I mention these people can now also become your “Social Friends on Facebook” which means they can come to know your charm and wit so when it’s time to recommend or buy you will be the one on their short list.

 

If you are not excited about the possibilities at this point then hold a mirror to your nose to make sure you are breathing…you have never had this many opportunities before that will guarantee a substantial increase of your income!

 

In addition to the video be sure to shoot a picture of the delivery that you will also be uploading to facebook and tag the people in the photos “in other words Friend your customers and tag them in the photos” when you do this the pictures will show up on their profile page for all of their friends and family to see it came from you.

 

Let’s use the Flip Video and Facebook for getting new leads now.  Say you just received a new Hybrid Fusion Sport then shoot some video of the car and talk about it then using the pre-installed software on the Flip add your name, dealership, email address and phone number to the titles and overlays then upload it to Facebook.  If you are thinking wow this sounds to difficult then find a 10 year old to help you seriously little people are growing up with these tools and it comes natural as where is seems the older population (35+) seem to fight it, instead of having fun with it.  You can’t break anything I promise. 

 

Also Post a video of you talking about your referral program “Bird Dog” e.g. send a customer to me and I will pay you XX?

 

Post a video of what is special about your dealership that is unique e.g. Free Car Washes, Free Service Pickup and Return, $300 worth dry cleaning coupons with purchase, Tires for Life, etc. 

 

Does your dealership have a softball team or bowling league then shoot everyone having fun.

 

Dealership cookouts, St Jude Events, Child Safety Seat Checks shoot video to show you are not a bad person just wanting their hard earned income.  Also use your page to promote these events to your Facebook friends.

 

Do you have a monthly newsletter than grab some content and share but please talk about more than just sales….BE SOCIAL! 

 

Title these videos accordingly and tell them it is an exclusive offer but don’t get caught up in the Sunday, Sunday, Sunday all cars must go CHEESE.  This is the long term and the numbers will grow.  

 

Another feature to add:

 

On the bottom left…the very bottom you will see small type that says “Applications” click there and do a search for MyCalendar then click “add to my page” you can use this or one of the others to keep up with special dates such as past and future customers birthdays so you can wish them a Happy Birthday and Send an Ecard.  When was the last time you sent a Birthday card to a past or future customer?  This is usually only done my Maverick Sales People that live in the big house on the lake and don’t take ups and only schedule appointments 3 days per week.  You say that is not possible in today’s doom and gloom and I say you are wrong since I do know some of these Mavericks and yes while all the negative press has affected their numbers, they are still doing extremely well.

 

Invest in the tools and your success will only be limited by you willingness to partake in the conversation.  

 

I will close this post by saying “To Be Continued since next Post has tools that will make you smile when you deposit your next comm check. 

 

You can read about Twitter Success Here http://exclusivelyautomotive.com/car-dealer-search-engine-marketing/auto-dealers-using-twitter-to-sell-cars

 

Post comments and questions and I will do my best to answer them timely.

 

Paul Potratz | www.ppadv.com | POTRATZ 

Follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/potratz

Join us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Schenectady-NY/Potratz-Partners-Advertising/27488802886?ref=ts

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Posted in Sales Professionals | 3 Comments »

Selling Cars with Social Media Part 1

March 11th, 2009 by Paul Potratz

Today is the anniversary marking your fifth year as a car sales guru.  You are walking around feeling proud to be working for one of the largest dealerships in the entire state.  You have just completed your product knowledge training on the Ford lineup as you gaze at the top performing sales plaque where your name is on that plaque 38 times in the last five years. 

Then you look at the sales board and you only have 3 units out and it’s the 23 of the month now you start to sweat and start wondering what has happened to all the customers that use to drive right on to the lot ready to buy.  You corner your sales manager in the sales tower and tell him the advertising is all wrong and that the ad agency needs help and you have the answers.  You go on to say “We need to run a page buster in the newspaper on Wednesday when people are getting the newspaper for the grocery store coupons and we need to run in the sports section on Monday with an ad of saying come see me I have been here for 5 years and I know how to treat customers, we also need to run a crawl on the bottom of the local weather channel.” 

 

The sales manager then dismisses you and asks what time is the delivery today for the F250.

 

Well all of those ideas could have been good ideas in 2005 but it is now 2009 and a lot has changed in 4 short but fast years and I am sorry to inform you, all of those ideas are as old and worthless as the 8 track cartridges you have stored in the basement thinking there might be a use for them one day.  

 

The shoppers to the dealers lot are “not going to ever increase” no matter how much money a dealer spends in newspaper, radio, TV, or even ONLINE!  In fact the shoppers that drive on to the lot are actually going to decrease over the coming months and years and the reason for this is simple… The Internet!  It is convenient and painless to shop for a car online.  The consumer now has the power and you as a sales person need to find a way to prospect for new customers.

 

Don’t worry this is not a bad thing and in fact it is a Wonderful Thing for YOU as a car salesperson.  Why?  In the old days “2005” your income was directly related to where your dealership was located geographically, how aggressive the dealer was in radio, newspaper, TV, direct mail, the inventory in stock and a few other factors.  But now you as a sales person can become a lead generating sales machine.  You now have more reach and power than the local newspaper!  Let me repeat this… You as an individual car salesperson in any town across the country has more reach than the local newspaper that charges thousands of dollars to run ads that are not generating the results they use to.

 

So let’s get started in helping you drive more leads so you can once again look at the sales board to see your name on top with 20+ vehicles delivered and 11 days are left in the month BUT let me warn you…This is going to take effort on your part.  Actually a lot of effort but if you are dedicated it will pay off ten fold and it will be fun once you get into it.  One last note this is a multipart series to keep in simple so be sure to sign up for our RSS feed and if you are unsure what that is then sign up for our email newsletter. 

 

First Step: Make sure you have access to the following sites and if you don’t then corner your Dealer Principal and tell him/her you need access and if they don’t provide access then put in your two weeks notice and go somewhere else that understands the importance of what I am going to share with you.  It is the present and it is your future income!  If your Dealer Principal is confused have them call me and I will explain it is also their income they are holding back.

 

Second Step: Does your dealership provide email access and can you check it from anywhere if so you are good to move on to the next step.  If not then proceed to Google and set-up a gmail account.  I suggest using your name e.g. firstnamelastname@gmail.com so you can begin to brand yourself.  I know some dealers want you to brand them which my reply is people buy from people and you want your new customers to remember your name which in turn will benefit the dealership since they will connect faster with an individual than they will with ABC Ford.

 

Third Step: Set up a Facebook Page for yourself, I know you think it is for kids well guess again.  Facebook’s fastest growing age group is 30 years old plus and they are adding members at a pace of 600,000 per month with expected growth of 200 Million in the near future.  Ok so get that Facebook page set up and don’t be a cheese ball and say “ewwww I don’t want to add them as a friend, I did not like them in school” everyone is a car buyer and this is a numbers game so work it!  Do your best to add everyone from High School, College, and be sure to search for two years prior and after your graduation dates.  Search for old employers and find those people.  Get that stack of business cards you have shoved in the drawer and search for those people, add them, add them all. 

 

Note: when requesting friendships it will have the captcha code that is hard to read so click the verification link in that box and send a text message to your cell phone to avoid that in the future.  

 

Ok back to adding friends, search your files for past customers and add them.  You can search by name or by email address.  Search for people in your area and see who you find that you know.

 

Complete all of your information, add your photo, add your contact info, include your dealership, include the website url to your dealership, put your cell phone number in the profile and connect with all of your contacts.  Let them know you are on Facebook and write on their wall.  Catch up with them and PLEASE DON’T SPAM them.  Don’t try to sell on Facebook just connect with old friends, make new friends and let them know where you are if they are ever in the market to buy a car to let you know. AGAIN PEOPLE BUY FROM FRIENDS.  Update your status that you are at work, you are excited to test drive the new blank model that just arrived.  Comment on friends walls, comment on their photos, be complimentary, be fun, and work it.  Will this take a lot of time… not at all.  30 minutes per day.  10 mins in the am, 10 mins mid-day, 10 mins before you leave.  Communicate, don’t abuse and network and the return will be tenfold. To be continued…  


Paul Potratz | Potratz Partners | www.exclusivelyautomotive.com | www.twitter.com/potratz

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Posted in Sales Professionals, Social Networking | 2 Comments »

Don’t Shoot Old Yeller… Yellow Pages Advertising

October 30th, 2008 by Paul Potratz

Today I was meeting with a dealer and we were discussing how much advertising has changed in such a short period of time. 


We then started talking about traditional advertising and how the days of only radio, broadcast TV (before cable), direct mail, billboards, and Yellow Pages covered all the staples of advertising. 


He then proceeded to tell me that he canceled his Yellow Pages Advertising.

 

WHAT!!!!!  You are doing WHAT I said as I picked up my notebook that I dropped in all the excitement.


He said "yes we canceled it no one goes to the phone directory any  more"


You can’t do that… canceling the Yellow Pages is like leaving Old Yeller on the side of the road and the Yellow Pages has been around since 1883.


He laughed and said come on Mr. Connected iPhone, Goog411, Google Map Gadget Guy.

I know many of you would agree with this dealer and this definitely not the first time I have heard a dealer make this statement and it won’t be the last time but let me provide some background since this thought also crossed my mind when I became a Google Groupie some years back.


Background: We work with dealers in the Northeast, Midwest, and South and I can lay fact to one thing.  THE BIG YELLOW DRIVES CALLS!  In fact big yellow is a lot of times the 2nd to 4th leading source of call traffic into a dealership.  WE TRACK IT!


Back to my story: I asked how did you determine the Big Yellow has to go?


His Reply: No one uses it


My Reply: You mean you don’t use it


His Reply: Our agency said it was a waste of money and we should cancel


My Reply: You mean you said that and they just repeated it back to you since they felt that’s what you wanted to hear.


The Bottom Line: Don’t cancel advertising that you "feel" no one uses.


Track and record your phone calls to know the facts.  Is Big Yellow driving Sales Calls or Service Calls and once you know these facts you can cut back on headings.


Granted advertising in 8 directories for the same area does not make sound financial sense so pick the biggest and oldest and invest in some 800 tracking numbers to have the real facts.


Also don’t fall into the mindset you need the biggest page, color, and 27 different headings….now that is a waste and I say this based on Fact

 

Paul Potratz

 

POTRATZ | www.ppadv.com | Follow me on Twitter | Be a Fan on Facebook   

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Posted in Traditional Advertising | 1 Comment »

Silly Rabbit… Social Networking is Not Just for Kids!

October 28th, 2008 by Paul Potratz

 Why is it every time I speak of Social Networking or Social Marketing as being part of a dealers marketing mix, the response I receive is a crinkled forehead and the conversation goes something like this…

Dealer: "ummm do you mean like Facebook or MySpace?"

Me: "Yes that would be an example but there are many others"

Dealer: "that’s a bunch of kids not car buyers"

I think the answer is simple to understand why so many dealers think Social Marketing is  for kids.

1. They associate Facebook and MySpace with kids since they have seen their children on these sites.

2. They don’t really understand what it is and how it works

3. They are making a big mistake by assuming everyone else thinks like them or has the same interest.

I want to start off by asking a simple question. Do people buy from their friends faster than they will from a stranger?  Of course they do!  

Social groups and clubs were huge years ago e.g. Rotary, Junior Chamber Of Commerce, Kiwannis, Local Country Clubs, Elks, and Lions to mention a few.  The years have gone by and many of these groups are struggling to find members if they even still exist.  I use to belong to a few of these groups and trust me these guys were really marketing, face to face networking, pressing some flesh, or Old Fashioned Social Networking.  

Just mention you were in the market for a new vehicle and you could be assured Bob would direct you to Sammy then Sammy would direct you to his brother Frank that worked at Hometown Ford then Frank would direct you to Dean that could provide insurance.

Well nothing has changed except we are now able to do the same thing online and yes on sites like Facebook, MySpace, Blogs, Twitter, Google Groups, Yahoo Groups, Forums…wooo I am getting carried away so I will keep it simple so you can get started in baby steps.

 

Is Social Networking for Kids?  YES WITHOUT A DOUBT but it’s also for guys like me who are 40 years old…ok 39.  I have over 500 people in my networks and they are all within my age group.  In my office my Art Director is 26 and has 700 personal contacts in his network and my wife of 29 (not really) has her Aunt’s in her network and they are XX well let’s just say older than me.  I think I made my point so let’s get started in setting up a Social network and working it.

1. Find 2-3 people that are on Facebook and MySpace in the dealership.

2. Have them show you how it works and help you set up your account.

3. Invite everyone you went to school with, worked with and INVITE ME "Paul Potratz"

4. Next sales meeting make it a training meeting and show everyone how to set up an account and encourage them to do it and explain the benefits to them and the dealership… everyone at the dealership from service, parts, office…. everyone needs to participate.

5. Set up the dealership as a group and ask everyone to join the group.

6. Post specials, Videos, Pictures, Sales Person of the Month, Service Writer of the Month, Awards, Special Dates in the Group, Interact Write on Walls, WORK IT.

7. Ask Customers to Join the Group in email blast, direct mail, print ads, post a link on your website, include the group in everyones email signature.

Once you start using Facebook it is habit forming and so cool!  You will find several other ways to create buzz in your network and group with applications, bling, and gifts.  You can even have your own custom application built and put into play on Facebook …now we are talking Viral Marketing which is for another post coming.

Think of it like this: If you have 100 employees and the average person will know 400 people that is a lot of people that will receive your brand from someone they know personally.  This is real word of mouth advertising.  

Oh and did I mention it is free!

Paul Potratz

POTRATZ | www.ppadv.com | Follow Me On Twitter | Be a Fan on Facebook

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Posted in Social Networking | 3 Comments »

Are You The CEO of this Dealership?

October 25th, 2008 by Paul Potratz

Saturday Morning, I was reading the news when I received an IM from a client telling me traffic was good today and it was already a good day… I asked what did he attribute the increase in traffic to and when he said his sales staff I was really pleased and reminded of a sales meeting where I was asked to speak to the sales staff and it went something like this:

I presented this question to the sales staff. "Are you the CEO of this Dealership"? When I looked around the room many looked confused and no one answered. So I started singling people out and each one replied "NO"…Think again I said!

I believe to be successful you must have a CEO mentality. All successful sales people view themselves as a business within a business.

Never forget that the dealer principal writes and signs your check, but you fill in the numbers.

Always take responsibility for everything!

You are the CEO of your own business! You do have control of your income and success if you are willing to plan it and work it!

How do you get your business? Walk-ins, in-bound phone calls, repeats, prospecting, networking, referrals, affiliate marketing programs, database mining, database swapping, niche marketing, seminars, websites, email blast, craigslist, oodle, olx, backpage, ebay, Facebook, YouTube and one of my favorites… working a couple hours on Sunday if your store is closed. Do you have at least one strategy for utilizing each one of these? Many people may not even know what many of these items are. The good news is that the majority of your co-workers don’t either. You can catch up and pass the most seasoned and productive sales people with dedicated strategy and smart actions.

Top sales people gain and maintain their results through many avenues beyond walkin traffic. When you are new, you spend 80 percent of your time gaining new customers and 20 percent maintaining them. As each month goes by, your goal will be to reverse the time used to 80 percent maintaining current customers and 20 percent gaining new ones. To do this, you must develop a process with multiple streams of lead generation. Lead generation = dollar creation.

If floor traffic dries up, you still have to sell vehicles. From now on, excuses are not allowed. What is your strategy for walk-ins? Do you have a process? Does anyone besides you follow up with unsold customers? Does your dealership utilize a call tracking program like Whoscalling?  If so ask for access to it so you can follow up lost calls and you will be amazed how many opportunities were lost due to poor phone skills but can be had if you work it. 

Are you utilizing monthly planners or productivity software that allows you to automate your followup of sold and unsold customers by phone, mail and email? Do you have a monthly newsletter or, better yet, an email newsletter that reaches your customers unobtrusively and at zero-cost? 

Here is a few free CRM’s ZOHO.COM, Longjump.com, Sugar

If you let your mind expand, your wallet will follow.

You have choices, you can use excuses like, “My managers won’t let me do anything,” “I don’t have the time,” “I have to make money right now,” or the market is down. Or, you can think of your business as a business and become the CEO with a long-term, committed strategy to grow expeditiously.

 I Promise You people are buying cars, look on ebay at ending auctions and you will see this fact.

Now Go Sell,

Paul Potratz | Potratz Partners | www.ppadv.com

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/potratz

 

 

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