Well, here is part deux as promised. Social Media is moving so fast through our industry that dealerships seem to be trying anything and everything to make sense of it. There are more opinions than facts and even more dark corners that have yet to be explored. As stated in my previous blog post anything that drives someone away from the sales process is potentially dangerous. This includes linking shoppers to social media sites through embedded icons from the homepage. I fully understand the potential brand alignments referred to in some of the comments and I agree that these sites can lend credibility to the dealership. But at what cost?

Now for the drum roll please…

How do we integrate Social Media into our dealership business without disrupting anything? After six months of working on this and countless conversations with industry peers and experts, I am please to show you just (Click Here). This is still in Beta and has not been released to the public yet, but I thought I...

After spending all of February visiting and analyzing dealership websites, one thing stuck with me that has raised a large concern. In my understanding of being successful online driving traffic to the website is just the first step. The next and probably the most important step is making sure people drive deep into the website and ultimately convert to either a web form, chat conversation or a phone call. But, I have found an alarming number of dealerships placing their social media links like FaceBook, Twitter, Youtube, dealership blog, Digg and a host of additional social media connection points on their homepage, which is linking shoppers away from their websites. I know some people will say that all this is doing is launching another browser, which preserves the dealership website beneath but is it really? Let’s be honest and call a spade a spade. It drives people away from the website. If the dealership is lucky this will only be temporarily but it may be permanently.

Is thi...

Every day I talk with dealership about Internet marketing. One thing that always stands out to me is the email correspondence that dealerships send to shoppers, from the initial autoresponder to the letter 60 days later, if they even send that many. This could be a great place to stand out to make your business case but, unfortunately, most dealership’s marketing emails all read and look the same.
When shoppers visit five websites looking for the best deal and submit email forms nothing is worse than looking just like your competitor. It screams to the shopper a duck is a duck is a duck. The only problem is you don’t want to be a duck. You want your marketing to stand out and give a different vibe. You need to show the shopper you are different.



Throw out the typical autoresponder. Send a video email introduction instead.
Don’t talk about how great your dealership is; follow up on what the shopper wants instead—make sure you address their request.
Don’t send a ...

Meet & Greet- You have four seconds to make a great first impression with you shopper. Yep that is it! Research shows that a person makes up their mind about another individual within 4 seconds of meeting them. Make your approach and greeting powerful.

Your Elevator Pitch- Within 30 seconds you need to be able to explain why the shopper should do business with you and your dealership. It has to be powerful and poignant. Show the shopper the benefits that you can bring to the shopper. This pitch needs to be centered around helping the shopper fulfill their needs.

RTDB- Ready To Do Business is essential to closing deals. Being prepared is so important yet half the time we are scrambling around without a pen, nothing to write on, no inventory sheets etc. Get into the game be prepared and get ready your next sale is right around the corner.

Product Demonstrations- Deliver a walk around that is unforgettable and make the actual test drive just a bonus. Take the time and presen...

As a recap from last week, we established the importance of starting to build Social CRM for your dealership. I feel there was some great conversation on how to get started; thanks for all the great comments! Today we are going to dive in to the steps necessary to get it off the ground. This is such an exciting time for the automotive industry and the potential for leveraging this new Social CRM can pay huge dividend for your dealership-- if you take the necessary steps to succeed.

Before I dive into the details, I want to share an analogy to help understand the connection between sales and social media.  When I was just getting started in the biz over 18 years ago, I remember a salesperson named Warren who continued to outsell everyone each month (35-45 units), yet he rarely took floor ups. His secret was his old rolodex that he constantly referenced as a gold mine for potential vehicles sales. Some where pre-existing customers, others were people he had met through everyday li...

Most dealerships use a CRM application in one form or another (some better than others).   Everyone is trying to track their prospects and customers a little more closely because honestly, there are currently fewer of them.  I think most dealerships are now looking into their DMS to mine previous shoppers in hopes of future business.  This is a good thing, and I can say without a doubt that the last 14 months have been the most gut wrenching I have experienced in the last 18 years in the automotive industry.  But I know that the dealerships that are left standing will be stronger, smarter and more equipped to deal with a marketplace that hasn't yet been fully defined.
Today, I want to focus on an emerging marketplace that I believe dealerships can leverage to gain a stronger local consumer influence, and secure their future in the automotive franchise business. The marketplace that I am referring to is Social Media. This dynamic and fluid channel is whe...

Well, they are not really diabolical but I needed to grab your attention somehow. Today I want to share with you some of the most important tips that we teach our professional chat reps at ActivEngage.  We have found these 5 tips very effective to manage online conversations and move website visitors through a shopping process.
1.  Offer the right message at just the right time- This means understanding your shoppers and then offering them relevant conversation based on: where they came from, what keywords they used and what pages they have visited on your website. If they have visited your site more than once, then you should also look at previous click paths and any previous chats.  By understanding your shoppers' mindsets, it is much easier to deliver information that they will find useful. 
2.  Get control of the conversation fast- Similar to handling a phone up, it is critical that you take control of the chat by asking questions. The key to online chat...

Most of you know that I have been involved with social media from pretty much the start; I always make sure to stay ahead of innovation for both personal and professional benefits.  I have also helped many dealerships and OEMs leverage new media and technology to stay ahead as well.  I recently decided to leverage this knowledge for a personal issue that I have been dealing with for almost a year now with the city of Orlando.  Don't you just love dealing with big, political bureaucracies?      
I decided to take our issues to the Internet and see if we could get some response. Being in the technology industry, I felt this would be the perfect social media experiment. Could the Internet really help to call attention to public policy that needs reform? The Internet & Twitter were driving forces in President Obama’s campaign, could it work to help us keep our deck? It's worth a shot.  
The situation is simple: we have a deck th...

I have recently fielded questions about the best methods to handle pre-owned inbound phone leads and have proven ideas and a script outline below.  A well thought out and rehearsed script can help even the best sales person get more contact information and schedule more appointments.  Any personnel fielding phone calls should have the script down pat.  The key is having a proven process to ensure consistent results from inbound calls.  And the script has got to sound real and engaging; nothing turns people off faster than someone reading to them over the phone.  Anyone taking calls should be required to have the script memorized.  Test them to ensure this!         
The goals for all calls should be 1.) qualify the shopper, 2.) get contact information and 3.) set an appointment.  I can tell you from years of experience, most calls are not this structured and frequently end without capturing any of this informati...

Most of us increasingly hear the term "business intelligence" thrown around in the automotive industry.  It sounds important, doesn't it?  But is it?  And what does it really mean for your dealership? 
In general (after you strip away all the jargon and BS), business intelligence simply means that you are not only collecting relevant data about prospects and customers as they move around your website, but also accurately analyzing and using that data to personalize your communication and interaction with those shoppers.  In its broadest sense, it's as simple as that.  While the definition may be easy, what needs to happen behind the scenes to collect business intelligence data is by no means child's play.  Further, successful incorporation of that information into real-life communication with consumers can also present challenges.  Let's talk here more about properly using the data, rather than properly collecting the data.  (The...

True story: I was on the phone with a dealer this week and he said he wanted to change the way the dealership handled live chat on the website.  He said he wanted to stop giving out detailed vehicle and other information and curtail the process of getting shoppers' contact information to continue communication via email and phone.  He said, "We just want to tell them to 'come on down to the dealership.'  I was floored.  I thought about my response and the dealer was a little confused when I told him he was a bank robber.  A bank robber goes into a bank where he has no money and demands money.  He has given nothing, made no deposits and yet expects the money.  This is exactly what you're doing if you still expect to gain shoppers' business without investing in the relationship and starting it online.  
Listening and responding to shoppers' queries is more important than ever, and your website offers one the easiest, most cost-effective...

Okay, almost everyone agrees that there were too many domestic dealerships and that something needed to happen to reduce the number, and it probably should have happened many years ago.  The problem was created when the domestic OEMs were passing out dealerships in the 60s and 70s with the thought that, like McDonald's, the more locations you have, the more you will sell.  This model stopped working a long time ago and some may argue that it was never effective.  Again, some dealerships have needed to go for a long time, not just due to recent economic conditions. 
With all that said, WTF happened to the criteria that ended up being used to decide which dealerships to eliminate?!  As we all know now, the decision wasn't based solely (or possibly even largely) on the financial health of the dealerships.  Every day we're hearing more stories from profitable dealerships that received termination letters.  As a business person, car guy and capitalist, t...

Your responses to leads can make or break the deal with prospects.  Customization and personalization send clear signals that you are listening and that you care.  Creating your responses based on the specific information that you have, such as the lead source, will give you a much higher response rate.  It does take more time, but the investment in quality pays off.                        
For example, Black Book offers you a unique way to follow up and engage leads. You know that the shopper is trying to find the value of their trade in, which is a definite sign they are serious. This offers you a great opportunity to personalize either the email or phone call with the shopper, instead of using the same canned response you give to all the other Internet ups. Focusing on the value of the trade and the trade in process can help you leverage what they a...

There are countless ways dealers can use live chat to help website visitors (and increase lead generation and sales)-- and also some ways it can go terribly wrong.  So why do some dealerships keep making the same mistakes?
I have broken down the main reasons live chat can fail to increase website lead generation for dealers.  We’ll call them the 7 Deadly Sins of Chat. Just think of the movie Seven but without all the scary stuff.
Lust- Loving your customers is great, but take it slow.  Yes, show your customers the love, but don’t be too pushy.  Be friendly, initiate the relationship and ask if they would like to chat.  If they say no, leave them alone.  Don’t keep trying.  If they do chat, but only need a simple answer to a quick question, offer more help, but leave them alone if they say they’re okay.  Also try not to get too personal too fast. Asking a shopper if they want help on the 2008 Chevrolet Equinox that they ...

I have learned so much by visiting dealerships around the nation and learned how more and more dealers are using chat to engage web site visitors and sell more cars. From the dealerships that do it themselves to dealerships that outsource the whole operation, there are several things that you must do to have success with chat. I have come to realize chat is like the phone in that it can add a higher level of sales, service and support for your dealership, or it can ring and ring and ring and produce poor results. Let’s take some time and go over just how to leverage chat to actively engage your web site visitors and, more importantly, turn them into sales for the dealership. (I have taken this information from a recent Digital Dealer article.) 

1. Online and on time – As I speak with people that don’t seem to be getting the most out of using chat, the first thing that I usually uncover is the limited amount of time they spend in front of the computer tryi...

I have attended and presented at every Digital Dealer Conference since its inception.  Every iteration has a slightly different focus and buzz, so it’s valuable to attend them all.  (And okay, who doesn’t love a good reason to go to Vegas?)  Last week’s conference had a good turn-out of over 400 dealers, which is especially strong considering current industry conditions.  And there were dealers at different levels: I spoke with Internet managers and I also spoke with a lot of GMs. 
I think the overall, most important conversations at the conference centered around how dealers are more actively trying to leverage their websites.  I definitely walked away with ideas to use in our business.  In particular, there was a lot of great discussion about the power of social media and live chat.  I look at this conference as it’s two times a year and technology moves so fast that it’s good to take a temperature reading and ta...

Your next leads are at the dealership website right now. You can bet that someone wants to talk to you at your website as you’re reading this. How do you plan to engage them in a conversation? Do you have the ability to serve them at your website? If not, then you're missing sales opportunities every day. It's literally like leaving money sitting on the table. Your manager would fire you for not engaging an up on your lot, yet hundreds, even thousands of people are visiting your website and leaving without a trace.

As we have discussed, mere IM software might help you increase lead generation, but what I am talking about is the power of knowing your up before they want to interact with you. IM might allow you to chat on your website-- but with no frame of reference about what the person might want, what they have already looked at, how many times they have visited the site, etc. This is the customer intelligence that helps turn anonymous website visitors into valuable le...

More and more dealers are beginning to understand the value of including live chat on their dealership website. Consumers’ instant gratification demands have helped changed how dealerships interact with their shoppers online, and smart dealers know that it is one of the most cost-effective ways to increase qualified first-party leads. The question then becomes: how do you select the right live chat service for your dealership? Although the basic underlying technology behind live chat is similar, the individual chat software products vary greatly.

For example, here are 5 specific things your automotive chat should be able to do to make you more competitive and successful with your online chat.

1. Ability to view visitors on your website in real-time and watch as they shop around your website. Chat intelligence offers you the same power of watching an up on your lot look at three Nissan Maximas, before coming into your dealership.
2. The referring URL and Keywords shopper...

1. Chat software is not all the same, so it really does matter what technology service you use. Some chat software systems are much better at allowing your salespeople to engage in chat, and also providing information about their online behavior. Knowing your shoppers’ click path, keywords, previous website visits, location and previous chats all help to craft a better, more engaging conversation with shoppers, which helps generates more qualified leads. This is the difference between business intelligence and mere IM software.
2. Chat will not be an effective tool if you use it occasionally or just when you have time. For chat to work at your dealership you need chat reps available from 9am-9pm, Monday through Friday, during your website’s peak traffic times. If a shopper clicks to chat and you are not there, it can do more damage than good. Consistent coverage helps to make chat an effective sales tool. If you can’t cover the hours, hire someone who can.
3. Simply placi...

1. Chat will not turn a poor website design into an award winning website. What it will do is offer confused shoppers a way to engage and have their questions answered right on the spot.

2. Chat will not be the solution for every website shopper. Chat will provide a significant portion of your shoppers an alternative, anonymous, quick way to engage with your dealership and have their questions answered immediately.

3. Chat can’t promise to deliver sales. Properly deployed chat can promise to deliver more qualified and engaged prospects to sell to. Chat is a powerful lead generation tool for your website and we see 50%-150% increases in leads from most dealership sites.

4. Chat will not replace the phone or email. Chat is a great complement for your dealerships website because it provides yet another contact point for your website shoppers to engage and have their questions answered in real-time. Instant satisfaction plays a big role in landing the sale. With chat you can p...

So back to the coverage issue that I am so fond of today. The manufacturers and third party portals like Edmunds and KBB are paying all the money for the top of the funnel search terms, which can lead to very uncompetitive prices for dealerships that are trying to compete.

The real question is: if someone types in “Toyota” on a Google search, is that person the best prospect for your dealership? I think I would much rather have someone who types in “Toyota Camry lease specials,” versus losing the majority of my budget on top of the funnel keywords. Go back to your Google account and see which keywords all your money is being spent on to drive traffic to your website. I will almost guarantee that the majority of your budget is gobbled up by the Google machine for generic branding terms like “Toyota” that will drive top of the funnel traffic to your site. But you will have a much harder time converting this traffic since the people doing online searches with these generi...

This Means You are Probably Losing Thousand of Search Impressions Per Month.

I have gone through many websites over the past few months that handle SEM for dealerships and have done more Google searches than I even want to admit. Mostly for my own edification but also to try to better understand other companies’ strategies. Just as I am sure that you occasionally type in your keywords to see which competitors show up and to also see at what types of ads they might be running.

Today I want to give you one word that will change your entire Google strategy or at least put you into the top of marketers on Google. The word is “Coverage” or the percentage of time people see your ads based on your targeted keywords. This term is what separates people who are extremely successful using Google as a marketing tool from those who just waste a lot of money. Just to give you a little inside information almost all advertisers on Google have keyword coverage of less than 20% and in fa...

I’m excited to be a part of the community that Jared has created here at DrivingSales. Social media is exploding and connecting all of us together in an entirely new way. I know a lot of you already from working in the industry for over 20 years now, and I look forward to meeting you if we don’t know each other yet. I want to contribute as much as possible to help everyone sell more, service more and fine tune their operation, especially during the difficult period we are facing now.

Coming from the dealership side of things, I have knowledge and insight to share and really want to help you solve your problems and challenges. I like to hear unusual/different/new problems because I love to find solutions. I was the kid who went every day to the local 7-eleven till I was able to beat the Pac Man machine. I was also the same kid who had to solve the Rubik’s cube the fastest in my school. (I know these things date me pretty well but I love a challenge.) Send me any current cha...