I’m not an expert on political policy. For most of last night’s presidential debate, I didn’t really have a clue about what the candidates were talking about. Dodd-Frank? Simpson-Bowles? Big-Bird? Does anyone really know what any of this means?. However, I thought that one sound bite in particular would catch the attention of all of us in the automotive sector. On the topic of government subsidies to green energy companies, Governor Romney said that President Obama “only picked the losers,” mentioning not only the infamous bankruptcies of alternate-energy companies Solyndra and Ener1, but also electric automakers Fisker and Tesla.

Clearly, some of the $90 billion in subsidies given by the U.S. government to manufacturers of lithium-ion batteries and solar panels have backfired. But it seems like the plug-in luxury carmakers at Tesla and Fisker are just getting started. Tesla Motors has already begun delivering on its promise of energy independence by delivering dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of its new 2012 Model S all-electric sport sedans to the list of more than 10,000 depositors who’ve put down up to $50,000 to reserve cars when they are available.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk posted a report on Wednesday about the health of his company and wrote that Tesla would begin to repay its U.S. Department of Energy loan earlier than expected. And while Fisker hasn’t ever published a profitable quarterly report, the company has just closed a new deal for $100 million of private financing. Under new CEO Tony Posawatz, Fisker has started developing their new mid-sized Atlantic sedan and exploring partnerships within our industry.

Many investors are finding tremendous potential and value in investing in electric cars – irrespective of political affiliation. How long do you think it will take for battery-powered cars to become the new standard on the road? Will every major OEM have their own variant of the Chevy Volt within the next decade? Are government subsidies on electric technology developers a worthy cause – or are these companies just losers?

I’m not an expert on political policy. For most of last night’s presidential debate, I didn’t really have a clue about what the candidates were talking about. Dodd-Frank? Simpson-Bowles? Big-Bird? Does anyone really know what any of this means?. However, I thought that one sound bite in particular would catch the attention of all of us in the automotive sector. On the topic of government subsidies to green energy companies, Governor Romney said that President Obama “only picked the losers,” mentioning not only the infamous bankruptcies of alternate-energy companies Solyndra and Ener1, but also electric automakers Fisker and Tesla.

Clearly, some of the $90 billion in subsidies given by the U.S. government to manufacturers of lithium-ion batteries and solar panels have backfired. But it seems like the plug-in luxury carmakers at Tesla and Fisker are just getting started. Tesla Motors has already begun delivering on its promise of energy independence by delivering dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of its new 2012 Model S all-electric sport sedans to the list of more than 10,000 depositors who’ve put down up to $50,000 to reserve cars when they are available.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk posted a report on Wednesday about the health of his company and wrote that Tesla would begin to repay its U.S. Department of Energy loan earlier than expected. And while Fisker hasn’t ever published a profitable quarterly report, the company has just closed a new deal for $100 million of private financing. Under new CEO Tony Posawatz, Fisker has started developing their new mid-sized Atlantic sedan and exploring partnerships within our industry.

Many investors are finding tremendous potential and value in investing in electric cars – irrespective of political affiliation. How long do you think it will take for battery-powered cars to become the new standard on the road? Will every major OEM have their own variant of the Chevy Volt within the next decade? Are government subsidies on electric technology developers a worthy cause – or are these companies just losers?

“That is not my job.”

Your dealership, like any business, has a mission. It might be to sell the most cars in the region. Maybe you’re focused on retention through your service department or simply providing the best dealership shopping experience for your customers. Whatever your business goals are, you’re not going to achieve them all on your own. You need the help of team players on your staff to support the entire organization. But just a few toxic words can poison the whole process: “That’s not MY job.”

If you’ve heard this one before, it might be time to seriously examine your corporate culture. Running a business always has unexpected curves, and you occasionally need things done that are outside of any one member’s job description. Whether you’re working on a big project, promotion, or sales push, you’re going to need all hands on deck – but “that’s not my job” means that your team members are more focused on their individual performance than your store’s success as a whole.

How can you combat a culture of self-interest?

• Constant communication. If you’re an organizational leader, you must be highly visible to the rest of your team. Make the effort to meet with your other departmental heads so that you can promote a culture of unity. Use this opportunity to clarify your store’s goals, weaknesses, and strategy.

• Host team-building exercises. ActivEngage believes that happy and fulfilled staff members make the most productive team. Earlier this week, we gave our Customer Success Managers a chance to cut loose by playing laser tag. Nothing helps vent frustration and build teamwork like shooting at each other with toy guns. Try taking your staff on a retreat or out to lunch – getting to know your employees outside of work can build trust and loyalty in the office.

• Ensure fairness in the workplace.  “That’s not my job” usually translates to “I’m not getting paid enough for this” or “I have too much to do already.” Take a hands-on approach to measuring your team’s workload; keep track of the tasks you’ve assigned and try to make sure that no one is overburdened with an unfair share.

Don’t let bureaucracy and compartmentalization tear down the team dynamic that you desperately need. Make your team feel like they are a part of something greater than themselves. Eliminate “that’s not my job” from your store.

“That is not my job.”

Your dealership, like any business, has a mission. It might be to sell the most cars in the region. Maybe you’re focused on retention through your service department or simply providing the best dealership shopping experience for your customers. Whatever your business goals are, you’re not going to achieve them all on your own. You need the help of team players on your staff to support the entire organization. But just a few toxic words can poison the whole process: “That’s not MY job.”

If you’ve heard this one before, it might be time to seriously examine your corporate culture. Running a business always has unexpected curves, and you occasionally need things done that are outside of any one member’s job description. Whether you’re working on a big project, promotion, or sales push, you’re going to need all hands on deck – but “that’s not my job” means that your team members are more focused on their individual performance than your store’s success as a whole.

How can you combat a culture of self-interest?

• Constant communication. If you’re an organizational leader, you must be highly visible to the rest of your team. Make the effort to meet with your other departmental heads so that you can promote a culture of unity. Use this opportunity to clarify your store’s goals, weaknesses, and strategy.

• Host team-building exercises. ActivEngage believes that happy and fulfilled staff members make the most productive team. Earlier this week, we gave our Customer Success Managers a chance to cut loose by playing laser tag. Nothing helps vent frustration and build teamwork like shooting at each other with toy guns. Try taking your staff on a retreat or out to lunch – getting to know your employees outside of work can build trust and loyalty in the office.

• Ensure fairness in the workplace.  “That’s not my job” usually translates to “I’m not getting paid enough for this” or “I have too much to do already.” Take a hands-on approach to measuring your team’s workload; keep track of the tasks you’ve assigned and try to make sure that no one is overburdened with an unfair share.

Don’t let bureaucracy and compartmentalization tear down the team dynamic that you desperately need. Make your team feel like they are a part of something greater than themselves. Eliminate “that’s not my job” from your store.

The most trusted name in live chat brings the top ten blogs and auto news stories right to you! We monitor industry trends, current events and the auto dealer community every week to bring you the top ten blogs and automotive stories from around the globe. In this weekly edition – email template theft, fake social media reviews, and Myspace makes a comeback!

10. Stingray Photobomb

This photo of a stingray smiling for a photo opportunity has gotten national attention. For some reason, everyone else in the picture doesn’t look too happy about it.

9.  Being An Absent Leader Is Much Like Being An Absent Father

In a highly personal blog post on Dealerelite.net, Craig Lockerd writes that being a leader at the workplace is much like being an attentive father. Read about how to be present for your family and your employees.

8. Are You A Victim Of ETT (Email Template Theft)?

Email Template Theft (ETT) has become such a serious problem in automotive sales that it’s apparently gotten its own acronym. Have you had your email template stolen? Find out here.

7. Depth of Engagement vs Breadth of Impressions

Engagement counts more and costs less than awareness – find out how you can engage your customer rather than simply raising awareness.

6. Russian Truck Driver Miraculously Survives Head On Crash

In an amazing, gut-wrenching video, a Russian truck driver makes an unbelievable escape and sticks a landing worthy of an Olympic gold medal.

5. Peacheetameleon: New Cobalt Study Shows Dealers Must Evolve To Survive

Like some kind of weird new Pokemon, the Peacheetameleon was invented by the Cobalt Group to represent the perfect amalgamation of the peacock’s beauty, the cheetah’s speed, and the chameleon’s adaptability. Read on to learn how you can become more like this biological nightmare.

4. Justin Timberlake Is Bringing Myspace Back

In an attempt to revitalize one of the oldest social networks, Justin Timberlake has acquired Myspace and given it an extreme makeover. Will this resuscitate the site, or is it forever doomed to be used only by teenage musicians?

3. Dealers Finding it Difficult To Put A Price On Online Reputation Building

How much do dealerships value their brand? How much should you spend to increase your brand’s Internet review ratings on Yelp and similar sites? Jerry Hart talks about the importance of your brand’s customer satisfaction thumbprint.

2. By 2014, 1 In 10 Social Media Reviews Will Be Fake

Falsified online reviews are going to become a huge problem that Mashable projects will explode in the coming years. How will reviewing sites counter this? And will this saturation have a negative effect on your brand?

1. Regular NFL Refs Return, Get Standing Ovation

To the widespread relief of football fans, NFL refs are back in action. After ending their union strike from the league, refs took the field Thursday night to replace their cheaper imitators. fans can now look forward to a more professional sport for the rest of the season.
_
Did we miss anything important? Like our top ten blogs this week? Leave us a comment below! Or if you really can’t wait for your automotive fix, follow @activengage on Twitter for daily updates on auto industry news!

The most trusted name in live chat brings the top ten blogs and auto news stories right to you! We monitor industry trends, current events and the auto dealer community every week to bring you the top ten blogs and automotive stories from around the globe. In this weekly edition – email template theft, fake social media reviews, and Myspace makes a comeback!

10. Stingray Photobomb

This photo of a stingray smiling for a photo opportunity has gotten national attention. For some reason, everyone else in the picture doesn’t look too happy about it.

9.  Being An Absent Leader Is Much Like Being An Absent Father

In a highly personal blog post on Dealerelite.net, Craig Lockerd writes that being a leader at the workplace is much like being an attentive father. Read about how to be present for your family and your employees.

8. Are You A Victim Of ETT (Email Template Theft)?

Email Template Theft (ETT) has become such a serious problem in automotive sales that it’s apparently gotten its own acronym. Have you had your email template stolen? Find out here.

7. Depth of Engagement vs Breadth of Impressions

Engagement counts more and costs less than awareness – find out how you can engage your customer rather than simply raising awareness.

6. Russian Truck Driver Miraculously Survives Head On Crash

In an amazing, gut-wrenching video, a Russian truck driver makes an unbelievable escape and sticks a landing worthy of an Olympic gold medal.

5. Peacheetameleon: New Cobalt Study Shows Dealers Must Evolve To Survive

Like some kind of weird new Pokemon, the Peacheetameleon was invented by the Cobalt Group to represent the perfect amalgamation of the peacock’s beauty, the cheetah’s speed, and the chameleon’s adaptability. Read on to learn how you can become more like this biological nightmare.

4. Justin Timberlake Is Bringing Myspace Back

In an attempt to revitalize one of the oldest social networks, Justin Timberlake has acquired Myspace and given it an extreme makeover. Will this resuscitate the site, or is it forever doomed to be used only by teenage musicians?

3. Dealers Finding it Difficult To Put A Price On Online Reputation Building

How much do dealerships value their brand? How much should you spend to increase your brand’s Internet review ratings on Yelp and similar sites? Jerry Hart talks about the importance of your brand’s customer satisfaction thumbprint.

2. By 2014, 1 In 10 Social Media Reviews Will Be Fake

Falsified online reviews are going to become a huge problem that Mashable projects will explode in the coming years. How will reviewing sites counter this? And will this saturation have a negative effect on your brand?

1. Regular NFL Refs Return, Get Standing Ovation

To the widespread relief of football fans, NFL refs are back in action. After ending their union strike from the league, refs took the field Thursday night to replace their cheaper imitators. fans can now look forward to a more professional sport for the rest of the season.
_
Did we miss anything important? Like our top ten blogs this week? Leave us a comment below! Or if you really can’t wait for your automotive fix, follow @activengage on Twitter for daily updates on auto industry news!

In a retrospective presentation on the 2012 SXSW Expo, Jack Morton Senior Vice President, Liz Bigham, said that “engagement counts more and costs less than awareness.” What Bigham means by this statement, a variation on the Harvard Business Review maxim that loyalty is more valuable than awareness, is that brands stand to profit much more from one repeat buyer with lifetime loyalty than they do from two buyers who purchase only once. As Jack Morton’s SVP says, marketers get more bang for their buck by making customers love them than by spending lots of advertising money to generate awareness. Bigham calls it “an argument for depth of engagement over breadth of impressions.”

Makes sense, right? We live in a world where hundreds of marketing messages and distractions pull at us every day, vying for our attention. This is because marketers know that engagement is the new currency. Yet many, especially in the auto sector, still see digital as a means for impressions and not actual engagement. Jack Morton’s own research shows that 75% of consumers say that “if a brand wants to get my attention, it has to do something special.”

What does this mean? Liz Bigham says that to get the attention of shoppers and make that special connection, brands need to “treat every touchpoint as special.” Every interaction between brand and consumer is a sacred opportunity to stand out – and this is especially true with digital marketing. That means marketers should not adhere to the same tired SEO regulations and boring web content. Instead, do something completely different to capture consumer loyalty.

How can your dealership’s website stand out among the nation’s thousands of stores? Get your customers to continue their relationship with you by offering service discounts. Invest in learning about targeting and remarketing, so you can show off specific test drives to your visitors who have browsed those vehicle inventory pages. Don’t leave a simple form on your website to capture leads – implement live chat on your website to begin a relationship with shoppers before they enter your dealership’s physical storefront.

If you’ve made customer loyalty a priority, congratulations! You’re playing the long game by thinking about more than just the cars you could move off the lot today. A loyal customer won’t just buy from you today – he or she will come back for more, and evangelize your brand to others along the way.

Subscribe to the ActivEngage blog for weekly marketing updates!

In a retrospective presentation on the 2012 SXSW Expo, Jack Morton Senior Vice President, Liz Bigham, said that “engagement counts more and costs less than awareness.” What Bigham means by this statement, a variation on the Harvard Business Review maxim that loyalty is more valuable than awareness, is that brands stand to profit much more from one repeat buyer with lifetime loyalty than they do from two buyers who purchase only once. As Jack Morton’s SVP says, marketers get more bang for their buck by making customers love them than by spending lots of advertising money to generate awareness. Bigham calls it “an argument for depth of engagement over breadth of impressions.”

Makes sense, right? We live in a world where hundreds of marketing messages and distractions pull at us every day, vying for our attention. This is because marketers know that engagement is the new currency. Yet many, especially in the auto sector, still see digital as a means for impressions and not actual engagement. Jack Morton’s own research shows that 75% of consumers say that “if a brand wants to get my attention, it has to do something special.”

What does this mean? Liz Bigham says that to get the attention of shoppers and make that special connection, brands need to “treat every touchpoint as special.” Every interaction between brand and consumer is a sacred opportunity to stand out – and this is especially true with digital marketing. That means marketers should not adhere to the same tired SEO regulations and boring web content. Instead, do something completely different to capture consumer loyalty.

How can your dealership’s website stand out among the nation’s thousands of stores? Get your customers to continue their relationship with you by offering service discounts. Invest in learning about targeting and remarketing, so you can show off specific test drives to your visitors who have browsed those vehicle inventory pages. Don’t leave a simple form on your website to capture leads – implement live chat on your website to begin a relationship with shoppers before they enter your dealership’s physical storefront.

If you’ve made customer loyalty a priority, congratulations! You’re playing the long game by thinking about more than just the cars you could move off the lot today. A loyal customer won’t just buy from you today – he or she will come back for more, and evangelize your brand to others along the way.

Subscribe to the ActivEngage blog for weekly marketing updates!

“I’m afraid I can’t talk to customers, Dave.”

I don’t think anyone can deny that robots are pretty cool. I mean, we can send machines to the bottom of the sea or to the depths of space. Robots have improved efficiency and quality of life in warehouses, factories, and mines. IBM’sDeep Blue wiped the floor with chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov. As I write this, NASA’s Curiosity rover is probably making first contact with Martians (and tweeting about it). Occasionally, robots can even travel back in time,shapeshift, or conquer the whole human race. Yeah, robots are better than us at almost everything. Almost.

There is one arena that human beings are not quite obsolete: customer service. I’m sure that many of us have run the nightmare gauntlet of a corporate phone tree, so we know just how frustrating and useless automated operators can be. My experience with chat providerActivEngage has taught me that nothing turns off web shoppers like the feeling that they are conversing with a machine. Your customers want the attention of a real person to answer their questions and help them find their next vehicle.

Here are some tips to help you avoid sounding mechanical when engaging your visitors through live chat and email:

• Don’t sweat small mistakes.

Though widely considered inappropriate and unprofessional, a small slip-up or typo can prove your humanity to web shoppers. If you’re working hard on a live chat and catch yourself inputting a misspelling or grammatical error, quickly correct yourself and apologize. Your visitor will forgive you. Know that your capacity for human error is a strength, not a weakness.

• Throw out your script.

People are pretty smart. If you’re abusing canned responses or copy-pasting corny one-liners into your live chat conversations, your visitor is going to know. Your main priority in these chats should be to listen and react accordingly. Don’t try to stuff your pre-scripted narrative down your customer’s throat; you’re just insulting his or her intelligence.

• Personalize your conversation.

Always add context to your customer interactions online. Address your customers by name. Wish them a good morning to show that you’re aware of the passage of time. Greet them the same way you would greet them in the real world. Use friendliness and your own personal brand of humor to lighten the mood and show your human side.

At the heart of ActivEngage’s philosophy lies the belief that it is people, not technology, that sells cars. Robots may best us in physical strength and processing power, but they lack the very thing that makes customers feel welcome, that builds brand loyalty, that makes your dealership the best place to buy a new car: communication. So while this robot may win 100% of the time at rock-paper-scissors, it can not increase car sales at your store. It can not feel pain, or love, or desire. Robots can not dream, or laugh, or cry.

But when robots can do these things – we’re all pretty much doomed.

“I’m afraid I can’t talk to customers, Dave.”

I don’t think anyone can deny that robots are pretty cool. I mean, we can send machines to the bottom of the sea or to the depths of space. Robots have improved efficiency and quality of life in warehouses, factories, and mines. IBM’sDeep Blue wiped the floor with chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov. As I write this, NASA’s Curiosity rover is probably making first contact with Martians (and tweeting about it). Occasionally, robots can even travel back in time,shapeshift, or conquer the whole human race. Yeah, robots are better than us at almost everything. Almost.

There is one arena that human beings are not quite obsolete: customer service. I’m sure that many of us have run the nightmare gauntlet of a corporate phone tree, so we know just how frustrating and useless automated operators can be. My experience with chat providerActivEngage has taught me that nothing turns off web shoppers like the feeling that they are conversing with a machine. Your customers want the attention of a real person to answer their questions and help them find their next vehicle.

Here are some tips to help you avoid sounding mechanical when engaging your visitors through live chat and email:

• Don’t sweat small mistakes.

Though widely considered inappropriate and unprofessional, a small slip-up or typo can prove your humanity to web shoppers. If you’re working hard on a live chat and catch yourself inputting a misspelling or grammatical error, quickly correct yourself and apologize. Your visitor will forgive you. Know that your capacity for human error is a strength, not a weakness.

• Throw out your script.

People are pretty smart. If you’re abusing canned responses or copy-pasting corny one-liners into your live chat conversations, your visitor is going to know. Your main priority in these chats should be to listen and react accordingly. Don’t try to stuff your pre-scripted narrative down your customer’s throat; you’re just insulting his or her intelligence.

• Personalize your conversation.

Always add context to your customer interactions online. Address your customers by name. Wish them a good morning to show that you’re aware of the passage of time. Greet them the same way you would greet them in the real world. Use friendliness and your own personal brand of humor to lighten the mood and show your human side.

At the heart of ActivEngage’s philosophy lies the belief that it is people, not technology, that sells cars. Robots may best us in physical strength and processing power, but they lack the very thing that makes customers feel welcome, that builds brand loyalty, that makes your dealership the best place to buy a new car: communication. So while this robot may win 100% of the time at rock-paper-scissors, it can not increase car sales at your store. It can not feel pain, or love, or desire. Robots can not dream, or laugh, or cry.

But when robots can do these things – we’re all pretty much doomed.