Need a good reason to get away from the dealership? How about visiting one of 5 great American cities? Or the chance for the automotive industry’s top minds analyze your digital strategy? What about a trip filled with inspiring keynote addresses and workshops to prepare you to dominate the digital landscape? Of course, we’re speaking about the GM eSummit, and the conference tour kicks off in just a few months.

Sign up today to reserve your spot at the 2012 GM eSummit, where you can find quality content and refine your digital strategies.

While you are enjoying the company of thousands of innovative car dealers and previewing the latest emerging technologies, make sure to see keynote speaker and ActivEngage CEO Todd Smith. One of the top-rated speakers at past eSummit conferences, Todd is excited to present workshops entitled Cutting-Edge Behavorial Marketing and Enhance Your Digital Marketing Impact at the 2012 GM event.

eSummit 2012, the GM Digital Marketing Conference, brings together industry experts for an inspiring new experience. Dynamic speakers, enlightening panels, hands-on workshops and expanded Expo combine to provide you with real-world tactics you can immediately implement to dominate the digital landscape…winning new customers and sales.

What’s New at eSummit 2012:

• New format, including an inspiring general session with keynote speakers, and 12 hands-on workshops covering important topics such as converting leads, digital marketing, social media and reputation management.

• New Dealer/Executive track, where management can work closely with top industry experts to analyze the dealership’s digital strategy.

• New dynamic speakers, as well as returning favorites!

• New vendors at an expanded Expo, previewing emerging technologies and offering exciting prizes.

• New destinations, including stops in five desirable destinations across the U.S.

eSummit 2012 also features an expanded Vendor Expo where you can preview emerging technology, and test the latest digital products and services from the nation’s top automotive digital companies. You might also win exciting prizes like an iPad!
Bringing you the “best-of-the-best,” eSummit 2012 delivers an excellent value by providing quality content and one-on-one interaction in a format you won’t find at other digital events.

Don’t miss your chance to join the best and the brightest in the automotive industry. Click here to learn how you can get a seat at the 2012 GM eSummit!

The 2012 Canadian Digital Dealer Conference is coming, and the event is shaping up to be the educational event of the fall! Keynote speakers include Tim Wilson, a Google marketing guru, Rod Black, CTV and TSN sportscaster, and ActivEngage CEO Todd Smith!

Todd will be giving a keynote address at the second annual CDDC entitled Inbound Marketing Strategies for 2012. During this presentation, Todd will share secrets with you about how to draw customers right to your website. Don’t miss this opportunity to get up-close and personal with an industry leader!

Dealer Principals, General Managers, Internet Sales Managers, e-Commerce Directors,  BDC Managers, CRM Managers, Pre-Owned Managers, F&I Managers, and Fixed Operation Managers all have tons to learn at this year’s CDDC! This event, put together by the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association, is held in three cities throughout Ontario from September 25 – 27. You can only register online, so click here to reserve your spot now!

The event schedule is as follows:

Toronto – September 25, 2012 – 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Hilton Garden Inn Toronto/Vaughan
3201 Highway 7, Vaughan, Ontario, L4K 5Z7, Canada
TEL: 1-905-660-4700

London – Sept. 26, 2012, 9 AM to 5 PM
Hilton London Ontario
300 King Street, London, Ontario, N6B 1S2, Canada
TEL: 1-519-439-1661

Ottawa – Sept. 27, 2012, 9 AM to 5 PM
Holiday Inn & Suites Ottawa Kanata
101 Kanata Ave. Ottawa (Kanata), Ontario, K2T 1E6, Canada
TEL: 1-613-271-3057

We can’t wait to see you there!

If you’ve seen AMC’s Breaking Bad, you already know about the radical transformation of Walter White, a chemistry teacher who turned into a drug kingpin when he found out about his terminal cancer. You already know about last season’s epic chess match between Walt and Gus Fring, a respected restauranteur who used his business savvy to front an extremely successful methamphetamine distribution network.You already know that the new season premieres Sunday, July 15th at 10:00 EST, and you’ve already told your friends and loved ones not to disturb you for any reason during that time.

And if you (for some reason) haven’t  seen Breaking Bad – what the $#@! is wrong with you? What, are you too busy selling cars? Get your priorities straight. We’re talking about the greatest television show ever. It’s visually stunning, masterfully suspenseful, hilariously clever – and it has beenuniversally acclaimed as an unprecedented feat of acting and cinematography for four years in a row. If you’re missing out on this, take a few moments to seriously re-evaluate your life choices.

Whether you’re a fan of the show or one of the unlucky, misguided few who isn’t, Breaking Bad has tons to teach viewers about business and management. Gustavo Fring isn’t just an elusive crime lord with a multi-million dollar drug ring – he’s also an adaptable, super-competent businessman. What can Gus teach auto dealers about managing their dealerships?

• Never make the same mistake twice.

Walter White makes a deal to cook meth for $15 million a year. As he struggles to wrap his head around his newfound wealth, Walt receives an invitation from Mr. Fring to dine together. Over a meal of Chilean paella, Gus tells Walt he wishes to help him – that anyone can be poor, but one must learn to be rich.

Walt asks, “And what advice do you have for me?”

“Never make the same mistake twice,” Gus replies.

“You can never make the same mistake twice, because the second time you make it, it becomes a choice.” Are you making the same disastrous decisions over and over? Failure is not necessarily a bad thing if you learn from each of them. Treat each of your shortcomings like a business lesson – and never repeat them.

• Become an expert in both negotiation and mediation.

When tensions rise between employees, a good leader will listen to both sides and find a solution where everyone wins. When Walt’s partner Jesse takes issue with the methods of operation of two of Gus’s subordinates, the meth distributor calls a meeting with both sides. Gus mediates the dispute, offering a compromise that keeps the peace between both sides. He then asks that both parties shake hands. 

This dispute will be settled right here, right now.

How have you handled workplace conflicts in the past? Listening is the most important part of conflict resolution – so make sure to give your attention to both sides equally. Gus never loses his cool in a negotiating situation, and neither should you. Remain disciplined and composed – even in the face of hostility.

• Be respected, not feared.

After his enterprise almost destroyed his entire family, Walt refused to go back to work for Gus’s drug ring. The kingpin tries everything to employ Walt’s expert meth-cooking skills – he even offers 3 million dollars for a 3-month contract, just to be turned down. At the same time, drug cartel assassins have marked Walt for death, and Gus is the only thing stopping them. Confused by Walter’s refusal, Gus’s right-hand man Mike asks:

“If you want this guy to produce again, why not just tell him? You’re the only thing that stands between him and an axe to the head.”

“I believe fear to be an ineffective motivator. I want investment.”

What makes your employees perform? Are they walking on eggshells around you for fear that they’ll get chewed out or fired? Gus knows that fear does not inspire loyalty, creativity, or genuine commitment. Instead, ensure that your employees are invested in your business. They’ll work harder when they feel that there’s something for them to work for.

When respect fails to motivate, you can always resort to the box cutter.

• Forge ties between your business and your community.

When Gus isn’t orchestrating the largest drug operation in the southwest or running his legitimate fast-food front, he donates his time to the community. A philanthropist and generous donor to the Drug Enforcement Agency, Gus is well-respected within the Albuquerque police community. Of course, he uses his good standing with the community to hide in plain sight, but we can also look at Gus’s maneuvering as an example of a man leveraging his political capital to the advantage of his business.

Gus is a highly visible community leader, whether he’s glad-handing with the DEA…

…or providing food for the entire Albuquerque police department.

Gus Fring used philanthropy to his advantage – and you can too. By working on a city board or becoming involved with a charity of your choice, you can increase your visibility and strengthen your relationships with future clients. Become involved with your community, and you’ll bring awareness to your charitable work in the form of “cause marketing.” Others in the community will evangelize your brand for you!

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I hope you guys are as excited about Sunday’s premiere as I am! The new season promises to be darker than ever before, and as Walt builds his empire as the new meth king, we can expect more examples of better business practices. That, or a lot of violence.

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I think we have a pretty great attitude in the auto dealer online community. For as long as I’ve been a part of it, I’ve observed dealers helping each other by sharing marketing tactics and Internet strategies. The daily posts about new ideas and enthusiastic cheers reinforces the idea that we’re all in this together.  But the auto industry is a competitive marketplace, and sometimes dealers might forsake a friendly perspective in exchange for an edge over the competition.

So says this article that Ralph Paglia reblogged on ADM a few days ago. Though a dealership is prohibited by trademark law from using a competitor’s proper name in the text of a paid search ad, some wily dealers are buying their rivals’ names when bidding for search terms to direct traffic. Dealership A might buy Dealership B’s name as a search term so that when shoppers search for Dealership B, they get a Google Ad that directs them back to Dealership A. Pretty sneaky, right?

Google claims that this practice is legally sound, but dealers usually have “gentlemen’s agreements” not to buy each other’s names. However, some dealers breach this unwritten rule just to throw a wrench in the competition’s spokes. What can you do about this problem?

Bid on your dealership’s domain name. You can get around this problem entirely if you’re up on your Adwords campaign. Google holds a continuous auction for specific ad words and phrases that allow dealers bidding the most for those phrases to attain top position on a Google search page. Since advertisers only pay when shoppers click on the ad, you may really want to consider bidding on your dealership name.

Search for your store frequently. See your search results through a customer’s eyes by frequently running searches on your own dealership. You’ll know if someone else has bid on your name if you see a competitor’s paid ad appear. Make sure to protect your ad position by checking up on your search practices!

Personally, I consider this practice predatory and borderline unethical. There are tons of ways you can increase your website presence without resorting to lowballing other stores around you. Follow the unwritten dealer code, and remember that we’re all in this together.

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I bet you thought Internet fame means increased sales for your business. Nope. Just ask Chuck Testa. The California taxidermist became an internet phenomenon when he released this comically dry advertisement for his Ojai Valley specialty business. The campy, low-budget Youtube spot monotonously claims that Testa’s stuffed animals look so real, you’ll probably think they’re alive. Within days, the video had gone completely viral, garnering over two million views within 48 hours. Since then, the Ojai Valley commercial has become an Internet classic, inspiring dozens of online mockeries and memes.

But despite his newfound Internet fame, Mr. Testa hasn’t had much business to show for it. This might have something to do with the fact that the man sells exotic dead animals. It’s not much of a consumer product. But outside of a few “Nope” T-shirts, Internet fame hasn’t done much to stymie demand. Since his viral video hit last year, Testa says that his store has done nothing but“business as usual.”

“I’m still broke,” Testa says. The Internet notoriety may have even made the taxidermy business even tougher. After his video became an Internet sensation, someone bought thewww.chucktesta.com domain name and attempted to sell it back to Testa at an extraordinary price. Testa’s voicemail is populated mostly with prank calls instead of new requests. A few months ago, his attire in the video even had some speculating that Testa was a Nazi – and that’s never good for business.

So what?

The auto industry in particular spends a lot of time, money, and effort on video content. How many ridiculous “car guy” commercials have you seen? Sometimes we even get a glimpse of how stressful making a viral video really is. How much do your customers value these attempts? Do they visit your dealership more often because of it?

In the 21st century, your consumers will rely on your website and online information more than anything else. Instead of trying to find Internet fame with campy commercials, devote your time to creating customer solutions that will drive potential buyers to you. Rather than thinking up the perfect tagline for your next commercial, focus on creating content to optimize your dealership page and drive more qualified traffic to your site. Don’t worry about funding that viral hit – implement a better user web experience first. Your customers will appreciate it.

The most trusted name in live chat brings the top ten blog posts, trends 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 blogs and automotive stories from around the globe. This weekly edition – driverless cars, a foolproof blog formula, and AutoTrader goes public!

What Comes After Driverless Cars?

Someone in Washington told this writer that they hope to get rid of the driver in the car. Doubt that is likely, seeing that people enjoy driving (unless you’re stuck in traffic). Read more to see input on this matter.

The Foolproof Formula for Writing a Blog, According to HubSpot!

Finally! Something that all marketing teams EVERYWHERE have been waiting for. A cheat sheet on writing the foolproof blog. (I really hope you sensed my sarcasm there…)

Toyota Toys With Childish New Concept Car

Move over Power Wheels! Toyota unveiled the three-seat Camatte concept car this week at the Tokyo Toy Show to better target its hypothetical market –- children and their well-heeled parents. This toy car can reach a top speed of 25 mph!

Microsoft Releases Tablet

Xbox aside, this is probably one of the best things Microsoft has put out in the past years. According to this article, “Microsoft didn’t just break the mold. It smashed it into a million little pieces, chucked them all into the furnace and set the temperature to obliterate. There really is no precedent for what Microsoft did this week.”

Internet Strikes Back After Bus Monitor is Harassed

Talk about the degradation of our youth, this poor woman is harassed by some middle schoolers to the point of tears and beyond. Bright side of the story is that people on the Internet took notice and started a fund to send this woman on a nice vacation and hopefully raise enough so she can retire. You can see the video, but to warn you, it’s explicit, it’s horrible, and it’s just plain terrible how cruel these kids are to her.

A Tribute To Karry Moore

The automotive community lost a great thought leader this last week. ActivEngage wishes our heartfelt condolences to the family of Kerry Moore, co-founder of Car-Mercial and beloved member of the automotive community.

Be A Beastie Boy

Joe Webb pays tribute to the recently deceased Adam Yauch by combining his favorite band with some dealer tips. Read up on how the Beastie Boys can teach dealers to stay ahead of the curve.

How To Change The Automotive Industry

Ian Nethercott says that the problem with automotive retail lies in employee compensation and giving customers false expectations. What are you telling your customers? How do you pay your employees? This post definitely belongs on this week’s top ten blogs.

Facebook Lets You Pay Your Way To A Better EdgeRank

Facebook attempts to prove its social media platform is profitable by charging money with its “Promote” option. For a fee, you can give more visibility to each of your posts. Is this a legitimate business practice or a last-ditch effort?

AutoTrader’s Files Are Public

So you know that AutoTrader has filed its initial public offering, but you don’t have time to read all 250 pages of the document. Check out this blog post about the revenue, expenses, and major acquisitions of the car aggregate to learn more about its profitability.
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Did we miss anything important? Like what you see? 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!

Facebook’s EdgeRank is the elusive, mystical formula that calculates whether your story is interesting enough to be featured on your friends’ newsfeeds. One site compared the EdgeRank to a credit history: It’s important, unique to each user, invisible, and no one knows exactly how it works. Mathematically stated, the EdgeRank formula would look something like this:

Confused? Yeah, me too. The important thing to know is that the higher your EdgeRank rating, the more people see what you post, and the more viral your content becomes. So it’s especially important to brands that are focused on social media to maintain a high EdgeRank. You can check out this blog for more info about the EdgeRank and how to raise yours.

But that blog won’t tell you about the newest and fastest way to raise your score: pay money.Ever since its lukewarm public offering, Facebook has struggled to come up with ways to prove that social networks can be profitable. So far, their answer seems to be to charge users with new fees to optimize their EdgeRank.

That’s right, you can now use cash to amplify your reach – and your normal Facebook posts conveniently reach a mere 12% of your fans on average. That means that the $15 billion company is withholding your posts from 88% of your fans – unless you fork over some dough. It might be cynical to say that Facebook is artificially hiding your posts for the sake of profit; then again, it might be the truth.

Of course, the entire purpose of the EdgeRank algorithm is to populate your newsfeed with stories that Facebook thinks you want to read – and the notion of robots predicting human behavior is inherently problematic (you can read an earlier discussion about that issue here).

What do you guys think? Is the pay-to-promote option a valuable service, or is Facebook trying to jump start its own economy?

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It’s easy to become distracted by information junk food at work – especially when your work is the Internet. Last Friday I found myself passing the time at ActivEngage by watching an endless Youtube stream of “Call Me Maybe” mashups. My eyes glazed over as I counted down the minutes until I was free for the weekend. Suddenly I felt my headphones snap off. ActivEngage CEO Todd Smith was standing next to me, looking down with scorn at the singing animals on my computer screen.

Todd told me he had something better for me to watch. He directed me to a TED talk by Eli Pariser and said with a smile, “If you have 9 minutes to waste, waste it on that.” I sighed – couldn’t it be the weekend already? But when I started watching this video, I forgot about my weekend freedom and started thinking about our collective online freedom.

Here, I’ll even link it again for you guys: WATCH THIS NOW. It’s completely fascinating.

Basically, Pariser says that where the Internet was supposed to provide complete informational freedom, search engine algorithms actually limit your access. We know that Google tailors your search results to your own preferences, right? So if all you ever click is funny Youtube videos about cats, then that’s all you’ll ever see. The information we seek is actually run through several filters, and what we get at the end is merely what the internet thinks we want.

So now that you’ve seen the video (here it is again, just in case you missed it the first two times), how can we fix this problem? Maybe search engines like Google could offer an unfiltered search – one button to search and one button to validate your mentality. But even that offers no guarantee that people will ever seek new and challenging information or leave their comfort zone.

So it seems to me that the real thrust of Pariser’s speech is that the only way to grow as a person is to challenge yourself. If you think of yourself as politically liberal, force yourself to hear dissenting opinions by listening to a conservative talk show. Read newspapers from another country. Don’t be afraid of debate or disagreement; share your opinions socially and respectfully to stimulate your own online community.

The 19th-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche advocated that we think “with a hammer.” He meant that we should continually test the strength our own convictions by forcing them to clash with opposing viewpoints. Don’t spoil yourself on a diet of information junk food. Test your ideas. Challenge yourself. 

After more than a week of preparation, the day had finally come: I was ready for my first live chat interaction as an ActivEngage VSA. I looked over at Jake, who took off his Phillies cap and scratched his head. Like all of our VSAs, Jake knew a LOT about cars; I had watched him provide very helpful vehicle information to inquisitive customers a few days before. He was there to offer me his expertise as a VSA, and to coach me through my first customer interactions.

VSAs also have access to professionally-built information databases which contain just about every vehicle specification one could ask for. Want to know how wide the Jetta’s trunk is or what kind of rims come standard on a Honda Fit? We know the answer to that. Our VSAs have access to more information about automobiles than almost anyone else, and we implement this knowledge in our chats on a daily basis.

Using these tools, my first few chats weren’t just simple – they were fun. I forwarded eager buyers to several dealerships’ finance department, I helped a customer put in a service request, and I used the tools available to me to help customers make informed decisions. Almost all of these chatters gave me a form of contact so that the dealer could contact them with more information. Jake gave me a high-five and handed me a popsicle to celebrate. I’d made him proud.

You probably have some appreciation of how the Internet has changed the car buying process. Maybe you remember a day when your customers were more naive. Maybe when they walked onto your lot, they didn’t know exactly what they wanted. Maybe shoppers once had to ask you for vehicle specifications and price quotes. But the advent of powerful and accessible online information has swept all that away. The auto customer of today researches and browses online – and is sold on his/her vehicle long before setting foot into your dealership.

The reality is that power has shifted from the seller to the buyer. Most of the traditional “sales” process now takes place over the Internet, where buyers can find a wealth of information to answer any questions they might have. But you already know this. The reason you’re reading this – the reason you’ve joined a professional digital marketing community – is to improve your future customers’ initial moment of truth. How can you move your dealership’s signature service for a physical storefront to a website? That’s where ActivEngage Virtual Sales Assistants come in.

Despite the vast amount of information available on the Web, no buyer wants a car without looking at it first, and taking it for a spin. They may have a particular question that can’t be answered online, and requires them to see their new car for themselves. ActivEngage VSAs are the missing link between an anonymous website visit and a trip to your dealership. If you don’t believe in the power of live chat, we invite you to test it out. Have an online conversation with one of our dedicated Virtual Sales Assistants. Maybe I’ll see you there.
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Stephen will be posting weekly updates about becoming an ActivEngage VSA every Monday. Learn more about what makes our chatters the best by subscribing to our blog!

The most trusted name in live chat brings the best blog posts 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 blogs and automotive stories from around the globe. This weekly edition – the President turns pop star, Hubspot teams up with Hootsuite, and GM makes big changes to employee bonuses.

10.   Artist Turns Dead Cat Into A Helicopter

Whether this is an emotional tribute to a faithful pet or a twisted mockery of its former life, this taxidermied helicopter is certainly notable. Instead of burying his deceased pet, Dutch artist Bart Jensen transformed a dead cat into a remote-control flying device. What do you think about Orville’s flying corpse: art, or bereavement?

9.    Barack Obama Sings “Call Me Maybe,” Sort Of

People of all political persuasions can finally agree on one thing - this video mash-up of President Obama singing “Call Me Maybe” is hilarious. Ever since the Harvard baseball team famously made a choreographed video of the pop sensation, new spoofs have emerged daily. However, nothing is quite as funny as seeing the POTUS describe how all the other boys try to chase him.

8.    CDC To America: There Is No Zombie Apocalypse

Well, that’s a relief. Don’t worry about stocking your underground shelter just yet; the Center for Disease Control reports that they have no knowledge of any zombie virus responsible for the recent string of flesh-eating attackers. Those people weren’t zombies - they were just good, old-fashioned crazy.

7.    You Can’t Just Make The Baby, You Have To Raise The Baby

Joe Webb gives us a lesson in both lead nurturing and parenting on the DealerRefresh forums. Raising a child and nurturing an online lead have one thing in common: you have to care for them until they mature. Is your Internet Sales Manager still caring for its newborn leads?

6.    5 Tips To Consider For Mobile Marketing Success

Have you thought about your mobile SEO? Considered SMS text marketing? Is your website mobile friendly? If you haven’t considered these questions, don’t launch a mobile marketing campaign until you’ve read Brent Albrecht’s blog on DrivingSales.

5.    Internet Lead Lingo: “I’m Not In The Market” Means “Don’t Pressure Me”

Why treat an Internet customer differently from one on the showroom floor? Josh Vajda translates the objections of Internet customers in this excellent Automotive Digital Marketing post.

4.    4 Social Networks To Watch Out For

When we hear social media, most of us instinctively think of Facebook and Twitter – but new networks spring up all the time, and some have the potential to be just as popular. We’ve outlined the four most promising up-and-comers in the social media world.

3.    There Are Big Changes Coming In The Automotive Retail Space

As Ian Nethercrott reports to the DealerElite community, the car retail business is changing rapidly. Luxury brands like BMW are changing the rules of the buying process by adapting the best practices of successful retailers like Apple. To keep up, dealers need to stop selling cars and start selling a top shelf car buying experience.

2.    Hootsuite Partners With Hubspot to Offer Social Media Lead Nurturing

Hubspot promises to “close the loop” on social media marketing by partnering with social media management platform Hootsuite. The new app in development will make it easy for users to identify a lead’s tweets and monitoring for prospective opportunities. Hubspot is currently accepting applications into the app’s closed beta.

1.    GM Will Base Employee Bonuses On Owner Loyalty

GM has offered a year-end bonus to salaried employees if the OEM hits an internal customer-retention goal. This is one example of the company’s strong new customer orientation. GM CEO Mark Reuss expects to make the car manufacturer number one in customer service within two years.
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Did we miss anything important? Like what you see? 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!