Earlier this morning, Facebook announced the general availability of used vehicle dealer listings on Facebook Marketplace (only available in the U.S. at the moment).

Will your dealership jump on board?

What Marketplace Could Mean for Your Dealership

Adding your used vehicle inventory to Marketplace may bring you some nice benefits:

• More shopper connections - Marketplace is a place on Facebook to buy and sell items within your community, and millions of people already use it each day to look at private auto listings. Why not promote your inventory where so many eyes are already? 
• More connections can lead to more sales - It goes without saying, but the more potential buyers you talk to, the more opportunities you line up. You can help qualify these buyers by answering a few quick questions and encouraging them to come in and test drive.

There are some things to keep in mind for a good experience, though:

• Fast responses = happy customers - People using Marketplace may expect pretty quick response times. Facebook even “broadcasts” how quickly those responses happen (like “typically responds in minutes”).
• Facebook Messenger is the key - The only way to interact with Marketplace shoppers is through Facebook Messenger. You’ll probably want your sales team to handle those conversations, not your social media team, though, so you’ll need a communication plan.

How to Set Up the Most Effective Communication Process

In order to meet those last two challenges—quick responses and the reliance of Facebook Messenger—you just need a little messaging integration. Here’s how it can work:

• Integrate your current messaging platform with Messenger - If the messaging platform you use to chat or text on your website has a Facebook Messenger integration, hook it up! You should then be able to respond to any of these shopper inquiries the way you normally chat or text with consumers. (Contact At Once!, a LivePerson Company, has worked with selected dealers and Facebook to provide messaging support for dealerships who want to add inventory to Facebook Marketplace. See how Contact At Once!’s integration works here.)
• Share the messages among your team - Make sure everyone who is set up to respond to incoming messages (like your sales or BDC team) knows about the Marketplace addition. This will help avoid surprises while ensuring the most knowledgeable answers. 
• Think ahead & prepare backup - The goal is to increase the sales inquiries you get. Would your existing team be able to handle more customer conversations from Facebook—without having a negative effect on the speediness of responses? Look into the messaging support your provider offers—for instance, can they answer when your team is too busy (or after-hours)?

When You’re Ready...

Once you’ve got your plan for responding to these Facebook Marketplace shoppers (and have set up your Facebook Messenger integration), it’s simple to join. Even better: There’s no charge from Facebook!

1. Set up a Facebook page if your dealership doesn’t already have one. 
2. Fill out this short Facebook form to let them know you want to add inventory to Marketplace (only available in the U.S. at the moment).  
3. If you're working with an eligible inventory provider, they'll then contact you about next steps. (The list of providers is on the form.)

What do you think of this new way to expose your inventory and start sales conversations?
 

We really can learn a lot from the Olympics, from perseverance to mosquito control. But sales advice? Funny you should ask. 

One of my colleagues recently asked dealers about the most memorable sales advice they’d received. In my mind, what they shared meshes perfectly with what makes for an Olympian (athletic abilities aside, of course).

Take a look and get inspired to keep going and close more deals:

#1 - Keep a Winning Attitude

A large part of what gets athletes to the Olympics is a driving passion and the willingness to do what it takes to make that passion a reality. Just look at the special team that was formed out of refugees and all the obstacles they overcame!

When selling cars, attitude is just as important. As Rich Wiatrowski, eCommerce Manager at Mini of Louisville, put it: “You won’t sell anything if you’re not full of energy, spirit, conviction and passion.” But we all know that’s easier said than done. Repeat these mantras to keep discouragement at bay:

• “Every day is a fresh start.” - Dianne Anderson, BDC Director, Dellen Chevrolet Buick GMC
• “No matter what’s going on in your life, leave it at the door.” - Jason Barnes, Internet Director for Preferred Auto Group. 
• “Stay positive: It’s a 30-day race, not a daily race.” - Chris Forsythe, Internet Director, David Stanley Dodge Midwest City & David Stanley Dodge Norman

#2 - Listen...to Words AND Body Language

Many TV commentators for the Olympics are former athletes for the sport they’re covering, and they often explain why a competitor did well or poorly based on the position of their body. (They can sometimes predict it, too!) 

So while listening to what a customer needs is important when selling cars, try also to read their body language. David Bardeen, a sales consultant at Mazda of West Ridge, credits his father with the advice that if a customer puts their hand to their chin, they want to buy. “We communicate with our bodies more than our words,” he adds. So do your research about nonverbal communication cues and keep an eye out!

#3 - Don’t Judge

Body language can give us clues, but it’s never smart to make a final assumption based just on what you see...or think you know. Everyone assumed Simone Biles would win a 5th gold medal in the balance beam, but an unexpected stumble gave her the bronze instead. 

Just like in the Olympics, you never know when someone will come out of nowhere to “win.” Chris Fischer, a sales consultant at Vic Canever Chevrolet, shared the following: “I’ve learned never to judge anyone. You don’t know what a customer can and will purchase.” In this era of tech entrepreneurs and more casual work environments, this advice is on par.

#4 - Think Service in All You Do

Whether you attended in person or watched from home, I bet you’ll remember something about the Rio games other than the inspiring athletes. We all have our own personal “customer experience” with the Olympics, and it’s up to the host city’s organizing committee to make it the best possible. (Rio got off to a rocky start!)

In a sense, each dealership employee has a hand in the customer experience too. And that can have a huge impact on sales, service and the ever-important repeat customer. “My dealership’s owner always told us not to work at making a single sale. Instead, work at making a customer for life,” says Kevin Graska of IQ Autos. 

Sarah Salaba, Digital Marketing Manager for Matt Saxe Chevrolet Buick, has a few tips for providing the type of great service that can lead to repeat customers by “subtly selling yourself”:

• Have the information ready and at their fingertips.
• Don’t “sell,” simply inform them with answers to their questions.
• Be as helpful as humanly possible.

#5 - Follow Up, Follow Up, Follow Up

No Olympic athlete would make it there without constant practice. So think of following up with leads as that practice...and don’t stop. Are you following up in a way that gets their attention (positively)? Have you implemented text messaging (securely, of course)? Over 90% of respondents to the 2015 Contact At Once! Dealer Survey found texts to be more effective as a follow-up tool than phone calls or emails.

#6 - Know When It’s Time for a Reboot

Everyone gets in a rut. Even Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, had some dark days trying to find his path. But he bounced back. He found his purpose, recommitted himself and added more medals to his record this year. 

Have you ever needed to reset your goals or attitude like that? David Boyle, Sales Manager at Bill Page Toyota, shares this advice: “When you’re in a slump, look at what you’ve been doing. Stop the shortcuts you may have created. Go back to the basics in what made you successful in the first place. In other words, reboot.”

#7 - Never Give Up

Several dealers said “never give up” was the best advice they ever received and could ever share. So I have to share one more story: Jillion Potter’s story. She overcame a broken neck and cancer to represent the U.S. on the women’s rugby team, and she didn’t let their Olympic loss stop her either. As she said in one AP interview, “My teammates do an excellent job inspiring themselves and each other. We’ll bring each other up.”

That in itself is a pretty inspiring comment. I hope we can all encourage each other in similar fashion because it’s too easy to focus on the negatives of any job, especially stressful ones like sales. 

Final note: Hats off to TJ Simmons, a marketing teammate of mine who just returned from volunteering at the Rio Olympics for the past two weeks!