Bedford, TX — May 11, 2020 — Binary Automotive Solutions, a leading provider of customized programs designed to help dealerships sell more vehicles, continues its aid programs into May by extending their free marketing program through May 31, 2020, for any dealership nationally and by delivering shipments of hand sanitizer to its California area dealership clients who are reopening.

Following up their free dealership marketing support in April, Binary wanted to extend their aid programs during this unprecedented time by extending their free marketing offer until the end of May. Additionally, hand sanitizer bottles were shipped this week to Binary Auto dealership clients in California set to re-open amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through the marketing support campaign, dealerships can call upon Binary Auto to help with design support for marketing or advertising campaigns at no cost to the dealership. Binary sees the program as a way to give back to the automotive industry during a time when many dealerships are looking for ways to bring expenses in line with customer demand.

 “Dealerships have been here to support us through more than two decades of business and this is our way of returning the favor,” said James E Binkley, Founder of Binary Auto Solutions. “We are proud to help dealerships reopen in this way.”

Using Binary’s Lifetime Warranty Program as an additional customer benefit helps dealerships throughout the United States bring value to discerning customers, an important distinction in today’s competitive landscape. Binary provides the dealerships they serve with all the marketing and merchandising needed, items like point-of-sale promotions, window stickers, banners and digital marketing content, to help communicate the benefits of a warranty across the dealership.

To find out more about Binary Automotive Solutions and how their Lifetime Warranty program can differentiate your dealership from the competition, please visit www.binaryauto.com. If you are a dealership interested in complimentary marketing support, please contact Chief Marketing Officer Troy Scheer at tscheer@binarymktg.com.

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About Binary Automotive Solutions

Binary Automotive Solutions is committed to providing an integrated, customized package of programs to help dealerships sell more vehicles, hold more gross and retain more customers. It doesn’t matter the size of your dealership or the location, we’re confident that our warranty, certification and maintenance programs combined with our industry leading marketing and merchandising programs can boost sales, increase retention and help you maximize profits you didn’t even know were available. At our core, we strive every day to honor the beliefs of our founder, James E. Binkley, by never taking advantage of a client or offering a program to a dealership that takes advantage of a customer. As James is fond of saying, “Money is not more important than doing the right thing.”

We’re beginning to slowly see signs of life after weeks of the Coronavirus shuttering dealerships nationwide. In addition to California dealerships being deemed essential earlier this week, DealerInspire, Cars.com and other data leaders in the industry are showing encouraging trends in everything from increased visits on Cars.com to dealer website performance stabilizing.

While we have a few more weeks before any real progress will occur, this is a terrific time for dealership executives to make a plan for when the green flag drops. How will you place yourself in the most advantageous position possible for the shoppers who will be ready to hit the ground running?

In retail automotive, no dealership has a unique advantage in new car franchise products, prices or financing. So how do you hold gross in a down market? By using ancillary products to show your customers value.

Here are some ideas:

1. Offer to bring your mechanics to customer’s homes for service issues: This is a no-brainer during the social distancing phase of the pandemic, but now that you know the process and ins and outs of this white glove service, why not extend it to all customers who want it when things are back up and running?

1. Hand out free car wash vouchers to anyone who interacts with you over social channels. This is an easy way to reach out and reward your customers while they are house-bound and surfing social media. Come up with a hashtag campaign with your dealer name, or have customers pose in pictures with their vehicle and tag your dealership. Offer a free car wash voucher to anyone who participates.

1. Email free oil changes to loyal customers and thank them for supporting you during this time. Have you had customers come into your service lane during the pandemic? How about order parts from your shop? I’m hearing some dealerships even have customers putting holds on new vehicles to pick up when the social distancing measures ease. Thank your most loyal buyers by emailing them a reward from your service department. It’s an easy way to show appreciation and will go a long way toward cementing customer loyalty.

1. Add a Lifetime Warranty to any new vehicle purchase to celebrate your re-opening. As a way to celebrate opening back to the public, add a free Lifetime Warranty to any customer buying a new car. This is a powerful way for you to separate yourself from the competition as shoppers come back into the market.  

1. Don’t forget about a sanitizing promotion, if you offer the service. A recent USA Today article cited an increase in AutoNation’s Clorox Total 360 service requests during the Coronavirus shutdown. If you offer a service like this, promote it heavily through your advertising channels, on social media, and perhaps throw it in with any new car sale to reassure customers their vehicle is coming sanitized and ready to drive. 

While we are seeing a gradual softening across the national landscape, these ideas can easily live on beyond the pandemic timeframe. After all, a recent Cars.com survey mentioned of the 16% of consumers nationwide who stated they primarily rely on public transportation and ride sharing, the vast majority said they will now start to rely on personal transportation.

That makes today a perfect time to reward your most loyal customers and lure them back into the showroom, while continuing the promotions long after the pandemic has loosened its grip on the nation.

Offer extends beyond Binary’s client base and is open to any dealership as a way to provide support and needed resources during COVID-19 pandemic.

Bedford, TX — April 16, 2020 — Binary Automotive Solutions, a leading provider of customized programs designed to help dealerships sell more vehicles, today announced they are offering free marketing campaign development, creation and support to any dealership, client or not, through the end of April to help during this tumultuous time in automotive.

Under the terms of the new program, any dealership in the United States can call upon Binary Auto to help with design support for marketing or advertising campaigns at no cost to the dealership. The company sees the program as a way to give back to the automotive industry during a time when many dealerships are looking for ways to bring expenses in line with customer demand.

“I’ve been in automotive more than two decades and think of this industry as family,” said James E. Binkley, Binary’s CEO. “Of all the ways we can support dealerships during this time, we concluded free marketing planning, development and support is one way we can really help dealers cut expenses when they need it the most. We heartily encourage any dealership in need to reach out to us to take advantage of this offer.”

Those dealerships interested in taking advantage of the free marketing and advertising support program are encouraged to reach out to Troy Scheer, Binary’s Chief Marketing Officer, directly at tscheer@binarymktg.com. This program is valid until April 30, 2020.

To find out more about Binary Automotive Solutions and how their Lifetime Warranty program can differentiate your dealership from the competition, please visit www.binaryauto.com

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About Binary Automotive Solutions

Binary Automotive Solutions is committed to providing an integrated, customized package of programs to help dealerships sell more vehicles, hold more gross and retain more customers. It doesn’t matter the size of your dealership or the location, we’re confident that our warranty, certification and maintenance programs combined with our industry leading marketing and merchandising programs can boost sales, increase retention and help you maximize profits you didn’t even know were available. At our core, we strive every day to honor the beliefs of our founder, James E. Binkley, by never taking advantage of a client or offering a program to a dealership that takes advantage of a customer. As James is fond of saying, “Money is not more important than doing the right thing.”

Bedford, TX — April 6, 2020 — Binary Automotive Solutions, a leading provider of customized programs designed to help dealerships sell more vehicles, announces Bud Brown Volkswagen is now offering Binary’s Lifetime Warranty program as an additional benefit to its customers during the economic downturn.

Using Binary’s Lifetime Warranty Program as an additional customer benefit helps Bud Brown bring value to discerning customers, an important distinction in today’s competitive landscape. Through the partnership, Binary will provide Bud Brown all of the marketing and merchandising needed to promote the benefit to customers across the dealership. Point-of-sale promotions, window stickers and marketing materials help the dealership communicate the benefits of their new offering to customers.

“Bud Brown epitomizes the values we train our dealer partners on – focusing on relationships, not sales,” said James E. Binkley, Binary’s CEO. “Customers are looking for more than just a vehicle, they’re looking for any extras the dealership can provide. The stores bringing more to the table, are the winners with today’s buyers.”

With over 70 years of experience serving local residents with their vehicle purchasing needs, Bud Brown helps residents of Olathe, Kansas find the vehicle of their dreams. The dealership strives to provide every customer with a simple, easy and stress-free experience, including their newly introduced warranty benefit through Binary.

To find out more about Binary Automotive Solutions and how their Lifetime Warranty program can differentiate your dealership from the competition, please visit www.binaryauto.com

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About Binary Automotive Solutions

Binary Automotive Solutions is committed to providing an integrated, customized package of programs to help dealerships sell more vehicles, hold more and retain more customers. It doesn’t matter the size of your dealership or the location, we’re confident that our warranty, certification and maintenance programs combined with our industry leading marketing and merchandising programs can boost sales, increase retention and help you maximize profits you didn’t even know were available. At our core, we strive every day to honor the beliefs of our founder, James E. Binkley, by never taking advantage of a client or offering a program to a dealership that takes advantage of a customer. As James is fond of saying, “Money is not more important than doing the right thing.”

We have just lived through a wild week. From a dramatic fall on Wall Street bringing us to the brink of a bull market to several national, and worldwide, companies ordering their employees to work from home over fears of the Coronavirus to trouble over crude in the Middle East, many of us have been left reeling.

In this week alone I have fielded several calls from concerned partners and customers who have shared fears of an impending recession. Our discussions have run the gamut, but the overriding question continues to be, what do we do now?

My simple answer? Double down.

We are at a time in the automotive industry where customers will become even more discriminating with where they spend their dollars and it is more important than ever to differentiate yourself. While we all should be good stewards of ways to provide extra value when times are good, it is paramount to show value when times are uncertain.

A current estimate by market researchers at Adobe Analytics shows demand for hand sanitizer has gone up 1,400 percent from December to January. Take a lesson from hand sanitizer companies and jump in to show the value of your product now.

How do You Sell Value Over Price?

In retail automotive, no dealership has a unique advantage in new car franchise products, prices or financing. Dealers get the same cars from the manufacturer, pay the same amount to the factory to receive them, and have the same options to finance them for customers. Dealers also share the same resources to evaluate and price their pre-owned inventory, so, no real advantage there either.  Where is the advantage? In the offering of ancillary products to show your customers value over price.

For example, your store might offer attractive value-adds like free oil changes and car washes, a 72-hour exchange program or a lifetime power train warranty.

One of the best opportunities a dealership has to separate itself while ensuring a purchased vehicle’s reliability is through the warranties it offers. But what dealers offer and how aggressive they are in promoting it says a lot about their priorities.

Actively Promote Your Value Culture

The goal is to have the customer see that value is not just a bullet point in your sales conversation, but a viable part of the deal. For example, if you offer a lifetime warranty product, let them know the advantage of performing the maintenance at your dealership, but that they can get their vehicle maintained anywhere, and show them how to use a maintenance log. Remind them to keep good records and bring those records back to your store. Make it easy for them to schedule and receive service.

Don’t Forget Training!  

One important area not to be overlooked is training. Yes, you should absolutely be training for culture and ensuring your employees know that what you’re selling right now is value. And not just once. If you don’t train, and continue to train on your culture, whatever you expect will not be happening. Train on your culture as often as needed to ensure it weaves itself into the fabric of your staff’s daily activity.

Finally, Don’t Give In to a Fear-Based System

We have been here before, (anyone remember 2008?) and we have survived. We will come through these latest headlines, stronger, smarter and more valuable than ever to the customers we serve. If we keep value top of mind through all of the ups and downs, we can’t lose.

David Adcock is the Executive Vice President of Binary Automotive Solutions, a leading provider of customized programs designed to help dealerships sell more vehicles. He can be reached at David.Adcock@binaryauto.com.

Give your dealership a comfortable lead with a strong value proposition and force competitors to play catch-up

As a lifelong marketer and loyal sports fan, I look forward every year to the Super Bowl--the ultimate in both marketing and sports.

Although last year’s Super Bowl ended up in the record book as the lowest-scoring such game in NFL history, it was still a major televised event. More than 100 million people watched the game while advertisers spent more than $5 million for each 30-second spot—or roughly $175,000 per second.

The Super Bowl is full of such super-sized statistics.

Take food, for instance. Super Bowl Sunday is the second largest day for food consumption in the United States. On that day, Americans can be expected to drink an estimated 325.5 million gallons of beer and devour 1.25 billion chicken wings. That's four wings for every man, woman, and child in the U.S. or enough to encircle the Earth three times, according to the National Chicken Council. In the two weeks leading up the big game, we also spend more than $278 million on potato chips and $198 million on frozen pizza, as estimated by Nielsen. One can only imagine how much is spent on antacids.

Or ticket prices. The cost of a ticket to the first Super Bowl game was just $12; today, you can expect to pay around $2,500 for a non-VIP seat a long distance from the field of play, stuck behind some inebriated guy in a huge foam hat.

Or the game itself. The highest-scoring Super Bowl came in January 1995 when the two teams combined for 75 points. The San Francisco 49es beat the Chargers of San Diego by a score of 49–26, in an impressive display of offensive firepower.

And that’s what I really want to talk about: your dealership’s game plan.

Play to your strength

In retail automotive, no dealership has a unique advantage in new car franchise products, prices or financing. Dealers get the same cars from the manufacturer, pay the same amount to the factory to receive them, and have the same options to finance them for customers, so, no advantage there. Truth be told, dealers share the same resources to evaluate and price their pre-owned inventory, so, no real advantage there either.

In that context, it’s an even playing field. Which begs the question: how do you separate your dealership from the rest? Or put another way, what makes you unique to your customer?

Clearly, offering the lowest price is one strategy. But it may not be your best solution, especially since it can result in lower profit margins for your store and price-driven customers tend to be less loyal.

The good news is negotiating over the lowest price is a game you don’t have to play. Price is not as important as you might think. According to a Consumer Reports national survey, 95 percent of car shoppers rank reliability high when choosing their next vehicle purchase.

Similarly, based on a survey of over 85,000 people, J.D. Powers created a top ten list of reasons why people buy a particular vehicle. The number one reason given for selecting a vehicle is its reliability. Price was not even in the top five.

On defense

I believe value instead of price can distinguish your store. For example, your store might offer attractive value-adds like free oil changes and car washes, a 72-hour exchange program or a lifetime power train warranty.

One of the best opportunities a dealership has to separate itself while ensuring a purchased vehicle’s reliability is through the warranties it offers. But what dealers offer and how aggressive they are in promoting it says a lot about their priorities.

Some dealerships look for the cheapest warranty option on the market and promote it half-heartedly, almost as an after-thought. They know they have to offer some kind of warranty but are not fully committed. Put another way, their strategy is to play defense.

On offense

Other dealerships look for the best warranty programs and use those programs to drive more business. They prefer to play offense.

Instead of looking solely at price, these dealers choose to work with a quality warranty program that offers training and marketing support. They promote their warranty program at every touch point in the store and in their advertising. They’re reaching out to the value-focused customer, because value breeds loyalty, and they know a loyal customer is 17 times more likely to buy from them again.

Play to win

Reliability is all about providing peace of mind for your customers, which is what the best warranties offer.

Ask yourself, are you playing offense by using high-quality warranties as a way to provide value and bring in new business and higher gross? Or are you playing defense and see warranties only as an effort to not lose business?

Put another way, would you rather be chased or chase, lead or follow? Playing to win is different than trying not to lose.

David Adcock is the Executive Vice President of Binary Auto Solutions, a leading provider of customized programs designed to help dealerships sell more vehicles. He can be reached at David.Adcock@Binaryauto.com.

Canadian Lindsay Nemeth set a Guinness World Record by visiting all 12 Disney theme parks in just over three days. She started at the original Disneyland in California and ended her trip half-way around the world in Japan.

Although I have not been to all of the Disney theme parks, I have visited Walt Disney World in Florida more than 200 times. I visited Disney World on the second day it was open when I was only three years old. My next visit will mark the 218th time I have entered the Magic Kingdom.

You’re probably wondering what attracted me so often and continues to draw me back to a theme park that calls itself “the happiest place on earth”?

As an entrepreneur in the retail automotive industry, I’m always interested in learning how to improve processes and services, especially when it comes to benefiting my dealer clients. After thinking about my many trips to Disney World, I’ve concluded what appeals to me most about the park is the consistency of a positive experience.

Obviously, a car dealership is not a theme park. Walt Disney World is as big as San Francisco in land area and packed with tourists; nearly 21 million visitors passed through its gates in 2018.  But here are five ways dealers can take a note from Disney to create a memorable experience for their customers.

1. Be Our Guest: Create a Customer-First Culture

Visitors to Disney World are referred to as guests, while Disney World employees are known as cast members. From the receptionist who checks you in to the ride attendant who straps you in, they all share the same goal: to make guests happy. This is not always easy. The costumes they wear, for instance, are made of wool and polyester and must be worn in a humid climate. To make matters worse, kids are constantly tugging and hitting them. Yet you would never know these cast members are uncomfortable, because they always put their “guests” first.

Lesson: Everyone gets the VIP treatment in the Magic Kingdom -- and in your dealership.

2. Heigh-Ho: Hire to Fit Your Culture

Creating a customer or guest-first culture starts with hiring. Sales skills and product knowledge can be taught, of course. But having the right attitude is more elusive. Applicants for a job as a character at Disney World go through a very competitive group interview process that often includes dancing and acting. Roles such as Snow White or Cinderella might require voices and accents. Even autograph signatures must be mastered to ensure it’s the same signature, from one Mickey to the next. While meeting these qualifications, applicants must, above all, inspire happiness.

Lesson: Start right by hiring right.

3. You Can Fly: Bolster Your Culture with Training

Before on-boarding, make sure your new hires have the right attitude about your culture. Toward that end, Disney workers are not only hired, they’re trained. Cast members attend Disney University to take classes related to their specific roles. Moreover, all cast members are required to take a class called Traditions, which introduces them to the Disney culture and shows them how to take care of guests the Disney way.

Lesson: Train your staff to be goodwill ambassadors of your culture.

4. A Spoon Full of Sugar: Make Your Store Reflect Your Culture

Whenever I visit Disney World, I know what to expect. I enter on Main Street, U.S.A., and can see Cinderella Castle in the distance. The setting helps me buy-in to the experience. Likewise, as soon as customers walk into your store, they should be able to immediately grasp your culture. It can range from the many smiling faces to the free popcorn to the friendly layout of the store itself. Openly display posters and other signage that clearly identify your culture and unique selling proposition. For example, if you offer a free lifetime powertrain warranty, highlight this unique benefit throughout your store.

Lesson: Your store should reflect your culture.

5. Remember Me: Leave Customers Feeling Excited

Daily life at your dealership and the products you sell might be old news to you. But as soon as customers enter your store, there’s a good chance it’s a new and exciting experience for them. At the very least, your excitement should match theirs. At Disney World, people of all ages have a chance to be a kid again.  Show customers you’re there to help them find their dream vehicle and make sure they leave feeling happy about their decision. When you do, they’ll tell others about their amazing experience—and they’ll be back.

Lesson: A culture of positive reinforcement works wonders.

I’d like to close my thoughts on creating a magical customer experience with this quote from Walt Disney: “Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age, and dreams are forever." For me, the car business is the dream fulfillment business and that makes me happy.