In the past few months I've had the pleasure to work with passionate dealers who have asked me to do a comprehensive assessment of their Internet operations.

I called on my good friend Jerry Thibeau to help me with the mystery shopping part of the assessment.

In addition to the innovative Phone Ninjas process that Jerry created,  my team also made calls and lead submissions on our own. It was an eye opener to see that a number of submissions failed basic customer service standards.
 

Operating With Broken Processes

Some of the leads we submitted were never responded to via an auto-responder or a personalized email.  Some leads never received a phone call.  

Readers in the trenches of BDC/Internet departments may not be surprised by these findings but the dealers we worked with and their staff were very surprised that their processes were broken.

When you consider the tens of thousands of dollars invested each month to drive calls, leads, and ups to the dealership, it is amazing how few dealers have a consistent monthly process in place to mystery shop their dealership.   This could be the biggest ommission in a dealership budget and most likely one of the biggest profit leaks.

Standards & Measurement Lead To Improvement

Without inspection, coaching, and benchmarks for first class performance, dealership BDC processes will never improve.  One thing a like with Phone Ninjas system is that Jerry created a Phone Skills Index (PSI) score for each Internet/BDC agent.  

As the agent develops through coaching, and their PSI scores increase, a direct correlation to an increase in appointments can be seen.

Our Internet operations inspections also revealed that a CRM provider had an email server than was blacklisted, which was preventing some emails from being delivered.  How much did that cost this dealer?  Do you have a few gmail accounts that you use to test your own CRM system each month?

It is also important to recognize human behavior in regards to inspection and measurement.  Leaving this task to an internal employee most likely will not get the ideal result.  In some cases, dealer princiapls will not get the honest assessment that they truly need.  

In other cases, the inspection will get postponed as more pressing tasks get pushed on the "inspectors" plate. Can dealers afford not to listen to how their calls are being handled?  Are sales professionals following the proven sales process "script" or making things up on the fly?  Are your emails really getting delivered?

If you don't have an independent process and measurement system in place, you may be fueling your greatest source for lost opportunities.  Plug the hole today.

Brian

Brian Pasch, CEO

PCG Digital Marketing

Text PCGedu to 75674 get information on our upcoming conferences 

Brian Pasch

In the past few months I've had the pleasure to work with passionate dealers who have asked me to do a comprehensive assessment of their Internet operations.

I called on my good friend Jerry Thibeau to help me with the mystery shopping part of the assessment.

In addition to the innovative Phone Ninjas process that Jerry created,  my team also made calls and lead submissions on our own. It was an eye opener to see that a number of submissions failed basic customer service standards.
 

Operating With Broken Processes

Some of the leads we submitted were never responded to via an auto-responder or a personalized email.  Some leads never received a phone call.  

Readers in the trenches of BDC/Internet departments may not be surprised by these findings but the dealers we worked with and their staff were very surprised that their processes were broken.

When you consider the tens of thousands of dollars invested each month to drive calls, leads, and ups to the dealership, it is amazing how few dealers have a consistent monthly process in place to mystery shop their dealership.   This could be the biggest ommission in a dealership budget and most likely one of the biggest profit leaks.

Standards & Measurement Lead To Improvement

Without inspection, coaching, and benchmarks for first class performance, dealership BDC processes will never improve.  One thing a like with Phone Ninjas system is that Jerry created a Phone Skills Index (PSI) score for each Internet/BDC agent.  

As the agent develops through coaching, and their PSI scores increase, a direct correlation to an increase in appointments can be seen.

Our Internet operations inspections also revealed that a CRM provider had an email server than was blacklisted, which was preventing some emails from being delivered.  How much did that cost this dealer?  Do you have a few gmail accounts that you use to test your own CRM system each month?

It is also important to recognize human behavior in regards to inspection and measurement.  Leaving this task to an internal employee most likely will not get the ideal result.  In some cases, dealer princiapls will not get the honest assessment that they truly need.  

In other cases, the inspection will get postponed as more pressing tasks get pushed on the "inspectors" plate. Can dealers afford not to listen to how their calls are being handled?  Are sales professionals following the proven sales process "script" or making things up on the fly?  Are your emails really getting delivered?

If you don't have an independent process and measurement system in place, you may be fueling your greatest source for lost opportunities.  Plug the hole today.

Brian

Brian Pasch, CEO

PCG Digital Marketing

Text PCGedu to 75674 get information on our upcoming conferences 

Brian Pasch

I've made a commitment to read 70 books a year and one of my latest finds is "Great by Choice" written by Jim Collins.

I actually received the book as a gift from Jane Berentson, Editor in Chief at Inc., to whom I am very grateful for the introduction of this book.

Great by Choice  grabbed my attention in the second chapter as Collins tells readers about the two adventurers who set out to be the first people in modern history to reach the South Pole.

The contrast between the two leaders of the expedition parties is what immediately made me stop an think about my business strategy.

Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott both set a bold goal, just like many entrepreneurs.  One achieved his goal and the other one was frozen to death.

Want To Create 10X Results?

Jim Collins documents business leaders that achieved what he calls "10X" results.  Collins entices readers early in chapter two with this statement: "Let's first look at what we did not find about 10Xers relative to their less successful comparisons.

• They're not more creative.
• They're not more visionary.
• They're not more charismatic.
• They're not more ambitious.
• They're not more blessed by luck.
• They're not more risk seeking.
• They're not more heroic.
• They're not more prone to making, big, bold moves."

Did this list get your attention like it did mine.  

How many times have you read about a successful entrepreneur and believed one of these statement applied to their reason for success?

When you read what are the shared characteristic 10Xers have, I am confident that you will be inspired to read on and complete this outstanding book in short order.

Do you want 10X results from your business?

Are you looking to greatly exceed your goals in 2012 or will you be one that perishes in the cold?  

Start by taking action and order a copy today.

Brian 

Brian Pasch, CEO

PCG Digital Marketing

Text PCGedu to 75674 get information on our upcoming conferences

Brian Pasch

I've made a commitment to read 70 books a year and one of my latest finds is "Great by Choice" written by Jim Collins.

I actually received the book as a gift from Jane Berentson, Editor in Chief at Inc., to whom I am very grateful for the introduction of this book.

Great by Choice  grabbed my attention in the second chapter as Collins tells readers about the two adventurers who set out to be the first people in modern history to reach the South Pole.

The contrast between the two leaders of the expedition parties is what immediately made me stop an think about my business strategy.

Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott both set a bold goal, just like many entrepreneurs.  One achieved his goal and the other one was frozen to death.

Want To Create 10X Results?

Jim Collins documents business leaders that achieved what he calls "10X" results.  Collins entices readers early in chapter two with this statement: "Let's first look at what we did not find about 10Xers relative to their less successful comparisons.

• They're not more creative.
• They're not more visionary.
• They're not more charismatic.
• They're not more ambitious.
• They're not more blessed by luck.
• They're not more risk seeking.
• They're not more heroic.
• They're not more prone to making, big, bold moves."

Did this list get your attention like it did mine.  

How many times have you read about a successful entrepreneur and believed one of these statement applied to their reason for success?

When you read what are the shared characteristic 10Xers have, I am confident that you will be inspired to read on and complete this outstanding book in short order.

Do you want 10X results from your business?

Are you looking to greatly exceed your goals in 2012 or will you be one that perishes in the cold?  

Start by taking action and order a copy today.

Brian 

Brian Pasch, CEO

PCG Digital Marketing

Text PCGedu to 75674 get information on our upcoming conferences

Brian Pasch

In the past month I've had the chance to look at a number of dealer websites that are still using Flash technology that is not rendering properly on iPhone and iPad devices. If your home page is using Flash and you have delayed getting a technology update, this is a reminder to expedite that change.

Mobile traffic as well as Apple devices is on a exponential rise and you should be capturing these online shoppers.  In addition to having your main website with cross-browser and device compatibility, you have no excuse to ignore getting a mobile site up and running.

Google Analytics Shows Mobile Device Traffic

Here is an example of the last 30-days of traffic to a dealer website and you can see just how many Mobile devices are using Apple technology.  This report is easily accessed through Google Analytics.

So take a look at your Google Analytics reports and check all your website pages from an iPad, iPhone, and Android mobile devices.    Check service forms, Vehicle Detail Pages (VDP), and any multi-media resources.

Inspect your dealership's mobile usability during the Zero Moment of Truth.  Dealers that have a strong mobile advertising strategy matched with a friendly user experience will be greatly rewarded.

Checking Your Website On Different Browsers

While you are at it, make sure each month someone is checking your website from different browser technologies.  Google Analytics shows which are the most popular in your market. Please do NOT assume that your website vendor has checked every revision to their platform.

Brian 

Brian Pasch, CEO

PCG Digital Marketing
Text PCGedu to 75674 get information on our upcoming conferences
Brian Pasch

In the past month I've had the chance to look at a number of dealer websites that are still using Flash technology that is not rendering properly on iPhone and iPad devices. If your home page is using Flash and you have delayed getting a technology update, this is a reminder to expedite that change.

Mobile traffic as well as Apple devices is on a exponential rise and you should be capturing these online shoppers.  In addition to having your main website with cross-browser and device compatibility, you have no excuse to ignore getting a mobile site up and running.

Google Analytics Shows Mobile Device Traffic

Here is an example of the last 30-days of traffic to a dealer website and you can see just how many Mobile devices are using Apple technology.  This report is easily accessed through Google Analytics.

So take a look at your Google Analytics reports and check all your website pages from an iPad, iPhone, and Android mobile devices.    Check service forms, Vehicle Detail Pages (VDP), and any multi-media resources.

Inspect your dealership's mobile usability during the Zero Moment of Truth.  Dealers that have a strong mobile advertising strategy matched with a friendly user experience will be greatly rewarded.

Checking Your Website On Different Browsers

While you are at it, make sure each month someone is checking your website from different browser technologies.  Google Analytics shows which are the most popular in your market. Please do NOT assume that your website vendor has checked every revision to their platform.

Brian 

Brian Pasch, CEO

PCG Digital Marketing
Text PCGedu to 75674 get information on our upcoming conferences
Brian Pasch

For many dealers, Google Analytics is not yet one of the standard tools they review each month to provide business intelligence and accountability for their digital marketing strategy.  

I encourage dealers and marketing managers to learn more about Google Analytics in 2012.  There are three free webinars starting in February 2012 if you join the Automotive SEO Study. 

A majority of dealers who are looking at Google Analytics data are using the "base" level functionality and few have setup "Goals".  

Why Setup Goals?

Goals in Google Analytics coupled with Multi-Channel Sales Funnels can start to give you insight into the influences that brought local consumers to your website.

For example, a company comes in to sell you a product/service that claims will drive more qualified consumers to your inventory pages.  How do you measure that claim?  

Another vendor claims that by adding video to your website, consumer engagement will go up 250%.  How do you measure that?  

You decide to invest more in direct mail campaigns for Fixed Ops.  The vendor claims that online service appointments and visits to your "Service Specials" page will increase 150%.  How do you measure that?

Goals, when setup to match your marketing objectives, can be a simpel way to consolidate data for an executive reports each month.

What Goals Should We Setup?

There are four conditions that represent a goal in Google Analytics:

1. A specific page is viewed
2. A period of time on your website
3. Pages are viewed per visit
4. An event

For many dealers the first three will be utilized the most.  For example, according to automotive shopping research, when a consumer visits the "Hours & Directions" page on your website, it is a strong indicator that they will be coming in to purchase a car.

So, if we setup a "Goal" to see how many times a month people are visiting your "Hours & Directions" page, we can also see what outside influences brought consumers to this page.  You may also want to get goals for popular meny choices on your navigation bar which could include:

• Used Car Inventory Page
• New Car Inventory Page
• Service Appointment Page
• Specials Page

Defining a Goal

To define a goal based on a consumer landing on a page, follow these steps:

1. Login to Google Analytics
2. Click on your store, if you have multiple accounts
3. Click on the "gear" symbol in the upper right hand side of Google Analytics.
4. Click on the "Goals" tab on the page presented
5. Click on "Add a Goal"
6. Name Your Goal like "View Used Cars"
7. Paste in the full URL of that page
8. Save The Rule

 Setting Goals For Lead Submission

If your website provider displays a distinct "Thank You Page" after a consumer submits a lead, you can also setup a goal called "Lead Submission".  Just submit a lead, and when the thank you page appears, copy that URL and use it in a goal.

If your website provider is using a programming language like "Ajax" that changes the contents of just the form submission area with a thank you message, you will be challenged to setup a goal in Google Analytics for a lead submission.

Once Goals Are Set - Now What?

Once you have your goals setup, you can then setup your "influencer" rules with Multi-Channel Sales Funnels.  You can reference my previous blog post on Multi-Channel Sales Funnels for more details on how a car dealer can create custom rules that tract their marketing investments.

Wouldn't you want to see which marketing and social media investments are driving more consumers to view your inventory?

As we hold our employees accountable for their sales performance each month, so should you setup goals for your website and hold it accountable for performance.  Google Analytics is one tool to setup the parameters by which a dealer principal can measure performance.

I encourage dealers to request the executive dashboard reports from their vendors or consulting partners to help them better understand, inspect, and adjust their digital marketing strategy.  Google Analytics goals is one of those elements that should be reviewed.

If you are heading to DMSC prior to NADA, I will doing a workshop specifically on Google Analytics and how to use these free tools to gain better insights into the ROI of your digital marketing investments.  

The conference will also have members of the Google Automotive team that will shed some light into future opportunities to leverage Google products to create a stronger presence in the Zero Moment of Truth.  

DrivingSalesTV will also be covering DMSC and capturing some of the highlights to be shared on www.DrivingSalesTV.com.

Brian 

Brian Pasch, CEO

PCG Digital Marketing
Text PCGedu to 75674 get information on our upcoming conferences
Brian Pasch

For many dealers, Google Analytics is not yet one of the standard tools they review each month to provide business intelligence and accountability for their digital marketing strategy.  

I encourage dealers and marketing managers to learn more about Google Analytics in 2012.  There are three free webinars starting in February 2012 if you join the Automotive SEO Study. 

A majority of dealers who are looking at Google Analytics data are using the "base" level functionality and few have setup "Goals".  

Why Setup Goals?

Goals in Google Analytics coupled with Multi-Channel Sales Funnels can start to give you insight into the influences that brought local consumers to your website.

For example, a company comes in to sell you a product/service that claims will drive more qualified consumers to your inventory pages.  How do you measure that claim?  

Another vendor claims that by adding video to your website, consumer engagement will go up 250%.  How do you measure that?  

You decide to invest more in direct mail campaigns for Fixed Ops.  The vendor claims that online service appointments and visits to your "Service Specials" page will increase 150%.  How do you measure that?

Goals, when setup to match your marketing objectives, can be a simpel way to consolidate data for an executive reports each month.

What Goals Should We Setup?

There are four conditions that represent a goal in Google Analytics:

1. A specific page is viewed
2. A period of time on your website
3. Pages are viewed per visit
4. An event

For many dealers the first three will be utilized the most.  For example, according to automotive shopping research, when a consumer visits the "Hours & Directions" page on your website, it is a strong indicator that they will be coming in to purchase a car.

So, if we setup a "Goal" to see how many times a month people are visiting your "Hours & Directions" page, we can also see what outside influences brought consumers to this page.  You may also want to get goals for popular meny choices on your navigation bar which could include:

• Used Car Inventory Page
• New Car Inventory Page
• Service Appointment Page
• Specials Page

Defining a Goal

To define a goal based on a consumer landing on a page, follow these steps:

1. Login to Google Analytics
2. Click on your store, if you have multiple accounts
3. Click on the "gear" symbol in the upper right hand side of Google Analytics.
4. Click on the "Goals" tab on the page presented
5. Click on "Add a Goal"
6. Name Your Goal like "View Used Cars"
7. Paste in the full URL of that page
8. Save The Rule

 Setting Goals For Lead Submission

If your website provider displays a distinct "Thank You Page" after a consumer submits a lead, you can also setup a goal called "Lead Submission".  Just submit a lead, and when the thank you page appears, copy that URL and use it in a goal.

If your website provider is using a programming language like "Ajax" that changes the contents of just the form submission area with a thank you message, you will be challenged to setup a goal in Google Analytics for a lead submission.

Once Goals Are Set - Now What?

Once you have your goals setup, you can then setup your "influencer" rules with Multi-Channel Sales Funnels.  You can reference my previous blog post on Multi-Channel Sales Funnels for more details on how a car dealer can create custom rules that tract their marketing investments.

Wouldn't you want to see which marketing and social media investments are driving more consumers to view your inventory?

As we hold our employees accountable for their sales performance each month, so should you setup goals for your website and hold it accountable for performance.  Google Analytics is one tool to setup the parameters by which a dealer principal can measure performance.

I encourage dealers to request the executive dashboard reports from their vendors or consulting partners to help them better understand, inspect, and adjust their digital marketing strategy.  Google Analytics goals is one of those elements that should be reviewed.

If you are heading to DMSC prior to NADA, I will doing a workshop specifically on Google Analytics and how to use these free tools to gain better insights into the ROI of your digital marketing investments.  

The conference will also have members of the Google Automotive team that will shed some light into future opportunities to leverage Google products to create a stronger presence in the Zero Moment of Truth.  

DrivingSalesTV will also be covering DMSC and capturing some of the highlights to be shared on www.DrivingSalesTV.com.

Brian 

Brian Pasch, CEO

PCG Digital Marketing
Text PCGedu to 75674 get information on our upcoming conferences
Brian Pasch

As I have been looking at Google Analytics Multi Channel Sales Funnels, I have to ask dealers if they have misjudged the impact of Craigslist on their  website traffic and lead generation?  

How are consumers finding a dealer's used car inventory?  Is it through Autotrader.com, Cars.com, or is it a combination of Craigslist as well?

Since we have the opportunity to work with hundreds of dealers across the US and Canada, we have tested setting goals on a number of different business objectives.

Get Consumers To View Used Car Inventory

In the case below, we set a goal to look at how consumers get to a dealer's USED CAR inventory search pages.  Here is an example of how Craigslist is driving traffic to a DEALER'S used car inventory pages:

The LAST Source Will Fool You 90% Of The Time

If you look at the LAST referring source, all but one of these LAST influencers to the dealer's USED CAR inventory pages would NOT be attributed to Craigslist, YET the STARTING influence is Craigslist.  

Mmmmmm, do you finally see that the last REFERRING website is NOT the only source of influence!!  I know lead form conversion is important but seeing what investments are influencing your inventory to be viewed by a consumer  is also important because of the calls and walk-in traffic visitors generate.

What does this say?  It says that you better start by getting Multi Channel Sales Funnels setup for your dealership.  You need to start looking at your Analytics data in a new light.

If you don't know how to do this, join the three webinars starting on February 13th, which will show dealers how to setup and leverage this free tool from Google which shows consumer behavior in the last 30 days.  

Join by visiting http://www.automotiveseostudy.com.

Richer Dataium?

You should also consider getting richer data by signing up with Dataium which shows contributing sources for much longer than 30 days.  You can get more information on Dataium's data insights by visiting http://ww.dataium.com or calling Jason Ezell at 704-658-5277.

Refine your digital marketing strategy by using intelligent analytics in 2012!!

Brian 

Brian Pasch, CEO
PCG Digital Marketing
Text PCGedu to 75674 get information on our upcoming conferences
Brian Pasch

As I have been looking at Google Analytics Multi Channel Sales Funnels, I have to ask dealers if they have misjudged the impact of Craigslist on their  website traffic and lead generation?  

How are consumers finding a dealer's used car inventory?  Is it through Autotrader.com, Cars.com, or is it a combination of Craigslist as well?

Since we have the opportunity to work with hundreds of dealers across the US and Canada, we have tested setting goals on a number of different business objectives.

Get Consumers To View Used Car Inventory

In the case below, we set a goal to look at how consumers get to a dealer's USED CAR inventory search pages.  Here is an example of how Craigslist is driving traffic to a DEALER'S used car inventory pages:

The LAST Source Will Fool You 90% Of The Time

If you look at the LAST referring source, all but one of these LAST influencers to the dealer's USED CAR inventory pages would NOT be attributed to Craigslist, YET the STARTING influence is Craigslist.  

Mmmmmm, do you finally see that the last REFERRING website is NOT the only source of influence!!  I know lead form conversion is important but seeing what investments are influencing your inventory to be viewed by a consumer  is also important because of the calls and walk-in traffic visitors generate.

What does this say?  It says that you better start by getting Multi Channel Sales Funnels setup for your dealership.  You need to start looking at your Analytics data in a new light.

If you don't know how to do this, join the three webinars starting on February 13th, which will show dealers how to setup and leverage this free tool from Google which shows consumer behavior in the last 30 days.  

Join by visiting http://www.automotiveseostudy.com.

Richer Dataium?

You should also consider getting richer data by signing up with Dataium which shows contributing sources for much longer than 30 days.  You can get more information on Dataium's data insights by visiting http://ww.dataium.com or calling Jason Ezell at 704-658-5277.

Refine your digital marketing strategy by using intelligent analytics in 2012!!

Brian 

Brian Pasch, CEO
PCG Digital Marketing
Text PCGedu to 75674 get information on our upcoming conferences
Brian Pasch