Chicken Little created a crisis that was, though real in his mind, totally false. However, it spurred others into frivolous action in a well-known Fairy Tale. In the next few weeks and Months many Dealership personnel will confront the same thing as they interact with Vendors at the Dealership, in on-line forums and at Conferences. 

And thus my friends will begin the Zero Moment of Bullsh**.

We get it every day in our inboxes “we have done a quick study of your website and found several areas you should be concerned with”, “Google 3.4 will make your website invisible unless you ACT NOW”, “Get our Free whitepaper on why you need our service and a free 30 Day trial”… and on and on it goes.

“Create a Crisis Marketing" is not new. Bomb shelter Companies made millions during the red-scare era, and look at the health supplement market! That’s NOT to say there was never a possibility of being attacked as a Country nor that Vitamins aren’t good for you.

However, a good Vendor Partnership should be like a good marriage so maybe follow the same steps:

1. Determine what you are looking for that will complement your current strengths and shore up your weaknesses.
2. Get involved in Communities that foster education and interaction. Don’t frequent bars as a primary hunting ground. I have 4 Sisters and Mom always told them “you’ll never find a Stallion in the Donkey corral”.
3. Long courtships and engagements are good. Love at first sight DOES happen, but it’s RARE and a cooling off period won’t deter it if it’s real.
4. Commit. Totally and completely. It’s a lasting thing and may be rough but even the best relationship can sometimes go through a rocky patch. Communicate often and openly and don’t start looking for the next best thing before you’ve exhausted all channels with your current spouse.

 Don’t wake up next week with a ring on your finger and no idea how it got there.

Bryan Armstrong

@bryancarguy

Chicken Little created a crisis that was, though real in his mind, totally false. However, it spurred others into frivolous action in a well-known Fairy Tale. In the next few weeks and Months many Dealership personnel will confront the same thing as they interact with Vendors at the Dealership, in on-line forums and at Conferences. 

And thus my friends will begin the Zero Moment of Bullsh**.

We get it every day in our inboxes “we have done a quick study of your website and found several areas you should be concerned with”, “Google 3.4 will make your website invisible unless you ACT NOW”, “Get our Free whitepaper on why you need our service and a free 30 Day trial”… and on and on it goes.

“Create a Crisis Marketing" is not new. Bomb shelter Companies made millions during the red-scare era, and look at the health supplement market! That’s NOT to say there was never a possibility of being attacked as a Country nor that Vitamins aren’t good for you.

However, a good Vendor Partnership should be like a good marriage so maybe follow the same steps:

1. Determine what you are looking for that will complement your current strengths and shore up your weaknesses.
2. Get involved in Communities that foster education and interaction. Don’t frequent bars as a primary hunting ground. I have 4 Sisters and Mom always told them “you’ll never find a Stallion in the Donkey corral”.
3. Long courtships and engagements are good. Love at first sight DOES happen, but it’s RARE and a cooling off period won’t deter it if it’s real.
4. Commit. Totally and completely. It’s a lasting thing and may be rough but even the best relationship can sometimes go through a rocky patch. Communicate often and openly and don’t start looking for the next best thing before you’ve exhausted all channels with your current spouse.

 Don’t wake up next week with a ring on your finger and no idea how it got there.

Bryan Armstrong

@bryancarguy

Almost a year ago, I gave a presentation on Digital Marketing and stressed the importance of sites like Foursquare, Yelp and urged all to re-evaluate their push-style Marketing techniques on Facebook. Now, not to toot my own horn (*beep, beep*) you see Siri looking to Yelp for answers, Foursquare becoming ever more relevant and within the next 30 days every Brands FB page will be forced into the new timeline format.

Now would be a great time to look at the photos (which dominate the timeline format) that you’ve posted since you began Facebook. Will it be a conglomeration of puppy photos and best caption contests? Will it be a successive progression of Inventory you don’t even have? Worse yet, will it end up that your “friends and fans” see the inane plethora of your weekly ad claiming one sale after another? How effective will the next ad be when everyone can scroll back and see that it’s the “same old same old” that you’ve re-hashed again and again? I believe the term I used was “it will look like Sesame Street threw up”.

So here’s my two-cents now: Use the next 30 days to clean that rubbish heap you thought was buried. It will look like you have big holes in your presence, but fill them with events such as New-hire announcements, Birthdays, Anniversaries; Fund-Raising and Community events…the possibilities are only limited by your imagination. It’s what I’ll be doing too.

Also, start integrating your Social Media the right way. Use it for conversation and feedback and integrate it into your Traditional advertising efforts. Don’t put “LIKE US ON FACEBOOK AT WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/DEALERNAME” instead try “join the conversation” or “Get Involved” by texting: like VWSouthtowne to 32665

Go ahead…I’ll wait… :)

Bryan Armstrong

@bryancarguy

Almost a year ago, I gave a presentation on Digital Marketing and stressed the importance of sites like Foursquare, Yelp and urged all to re-evaluate their push-style Marketing techniques on Facebook. Now, not to toot my own horn (*beep, beep*) you see Siri looking to Yelp for answers, Foursquare becoming ever more relevant and within the next 30 days every Brands FB page will be forced into the new timeline format.

Now would be a great time to look at the photos (which dominate the timeline format) that you’ve posted since you began Facebook. Will it be a conglomeration of puppy photos and best caption contests? Will it be a successive progression of Inventory you don’t even have? Worse yet, will it end up that your “friends and fans” see the inane plethora of your weekly ad claiming one sale after another? How effective will the next ad be when everyone can scroll back and see that it’s the “same old same old” that you’ve re-hashed again and again? I believe the term I used was “it will look like Sesame Street threw up”.

So here’s my two-cents now: Use the next 30 days to clean that rubbish heap you thought was buried. It will look like you have big holes in your presence, but fill them with events such as New-hire announcements, Birthdays, Anniversaries; Fund-Raising and Community events…the possibilities are only limited by your imagination. It’s what I’ll be doing too.

Also, start integrating your Social Media the right way. Use it for conversation and feedback and integrate it into your Traditional advertising efforts. Don’t put “LIKE US ON FACEBOOK AT WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/DEALERNAME” instead try “join the conversation” or “Get Involved” by texting: like VWSouthtowne to 32665

Go ahead…I’ll wait… :)

Bryan Armstrong

@bryancarguy

In the Feb. 6^th edition of Automotive News they quoted me as not using 3^rd Party leads and said I had instead committed those resources to developing my own leads (I think we all know that 3^rd Party lead quantity and quality has declined).

In my opinion most of the traffic they get, by rights, should be mine anyway. However, they siphon it off by providing the research portals consumers are looking for, capture their info and sell you that “tire-clicker” as a hot prospect.       

So this is ONE of the free (if you don’t account for the time) methods I have used: Wordpress. That’s right the simple, free version of Wordpress.com. My site is http://volkswagenutah.wordpress.com and currently gets about 200 visitors a day. I refrain from promotional posts (there are a few) but each of the Tabs is a stand-alone site as well that I can optimize for the targeted keywords I desire and drive encroachers off my Google results.

Here are this week’s results for targeted keyword traffic:

 Granted, they aren’t all page 1 results, but the visitors are highly engaged and most of this is re-purposed from Manufacturers’ sites so it helps establish another touch point of credibility.

This is just ONE way to own your digital space instead of renting or being dependent on others content. There are some other ways, but a guy has to keep SOME of his tricks up his sleeve, right? ;)

Good Luck and Good Selling!

Bryan Armstrong

@bryancarguy

In the Feb. 6^th edition of Automotive News they quoted me as not using 3^rd Party leads and said I had instead committed those resources to developing my own leads (I think we all know that 3^rd Party lead quantity and quality has declined).

In my opinion most of the traffic they get, by rights, should be mine anyway. However, they siphon it off by providing the research portals consumers are looking for, capture their info and sell you that “tire-clicker” as a hot prospect.       

So this is ONE of the free (if you don’t account for the time) methods I have used: Wordpress. That’s right the simple, free version of Wordpress.com. My site is http://volkswagenutah.wordpress.com and currently gets about 200 visitors a day. I refrain from promotional posts (there are a few) but each of the Tabs is a stand-alone site as well that I can optimize for the targeted keywords I desire and drive encroachers off my Google results.

Here are this week’s results for targeted keyword traffic:

 Granted, they aren’t all page 1 results, but the visitors are highly engaged and most of this is re-purposed from Manufacturers’ sites so it helps establish another touch point of credibility.

This is just ONE way to own your digital space instead of renting or being dependent on others content. There are some other ways, but a guy has to keep SOME of his tricks up his sleeve, right? ;)

Good Luck and Good Selling!

Bryan Armstrong

@bryancarguy

All across the Country, in fact probably in Dealerships everywhere, a similar scene has played itself out today: Call every un-sold Customer we’ve had all Month, bump all Trades to get a New retail unit, take that loser deal because we need those last few cars, get an update on every non-funded deal, call emergency C.I.T. meetings, whip the B.D.C. into a frenzy….

So after this madness and mayhem of erasing Thousands of Dollars of profits in an attempt to get deals funded and volume up, the same vow will be made tomorrow: “We need to stay on top of this stuff throughout the Month so we don’t have this B.S. next Month.”

Didn’t you say that LAST Month, and the Month before?

If this in no way pertains to you, great, but I’ll bet we can all see something that is applicable.

The false sense of Urgency created at the end of each Month is born of the very real desperation created by a failure to inspect your processes every day. The end of the Month can be much more pleasant when it’s just “going for extra gravy” rather than a futile last-ditch effort to force into being that which could have been cultivated daily.

Luckily tomorrow is a new Day, a new Month and an opportunity to get it right. You don’t have to have a Title to be a Leader. So when are you going to TAKE ACTION?

Bryan Armstrong

@bryancarguy

All across the Country, in fact probably in Dealerships everywhere, a similar scene has played itself out today: Call every un-sold Customer we’ve had all Month, bump all Trades to get a New retail unit, take that loser deal because we need those last few cars, get an update on every non-funded deal, call emergency C.I.T. meetings, whip the B.D.C. into a frenzy….

So after this madness and mayhem of erasing Thousands of Dollars of profits in an attempt to get deals funded and volume up, the same vow will be made tomorrow: “We need to stay on top of this stuff throughout the Month so we don’t have this B.S. next Month.”

Didn’t you say that LAST Month, and the Month before?

If this in no way pertains to you, great, but I’ll bet we can all see something that is applicable.

The false sense of Urgency created at the end of each Month is born of the very real desperation created by a failure to inspect your processes every day. The end of the Month can be much more pleasant when it’s just “going for extra gravy” rather than a futile last-ditch effort to force into being that which could have been cultivated daily.

Luckily tomorrow is a new Day, a new Month and an opportunity to get it right. You don’t have to have a Title to be a Leader. So when are you going to TAKE ACTION?

Bryan Armstrong

@bryancarguy

As I monitor all inbound and outbound communication of Dealerships watching for signs of impending C.S.I. issues, new or missed sales and retention opportunities and, I am simply amazed at the amount of time, effort, energy and money that is expended by the Sales dept. to remedy issues. By contrast, Service rarely has these problems, but when they do, it’s from the same root cause. That’s right, the “C” word… Communication… or shall I say the lack thereof.

Recently I listened to a customer whose car had been in the shop for 2 days longer than anticipated, the wrong parts had shown up and it was going to be even longer as one needed component was back ordered. When asked about her experience she proclaimed “Your Service guy is a God!” (Keep in mind this was not a warranty issue, she was not in a loaner car and she was footing the bill herself). This response was so far away from what I had expected that I had to inquire further. Her explanation: “Look, I’m not happy about everything but I understand things happen and he has called everyday to offer shuttle service if I need it and keep me updated. Plus he always returns my calls! As long as he is there, I’ll never go anywhere else.”

No CRM or process can force it; this is a man who’s building for himself a career and a following.

By contrast, I’ve seen customers who were so happy with their experience that they sent in referrals who also bought cars. The salesman failed to follow-up on the $100 referral program check he had pitched to them at delivery. Even though the matter was eventually resolved to their satisfaction, the message from their salesperson had been received loud and clear.

Even if the news is unpleasant a swift delivery with a clear message will alleviate most hassles. “no there is no second set of keys” trumps “I don’t think there are but I’ll look and if they show up I’ll call” every time.

Communicate often, clearly and through the channel the customer is comfortable with. The payoff is huge.

What fail-safe's are in place at your Dealership? How often do you monitor or cross-check to measure that your expectation is being met? Pro-active will beat reactive every time!

Bryan Armstrong

@bryancarguy  

As I monitor all inbound and outbound communication of Dealerships watching for signs of impending C.S.I. issues, new or missed sales and retention opportunities and, I am simply amazed at the amount of time, effort, energy and money that is expended by the Sales dept. to remedy issues. By contrast, Service rarely has these problems, but when they do, it’s from the same root cause. That’s right, the “C” word… Communication… or shall I say the lack thereof.

Recently I listened to a customer whose car had been in the shop for 2 days longer than anticipated, the wrong parts had shown up and it was going to be even longer as one needed component was back ordered. When asked about her experience she proclaimed “Your Service guy is a God!” (Keep in mind this was not a warranty issue, she was not in a loaner car and she was footing the bill herself). This response was so far away from what I had expected that I had to inquire further. Her explanation: “Look, I’m not happy about everything but I understand things happen and he has called everyday to offer shuttle service if I need it and keep me updated. Plus he always returns my calls! As long as he is there, I’ll never go anywhere else.”

No CRM or process can force it; this is a man who’s building for himself a career and a following.

By contrast, I’ve seen customers who were so happy with their experience that they sent in referrals who also bought cars. The salesman failed to follow-up on the $100 referral program check he had pitched to them at delivery. Even though the matter was eventually resolved to their satisfaction, the message from their salesperson had been received loud and clear.

Even if the news is unpleasant a swift delivery with a clear message will alleviate most hassles. “no there is no second set of keys” trumps “I don’t think there are but I’ll look and if they show up I’ll call” every time.

Communicate often, clearly and through the channel the customer is comfortable with. The payoff is huge.

What fail-safe's are in place at your Dealership? How often do you monitor or cross-check to measure that your expectation is being met? Pro-active will beat reactive every time!

Bryan Armstrong

@bryancarguy