The book and recent movie, “Horton Hears a Who” by Dr. Seuss, tells the story of Horton the Elephant who on one afternoon is splashing in a pool and hears a small speck of dust talking to him. It turns out the speck of dust is actually a tiny planet, home to a city called Whoville. Whoville is inhabited by microscopic-sized inhabitants called Whos, and led by a character known as the Mayor. His motto: A person is a person no matter how small. I think many can learn from the Mayor’s motto and apply it to their current Digital Marketing practices.

Digital Marketing in the Automotive Industry is all about the Whos. It’s about building and maintaining those relationships between the dealership and its customers. The customers are the Whos of course, no matter how small they may be.

Many treat the Whos more like Whats. They count them, they corral them, they segment them but they don’t listen to them. Many times they are just numbers such as 5,000 names on an email list or 10,000 hits to a web site. With that being said, many see success measured by an increase in activity of the Whats. For example, a better response rate to an email campaign or a certain percentage increase in time spent on each page of a web site. Although these metrics are important, they are not effective in building relationships. Many don’t believe they exist as people because they can’t see or hear them so they don’t market to them as people. In all reality the Whos do exist. Behind every email address and every click on your web site there is a living, breathing person with their own special needs, likes, dislikes and opportunities for those to reach out and make a new friend for their dealerships. To become better there needs to more effort to get to know them. Find out who they are. It’s not hard, they are all dying to tell us about themselves every time they click on something, fill out a form, watch a video, type something on the dealership’s Facebook page or fail to respond to an email blast. Every time they interact or choose not to interact, they are telling us something about themselves. The trick is to listen.

How many are really listening to what their customers are telling them? I mean really listening as if the relationship with them depends on it because it does. Are the relationships being developed by tracking and profiling the Whos? Making notes and keeping good records is the key here so dealers can give them what they want, when they want it. It is time to move from treating them as Whats instead of Whos.

At the end of the story, all the Whos get together and make a noise so loud that everyone could hear them. Don’t wait until all the Whos gang up and say what they want. Make the effort to start listening now and always remember that a person is a person no matter how small.

The book and recent movie, “Horton Hears a Who” by Dr. Seuss, tells the story of Horton the Elephant who on one afternoon is splashing in a pool and hears a small speck of dust talking to him. It turns out the speck of dust is actually a tiny planet, home to a city called Whoville. Whoville is inhabited by microscopic-sized inhabitants called Whos, and led by a character known as the Mayor. His motto: A person is a person no matter how small. I think many can learn from the Mayor’s motto and apply it to their current Digital Marketing practices.

Digital Marketing in the Automotive Industry is all about the Whos. It’s about building and maintaining those relationships between the dealership and its customers. The customers are the Whos of course, no matter how small they may be.

Many treat the Whos more like Whats. They count them, they corral them, they segment them but they don’t listen to them. Many times they are just numbers such as 5,000 names on an email list or 10,000 hits to a web site. With that being said, many see success measured by an increase in activity of the Whats. For example, a better response rate to an email campaign or a certain percentage increase in time spent on each page of a web site. Although these metrics are important, they are not effective in building relationships. Many don’t believe they exist as people because they can’t see or hear them so they don’t market to them as people. In all reality the Whos do exist. Behind every email address and every click on your web site there is a living, breathing person with their own special needs, likes, dislikes and opportunities for those to reach out and make a new friend for their dealerships. To become better there needs to more effort to get to know them. Find out who they are. It’s not hard, they are all dying to tell us about themselves every time they click on something, fill out a form, watch a video, type something on the dealership’s Facebook page or fail to respond to an email blast. Every time they interact or choose not to interact, they are telling us something about themselves. The trick is to listen.

How many are really listening to what their customers are telling them? I mean really listening as if the relationship with them depends on it because it does. Are the relationships being developed by tracking and profiling the Whos? Making notes and keeping good records is the key here so dealers can give them what they want, when they want it. It is time to move from treating them as Whats instead of Whos.

At the end of the story, all the Whos get together and make a noise so loud that everyone could hear them. Don’t wait until all the Whos gang up and say what they want. Make the effort to start listening now and always remember that a person is a person no matter how small.

I think we can all begin here with an agreement that stalking someone is bad. Personally, I find it very strange. Why is it then that some of our industry dealers use it as a viable digital marketing strategy, more specifically, email marketing? Now for some, it may be because they don’t realize what they are doing and may need some help with their strategies. Sadly, there are others that are too lazy to approach their digital marketing properly. I am writing this to help bring both sides of the spectrum more towards the center because from each side as they stand, it is hurting the automotive industry and beginning to give our digital marketing efforts a bad name.

Now please understand I am not talking about the nefarious forms of cyberstalking but rather those dealers who generate a list of names email addresses from the CRM and constantly bombard the customer with the same "beginning of the month" or "end of month" email offer. Dealers should strive to become better technicians with their strategies and stop playing the numbers game while chasing that "open rate" or "click through" rate. Is that small percentage so important that you are willing to follow up with something of the same just a few weeks later? It is pushing customers away and creating more work down the road.

If someone walks into your dealership, you would welcome them, offer assistance, hopefully create some dialogue and continue from there. If you followed them around making suggestions on vehicles they have zero interest in or offering unwanted service work, I'm willing to say they would quickly become uncomfortable and leave your store.

From that point, two things are likely to happen:

They probably will never come back into your dealership for one. Then they will take ownership of your brand and begin to tell other people about their bad experience in person and in the social platforms.

This exact same thing happens online. If you bombard them with the same "expected" email campaigns, they soon stop opening and get a negative feel for your brand, which again, they will share with others.

The trap many dealerships fall into is that they think just because a customer has done business, joined your rewards program or registered to win that gift card that they have given you the right to blast them with irrelevant messages each week or month. Of course "opt in" helps you stay clear of anti-spam legislation but it does not diminish your responsibility as professional marketers and businesses.

It is important to remember that your digital marketing efforts are about matching buyers to your vehicles and service. It isn't about throwing stuff at enough of your customer base or potential buyers hoping that some will be silly enough to convert. This matching means understanding who the customer or prospect really is and working out what they need and when they need it. In our automotive world, there are plenty of tools available to present us with the information needed to help us know more about our prospects and customer base. We are dealing with real human beings with real feelings on the other end. Take it serious and deliver relevant offers to the right prospects or customer base at the right time.

Customers have caught on to the auto industry's "broad brush" digital marketing efforts. Dealers are spending more time and money than necessary with this approach. Email is a great communication channel, move away from the loose usage and approach with proper strategy.

I think we can all begin here with an agreement that stalking someone is bad. Personally, I find it very strange. Why is it then that some of our industry dealers use it as a viable digital marketing strategy, more specifically, email marketing? Now for some, it may be because they don’t realize what they are doing and may need some help with their strategies. Sadly, there are others that are too lazy to approach their digital marketing properly. I am writing this to help bring both sides of the spectrum more towards the center because from each side as they stand, it is hurting the automotive industry and beginning to give our digital marketing efforts a bad name.

Now please understand I am not talking about the nefarious forms of cyberstalking but rather those dealers who generate a list of names email addresses from the CRM and constantly bombard the customer with the same "beginning of the month" or "end of month" email offer. Dealers should strive to become better technicians with their strategies and stop playing the numbers game while chasing that "open rate" or "click through" rate. Is that small percentage so important that you are willing to follow up with something of the same just a few weeks later? It is pushing customers away and creating more work down the road.

If someone walks into your dealership, you would welcome them, offer assistance, hopefully create some dialogue and continue from there. If you followed them around making suggestions on vehicles they have zero interest in or offering unwanted service work, I'm willing to say they would quickly become uncomfortable and leave your store.

From that point, two things are likely to happen:

They probably will never come back into your dealership for one. Then they will take ownership of your brand and begin to tell other people about their bad experience in person and in the social platforms.

This exact same thing happens online. If you bombard them with the same "expected" email campaigns, they soon stop opening and get a negative feel for your brand, which again, they will share with others.

The trap many dealerships fall into is that they think just because a customer has done business, joined your rewards program or registered to win that gift card that they have given you the right to blast them with irrelevant messages each week or month. Of course "opt in" helps you stay clear of anti-spam legislation but it does not diminish your responsibility as professional marketers and businesses.

It is important to remember that your digital marketing efforts are about matching buyers to your vehicles and service. It isn't about throwing stuff at enough of your customer base or potential buyers hoping that some will be silly enough to convert. This matching means understanding who the customer or prospect really is and working out what they need and when they need it. In our automotive world, there are plenty of tools available to present us with the information needed to help us know more about our prospects and customer base. We are dealing with real human beings with real feelings on the other end. Take it serious and deliver relevant offers to the right prospects or customer base at the right time.

Customers have caught on to the auto industry's "broad brush" digital marketing efforts. Dealers are spending more time and money than necessary with this approach. Email is a great communication channel, move away from the loose usage and approach with proper strategy.

I have been thinking lately regarding the way we interact with each other online and especially in the social web.  I find myself at times with a heavy daily agenda and certainly know others do as well.  With that being said, I wonder of the attention spans and daily interactions of some are becoming shorter and more superficial.  Let’s be real, some interactions in the social platforms are very involved while others are very light and seemingly meaningless; also perceived as a complete waste of time.

The fact that one can perceive an interaction with another as a complete waste of time and that some do waste time online should not be confused with what our customers are expecting from us as the “brand” they are interacting with.

By now, it goes without saying, that the social platforms and web allow us as brands to cultivate relationships with our current and future customers. Customer loyalty hasn't always been recognized as super important to all of us as brands and developing a measurement for this has been tough other than point of purchases.  This is no longer true ladies and gentlemen.  Those of you that have designed and implemented a strong social media strategy can now locate your most loyal customers.  These are your brand advocates who actively encourage others to purchase from their favorite brand:  YOU.

How are you doing with this effort? Do you as a brand understand that you need to create a genuine relationship with each customer?  It is just amazing now that customers now have more power to voice their opinion about you as a brand and business.  This will happen whether you are participating or not and in my opinion, the customer truly is the one who owns your brand today.  In many cases, customers are treated as something to convert, make the sale and then on to the next.  It is something I never agreed with myself and never conducted business in that manner.  Let me say if you are conducting business in this manner it is no longer good enough.  Why not take a genuine and honest effort to find out what they are about.  What are their interests? How can you truly be of service? What makes them tick?

We hear it every day at some point that we as brands need to be more active and engaging with our current and future customers.  It is time we use the social web to create more long term relationships.  Those who will continue to look at social media as just another broadcast type tool, you are going to have a hard time.  We as digital marketers have a ton of choices on how we will treat and engage with our audience.  Those who currently are looking at customers as a number will continue to find themselves with less and less business as the month’s progress.  A better idea would to understand how each customer wants to be communicated with, get creative with your engagement and build a long term relationship.  Everyone deserves and wants to be treated as an individual.

So those of you out there that view the social web platforms as a “time waster” and don't have much value I hope to change your opinion.  As brands, it is up to us on how we interact with our current and future customers.  This is fast paced and there can be many distractions for both sides. 

The bottom line, you will only stand out if you concentrate turning EVERY interaction into a meaningful experience for both the customer and you as the brand.

I have been thinking lately regarding the way we interact with each other online and especially in the social web.  I find myself at times with a heavy daily agenda and certainly know others do as well.  With that being said, I wonder of the attention spans and daily interactions of some are becoming shorter and more superficial.  Let’s be real, some interactions in the social platforms are very involved while others are very light and seemingly meaningless; also perceived as a complete waste of time.

The fact that one can perceive an interaction with another as a complete waste of time and that some do waste time online should not be confused with what our customers are expecting from us as the “brand” they are interacting with.

By now, it goes without saying, that the social platforms and web allow us as brands to cultivate relationships with our current and future customers. Customer loyalty hasn't always been recognized as super important to all of us as brands and developing a measurement for this has been tough other than point of purchases.  This is no longer true ladies and gentlemen.  Those of you that have designed and implemented a strong social media strategy can now locate your most loyal customers.  These are your brand advocates who actively encourage others to purchase from their favorite brand:  YOU.

How are you doing with this effort? Do you as a brand understand that you need to create a genuine relationship with each customer?  It is just amazing now that customers now have more power to voice their opinion about you as a brand and business.  This will happen whether you are participating or not and in my opinion, the customer truly is the one who owns your brand today.  In many cases, customers are treated as something to convert, make the sale and then on to the next.  It is something I never agreed with myself and never conducted business in that manner.  Let me say if you are conducting business in this manner it is no longer good enough.  Why not take a genuine and honest effort to find out what they are about.  What are their interests? How can you truly be of service? What makes them tick?

We hear it every day at some point that we as brands need to be more active and engaging with our current and future customers.  It is time we use the social web to create more long term relationships.  Those who will continue to look at social media as just another broadcast type tool, you are going to have a hard time.  We as digital marketers have a ton of choices on how we will treat and engage with our audience.  Those who currently are looking at customers as a number will continue to find themselves with less and less business as the month’s progress.  A better idea would to understand how each customer wants to be communicated with, get creative with your engagement and build a long term relationship.  Everyone deserves and wants to be treated as an individual.

So those of you out there that view the social web platforms as a “time waster” and don't have much value I hope to change your opinion.  As brands, it is up to us on how we interact with our current and future customers.  This is fast paced and there can be many distractions for both sides. 

The bottom line, you will only stand out if you concentrate turning EVERY interaction into a meaningful experience for both the customer and you as the brand.

We knew it was coming and now the month end is fast approaching as it always seems to sneak up faster than we would like for it to.

So my question is:  Did you thrive or survive?

Many of us talk with others in the industry on a daily basis. Some of our conversations are with those near us and others in other states. One common question I do know for sure that gets asked is, “How’s business?” I have been thinking about this question and it seems it is a question of validation to judge our current performance.  Would any others reading agree or disagree with this statement?

I find it interesting that many dealers are outperforming their brand, selling more vehicles and increasing gross profit all at the expense of their local competitors while others are finding a tough month going in the books very soon. How are the winners making this happen? I will begin by saying winners recognize that there are only three things in their control:

·         Attitudes

·         Sales Strategy

·         Sales Proficiency

Attitudes:

We have all heard the popular saying that “attitude determines altitude.” Winning dealerships have a “no excuses” culture in their stores.  This keeps them from becoming victims of the market and creates the realization that they are accountable for achieving their results. Stephen Covey, author of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, once said that, “Every organization is perfectly aligned to achieve its current results.”  In other words, we are getting what we are getting, because we are doing what we are doing.  When you question results, do you accept excuses or do you ask, “If you couldn’t use that excuse, what would you say?”

Steve Brown, President of the Fortune Group, identified the “Failure Formula” saying, “People fail in direct proportion to their willingness to accept socially acceptable excuses for failure.”

My question is, “What is the attitude in your store today?”

Strategy:

A selling strategy is the operating philosophy that drives how you sell as a dealership. A strategy should be an exploitation of the things that make your operation truly unique.  What is your selling strategy? Do your people know what it is? In the absence of a clearly defined and well-executed strategy, your people are forced to react to the strategies of your competitors and the demands of your customers. In our industry and markets, there are really only two sales strategies:

·         Lowest Price Provider

·         High Value Differentiation

Your choice of strategy should be formed with an awareness of the strengths and limitations of each.  By definition, there can only be one lowest price provider in any given market and the consumers must be able to clearly determine what that is.  This strategy, although not my favorite, requires a conscious decision to drastically reduce margins to acquire business. To offset the reduction in margins, sales volumes must increase dramatically and costs must be slashed mercilessly or it doesn’t work.

High value differentiation strategies are those where the dealership creates a unique value proposition for the consumer and is where I believe the focus should be for all dealerships.  I believe this strategy will best resonate with the majority of our consumers. 

Let me ask, if a prospective purchaser decides to purchase a vehicle, do they want the cheapest price regardless of content, quality and treatment or are they looking to get the most for their money and do business with someone they like and trust?

Proficiency:

In a customer driven marketplace, how well you sell is as important as what you sell.  We can all agree that today’s customers are better educated, more demanding, less forgiving and in bigger hurry than ever before.  They certainly more likely to have shopped and can force your salespeople to take short cuts at critical junctures in the road to the sale.  Do your salespeople have the tools, abilities and awareness necessary to professionally regain control of a selling situation? Do they have the competence and confidence to use them? Are you measuring the right things? How many and how well?

Winning in today’s climate requires discipline, focus and execution.  Winners look in the mirror, assess their situation and fix the things that are getting in the way of their results.  Those of you dealers that relentlessly focus on perfecting attitude, strategy and proficiency will dominate your markets consistently.  Keep focus on what you can control.

Thrive or survive? Here’s to a strong close for all of you. Happy selling.

We knew it was coming and now the month end is fast approaching as it always seems to sneak up faster than we would like for it to.

So my question is:  Did you thrive or survive?

Many of us talk with others in the industry on a daily basis. Some of our conversations are with those near us and others in other states. One common question I do know for sure that gets asked is, “How’s business?” I have been thinking about this question and it seems it is a question of validation to judge our current performance.  Would any others reading agree or disagree with this statement?

I find it interesting that many dealers are outperforming their brand, selling more vehicles and increasing gross profit all at the expense of their local competitors while others are finding a tough month going in the books very soon. How are the winners making this happen? I will begin by saying winners recognize that there are only three things in their control:

·         Attitudes

·         Sales Strategy

·         Sales Proficiency

Attitudes:

We have all heard the popular saying that “attitude determines altitude.” Winning dealerships have a “no excuses” culture in their stores.  This keeps them from becoming victims of the market and creates the realization that they are accountable for achieving their results. Stephen Covey, author of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, once said that, “Every organization is perfectly aligned to achieve its current results.”  In other words, we are getting what we are getting, because we are doing what we are doing.  When you question results, do you accept excuses or do you ask, “If you couldn’t use that excuse, what would you say?”

Steve Brown, President of the Fortune Group, identified the “Failure Formula” saying, “People fail in direct proportion to their willingness to accept socially acceptable excuses for failure.”

My question is, “What is the attitude in your store today?”

Strategy:

A selling strategy is the operating philosophy that drives how you sell as a dealership. A strategy should be an exploitation of the things that make your operation truly unique.  What is your selling strategy? Do your people know what it is? In the absence of a clearly defined and well-executed strategy, your people are forced to react to the strategies of your competitors and the demands of your customers. In our industry and markets, there are really only two sales strategies:

·         Lowest Price Provider

·         High Value Differentiation

Your choice of strategy should be formed with an awareness of the strengths and limitations of each.  By definition, there can only be one lowest price provider in any given market and the consumers must be able to clearly determine what that is.  This strategy, although not my favorite, requires a conscious decision to drastically reduce margins to acquire business. To offset the reduction in margins, sales volumes must increase dramatically and costs must be slashed mercilessly or it doesn’t work.

High value differentiation strategies are those where the dealership creates a unique value proposition for the consumer and is where I believe the focus should be for all dealerships.  I believe this strategy will best resonate with the majority of our consumers. 

Let me ask, if a prospective purchaser decides to purchase a vehicle, do they want the cheapest price regardless of content, quality and treatment or are they looking to get the most for their money and do business with someone they like and trust?

Proficiency:

In a customer driven marketplace, how well you sell is as important as what you sell.  We can all agree that today’s customers are better educated, more demanding, less forgiving and in bigger hurry than ever before.  They certainly more likely to have shopped and can force your salespeople to take short cuts at critical junctures in the road to the sale.  Do your salespeople have the tools, abilities and awareness necessary to professionally regain control of a selling situation? Do they have the competence and confidence to use them? Are you measuring the right things? How many and how well?

Winning in today’s climate requires discipline, focus and execution.  Winners look in the mirror, assess their situation and fix the things that are getting in the way of their results.  Those of you dealers that relentlessly focus on perfecting attitude, strategy and proficiency will dominate your markets consistently.  Keep focus on what you can control.

Thrive or survive? Here’s to a strong close for all of you. Happy selling.

While marketing deals with markets of many, selling will always be about markets of one. With that being said, how do you make your customers love you? Yes, I said “love” and not “like” ladies and gentlemen.  It’s time to we make this a goal during every interaction with our customers.

Contrary to one I know for sure and any others out there who believe the role of salespeople is becoming obsolete with the proliferation of internet and mobile technology, effective sales professionals and a personal approach to selling remains important to dealerships nationwide.

Being personal is more than just being nice or friendly in my opinion.  Customers like a salesperson that is nice but they do not buy solely on how likeable they are. They want more.  We all should understand and hopefully agree that customers buy from dealerships they trust.  Sure it helps to be likable but our current and prospective customers are looking for someone they can trust.  This will have more impact in creating loyalty over time.

At one time in our business, the customer walked in, we presented our vehicle, agreed on figures and not long after, they drove away.  Dealerships who operate with this purely transactional mindset of the old are finding it harder to meet forecasted numbers and even harder to retain customers.

Dealerships with large turnover of salespeople are in a difficult position to achieve customer familiarity and loyalty.  That is an entirely different discussion however and will certainly stick a pin in it for later.

Many dealerships are missing the point that the customer wants to work with someone who has a genuine interest in their automotive needs and will add value over time.  Unfortunately, the second half of that story isn’t as good as it started when the customer is in the showroom, smiling and getting ready to drive their new vehicle home.  As a matter of fact, that story ends many times once the salesperson is waving goodbye to the customer.  I call this a “For Profit Only” business strategy and it is happening at this very moment in dealerships everywhere.  If you are looking to increase profit, revenue, staff and customer retention, then remove the above strategy from your thinking.

If you want your customer to starting loving you, start interacting with them by having a genuine interested in their wellbeing, listening to them and understanding their priorities, dreams, goals and desires.  It’s about what you can do for them now and in the future.  I want to be of service to my current and prospective customers.  It’s time we all get personal.

Getting personal is more than just showing up and being pleasant.  Getting personal is about being personable, substantial, and authentic which I have discussed previously.  Combine these traits with your product knowledge, experience, skills, creative problem solving and business acumen and it is a beautiful thing to experience.  I tell those I work with closely is to engage your client with the intention of delivering results they haven’t even thought about, exceed their expectations and care about the outcome of their purchase. 

Getting your customers to love you is not some hug and kiss type idea; it is something that is at the heart of all genuine relationships.  

While marketing deals with markets of many, selling will always be about markets of one. With that being said, how do you make your customers love you? Yes, I said “love” and not “like” ladies and gentlemen.  It’s time to we make this a goal during every interaction with our customers.

Contrary to one I know for sure and any others out there who believe the role of salespeople is becoming obsolete with the proliferation of internet and mobile technology, effective sales professionals and a personal approach to selling remains important to dealerships nationwide.

Being personal is more than just being nice or friendly in my opinion.  Customers like a salesperson that is nice but they do not buy solely on how likeable they are. They want more.  We all should understand and hopefully agree that customers buy from dealerships they trust.  Sure it helps to be likable but our current and prospective customers are looking for someone they can trust.  This will have more impact in creating loyalty over time.

At one time in our business, the customer walked in, we presented our vehicle, agreed on figures and not long after, they drove away.  Dealerships who operate with this purely transactional mindset of the old are finding it harder to meet forecasted numbers and even harder to retain customers.

Dealerships with large turnover of salespeople are in a difficult position to achieve customer familiarity and loyalty.  That is an entirely different discussion however and will certainly stick a pin in it for later.

Many dealerships are missing the point that the customer wants to work with someone who has a genuine interest in their automotive needs and will add value over time.  Unfortunately, the second half of that story isn’t as good as it started when the customer is in the showroom, smiling and getting ready to drive their new vehicle home.  As a matter of fact, that story ends many times once the salesperson is waving goodbye to the customer.  I call this a “For Profit Only” business strategy and it is happening at this very moment in dealerships everywhere.  If you are looking to increase profit, revenue, staff and customer retention, then remove the above strategy from your thinking.

If you want your customer to starting loving you, start interacting with them by having a genuine interested in their wellbeing, listening to them and understanding their priorities, dreams, goals and desires.  It’s about what you can do for them now and in the future.  I want to be of service to my current and prospective customers.  It’s time we all get personal.

Getting personal is more than just showing up and being pleasant.  Getting personal is about being personable, substantial, and authentic which I have discussed previously.  Combine these traits with your product knowledge, experience, skills, creative problem solving and business acumen and it is a beautiful thing to experience.  I tell those I work with closely is to engage your client with the intention of delivering results they haven’t even thought about, exceed their expectations and care about the outcome of their purchase. 

Getting your customers to love you is not some hug and kiss type idea; it is something that is at the heart of all genuine relationships.