Is there a lot of thought that goes into deciding which call to actions to offer on the VDP’s? Or is it a constant free for all, or worse an afterthought? The idea that more is better, where dealers easily have more than five or six different ways for the customer to inquire about a vehicle. Having multiple options for the customer to choose from sounds like a great idea. However, having too many choices can make it confusing for the customer. Not to mention, when you do get the inquiry via the CRM, more often than not, the BDC Agent or Sales Consultant is not aware of where the lead came from. All of which can create an unnecessary breakpoint. Here are some to consider when choosing which call to action to display on your website. 

The Forms Are Not Labeled in the CRM. You Have No Idea What Form the Customer Completed. This Causes Break Points. 

Think about it for a minute.  If the customer completed a form for the sales price (whatever that means for your dealership as each dealership has its own interpretation as to what the sale price is), but the lead in the CRM says general inquiry, what do you think happens? The BDC Agent or Sales Consultant will reach out to the customer asking them if they want to come in for a test drive. To which the customer might ask, “I wanted the sales price.” You might not think this happens, BUT it does. And when it happens, it can and will cause frustration on the customer's end, where the customer was expecting an answer to what seems to be a simple question, really. 

One of the ways to resolve this issue is by contacting the vendor that manages your website. You can have them label the various forms on the website: 

Dealer Website (Parent Label) 
VDP Price Inquiry (Child Label)  

Dealer Website (Parent Label)
Test Drive Coupon 

By labeling the leads with the correct form name, it can have a positive impact for many reasons. One of the most important reasons to do this is to ensure that your team knows where the lead came from! And while we should always offer the same level of customer service - the way we both approach and provide the customer service varies on the situation at hand. Imagine knowing that the customer inquired on the “test drive” coupon. So that when you called them you can start the conversation by first thanking them, but secondly confirming their test drive. At which point, you can confirm if vehicle options are flexible and or whether or not they have a trade. 

In this example, not only did you notice that the purpose of the customer's inquiry, but more importantly, you effectively can mold their experience based on what they inquired on. All of which can and will offer the prospective customer a positive experience that is consistent with what they experienced before receiving your phone call, email, or text. On the flip side, imagine if you did not know if they wanted to test drive the vehicle, and your time was spent focusing on “asking for the appointment” when that is already something the customer wanted. And while we might not think that the customer is not paying attention - they are! I mean, especially if they had to filter through all of the loud noise on the website, having gone through more than six or seven different options before contacting the dealership. 

And sure, not all examples are the above.  The point in discussing this is that in order to offer the customer a good experience, we have to resolve any potential breakpoints. One of the most significant breakpoints to overcome is not knowing what the customer is asking, which can make for a really frustrating experience. This is also a relatively simple fix, no? It starts with first making yourself an internal list of the various lead labels. At which point, once you have confirmed the changes with the web provider, and the CRM (making sure they receive the lead correctly, which is most often ADF format), you need to make sure your team is aware of the changes! This will help ensure that when they do answer the leads that they take the time to read where the lead came from! 

Have you taken the time to review the lead labels? If so, has this had a positive impact on your store? 
 

While it is expected that the vendor will maximize the results on the dealer level month after month - at the end of the day, your account manager is a human too. Having a solid relationship with the vendor and more importantly, your account manager is beneficial for many reasons. However, if we look at the account manager as simply an "account manager," it can have a negative impact for many reasons. Here are the top things to consider when managing your relationship with a vendor! 

Random Calls With No Agenda. They Are Good. But They Are Not Psychics. Have A Purpose for the Call.  

More often than not, the vendor wants nothing more than for your dealership to be successful. So while their product can, in many cases speak for itself when it comes to the results, they also need your input and feedback. The worst thing you can ask is "what are other (OEM) 's doing?" Sure, they can tell you what a dealership six hundred miles away did for one campaign, but that does not mean that it will do well in your local market. Instead of approaching the call from that perspective, offer "we need to move the [model], and our days to market supply is too high. How can we move these units?" Now that they have a clear objective, it not only makes the conversation more relevant, but it also enables them to devise a plan that is meaningful and relevant to your dealership. And this is by no means offering that this will work in every instance, or that the campaign will be a success. What this does do, however, is offers them the ability to create a plan of action! That is the purpose of having the call at the end of the day, no? 

Monthly Reports Call. Do Not Blow It Off. Pay Attention. Be Prepared. 

I am not a vendor, I still work on the dealer level. However, one thing I know is that their time is just as valuable as ours is on the dealer level. So not coming prepared for the monthly results call and or not having questions to ask not only wastes their time, it wastes your time, which can lead to frustration on both ends. Whereas, if you take the time to review the results, and look at the reporting, and prepare questions that are both meaningful and relevant, the meeting will be time well spent. Instead of repeating the same items, and or going through the motions, you are having a plan of action/strategy meeting! One that can lead to results! 

Do Not Interrupt the Account Manager. Have Respect. If You Are Distracted And Not Able to Pay Attention, Make Sure You Do Your Best to Avoid The Distractions. Bottom Line - Make Time for the Meeting. 

I get it. We are all busy. And while some of us will proudly state that we can multitask like a pro, the fact is that it is tough to multitask. The quality of our work is not at its best. So when it comes to a vendor meeting, make sure you have set aside time for the meeting and that you can pay attention. The other thing to consider and be mindful of is continuously interrupting them. That does not help anyone out. If you have questions, which you should, be sure to send them ahead of time. This way, they can address your questions/thoughts during the monthly call.

The other thing to avoid is randomly paging in a sales manager or any manager for that matter - who is not prepared - to the meeting putting them on the spot to answer questions they are unaware of. More often than not, if you put an employee on the spot, they will not always be able to answer the question effectively. All of which can lead to an indecisive conversation only leading to more confusion and frustration on your end. And before you get mad or frustrated with your managers - ask yourself, have they even seen this report? Did they know you had the call? Chances are they did not. 

Lastly, have respect. It works both ways. At the end of the day, whether good bad or indifferent they are doing their job. If you disagree or have a difference of opinion, that's perfectly fine! You should question what they are doing and how they are approaching your business plans. However, treating them with disrespect by not paying attention, not offering any insight or not being prepared only makes their jobs that much harder. Not to mention, it can put a strain on your relationship with not just the account manager, but also the vendor! Think about it, would you go out of your way for a customer if they do not respect your time or were disrespectful? Probably not.   

Bottom Line: simply turning a vendor on auto-pilot is not effective or conducive for anyone. As a dealership, it is just as much your responsibility to make sure you are getting the most out of the vendor relationship as its the vendor's responsibility to make sure you know what resources you have available. And to get the most out of the vendor's product starts by having a great relationship with your account manager and vendor. It also means that you take the time to be prepared for the meetings, asking questions, and most importantly, it is having a translatable goal or vision to discuss with the vendor. Lastly, if you have planned to have the account manager visit the dealership, it never hurts to take them to lunch or dinner. In doing so, it can give you the chance to discuss your goals, challenges, and concerns in a relevant way. Something as simple as a lunch or dinner to thank them for their efforts can go a long way! 

How do you manage the relationships with your vendors? What's one thing you have done to increase the engagement with your account manager? 
 

It is no secret that we love our reports everything from Google Analytics, Vendor Reports, VDP Reports, and CRM Reports, to name a few. While the reports themselves are in many cases great - it is what we do with the reports that actually matters. One of the key things to review when it comes to the aged inventory is your VDP views. The idea that if you are getting the views and clicks, but not the leads, then you need to make a change. Here is one thing you can do to move old aged units from your dealership's inventory!

All Clicks No Action. Think Outside the Box. 

If you have a vehicle that has received well over three hundred clicks/views but has not moved it does not mean it is necessarily the price as other factors can contribute to there not being any conversion on the specific vehicle. Some of the things that can influence the VDP conversion are anything from photos, vehicle description, and days to market metrics, to name a few. 

So if you notice that while the days to market is high, but that other units are selling, then it is time to think outside the box. There is a lot of conversation surrounding videos, yet so few dealers act on it. And this is not a stitch photo video, either -  cause when is the last time you enjoyed listening to music while going through a slide show with features that are not even on the vehicle popping up? Keep in mind, this is a video that highlights the unit making yours stand out from the competition. Most inventory management tools even offer you the ability to upload the videos to the VDP, too! 

Better Yet. Promote the Video Post on Facebook!

Facebook is a great platform to promote a post. Not only can you select the demographics for the post, but more importantly, you are getting in front of the right audience. Not to mention, it can help clear out the white noise - i.e., your vehicle being buried down on page three because of the third parties platform's algorithms. Think about it, sure you can take new photos. And yeah, you can gut the pricing - however, protecting your dealer's profit margin is essential. So Instead of slashing the price take a minute, and $125 - $200 bucks and promote the vehicle in a video post! 

Here Are Some of the Key Elements to Consider For Your Video

Hashtags: make sure to make them relevant and while less is more, be sure to include enough to make yours stand out. 

Video: Keep the video short, and concise making sure to point out the prominent features. Other words, what would make you want to click for more information? Or more importantly, what would make you want to call the dealership!? 

Tracking Lines: In most cases, it is relatively easy to create a tracking line or even use a previously provisioned line from an older campaign. In doing so, you can easily track any results from the campaign. 

Include Your Sales Team: while I have been vocal about being careful in branding the employees - making sure it is mutually beneficial for the dealership - this is an excellent way for you to capture an in the market audience by using one of the sales consultants in the video. One of the best ways to select the right sales consultant for the campaign is to go by their reviews! For those who have championed Dealer Rater, your prospective customers can easily see just how many positive reviews s/he has received. To include the reviews, you can easily add a snippet in the video with their photo, avg rating, and perhaps their last review of a customer who had a great experience.

Lastly, and most importantly, have fun with it! Sometimes it is easier said than done to go out and create a video. Just remember to create an experience that a potential customer would want to embark on. All of which can help your dealership move the old aged inventory or better yet, give exposure to sell other potential customers! 

When is the last time you created and promoted a video post on Facebook for an aged unit? If you have, did you see results from it? 
 

There is nothing worse than having aged inventory at your dealership. It is no secret that the longer the unit sits unsold, the more expensive it becomes. At which point, you could wind up losing money selling the unit. One simple but effective way to combat aging inventory is to take advantage of your inventory tool for online merchandising! Below are a few simple fixes that can make a big difference! 

Image Overlays On All Inventory 

Many of today's inventory tools enable you to create an image overlay that has your dealers logo and a phone number. This is then displayed on the first photo of every unit. One of the benefits of this is that it separates you from the other dealerships when it comes to third party listings. Not to mention, you can often easily add a tracking line to the overlay. By adding a tracking line, it not only makes your unit stand out, but it also provides a way of measuring how many calls you are getting from your VDP's. If you are not sure whether or not your vendor is capable of doing this, give them a call letting them know you want to add an image overlay. The tool usually can create different overlays for both new and pre-owned. 

Banners! Make Your Unit Stand-Out

Just because the unit is on a specials page does not mean that it will stick out. Think about what makes your unit stand out from the rest, which could be anything from one owner, low mileage, special trim level, or a great deal! By adding a simple banner to the left-hand corner (remember, we read left to right), your customer will see a visual stand-out as to why the vehicle is a great deal. In doing so, not only does this make your vehicle stand out from the rest, but it increases your chances of getting a phone call or lead! 

Photos! Make Sure The Vehicle Looks Showroom Ready 

It might sound silly, but the fact of the matter is that the photos of the vehicle matter. If the pictures do not show off the features or are otherwise blurry, or even dirty, it can detract the customer from wanting to make a phone call or submit an inquiry. The best way to ensure that all of your vehicle photos are showroom ready is to ensure the following: 

Consistency: make sure all of the vehicles are pointed in the right direction; usually, the first photo is of the front of the car pointing to the left. Another thing to consider is the background making sure there are no other vehicles in the background. You also want to consider having the front of the dealership in the background, which can help with branding. 

Features: If the vehicle has extra options on the trim level, then be sure to get photos of those features. For example, if the car has a dual panoramic moonroof than be sure to take a picture so the customer can confirm that it has that option available. Another photo to take is of the 'control panel,' i.e., if it has CarPlay or Navigation - take a quick picture of it in action! 

Outdated Photos: If the last photo of the vehicle - and this pertains to old aged inventory - has snow on the ground in the background, then take the extra minute or two and retake the photos. This is not to say that it will help increase the price, either. What this does offer, however, are new updated photos of the vehicle, which can have a positive impact! 

Bottom Line: even if you tackle one of the three things above, this can have a positive impact on your aging inventory. The fast you sell the aging inventory, the better off your dealership will be in the long run. 

Do you use image overlays? If so, did you see an increase in calls after implementing them with phone numbers? What is one way you keep aging inventory in check? 
 

No one ever said it was easy to manage your dealership's inventory - everything from the floorplan, selection, cost, recon for pre-owned, to managing your days to market supply. All of those facets of managing your dealership's inventory are critical components. However, this all starts with the inventory being entered into the DMS. With the notion that the DMS is the heartbeat of the dealership; having the correct information regarding the vehicle is essential, not to mention ensuring that it is marked correctly to be listed on the site. 

Here Are The Top Things to Consider When Managing Your Dealers Inventory! 

Who Enters the Inventory into the DMS? This is Arguably One of the Most Critical Steps in the Process. 

While there are so many tools out there to manage your inventory, having to go back to edit a unit can be a hassle. That said, whoever is entering the inventory into the DMS has to ensure that the information is correct; everything from the year, make, model, color, trim level, mileage, etc. All of which is then sent over to your inventory management tool. And while the inventory management tools in many cases will decode the VIN for you, the trim level information is not always correct. Hence why it is so important to make sure that all features are entered into the CRM. The next step(s) regarding this process is to ensure that the fields you have entered the information into in the DMS are mapped correctly in your management tool. In doing so, it can save you a lot of time and hassle. 

Do You Have Accurate Vehicle Descriptions On All of Your Vehicles - Especially Pre-Owned? 

Sure, the vendor you are using might provide you with canned, generic responses to place on your VDP. But in all reality, do those canned descriptions truly describe the car you are trying to sell? Take a minute, or two and write descriptions for those pre-owned units that not just fit the car you are selling, but ones that will sell the features on the car! For example, if the vehicle you are selling has a unique feature than be sure to mention that in the description. Or another example would be if the car is a special trim level. This can and will clear up any confusion for the customer who is looking at the car online but is unsure as to what features actually come in the car! And I am sure you have at one point or another received a phone call from a customer who is inquiring on that vehicle, confirming if it comes with the features listed from the VIN decoder. 

We Are All Playing the Pricing Game. Forget the Game, Use A Strategy. 

Most of today's inventory tools provide you reporting with regards to your average days to market supply. That report can be beneficial when it comes to pricing your vehicles, especially when it comes to pre-owned. If you know you have a vehicle that is a saturated model - with a high level of days to market supply - take the time to make yours stand out! That starts with the above regarding the description of the vehicle. Think about it, if you are searching for a car and notice that the one down the road is less expensive, but does not explain the features or has decent photos - aren't you still going to call the dealership that does, in fact, provide the features, and has good images? Most likely. This is not to say by any means that you will sell it for the price you are hoping for, but what it does do is build value in your vehicle - setting you apart from the competition. 

The Bottom Line: even if you tackle one of the three items above, it can have a positive impact on your bottom line. Knowing that for every day that unit sits on the ground, unsold, it potentially costs your dealer thousands of dollars. Dollars that have to hit that bottom line with profit margins thinning. 

Do You Have Your Pre-Owned Sales Manager Write Custom Vehicle Descriptions? If Not, Do You Edit Your Inventory Tools Canned Descriptions? 
 

On the surface, having your sales consultants promoting your brand on social media seems like a win-win. The idea that your dealership is getting that additonal exposure for free seems like a no brainer. And while it does not seem to be a bad idea, there are some things that your dealer ought to consider. One of those things is a social media policy. A policy that is put in place to protect your dealership. In addition to guidelines with regards to the OEM and FTC concerning the promotion of specials. That said, here are some of the other things to consider when it comes to your sales consultants promoting your brand on social media: 

The Customers Should Be Directed to Your Dealer Website! 

Think about it for a moment. The reason we spend money on advertisements, and paid social media posts is to have the customer visit the website; with the goal of their converting! But if your sales consultants are promoting your brand on social media - without creating call to actions - for the customer to visit the website, it might be missing the point. Not to mention, if you are not an ADMIN on the page, you cannot edit and or monitor the content that is being promoted by the sales consultants. 

You Should Have ADMIN Access to the Social Media Page

You have a top sales guy using social media, all seems well until he takes all of your customers - ones who like/engage - with his social media page to the next dealership. Meaning that he can now promote his new dealership to those customers. Customers that your dealership paid to acquire as not all customers on their social media sites are customers in which they either paid to acquire or spent thousands of dollars advertising too! 

I have seen this happen way too often. And trust me, if you think that they are not taking those customers - with the hopes of selling them - at the next dealership, you are sadly mistaken. This is not to say that customers do not otherwise have a loyal following. However, we have to remember at the end of the day, we are to be promoting the dealership, not the sales consultant. Most other businesses do not promote an "employe" by allowing them to run their own social media pages, so why are we? By having ADMIN access to their social media accounts, you can create a policy in which indicates that should they depart from the dealership - you retain full access to their account. At which point, they will no longer have access to the customers or content in which is linked to your dealership.  

If You Think They Are Not Running Specials On their Social Media Pages. Think Again. Have You Checked to Make Sure They Are Compliant With the FTC? 

We see it every day. Dealers who have specials that are not OEM compliant, or worse not compliant with the FTC. However, one thing that your dealer needs to do is make sure that if your sales consultants are promoting their own specials - which is not recommended - that they are in compliance with not just your dealership, but the OEM and FTC. However, this is not as easy if you do not have ADMIN access to their page. 

Think about it, let's say one of your sales consultants offers the customer an "extra" dollar amount off of the vehicle to which people respond. However, when they get to the dealership and find out that the vehicle in which they inquired on is not eligible (despite there not being any disclaimer on the Ad on FaceBook) your dealer could be liable! That said when in doubt it is best for the sales consultants to share specials that are currently running on your dealerships website or social media. 

Brand Image. Do You Want the Image of Your Dealership In the Hands of the Sales Consultants? 

One wrong post or one inappropriate photo can lead your dealership into being in hot water. Not just with the customers, but with the public. I cannot tell you how many times sales consultants have promoted their dealerships on social media - even having their own pages - without many security settings. To which they have posted and/or liked inappropriate content for business. Where the customers have had their say in how they feel about it. The bottom line with this is why would you want to risk your dealer's hard-earned reputation by enabling anyone to control your brand's image? This is not best practice and something your dealership should consider. 

The Bottom Line: 

This is by no means to say that sales consultants and or your dealership should not use social media. What this is, however offering is that there are FTC compliance regulations, OEM compliance, and Dealership guidelines that should be adhered to, period. And if you do not have any access to your sales consultants social media pages, it becomes that much more difficult to manage the content that they are otherwise promoting without your knowledge or consent. All of which can put your dealership in a bad position! Instead of taking that risk, encourage your sales consultants to engage with your social media page, share your posts, etc. All of which can have a positive impact all while ensuring that it is compliant. 

Do you let your sales consultants have their own social media accounts? If so, do you require that they give you ADIN access to their pages? If not, why? Do you know how many of your sales consultants past and current have their own social media pages? 
 

There is more to managing your dealer website than simply relying on your vendors to do everything. A common perception is that once you have signed up with a marketing agency as well as third-party vendors that they will manage the content on your site. However, the fact of the matter is that it is a two-way street. If there is information that needs to be updated such as but not limited to staff pages, specials, dealer hours, blogs, social media posts, inventory, messaging, to name a few it is the responsibility of the dealership to provide that information to the vendor. It is not uncommon, however, for a dealer to go onto their website and realize that much of the information/content on the site is outdated or no longer relevant. And as we know, having relevant content on the site is crucial for the dealer to maximize their ROI. To ensure that all of your content is up to date, here are the top items to check regularly. 

Staff Pages: Who is Working at the Dealership? 

If you have staff profiles without photos or bio's it does not help you. Nor does it help your dealership to have a staff profile active on the site when they have not been at the dealership for some time. One of the best ways to manage this process is to include this in your hiring process. Once the employee has agreed to onboard with your dealership, you can have one of your HR employees take their photo, collect their bio, and either submit that information to the web host (or a marketing agency for those that have one), so that it gets completed. In many cases, this is a task that is pushed to the BDC Manager. Regardless of whom you have to take care of the project, it is much easier to have it be apart of the hiring process vs. looking at it periodically. 

Specials Pages for Sales & Fixed-Op's

For those of you who advertise specials (which should be all of us), it is essential to have specials listed on the pages. I cannot tell you how many times I have gone onto a dealer website and it says "check back later for specials" - mind you, this is mid-month. That said, if you can create a monthly specials checklist, you can assign one person from each department the task of creating the specials. For those with a marketing agency, they can usually provide creative content for you. With regards to vehicle specials, your dealer website platforms usually enable you on the dealer level to easily add stock numbers to a specials page. Just make sure that whoever is doing specials for new vehicles that they comply with your OEM's standards. Having specials can create traffic and most importantly convert more customers off of your site!

Dealership Photos With Outdated Models. Your First Impression Counts. 

Having photos of the dealership can have a very positive effect on your website. However, it is essential to make sure that the photos on the website are up-to-date. Where it is not best to have a photo that is a few years old with outdated models. That said, one of the best ways to tackle this project is to update the photos either quarterly or annually. You can easily assign this to a manager in each department, at which point you can quickly load the new updated photos onto the website.

Another thing to consider when it comes to photos of the dealership is to make sure that the dealership is clean and that the photo does not show damage, debris, or clutter. For example, if you were to take a photo of your service lounge, but one of the display walls is empty and or has outdated material on display, it can look sloppy. Remember, this is the first impression of your dealership. 

Bottom Line: a marketing agency can do much work for your dealership; however, to maximize the results it is still best to have your team on the dealer level checking the items above to ensure that all of your content is up to date. One other added benefit of consistently checking your dealer website is that you can help find any issues or errors that impact the user's experience. For example, while adding specials if you notice that the form fill link is broken, you can take the necessary steps to get this resolved. 

How often do you check your dealership's website to update content? If not, does your marketing agency check your site? 

It is no secret that social media continues to become a relevant means of not just connecting with prospective customers through paid Ad's, but also way of effectively promoting inventory to then publishing meaningful, relevant content; content that will increase your engagement. 

In looking back, even a year ago, it still seems that the question of "Are We Getting Social Media Wrong?" is only becoming a bigger conversation. But are we having the right conversation? What have we learned this last year with regards to social media? One thing we have learned is to take advantage of the Market Place App. We have since seen a solid increase in leads deriving from the marketplace. Not to mention, FaceBook offers the customer a much richer multi-media experience; it is also an app they are accustom to. All of which are benefits. 

In the meantime, be sure to check out the blog post here, and join the conversation! 

Check out the blog post here! 

What is one thing you have since changed with regards to social media? Have you found success in using the Market Place App? 

We spend a great deal of time trying to figure out what the customer really wants and or expects from us at the dealership.  Albeit, this is a loaded statement;  one that delves into the conversation surrounding omnichannel experience -  in addition to what omnichannel even means. For the purpose of this conversation, offering an omnichannel experience starts with the customers experience online. The idea that perhaps we are offering to much information on the website. Where the average dealership has as many as five different options to contact the dealership - providing everything from chat, messaging, text, call, and email. So while it is not necessarily a bad thing to offer the customer flexibility in how they inquire; the bigger question is “what are they inquiring on” and “how they expect to be answered.” 

Think about it for a moment, not all dealerships have their lead sources named correctly. So when the lead converts off of the website whether that is a click-to-call or a lead form fill the BDC Agent or Sales Consultant does not always know where the lead derived from; it could be a general inquiry on the VDP, Get ePrice, or Get Quote to name a few. In which case, the customer has to say (if they get them on the phone) “I was calling to get the eprice,” to which the typical response - even today - remains “well to get the best price you should come in and meet with my sales manager.” Now, referring back to offering an “omnichannel” experience to the customer; the customer thought that by choosing that ‘method’ of inquiry, they were going to get that information in return. All without having to first speak with a sales manager, and or find out that the price includes discounts that s/he otherwise do not qualify for. Hence why there are customers who become frustrated with the whole online process. 

This is by no means offering that the customer should not come in, either. In fact, more often than not, the customer might wind up purchasing an entirely different vehicle. The point of this example, however, is to offer that we have to be consistent in what that call to action means on the dealer level. So that when the customer does call into the dealership, whoever is answering the call or lead can provide the customer with a good experience, one that is in alignment with an omnichannel experience. What’s more fascinating though is that if you were to ask the sales consultants - or even managers - what options the customer has online to inquire on a vehicle, I would guess that they would not know all of the different options. 

One of the first ways to tackle this situation is to ensure that the sources are hitting the CRM correctly. Where your website provider can in many cases name the form for each call to action. So that when the lead hits the CRM, your BDC Agent or Sales Consultant is aware of where the lead came from. In turn, allowing them to offer the customer a better experience. As there is nothing more frustrating for the customer to inquire on a vehicle using one of the many choices provided to them, to then not have their questions answered. The other thing to note and discuss with your team is how to respond to those questions based on the lead. So when the customer does ask “I was calling to get the ePrice,” you can respond with something to the effect of “We appreciate the opportunity to earn your business here with us at (dealer), and to answer your question that is the ePrice and we are very competitively priced. But before I get ahead of myself, is this the only make and model you are considering? We have over 100 vehicles in our inventory, and if I were able to save you some additional money is that something you would be open to?” This, of course, is just an example, one that answers their question but also inquires about the customer’s flexibility. At which point, the goal is to get them into the store asking if they have a trade-in, etc. 

The example above is also not as easy to handle effectively though if we are not aware of where the lead came from much less ensuring that your dealerships BDC Agents or Sales Consultants are aware of what the call to action even means. The bottom line though is that it is essential to ensure that your lead sources are labeled correctly and that you have outlined what your dealer considers the best way to respond to the many call to actions. In doing so, you are not only offering the customer a good experience, but it increases your chances of turning that lead into a sale. 

How do you handle training your BDC Agents or Sales Consultants when it comes to call to actions? 
 

Taking on a new initiative can in many ways be overwhelming. There is often the fear of "are we going to get this right? Or "Do we really need this product. Will this product move the needle?" of which both are valid questions. It is these very questions, though that often prohibit us from taking the first step on a new project. Leaving us - on the dealer level - wondering what the next steps really are. The idea of are we catching onto a trend or a fad; one that can wind up costing us thousands of dollars in the long-run.

Beyond the nagging questions in the back of our minds, we also ask ourselves the same questions when it comes to partnering with the right vendor. Where you often hear the GM, Marketing Manager or Sales Manager ask the question "what are other dealers (OEM's) doing? What is working for them?" to which while the vendor can - in some ways - answer that question; each dealer has its own needs, no? Not all dealers - despite having the same OEM - are the same. So to latch onto an idea, itself because another dealer - with the same OEM is doing it - does not always make sense.  Keep in mind, though - the product the vendor offers might be the same, but the way in which you leverage the product for your dealership is not.

Another aspect we as dealers face is the demo phase; a phase that can cause for us to overthink the product. Asking questions that we might not otherwise ask. Questions that are often actually objections because deep down inside we are not one hundred percent sure whether or not to make the move. Just like in sales, we have to overcome the customer's objections; working with the customer to not just understand their needs, but to find the right vehicle. It is the same with vendors, and it takes the right account manager not just to understand the dealer's needs, but to actualize the dealer's goals. It is no secret that there are vendors who - once the dealer has signed up - are on autopilot. Not giving the dealer the time they need to devise a smart growth plan. One that could evolve into layering in additional products that will only compliment the foundation they have built.

As the title mentions, "finding a vendor that fits like a glove" is a crucial element in championing your dealer's success. To be a champion, however, they cannot be a one size fits all vendor. They need to be strategists who align their dealers with the right products and teams. But even more importantly, they have to mold the product around your dealer's goals. Beyond finding the right fit, your dealer has to have the right account manager - they are the pillars on which the partnership is built on. They to have to be a strategizer. One that works tirelessly to find the right content, spending a considerable amount of time before reaching out to their the dealer to discuss the plan of action.

The bottom line is that we have to move onward and upward, and that means finding the right vendor that understands our dealer's needs. The idea that while we might not have all the answers, and or are concerned with taking the next steps. It starts with interviewing the vendors, and in doing so, you can find the right fit. A fit that can take your dealer to the next level. With the idea that instead of having a singular focus of what the other dealers are doing that is successful - which can often only just increase the internal objections - focus on your dealership! Devising a plan of action with your respective account manager who can filter out the white noise, and get your dealers name out there.

What is holding you back from making the right partnership? Do you get caught in the autoloop of vendor demos?