There have been several rounds of conversation in regards to videos. Namely, videos are the new it factor when it comes to capturing our customer's attention whether that is giving the service customer an update, thanking the customer, or building value in the service advisor by having him/her share a personal video with the customer.

Videos are powerful, BUT - the way we have been approaching video (for some time now, really) might not be what the customer is looking for in a video. Sure there are in fact some customers who love the videos!

This article is not to discredit the hard work of those who have been brave enough to load a million apps, take time out of their personal day, spend their money, and argue with his/her GM & Service manager be a part of taking videos.

What I am saying, however, is that there is an easier method of being relevant when it comes to video that we have yet to approach. That is creating a collection of videos that ‘effectively’ explain the services s/he needs for their vehicle. And no, this is not a personal video that would be done onsite for each and every customer. But rather a menu of the services your dealership offers.

Think about it, when a customer explains a problem in the service line it is like “it makes this grrr crackkkkk grrrr sound,” to which the advisor says “we’ll take a look.” The more confident the consumer feels - as if s/he were a part of the decision-making process - the more trust they have, which means they will spend that much more money in the lane.

In regards to the videos, you would have a simple to use catalog - using YouTube Videos (45 seconds or less) - explaining the most common problems. The video’s (while short) are informative, offering the customer a plausible explanation as to what could be wrong with their vehicle.

The best way to start this project is to create a video for oil change, cabin filter change, even a vehicle detail. This video needs to be appealing, too - refraining from using an OEM video where everything is too perfect. It is like booking a hotel on Expedia where the photos are from the resorts first day of business. So upon arrival, the hotel has been through heck and back looking nothing like it once did.

How often do you take videos? Are you having great success with it in the service lane? Any customer feedback?

There is a lot of conversation surrounding the appointment. Namely, how to ask for the appointment when corresponding via email. So much conversation that it becomes confusing - leaving you asking yourself where do I ask for the appointment?

It does not have to be as complicated as we make it, no? If the customer has inquired on a vehicle (especially for pre-owned), they have interest. So if they have an interest in the vehicle, and have not asked specifically to come in for a test drive (boy do we like it when they do!!), then we need to ask them!

Perhaps s/he has not set up a time to come in on the said vehicle because they are unsure of who they’d work with (planning just to stop in randomly), or they have inquired on three or four different vehicles. Forgetting which one they inquired on when you are calling, which is all the more reason to sell the appointment in the email!

We all know the customer who inquired online - the one that never answers your calls or texts - that shows up randomly is also the customer that becomes agitated because they were not waited on fast enough! That could have been avoided had we asked for the appointment. Making sure that we ask for it in the right way.

What we do not want to do is try to sell the vehicle online before the customer has test driven the vehicle. Making the customer feel as if s/he has to commit to purchasing that vehicle before their arrival, which makes them uncomfortable. Instead, we sell the opportunity to purchase a vehicle. Offering them a fast, fun, and hassle-free experience!

Here are some quick tips on how to ask for the appointment:

• “Thanks for your interest in (insert vehicle) we sincerely appreciate the opportunity to earn your business with (insert dealer). The (vehicle) is available. Speaking of available, are you available now or later today for a test drive?

• As special thanks for taking the time to come in for a test drive, we will give you a $25 gift card

• We have several excellent options available (Insert other options including vehicles others have viewed that are similar). Speaking of available, are you available now or later today for a test drive?

The appointment should be the focus along with your value statements. If s/he responds back with “I am not able to come in” objecting your email, then they might not have gotten the information they were hoping for, which means you have to start at square one and ask for the appointment again.

They might ask for price, availability, payments, etc. which allows you to start your needs analysis. Inquiring as to whether they want to focus on their payment or overall price range. Once you have answered their question, you can ask a question. Keeping the conversation balanced! This should lead to more appointments! Sounds simple, yes. But when we get busy and start hammering out emails to keep that lead response time low we often forget about the core basics!

How do you ask for the appointment? How do you handle objections via email?

Let's keep the conversation going on email templates! Has anyone had results yet?

I am not sure what’s worse the customer reading an email and not responding or not reading your specially written email at all! 

A no response lead can be taken personally. I mean you have just spent probably 5-10 minutes writing an email responding to the customer's inquiry. In hopes of their responding, setting an appointment, and purchasing a vehicle! 

Before beating yourself up for not getting a response - you need to step back and ask yourself what did you say in the email? Did the customer ask a question you missed? Did you send inventory options? Did you send your current specials? Namely, did you email include a call to action? An action that sparked “FOMO” (fear of missing out). 

I have seen several emails sent out that did not answer the customer's main question (which is often overlooked depending on where the “comments” are displayed in the lead), didn’t sell the dealership, no branding, - the list goes on! 

P.S. I too have been guilty of missing a question, which is why I spent an extra minute making sure I answer it correctly!

There isn’t per se the “GOLDEN” email, or all dealers would be using it by now. What you can do however is be relevant and make sure you take the time to read the lead before sending the email. Here are some key elements that will assist you in getting a response! 

Subject Line 

There is a course in DSU that explains in great detail on how to write a subject line. While putting the sale price, emoji’s, or special characters seem fun - it lessens the chance of the customer clicking the email as it resembles spam. 

Keep the subject line short, and to the point! Here is an example: 

“Be One that Saves, (first name)”

Main Body 

The first thing you need to do is review the lead making sure you have looked to see if the customer has left a question or comment. Not answering the customers' questions can be a turn off resulting in their deselecting your store. 

If the customer has asked a specific question be sure to reiterate their question when answering it. Once you have answered, the question asks for the appointment. Next, you will build value in your appointment by selling your dealership. Creating an image of what your customer can expect if they chose to do business with you. 
Inventory should also be highlighted - per DSU you should insert up to three options. Make sure that there are real photos (refrain from stock photos as the customer might avoid it) and include options that others have also viewed pertaining to the inquired on stock number. 

Closing - Last Impression Value Statement & Special Offer

Customers often forget about maintenance. They are so focused on the sale price because that is the most relevant subject to them during the “purchase” process. So if we can build value in the sense that we also take care of them after the sale, it builds brand value, which is invaluable in today's market. 

Let the customer know that your service techs are certified, and unlike big box stores, your team has to be brand specific certified. Not to mention, the customer might receive a membership of sorts by servicing at your dealership. Such as rental cars, free oil changes, or service rewards. 

Offer the customer a coupon. Something that stands out. Do you use a coupon a gift card? Trust me. I know the eyes of the manager's roll when you say those words as they will argue about having to work that back into the deal. But the customer just wants instant gratification. That’s all. That Instant gratification can result in an appointment, which can lead to a sale!! 

How do you handle a no response email? What works for you? 

Click here to join the ongoing email templates conversation! 

Are mailers just as good or better than digital advertising? That was a question up for discussion recently. The notion that our customers become desensitized to the numerous emails from the OEM, Dealer, and third party companies. Each and every month your customer does not visit the store it becomes that much harder to retain them. Costing the dealer 7x more money to acquire new business. That said, it was a discussion that led to revamping the way we market with to our customers.

The first thing that comes to mind with mailers (from the dealer level) is the argument of  “how do I calculate my ROI, click rate, engagement rate?” whereas, with email campaigns our vendors can provide a book on just how good their campaigns were! Touting that their email campaign scheduled 50+ service appointments! Average RO of $100+ (this is an example).

That surely sounds great, no? The problem is that many, if not all of our vendors say that s/he booked 100+ service appointments. If that were the case, heck, we would have tripled the appointments month over month. Crushing the forecasts. Leading the board within our fixed op's revenue!

Instead of getting lost in the vendor's numerous reports,  (all of which have different means of how they aggregate the data) we concentrated on the total amount of service appointments for the month. Looking at how many mailers crossed the service lane, and how many appointments were booked online. Using analytics to break down the original source that referred the customer to the site.

In reviewing the analytics, we found that there are better ways of sending emails by “direct marketing” versus just sending a service driver to the entire database. Using a combination both traditional and digital marketing. Personalizing the offers for the customer.

As a result, we have found it be more effective to market in smaller core groups of customers. Sending mailers and emails in cycles that reflect the OEM’s retention guidelines. By sending direct mailers and emails monthly in small groups with a direct message it allows you to send an offer that makes sense to the customer. Whereas, if you send a mailer or email to your entire service/sales database you miss out on a few things that can actually damage your database:

• Sending a coupon that offers a higher dollar amount off of their R/O the day after s/he services their vehicle

• Sending an offer to the customer who already has an appointment for service vs. using it as an upsell for more services at the time of the appointment. Having to redeem a coupon off a small markup service.

• Sending 4-6 emails per month of which are irrelevant to the customer yielding a high amount of unsubscribers. Giving less and less customers to market to per month.

• Getting blacklisted for “spamming” customers by not scrubbing your database sending to “opted” out customers

Instead of increasing the unsubscribe rate - start planning your fixed-ops marketing with using a mixture of both digital and traditional marketing. Plan a monthly calendar in alignment with your OEM, cross-check and scrub your DMS & CRM (as the CRM houses unsold/unserviced customers), and make sure OEM & third party emails do not overlap with your efforts. Sending stronger offers to your DMS customers who are loyal, which will help you maximize your OEM’s retention policy.

How is your dealer maximizing efforts with direct mail & email?