In my last blog, we discussed how “Tracking Your Targeted Direct Mail Campaigns Can Reap Returns”.  We emphasized that putting together a solid strategy and creating a theme for those particular pieces can grab your customer’s attention and drive them to your automotive dealership.

Over the last few months, we have also discussed the important facts concerning the following: “How many times does your door swing and your cash register ring?”

Let’s discuss a big facet of making your door swing and how you can grab your customer’s attention and to want to visit your dealership: “What would quickly create a ‘Call to Action’ today?”

Themes are an excellent avenue for car dealership marketing

Each season of the year generally has an artistic theme or concept that is used for that particular season in direct marketing campaigns.  In most cases, you can usually break down themes based upon either the month or the current quarter of the year.  In doing so, there’s usually a theme that typically pops into mind and – geographically speaking – these themes can often be different.

Themes also change for more reasons than just climate-related: there are certain areas of the country that have particular traditions in place that revolve around certain seasons.  These traditions can range from education, recreation, cultural and other activities that can create intrigue for your target audience.  By formulating these strategies, one must consider what your customers think of for that particular season.  But have you thought about doing something completely the opposite or different than what you’re doing?  Sometimes the obvious is too obvious while the different creates intrigue.

The following are questions you can ask when brainstorming for a themed products direct automotive marketing initiative:

• Is there something going on locally of interest that would bring your customers to the dealership?
• Can you tie your identified themes to that interest or occasion?
• Does your theme make your consumer want to visit your dealership to observe what is going on?
• What is the state of your market currently and can you get involved with your community? If you get involved and invite them to an event at the dealership, why would they want to visit?

Identifiable Valuable Seasonal Product & Services

Seasonal products are the nuts and bolts of targeted direct mail initiatives (TDM).  In putting together these campaigns, you must consciously think of a reason why your consumers would want to visit your dealership when they’re in the market for a vehicle.

Not only that, you have to map out how quickly – and for how long – you want to make your theme-centric plan last.  You will have to become creative with your themed offerings and how often you want to roll them out (daily, weekly or even monthly).  But most of all: make your event fun!  Furthermore, what incentives can you offer to get your customers to trigger an identified value to your campaign that gets them to think “I need this!” or “I want this!”

Additionally, you need to ask yourself if there are services that most vehicles need during a particular season.  For example, the fourth quarter of each year is generally reserved for winter-related automotive marketing programs like “Winterization”, “Car Care” or “Year End Closeout”.  With events like “Year End Closeouts”, you need to be able to relate to your targets why they need to buy now and would  any financial “pain” be incurred for making a purchase now.

Overall, the key to your themed automotive marketing order of business is how it will create a “Call to Action”, who is your strategy directed towards and what will drive them to your dealership.  So create a theme and ask your customers to visit, citing the fact they do not want to miss it in order to drive them into your car dealerships doors.

Next month, we will discuss how do you determine your “Hook” and the “Pain” for your TDM efforts.

Happy planning...

~ Paul Ryan, Field Account Manager @ DMEautomotive

Bio: Paul Ryan brings over 25 years of experience in sales, sales management, marketing, and client services. He joined DMEautomotive in February of 2008, as a Regional Territory Manager. With proven success as an inside sales representative selling the FullCircle Solutions’ Bullseye program, he was recognized frequently as Sales Person of the Month and received the highest honor of Sales Person of the Year for 2008. In August of 2009, Paul managed, “Direct-To-Dealer” – Mail Division, responsible for overseeing the sales for the “Direct-To-Dealer” Mail Division. Currently he is traveling in the Midwest as Field Account Manager. Paul graduated with a B.B.A, in Business Administration from Iowa State University in 1982.

In my last blog, we discussed how “Tracking Your Targeted Direct Mail Campaigns Can Reap Returns”.  We emphasized that putting together a solid strategy and creating a theme for those particular pieces can grab your customer’s attention and drive them to your automotive dealership.

Over the last few months, we have also discussed the important facts concerning the following: “How many times does your door swing and your cash register ring?”

Let’s discuss a big facet of making your door swing and how you can grab your customer’s attention and to want to visit your dealership: “What would quickly create a ‘Call to Action’ today?”

Themes are an excellent avenue for car dealership marketing

Each season of the year generally has an artistic theme or concept that is used for that particular season in direct marketing campaigns.  In most cases, you can usually break down themes based upon either the month or the current quarter of the year.  In doing so, there’s usually a theme that typically pops into mind and – geographically speaking – these themes can often be different.

Themes also change for more reasons than just climate-related: there are certain areas of the country that have particular traditions in place that revolve around certain seasons.  These traditions can range from education, recreation, cultural and other activities that can create intrigue for your target audience.  By formulating these strategies, one must consider what your customers think of for that particular season.  But have you thought about doing something completely the opposite or different than what you’re doing?  Sometimes the obvious is too obvious while the different creates intrigue.

The following are questions you can ask when brainstorming for a themed products direct automotive marketing initiative:

• Is there something going on locally of interest that would bring your customers to the dealership?
• Can you tie your identified themes to that interest or occasion?
• Does your theme make your consumer want to visit your dealership to observe what is going on?
• What is the state of your market currently and can you get involved with your community? If you get involved and invite them to an event at the dealership, why would they want to visit?

Identifiable Valuable Seasonal Product & Services

Seasonal products are the nuts and bolts of targeted direct mail initiatives (TDM).  In putting together these campaigns, you must consciously think of a reason why your consumers would want to visit your dealership when they’re in the market for a vehicle.

Not only that, you have to map out how quickly – and for how long – you want to make your theme-centric plan last.  You will have to become creative with your themed offerings and how often you want to roll them out (daily, weekly or even monthly).  But most of all: make your event fun!  Furthermore, what incentives can you offer to get your customers to trigger an identified value to your campaign that gets them to think “I need this!” or “I want this!”

Additionally, you need to ask yourself if there are services that most vehicles need during a particular season.  For example, the fourth quarter of each year is generally reserved for winter-related automotive marketing programs like “Winterization”, “Car Care” or “Year End Closeout”.  With events like “Year End Closeouts”, you need to be able to relate to your targets why they need to buy now and would  any financial “pain” be incurred for making a purchase now.

Overall, the key to your themed automotive marketing order of business is how it will create a “Call to Action”, who is your strategy directed towards and what will drive them to your dealership.  So create a theme and ask your customers to visit, citing the fact they do not want to miss it in order to drive them into your car dealerships doors.

Next month, we will discuss how do you determine your “Hook” and the “Pain” for your TDM efforts.

Happy planning...

~ Paul Ryan, Field Account Manager @ DMEautomotive

Bio: Paul Ryan brings over 25 years of experience in sales, sales management, marketing, and client services. He joined DMEautomotive in February of 2008, as a Regional Territory Manager. With proven success as an inside sales representative selling the FullCircle Solutions’ Bullseye program, he was recognized frequently as Sales Person of the Month and received the highest honor of Sales Person of the Year for 2008. In August of 2009, Paul managed, “Direct-To-Dealer” – Mail Division, responsible for overseeing the sales for the “Direct-To-Dealer” Mail Division. Currently he is traveling in the Midwest as Field Account Manager. Paul graduated with a B.B.A, in Business Administration from Iowa State University in 1982.

The ever-changing online environment requires direct marketers to deal with many different obstacles in trying to keep entrenched and viable in the marketing realm.  The Internet continues to play a huge role in handling customer feedback as it relates to direct marketing efforts in any industry, especially the automotive business.

When engaging in reputation management activities online, there are typically two types of disciplines that lead the pack: reactive and proactive.  Each field can set the pace to your automotive marketing endeavors and can have a strong influence on others.  Both types should also drive search engine optimization (SEO) rankings and provide a positive spin to your reputation management initiatives

In the automotive sales and marketing arenas, it’s common practice to essentially do little to nothing in reacting to a social media-based push.  Why is it easy to choose the reactive marketing path? Dealerships are understandably timid due to potentially upsetting the applecart and straying from message, i.e. “don’t bite the hand that feeds” theory.  However, it’s detrimental in that the lack of reaction fails to influence their social media friends or followers.

Proactive marketing, on the other hand, acts like an independent steward in your direct marketing planning – it’s a guide that sets the course of your intentions.   As a rule, proactive marketing provides direct marketing personnel an active role in continuing to inform customers on products and services.  The one advantage it does have over its marketing cousin is proactive marketers tend to spend wisely and have control over their message.

Proactively creating ongoing lines of communication with your customers has been known to drive positive results to your dealership’s bottom line.  In fact, establishing a proactive automotive marketing campaign can help exploit changing consumer behavior and in turn, sell more vehicles off your showroom floor.

In the reputation management game, it’s vital to be able to strike a delicate balance between both reactive and proactive automotive marketing.  While doing so, be sure to commence each initiative with the proper research and listening programs to ensure that your campaigns are following a consistent message throughout.

So be proactive: Listen to what your customers are saying online and react via your direct marketing campaigns appropriately!

~ Missy Jensen, Social Media Manager at DMEautomotive

Bio:
Missy designs, deploys and maintains the social media initiatives for DMEautomotive in an effort to increase brand awareness, distribute company and industry news, provide updates on products and services and promote consumer engagement. Missy enjoys the process of learning; researching and watching projects come to fruition!

Prior to her transformation into a web specialist and work with DMEautomotive, she has 10 years of experience in the marketing and communications industry. Missy served as the Director, Handicapping & Communications for a regional golf association and helped successfully launch and maintain a cutting edge technology-based ticket resale program on behalf of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Missy attended St. Lawrence University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Psychology. She also holds a Master’s Degree from Miami University in Oxford, OH. She can be reached at missy.jensen@dmeautomotive.com and check her out on LinkedIn.

The ever-changing online environment requires direct marketers to deal with many different obstacles in trying to keep entrenched and viable in the marketing realm.  The Internet continues to play a huge role in handling customer feedback as it relates to direct marketing efforts in any industry, especially the automotive business.

When engaging in reputation management activities online, there are typically two types of disciplines that lead the pack: reactive and proactive.  Each field can set the pace to your automotive marketing endeavors and can have a strong influence on others.  Both types should also drive search engine optimization (SEO) rankings and provide a positive spin to your reputation management initiatives

In the automotive sales and marketing arenas, it’s common practice to essentially do little to nothing in reacting to a social media-based push.  Why is it easy to choose the reactive marketing path? Dealerships are understandably timid due to potentially upsetting the applecart and straying from message, i.e. “don’t bite the hand that feeds” theory.  However, it’s detrimental in that the lack of reaction fails to influence their social media friends or followers.

Proactive marketing, on the other hand, acts like an independent steward in your direct marketing planning – it’s a guide that sets the course of your intentions.   As a rule, proactive marketing provides direct marketing personnel an active role in continuing to inform customers on products and services.  The one advantage it does have over its marketing cousin is proactive marketers tend to spend wisely and have control over their message.

Proactively creating ongoing lines of communication with your customers has been known to drive positive results to your dealership’s bottom line.  In fact, establishing a proactive automotive marketing campaign can help exploit changing consumer behavior and in turn, sell more vehicles off your showroom floor.

In the reputation management game, it’s vital to be able to strike a delicate balance between both reactive and proactive automotive marketing.  While doing so, be sure to commence each initiative with the proper research and listening programs to ensure that your campaigns are following a consistent message throughout.

So be proactive: Listen to what your customers are saying online and react via your direct marketing campaigns appropriately!

~ Missy Jensen, Social Media Manager at DMEautomotive

Bio:
Missy designs, deploys and maintains the social media initiatives for DMEautomotive in an effort to increase brand awareness, distribute company and industry news, provide updates on products and services and promote consumer engagement. Missy enjoys the process of learning; researching and watching projects come to fruition!

Prior to her transformation into a web specialist and work with DMEautomotive, she has 10 years of experience in the marketing and communications industry. Missy served as the Director, Handicapping & Communications for a regional golf association and helped successfully launch and maintain a cutting edge technology-based ticket resale program on behalf of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Missy attended St. Lawrence University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Psychology. She also holds a Master’s Degree from Miami University in Oxford, OH. She can be reached at missy.jensen@dmeautomotive.com and check her out on LinkedIn.

Want to get more out of your dealership’s advertising?  A great way to improve your ROI is to look internally...review what your staff is doing with your advertising dollars.  Stop blaming your marketing, stop blaming the weather, the market and the economy.  I have visited dealers all over the United States, I can tell you from experience that one thing that separates successful dealers from the rest of the pack… the ability to implement and inspect sound daily processes. What are some of these daily processes you should put into action at your dealership to monitor improvement in ROI on advertising and increased revenue?  Well, if you are a GSM or higher, you should pay attention to the following:

1. Are your sales people asking customers for their telephone numbers?
   
2. Are they talking about the benefits of the vehicle their customer is test driving?
   
3. Do they even know the differences in your models and your competition?  Do they talk about it during a test drive?
   
4. Do they follow up with people who have shown an interest in buying a vehicle from your store?

You may think that these are obvious questions and there is no way your sales team isn’t doing these things…but you’d be surprised!

Bear with me, I’m going to briefly digress but for good reason.  Let me briefly tell you about two separate shopping experiences I had recently and the vast difference in professionalism between the two.

The first is when my wife was in the market for some small office space.  She began by researching the Internet for office space “hunter” companies, and then she called two of them and gave the parameters of her office space needs.

These companies don’t spend tens of thousands of dollars to attract customers and they don’t sell expensive products; but I was amazed at the professionalism and persistency of their follow up.  My wife received 6 calls within 1 week, of which 2 provided a live webinar to review the benefits and costs associated with the properties they recommended.  In each of those webinars the sales associate presented himself as the “consultant” by asking questions about my wife’s business, including budget, drive time, security, available office equipment and furniture.  And all of this for a 6 month, $700.00 a month lease agreement!  Wow!  Very impressive!

Fast forward just two weeks…My wife and I decided to purchase a truck and, having never previously owned one, we dedicated an entire day to learning more about our options.  We visited the following franchises during our search for a new vehicle:  Honda, Nissan, Ford, Chevy, GMC, Toyota and Dodge.

Upon entering the dealership and being approached by a sales person, I said the same thing to each one:  “We want a 4 door with leather and we are researching the differences between franchises.”  What’s the saying?…“Everything went south from there”?

Though each store did follow the state law and required a copy of my driver’s license and a sales associate accompanied us on the test drive, the experience was deflating to say the least.  No one asked about our needs…no one asked about what other trucks had we looked at…no one asked if we had a payment budget…and no one asked if we were interested in leasing or purchasing.  They barely told us anything about the vehicle we were test-driving.  We were told, “these seats are not only heated, they’re cooled too” and “You got to love the power in that engine.”  We were asked if we had a particular color in mind.  However, we did learn a lot...about things that had no relevance to our vehicle search and needs.  One salesman was very excited about going to the baseball game that night.  Another had only worked in the industry for 3 months, in which he sold 21, 19 and 24 cars, respectively because he knew “how people wanted to be treated.”  Another had plans with his two boys to go on a float trip as soon as he got off work.

One sales person had us test-drive a vehicle with a sold sticker on it.  I asked about that and he said “It’s not sold, some guy was going to pay cash, he set up two different delivery appointments and didn’t show up, nor did he call to cancel, I hate when customers do that, it’s so rude”.

I was sure I would get at least a follow up post card from each sales associate since I provided my license for the test drive and therefore each dealership had my address and one follow-up call because I requested one of the sales associates to do a locate for me.  Note: not one other person asked for my phone number.  Three days later, I called the guy who was mad at the customer who set up two delivery appointments but didn’t even call to cancel.  Want to know what he said?  “Oh I didn’t call you because we didn’t find anything in our search.”   And, in case you’re wondering, no thank you cards were received.

Can you believe it?  Six out of six…no walk around, no comparisons, no questions, and no brochures.

Can you say with 100% commitment that we didn’t visit your store?

Wonder how to control it? 

I’ll take you back to the top of this article.  Inspect what you expect.  When a salesperson returns from a test drive, ask him a couple of questions: What color do they want?  What other vehicles is your prospect looking at?  Then test it… Remember, salespeople know exactly what to tell you to make you go away.  So when you meet the prospect test the salesperson’s response to you. “So you’re looking for a black vehicle?” (The salesperson told you red, or “you want cloth” when the salesperson told you leather).  This is a tried and true way of cleaning up your internal process and to make sure that when your advertising works to get people in the door, your sales people are doing the best job possible to turn it into a sale.

~ Steve Dozier, National Director of Training @ DMEautomotive

Bio: Steve Dozier brings 15 years of experience in the automotive industry to DMEautomotive (DMEa). Before joining DMEa, he held upper level management positions in the retail industry. Steve also owned a consulting company that specialized in CRM and direct mail, which brought in $2 Million in Sales for approximately 5 years. While serving as a consultant Steve was consistently recruited by the top 3 CRM firms of that time. Steve started at DMEautomotive in a managerial position overseeing the Direct-to-Dealer team, and is now responsible for developing and growing DMEa University; DMEa’s in-house dealer training organization. Steve is married with two children and enjoys scuba diving and boating in his free time.

Originally posted on DMEautomotive’s Blog, which focuses on marketing in the automotive industry.  

Want to get more out of your dealership’s advertising?  A great way to improve your ROI is to look internally...review what your staff is doing with your advertising dollars.  Stop blaming your marketing, stop blaming the weather, the market and the economy.  I have visited dealers all over the United States, I can tell you from experience that one thing that separates successful dealers from the rest of the pack… the ability to implement and inspect sound daily processes. What are some of these daily processes you should put into action at your dealership to monitor improvement in ROI on advertising and increased revenue?  Well, if you are a GSM or higher, you should pay attention to the following:

1. Are your sales people asking customers for their telephone numbers?
   
2. Are they talking about the benefits of the vehicle their customer is test driving?
   
3. Do they even know the differences in your models and your competition?  Do they talk about it during a test drive?
   
4. Do they follow up with people who have shown an interest in buying a vehicle from your store?

You may think that these are obvious questions and there is no way your sales team isn’t doing these things…but you’d be surprised!

Bear with me, I’m going to briefly digress but for good reason.  Let me briefly tell you about two separate shopping experiences I had recently and the vast difference in professionalism between the two.

The first is when my wife was in the market for some small office space.  She began by researching the Internet for office space “hunter” companies, and then she called two of them and gave the parameters of her office space needs.

These companies don’t spend tens of thousands of dollars to attract customers and they don’t sell expensive products; but I was amazed at the professionalism and persistency of their follow up.  My wife received 6 calls within 1 week, of which 2 provided a live webinar to review the benefits and costs associated with the properties they recommended.  In each of those webinars the sales associate presented himself as the “consultant” by asking questions about my wife’s business, including budget, drive time, security, available office equipment and furniture.  And all of this for a 6 month, $700.00 a month lease agreement!  Wow!  Very impressive!

Fast forward just two weeks…My wife and I decided to purchase a truck and, having never previously owned one, we dedicated an entire day to learning more about our options.  We visited the following franchises during our search for a new vehicle:  Honda, Nissan, Ford, Chevy, GMC, Toyota and Dodge.

Upon entering the dealership and being approached by a sales person, I said the same thing to each one:  “We want a 4 door with leather and we are researching the differences between franchises.”  What’s the saying?…“Everything went south from there”?

Though each store did follow the state law and required a copy of my driver’s license and a sales associate accompanied us on the test drive, the experience was deflating to say the least.  No one asked about our needs…no one asked about what other trucks had we looked at…no one asked if we had a payment budget…and no one asked if we were interested in leasing or purchasing.  They barely told us anything about the vehicle we were test-driving.  We were told, “these seats are not only heated, they’re cooled too” and “You got to love the power in that engine.”  We were asked if we had a particular color in mind.  However, we did learn a lot...about things that had no relevance to our vehicle search and needs.  One salesman was very excited about going to the baseball game that night.  Another had only worked in the industry for 3 months, in which he sold 21, 19 and 24 cars, respectively because he knew “how people wanted to be treated.”  Another had plans with his two boys to go on a float trip as soon as he got off work.

One sales person had us test-drive a vehicle with a sold sticker on it.  I asked about that and he said “It’s not sold, some guy was going to pay cash, he set up two different delivery appointments and didn’t show up, nor did he call to cancel, I hate when customers do that, it’s so rude”.

I was sure I would get at least a follow up post card from each sales associate since I provided my license for the test drive and therefore each dealership had my address and one follow-up call because I requested one of the sales associates to do a locate for me.  Note: not one other person asked for my phone number.  Three days later, I called the guy who was mad at the customer who set up two delivery appointments but didn’t even call to cancel.  Want to know what he said?  “Oh I didn’t call you because we didn’t find anything in our search.”   And, in case you’re wondering, no thank you cards were received.

Can you believe it?  Six out of six…no walk around, no comparisons, no questions, and no brochures.

Can you say with 100% commitment that we didn’t visit your store?

Wonder how to control it? 

I’ll take you back to the top of this article.  Inspect what you expect.  When a salesperson returns from a test drive, ask him a couple of questions: What color do they want?  What other vehicles is your prospect looking at?  Then test it… Remember, salespeople know exactly what to tell you to make you go away.  So when you meet the prospect test the salesperson’s response to you. “So you’re looking for a black vehicle?” (The salesperson told you red, or “you want cloth” when the salesperson told you leather).  This is a tried and true way of cleaning up your internal process and to make sure that when your advertising works to get people in the door, your sales people are doing the best job possible to turn it into a sale.

~ Steve Dozier, National Director of Training @ DMEautomotive

Bio: Steve Dozier brings 15 years of experience in the automotive industry to DMEautomotive (DMEa). Before joining DMEa, he held upper level management positions in the retail industry. Steve also owned a consulting company that specialized in CRM and direct mail, which brought in $2 Million in Sales for approximately 5 years. While serving as a consultant Steve was consistently recruited by the top 3 CRM firms of that time. Steve started at DMEautomotive in a managerial position overseeing the Direct-to-Dealer team, and is now responsible for developing and growing DMEa University; DMEa’s in-house dealer training organization. Steve is married with two children and enjoys scuba diving and boating in his free time.

Originally posted on DMEautomotive’s Blog, which focuses on marketing in the automotive industry.  

In the automotive industry, if there is one thing we know for certain it is that change is constant and necessary for survival.  Whether it’s changes in management, sales people, service writers and/or what incentives are in place at the dealership…change is bound to happen…and frequently.  Every dealer would love to put into action a permanent sales plan and deal flow but that won’t lend itself well to reality.  Car dealers better be good at change in order to survive.

How can you be good at change?  I know it’s easier said than done but the key is to have a process in place as to how you’ll deal with change and document the process!  In essence, plan for change as well as possible.  Unfortunately creating that process is the easiest part of “the process”.  I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that “the Devil is in the details” and that’s certainly true when you’re trying to create/change a process in your store.

Have you ever stopped, taken an outside the box view and asked yourself why changes are so hard to implement?  I’ve not only asked, I’ve studied it.  Here are some of the reasons or challenges to why change is so difficult to accomplish:

* You’re convinced the changes you’re going to implement will improve the situation.  But no one else is.  Since they are likely the ones that will actually do the day-to-day work, you NEVER see improvement.  Most people see new processes or change as “just one more thing I have to do today!”

* As a manager, you create a process and expect it to be followed.  However, you don’t micromanage it and ultimately you don’t inspect the process.

* A new process gets implemented in your store, but there are no tangible measuring tools.  You follow up by asking people, “How’s the new process going?”  We all know what’s going to happen next…they’re going to tell you it’s going great!

I’ve been there, I’ve heard your staff talk and trust me… what they’re saying is “Don’t worry about following this plan; he’ll change it or forget about it in a couple of weeks”.  And they think to themselves, “If I ignore it, “it” will go away.”  But as you and I both know, it won’t go away.  Something new will always change.

Here are 6 steps to successfully implementing new processes and ultimately change at your dealership:

1. Think your solution through first.  It’s okay to make minor changes, but don’t put yourself in a position to have to make major changes every couple of weeks in order to reach your “final destination”.

2. Share the problem with your staff members.  It’s imperative that your employees understand why the current change is needed (and perhaps even required).

3. Get employees’ commitment to implement the new process/change.  In other words, have them take some  “ownership” in the process.

4. Create obtainable/tangible landmarks within your process

5. Explain your measuring “tool” when and how you’ll evaluate improvement.

a. Define the rewards for the staff members involved who achieve success and define the negative consequences for those who don’t.

b. Give the staff members the appropriate level of authority to make the necessary decisions to achieve the goal.  Give them a sense of “empowerment”.

6. Micromanage the project for at least 21 days.

The worst thing you can do after you’ve got a good start to this process is to assume it’s going to continue to improve when you’re not micromanaging it.  Evaluate your staff’s performance.  Also identify a “leader”…You’re not looking for another manager; you’re looking for a project coordinator.  Explain to the staff that the coordinator is not their manager; he’s the one reporting the results to you on a weekly/semi weekly basis.

Communication is one of the most important aspects in the process.  As I’ve said throughout, change is constant and necessary…you must communicate this to your employees.  The majority of the time, change doesn’t come from within; rather, it comes from the manufacturer or from the consumers.  Don’t hesitate to explain this to your staff so they understand the reasons behind the need for change and the process you’re implementing. When your dealership comes up against change, put a plan together, work through it and encourage everyone in the dealership to get on board!

Steve Dozier brings 15 years of experience in the automotive industry to DMEautomotive (DMEa). Before joining DMEa, he held upper level management positions in the retail industry. Steve also owned a consulting company that specialized in CRM and direct mail, which brought in $2 Million in Sales for approximately 5 years. While serving as a consultant Steve was consistently recruited by the top 3 CRM firms of that time. Steve started at DMEautomotive in a managerial position overseeing the Direct-to-Dealer team, and is now responsible for developing and growing DMEa University; DMEa’s in-house dealer training organization. Steve is married with two children and enjoys scuba diving and boating in his free time.

In the automotive industry, if there is one thing we know for certain it is that change is constant and necessary for survival.  Whether it’s changes in management, sales people, service writers and/or what incentives are in place at the dealership…change is bound to happen…and frequently.  Every dealer would love to put into action a permanent sales plan and deal flow but that won’t lend itself well to reality.  Car dealers better be good at change in order to survive.

How can you be good at change?  I know it’s easier said than done but the key is to have a process in place as to how you’ll deal with change and document the process!  In essence, plan for change as well as possible.  Unfortunately creating that process is the easiest part of “the process”.  I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that “the Devil is in the details” and that’s certainly true when you’re trying to create/change a process in your store.

Have you ever stopped, taken an outside the box view and asked yourself why changes are so hard to implement?  I’ve not only asked, I’ve studied it.  Here are some of the reasons or challenges to why change is so difficult to accomplish:

* You’re convinced the changes you’re going to implement will improve the situation.  But no one else is.  Since they are likely the ones that will actually do the day-to-day work, you NEVER see improvement.  Most people see new processes or change as “just one more thing I have to do today!”

* As a manager, you create a process and expect it to be followed.  However, you don’t micromanage it and ultimately you don’t inspect the process.

* A new process gets implemented in your store, but there are no tangible measuring tools.  You follow up by asking people, “How’s the new process going?”  We all know what’s going to happen next…they’re going to tell you it’s going great!

I’ve been there, I’ve heard your staff talk and trust me… what they’re saying is “Don’t worry about following this plan; he’ll change it or forget about it in a couple of weeks”.  And they think to themselves, “If I ignore it, “it” will go away.”  But as you and I both know, it won’t go away.  Something new will always change.

Here are 6 steps to successfully implementing new processes and ultimately change at your dealership:

1. Think your solution through first.  It’s okay to make minor changes, but don’t put yourself in a position to have to make major changes every couple of weeks in order to reach your “final destination”.

2. Share the problem with your staff members.  It’s imperative that your employees understand why the current change is needed (and perhaps even required).

3. Get employees’ commitment to implement the new process/change.  In other words, have them take some  “ownership” in the process.

4. Create obtainable/tangible landmarks within your process

5. Explain your measuring “tool” when and how you’ll evaluate improvement.

a. Define the rewards for the staff members involved who achieve success and define the negative consequences for those who don’t.

b. Give the staff members the appropriate level of authority to make the necessary decisions to achieve the goal.  Give them a sense of “empowerment”.

6. Micromanage the project for at least 21 days.

The worst thing you can do after you’ve got a good start to this process is to assume it’s going to continue to improve when you’re not micromanaging it.  Evaluate your staff’s performance.  Also identify a “leader”…You’re not looking for another manager; you’re looking for a project coordinator.  Explain to the staff that the coordinator is not their manager; he’s the one reporting the results to you on a weekly/semi weekly basis.

Communication is one of the most important aspects in the process.  As I’ve said throughout, change is constant and necessary…you must communicate this to your employees.  The majority of the time, change doesn’t come from within; rather, it comes from the manufacturer or from the consumers.  Don’t hesitate to explain this to your staff so they understand the reasons behind the need for change and the process you’re implementing. When your dealership comes up against change, put a plan together, work through it and encourage everyone in the dealership to get on board!

Steve Dozier brings 15 years of experience in the automotive industry to DMEautomotive (DMEa). Before joining DMEa, he held upper level management positions in the retail industry. Steve also owned a consulting company that specialized in CRM and direct mail, which brought in $2 Million in Sales for approximately 5 years. While serving as a consultant Steve was consistently recruited by the top 3 CRM firms of that time. Steve started at DMEautomotive in a managerial position overseeing the Direct-to-Dealer team, and is now responsible for developing and growing DMEa University; DMEa’s in-house dealer training organization. Steve is married with two children and enjoys scuba diving and boating in his free time.

Today I want to discuss with you what some claim to be the most important aspect of Direct Marketing – Identifying your most important targets.

Factors in Determining Your Dealership’s Buying Base

1.     Past Sales Customers

2.     Past Service Customers

3.     Competitors’ Customers

4.     New Market Customers

5.     Market Share / Brand Share

If you had $1 to spend on direct marketing, where would you get the best ROI?  I know you think I am asking a very simplistic question, but many people have a hard time with this!  So, I ask again, if you really had to, whom would you target first?  The answer is so simple we sometimes do not want to admit the correct answer for our business. 

Focus a portion of your marketing expenditures towards the group that will represent over 80% of your sales – those customers in your backyard!

Now you can see who I think should be your target customer should be.  You might not completely agree with me, but ask yourself this question:  Do you own these customers in your market?

Past Sales Customers – Those you sold your vehicles in the past…24/60/72/86 months ago…Are they ready to buy again? Is someone else in the household ready to buy?

Past Service Customers – Those who hired you for your services in the past…  Has everyone in your service department database bought their car from you? No, on average 53% of service customers did not buy at the servicing dealership.  Have they purchased their vehicle from your competitor but like servicing with you?  Would they like to buy their next new car from you?

Competitors’ Customers – Those who live in your backyard… They drive right by your location to go to your competitors’ locations for services.

New Market Customers – Is there a customer that lives in one of your top selling zip codes that has not bought your brand of product, but could?

Market Share / Brand Share – What are you selling compared to your competitors?  What aren’t you selling compared to your competitors?

Many dealerships feel that they already own their market but I’m suggesting you should at least continue to strive to increase your share in 3 areas: Competitors’ Customers, New Market Customers and Market Share / Brand Share.  Customers in your backyard are where 80% of your sales will come from every year and, if you consistently target these customers on a monthly/quarterly basis, you can increase market share.

These targets are the key to your success in direct marketing.  How you go about creating these target lists is key.  Many think it is about distance, radius, and so on. 

A good way to determine your best possible lists is to look at your Top Selling Zip Codes.  There probably is a reason you have sold well in a particular zip code or not.  Distances are not always the reason.  It might be that a particular zip code is a suitcase/commuter zip code, where the consumer travels by your location every day and could buy your vehicles and/or services due to the convenience of your dealership.  Not always can we answer why, but numbers do not lie and historically there is always a pattern.  Take note of your Top Selling Zip Codes.  Additionally, look at your Low Selling Zip Codes, as they create drag on your direct marketing campaigns.

Direct marketing is a marathon of consistent messages to the correct list of customers.  When done this way, your ROI will incrementally increase on a monthly basis and enhance your Market Share / Brand Share.  Do not give up after 1-3 attempts; direct marketing must be aimed at this list of best targets consistently, rotating thru on a regular basis for a period of at least a year.  After completing your annual commitment, you will reap one of the best performing marketing investments in your portfolio.

~ Paul Ryan, Field Account Manager @ DMEautomotive

Bio:



Paul Ryan brings over 25 years of experience in sales, sales management, marketing, and client services. He joined DMEautomotive in February of 2008, as a Regional Territory Manager. With proven success as an inside sales representative selling the FullCircle Solutions’ Bullseye program, he was recognized frequently as Sales Person of the Month and received the highest honor of Sales Person of the Year for 2008. In August of 2009, Paul managed, “Direct-To-Dealer” - Mail Division, responsible for overseeing the sales for the “Direct-To-Dealer” Mail Division.  Currently he is traveling in the Midwest as Field Account Manager.  Paul graduated with a B.B.A, in Business Administration from Iowa State University in 1982.

Original blog posted at Automotive Direct Marketing

Today I want to discuss with you what some claim to be the most important aspect of Direct Marketing – Identifying your most important targets.

Factors in Determining Your Dealership’s Buying Base

1.     Past Sales Customers

2.     Past Service Customers

3.     Competitors’ Customers

4.     New Market Customers

5.     Market Share / Brand Share

If you had $1 to spend on direct marketing, where would you get the best ROI?  I know you think I am asking a very simplistic question, but many people have a hard time with this!  So, I ask again, if you really had to, whom would you target first?  The answer is so simple we sometimes do not want to admit the correct answer for our business. 

Focus a portion of your marketing expenditures towards the group that will represent over 80% of your sales – those customers in your backyard!

Now you can see who I think should be your target customer should be.  You might not completely agree with me, but ask yourself this question:  Do you own these customers in your market?

Past Sales Customers – Those you sold your vehicles in the past…24/60/72/86 months ago…Are they ready to buy again? Is someone else in the household ready to buy?

Past Service Customers – Those who hired you for your services in the past…  Has everyone in your service department database bought their car from you? No, on average 53% of service customers did not buy at the servicing dealership.  Have they purchased their vehicle from your competitor but like servicing with you?  Would they like to buy their next new car from you?

Competitors’ Customers – Those who live in your backyard… They drive right by your location to go to your competitors’ locations for services.

New Market Customers – Is there a customer that lives in one of your top selling zip codes that has not bought your brand of product, but could?

Market Share / Brand Share – What are you selling compared to your competitors?  What aren’t you selling compared to your competitors?

Many dealerships feel that they already own their market but I’m suggesting you should at least continue to strive to increase your share in 3 areas: Competitors’ Customers, New Market Customers and Market Share / Brand Share.  Customers in your backyard are where 80% of your sales will come from every year and, if you consistently target these customers on a monthly/quarterly basis, you can increase market share.

These targets are the key to your success in direct marketing.  How you go about creating these target lists is key.  Many think it is about distance, radius, and so on. 

A good way to determine your best possible lists is to look at your Top Selling Zip Codes.  There probably is a reason you have sold well in a particular zip code or not.  Distances are not always the reason.  It might be that a particular zip code is a suitcase/commuter zip code, where the consumer travels by your location every day and could buy your vehicles and/or services due to the convenience of your dealership.  Not always can we answer why, but numbers do not lie and historically there is always a pattern.  Take note of your Top Selling Zip Codes.  Additionally, look at your Low Selling Zip Codes, as they create drag on your direct marketing campaigns.

Direct marketing is a marathon of consistent messages to the correct list of customers.  When done this way, your ROI will incrementally increase on a monthly basis and enhance your Market Share / Brand Share.  Do not give up after 1-3 attempts; direct marketing must be aimed at this list of best targets consistently, rotating thru on a regular basis for a period of at least a year.  After completing your annual commitment, you will reap one of the best performing marketing investments in your portfolio.

~ Paul Ryan, Field Account Manager @ DMEautomotive

Bio:



Paul Ryan brings over 25 years of experience in sales, sales management, marketing, and client services. He joined DMEautomotive in February of 2008, as a Regional Territory Manager. With proven success as an inside sales representative selling the FullCircle Solutions’ Bullseye program, he was recognized frequently as Sales Person of the Month and received the highest honor of Sales Person of the Year for 2008. In August of 2009, Paul managed, “Direct-To-Dealer” - Mail Division, responsible for overseeing the sales for the “Direct-To-Dealer” Mail Division.  Currently he is traveling in the Midwest as Field Account Manager.  Paul graduated with a B.B.A, in Business Administration from Iowa State University in 1982.

Original blog posted at Automotive Direct Marketing