DrivingSales
Interview with Eric Miltsch of Auction Direct.
Eric Miltsch is an IT & Web Director for a successful east coast dealer group called Auction Direct. Under Eric's supervision, the company has executed one of the best social media campaigns to date by a dealer group! They have used innovative ways to create dialogue with customers, increase sales and create greater loyalty. The DrivingSales publisher interviewed Eric about some of his vision and tactics for using "twitter" and other social media tools. Read his comments below and feel free to ask Eric questions of your own in the comments, he will respond.
Thanks Eric for sharing the wisdom!
DrivingSales: Eric, tell us a little about yourself, your background and Auction Direct.
Eric: As the IT | Web Director for Auction Direct USA, I get to do what I love every day: Manage the online portion of our business and oversee our store network.
DS: What exaclty is Twitter? What does it do?
Eric: Twitter is a relatively new micro-blogging tool that, when married to an existing social media strategy, further extends your online presence…plus - its fast and free. Much like text messages, Twitter lets you send and receive messages, up to 140 characters at a time, while responding to a baseline question of "What are you doing?" Your messages are sent to your followers while you receive messages from people you have chosen to follow.
DS: What benefits are there for a car dealer in microblogging?
Eric: There are a multitude of benefits to car dealers. Networking, customer service, brand/confidence building, traffic driver and even as a sales tool. I've had success within each of these categories; I don't recommend using it as a sales channel out of the gate. However, the sooner you can build authority and confidence among your followers, the faster you can expand your scope of usage with additional ideas.
DS: How should one gets started?
Eric: Cover the basics first: Set up your account completely with a full bio description, links, avatar and background image to make a professional and unique appearance. Don't start following everyone - select a few key people and learn from them. (2000 is the max.) I cover more launch strategies in my upcoming "Car Dealer Twitter Handbook." Stay tuned for more details later this month!
DS: What results should I look for? How do I know if its working?
Eric: Initially, you'll want to see an increase in followers. Follower replies, conversations and re-tweets (followers re-sending your messages so others see it) are all strong indicators you're doing the right things. Be sure to track your own analytics as well; Use URL converters that provide built-in tracking such as BudURL.com
DS: Does this get in the way of your day job?
Eric: Not at all; although you can get caught up wasting time by using the standard web interface. Desktop applications such as Twhirl and Tweetdeck will help you stay organized and keep things efficient. A handful of other tools such as Twitterbar for Firefox and Twitterrific for iPhone can help keep Twitter close while staying focused on your daily activities.
DS: How can one get more information about using twitter?
Eric: Glad you asked; aside from jumping in and signing up, be sure to organize your entire online strategy first. Once you have a defined plan in place, then you can move more specific and advanced twitter strategies. Find additional tools in this DrivingSales twitter blog post and discover even more advanced ideas and strategies in my new Car Dealer Twitter Handbook. I'll keep you posted on the release!Post any questions in the comment section below and Eric (and other industry pros) will respond:
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A friend who owns a few stores on the east coast just emailed in a request for help, and since the government loaning our industry money affects everyone, we thought it made sense to share. If you support the government helping our industry, this is particualrly for you.
There is a simple form to fill out, on Congress.org, that will publish and send your message to the Politicians in DC who are making the decisions about providing loans to our industry. Dealers around the country who support government help are soliciting as many voices as possible to send a quick 2 sentance note of encouragement to the White House. If you support this cause, please act now. DrivingSales members are on both sides of the argument, but one thing is certain, the governments actions (or inactions) will affect us all.
I encourage you to make your voice heard. Follow this link, complete the form (it takes about 30 seconds) and get your message to the decision makers.
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/issues/alert/?alertid=12313996&type=ML
Here is a sample message that one dealer wrote:
"My father has been an automobile dealer since 1976 and my grandfather for 30+ years before then. More than 280 employees depend upon our family for a paycheck every Friday. I am merely one of 23,000 automotive dealers in the United States that will be adversely affected if anyone of the big 3 declares for bankruptcy. Each state depends upon us to collect sales tax revenue on the sale of new and used vehicles, the maintenance repairs of consumers needs and the collision repairs for their accidents.
The House and the Senate won't help Detroit survive this economic crises, but the President can. If he does not act, we all fail, because the rippling effect throughout our economy will be devastating.
Thanks for your support.”
Please take 30 seconds and let your voice be heard, this affects you:
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/issues/alert/?alertid=12313996&type=ML
PS: if you support this cause and would like this announcement to continually be bumped to the top of the home page please leave a comment of your support below. Each comment will bring the post back to the top. You must be a logged in member to comment. If you are not registered do so here.
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DrivingSales.com
General Motors announced today that it would delay incentive payments to dealers by 7-14 days to conserve cash. The move could save them quite a pretty penny, but it could also cost dealer dearly as they too are penny pinching. Its a sad day when the auto manufacturers have to say, "its them or us."
Where will it end? If they delay incentive payments 1-2 weeks, will they do the same for warranty receivables soon? Will the 2 weeks turn into 3? Its a slippery slope, who knows where it will end. In what is somewhat of a fair comparison, can you imagine if you called GMAC and told them you couldn't pay off your flooring on your next few vehicles and you needed an extra two weeks and all would be fine? They would have auditors in your dealership before you could hang up the phone to collect every downpayment check or cash receipt your store brought in. Its a sad day when you cant even trust your manufacturer. I hope this gets figured out soon.
Here is the letter GM sent to their dealers:
To All Dealers:
I am writing to you to update you on changes we are going to implement with regard to the incentive payment schedule.
As I discussed in the IDL last week, one of the biggest issues facing General Motors is our liquidity. That is the cash we have on hand to pay for our regular operating expenses.
In this cash crunch, we have examined every aspect of our business in an effort to improve cash flow, including our relationships with all of our key stakeholders, like suppliers, agencies, employees and dealers. In this regard, we are implementing minor changes to incentive payment timing. So, what does this mean for you? Basically we are delaying the payment of the incentives by two weeks. Here is the new schedule that will be in effect until further notice:
· Incentive applications previously scheduled to be paid on November 28th and December 4th will be delayed to December 11th and December 18th respectively. Please see the attached payment schedule.
· Weekly incentive payments will continue thereafter reflecting one week of dealer application activity. On average, payments will be made approximately 2 - 3 weeks after a valid dealer application has been processed by GM. Effectively this is a 2 week delay from the current schedule.
· As a result of this retiming you will not receive any incentive payments on November 28th and December 4th.
This liquidity crisis has an obvious effect on all of us. As you are aware we are asking the federal government for some temporary relief. I need your continued help in talking to Congress. There are three things you need to ask your congressional delegation for:
· First, ask the government officials to approve a new $25 billion loan package to help us deal with our current liquidity crisis.
· Second, while the rules for the distinctly separate and already approved $25 billion loan package for investments in technology and enhanced fuel efficiency have been issued, we'd like to see that program move as fast as possible, so we need to encourage the government to minimize red tape and act on loan applications as quickly as they can.
· Third, the automotive industry needs some additional government support to stimulate retail sales, like making interest on car loans tax deductible, etc.
We've set up a website that will assist you in making your voice heard in Congress and to help spread the message. Please visit www.gmfactsandfiction.com. If you have not already done so, please call and e-mail your congressional representative.
This is a critical time for our industry, your dealership, and General Motors. Please continue to do what you do best, selling vehicles one customer at a time. Please make every effort to integrate your promotions with the recently announced Red Tag sales event.
Together we can work through this crisis. As always, thank you for all of your hard work and effort.
Good Selling.
Mark R. LaNeve
source:http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081117/ANA02/811170253/1142
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Car Shoppers on innovative Web2.0 automotive website can see when dealers are available to answer questions and connect instantly, even from work.
ATLANTA, GA – November 17, 2008 – ContactAtOnce!, a leading provider of internet marketing tools that move online shoppers into live conversations with car dealers, today announced that Cox AutoTrader, one of the world’s leading providers of online and print automotive consumer information, has deployed the ContactAtOnce! dealer live chat service on CarShopSmart.com, the just-launched “web2.0” sister website of AutoMart.com. Cox AutoTrader/AutoMart online operations combined have more than 1 million new and used vehicles for sale and reach over 2 million car buyers monthly.
“Today’s online car shoppers want new types of content such as consumer-generated reviews and they also want more convenient ways to contact dealerships,” said Melanie Kovach, General Manager of Cox AutoTrader/AutoMart. “Many consumers prefer the handy and instant communication available with live chat when making a phone call isn’t convenient or available.”
ContactAtOnce! powers graphical elements such as "drop-in business cards" that appear if a sales person at a dealership is available at the moment a site visitor is looking at a car. Site visitors are offered a variety of ways to contact the dealer, including chat and a phone number. Dealers appreciate ContactAtOnce! because all chat conversations are tracked and recorded, making it easy to measure the effectiveness of advertising and to conduct sales training. ContactAtOnce! dealer chat is simple to use and designed specifically for sales people who are not always at their desks.
“AutoMart.com is a long-time customer that’s done an excellent job of leveraging ContactAtOnce! to
connect more of their site visitors with dealers,” said John Hanger, president & CEO of ContactAtOnce!.
“We are honored that they have selected ContactAtOnce! for use on CarShopSmart.com.”
The ContactAtOnce! dealer live chat service is available on CarShopSmart.com immediately.
About CarShopSmart.com
CarShopSmart.com features car listings exclusively from dealerships throughout the country, with inventory content provided by AutoMart.com including vehicle images, VIN, and dealer contact information. In addition to multiple browsing options to identify and find local cars, CarShopSmart features industry content including top ten lists and buying tips powered by ForbesAuto.com, credit and insurance options, and it is among the first industry websites to feature and encourage consumer generated dealership ratings and vehicle reviews. CarShopSmart.com modernizes online vehicle searches by offering car buyers ease of use coupled with the social media application of consumer generated content for a complete car shopping experience.
About Cox AutoTrader
Cox AutoTrader is among the world's leading providers of online and print automotive information. Operating subsidiaries include majority-owned AutoTrader.com and Cox AutoTrader/AutoMart. AutoTrader.com is the Internet's leading auto classifieds marketplace and consumer information web site with more than 3 million vehicle listings and more than 13 million qualified buyers each month. Cox AutoTrader/AutoMart is a leading provider of print auto classified publications with 356 titles and 3.9 million magazines distributed weekly. Cox AutoTrader/AutoMart also features online operations, including AutoMart.com and AutoExtra.com in addition to the new CarShopSmart.com, which combined have more than 1 million new and used vehicles for sale and reach over 10 million car buyers monthly.
About ContactAtOnce!
Contact At Once!, LLC is a leading provider of internet marketing tools for automotive sales, apartment leasing, and other industries where consumers conduct research online before visiting a dealership or office. The ContactAtOnce! service typically moves at least 25% more website visitors into live conversations with sales people by utilizing a suite of technologies such as presence, IM/chat, VoIP telephony, video chat and text messaging, resulting in increased revenue and a better return on marketing expenditures. ContactAtOnce! is the only solution with features specifically for vertical search websites and over 35 such sites, along with thousands of merchant businesses, are using it today.
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DrivingSales.com
WASHINGTON – Top Republican senators said Sunday they will oppose a Democratic plan to bail out Detroit automakers, calling the U.S. industry a "dinosaur" whose "day of reckoning" is coming. Their opposition raises serious doubts about whether the plan will pass in this week's postelection session.
Democratic leaders want to use $25 billion of the $700 billion financial industry bailout to help General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC.
Sens. Richard Shelby of Alabama and Jon Kyl of Arizona said it would be a mistake to use any of the Wall Street rescue money to prop up the automakers. They said an auto bailout would only postpone the industry's demise.
"Companies fail every day and others take their place. I think this is a road we should not go down," said Shelby, the senior Republican on the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.
"They're not building the right products," he said. "They've got good workers but I don't believe they've got good management. They don't innovate. They're a dinosaur in a sense."
Added Kyl, the Senate's second-ranking Republican: "Just giving them $25 billion doesn't change anything. It just puts off for six months or so the day of reckoning."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said over the weekend that the House would provide aid to the ailing industry, though she did not put a price on her plan.
"The House is ready to do it," said Democratic Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. "There's no downside to trying."
But Democrats have only a narrow majority in the Senate and President George W. Bush opposes the idea. That raises the possibility that any help for automakers will have to wait until 2009, when Barack Obama takes office and the Democrats increase their majority in the Senate.
Source the AP via Yahoo.com
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DrivingSales.com
As Detroit's crumbling auto industry asks Congress for a bailout, Chrysler is in the awkward position of paying about $30 million in retention bonuses to keep top executives while the company cuts thousands of jobs.
Chrysler owes the bonuses under its contracts with about 50 executives, based on a retention incentive plan crafted early last year by former German parent DaimlerChrysler, when it was preparing to sell the Chrysler unit.
Nancy Rae, Chrysler executive vice president for human resources and communications, said the move made sense at the time to ensure potential buyers that key Chrysler executives would remain in place after a sale. She acknowledged that the bonuses could be seen as controversial now.
“We all would be smarter if we knew what we know now back in February of '07,” she said. “Probably a lot of different decisions would be made.”
Chief executives of Chrysler LLC, General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. are expected to testify next week before a House committee on a proposal for $25 billion in low-cost government loans to help keep the companies afloat. Any aid is expected to come with limits on executive pay and bonuses. It is unclear whether those conditions would affect existing bonus plans — Chrysler's was hatched around April 2007 — or merely limit future bonuses and golden parachutes.
Retention bonus plans are fairly common in volatile times and at troubled companies that are straining to attract and retain top talent.
But they have been controversial in recent automotive industry bankruptcy cases involving suppliers Delphi Corp. of Troy and Toledo-based Dana Holding Corp. A 2005 change in U.S. bankruptcy laws forbade the payment of retention bonuses to executives just for staying at a company while it's in bankruptcy proceedings.
Documents obtained by the Free Press show that at least six Chrysler executives are due to receive bonuses of more than $1 million apiece to stay through August 2009, the two-year anniversary mark of when private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management bought an 80.1% stake in Chrysler.
Those promised the largest retention bonuses:
• Frank Ewasyshyn, executive vice president, manufacturing, $1.89 million.
• Frank Klegon, executive vice president, product development, $1.8 million.
• Rae, $1.66 million.
• Simon Boag, president, Mopar/global service and parts, $1.65 million.
• Steven Landry, executive vice president, North American sales, $1.63 million.
• Michael Manley, executive vice president, international sales, marketing and business development, $1.53 million.
The bonus sizes ranged from a high of Ewasyshyn's $1.89 million down to $200,000. The agreements provided for payments of 25% of the bonuses in February 2008 -- which were made on schedule -- and for the remaining 75% to be paid in August 2009.
Source: Detroit Free Press
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DrivingSales
Social media is now playing an important role in quests for employment. The stories abound about people loosing their jobs due to blogs, myspace and face book profiles.
- Google Employee fired for their blog
- Top five in the world blogger fired due to her blog.
- Teacher fired over myspace profile
- Facebook Firings
Many companies do not have social media and blogger guidelines in place to govern online interaction but that is now changing even more notably is social media presences are coming into play in job hirings. The president elect was able to use social media to acquire his new job now he is asking potential staffers about their social media presence as part of their background checks.
Obama wants applicants to “list all aliases or ‘handles’ you have used to communicate on the Internet,” and asks people to include any e-mail that might embarrass the president-elect, along with any blog posts and links to their Facebook.com pages.< Jax4News.com
The web is no longer the wild west it is now an integral part of everyday life. People are hired, meet spouses, get fired, make friends and now their interactions are part of the hiring process.
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LIVE X AUTO EXCHANGE™ TO LAUNCH FIRST AUTO TRADING PLATFORM
Exclusive pilot brings experiential auto retail platform to Walmart customers
PHOENIX, Ariz. – (October 7, 2008) – LIVE X Auto Exchange™, an all-new online trading platform dedicated to the automotive category, today announced the launch of its first concept stores inside select Walmart Supercenter locations in the Phoenix metropolitan area. In an exclusive pilot program with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., LIVE X Auto Exchange will begin to offer electronically enhanced auto trading services that bring an entirely new retail experience to consumers.
Patrick Dial, founder of LIVE X Auto Exchange and a 20-year veteran of the live entertainment industry, said, “Our Walmart-based Trading Floors are essentially marketing centers for pre-owned vehicles, auto-related products and services, as well as for the all-new LIVE X brand. Walmart customers who visit a LIVE X store can not only expedite the process of buying and selling a vehicle, but also enjoy a fun, easy, and altogether different experience in the process. And, they already know they’ll get a great price. Given today’s economic environment, I believe this is exactly the promise of value that car buyers everywhere have been looking for.”
Using LIVE X’s specially-designed interactive technology, customers inside stores can sign up for a free LIVE X Online Personal Trading Account that will provide them ongoing access to a vast electronic auto trading system. LIVE X Trading Assistants are also stationed at each store to help customers navigate the system, post their vehicles for sale (using fair market assessment tools), offer trade-ins, and help find the just right vehicle to purchase.
“We help customers leverage the power and efficiency of the Internet so buyers and sellers can find each other faster and without the normal cost structures of middlemen or the overhead of a dealership,” said Dial. “The LIVE X trading system puts control back in the hands of consumers and will change the way people think about the auto trading experience.”
LIVE X offers a “No Haggle, One-Price” pricing structure on most of the vehicles in its online inventory. Additionally, LIVE X provides access to a wide range of strategic partners to help customers find competitive vehicle financing and auto insurance. LIVE X breaks the traditional vehicle buying and selling mold by automating a free-market trading process, simplifying vehicle pricing, leveraging “just-in-time” inventory flow and providing a one-stop shop for value-added products and services.
LIVE X’s initial two Phoenix-based pilot stores will be located in Chandler, Ariz. near Loop 202 and Arizona Ave. and in Mesa, Ariz. at Greenfield Road and I-60. The first phase of the LIVE X rollout is scheduled to be complete by the end of October 2008.
About LIVE X Auto Exchange™
LIVE X and its parent corporation, Intelligent Service Group, LLC, are in a unique and exclusive relationship with Walmart Corporation. LIVE X is an all-new online trading platform dedicated to the automotive category. Stores are located exclusively at select Walmart Supercenters in the greater Phoenix area and function as marketing centers where customers can Sell a car for more, Buy a car for less and Save on everything from auto insurance to GPS systems and satellite radio. For more information, please visit www.livexautoexchange.com.
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DrivingSales
Identity theft, phishing, viruses – oh my! Online users face many challenges in protecting their finances and privacy.
Q: What is identity theft? How does it happen?
Identity theft is a fraud committed or attempted using the identifying information of another person without authorization. Using someone else’s identity to make unauthorized charges or bank transfers, open new accounts, take out loans, send email, or file taxes; these are all examples of identity theft.
Q: How often does it happen?
Last year approximately 10 million people were victims of identity theft.
Q: What should I do to protect myself?
Monitor your accounts frequently - the longer a breach goes undiscovered, the more costly it can become. Check your bank and credit card balances often, and choose unique passwords for your accounts.
Q: What should I do if I think my identity has been stolen?
Close any compromised account, and contact your bank or credit card company, as well as your local law enforcement. Also contact the three major credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion – and ask them to place a fraud alert on your account.
Q: How can I protect my computer?
Install all security patches as soon as they’re available, run antivirus software frequently, and set up a firewall to keep intruders out.
Q: What are spoof and phishing?
Spoof and phishing (pronounced "fishing") are terms for emails or websites that look like they're from a legitimate company, but are actually from identity thieves. The emails warn of account problems to trick you into entering your information either in the email or on a spoof website. Here is PayPal’s Spoof Tutorial to learn how to identify fraudulent emails.
Q: Does being phished or getting a spoof email mean my identity was or is going to be stolen?
No – as long as you didn’t enter any information, your identity probably wasn’t stolen.
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DrivingSales
The social web is no longer a buzz word it is a way of life. People from all walks of life are engaging online each other. From grandparents keeping up with long distance grandchildren to business associates keeping tabs on each other at sites like www.linkedin.com.
Social web applications are built to encourage communication among people.They serve one of more of the following purposes:Courtesy wikipedia.com
- Identity: who are you?
- Reputation: what do people think you stand for?
- Presence: where are you?
- Relationships: who are you connected with? who do you trust?
- Groups: how do you organize your connections?
- Conversations: what do you discuss with others?
- Sharing: what content do you make available for others to interact with?
Using the social web as a marketing channel can be identified in two forms. Advertising and engagement.
Advertising can be accomplished using PPC advertising targeted at specific sites, buying traffic at sites like stumbleupon.com and demographic targeting at sites like facebook.com
Engagement is connecting with the users on various social networking sites and establishing yourself as a point of reference in your areas of expertise while also providing value and freindship to your connections.
Here is what a Boston cab driver had to say about Web 2.0 and how he uses it: Courtesy Hubspot.com
Web 2.0 Quotes from a Boston Cab Driver
- I got a new 3G iPhone because I am in my cab all day and it is like a laptop for my cab.
- I use Classmates.com a lot to catch up with people from school and find old friends.
- I forgot my phone today and I am going crazy without it. Usually I am chatting on MSN with my friends all day.
- The new Apple store in Boston is beautiful, I love it. I love everything Apple does.
- Have you heard of Hi5? I am from Cape Verde and all my friends are on it. I have also met new people there. It's great.
- Have you gone to AppleRumor.com? I always check it out to find out what new stuff Apple might be doing.
- I can live without TV. I cannot live without the Internet. I am addicted to it.
Stay connected with auto industry professionals at DrivingSales and get involved on the social web.
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