Please inject some reality into my life.

I’m in marketing and always have my ear to the ground looking for how dealers promote their stores and brands.  Last night, I heard a radio ad for a local car dealership (Volkswagen Subaru in Bellevue Washington) that disturbed me.  The ad was almost exclusively promoting the idea that this dealership offered what they termed ‘AN UNASSISTED TEST DRIVE’ meaning that they are promoting the fact that you can test drive a cars WITHOUT A SALESPERSON in the car with you.

Here’s why it bothered me.  While I believe that most dealerships would probably offer the same thing if a customer asked for it, or even offer it casually at the time on site as part of the sales process (“hey- take it for a spin without me if you want”) - the idea of promoting NO SALESPERSON as a marketing point of difference bothers me because – by extension-   it promotes the idea that SALESPEOPLE ARE A NEGATIVE in the car buying equation.  I feel the same way about statements like NO HASSLE (equals: buying a car is a hassle that should be avoided), NO PRESSURE (equals: get ready for pressure when you go to shop for a car) or any of the NO’s that try to win at the expense of trashing the industry. 

I would hope the presence of a salesperson during a test drive or any other part of the sales process would be viewed as a POSITIVE customer benefit to explain features, answer questions and (dear god) actually develop a relationship with the customer and dealership.  Isn't that what we in the industry want- the opportunity to break down walls- build relationships- earn a customers business and trust?

Really in this age of TrueCar and all the other ways people can try and AVOID working with dealerships don’t we have enough challenges without adding the idea of NO SALEPERSON to the marketing voice?  Especially when we within the industry use our own voice to do it?

I'd like to hear what you think.

Please inject some reality into my life.

I’m in marketing and always have my ear to the ground looking for how dealers promote their stores and brands.  Last night, I heard a radio ad for a local car dealership (Volkswagen Subaru in Bellevue Washington) that disturbed me.  The ad was almost exclusively promoting the idea that this dealership offered what they termed ‘AN UNASSISTED TEST DRIVE’ meaning that they are promoting the fact that you can test drive a cars WITHOUT A SALESPERSON in the car with you.

Here’s why it bothered me.  While I believe that most dealerships would probably offer the same thing if a customer asked for it, or even offer it casually at the time on site as part of the sales process (“hey- take it for a spin without me if you want”) - the idea of promoting NO SALESPERSON as a marketing point of difference bothers me because – by extension-   it promotes the idea that SALESPEOPLE ARE A NEGATIVE in the car buying equation.  I feel the same way about statements like NO HASSLE (equals: buying a car is a hassle that should be avoided), NO PRESSURE (equals: get ready for pressure when you go to shop for a car) or any of the NO’s that try to win at the expense of trashing the industry. 

I would hope the presence of a salesperson during a test drive or any other part of the sales process would be viewed as a POSITIVE customer benefit to explain features, answer questions and (dear god) actually develop a relationship with the customer and dealership.  Isn't that what we in the industry want- the opportunity to break down walls- build relationships- earn a customers business and trust?

Really in this age of TrueCar and all the other ways people can try and AVOID working with dealerships don’t we have enough challenges without adding the idea of NO SALEPERSON to the marketing voice?  Especially when we within the industry use our own voice to do it?

I'd like to hear what you think.

I’m going to tackle a topic certain to raise some eyebrows - our vision for the posting of the ‘daily wall posts” on facebook and daily ‘tweets’ on twitter. This is the part of your social media website that is ever changing, the updated ‘short form’ content - often with links to other websites or areas. What makes this subject controversial is that there are few official ‘rules’, and if you were to sit down with ten social media ‘gurus’ I predict you’d get ten different ‘expert opinions’ on the ‘correct’ things to include.

From my perspective, it’s easy to rush straight to the activity of posting, while glossing over the necessary underlying strategy needed for any advertising or publicity project. In it most base form, ask the question; ‘what is the expected outcome or goal from what we’re doing? But before you bellow out “sell more cars!” let me suggest that the term ‘closing the sale’ reminds us that there is also a beginning and middle to the selling process. We must remember to apply this same kind of metric to our social media programs so as to not short circuit the process.

Now, shift your focus the other way for a minute and ask yourself the million dollar question ‘why would anyone want to ‘fan’ or ‘like’ your business? Simply put, WFIM (what’s in it for me) posed from the perspective of someone choosing to ‘opt in’ to receive your content. Put this question and the ‘sales process’ together and you begin to see where the road leads.

People patronize businesses based on lots of factors. Certainly price, convenience and location are important. Beyond that, people also buy from people they ‘like’, shop at places their ‘friends’ recommend, and choose companies that ‘share’ their values. Note how the words ‘like’, “friend’ and ‘share’ are all common terms in the social media space.

In short, you should be presenting content that will help people to ‘like’ you, show that you ‘share’ their values, and that doing business with you is something their ‘friends’ would approve. This is tough concept for salespeople who only want to focus on the immediate sale in front of them, and is another reason why we advise dealerships to use a combination of internal and external ‘brand ambassadors’ for their social media programs.

Here are some examples of things to post: Information about what your store or your people are out doing in your community; Customer testimonials about what it’s like to do business with you; also relevant brand content your customer will find of interest. In the end, your wall posts or updates should reflect your stores ‘personality’ to compliment all that other ‘hard information’ on product, price, etc. that is available elsewhere. And most importantly in my view, anything that your company or store is doing from a  community, charity or socially conscious perspective.

Think of your daily social media updates as another step in time honored ‘communication process’ and you’ll be on the right track for a successful social media program.

I’m going to tackle a topic certain to raise some eyebrows - our vision for the posting of the ‘daily wall posts” on facebook and daily ‘tweets’ on twitter. This is the part of your social media website that is ever changing, the updated ‘short form’ content - often with links to other websites or areas. What makes this subject controversial is that there are few official ‘rules’, and if you were to sit down with ten social media ‘gurus’ I predict you’d get ten different ‘expert opinions’ on the ‘correct’ things to include.

From my perspective, it’s easy to rush straight to the activity of posting, while glossing over the necessary underlying strategy needed for any advertising or publicity project. In it most base form, ask the question; ‘what is the expected outcome or goal from what we’re doing? But before you bellow out “sell more cars!” let me suggest that the term ‘closing the sale’ reminds us that there is also a beginning and middle to the selling process. We must remember to apply this same kind of metric to our social media programs so as to not short circuit the process.

Now, shift your focus the other way for a minute and ask yourself the million dollar question ‘why would anyone want to ‘fan’ or ‘like’ your business? Simply put, WFIM (what’s in it for me) posed from the perspective of someone choosing to ‘opt in’ to receive your content. Put this question and the ‘sales process’ together and you begin to see where the road leads.

People patronize businesses based on lots of factors. Certainly price, convenience and location are important. Beyond that, people also buy from people they ‘like’, shop at places their ‘friends’ recommend, and choose companies that ‘share’ their values. Note how the words ‘like’, “friend’ and ‘share’ are all common terms in the social media space.

In short, you should be presenting content that will help people to ‘like’ you, show that you ‘share’ their values, and that doing business with you is something their ‘friends’ would approve. This is tough concept for salespeople who only want to focus on the immediate sale in front of them, and is another reason why we advise dealerships to use a combination of internal and external ‘brand ambassadors’ for their social media programs.

Here are some examples of things to post: Information about what your store or your people are out doing in your community; Customer testimonials about what it’s like to do business with you; also relevant brand content your customer will find of interest. In the end, your wall posts or updates should reflect your stores ‘personality’ to compliment all that other ‘hard information’ on product, price, etc. that is available elsewhere. And most importantly in my view, anything that your company or store is doing from a  community, charity or socially conscious perspective.

Think of your daily social media updates as another step in time honored ‘communication process’ and you’ll be on the right track for a successful social media program.

Hi all. I waited a day to post my wrap up on Boot Camp.  Three days of workshops, speakers, and networking was intense and I wanted to get back to Seattle, sit at my desk, and think about the real world ‘takeaways’ from the event.  

Here are my three:

Takeaway #1:  ‘The Plan Doesn’t Have to be Perfect For You to Start It’.  

This may seem counterintuitive but the fact is this is fast moving landscape and there are lots of vendors (and dealers) out there trying many different things.  In fact during the course of Boot Camp I heard two ‘expert opinions’ on one piece of SEO that were actually exactly 180 degrees of each other.  Fact is, contrary to what we learned in school, sometimes there actually is more than one right answer. The practical approach I recommend is to grab whatever piece of the digital universe that makes the most sense TO YOU and start there.  Then build from that piece. 

Takeaway #2: ‘We’re all Learning This Together’.

The vendors at Boot Camp were generous with providing ‘free samples’ of their knowledge and expertise and some of them made the offer to continue to provide information if you contacted them.  In addition there are many places (like this fine publication and Dealer Marketing Magazine which I contribute monthly for) as well as forums where you can submit your question solicit your questions and get answers.  We’re ALL learning this together and while I noticed some vendors at the event who thought it was important for you to view them as ‘experts’ (but not all of them by any means), really in the long view someone might have a five minute head start on you, while you already have a two-and-a-half minute head start on the dealer down the street (who isn’t reading this), so it’s all a matter of perspective.

Takeaway #3: ‘At The End of the Day It’s Still About the Message’.  

Sure this year, VSEO and QR Codes might be the thing, but next year it’ll be about something we’ve never even heard of yet.  The TOOLS will change, but behind it all, the core marketing message about who your dealership is and what you stand for MUST STILL BE the over-riding piece.  Liken it to a new movie out that might have the coolest special effects ever, but still has a lame plot compared to an ‘old school movie’ that is low tech but has a beautiful story.  Jimmy Vee and Travis Miller probably hit this piece the best in my view. You gotta ask yourself truly what makes your store different from the guy down the street and it has to be more that a dealer principal standing out on his (or her) lot next to a car talking about the ‘deal of the day’.  I’m personally a believer in using humor, but whatever your thing is, make it YOUR THING.  The sniff test?  If you can substitute your competitors name for yours on your marketing and have it still work, then you’re not there yet.  Brian Pasch hit this same idea on the final night from a different direction as he spent some time talking about himself and how he lost weight and upped his fitness goals with the idea that ‘all this’ isn’t just about numbers and technology, it’s about becoming a better person on all levels.  Your dealership works the same way.

Good stuff. A sincere thank you again to everyone I had the opportunity to meet there (and apologies if you were there and I didn’t get to meet you).

And now I will most humbly ask for YOUR help. DMM is planning a follow up edition for the event and has asked me to write a piece for that, so any and all feedback from any vendor or dealer that was there and wants to offer up ‘their take-aways’ (or comment on mine) would be most appreciated.

Stay tuned and live well.

Hi all. I waited a day to post my wrap up on Boot Camp.  Three days of workshops, speakers, and networking was intense and I wanted to get back to Seattle, sit at my desk, and think about the real world ‘takeaways’ from the event.  

Here are my three:

Takeaway #1:  ‘The Plan Doesn’t Have to be Perfect For You to Start It’.  

This may seem counterintuitive but the fact is this is fast moving landscape and there are lots of vendors (and dealers) out there trying many different things.  In fact during the course of Boot Camp I heard two ‘expert opinions’ on one piece of SEO that were actually exactly 180 degrees of each other.  Fact is, contrary to what we learned in school, sometimes there actually is more than one right answer. The practical approach I recommend is to grab whatever piece of the digital universe that makes the most sense TO YOU and start there.  Then build from that piece. 

Takeaway #2: ‘We’re all Learning This Together’.

The vendors at Boot Camp were generous with providing ‘free samples’ of their knowledge and expertise and some of them made the offer to continue to provide information if you contacted them.  In addition there are many places (like this fine publication and Dealer Marketing Magazine which I contribute monthly for) as well as forums where you can submit your question solicit your questions and get answers.  We’re ALL learning this together and while I noticed some vendors at the event who thought it was important for you to view them as ‘experts’ (but not all of them by any means), really in the long view someone might have a five minute head start on you, while you already have a two-and-a-half minute head start on the dealer down the street (who isn’t reading this), so it’s all a matter of perspective.

Takeaway #3: ‘At The End of the Day It’s Still About the Message’.  

Sure this year, VSEO and QR Codes might be the thing, but next year it’ll be about something we’ve never even heard of yet.  The TOOLS will change, but behind it all, the core marketing message about who your dealership is and what you stand for MUST STILL BE the over-riding piece.  Liken it to a new movie out that might have the coolest special effects ever, but still has a lame plot compared to an ‘old school movie’ that is low tech but has a beautiful story.  Jimmy Vee and Travis Miller probably hit this piece the best in my view. You gotta ask yourself truly what makes your store different from the guy down the street and it has to be more that a dealer principal standing out on his (or her) lot next to a car talking about the ‘deal of the day’.  I’m personally a believer in using humor, but whatever your thing is, make it YOUR THING.  The sniff test?  If you can substitute your competitors name for yours on your marketing and have it still work, then you’re not there yet.  Brian Pasch hit this same idea on the final night from a different direction as he spent some time talking about himself and how he lost weight and upped his fitness goals with the idea that ‘all this’ isn’t just about numbers and technology, it’s about becoming a better person on all levels.  Your dealership works the same way.

Good stuff. A sincere thank you again to everyone I had the opportunity to meet there (and apologies if you were there and I didn’t get to meet you).

And now I will most humbly ask for YOUR help. DMM is planning a follow up edition for the event and has asked me to write a piece for that, so any and all feedback from any vendor or dealer that was there and wants to offer up ‘their take-aways’ (or comment on mine) would be most appreciated.

Stay tuned and live well.

Great first day at bootcamp.  Strong round table discussion on a variety of topics including integrated marketing solutions, BDC structures and processes, internet lead management, automotive advertising, video seo, social media, and more.  These round table panels were hosted by a good mix of industry experts, and attended by a welcoming group of dealers.  Following the roundtable, there was a spirited customer retention management panel led by Gary May.

My takeaways from Day 1.  Yes, it’s about technology which is a fast moving landscape.  The tools are going to change and it’s important to stay abreast of the technology – and ahead of your competitors.  But the technology of the day is ever changing, so it’s about something more.  It’s about people and processes that create success. 

An example occurred during the roundtable.  As the Customer Retention Management discussion evolved, a question was asked to the dealer about the relationship between CRM use and sales.  Among the dealership in the room, it was shown that those that had the highest use of the CRM system also reported the highest sales performance.  However, in delving into this further, the answer really became that this happened not due to the CRM product itself, but rather that the stores that had the best processes in place, were most able to effective use them.

Best one line takeaway from today; “treat people like customers and they might become one."

More to come.

Great first day at bootcamp.  Strong round table discussion on a variety of topics including integrated marketing solutions, BDC structures and processes, internet lead management, automotive advertising, video seo, social media, and more.  These round table panels were hosted by a good mix of industry experts, and attended by a welcoming group of dealers.  Following the roundtable, there was a spirited customer retention management panel led by Gary May.

My takeaways from Day 1.  Yes, it’s about technology which is a fast moving landscape.  The tools are going to change and it’s important to stay abreast of the technology – and ahead of your competitors.  But the technology of the day is ever changing, so it’s about something more.  It’s about people and processes that create success. 

An example occurred during the roundtable.  As the Customer Retention Management discussion evolved, a question was asked to the dealer about the relationship between CRM use and sales.  Among the dealership in the room, it was shown that those that had the highest use of the CRM system also reported the highest sales performance.  However, in delving into this further, the answer really became that this happened not due to the CRM product itself, but rather that the stores that had the best processes in place, were most able to effective use them.

Best one line takeaway from today; “treat people like customers and they might become one."

More to come.