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.

Day 2: Today was everything from rating dealerships on phone and internet 'ups' -  to motivation speaker Bob Burg - to tech demonstrations, lunch and dinner speakers, cocktails, and music.  But the real meat of the day was the breakout and tech sessions.  Since I couldn't be everywhere at once I chose in the morning Brian Pasch’s seminar on SEO and SEM which covered something every dealer needs to know and that is all about the new google places and impact that will have on your dealership ratings, as we as redefining to some extent organic SEO. 

The other session I found extremely valuable was the one on the "Gen Y” car buyer presented by Jon Quade and Coblat.  One dealer referred to it as a life changig experience - I don't know if I'd go quite that far but it certainly could provide a paradigm shift in considering that by next year 2012 the 19- 31 year old 'Gen Y'ers" will reach 75 milliion strong and are estimated to compromise a 40% of all car buyers.  The seminar talked about buyer expectations of this group and the new media tools and experiences they will use to shop for those vehicles.

Other dealers and vendors choose different activities and in chatting with them most seemed to be genuinely impressed with what they learned.  If anyone has any specific questions fire away and I'll try to get you answers if I don't have them.

Thanks for reading.  Whew, what a long day.

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.