Interactive Marketing and Consulting Services
Searching For The Digital "Leg Up"? Jump All In!
The mad scramble to do the crawl, walk and maybe run is still in full force. Yes, more are shifting toward digital but 2012 is nearing half way through and we're likely still under 20% of budgets going to true online and integrated strategy across 17,000+ franchise dealerships. We're talking the talk, ladies and gentlemen, but we're not walking the walk...
As a matter of fact, you might just say that the "Leg Up" everyone is looking for is only one jump away. But while you're looking at (and impressed with) your knee moving up, you miss the view of the real goal is a good leap away. And at the same time, our indsutry is being bombarded with new vendors, software and services along with the current ones continually trying to reinvent themselves. And for what?
What moves results? Sustained efforts. On top of solid education. Supported by execution. Surrounded by measurement. Without the entire package, not just the slick sale pitch that got you to buy, you might as well cut yourself off at the knees. No digital leg up for you! But why????
Because, for the most part, we allow vendors to pull the wool over our eyes. It's not about having the newest and greatest or even starting from scratch for your first time. It's outlining what success looks like, making enterprise commitments for training and utilization, how technology gets us there, insights to customers' technology use, understanding how people find us and so, so much more.
It is 2012, you're not in the game if you're simply buying a new website! Your website has to be completely integrated with your inventory. The dealership's CRM has to allow you to work remotely. Salespeople must enter data about their customers. You will not get a leg up in digital marketing or eCommece results if there are workarounds of any kind. This goes for everyone on the showroom floor to executive management.
One out of 100 customers are drive-bys today. There shouldn't even be a "drive-by" in the sourcing options of your CRM. Fudging a prospect's email or driver's license number to get a key for a test drive "just do to it later" is as effective as not having a customer sign the purchase contract but letting them drive off the lot. Having a website without real SEO, integrated incentives down to VDPs, model (and if called for) trim landing pages that are not copied from or framed in from your OEM, future models and everything people actually come to websites for is also unacceptable. Everything that you want to make easier with a digital leg up is real work. Yes, it takes real work. And it never, never, nover ends.
And here's a newsflash: It's not all about the acronyms:
SEO - Shove Everything Overboard
SEM - So Everything's Mobile?
PPC - Perpetually Perform Catastrophically
CRM - Can't Review Monthly
SME - Social Media Euthanasia
SMO - Senseless, Mindless, Objectiveless
Now you're left with one thing to do...SOS!
SOS - Shiny Object Syndrome
You can't and won't win the digital marketing war purely by spend while staying immersed in traditional media or by making incremental movements while the world is forging forward in digital consumption at 200 MPH. Dealers and managers, don't excuse yourself or your staff because that is followed by your customers excusing you to go down the street.
A digital leg up is going at your entire presence all the time, both online and offline. On the web and in the store. If you're not making the experience the same, don't ask an app or a CRM to save you.
Last weekend I participated alongside roughly 13,000 cyclists to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis in a ride form Houston to Austin, TX called MS150. Most finished. Some quickly. Many slowly. For those that didn't finish, some had mechanical issues due to their bicycles not being properly ready. Some had accidents which took them out, which is to be expected when thousands converge on a small area at the same time. And finally some just couldn't make it, their hearts completely in the game but their bodies not. They wanted to. But they didn't get the results they expected due to the fact that they didn't jump in. 167 miles is a long way in two days for most people, period. And my hat's off to everyone that participated. But to win, you can't just get a leg up or start "training" the week before. You have to jump all in.
Digital marketing and success online as well as in your store doesn't happen by will power alone. There needs to be a plan, equipment, partners, inventory and more. Make sure that your multi-million dollar investment doesn't have a nickel-and-dime presence online. And take the time to understand what it takes to go all in. If your vendors only want to give you a leg up and are not willing to jump in with you, you might as well stick your head between your legs and kiss your store goodbye...
Best Practices: Prefessional Insight, Powerful Results
Interactive Marketing and Consulting Services
Searching For The Digital "Leg Up"? Jump All In!
The mad scramble to do the crawl, walk and maybe run is still in full force. Yes, more are shifting toward digital but 2012 is nearing half way through and we're likely still under 20% of budgets going to true online and integrated strategy across 17,000+ franchise dealerships. We're talking the talk, ladies and gentlemen, but we're not walking the walk...
As a matter of fact, you might just say that the "Leg Up" everyone is looking for is only one jump away. But while you're looking at (and impressed with) your knee moving up, you miss the view of the real goal is a good leap away. And at the same time, our indsutry is being bombarded with new vendors, software and services along with the current ones continually trying to reinvent themselves. And for what?
What moves results? Sustained efforts. On top of solid education. Supported by execution. Surrounded by measurement. Without the entire package, not just the slick sale pitch that got you to buy, you might as well cut yourself off at the knees. No digital leg up for you! But why????
Because, for the most part, we allow vendors to pull the wool over our eyes. It's not about having the newest and greatest or even starting from scratch for your first time. It's outlining what success looks like, making enterprise commitments for training and utilization, how technology gets us there, insights to customers' technology use, understanding how people find us and so, so much more.
It is 2012, you're not in the game if you're simply buying a new website! Your website has to be completely integrated with your inventory. The dealership's CRM has to allow you to work remotely. Salespeople must enter data about their customers. You will not get a leg up in digital marketing or eCommece results if there are workarounds of any kind. This goes for everyone on the showroom floor to executive management.
One out of 100 customers are drive-bys today. There shouldn't even be a "drive-by" in the sourcing options of your CRM. Fudging a prospect's email or driver's license number to get a key for a test drive "just do to it later" is as effective as not having a customer sign the purchase contract but letting them drive off the lot. Having a website without real SEO, integrated incentives down to VDPs, model (and if called for) trim landing pages that are not copied from or framed in from your OEM, future models and everything people actually come to websites for is also unacceptable. Everything that you want to make easier with a digital leg up is real work. Yes, it takes real work. And it never, never, nover ends.
And here's a newsflash: It's not all about the acronyms:
SEO - Shove Everything Overboard
SEM - So Everything's Mobile?
PPC - Perpetually Perform Catastrophically
CRM - Can't Review Monthly
SME - Social Media Euthanasia
SMO - Senseless, Mindless, Objectiveless
Now you're left with one thing to do...SOS!
SOS - Shiny Object Syndrome
You can't and won't win the digital marketing war purely by spend while staying immersed in traditional media or by making incremental movements while the world is forging forward in digital consumption at 200 MPH. Dealers and managers, don't excuse yourself or your staff because that is followed by your customers excusing you to go down the street.
A digital leg up is going at your entire presence all the time, both online and offline. On the web and in the store. If you're not making the experience the same, don't ask an app or a CRM to save you.
Last weekend I participated alongside roughly 13,000 cyclists to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis in a ride form Houston to Austin, TX called MS150. Most finished. Some quickly. Many slowly. For those that didn't finish, some had mechanical issues due to their bicycles not being properly ready. Some had accidents which took them out, which is to be expected when thousands converge on a small area at the same time. And finally some just couldn't make it, their hearts completely in the game but their bodies not. They wanted to. But they didn't get the results they expected due to the fact that they didn't jump in. 167 miles is a long way in two days for most people, period. And my hat's off to everyone that participated. But to win, you can't just get a leg up or start "training" the week before. You have to jump all in.
Digital marketing and success online as well as in your store doesn't happen by will power alone. There needs to be a plan, equipment, partners, inventory and more. Make sure that your multi-million dollar investment doesn't have a nickel-and-dime presence online. And take the time to understand what it takes to go all in. If your vendors only want to give you a leg up and are not willing to jump in with you, you might as well stick your head between your legs and kiss your store goodbye...
Best Practices: Prefessional Insight, Powerful Results
No Comments
Interactive Marketing and Consulting Services
NADA Time: Start Operating Your Business As Yours Or Someone Else Will
More often than not, businesses are left to turning part (or all) of their operation over to vendors and partners with the reasoning that they're not able to "do everything". In automotive retail the de facto excuse you hear usually has something to do with how selling cars is what gets done and nothing else matters. Well, it's 2012 and everything has to do with selling cars.
News flash: It always has been so.
More likely than not, as we're upon the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) season, hundreds if not thousands of dealers will leave with contracts signed, or nearly signed, convinced that simply punting their responsibilities over the wall is the best way to get 'er done. Fact is nothing is further from the truth.
Dealers must grasp a much more realistic perspective of controlling their business through action, education and accountability or they will absolutely have it taken over. And nobody is saying that's a bad thing, in the event that a business has no desire to be "in" business. While a $6M dealership may not scale, invest, market or operate like a Fortune 100 business, but there is not a single reason why it can't approach and plan business in the same way or using the similar methodology.
A few things to keep in mind as we go into the NADA conference this coming weekend.
- Assess your dealership's needs and gain consensus from your employees on what to return from the conference with
- Plan 90% of your schedule via expo and workshop schedules, focusing on must-have meetings
- Schedule meetings with critical existing and vendors and check out their competition
- Talk to as many dealers as you can outside of your 20 Group, in the booths you visit, about what they're doing and not doing with the vendors you're visiting as well as haven't considered
- Look at vendor and supplier reviews on Google, forums including DrivingSales and other reliable sources
- Ensure the viability of vendor/product deployment in your store prior to signing any agreement
- Talk with existing/new vendors after the conference again, prior to accepting any new agreement
While the above steps are no guarantee against "being had", it should at least put some steps between a mediocre quick decision and a thought out beneficial one.
Areas that seem to be gaining traction and popularity that don't make sense include:
- Reputation management: services that promise hundreds, if not thousands, of well-deserved gleaming reviews from consumers that just haven't provided them to you. Garbage! Consumers see through it faster, better and more than Google does. Start expecting your staff to obtain reviews when selling or servicing products and ensure a process is in place. Some staff members don't want to do that? Let them go or simply hand over the keys because you're not leading a dealership...
- Social media: services that promise hundreds, if not thousands, of fans simply because you're a car dealership, with "caption this" or "tell us what you think" on nearly every other post sprinkled with inventory or incentive specials don't say "great place to buy" in the least. If a great Facebook, Twitter or blog presence means 2,000 likes, followers or readers and not more than 3-4 comments, shares, retweets or +1's, you're likely being had. Nobody wants to go to a dealership Facebook page to play Asteroids or Bejeweled 2 and write a title for a photo showing two dogs dressed up as superheros chasing each other, let alone find a tab that doesn't work (for months).
- CRM: services that say their great, train your staff for $5,000-10,000 a day, put in standard templates and tell you to look at reports to create accountability need to start traveling with the Dodo bird. At the same time employees not using CRM for any reason need to pack their neon-green Hulk baggage and leave town as well. Get real, negotiate agreements, expect your account person to visit regularly, get all of management to use the tools and then expect everyone else to in the dealership. If utilization of CRM is under 75% in your dealership, get your vendor to start acting like a partner and put sales and service staff on the bubble. It's not a choice, it's a reality check.
There will be a lot of fanfare, parties, speakers pitching and snow jobs at booths. However, it's in everyone's best interest to see through the smoke and put the rose-colored glasses down. Our entire world is digital, mobile and fast. It's time for 17,000+ franchises (and who knows how many independents) to get so as well. Leave the hook, line and sinker at home, ignore the playmates for as long as you can and get real with your business.
There is a boatload of opportunity for those that want it in 2012 and NADA happens to be a great place to kick it all off or continue down the progressive road if you've already started. It's also where tons of dealers get sucked in by nothing more than marketing and get nothing for their hard-earned cash except for an open liability door.
So go with purpose to NADA. Come back and operate your business properly. Or someone else will take it from you. All of it.
Best practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results
You can read more IM@CS posts here on DrivingSales.com or on our blog
No Comments
Interactive Marketing and Consulting Services
NADA Time: Start Operating Your Business As Yours Or Someone Else Will
More often than not, businesses are left to turning part (or all) of their operation over to vendors and partners with the reasoning that they're not able to "do everything". In automotive retail the de facto excuse you hear usually has something to do with how selling cars is what gets done and nothing else matters. Well, it's 2012 and everything has to do with selling cars.
News flash: It always has been so.
More likely than not, as we're upon the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) season, hundreds if not thousands of dealers will leave with contracts signed, or nearly signed, convinced that simply punting their responsibilities over the wall is the best way to get 'er done. Fact is nothing is further from the truth.
Dealers must grasp a much more realistic perspective of controlling their business through action, education and accountability or they will absolutely have it taken over. And nobody is saying that's a bad thing, in the event that a business has no desire to be "in" business. While a $6M dealership may not scale, invest, market or operate like a Fortune 100 business, but there is not a single reason why it can't approach and plan business in the same way or using the similar methodology.
A few things to keep in mind as we go into the NADA conference this coming weekend.
- Assess your dealership's needs and gain consensus from your employees on what to return from the conference with
- Plan 90% of your schedule via expo and workshop schedules, focusing on must-have meetings
- Schedule meetings with critical existing and vendors and check out their competition
- Talk to as many dealers as you can outside of your 20 Group, in the booths you visit, about what they're doing and not doing with the vendors you're visiting as well as haven't considered
- Look at vendor and supplier reviews on Google, forums including DrivingSales and other reliable sources
- Ensure the viability of vendor/product deployment in your store prior to signing any agreement
- Talk with existing/new vendors after the conference again, prior to accepting any new agreement
While the above steps are no guarantee against "being had", it should at least put some steps between a mediocre quick decision and a thought out beneficial one.
Areas that seem to be gaining traction and popularity that don't make sense include:
- Reputation management: services that promise hundreds, if not thousands, of well-deserved gleaming reviews from consumers that just haven't provided them to you. Garbage! Consumers see through it faster, better and more than Google does. Start expecting your staff to obtain reviews when selling or servicing products and ensure a process is in place. Some staff members don't want to do that? Let them go or simply hand over the keys because you're not leading a dealership...
- Social media: services that promise hundreds, if not thousands, of fans simply because you're a car dealership, with "caption this" or "tell us what you think" on nearly every other post sprinkled with inventory or incentive specials don't say "great place to buy" in the least. If a great Facebook, Twitter or blog presence means 2,000 likes, followers or readers and not more than 3-4 comments, shares, retweets or +1's, you're likely being had. Nobody wants to go to a dealership Facebook page to play Asteroids or Bejeweled 2 and write a title for a photo showing two dogs dressed up as superheros chasing each other, let alone find a tab that doesn't work (for months).
- CRM: services that say their great, train your staff for $5,000-10,000 a day, put in standard templates and tell you to look at reports to create accountability need to start traveling with the Dodo bird. At the same time employees not using CRM for any reason need to pack their neon-green Hulk baggage and leave town as well. Get real, negotiate agreements, expect your account person to visit regularly, get all of management to use the tools and then expect everyone else to in the dealership. If utilization of CRM is under 75% in your dealership, get your vendor to start acting like a partner and put sales and service staff on the bubble. It's not a choice, it's a reality check.
There will be a lot of fanfare, parties, speakers pitching and snow jobs at booths. However, it's in everyone's best interest to see through the smoke and put the rose-colored glasses down. Our entire world is digital, mobile and fast. It's time for 17,000+ franchises (and who knows how many independents) to get so as well. Leave the hook, line and sinker at home, ignore the playmates for as long as you can and get real with your business.
There is a boatload of opportunity for those that want it in 2012 and NADA happens to be a great place to kick it all off or continue down the progressive road if you've already started. It's also where tons of dealers get sucked in by nothing more than marketing and get nothing for their hard-earned cash except for an open liability door.
So go with purpose to NADA. Come back and operate your business properly. Or someone else will take it from you. All of it.
Best practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results
You can read more IM@CS posts here on DrivingSales.com or on our blog
No Comments
Interactive Marketing and Consulting Services
Are You Waiting? Still? Well... Goodbye!
This is officially the beginning of the end for many. December 27, 2011. There will be a moment over the next handful of years in which you'll reflect back to this post (or others like it) and say "Oh, crap." Or it may be the longer rendition which usually sounds something like "Why did I allow myself to get in my way over and over again? Why did I shut down and refuse to change, giving garbage excuses?"
As time went on from December 27, 2011 Acute Death by Delusional Digital Defiance, we'll call it ADDDD for short, you invested more and more in the comfort zone, allowing vendors to do with you money and brand what they wanted, essentially squandering opportunities while you were convinced you were actually doing something. Your business was actually disappearing at the same time everything looked the same from your vantage point behind the desk or golf cart steering wheel.
And who could blame you? You read the ads in the trades and took advice from your 20 Group and absorbed the Powerpoint presentations. You wrote the checks. You took the training, however often that someone actually showed up and you attended the conferences. It never dawned on you that everything you relied so heavily on was the white elephant in the room. You took the easy way out instead of asking the tough questions and not believing the hype. Simply put, you allowed yourself to fail.
Why did this happen? You didn't take the road less traveled when the paths diverged in the woods. As far as you knew, you believed it wasn't supposed to be about "hard work" anymore: you're senior management or, better yet, a business owner. Add to that the whole "Internet thing" was just too difficult to understand and should be handled by young kids and "people who text a lot and surf the web."
So wind it down now so you don't experience the slow, deliberate march of self-induced death. Ignore the articles from Joe Webb prodding the salespeople that you mistreat (http://bit.ly/rVN66B) and from HubSpot on Harvard Business Review about Google changes (http://bit.ly/ub6iOH) that your website company will not talk about, or some trends to capitalize on (http://bit.ly/rU9VAt) and what's going on with mobile (http://bit.ly/smRSOt) from Search Engine Watch. You're been reading all of these...right?
Nope..."too busy running a business." More like "too ignorant to run a business."
So while you idly wait for the inevitable why don't you ask:
Your website company why:
- your pages have the same names and metadata
- you don't have model and trim level landing pages
- you don't have separate tracking numbers
- you don't have original content on your pages (heard of Google Panda?)
- you don't have a truly optimized mobile presence
- you can't track conversions on Google Analytics or your PPC/SEM
- they don't truly offer eCommerce
- their proouction team doesn't talk with their marketing team (ie SEO to SEM)
- they lack in customer support
- they're not up to date on what's happening with Google and social
Your CRM company why:
- you can't track email opens, bounces, links, shares, etc.
- you can't change headers and footers dynamically
- they don't append and integrate for text/mobile delivery
- you are still on servers and not on the cloud
- they don't offer true mobility
- they can't make lead duplication management much easier
- data "siloing" still existst (lead based: service/sales/finance)
- they're not up to date on what's happening with Google and social
Your social media company why:
- they don't actually write content
- what they do publish is redundant and automated (ie "Caption this photo" of dogs or cats)
- they don't create engagement
- they sold you on 20+ "social media sites/platforms" when traffic comes from 4-8 of them
- they pitch and don't produce (and not actually active on the networks at all themselves)
- they are disconnected from the store
- they're not up to date on what's happening with Google and social
Waiting? You've been told your entire life that good things come to those who wait. Well, we're here to set the record straight. Only the leaders thrive. You can wing it today, sure. There will be "those" that still make it with no true effort. However, it is a false existence and leads to ADDDD.
The grim reaper is coming and his sickle has your business' name on it. Are you waiting? Still? Well.....Goodbye!
Thanks to @HarryHaber and @BryanCarGuy for a little insight on the list of dealer pain points... you're great friends and car guys!
Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results
You can read more IM@CS posts here on DrivingSales.com or on our blog.
No Comments
Interactive Marketing and Consulting Services
Are You Waiting? Still? Well... Goodbye!
This is officially the beginning of the end for many. December 27, 2011. There will be a moment over the next handful of years in which you'll reflect back to this post (or others like it) and say "Oh, crap." Or it may be the longer rendition which usually sounds something like "Why did I allow myself to get in my way over and over again? Why did I shut down and refuse to change, giving garbage excuses?"
As time went on from December 27, 2011 Acute Death by Delusional Digital Defiance, we'll call it ADDDD for short, you invested more and more in the comfort zone, allowing vendors to do with you money and brand what they wanted, essentially squandering opportunities while you were convinced you were actually doing something. Your business was actually disappearing at the same time everything looked the same from your vantage point behind the desk or golf cart steering wheel.
And who could blame you? You read the ads in the trades and took advice from your 20 Group and absorbed the Powerpoint presentations. You wrote the checks. You took the training, however often that someone actually showed up and you attended the conferences. It never dawned on you that everything you relied so heavily on was the white elephant in the room. You took the easy way out instead of asking the tough questions and not believing the hype. Simply put, you allowed yourself to fail.
Why did this happen? You didn't take the road less traveled when the paths diverged in the woods. As far as you knew, you believed it wasn't supposed to be about "hard work" anymore: you're senior management or, better yet, a business owner. Add to that the whole "Internet thing" was just too difficult to understand and should be handled by young kids and "people who text a lot and surf the web."
So wind it down now so you don't experience the slow, deliberate march of self-induced death. Ignore the articles from Joe Webb prodding the salespeople that you mistreat (http://bit.ly/rVN66B) and from HubSpot on Harvard Business Review about Google changes (http://bit.ly/ub6iOH) that your website company will not talk about, or some trends to capitalize on (http://bit.ly/rU9VAt) and what's going on with mobile (http://bit.ly/smRSOt) from Search Engine Watch. You're been reading all of these...right?
Nope..."too busy running a business." More like "too ignorant to run a business."
So while you idly wait for the inevitable why don't you ask:
Your website company why:
- your pages have the same names and metadata
- you don't have model and trim level landing pages
- you don't have separate tracking numbers
- you don't have original content on your pages (heard of Google Panda?)
- you don't have a truly optimized mobile presence
- you can't track conversions on Google Analytics or your PPC/SEM
- they don't truly offer eCommerce
- their proouction team doesn't talk with their marketing team (ie SEO to SEM)
- they lack in customer support
- they're not up to date on what's happening with Google and social
Your CRM company why:
- you can't track email opens, bounces, links, shares, etc.
- you can't change headers and footers dynamically
- they don't append and integrate for text/mobile delivery
- you are still on servers and not on the cloud
- they don't offer true mobility
- they can't make lead duplication management much easier
- data "siloing" still existst (lead based: service/sales/finance)
- they're not up to date on what's happening with Google and social
Your social media company why:
- they don't actually write content
- what they do publish is redundant and automated (ie "Caption this photo" of dogs or cats)
- they don't create engagement
- they sold you on 20+ "social media sites/platforms" when traffic comes from 4-8 of them
- they pitch and don't produce (and not actually active on the networks at all themselves)
- they are disconnected from the store
- they're not up to date on what's happening with Google and social
Waiting? You've been told your entire life that good things come to those who wait. Well, we're here to set the record straight. Only the leaders thrive. You can wing it today, sure. There will be "those" that still make it with no true effort. However, it is a false existence and leads to ADDDD.
The grim reaper is coming and his sickle has your business' name on it. Are you waiting? Still? Well.....Goodbye!
Thanks to @HarryHaber and @BryanCarGuy for a little insight on the list of dealer pain points... you're great friends and car guys!
Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results
You can read more IM@CS posts here on DrivingSales.com or on our blog.
No Comments
Interactive Marketing and Consulting Services
Wow... New Auto Industry Pain Point!! Um... This Is Not A New Issue!
The constant challenge in the auto industry is for retailers to implement strategies, execute on their plans, follow process, create awareness, promote accountability and stop making excuses for doing anything less. There will always be a party to throw a finger at, many times deservedly so. That, however, does not take the greater point of responsibility away from an operator of a business and the business's staff.
There are always opportunities to learn, grow, adjust and review. There will always be new opportunities to add capabilities, add products, add services, add partners and add resources. You need the first group before the second, always.
Products and services, good and bad, make any industry go 'round. Companies tend to follow the herd, good and bad. It's why 20 Groups, marketing associations and other collections of automotive retailers are so attractive to companies selling their services and the reps who speak. People will buy blind without the first grain of sense..."My golf buddy uses that website company", or "my 20 Group chairman recommends the third party lead company we just signed", or "It was hard to make up my mind on which new CRM company to call so I looked at the ads in the back of Automotive News/the NADA directory/fill in the blank source" and other oft-heard stories are nothing close to strategies and typically are doomed to fail.
Car dealers need to start looking at track records, company histories and more before even considering where their hard-earned money goes. The majority of dealership spends are not very different today then fifteen years ago. Yes, some are doing thing very differently, it's just not the majority or even close to parity. Stop and ask yourself "do I really need to buy this service or product?" and then ask others than are AND are not for at least some benchmarks and common sense. And start realizing that companies incapable of answering the tough questions before you sign are almost always less equipped to do so after you sign. Which is harder: losing money due to an improper commitment or not making enough from not executing well with the right one? Either way.... this is not a new issue!
The ongoing rants and discord due to one service provider are well warranted, regardless of which position you take (or none at all). At the same time, they are absolutely no surprise at all. If anyone had done their homework, they'd realize that what is being asserted should not be a jaw-dropper to anyone. People just followed the bounding ball/shiny object without question... this is not a new issue!
Sometimes we're fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. Another ongoing issue in our industry (while not as hot as the one just mentioned), as well as every other industry, is what's happening to search - predominantly Google - around content propagation/redundant content, link building and more related to site quality and ranking. Back in 2006 the company that employed me was warned by Google to stop syndicating their content all over the web as it was lowering quality scores and other factors that would affect their traffic and revenue. Fast forward to today and website and SEO companies are struggling with issues under Google's Panda initiative? Who thought that it was a good idea to have 100 blogs all over the country with the same exact content, let alone 700 auto-related websites with the same car reviews? And what to think of website companies that give 40 pages in your site the same name and/or metadata, let alone missing metadata??? The reasons to not go with these strategies are over six years old...this is not a new issue!
If more businesses (dealers) would be willing to listen more, learn more, challenge more and measure more, we'd all be a lot better. And dang it so would our websites. Stop following the heard, start paying attention and making sense even if it hurts a little or you're not in the "product of the week" club. So much $10 garbage gets purchased by $10,000,000 businesses every day it's amazing, but.... this is not a new issue!
Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results
p.s. I just checked the market value of this post and you're not paying enough!!!!!
You can read more IM@CS posts here on DrivingSales.com or on our blog.
No Comments
Interactive Marketing and Consulting Services
Wow... New Auto Industry Pain Point!! Um... This Is Not A New Issue!
The constant challenge in the auto industry is for retailers to implement strategies, execute on their plans, follow process, create awareness, promote accountability and stop making excuses for doing anything less. There will always be a party to throw a finger at, many times deservedly so. That, however, does not take the greater point of responsibility away from an operator of a business and the business's staff.
There are always opportunities to learn, grow, adjust and review. There will always be new opportunities to add capabilities, add products, add services, add partners and add resources. You need the first group before the second, always.
Products and services, good and bad, make any industry go 'round. Companies tend to follow the herd, good and bad. It's why 20 Groups, marketing associations and other collections of automotive retailers are so attractive to companies selling their services and the reps who speak. People will buy blind without the first grain of sense..."My golf buddy uses that website company", or "my 20 Group chairman recommends the third party lead company we just signed", or "It was hard to make up my mind on which new CRM company to call so I looked at the ads in the back of Automotive News/the NADA directory/fill in the blank source" and other oft-heard stories are nothing close to strategies and typically are doomed to fail.
Car dealers need to start looking at track records, company histories and more before even considering where their hard-earned money goes. The majority of dealership spends are not very different today then fifteen years ago. Yes, some are doing thing very differently, it's just not the majority or even close to parity. Stop and ask yourself "do I really need to buy this service or product?" and then ask others than are AND are not for at least some benchmarks and common sense. And start realizing that companies incapable of answering the tough questions before you sign are almost always less equipped to do so after you sign. Which is harder: losing money due to an improper commitment or not making enough from not executing well with the right one? Either way.... this is not a new issue!
The ongoing rants and discord due to one service provider are well warranted, regardless of which position you take (or none at all). At the same time, they are absolutely no surprise at all. If anyone had done their homework, they'd realize that what is being asserted should not be a jaw-dropper to anyone. People just followed the bounding ball/shiny object without question... this is not a new issue!
Sometimes we're fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. Another ongoing issue in our industry (while not as hot as the one just mentioned), as well as every other industry, is what's happening to search - predominantly Google - around content propagation/redundant content, link building and more related to site quality and ranking. Back in 2006 the company that employed me was warned by Google to stop syndicating their content all over the web as it was lowering quality scores and other factors that would affect their traffic and revenue. Fast forward to today and website and SEO companies are struggling with issues under Google's Panda initiative? Who thought that it was a good idea to have 100 blogs all over the country with the same exact content, let alone 700 auto-related websites with the same car reviews? And what to think of website companies that give 40 pages in your site the same name and/or metadata, let alone missing metadata??? The reasons to not go with these strategies are over six years old...this is not a new issue!
If more businesses (dealers) would be willing to listen more, learn more, challenge more and measure more, we'd all be a lot better. And dang it so would our websites. Stop following the heard, start paying attention and making sense even if it hurts a little or you're not in the "product of the week" club. So much $10 garbage gets purchased by $10,000,000 businesses every day it's amazing, but.... this is not a new issue!
Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results
p.s. I just checked the market value of this post and you're not paying enough!!!!!
You can read more IM@CS posts here on DrivingSales.com or on our blog.
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Dealer Compliance Consultants, Inc.
IM@CS Best Practices: Have You Read Your Website Privacy Policy Lately?
Dealerships typically collect a great deal of personal information from their website visitors through contact forms, online credit applications, etc. What many businesses don’t realize is how vitally important it is to properly handle any Personally Identifiable Information (PII) collected from consumers through their sites.
So what’s the big deal about privacy policies? Our website provider takes care of that, right?
Not necessarily. In researching dealer websites recently, we looked at a random sample of privacy policies on 12 dealer sites from around the country. What we found was…interesting:
- 2 dealers had no privacy policy link on their sites (both were in states where it’s required by law)
- 1 dealer had only the website provider’s privacy policy published on its site (won’t do the dealer much good if there’s a legal claim against them)
- 2 dealers had only the manufacturers’ policies published on their sites (same as above)
- 1 dealer had a privacy policy with another company’s name on it (need to make sure you customize those templates!)
- 3 dealers had the same policy that they hand out to consumers who apply for credit at the store (NOT the same thing as an online privacy policy)
- 2 dealers had identical boilerplate policies provided by their website provider – not a problem, unless the policies don’t truly reflect the dealers’ actual processes. For instance, the policies state: “Subscribers to our e-mail services (or any other feature/service found on our Web site) will not receive unsolicited e-mail messages from us”. If the dealers decide to launch an email marketing campaign to these website visitors (which is legal as long as they adhere to CAN-SPAM regulations), they could be in danger of violating their own policies. Federal and state regulators can take action against companies that fail to comply with their own privacy policies or otherwise misrepresent their information management practices. And of course, there is the real possibility of substantial private lawsuits.
- 1 dealer had a nicely-written, personalized policy (good job!)
While posting a privacy policy on your website is not yet required by federal law, it looks like it will be soon. There are several bills pending in Congress that address online privacy, such as the Commercial Privacy Bill of Rights Act of 2011, and full disclosure tends to be a common element. Some states already have laws on the books mandating online privacy policies. For instance, if you’re collecting personal information from any California residents, state law requires you to conspicuously post a privacy policy on the site and strictly comply with its provisions.
The internet can be a dangerous place when it comes to privacy. Do yourself and your customers a favor by establishing best practices for handling consumer privacy. The first step is to review your company’s privacy policy and ensure that you have a clear understanding of its contents and that it reflects your dealership’s actual practices. The next step is to make sure that it’s published on your website. Finally, review the policy with your employees and vendors to ascertain their understanding. This will help minimize (or hopefully eliminate) breaches due to unfamiliarity on the part of individuals acting on your behalf.
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Dealer Compliance Consultants, Inc.
IM@CS Best Practices: Have You Read Your Website Privacy Policy Lately?
Dealerships typically collect a great deal of personal information from their website visitors through contact forms, online credit applications, etc. What many businesses don’t realize is how vitally important it is to properly handle any Personally Identifiable Information (PII) collected from consumers through their sites.
So what’s the big deal about privacy policies? Our website provider takes care of that, right?
Not necessarily. In researching dealer websites recently, we looked at a random sample of privacy policies on 12 dealer sites from around the country. What we found was…interesting:
- 2 dealers had no privacy policy link on their sites (both were in states where it’s required by law)
- 1 dealer had only the website provider’s privacy policy published on its site (won’t do the dealer much good if there’s a legal claim against them)
- 2 dealers had only the manufacturers’ policies published on their sites (same as above)
- 1 dealer had a privacy policy with another company’s name on it (need to make sure you customize those templates!)
- 3 dealers had the same policy that they hand out to consumers who apply for credit at the store (NOT the same thing as an online privacy policy)
- 2 dealers had identical boilerplate policies provided by their website provider – not a problem, unless the policies don’t truly reflect the dealers’ actual processes. For instance, the policies state: “Subscribers to our e-mail services (or any other feature/service found on our Web site) will not receive unsolicited e-mail messages from us”. If the dealers decide to launch an email marketing campaign to these website visitors (which is legal as long as they adhere to CAN-SPAM regulations), they could be in danger of violating their own policies. Federal and state regulators can take action against companies that fail to comply with their own privacy policies or otherwise misrepresent their information management practices. And of course, there is the real possibility of substantial private lawsuits.
- 1 dealer had a nicely-written, personalized policy (good job!)
While posting a privacy policy on your website is not yet required by federal law, it looks like it will be soon. There are several bills pending in Congress that address online privacy, such as the Commercial Privacy Bill of Rights Act of 2011, and full disclosure tends to be a common element. Some states already have laws on the books mandating online privacy policies. For instance, if you’re collecting personal information from any California residents, state law requires you to conspicuously post a privacy policy on the site and strictly comply with its provisions.
The internet can be a dangerous place when it comes to privacy. Do yourself and your customers a favor by establishing best practices for handling consumer privacy. The first step is to review your company’s privacy policy and ensure that you have a clear understanding of its contents and that it reflects your dealership’s actual practices. The next step is to make sure that it’s published on your website. Finally, review the policy with your employees and vendors to ascertain their understanding. This will help minimize (or hopefully eliminate) breaches due to unfamiliarity on the part of individuals acting on your behalf.
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