Let's take a moment to ignore the store front, avoid the showroom, shed technology and just get back to being human. Do you know how to talk and carry a conversation? Well, if you judge that by much of the email and phone communication going on at automotive retail, you'd be left with more questions than answers.

Face it, we have a lot of room to grow when it comes to 'inviting' the public to car dealerships. Oh sure, they'll continue to come when they have to buy. They will find somewhere and someone to buy from. But the fact that most of you had an easier time asking your first date out, shows we still have issues when it comes to how to engage a person that wants to buy!

Many people shrug off their verbal and written skills when they can deliver a fair amount of cars each month. When lean times come, they'll blame everything but the water cooler (maybe some will actually blame the Sparkletts man) rather than look at their own communication.

So here's a 4-step recovery program that should help you (who needs 12 steps anyway?):
 

1. Know what you want to say before you touch the phone or start typing

At least with an email you can proof it before sending but most salespeople aren't in the habit of doing that. The biggest hint that a salesperson isn't ready for the call? Uh, um, er, ah, eh, well, gee, ayyyyyyye (the long 'I' as they reach for something to say) and other stalling tactics tell the customer on the other end of the phone clearly that there might be a more professional person in the building.

2. It's about the customer, silly

I did this. I did that. I'll talk with my manager, I usually tell people that ask me that. I, I, I, I, I. Stop it! It's about them, always has been, always will be. Go to a nice restaurant for dinner, the waiter or waitress doesn't say "I have some specials tonight"...do they?!?!?! No!! What you'll usually hear is something like "would you like to hear what your choices are for specials tonight?" or "Would you like to start with a drink or appetizer?". Go to fast food and they say "can I take your order?". Are you selling a hamburger value meal or a choice steak? (or Gorgonzola salad for our vegetarian readers!). Change your focus to the customer and you'll be amazed at how different your interaction goes.

3. Questions are like water. Go without and you die.

You've get them qualified. You walk them. You drive them. You sit them down. You pencil them. You close them. If you stop asking questions, you likely lose somewhere along the process. When the questions end, the conversation ends. Sure, they can pick it up again. Our job? Keep them talking. About the car, themselves, their family, their likes, anything. Stop asking, you're on your own because you've lost control. Questions (as well as answering theirs) are the lifeline of communication along with emotion and everything else the expensive consultants and sales coaches tell you is important (that you already knew).

4. Validation and excitement. Oh, and courtesy!

Who can be excited about calling you back if your message sounds like it was made in a monotone machine? Ten messages down and ready for call 11? Get pumped up again! Nobody wants to call a boring sales person back about what is exciting for then. And how about validation? Can you relate to your customers, even the ones with challenged credit? Don't kid yourself because people can see through fake. And remember, especially in today's social age (sorry, had to go there for a moment), their experience with the 'less than exciting, not quite interested in me buying a car from him/her' now translates to dozens, if not hundreds or thousands, more people who may not shop at your store now.

And with regard to courtesy, if you're not asking if the person you are calling is available for you in a way that doesn't completely let them off the hook from talking with you (because they must, must, must buy the perfect car for them from you), you don't deserve to be selling cars. Don't ask, don't tell. If you don't ask if they're available, they'll likely never tell you they're buying from you.


In today's age with complete transparency on the web, don't kid yourself into doing a less than a complete, exciting job with your customers will work. We're not saying to be something your not, but if you're in automotive sales and expect to do well, just do it. It may not be fair that a book is still judged by its cover but don't treat anyone trying to do business with your store any differently than what you expect when you go into someone else's.

Welcome back to the business about people. You can now return to your technology-laden existence.

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results


You can read more IM@CS posts her eon DrivingSales.com or on our blog

Let's take a moment to ignore the store front, avoid the showroom, shed technology and just get back to being human. Do you know how to talk and carry a conversation? Well, if you judge that by much of the email and phone communication going on at automotive retail, you'd be left with more questions than answers.

Face it, we have a lot of room to grow when it comes to 'inviting' the public to car dealerships. Oh sure, they'll continue to come when they have to buy. They will find somewhere and someone to buy from. But the fact that most of you had an easier time asking your first date out, shows we still have issues when it comes to how to engage a person that wants to buy!

Many people shrug off their verbal and written skills when they can deliver a fair amount of cars each month. When lean times come, they'll blame everything but the water cooler (maybe some will actually blame the Sparkletts man) rather than look at their own communication.

So here's a 4-step recovery program that should help you (who needs 12 steps anyway?):
 

1. Know what you want to say before you touch the phone or start typing

At least with an email you can proof it before sending but most salespeople aren't in the habit of doing that. The biggest hint that a salesperson isn't ready for the call? Uh, um, er, ah, eh, well, gee, ayyyyyyye (the long 'I' as they reach for something to say) and other stalling tactics tell the customer on the other end of the phone clearly that there might be a more professional person in the building.

2. It's about the customer, silly

I did this. I did that. I'll talk with my manager, I usually tell people that ask me that. I, I, I, I, I. Stop it! It's about them, always has been, always will be. Go to a nice restaurant for dinner, the waiter or waitress doesn't say "I have some specials tonight"...do they?!?!?! No!! What you'll usually hear is something like "would you like to hear what your choices are for specials tonight?" or "Would you like to start with a drink or appetizer?". Go to fast food and they say "can I take your order?". Are you selling a hamburger value meal or a choice steak? (or Gorgonzola salad for our vegetarian readers!). Change your focus to the customer and you'll be amazed at how different your interaction goes.

3. Questions are like water. Go without and you die.

You've get them qualified. You walk them. You drive them. You sit them down. You pencil them. You close them. If you stop asking questions, you likely lose somewhere along the process. When the questions end, the conversation ends. Sure, they can pick it up again. Our job? Keep them talking. About the car, themselves, their family, their likes, anything. Stop asking, you're on your own because you've lost control. Questions (as well as answering theirs) are the lifeline of communication along with emotion and everything else the expensive consultants and sales coaches tell you is important (that you already knew).

4. Validation and excitement. Oh, and courtesy!

Who can be excited about calling you back if your message sounds like it was made in a monotone machine? Ten messages down and ready for call 11? Get pumped up again! Nobody wants to call a boring sales person back about what is exciting for then. And how about validation? Can you relate to your customers, even the ones with challenged credit? Don't kid yourself because people can see through fake. And remember, especially in today's social age (sorry, had to go there for a moment), their experience with the 'less than exciting, not quite interested in me buying a car from him/her' now translates to dozens, if not hundreds or thousands, more people who may not shop at your store now.

And with regard to courtesy, if you're not asking if the person you are calling is available for you in a way that doesn't completely let them off the hook from talking with you (because they must, must, must buy the perfect car for them from you), you don't deserve to be selling cars. Don't ask, don't tell. If you don't ask if they're available, they'll likely never tell you they're buying from you.


In today's age with complete transparency on the web, don't kid yourself into doing a less than a complete, exciting job with your customers will work. We're not saying to be something your not, but if you're in automotive sales and expect to do well, just do it. It may not be fair that a book is still judged by its cover but don't treat anyone trying to do business with your store any differently than what you expect when you go into someone else's.

Welcome back to the business about people. You can now return to your technology-laden existence.

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results


You can read more IM@CS posts her eon DrivingSales.com or on our blog

After the recent seminars and events in the Los Angeles area it seems more clear than ever: dealers want to do more, are mostly eager to address new opportunities (or old ones sold as new), are baffled by new technology including social media, are looking at the factories for direction and don't seem to have the right questions to ask the not-so-prepared, over-eager vendors.

In a number of panels that spanned these events, the tough questions either weren't asked or answered. This is not a knock on either the speakers or the crowds, most very qualified to talk about new media and marketing. It's just a fact. One panel on social media had some great experts. On data. Not one person doing it for an OEM or a dealer (or, judged from afar, likely even doing it themselves daily). Another panel had some great participants from very disparate areas of automotive talking about some specific activities they're doing. Truly great examples, results and actions were shared. The missing component was how the average dealer, yes including those in attendance, can implement a plan.

What is happening, as our world moves forward at a speed more reminiscent of the amazing La Mans cars running around Circuit De La Sarthe as this is being written, might be another dose of "ignorance is bliss". And that doesn't help anyone. Dealers asking their factories and reps for help (as was overheard quite frequently lately) are getting shrugged shoulders, "we're working on that right now" or "hire the right company or employee to handle that" responses. In other words, dealers are on their own.

So the dealers' sources for information are limited to their 20 group, industry events and magazines, word of mouth and the old fashion pitch by the vendor. Most dealership decision makers aren't reading the blogs and forums because if they were, they'd be asking questions and participating (yes, we regularly scan for them). So, as with the first "Vendoritis Or Dealeritis" post a while back, the question needs to asked again: how do dealers move forward?

Our industry is always in flux. Lately there has been a more interesting bend, however. Dealers and vendors, for example, fixated solely on SEO for the past year plus are now looking at poor conversion stats to fix.There will be the same issues with social media in a year: those that chose to hire crap automation and get to 5,000 Facebook fans and 10,000 Twitter followers will discover that it's not done anything for brand or business building since over 1/2 of their social media throng is over 500 miles away if not in another country.

When you take your eyes off the ball, you can't catch it. You likely won't even see it. Many today say "bullshit, I can do it all". Well, good luck to you. The best of the Fortune 100 acknowledge that they can't. Maybe automotive retailers can do it all: sell the cars they need to monthly and still talk up a great story online. Just like the vendors that do a mediocre job for you somewhere else in your store and tell you that they can add something to their plate. Yeah, and there's a bridge in the desert that I need to show you...

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results


You can view more IM@CS posts here on DrivingSales.com or on our blog.

After the recent seminars and events in the Los Angeles area it seems more clear than ever: dealers want to do more, are mostly eager to address new opportunities (or old ones sold as new), are baffled by new technology including social media, are looking at the factories for direction and don't seem to have the right questions to ask the not-so-prepared, over-eager vendors.

In a number of panels that spanned these events, the tough questions either weren't asked or answered. This is not a knock on either the speakers or the crowds, most very qualified to talk about new media and marketing. It's just a fact. One panel on social media had some great experts. On data. Not one person doing it for an OEM or a dealer (or, judged from afar, likely even doing it themselves daily). Another panel had some great participants from very disparate areas of automotive talking about some specific activities they're doing. Truly great examples, results and actions were shared. The missing component was how the average dealer, yes including those in attendance, can implement a plan.

What is happening, as our world moves forward at a speed more reminiscent of the amazing La Mans cars running around Circuit De La Sarthe as this is being written, might be another dose of "ignorance is bliss". And that doesn't help anyone. Dealers asking their factories and reps for help (as was overheard quite frequently lately) are getting shrugged shoulders, "we're working on that right now" or "hire the right company or employee to handle that" responses. In other words, dealers are on their own.

So the dealers' sources for information are limited to their 20 group, industry events and magazines, word of mouth and the old fashion pitch by the vendor. Most dealership decision makers aren't reading the blogs and forums because if they were, they'd be asking questions and participating (yes, we regularly scan for them). So, as with the first "Vendoritis Or Dealeritis" post a while back, the question needs to asked again: how do dealers move forward?

Our industry is always in flux. Lately there has been a more interesting bend, however. Dealers and vendors, for example, fixated solely on SEO for the past year plus are now looking at poor conversion stats to fix.There will be the same issues with social media in a year: those that chose to hire crap automation and get to 5,000 Facebook fans and 10,000 Twitter followers will discover that it's not done anything for brand or business building since over 1/2 of their social media throng is over 500 miles away if not in another country.

When you take your eyes off the ball, you can't catch it. You likely won't even see it. Many today say "bullshit, I can do it all". Well, good luck to you. The best of the Fortune 100 acknowledge that they can't. Maybe automotive retailers can do it all: sell the cars they need to monthly and still talk up a great story online. Just like the vendors that do a mediocre job for you somewhere else in your store and tell you that they can add something to their plate. Yeah, and there's a bridge in the desert that I need to show you...

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results


You can view more IM@CS posts here on DrivingSales.com or on our blog.

There's not too many times during the year that we call a time out. Well, there's usually one. Here's the dealership reset:

Accountability: How are you against your goals?

It's not just units, gross and ROs. It's about cost, effectiveness and no-bullshit reviews. Someone's feet not being held to the fire? Now's the time or else don't expect anything different come December.

Assessment: Who is helping you, who is not?

In meeting after meeting, the question should be the same for dealers to suppliers: "what have you done in the past 30 days to improve my business?". If they can't answer and back it up, you're wasting money.

Education: It's not just for sales meetings anymore

It's incredible when the entire sales staff can chirp back specs on the car they just received product training on that morning from a sales manager or the factory rep. It's another thing when a salesperson helps everyone learn something about their CRM they didn't know or shares a closing technique that got them to 25 units for 3 months running. When you stop learning, you start dying. When you refuse to learn, you need to pack your bags.
 

Impression: None, fleeting, building, lasting or wow?

Impressions have nothing to do with CPMs or 4-color versus black and white, although every newspaper sales rep that calls on your store will have a fit defending themselves. Impressions are all about what people think and feel about you and your business. And while it has a little something to do with the "silver bullet" that nearly everyone is talking about lately (yes, all of the experts are talking...all few of them), impressions are a lot more under your control once you realize that management actually influences nearly everything that happens at your dealership.

Half way through the year is more than enough time to evaluate a new program, see the leads you were supposed to get, increase your SEO results (if not dominate in many markets), build substantial results from email marketing, and a whole  laundry list of other improvements. If you are not getting the results, cut bait. If you are, see how you can get more.

Everyone needs to do the reset. In a meeting with a dealer last week, it was dismaying to see things that weren't acceptable even five years ago still prevalent today. Apologies for using some cliches but they're so appropriate:

• You must inspect in order to expect
• Together Everyone Achieves More (TEAM)
• Leaders are readers
• The hardest thing to change is the 6 inches between your ears
• It's not how hard you work, it's what you do with your time
• Dreams come a size too big, they allow us to grow
• Track, target, trim and train
• An idiot with a plan is better than a genius without one

The tragedy in life is not missing your goals, it's not starting with any. And that's even more the case when you don't check yourself before you wreck yourself. It's time to do your reset. You'll thank us later...

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

You can read more IM@CS posts here on DrivingSales.com or on our blog

There's not too many times during the year that we call a time out. Well, there's usually one. Here's the dealership reset:

Accountability: How are you against your goals?

It's not just units, gross and ROs. It's about cost, effectiveness and no-bullshit reviews. Someone's feet not being held to the fire? Now's the time or else don't expect anything different come December.

Assessment: Who is helping you, who is not?

In meeting after meeting, the question should be the same for dealers to suppliers: "what have you done in the past 30 days to improve my business?". If they can't answer and back it up, you're wasting money.

Education: It's not just for sales meetings anymore

It's incredible when the entire sales staff can chirp back specs on the car they just received product training on that morning from a sales manager or the factory rep. It's another thing when a salesperson helps everyone learn something about their CRM they didn't know or shares a closing technique that got them to 25 units for 3 months running. When you stop learning, you start dying. When you refuse to learn, you need to pack your bags.
 

Impression: None, fleeting, building, lasting or wow?

Impressions have nothing to do with CPMs or 4-color versus black and white, although every newspaper sales rep that calls on your store will have a fit defending themselves. Impressions are all about what people think and feel about you and your business. And while it has a little something to do with the "silver bullet" that nearly everyone is talking about lately (yes, all of the experts are talking...all few of them), impressions are a lot more under your control once you realize that management actually influences nearly everything that happens at your dealership.

Half way through the year is more than enough time to evaluate a new program, see the leads you were supposed to get, increase your SEO results (if not dominate in many markets), build substantial results from email marketing, and a whole  laundry list of other improvements. If you are not getting the results, cut bait. If you are, see how you can get more.

Everyone needs to do the reset. In a meeting with a dealer last week, it was dismaying to see things that weren't acceptable even five years ago still prevalent today. Apologies for using some cliches but they're so appropriate:

• You must inspect in order to expect
• Together Everyone Achieves More (TEAM)
• Leaders are readers
• The hardest thing to change is the 6 inches between your ears
• It's not how hard you work, it's what you do with your time
• Dreams come a size too big, they allow us to grow
• Track, target, trim and train
• An idiot with a plan is better than a genius without one

The tragedy in life is not missing your goals, it's not starting with any. And that's even more the case when you don't check yourself before you wreck yourself. It's time to do your reset. You'll thank us later...

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

You can read more IM@CS posts here on DrivingSales.com or on our blog

Focus. We all need it. Sometimes we lose it. Hopefully we get it back. Focus is what, along with goals and direction, on the path to success. Simply put we're in the business of selling products and services, backing them up, and maintaining relationships with those that bought the products or services.

Broken focus is what allows us to view the products and services that we buy as those that will sell what our customers will buy. Yup...long sentence. What does it mean? It means simply stop thinking that websites, CRM, widgets, gadgets, software/SAAS and all of the other stuff (including social media) sells cars and then makes people service them at your business. People buy from people.

Don't get me wrong, we're all about more efficiencies and lower costs through all the items above. But if you think for a second that you can forget about an up, any kind of up, you're dead wrong. Companies continue at a break-neck pace to promote their "two cars pays for our service"and "with our leads you'll sell 8.7 more cars per month".

People sell cars, people sell cars, people sell cars. The 'best' lead, scored by some company that doesn't sell cars, sold to you by a company spending millions to promote themselves with your money, with the most gross ever not followed up on is a floating, polished  t**d. At the same time, the 'worst' perceived lead from your overpriced third parties, let alone your own website (if your cars actually showed up on Google from your own website which most don't), is closed in a 5 minute call or three emails because the person was dealt with quickly, honestly and had all of their questions answered.

Focus on setting appointments. Appointments that are confirmed. That then show up. That then are handled right. That then are closed right. Because they nearly all come from your website or some displayed listing. Focus on what drives people to your store...you and your co-workers.

It's amazing the amount of dealers spending $20,000 per month or more to sell a few more cars (plus salesperson's commission, managers' cut, overhead and all the rest) because they're convinced that without buying what they're selling, they'll be crushed. Yesterday a meeting at a store revealed that, while the staff was asking for more leads, one of their marketing sources had about 20 plus sales leads that weren't touched. At all. Yeah, it was from service marketing. So I guess people that service don't also buy?!?!?! Focus...

Your website is there to get appointments. Everything online and in marketing outside of your website is intended to drive traffic to your website. To get appointments. Everything else you use to drive impressions and retention is supposed to eventually drive people to your website. Please don't fool yourself. Look at your analtyics. Yours. Google's. Not your website company's 'unique' statistics.

Please focus. Dealers (and everyone in business that is trying to grasp online), it's time to stop. And focus. We're trying to invite people to buy cars and maintenance and parts and accessories. As an industry we say that but it's not how we buy services. We buy because our buddy did, our competitor did, all of our 20 group says to and so on.

It's down to focus. Remember that Daniel-san could block, sweep and jump AFTER he focused on painting and all the other chores that Mr. Miyagi gave him. No distractions. Complete focus.

So focus Daniel-san, focus.

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results


You can read more IM@CS posts here on DrivingSales.com or on our blog here.

Focus. We all need it. Sometimes we lose it. Hopefully we get it back. Focus is what, along with goals and direction, on the path to success. Simply put we're in the business of selling products and services, backing them up, and maintaining relationships with those that bought the products or services.

Broken focus is what allows us to view the products and services that we buy as those that will sell what our customers will buy. Yup...long sentence. What does it mean? It means simply stop thinking that websites, CRM, widgets, gadgets, software/SAAS and all of the other stuff (including social media) sells cars and then makes people service them at your business. People buy from people.

Don't get me wrong, we're all about more efficiencies and lower costs through all the items above. But if you think for a second that you can forget about an up, any kind of up, you're dead wrong. Companies continue at a break-neck pace to promote their "two cars pays for our service"and "with our leads you'll sell 8.7 more cars per month".

People sell cars, people sell cars, people sell cars. The 'best' lead, scored by some company that doesn't sell cars, sold to you by a company spending millions to promote themselves with your money, with the most gross ever not followed up on is a floating, polished  t**d. At the same time, the 'worst' perceived lead from your overpriced third parties, let alone your own website (if your cars actually showed up on Google from your own website which most don't), is closed in a 5 minute call or three emails because the person was dealt with quickly, honestly and had all of their questions answered.

Focus on setting appointments. Appointments that are confirmed. That then show up. That then are handled right. That then are closed right. Because they nearly all come from your website or some displayed listing. Focus on what drives people to your store...you and your co-workers.

It's amazing the amount of dealers spending $20,000 per month or more to sell a few more cars (plus salesperson's commission, managers' cut, overhead and all the rest) because they're convinced that without buying what they're selling, they'll be crushed. Yesterday a meeting at a store revealed that, while the staff was asking for more leads, one of their marketing sources had about 20 plus sales leads that weren't touched. At all. Yeah, it was from service marketing. So I guess people that service don't also buy?!?!?! Focus...

Your website is there to get appointments. Everything online and in marketing outside of your website is intended to drive traffic to your website. To get appointments. Everything else you use to drive impressions and retention is supposed to eventually drive people to your website. Please don't fool yourself. Look at your analtyics. Yours. Google's. Not your website company's 'unique' statistics.

Please focus. Dealers (and everyone in business that is trying to grasp online), it's time to stop. And focus. We're trying to invite people to buy cars and maintenance and parts and accessories. As an industry we say that but it's not how we buy services. We buy because our buddy did, our competitor did, all of our 20 group says to and so on.

It's down to focus. Remember that Daniel-san could block, sweep and jump AFTER he focused on painting and all the other chores that Mr. Miyagi gave him. No distractions. Complete focus.

So focus Daniel-san, focus.

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results


You can read more IM@CS posts here on DrivingSales.com or on our blog here.

Another event in the history books. Digial Dealer 8 provided a new round of talk, perspective, conjecture, ideas and repetitiveness. Well attended, the eighth iteration of the event made way for a full expo, some great sessions, loud receptions and the proverbial automotive indsutry buzz.

It was a bit funny last week when two things ocurred that caused me to think about what it is to be "digital", take the leap of faith, change some (ok, a lot) of the broken practices in our business and bring as many willing people along with us. Brian Pasch and Ralph Paglia both had digital device "snafus" in front of a bunch of people. And it was funny. While some loudmouth from the crowd chirped "it's digial" (please, no guessses) , it caused me to reflect on how connected we are to everything digital. And what we continue to do wrong, including the so called education of the dealers looking for assistance.

Automotive retail's entire existance is based on success in the digital realm. We don't need a bunch of people, many barely versed themselves, standing in front of rooms of people telling them that the train has left the station. Dealers need real assistance, in real time, in real terms, from real people to build real results.

One thing that tends to rub me is the intention versus goal aspect of the conferences. What's happened to AAISP? certification programs? "put the dealer before profits" and all of the other chatter over the past four years? This is not a post meant to call bullshit on everything but to avoid it completely would be a disservice. At many conferences, more netowrking and business happens away from the event than at the event. And...there is a belief structure that has to be maintained.

It strikes me as odd when people attend events that can have a significant impact, offer extremely relevant information and otherwise influence attendees in a positive way are charged the most, treated as less-than-desireables and not invited to particiapte in the most basic way. Actually it's flat out wrong. The leading events let the audience and industry decide what's best. Not the promoter.

Changes in the industry are happening at such a rate now that those in position to create, promote and execute on large-scale events need to be more in line who they claim to help. Watch the bottom line? Sure you should make a profit if you're going to be bold enough, especially in these economic times, to front cash (which can be significant) and put an agenda together.

Ego and enforcement also have no place in today's events. Protocol, yes. Guidelines, yes. Omnipotent overlords focused on anything besides what drives the most value need to, well...be somewhere else. The digital shift is about practices, assistance, positioning, data and more. Our industry has been dealt a deserved blow in the digital space due to ignorance, denial and a refusal to recognize our own customers and public. How can the auto industry be so large yet engage and learn so little?

In my opinion, there should be more Internet department directors (pardon the phrase), field reps for the larger companies and consultants that are not beholden to vendors on stage. Those are the people moving the industry digital every day. Attendees don't want pitches. They need honest answers. They need examples. They absolutely want to understand what to do. Not being told. Not being sold. Remember, just like a customer at a dealership, they want to buy from someone they trust, that listens to them, that can deliver on value and promises. Why should the B-to-B part of our business be any different?

It time to start doing the work instead of talking the talk. No more "we do that" and then scramble to execute it for the first time. No more canceled cook-offs. No more delays in production. And a lot more customer service. That's what we need at retail. That's what we need from the companies making the claims and filling the magazines with ads. The one's retailers are trying not to do themselves anymore. Because they're listening to us.

Because, hey. It's digital.

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

You can read more IM@CS posts here on DrivingSales.com or on our blog here.

Another event in the history books. Digial Dealer 8 provided a new round of talk, perspective, conjecture, ideas and repetitiveness. Well attended, the eighth iteration of the event made way for a full expo, some great sessions, loud receptions and the proverbial automotive indsutry buzz.

It was a bit funny last week when two things ocurred that caused me to think about what it is to be "digital", take the leap of faith, change some (ok, a lot) of the broken practices in our business and bring as many willing people along with us. Brian Pasch and Ralph Paglia both had digital device "snafus" in front of a bunch of people. And it was funny. While some loudmouth from the crowd chirped "it's digial" (please, no guessses) , it caused me to reflect on how connected we are to everything digital. And what we continue to do wrong, including the so called education of the dealers looking for assistance.

Automotive retail's entire existance is based on success in the digital realm. We don't need a bunch of people, many barely versed themselves, standing in front of rooms of people telling them that the train has left the station. Dealers need real assistance, in real time, in real terms, from real people to build real results.

One thing that tends to rub me is the intention versus goal aspect of the conferences. What's happened to AAISP? certification programs? "put the dealer before profits" and all of the other chatter over the past four years? This is not a post meant to call bullshit on everything but to avoid it completely would be a disservice. At many conferences, more netowrking and business happens away from the event than at the event. And...there is a belief structure that has to be maintained.

It strikes me as odd when people attend events that can have a significant impact, offer extremely relevant information and otherwise influence attendees in a positive way are charged the most, treated as less-than-desireables and not invited to particiapte in the most basic way. Actually it's flat out wrong. The leading events let the audience and industry decide what's best. Not the promoter.

Changes in the industry are happening at such a rate now that those in position to create, promote and execute on large-scale events need to be more in line who they claim to help. Watch the bottom line? Sure you should make a profit if you're going to be bold enough, especially in these economic times, to front cash (which can be significant) and put an agenda together.

Ego and enforcement also have no place in today's events. Protocol, yes. Guidelines, yes. Omnipotent overlords focused on anything besides what drives the most value need to, well...be somewhere else. The digital shift is about practices, assistance, positioning, data and more. Our industry has been dealt a deserved blow in the digital space due to ignorance, denial and a refusal to recognize our own customers and public. How can the auto industry be so large yet engage and learn so little?

In my opinion, there should be more Internet department directors (pardon the phrase), field reps for the larger companies and consultants that are not beholden to vendors on stage. Those are the people moving the industry digital every day. Attendees don't want pitches. They need honest answers. They need examples. They absolutely want to understand what to do. Not being told. Not being sold. Remember, just like a customer at a dealership, they want to buy from someone they trust, that listens to them, that can deliver on value and promises. Why should the B-to-B part of our business be any different?

It time to start doing the work instead of talking the talk. No more "we do that" and then scramble to execute it for the first time. No more canceled cook-offs. No more delays in production. And a lot more customer service. That's what we need at retail. That's what we need from the companies making the claims and filling the magazines with ads. The one's retailers are trying not to do themselves anymore. Because they're listening to us.

Because, hey. It's digital.

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

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