Well if you didn't look, 2010 is nearly to a close. Last time you thought about it mid-year, it looked like 2010 would be clear sailing. Well, now it's cram time and you must be thanking the incentive and promotion gods (because they're on bid-time, even for the companies that usually don't).

So while the factory may have your store punching cars in a couple weeks and you may be planning that getaway you've deserved for a while, what are you going to do to surpass your numbers and go for broke? Will this be the time that you get serious about database management and using your CRM? Will it be when you take reputation management seriously and invite (yes, actually invite) your customers to participate in building your brand? Or is it simply time to get serious about following up with real intent on every lead?

Success over the last five weeks of the year will be partially based on history. All of it. Were you the type that waited until the night before finals to do an all-nighter? You know what you'll get before 2011 comes. Are you the type that starts with a bang and fades never quite committing? You know what you'll get before 2011 comes.

If you're the type that has gotten process down, approaches each day with complete opportunity, reads and participates in the fourms and communities, checks their performance against others (outside the store) and who believes that and acts like you are just another consumer, cram time should be a cake walk. You, my friend, are ready for 2011 already because you've already stuck to your plan for this year. Which, by chance, you most likely drew out at the beginning of the year.

For the rest of you, it's time to get serious. Really serious. Let's take a look at what should have moved business this year: Online. Digital. Web. Whatever you want to call it, Sales are originating from the Internet. How do you do that? The answers, yes answers, were available via a handful of conferences and by a number of the OEM's digital meetings. Did you go?

And we're not counting mandatory regional schmooze-fests, or webinars and other sales- and product-pitch based "information" sessions online nor NADA even though there are workshops. So let's assume, better yet guess, that around 6,000 people attended them (yeah, that's high). And assume that roughly 1.5 attended per store, with 30% attendance going to the independents. So around 10-15% of the franchise and 5% of the independent stores are learning. Ouch.

Based on those numbers, how can an industry hungry for sales really attack it? Cover your eyes 'cause here it comes: business as usual! How much have we progressed over another year when 2/3 of leads still are not addressed correctly and service retention is still lower than what it should be? So how many baseball bats will come out at sales meetings over the remaining days this year?

Cram time, when prepared for, is not cram time at all. Fear-based operation goes out the window. Management understands completely what is going on. Yes, including in the "Internet" department (ahem, why do we still call it that?). Cram time, quite frankly, should be what the customers do when they realize they'll be without that new (or newer) car for another year. They shouldn't be the ones smelling desperation.

So, were you expecting it? Are you prepared for it? Are you making it because of what you're doing or because your brand has television commericals with beautiful bows on cars, or radio spots yelling about year-end deals. If you're prepared, congratulations. If not...aren't you sick of it by now?

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

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

Well if you didn't look, 2010 is nearly to a close. Last time you thought about it mid-year, it looked like 2010 would be clear sailing. Well, now it's cram time and you must be thanking the incentive and promotion gods (because they're on bid-time, even for the companies that usually don't).

So while the factory may have your store punching cars in a couple weeks and you may be planning that getaway you've deserved for a while, what are you going to do to surpass your numbers and go for broke? Will this be the time that you get serious about database management and using your CRM? Will it be when you take reputation management seriously and invite (yes, actually invite) your customers to participate in building your brand? Or is it simply time to get serious about following up with real intent on every lead?

Success over the last five weeks of the year will be partially based on history. All of it. Were you the type that waited until the night before finals to do an all-nighter? You know what you'll get before 2011 comes. Are you the type that starts with a bang and fades never quite committing? You know what you'll get before 2011 comes.

If you're the type that has gotten process down, approaches each day with complete opportunity, reads and participates in the fourms and communities, checks their performance against others (outside the store) and who believes that and acts like you are just another consumer, cram time should be a cake walk. You, my friend, are ready for 2011 already because you've already stuck to your plan for this year. Which, by chance, you most likely drew out at the beginning of the year.

For the rest of you, it's time to get serious. Really serious. Let's take a look at what should have moved business this year: Online. Digital. Web. Whatever you want to call it, Sales are originating from the Internet. How do you do that? The answers, yes answers, were available via a handful of conferences and by a number of the OEM's digital meetings. Did you go?

And we're not counting mandatory regional schmooze-fests, or webinars and other sales- and product-pitch based "information" sessions online nor NADA even though there are workshops. So let's assume, better yet guess, that around 6,000 people attended them (yeah, that's high). And assume that roughly 1.5 attended per store, with 30% attendance going to the independents. So around 10-15% of the franchise and 5% of the independent stores are learning. Ouch.

Based on those numbers, how can an industry hungry for sales really attack it? Cover your eyes 'cause here it comes: business as usual! How much have we progressed over another year when 2/3 of leads still are not addressed correctly and service retention is still lower than what it should be? So how many baseball bats will come out at sales meetings over the remaining days this year?

Cram time, when prepared for, is not cram time at all. Fear-based operation goes out the window. Management understands completely what is going on. Yes, including in the "Internet" department (ahem, why do we still call it that?). Cram time, quite frankly, should be what the customers do when they realize they'll be without that new (or newer) car for another year. They shouldn't be the ones smelling desperation.

So, were you expecting it? Are you prepared for it? Are you making it because of what you're doing or because your brand has television commericals with beautiful bows on cars, or radio spots yelling about year-end deals. If you're prepared, congratulations. If not...aren't you sick of it by now?

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

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

Don't read too much into the title, it's not a slam on your (fill in the blank) vendor, although many deserve to be taken to task. This is about what they have to deal with. If you've been under a rock this year or simply have not been paying attention, Google changed significantly three times. Your vendors have had to change at least that many, even though they pitch that they're changing all the time.

So, what does this mean for the shiny object mentality? It's not changed. In fact, it may only get better. In other words, as things get a little more dicey in the online space in regard to results, there will be a larger "sorting out" of who really is prepared from a resource perspective to roll with what could be considered large changes in the way search and results are structured. And when a sales rep is not up to speed and things that happened a week prior, let alone a couple months, it's time to sharpen the pencil and make sure that door that hits them on the way out is primed.

All kidding aside, there have been countless changes since last December that have affected the search engines and how YOU get displayed in results. The biggest one from an overall view would likely be Google Instant, followed by the recent change to the Google Map/Local results that are also affecting the display of reviews and paid ads. There's lots of money, eyeballs and leads at stake.

The shiny object's location is changing, at what seems to be a continuously more rapid pace. Not just search results (and your traditional website) are facing the music, but also mobile: applications, marketing, social and more. And the third party lead market seems to be experiencing a larger ebb and flow in the market today. Just as there is no longer room in automotive retail for "what used to work", there's no room for "let's wait and see" in the vendor world. Rest for just a little bit and your a** will be kicked (but don't worry, dealers will still buy from lots of companies, especially if they keep sending "attractive" reps out to show impressive charts and talk about clicks....yawn....).

It's not easy being a website, CRM, pay-per-click, SEO or social media services company today. Engagement changes regularly and sometimes daily. By the time you send out pertinent information, run some webinars and update your systems and inform the rep force, that earth-changing update is old news and the next revelation has hit the news wires. And yes, even the vendors that do launch 25 updates a week and tweet about it do have to deal with issues outside of their control and fall down regularly.

As fast as the industry is changing, technology is changing many times faster. The balance between being bleeding-edge, leading-edge, between-the-edges and absolutely-no-edge is sometimes no greater than a whisker. Consumers control the content that is controlled by the big engines at such a great level today, what we have to yell about is less and less relevant, engaging and important. Who knows, maybe the shiny object is not even obtainable.

Even with the industry consolidation that we see year after year, it's always refreshing to see the new guy or gal on the block give it a chance. Dealers need much better services than what's been delivered historically and there are companies willing to do it. But the wake up call for dealers is that THEY need to do more in the way of understanding, goal setting and holding staff accountable. Vendor accountability is critical, but still not as important as making sure you can do what you're paying for.

So belive it or not something changed in how well you'll perform online since you started reading this. Maybe it was a vendor, a competitor, a search engine, a customer or even you. No matter what, don't take your eye off of the shiny object!

You did read correctly. Keep one eye on the ball, one on your customer, one on your brand, one on your staff, one on your marketing, one on your process, one on your future, one on your past....and one on the shiny object.

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results


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

Don't read too much into the title, it's not a slam on your (fill in the blank) vendor, although many deserve to be taken to task. This is about what they have to deal with. If you've been under a rock this year or simply have not been paying attention, Google changed significantly three times. Your vendors have had to change at least that many, even though they pitch that they're changing all the time.

So, what does this mean for the shiny object mentality? It's not changed. In fact, it may only get better. In other words, as things get a little more dicey in the online space in regard to results, there will be a larger "sorting out" of who really is prepared from a resource perspective to roll with what could be considered large changes in the way search and results are structured. And when a sales rep is not up to speed and things that happened a week prior, let alone a couple months, it's time to sharpen the pencil and make sure that door that hits them on the way out is primed.

All kidding aside, there have been countless changes since last December that have affected the search engines and how YOU get displayed in results. The biggest one from an overall view would likely be Google Instant, followed by the recent change to the Google Map/Local results that are also affecting the display of reviews and paid ads. There's lots of money, eyeballs and leads at stake.

The shiny object's location is changing, at what seems to be a continuously more rapid pace. Not just search results (and your traditional website) are facing the music, but also mobile: applications, marketing, social and more. And the third party lead market seems to be experiencing a larger ebb and flow in the market today. Just as there is no longer room in automotive retail for "what used to work", there's no room for "let's wait and see" in the vendor world. Rest for just a little bit and your a** will be kicked (but don't worry, dealers will still buy from lots of companies, especially if they keep sending "attractive" reps out to show impressive charts and talk about clicks....yawn....).

It's not easy being a website, CRM, pay-per-click, SEO or social media services company today. Engagement changes regularly and sometimes daily. By the time you send out pertinent information, run some webinars and update your systems and inform the rep force, that earth-changing update is old news and the next revelation has hit the news wires. And yes, even the vendors that do launch 25 updates a week and tweet about it do have to deal with issues outside of their control and fall down regularly.

As fast as the industry is changing, technology is changing many times faster. The balance between being bleeding-edge, leading-edge, between-the-edges and absolutely-no-edge is sometimes no greater than a whisker. Consumers control the content that is controlled by the big engines at such a great level today, what we have to yell about is less and less relevant, engaging and important. Who knows, maybe the shiny object is not even obtainable.

Even with the industry consolidation that we see year after year, it's always refreshing to see the new guy or gal on the block give it a chance. Dealers need much better services than what's been delivered historically and there are companies willing to do it. But the wake up call for dealers is that THEY need to do more in the way of understanding, goal setting and holding staff accountable. Vendor accountability is critical, but still not as important as making sure you can do what you're paying for.

So belive it or not something changed in how well you'll perform online since you started reading this. Maybe it was a vendor, a competitor, a search engine, a customer or even you. No matter what, don't take your eye off of the shiny object!

You did read correctly. Keep one eye on the ball, one on your customer, one on your brand, one on your staff, one on your marketing, one on your process, one on your future, one on your past....and one on the shiny object.

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results


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

Retrench! Dig in! Block and tackle! Just wait! Awww bullshit.... More and more today it seems that the chasm between the "doers" and those choosing "planned obsolescence" is growing. You hear a lot of good stories out in the field about who's doing what and which dealers are killing it. Then the numbers come in. Reality check.

So why is it that there are dealers growing market share (the minority) while there are those than seem to want to accept and participate in a challenged market (majority)? With everything facing dealers today, and it's a bleepstorm, it seems that the path of least resistance is the one leading the wrong way. Resources, blogs, data, events/conferences, outside assistance and more, are readily available. And to the point that they're so underused, they're essentially abused.

Have you hit the end of your rope? Down-sized to the point that your store is no-sized? Pushed the factory guy back on allocation to the point that they're giving you 365-day terms just to take cars? Listening to your 20 Group buddies' stories of success and smiling while shrinking in the back of the room? OK, so stop it. If the river is dry...why not pave it? Heck, make it a raceway!

There are no silver bullets but there are a number of effective shortcuts, that get you to where you want to be. No matter what your newspaper sales rep or the online inventory advertising company reps tell you, that's not where the customers are. Sure, they go there after they end up feeling like they can't get a straight deal, attention and common courtesy starting with your website or showroom. Sorry....

Yep, the proverbial question: how do I pave the dry river?

Lead responses: effective, in the shortest possible time. with validation, options and the most engagement that drive the strongest replies, appointments, profit anad retention.

Events: inexpensive, regular, value-based, informative, community-engaging, need-supporting, fund-raising, cooperative and non-self-serving.

Social media: Compelling, revealing, engaging, fun, relevant, contextual, intuitive, brand-building and even a bit giveaway-ish for the "what's in it for me?".

You see the river can be paved fastest when it's filled by things that consumers are looking for. What doesn't pave the rider, or fill your showroom, or get the phone ringing is what's been used for the longest time: lost leaders, false advertising, packing (especially recently), full-page ads, large traditional media spends, bait-and-switch and everything else that you know is despised by consumers (and us really).

Here's a wake up call: no matter how much the river fills with water soon (if you're waiting) or how nicely you can pave it, do things differently. "Old guard" stuff, as nostalgic as it is, is about as good for the auto industry as tainted meat is for McDonald's, faulty engines for Boeing and corrupt processors for Dell. So stop accepting, if not endorsing, it.

Paving the dry river bed takes strategy, commitment, insight and foresight, transparency and a willingness to change the size, shape and location of the sandbox. What do you have to lose? Not as much as you have to gain!!!!

Pave it like you own it....

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Resutls

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

Retrench! Dig in! Block and tackle! Just wait! Awww bullshit.... More and more today it seems that the chasm between the "doers" and those choosing "planned obsolescence" is growing. You hear a lot of good stories out in the field about who's doing what and which dealers are killing it. Then the numbers come in. Reality check.

So why is it that there are dealers growing market share (the minority) while there are those than seem to want to accept and participate in a challenged market (majority)? With everything facing dealers today, and it's a bleepstorm, it seems that the path of least resistance is the one leading the wrong way. Resources, blogs, data, events/conferences, outside assistance and more, are readily available. And to the point that they're so underused, they're essentially abused.

Have you hit the end of your rope? Down-sized to the point that your store is no-sized? Pushed the factory guy back on allocation to the point that they're giving you 365-day terms just to take cars? Listening to your 20 Group buddies' stories of success and smiling while shrinking in the back of the room? OK, so stop it. If the river is dry...why not pave it? Heck, make it a raceway!

There are no silver bullets but there are a number of effective shortcuts, that get you to where you want to be. No matter what your newspaper sales rep or the online inventory advertising company reps tell you, that's not where the customers are. Sure, they go there after they end up feeling like they can't get a straight deal, attention and common courtesy starting with your website or showroom. Sorry....

Yep, the proverbial question: how do I pave the dry river?

Lead responses: effective, in the shortest possible time. with validation, options and the most engagement that drive the strongest replies, appointments, profit anad retention.

Events: inexpensive, regular, value-based, informative, community-engaging, need-supporting, fund-raising, cooperative and non-self-serving.

Social media: Compelling, revealing, engaging, fun, relevant, contextual, intuitive, brand-building and even a bit giveaway-ish for the "what's in it for me?".

You see the river can be paved fastest when it's filled by things that consumers are looking for. What doesn't pave the rider, or fill your showroom, or get the phone ringing is what's been used for the longest time: lost leaders, false advertising, packing (especially recently), full-page ads, large traditional media spends, bait-and-switch and everything else that you know is despised by consumers (and us really).

Here's a wake up call: no matter how much the river fills with water soon (if you're waiting) or how nicely you can pave it, do things differently. "Old guard" stuff, as nostalgic as it is, is about as good for the auto industry as tainted meat is for McDonald's, faulty engines for Boeing and corrupt processors for Dell. So stop accepting, if not endorsing, it.

Paving the dry river bed takes strategy, commitment, insight and foresight, transparency and a willingness to change the size, shape and location of the sandbox. What do you have to lose? Not as much as you have to gain!!!!

Pave it like you own it....

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Resutls

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

Overstated? Maybe....but likely not. What are we doing? If we go by the numbers, and they're estimated but well known, we've got the second largest employer in the Untied States behind our back. The automotive industry is massive, even if you don't consider the associated businesses it keeps thriving. So, let's say we have a few million directly employed in the car biz (which is likely conservative) and had less than 3,000 in Las Vegas recently for the most important events that actually can move the needle. Pitiful. This week's SEMA show will kill that in attendance. And within the first hour.

What are we doing? So add the OEM eCommerce summits, conferences and events (which represent vendors more typically than push owners and general managers into the uncomfortable zone) and you've got at best a few thousand more that are around the discussions of online marketing, online customers, online retention and online success.

Ignore it at your own willful demise. Attack it like people trying the 72 ounce steak at Big Texan, you might go crazy trying to figure out which end is up. So how do you go down the road somewhere in between the two extremes and still try to maintain that "blocking and tackling" BS mentality that makes ownership and management comfortable? Simple: a plan.

While they are in fact out there, the count of dealers who have a written-down, approved, executable monthly strategy for doing and increasing amount of activities to promote success is likely somewhere around the chance of us having a space program in 2011 that lands us back on the moon. It's on the radar, they're might even be some dollars against it but I will venture a strong guess that it won't happen. That's not quite as disappointing as a dealer that is a few months from increasing their results and market share significantly, and does nothing about it.

Folks, the information is out here. And don't be afraid to ask. Yes, you might have to do some digging through the typical crap: an article on one of the popular automotive communities that doesn't answer your question but does have the "expert's" contact information. Or one of our recent favorites: white papers that will confuse the &^@# out of dealers that also end with a signature block that looks more like a proclamation. (Hint: generally speaking, automotive communities are not the place for white papers. Link to your website from the community website. Better yet, if it's a white paper done in conjunction with a company OUTSIDE of the industry, definitely publish it but keep your post on the communities to the synopsis. Please. Tip: not only that, you get back-links!!!!!!)

There have been fantastic pointers and forecasts about what will happen in the digital/online space for the past two years. Over 95% of the dealers missed or ignored them. Maybe it's time to have 2011 be "The Year Of Great Automotive Listening" (do that will your Movie-Guy voice). No matter what, this is the year of honest measurement, in our opinion.

So here's a few places to go to get your feet wet (or immersed) in measurement:

1. Google.com (Analytics, Trends, Insights, Alerts, Webmaster tools, etc)
   A. If you've never used the above, start with going to Google and entering "links:www.YOURDEALERSHIPWEBSITE.com" or "site:www.YOURDEALERSHIPWEBSITE.com" and see what Google sees!
2. Hubspot.com (Website grader, Facebook grader, Twitter grader, PR grader, etc)
   A. If you attended DrivingSales Executive Summit, you got more than you need!
3. SEOmoz.org, Yahoo Site Explorer, etc (Linking and content tools)
4. Twitalyzer, TwitterCounter, Untweeps, TwitterAnalyzer, etc (amazing tools if you're on Twitter)
5. FourScore (found this recently for your FourSquare ranking/effectiveness)
6. Compete, Alexa, etc (even though many dealership sites won't rank, be creative!)

There are so many other great FREE tools available for you to do more than just count on others, like your website company, and actually improve while holding people accountable but too many to list.

It's time for a gut check. How much further can you go down the road mostly (or absolutely) blind to what is essential to grow your business and be able to talk to the main points....without fudging it anymore.

Here's to doing things with more tools than just passion. Here's to knowing what we're doing!

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

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

Overstated? Maybe....but likely not. What are we doing? If we go by the numbers, and they're estimated but well known, we've got the second largest employer in the Untied States behind our back. The automotive industry is massive, even if you don't consider the associated businesses it keeps thriving. So, let's say we have a few million directly employed in the car biz (which is likely conservative) and had less than 3,000 in Las Vegas recently for the most important events that actually can move the needle. Pitiful. This week's SEMA show will kill that in attendance. And within the first hour.

What are we doing? So add the OEM eCommerce summits, conferences and events (which represent vendors more typically than push owners and general managers into the uncomfortable zone) and you've got at best a few thousand more that are around the discussions of online marketing, online customers, online retention and online success.

Ignore it at your own willful demise. Attack it like people trying the 72 ounce steak at Big Texan, you might go crazy trying to figure out which end is up. So how do you go down the road somewhere in between the two extremes and still try to maintain that "blocking and tackling" BS mentality that makes ownership and management comfortable? Simple: a plan.

While they are in fact out there, the count of dealers who have a written-down, approved, executable monthly strategy for doing and increasing amount of activities to promote success is likely somewhere around the chance of us having a space program in 2011 that lands us back on the moon. It's on the radar, they're might even be some dollars against it but I will venture a strong guess that it won't happen. That's not quite as disappointing as a dealer that is a few months from increasing their results and market share significantly, and does nothing about it.

Folks, the information is out here. And don't be afraid to ask. Yes, you might have to do some digging through the typical crap: an article on one of the popular automotive communities that doesn't answer your question but does have the "expert's" contact information. Or one of our recent favorites: white papers that will confuse the &^@# out of dealers that also end with a signature block that looks more like a proclamation. (Hint: generally speaking, automotive communities are not the place for white papers. Link to your website from the community website. Better yet, if it's a white paper done in conjunction with a company OUTSIDE of the industry, definitely publish it but keep your post on the communities to the synopsis. Please. Tip: not only that, you get back-links!!!!!!)

There have been fantastic pointers and forecasts about what will happen in the digital/online space for the past two years. Over 95% of the dealers missed or ignored them. Maybe it's time to have 2011 be "The Year Of Great Automotive Listening" (do that will your Movie-Guy voice). No matter what, this is the year of honest measurement, in our opinion.

So here's a few places to go to get your feet wet (or immersed) in measurement:

1. Google.com (Analytics, Trends, Insights, Alerts, Webmaster tools, etc)
   A. If you've never used the above, start with going to Google and entering "links:www.YOURDEALERSHIPWEBSITE.com" or "site:www.YOURDEALERSHIPWEBSITE.com" and see what Google sees!
2. Hubspot.com (Website grader, Facebook grader, Twitter grader, PR grader, etc)
   A. If you attended DrivingSales Executive Summit, you got more than you need!
3. SEOmoz.org, Yahoo Site Explorer, etc (Linking and content tools)
4. Twitalyzer, TwitterCounter, Untweeps, TwitterAnalyzer, etc (amazing tools if you're on Twitter)
5. FourScore (found this recently for your FourSquare ranking/effectiveness)
6. Compete, Alexa, etc (even though many dealership sites won't rank, be creative!)

There are so many other great FREE tools available for you to do more than just count on others, like your website company, and actually improve while holding people accountable but too many to list.

It's time for a gut check. How much further can you go down the road mostly (or absolutely) blind to what is essential to grow your business and be able to talk to the main points....without fudging it anymore.

Here's to doing things with more tools than just passion. Here's to knowing what we're doing!

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

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

You're back but your bags (and head) may still be packed from your Las Vegas departure. The whirlwind of powerpoints, data, applications, widgets, speakers, vendors and pitches that opened October 12 with Digital Dealer and ran through DrivingSales Executive Summit at Encore, came to a close mid-day last Friday with the departure of over 1,000 from JD Power's Annual OEM and Ad Agency shindig called Internet Roundtable at Red Rock Resort (where more upfront talks than Internet dealings happen, but let's digress).

So your notebook, FlipCam, voice recorder and brain are packed with thoughts, visions, ideas and goals around everything you heard. But the "back to normal" is so gratifying that you may have not done a cotton-picking-thing since switching off the neon and turning on the flourecents. And besides, it was kind of touching to see that 88-day old unit turn 100 now that you're back (ooops!).

So if you're stuck with not knowing where to start, you didn't leave with goals. If you've got three or four places you want to start at, you may not know what your greatest weaknesses or opportunities are. And if you didn't gather enough information on how to get started and the first steps to take from that high-ranking speaker, call them for a freebie. And you may just want to "x" off that session or conference next year because the value didn't get delivered.

So, what have you done for you lately? (Sorry Janet, it's not about you). It's time to crank that Internet machine thing to the next level, right?! Do yourself a favor and start looking everywhere else but automotive and get your bearings. Why? Because there are Facebook pages selling more Snuggies than your website sells in service. There are blogs feeding more contacts to start-up S-E-O, K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E companies than you get leads from $199-a-month leases. And we have ourselves (and many vendors) to blame.

Start Thursday with a goal to add one task from your volume of Notes 'de Las Vegas and start it. Not Friday, not next week. October 28. Haven't secured your Google Places/Maps location? Do that or learn about it. Haven't secured your Foursquare venue? Have 60 domains you registered a bunch of years ago and one is perfect for a blog? Start it and who cares what it says as long as it says something about what your store is passionate about regarding your customers and the products you sell. But what have you done for you lately?

"Good thing I cook or else we'd starve to death..." How appropriate is that today? Automotive retailers must thank their customers for coming in year after year and driving off in new and pre-owned cars with little more than a smile. It was about the badge, the new product, the incentives and the advertisements. Now it's about you. Matter of fact it always was but the industry lucked out for more than a decade. So what have you done for you lately?

Yes there's half-cooked information all over. Yes, there's "experts" who haven fallen into something that, for obvious reasons, they can't quite explain in an hour on stage. Yes, there's going to be more consolidation in the indsutry which means your ____________ company may become part of another company you're not doing (or don't want to do) business with. But what have you done for you lately?

There are many really good, and some extremely good, tools and providers out there to settle for what someone in your Twenty Group has or what your read in an ad or study. Last week it was amazing to watch the Innovation Cup at the DrivingSales Executive Summit. The "let's never settle for me-too" juices were really flowing there. Put easily, if something can't be verified by a neurtal third party, don't necessarily run away, rather gain more information before making a decision. Chances are you're right that it wasn't a good choice in the first place.

Today you have to be prepared to do something for yourself and stick with it. Even though it's so easy to quit and go back to what you knew. It's also more costly than ever. If you invested the time and money to be around that much addictive behavior for a week or two in Las Vegas, everything you brought back deserves to come to life in your store. That is if you can find your notes among the free schwag of flying monkeys, free model cars, light-up bounding balls, mints, pens, flash drives, logo hats, t-shirts, notepads, shopping bags and fliers for products that are pay-for-it-now-cuase-it's-almost-to-market-so-you-can-be-first (wink, wink).

So what have you done for you lately? Come on, we've got to .......uh, wait....come on.....wait for it.....wait for it......you know you want it.....SELL MORE CARS!

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

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

You're back but your bags (and head) may still be packed from your Las Vegas departure. The whirlwind of powerpoints, data, applications, widgets, speakers, vendors and pitches that opened October 12 with Digital Dealer and ran through DrivingSales Executive Summit at Encore, came to a close mid-day last Friday with the departure of over 1,000 from JD Power's Annual OEM and Ad Agency shindig called Internet Roundtable at Red Rock Resort (where more upfront talks than Internet dealings happen, but let's digress).

So your notebook, FlipCam, voice recorder and brain are packed with thoughts, visions, ideas and goals around everything you heard. But the "back to normal" is so gratifying that you may have not done a cotton-picking-thing since switching off the neon and turning on the flourecents. And besides, it was kind of touching to see that 88-day old unit turn 100 now that you're back (ooops!).

So if you're stuck with not knowing where to start, you didn't leave with goals. If you've got three or four places you want to start at, you may not know what your greatest weaknesses or opportunities are. And if you didn't gather enough information on how to get started and the first steps to take from that high-ranking speaker, call them for a freebie. And you may just want to "x" off that session or conference next year because the value didn't get delivered.

So, what have you done for you lately? (Sorry Janet, it's not about you). It's time to crank that Internet machine thing to the next level, right?! Do yourself a favor and start looking everywhere else but automotive and get your bearings. Why? Because there are Facebook pages selling more Snuggies than your website sells in service. There are blogs feeding more contacts to start-up S-E-O, K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E companies than you get leads from $199-a-month leases. And we have ourselves (and many vendors) to blame.

Start Thursday with a goal to add one task from your volume of Notes 'de Las Vegas and start it. Not Friday, not next week. October 28. Haven't secured your Google Places/Maps location? Do that or learn about it. Haven't secured your Foursquare venue? Have 60 domains you registered a bunch of years ago and one is perfect for a blog? Start it and who cares what it says as long as it says something about what your store is passionate about regarding your customers and the products you sell. But what have you done for you lately?

"Good thing I cook or else we'd starve to death..." How appropriate is that today? Automotive retailers must thank their customers for coming in year after year and driving off in new and pre-owned cars with little more than a smile. It was about the badge, the new product, the incentives and the advertisements. Now it's about you. Matter of fact it always was but the industry lucked out for more than a decade. So what have you done for you lately?

Yes there's half-cooked information all over. Yes, there's "experts" who haven fallen into something that, for obvious reasons, they can't quite explain in an hour on stage. Yes, there's going to be more consolidation in the indsutry which means your ____________ company may become part of another company you're not doing (or don't want to do) business with. But what have you done for you lately?

There are many really good, and some extremely good, tools and providers out there to settle for what someone in your Twenty Group has or what your read in an ad or study. Last week it was amazing to watch the Innovation Cup at the DrivingSales Executive Summit. The "let's never settle for me-too" juices were really flowing there. Put easily, if something can't be verified by a neurtal third party, don't necessarily run away, rather gain more information before making a decision. Chances are you're right that it wasn't a good choice in the first place.

Today you have to be prepared to do something for yourself and stick with it. Even though it's so easy to quit and go back to what you knew. It's also more costly than ever. If you invested the time and money to be around that much addictive behavior for a week or two in Las Vegas, everything you brought back deserves to come to life in your store. That is if you can find your notes among the free schwag of flying monkeys, free model cars, light-up bounding balls, mints, pens, flash drives, logo hats, t-shirts, notepads, shopping bags and fliers for products that are pay-for-it-now-cuase-it's-almost-to-market-so-you-can-be-first (wink, wink).

So what have you done for you lately? Come on, we've got to .......uh, wait....come on.....wait for it.....wait for it......you know you want it.....SELL MORE CARS!

Best Practices: Professional Insight, Powerful Results

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