We all know that we have to have a handle on Social Media these days to watch what people are saying online about us as a business.  Yesterday, I did my 4square check in at a local establishment and pushed to twitter mentioning Ed, as he likes to frequent McDonalds on occasion on 4square.  Ed had responded where he was eating through twitter.  Within minutes, Chili's responded to Ed and myself. The one thing that took me back was that Ed didn't mention @Chili's; He just said that he was there.  Chili's engaged immediately with "Thanks for coming in! Hope you enjoy your lunch!"

One thing that we all as dealers can learn from this that we have to make sure that we all have alerts set up when 'your dealership' is mentioned.  There are several tools out there to do this.  When someone wants to rant about a bad, or good experience, we can engage sooner than later.

We all have to remember that being involved in social media is just that.  We have to be social and engage with the customer via these medias.  Customers like to be vocal and this is a place where they feel they can vent or praise someone to a large group of people. This is where our customers are and we have to be there as well and not just be posting links to inventory pages. (Yes, dealers are still doing this.) 

What have you done to stay engaged with the customer via Facebook and Twitter and what are your successes?

We all know that we have to have a handle on Social Media these days to watch what people are saying online about us as a business.  Yesterday, I did my 4square check in at a local establishment and pushed to twitter mentioning Ed, as he likes to frequent McDonalds on occasion on 4square.  Ed had responded where he was eating through twitter.  Within minutes, Chili's responded to Ed and myself. The one thing that took me back was that Ed didn't mention @Chili's; He just said that he was there.  Chili's engaged immediately with "Thanks for coming in! Hope you enjoy your lunch!"

One thing that we all as dealers can learn from this that we have to make sure that we all have alerts set up when 'your dealership' is mentioned.  There are several tools out there to do this.  When someone wants to rant about a bad, or good experience, we can engage sooner than later.

We all have to remember that being involved in social media is just that.  We have to be social and engage with the customer via these medias.  Customers like to be vocal and this is a place where they feel they can vent or praise someone to a large group of people. This is where our customers are and we have to be there as well and not just be posting links to inventory pages. (Yes, dealers are still doing this.) 

What have you done to stay engaged with the customer via Facebook and Twitter and what are your successes?

Can you believe it?  2013 is almost here.  I am reflecting on the last year and how the business has changed and how it will change in the year to come, that is, if we make it through December 21, 2012.  I am going through goals for next year and thought this would be something to pass along to the community.  How do you come up with your goals?  Are you looking at the last year or two and the different trends that are taking place?  That is one thing that I look at and focus on for our business at our dealership.  

So how do you come up with the smart goals?  What is important to you and the dealership.  When making your goals, this is something to take into account.

S - Be specific in your goals.  Don't be generic and say 'I want to increase sales through more website traffic' or something to that affect.  Be SPECIFIC and how you want to get to that next level.

M - Make sure that they are measurable.  I know that when I look at where I am tracking, I am always looking at how we are doing vs. previous years, months, etc.  How are you going to MEASURE it?

A - Make it ATTAINABLE.  It is one thing to have goals, but if it isn't realistic, then you might as well not have any goals at all.  Don't shoot too high and don't shoot too low.  I know that I like to look at a moderate increase depending on the goal that is set.

R - This goes back to the attainable.  Make it REALISTIC.  If you make it so high, and you keep failing hitting those goals month after month, you will only get frustrated and feel like you are a failure.  Make those goals within reach, but make them so that you do have to work harder.

T - Make them TIMEBOUND.  Put a time limit on these goals and make sure that you are tracking them on a monthly basis.  If you are looking at a year long goal, look at it month after month to see where you are tracking in hitting your goals.  

This is an excersize that I do year in and year out.  I want to make sure that we as a dealership are making strides, but need to make sure that we are tracking in the right areas.  

What are some of the goals that you are shooting for in 2013?

Can you believe it?  2013 is almost here.  I am reflecting on the last year and how the business has changed and how it will change in the year to come, that is, if we make it through December 21, 2012.  I am going through goals for next year and thought this would be something to pass along to the community.  How do you come up with your goals?  Are you looking at the last year or two and the different trends that are taking place?  That is one thing that I look at and focus on for our business at our dealership.  

So how do you come up with the smart goals?  What is important to you and the dealership.  When making your goals, this is something to take into account.

S - Be specific in your goals.  Don't be generic and say 'I want to increase sales through more website traffic' or something to that affect.  Be SPECIFIC and how you want to get to that next level.

M - Make sure that they are measurable.  I know that when I look at where I am tracking, I am always looking at how we are doing vs. previous years, months, etc.  How are you going to MEASURE it?

A - Make it ATTAINABLE.  It is one thing to have goals, but if it isn't realistic, then you might as well not have any goals at all.  Don't shoot too high and don't shoot too low.  I know that I like to look at a moderate increase depending on the goal that is set.

R - This goes back to the attainable.  Make it REALISTIC.  If you make it so high, and you keep failing hitting those goals month after month, you will only get frustrated and feel like you are a failure.  Make those goals within reach, but make them so that you do have to work harder.

T - Make them TIMEBOUND.  Put a time limit on these goals and make sure that you are tracking them on a monthly basis.  If you are looking at a year long goal, look at it month after month to see where you are tracking in hitting your goals.  

This is an excersize that I do year in and year out.  I want to make sure that we as a dealership are making strides, but need to make sure that we are tracking in the right areas.  

What are some of the goals that you are shooting for in 2013?

Last month, I had wrote about some changes that were possibly coming to Google Plus Local. (If you missed it, you can read it here.)  I just logged into our Google Plus Local page to check on our reviews and if anything needed to be addressed.  To my surprise, the ratings of 1-3 were gone.  They are now from Poor to Fair up to Excellent.  

Google has listened to the retail environment and they are making those changes that I spoke of last month.  I did log out to see if it was possible to write a review as an anonymous writer, but that option isn't there....yet.  The gal that I sat next to on the plane did insinuate that it was coming that a customer would be able to write an anonymous review of a business.  

I did notice the Zagit 30 point rating system was still in place, but in the review itself, it is in plain English.  Now having words that a potential customer will see and understand will help dramatically instead of seeing the 1-3 rating and then the rating on a 30 point scale.  This should eliminate any confusion for them.  

I guess we will see in the near future what other changes we will have with G+ Local.  I know that I am excited to see this and hope you all are as well.  What are your thoughts on this small change so far?

Last month, I had wrote about some changes that were possibly coming to Google Plus Local. (If you missed it, you can read it here.)  I just logged into our Google Plus Local page to check on our reviews and if anything needed to be addressed.  To my surprise, the ratings of 1-3 were gone.  They are now from Poor to Fair up to Excellent.  

Google has listened to the retail environment and they are making those changes that I spoke of last month.  I did log out to see if it was possible to write a review as an anonymous writer, but that option isn't there....yet.  The gal that I sat next to on the plane did insinuate that it was coming that a customer would be able to write an anonymous review of a business.  

I did notice the Zagit 30 point rating system was still in place, but in the review itself, it is in plain English.  Now having words that a potential customer will see and understand will help dramatically instead of seeing the 1-3 rating and then the rating on a 30 point scale.  This should eliminate any confusion for them.  

I guess we will see in the near future what other changes we will have with G+ Local.  I know that I am excited to see this and hope you all are as well.  What are your thoughts on this small change so far?

As I look at the calendar, I can’t believe that October is right around the corner.  Where has this year gone?  It has been the year of mobile, social, and Google Plus and Local.  Now that we are going into the 4^th quarter already, are you getting your strategies together for 2013?  Yes, I said 2013.  It is right around the corner.  Have you seen the growth that you wanted to see this year?  Are your profits down or up?  Where are you at and where do you want to be?  Now is the time to start strategizing for 2013 and an incredible year.

On big thing that I see is salespeople need to get more social.  There are several in the industry that are doing it right, but so many do it wrong.  We all know what the social impact has been in the automotive industry has been. We see dealerships having their "like" pages on Facebook, YouTube channels, twitter accounts, blogs, and the list goes on and on.  Now we are facing another giant that has been a sleeper for the last several year, MySpace. Just one more that dealers may have to deal with.

We all have these tools at our fingertips, but are we using them to the fullest potential?  One thing that I have noticed is that there aren't many salespeople taking advantage of these avenues to their fullest capacity. It is free and I love free! I have a feeling that a lot of people just don't know how to utilize them effectively. I see a few, but they are few and far between.

Youtube- One great example is Elise Kephart from Sunset Honda in CA.  She utilizes her YouTube channel like no one in the industry. She has branded herself as the YouTube diva and deserves every bit of it.  (On a side note, PLEASE DO NOT submit an inquiry on a vehicle with her as she takes her job very seriously and takes a lot of time to produce individual videos for each inquiry.)

Facebook is a very powerful tool for salespeople. I feel that it can be more powerful than a standard dealership page.  When building your relationship with your customer, be their friend. After the sale, become friends on Facebook, or better yet, set up a like page for yourself and have them "like" you. The impact that you can have just by posting a picture of them and tagging them in it is unbelievable. I have seen over 30 comments on one photo and it ended up generating 2 referral sales for that salesperson on one picture just by doing something out of the norm.

I have yet to come across one blog that is strictly for a salesperson.  If you have one, please share below.

LinkedIn is another avenue that salespeople can capitalize on.  There, you can get recommendations from your customers and show your resume to your customers and how successful you have been in the automotive industry.

So, how are you going to make your 2013 the best year ever in the car business?  Get social and do it 100% of the time.  It will pay off.  You have to make yourself stand out more so than ever.  When I mystery shop, I see the same thing time and time again.  Be different and think outside the box and like a shopper.  Start your commitments now.  It takes 30+ days to create a habit.  Do it early and often and set yourself up for an incredible 2013.

As I look at the calendar, I can’t believe that October is right around the corner.  Where has this year gone?  It has been the year of mobile, social, and Google Plus and Local.  Now that we are going into the 4^th quarter already, are you getting your strategies together for 2013?  Yes, I said 2013.  It is right around the corner.  Have you seen the growth that you wanted to see this year?  Are your profits down or up?  Where are you at and where do you want to be?  Now is the time to start strategizing for 2013 and an incredible year.

On big thing that I see is salespeople need to get more social.  There are several in the industry that are doing it right, but so many do it wrong.  We all know what the social impact has been in the automotive industry has been. We see dealerships having their "like" pages on Facebook, YouTube channels, twitter accounts, blogs, and the list goes on and on.  Now we are facing another giant that has been a sleeper for the last several year, MySpace. Just one more that dealers may have to deal with.

We all have these tools at our fingertips, but are we using them to the fullest potential?  One thing that I have noticed is that there aren't many salespeople taking advantage of these avenues to their fullest capacity. It is free and I love free! I have a feeling that a lot of people just don't know how to utilize them effectively. I see a few, but they are few and far between.

Youtube- One great example is Elise Kephart from Sunset Honda in CA.  She utilizes her YouTube channel like no one in the industry. She has branded herself as the YouTube diva and deserves every bit of it.  (On a side note, PLEASE DO NOT submit an inquiry on a vehicle with her as she takes her job very seriously and takes a lot of time to produce individual videos for each inquiry.)

Facebook is a very powerful tool for salespeople. I feel that it can be more powerful than a standard dealership page.  When building your relationship with your customer, be their friend. After the sale, become friends on Facebook, or better yet, set up a like page for yourself and have them "like" you. The impact that you can have just by posting a picture of them and tagging them in it is unbelievable. I have seen over 30 comments on one photo and it ended up generating 2 referral sales for that salesperson on one picture just by doing something out of the norm.

I have yet to come across one blog that is strictly for a salesperson.  If you have one, please share below.

LinkedIn is another avenue that salespeople can capitalize on.  There, you can get recommendations from your customers and show your resume to your customers and how successful you have been in the automotive industry.

So, how are you going to make your 2013 the best year ever in the car business?  Get social and do it 100% of the time.  It will pay off.  You have to make yourself stand out more so than ever.  When I mystery shop, I see the same thing time and time again.  Be different and think outside the box and like a shopper.  Start your commitments now.  It takes 30+ days to create a habit.  Do it early and often and set yourself up for an incredible 2013.