1. “Quiet Panther” (安靜的每週獅): Websites Should Be Seen and Not Heard
You wouldn’t set off the horns of every one of your showroom cars just as a customer opens the door—so don’t do it on the Web! Remember, customers with jobs don’t need the “Boss I’m Car Shopping Instead of Working” alarm to go off at their own desk. Use sound where it makes sense, but let the shoppers choose when to turn it on:  Make friends and sales with your site, not unemployment!

2. “Running Tiger” (執行老虎): Driving Traffic via SEO is More Than Just Meta Tags and Page Titles
Don’t expect your current success via yesterday’s SEO to last—are you creating and posting online video on your site?  Do you use off-site video?  Are you pursuing back-links from Social Media? Do you blog?  The Internet isn’t a RonCo “Set It and Forget It” appliance, so don’t treat it that way.  Stay on top of it. And if you use a vendor, use one with a great SEO reputation in automotive.

3. “Dancing Monkey” (跳舞猴子):  Live Chat to a Dead Head is Only Good at Concerts
The mega fans of The Grateful Dead should never provide live chat services—are you checking what you’re getting with your online chat service? Make sure they answer well and successfully set appointments by “mystery chatting” them yourself.  And do it often.  Good chat is a very valuable sales conversion tool—you worked hard to get the shopper to your site, so start the sales engagement there…and not lose sales to a bad website “Hello”. Which happens all too often.

4. “Lightning Snake” (閃電蛇): Using Short Videos Means Never Having to Say We Suck
Twenty seconds is a long time on the Internet.  Don’t be afraid to edit down your customers’ video testimonials before you post them, or better yet tell them briefly how to “get to the meat” when they talk.  Even the most positive but too-long testimonial says “We Suck!” out in the wilds of the Internet.  And also get that video walk-around down to the “Quick and Powerful” level.  And one more thing: Be sure to scroll your website and phone number across the bottom of all videos—don’t waste those precious few seconds of a customer's attention by not doing the right self-promoting.

5. “Knowing Crane” (知道蒼鷺): The Buzz of Social Media Might be From the Chainsaw You’re
Taking to Your Business
You need to get past the buzz words with Social Media, and in a hurry—you shouldn't just "buy services" for this, you need to understand and plan what you're doing.  Do you know how to use social media for your fixed ops, how to respond to Facebook issues on sales and service, and how to create business for yourself on Facebook and other Social Media?  You would laugh at someone who walked into a party and shoved his business car rudely under everyone’s nose—so don’t be that dork in Social Media! Learn how to interact or you'll get ignored, or, worse, derided in business-killing ways.  Do you watch your social media reputation? Google? Yelp?  Do you manage your Facebook fan pages several times a day? Do you watch Twitter for your business’ name—what are people saying about you?  And there's so much more!

by Keith Shetterly, Consultant
keithshetterly@gmail.com