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Grand Theft Auto - Customer!
Grand Theft Auto - Customer: It’s not a video game—it’s your real profits. How do other dealers steal your customers?
They park a PPC campaign on your dealership name. They use your dealership name in their SEO work. They hijack your Google Places results (just found and undid one of those!). And your Bing. And Yahoo. And so on. All because you’re not watching your digital presence and stopping it.
And you cooperate as theft victim, as well. You push your customers to review you on third-party review sites that sell ad space around your reviewsto your competitors. You pay to drive your customers to online inventory sites that lead shoppers off to other offers. And I’ve even seen links within a dealer’s Internet Autoresponder that invite customers to visit these sites to get stolen by competitors! In one particular case, a dealer’s Autoresponder was sending the shopper to a review site where they had 2-star reviews…
And this is all before these other competing dealers make any honest effort to reach out via a marketing campaign to conquer your customers in your area. And perhaps you help, as well, by not reaching out to your sold customers to get them in to your service drive—and your competitor has a strong customer retention program that keeps them once they get them.
So grab your Google Places, Yahoo, Bing, etc. Get ready for Google’s new “+1” strategy. Protect your dealership name with trademark and/or vigorous efforts as you can, plus SEO/PPC efforts of your own and (perhaps) a letter or two from a lawyer. Give great customer service and get great reviews from your customers in both sales and service. Get your sold customers in to your service drive. Set up a great customer retention program.
And stop being a victim of Grand Theft Auto - Customer!
by Keith Shetterly, Copyright 2011
keithshetterly@gmail.com
www.keithshetterly.com
Come see me at Brian Pasch's PCG PitStop! www.pcgpitstop.com
Dallas, L.A., St. Louis, Toronto, Vancouver, Seattle!
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Shetterly's 3 Laws of . . . Online Video
1) Keep It Short. People don't watch commercials, they Watch Shows and Put Up With Commercials. And the Internet did NOT improve their patience!
2) Make It Fun to Watch and Share. Entertainment is the largest video audience, NOT education--so tell a great story, show your product, and leave the detailed info for a store visit. And remember: If your video makes them smile, they'll share it.
3) Include Calls to Action and SEO. Tell your viewers to come buy something and how and why! And remind them to share your video--and don't forget to tag the video with your website URL, keywords, etc. so that you get the full value of online video SEO.
Copyright 2011 Keith Shetterly
keithshetterly@gmail.com
www.ShetterlysLaws.com
www.KeithShetterly.com
www.twitter.com/keithshetterly
www.fullofshetterly.com
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TurnUPtheSales.com
Shetterly's 3 Laws of . . . Online Video
1) Keep It Short. People don't watch commercials, they Watch Shows and Put Up With Commercials. And the Internet did NOT improve their patience!
2) Make It Fun to Watch and Share. Entertainment is the largest video audience, NOT education--so tell a great story, show your product, and leave the detailed info for a store visit. And remember: If your video makes them smile, they'll share it.
3) Include Calls to Action and SEO. Tell your viewers to come buy something and how and why! And remind them to share your video--and don't forget to tag the video with your website URL, keywords, etc. so that you get the full value of online video SEO.
Copyright 2011 Keith Shetterly
keithshetterly@gmail.com
www.ShetterlysLaws.com
www.KeithShetterly.com
www.twitter.com/keithshetterly
www.fullofshetterly.com
No Comments
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Shut Up and Help Me Convert!
Those that know me or read my professional blogs know that I'm a GREAT believer in processes, and that I consider that many, many dealerships' profits would increase dramatically from just making THOSE EXISTING PROCESSES WORK FOR THEM. And we never want process to fail us, sure, but it's especially painful when we've gotten a customer in from a call, landed them on a car--and our process blows up in, say, finance. And they walk out.
Well, we need to consider our web conversions ARE JUST AS PAINFUL IF NOT MORE. We do SEO, PPC, integrated marketing campaigns, email, etc. . . . spend many thousands of dollars a month on all that . . . to get the shopper on to our website. And that visit somehow still blows up on, say, online pricing. Or website usability. Or unanswered questions and no one to talk to. And they click out. We call that "bounce rate", as in "We need a low bounce rate!!!".
Except what we should be saying is: "We need a high conversion rate!!!"
My mantra for 2011 for all vendors, consultants, and 3rd parties I deal with who want a dealership's business: "Shut Up and Help Me Convert!" Or go home and come back when you can.
Your website better be fewest clicks to inventory and get the shopper to submit a lead. You better support easy landing pages for a PPC campaign that offer incentives to convert. Your chat better offer a great experience that leads the customer to give up contact information. And your ability to drive phone calls from the web better be second to none.
I am not kidding. You had better shut up and help me convert, or get the hell out of my way, for the rest of 2011.
by Keith Shetterly, Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved
keithshetterly@gmail.com www.keithshetterly.com
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TurnUPtheSales.com
Shut Up and Help Me Convert!
Those that know me or read my professional blogs know that I'm a GREAT believer in processes, and that I consider that many, many dealerships' profits would increase dramatically from just making THOSE EXISTING PROCESSES WORK FOR THEM. And we never want process to fail us, sure, but it's especially painful when we've gotten a customer in from a call, landed them on a car--and our process blows up in, say, finance. And they walk out.
Well, we need to consider our web conversions ARE JUST AS PAINFUL IF NOT MORE. We do SEO, PPC, integrated marketing campaigns, email, etc. . . . spend many thousands of dollars a month on all that . . . to get the shopper on to our website. And that visit somehow still blows up on, say, online pricing. Or website usability. Or unanswered questions and no one to talk to. And they click out. We call that "bounce rate", as in "We need a low bounce rate!!!".
Except what we should be saying is: "We need a high conversion rate!!!"
My mantra for 2011 for all vendors, consultants, and 3rd parties I deal with who want a dealership's business: "Shut Up and Help Me Convert!" Or go home and come back when you can.
Your website better be fewest clicks to inventory and get the shopper to submit a lead. You better support easy landing pages for a PPC campaign that offer incentives to convert. Your chat better offer a great experience that leads the customer to give up contact information. And your ability to drive phone calls from the web better be second to none.
I am not kidding. You had better shut up and help me convert, or get the hell out of my way, for the rest of 2011.
by Keith Shetterly, Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved
keithshetterly@gmail.com www.keithshetterly.com
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Shetterly's 3 Laws of . . . Internet Leads
1) Don't Forget to Still Answer the Sales Calls Correctly: An inbound sales call on average is much more valuable than an Internet lead. Studies show that nearly 8 out of 10 shoppers who contact us from our web presence call us for that first contact. Just because Internet Leads might be easier to measure doesn't mean you can or should ignore needing great sales phone skills on your inbound sales line--online shoppers are going to call you, so be prepared to close them on an appointment!
2) Be Ready to Work for Your Money: The only fact you actually know about an Internet lead is that you got one. The email address might be wrong; the vehicle of interest might be the result by a bad shopper selection; the lead might be a prank (on your dealership or on the shopper); etc. Really, all you know for a fact is that you got a lead, so work it via email and phone until you are sure that you've done your best to get the information needed to reach the shopper. And then . . . CALL them, if you can. See the next rule.
3) The First Bird Gets the Worm: Any sale from an Internet lead will most often go to the first dealership to convert the lead to a good phone call. Of the 22% or so of online shoppers that do email you or send in a lead, email them back immediately what they want to know with calls to action, especially ones that will lead them to call you. And, if the shopper gave up a phone number in the lead or email, my successful rule is to also call them immediately--and with compelling reasons to talk to you and come in as soon as they can. Great phone skills still get you sales from the Internet, and likely will for some time to come.
By Keith Shetterly, keithshetterly@gmail.com
Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved www.keithshetterly.com
www.twitter.com/keithshetterly
www.youtube.com/keithshetterly
www.shetterlyslaws.com
No Comments
TurnUPtheSales.com
Shetterly's 3 Laws of . . . Internet Leads
1) Don't Forget to Still Answer the Sales Calls Correctly: An inbound sales call on average is much more valuable than an Internet lead. Studies show that nearly 8 out of 10 shoppers who contact us from our web presence call us for that first contact. Just because Internet Leads might be easier to measure doesn't mean you can or should ignore needing great sales phone skills on your inbound sales line--online shoppers are going to call you, so be prepared to close them on an appointment!
2) Be Ready to Work for Your Money: The only fact you actually know about an Internet lead is that you got one. The email address might be wrong; the vehicle of interest might be the result by a bad shopper selection; the lead might be a prank (on your dealership or on the shopper); etc. Really, all you know for a fact is that you got a lead, so work it via email and phone until you are sure that you've done your best to get the information needed to reach the shopper. And then . . . CALL them, if you can. See the next rule.
3) The First Bird Gets the Worm: Any sale from an Internet lead will most often go to the first dealership to convert the lead to a good phone call. Of the 22% or so of online shoppers that do email you or send in a lead, email them back immediately what they want to know with calls to action, especially ones that will lead them to call you. And, if the shopper gave up a phone number in the lead or email, my successful rule is to also call them immediately--and with compelling reasons to talk to you and come in as soon as they can. Great phone skills still get you sales from the Internet, and likely will for some time to come.
By Keith Shetterly, keithshetterly@gmail.com
Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved www.keithshetterly.com
www.twitter.com/keithshetterly
www.youtube.com/keithshetterly
www.shetterlyslaws.com
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My Online Vehicle Advertising Gorilla Ate My Digital Homework
Silly title, yeah, but here's my point: Is Autotrader's purchase of Vin Solutions the "death knell" for other Website/CRM/Digital/etc. vendors in automotive? Do I need do no more study or market homework for tool selection, and so I just have to call Autotrader to get all my strongest needs satisfied? To the first question, I don't personally think so IF the other vendors focus on improving their products to compete. At least not for a while. To the second question, well, I'd guess that was Autotrader's intent, which I am thankful for, but I am wary to make sure something of this size will stay focused on my and my dealer's needs.
In my career that includes several other non-automotive vertical markets, I've been through a number of tool-market consolidations that moved us away from the "best of breed" mentality--and I can say from personal experience that consolidation can be good, bad, or both for the end user.
In this case, I think the complimentary products of the Autotrader suite, and the vision of cleaning up the data integration and marketing nightmares that happen with multiple vendors already, are definitely very good things for us in the industry and for dealers. The bad thing is that while the inflatable gorilla is (rightly, and yay!) disappearing from the top of our buildings, it is being possibly replaced by a much-heavier Autotrader gorilla that is now strongly inserted in a position to influence the bulk of our used car supply chain, especially for marketing and pricing. Autotrader, HomeNet, vAuto, KBB, CDMData--and now VinSolutions. That's quite a gorilla.
And, as long as that gorilla stays off my roof, I don't see that as a direct threat to business, and I loudly applaud the independence that Autotrader has given and still gives to the purchased products it has added. I hope they always do that.
And that's the possible threat in the future that I do worry about--because I worked many years for, and worked for many more years with, another gorilla called Microsoft. My hope is that Autotrader continues to work to provide tools (by development and purchase) that we can use, and never to provide tools they control us to use. That was the Microsoft mistake, which ultimately involved the Department of Justice (you can see a very minor reference to little ol' me in that mess here).
My hat's off to Autotrader and to Vin Solutions, as this particular marriage makes more sense than just about any other acquisition for several years now in the automotive space. I look forward to some great things from both of them!
Let's all just have an eye out for this new gorilla and make sure he never sits on our dealership building. We can't afford that weight on the roof. And neither, frankly, in my experience can Autotrader.
So, keep watch that new gorilla doesn't ever show up there, and go enjoy the results of this new arrangement for your dealerships. There's a whole lot of good here: Let's use it!
Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved www.keithshetterly.com
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My Online Vehicle Advertising Gorilla Ate My Digital Homework
Silly title, yeah, but here's my point: Is Autotrader's purchase of Vin Solutions the "death knell" for other Website/CRM/Digital/etc. vendors in automotive? Do I need do no more study or market homework for tool selection, and so I just have to call Autotrader to get all my strongest needs satisfied? To the first question, I don't personally think so IF the other vendors focus on improving their products to compete. At least not for a while. To the second question, well, I'd guess that was Autotrader's intent, which I am thankful for, but I am wary to make sure something of this size will stay focused on my and my dealer's needs.
In my career that includes several other non-automotive vertical markets, I've been through a number of tool-market consolidations that moved us away from the "best of breed" mentality--and I can say from personal experience that consolidation can be good, bad, or both for the end user.
In this case, I think the complimentary products of the Autotrader suite, and the vision of cleaning up the data integration and marketing nightmares that happen with multiple vendors already, are definitely very good things for us in the industry and for dealers. The bad thing is that while the inflatable gorilla is (rightly, and yay!) disappearing from the top of our buildings, it is being possibly replaced by a much-heavier Autotrader gorilla that is now strongly inserted in a position to influence the bulk of our used car supply chain, especially for marketing and pricing. Autotrader, HomeNet, vAuto, KBB, CDMData--and now VinSolutions. That's quite a gorilla.
And, as long as that gorilla stays off my roof, I don't see that as a direct threat to business, and I loudly applaud the independence that Autotrader has given and still gives to the purchased products it has added. I hope they always do that.
And that's the possible threat in the future that I do worry about--because I worked many years for, and worked for many more years with, another gorilla called Microsoft. My hope is that Autotrader continues to work to provide tools (by development and purchase) that we can use, and never to provide tools they control us to use. That was the Microsoft mistake, which ultimately involved the Department of Justice (you can see a very minor reference to little ol' me in that mess here).
My hat's off to Autotrader and to Vin Solutions, as this particular marriage makes more sense than just about any other acquisition for several years now in the automotive space. I look forward to some great things from both of them!
Let's all just have an eye out for this new gorilla and make sure he never sits on our dealership building. We can't afford that weight on the roof. And neither, frankly, in my experience can Autotrader.
So, keep watch that new gorilla doesn't ever show up there, and go enjoy the results of this new arrangement for your dealerships. There's a whole lot of good here: Let's use it!
Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved www.keithshetterly.com
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The Good Ol’ Boy Network (GOBN) Limits Dealer Success
The Good Ol’ Boy Network (GOBN) of the car business limits us in how we apply experienced and/or capable people, how we run our dealership’s business, and in how we approach women in this business for everything from ownership, to manager spots, to sales positions. And, by doing all that, limits our success. And our profitability. Let me tell you my own experience with the car business GOBN, and then I’ll address the point I’m making on limits.
I came to the car business in my 40’s (I’m now 52) with experience ranging from owning my own business, to Fortune 100 Consulting, to several years at Microsoft. I entered the sales floor, as perhaps many do, because I had a financial issue—I had a cash flow problem with my business, and so I was making an effort to offset that slowdown.
I was privileged to work with several great salespeople who were happy with me until I started selling #1 consistently. Eventually, they came back to liking me, but what really happened next was inevitable: I knew so much about sales and marketing, and the dealership group’s attention to marketing and the Internet was severely lagging. They couldn’t run a marketing program in any coordinated fashion to save their lives. I tried to help, but I ran right smack into the GOBN: I couldn’t possibly understand the car business! And the people they had running all the marketing and Internet were just fine. Really. They knew them all very well, how could it be otherwise??
And so I sold lots of cars and left when my cash was right again. The main store’s GM called me very shortly after that, though, and he said “I get it even if other’s don’t. I need your help in a BDC with phones and Internet, can you come back and help me?” And so I did. And a shout-out to my old GM, Mike, by the way: Thanks very much for that!
He and I worked together and took the BDC—even back then—to running 40% of the dealer’s vehicle retail business. I eventually moved on to an eCommerce position at a large group, and for me the rest is history as they say—I’m now an independent consultant (www.keithshetterly.com), but I still have all that experience, both outside and inside the car business. Plus I qualify now for some entry into that GOBN. Who knew?
Though that’s still not true with everyone who considers me, because I’m not twenty years in this business making all the same mistakes they are making (if not direct business mistakes, then business-limiting mistakes because they are still GOBN-oriented).
So, what are a few of the most common GOBN limits? First, that experience outside the car business isn’t any strong help to a dealership; second, that running the dealership AS a business, instead of by GOBN “relationship decisions", is not possible nor profitable; and, third, that women are never, ever part of the GOBN.
Yeah. I said it. Women are limited by the GOBN in the car business. Still. I’ll write more on that in a minute.
I already covered the GOBN’s reaction to experienced and capable people when I wrote about my own entry into the car business. What I see for GOBN for relationships that hold back their business success is perhaps best given in questions: Who knows a GM who buys a random direct mail piece because his buddy at another dealership “killed it” and sold “fifty cars” from it last month? Or has seen the management clearing-out that happens with some GM regime changes? Or still sees print advertising spend over digital because the GM has a long-standing relationship with the local newspaper? And so on. Exactly.
And back to women, then, to wrap up, and I’ll ask some more questions: How many women GMs and managers are there? Would a successful woman ever get online as a dealership Marketing Director and write on an automotive professional blog site (using both their personal name and their dealer’s name) in angry posts, some containing profanity (see the thread here, be warned)? Would even my actions there be done differently? Why do lots of capable women leave the sales floor? Why do the ones who stay do so well and yet cause such jealousy?
GOBN, that’s why. For all of that and more.
We need experienced, capable people with new ideas; we need to run our dealerships as a business, not as clubs; and we need more women in sales, management, and ownership.
And we lag on all these because of the limit of the GOBN, both in business practice and in attitude. Removing that limit will do more for long-term dealership success than any new efforts on Internet, Social Media, Reputation Management, etc. ever will alone—simply because those are all really most successful when change for business success is really embraced.
And the car-business GOBN hates change. Have you noticed? So did the dinosaurs, perhaps, and they are now encased in rock. Don’t be a GOBN fossil and miss modern success and profit.
Change.
By Keith Shetterly, keithshetterly@gmail.com
Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved www.keithshetterly.com
www.twitter.com/keithshetterly
www.youtube.com/keithshetterly
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