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! 

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! 

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

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

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 

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 

1) Rapport Gets'em in the Door:  Smile!  Shoppers buy from people they like and trust, and that process begins from the first moment on the phone.  Be and sound happy and interested, and they will be, too.  They can see your smile through the phone, and always give it to them--so that they want to come see you and your vehicle for sale.
 

2) Conversation Leads to Conversion:  Give in Order to Get.  Give your name to get theirs; give your enthusiasm to get theirs; give your phone number to get theirs; give your urgency to get theirs; and so on.  And answer enough of their needs only to convert to the appointment, not close them on a vehicle.  Which is actually the next rule . . . 
 

3) Close on the Appointment, not on the Vehicle:  For best selection and terms, they must be present to win!  An appointment is faster and makes best use of their time; you'll have several vehicles pulled up and ready for them to choose from; the particular pre-owned vehicle is very popular so your manager is scheduling times for test drives; finance will already be prepared to discuss terms; etc.  An appointment gives all that in perception and is your well-proven best shot at actually delivering both a great shopping experience for your customer and a sale for you!
 

See the rest of the laws at www.shetterlyslaws.com.

1) Rapport Gets'em in the Door:  Smile!  Shoppers buy from people they like and trust, and that process begins from the first moment on the phone.  Be and sound happy and interested, and they will be, too.  They can see your smile through the phone, and always give it to them--so that they want to come see you and your vehicle for sale.
 

2) Conversation Leads to Conversion:  Give in Order to Get.  Give your name to get theirs; give your enthusiasm to get theirs; give your phone number to get theirs; give your urgency to get theirs; and so on.  And answer enough of their needs only to convert to the appointment, not close them on a vehicle.  Which is actually the next rule . . . 
 

3) Close on the Appointment, not on the Vehicle:  For best selection and terms, they must be present to win!  An appointment is faster and makes best use of their time; you'll have several vehicles pulled up and ready for them to choose from; the particular pre-owned vehicle is very popular so your manager is scheduling times for test drives; finance will already be prepared to discuss terms; etc.  An appointment gives all that in perception and is your well-proven best shot at actually delivering both a great shopping experience for your customer and a sale for you!
 

See the rest of the laws at www.shetterlyslaws.com.