ActivEngage, the most trusted brand in automotive live chat brings the top ten blogs and news stories right to you! We monitor industry trends, current events, and the auto dealer community every week to bring you the top ten blogs and stories from around the globe. In this weekly edition- search and social, no to Yelp, and the TCLE Act.

10. 9th Annual Clients & Friends Workshop

Please do not miss this awesome opportunity and remember only 100 tickets are available for the November 12th -13th Kain Automotive event in Lexington, KY.

9. Great Products Do Not Sell Themselves

Assuming that a fantastic product will inevitably find a way to customers is dangerous because it’s false.  No product sells itself.  Check out the life and times of Nikola Tesla as an example.

8. The 5 “Believes”

These 5 ‘Believes’ can take you farther than just great. Master them and you can be the best. You can set the standard for your company and for your industry if you believe you can. Set your mind to it and don’t settle for anything less. You were born for greatness.

7. Search and Social will not be Separate Marketing Endeavors in 2014

Search is getting more social. Anyone who is watching the way that Google and Bing present their results and determine rankings on keywords can see this. Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest (not to mention Google+, which is trying to seamlessly tie in search with social) are all becoming more prominent in search while continuing to improve their own internal search engines. These two facts are pushing us towards a collision course where search marketing and social marketing are becoming the same overall concept.

6.  Why a Digital Marketing Expert Still Believes in TV Advertising

A recently conducted study showed that television not only builds dealership brand awareness, it amplifies other marketing channels dealerships use to reach customers, including email campaigns, Web site targeting, direct mail and paid and organic search.

5. Why We Said No to Yelp Ads Twice

From Aaron Wirtz at Subaru of Wichita, “Yelp prides itself on being a search engine for low-funnel shoppers ready to make a decision. If this is so effective, then why are the ads served up in the Wichita area only marginally relevant?”

4. Google Glass for Vehicle Merchandising

Dan Fontaine, e-Commerce Director for the Colonial Automotive Group, shows us what dealers can do with Google Glass.

3.  How Social Data Changes Everything We Know About Marketing Strategies

Conventional marketing is like trying to hit a thousand bull's-eyes with one arrow. For too long, marketers have accepted absurdly low conversion rates for the deployment of an an email or banner ad, with a singular message for a massive audience. Personalized marketing using social data-triggered programmatic techniques, on the other hand, can be scaled from an extremely narrow, niche audience ("18-22 year old males in Portland who like Daft Punk") to an audience numbering in the hundreds of thousands ("18-22 year olds who like electronic music").

2. No Cell Phone Calls and No SMS Messages Without Consent

The new Telephone Communication Law Enforcement began two days ago. Did you prepare yourself?

1. I Love Chinese Food! Hey!

The mastermind behind the infamous, yet super-viral, Rebecca Black “Friday” song unleashed a new song, “Chinese Food,” this week that instantly became another Internet sensation.

_

Did we miss anything important? Like our top ten blogs this week? Leave us a comment below! Or if you really can’t wait for your automotive fix, follow @activengage on Twitter for daily updates on auto industry news!

ActivEngage, the most trusted brand in automotive live chat brings the top ten blogs and news stories right to you! We monitor industry trends, current events, and the auto dealer community every week to bring you the top ten blogs and stories from around the globe. In this weekly edition- search and social, no to Yelp, and the TCLE Act.

10. 9th Annual Clients & Friends Workshop

Please do not miss this awesome opportunity and remember only 100 tickets are available for the November 12th -13th Kain Automotive event in Lexington, KY.

9. Great Products Do Not Sell Themselves

Assuming that a fantastic product will inevitably find a way to customers is dangerous because it’s false.  No product sells itself.  Check out the life and times of Nikola Tesla as an example.

8. The 5 “Believes”

These 5 ‘Believes’ can take you farther than just great. Master them and you can be the best. You can set the standard for your company and for your industry if you believe you can. Set your mind to it and don’t settle for anything less. You were born for greatness.

7. Search and Social will not be Separate Marketing Endeavors in 2014

Search is getting more social. Anyone who is watching the way that Google and Bing present their results and determine rankings on keywords can see this. Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest (not to mention Google+, which is trying to seamlessly tie in search with social) are all becoming more prominent in search while continuing to improve their own internal search engines. These two facts are pushing us towards a collision course where search marketing and social marketing are becoming the same overall concept.

6.  Why a Digital Marketing Expert Still Believes in TV Advertising

A recently conducted study showed that television not only builds dealership brand awareness, it amplifies other marketing channels dealerships use to reach customers, including email campaigns, Web site targeting, direct mail and paid and organic search.

5. Why We Said No to Yelp Ads Twice

From Aaron Wirtz at Subaru of Wichita, “Yelp prides itself on being a search engine for low-funnel shoppers ready to make a decision. If this is so effective, then why are the ads served up in the Wichita area only marginally relevant?”

4. Google Glass for Vehicle Merchandising

Dan Fontaine, e-Commerce Director for the Colonial Automotive Group, shows us what dealers can do with Google Glass.

3.  How Social Data Changes Everything We Know About Marketing Strategies

Conventional marketing is like trying to hit a thousand bull's-eyes with one arrow. For too long, marketers have accepted absurdly low conversion rates for the deployment of an an email or banner ad, with a singular message for a massive audience. Personalized marketing using social data-triggered programmatic techniques, on the other hand, can be scaled from an extremely narrow, niche audience ("18-22 year old males in Portland who like Daft Punk") to an audience numbering in the hundreds of thousands ("18-22 year olds who like electronic music").

2. No Cell Phone Calls and No SMS Messages Without Consent

The new Telephone Communication Law Enforcement began two days ago. Did you prepare yourself?

1. I Love Chinese Food! Hey!

The mastermind behind the infamous, yet super-viral, Rebecca Black “Friday” song unleashed a new song, “Chinese Food,” this week that instantly became another Internet sensation.

_

Did we miss anything important? Like our top ten blogs this week? Leave us a comment below! Or if you really can’t wait for your automotive fix, follow @activengage on Twitter for daily updates on auto industry news!

When you’ve been in the auto business for almost 30 years, you learn to appreciate quality. Fort Wayne, Indiana’s Curt Richards has seen it all. From the sales floor to the finance department, as an Internet Manager, and most recently as a BDC Administrator, Curt oversees the operations of a business development center that supports sales, parts and service operations for 4 franchises. 

Choosing a Live Chat Provider was a No-Brainer

“Chat was first brought in by the manufacturer as part of an e-Commerce package. It was terrible. We just didn’t have the time to fully utilize it in-house,” says Richards, whose days are already packed with sales leads programs, incentive administration management, and direct sales support. It was time for the dealer group to upgrade – and they discovered a professionally managed chat partner in ActivEngage. 

30% Appointment Rate and 20% Closing Ratio

Two years after enlisting the help of ActivEngage’s fully managed live chat team, Curt can’tthink of anything bad to say about the service. “The ActivEngage Virtual Sales team studies our website, they know our promotions, and they are trained to have fluid conversations,” says Richards, confirming that ActivEngage sets walk-in appointments for 30% of all chats taken. Richards’ sales team at Fort Wayne is also able to close 19 - 20% of the chat appointments set.

“I speak with my Customer Success Manager about twice a month, and they have proven that I can expect nothing less than superior service from the ActivEngage team. There are no glitches or mishaps that aren’t immediately resolved,” Curt says. “You just can’t put a price tag on our relationship with ActivEngage and the service they provide to my stores.”

Curt Richards knows that car shoppers are now making purchase decisions almost entirely online. “From our standpoint, ActivEngage simply offers an extremely cost-effective solution. They’re a very valuable partner in our sales process. We can see the difference.”

----

Would you like to be featured in an ActivEngage My Chat Story? Simply comment below and we'll get in touch with you right away! 

When you’ve been in the auto business for almost 30 years, you learn to appreciate quality. Fort Wayne, Indiana’s Curt Richards has seen it all. From the sales floor to the finance department, as an Internet Manager, and most recently as a BDC Administrator, Curt oversees the operations of a business development center that supports sales, parts and service operations for 4 franchises. 

Choosing a Live Chat Provider was a No-Brainer

“Chat was first brought in by the manufacturer as part of an e-Commerce package. It was terrible. We just didn’t have the time to fully utilize it in-house,” says Richards, whose days are already packed with sales leads programs, incentive administration management, and direct sales support. It was time for the dealer group to upgrade – and they discovered a professionally managed chat partner in ActivEngage. 

30% Appointment Rate and 20% Closing Ratio

Two years after enlisting the help of ActivEngage’s fully managed live chat team, Curt can’tthink of anything bad to say about the service. “The ActivEngage Virtual Sales team studies our website, they know our promotions, and they are trained to have fluid conversations,” says Richards, confirming that ActivEngage sets walk-in appointments for 30% of all chats taken. Richards’ sales team at Fort Wayne is also able to close 19 - 20% of the chat appointments set.

“I speak with my Customer Success Manager about twice a month, and they have proven that I can expect nothing less than superior service from the ActivEngage team. There are no glitches or mishaps that aren’t immediately resolved,” Curt says. “You just can’t put a price tag on our relationship with ActivEngage and the service they provide to my stores.”

Curt Richards knows that car shoppers are now making purchase decisions almost entirely online. “From our standpoint, ActivEngage simply offers an extremely cost-effective solution. They’re a very valuable partner in our sales process. We can see the difference.”

----

Would you like to be featured in an ActivEngage My Chat Story? Simply comment below and we'll get in touch with you right away! 

Did you know that personal stories and gossip make up 65% of our conversations? Linguists and anthropologists generally agree that storytelling has been the most effective way to penetrate mental defenses and have a message stick in the human mind. Something in our hardwiring actually hypnotizes us when we hear the words: "Let me tell you a story…."

Our unconscious can't resist letting stories in, and their stamp on human nature is everywhere. We're all born to be instant, natural storytellers whenever we have a greatproduct to recommend, we are excited about an idea, a sales pitch, or when parents have to tell their kids where babies come from.

Stories serve the biological function of encouraging pro-social behavior. The theory is that this urge to tell and listen to moralistic stories is hardwired into us, and this helps bind society together. You could say that stories are as important as genes.

A story, if broken down into the simplest form, is a connection of cause and effect.

Since there is such a strong connection between the human brain and stories ask yourself, how am I using storytelling to my advantage? Whether you’re blogging or talking to a prospect about a vehicle use these tips:

1. Avoid complex language

2. Stop using cliches! Certain words and phrases have lost ALL storytelling power

3. Tell a story to plant an idea

4. Testimonials add credibility

5. Avoid complicated nouns and overuse of adjectives

6. Quote experts in their fields

Need an example?

When it comes to presenting, our very own Todd Smith is a great storyteller. Just watch this speaking segment and take notes. I use storytelling in my blog posts, like this one or thispopular Gen Y blog.

---

How do you use storytelling in your marketing, sales presentations, or blogging? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Did you know that personal stories and gossip make up 65% of our conversations? Linguists and anthropologists generally agree that storytelling has been the most effective way to penetrate mental defenses and have a message stick in the human mind. Something in our hardwiring actually hypnotizes us when we hear the words: "Let me tell you a story…."

Our unconscious can't resist letting stories in, and their stamp on human nature is everywhere. We're all born to be instant, natural storytellers whenever we have a greatproduct to recommend, we are excited about an idea, a sales pitch, or when parents have to tell their kids where babies come from.

Stories serve the biological function of encouraging pro-social behavior. The theory is that this urge to tell and listen to moralistic stories is hardwired into us, and this helps bind society together. You could say that stories are as important as genes.

A story, if broken down into the simplest form, is a connection of cause and effect.

Since there is such a strong connection between the human brain and stories ask yourself, how am I using storytelling to my advantage? Whether you’re blogging or talking to a prospect about a vehicle use these tips:

1. Avoid complex language

2. Stop using cliches! Certain words and phrases have lost ALL storytelling power

3. Tell a story to plant an idea

4. Testimonials add credibility

5. Avoid complicated nouns and overuse of adjectives

6. Quote experts in their fields

Need an example?

When it comes to presenting, our very own Todd Smith is a great storyteller. Just watch this speaking segment and take notes. I use storytelling in my blog posts, like this one or thispopular Gen Y blog.

---

How do you use storytelling in your marketing, sales presentations, or blogging? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Headquarter Toyota Closes 12% of Chat Sales Leads

Cindy Rosado, Internet Director for Headquarter Toyota has been in the industry for 18 years. To keep up with the demand of today’s online shoppers as well as the ability to communicate with the mix of nationalities in Miami, Rosado knew she needed to start looking for a chat solution. What drew Rosado to ActivEngage is their ability to chat in 16 different languages along with the fact that 34% of the ActivEngage VSA staff is bilingual, “We have a lot of Spanish speaking customers so having bilingual chatters is very important to us.”

Implementing Chat

When the idea of chat came up four years ago, Rosado didn’t think it would be a good idea stating, “We kind of shied away from chat in the beginning because of the habit of the sales people. They would walk away from the desk, couldn’t keep up with the typing speed of the customer, and misspelled words a lot. But its 2013 now and our shoppers are looking online to communicate with us so we must fulfill that need.”

Rosado did her research, narrowed down her options and after a sales demo of ActivEngage’s managed chat service Rosado was sold, “It’s incredible that ActivEngage effectively manages our chat and any lead information captured by their team is served into our CRM in real-time.”

First-Class Service

Naturally, when electing to outsource your chat you will read a couple of the chat transcripts from time to time. Rosado reads most transcripts from the ActivEngage staff and is blown away with the first-class service ActivEngage gives Headquarter Toyota’s online shoppers. “All the chat transcripts are very professional. Actually, during the first month of having chat, we ended up with a 12% closing ratio for vehicle sales. I’m sure with parts and service we did very well too. ActivEngage’s managed chat has been a great investment,” Rosado stated.

----

If you are a client of ActivEngage and wish to participate in a My Chat Story, please comment below!

Headquarter Toyota Closes 12% of Chat Sales Leads

Cindy Rosado, Internet Director for Headquarter Toyota has been in the industry for 18 years. To keep up with the demand of today’s online shoppers as well as the ability to communicate with the mix of nationalities in Miami, Rosado knew she needed to start looking for a chat solution. What drew Rosado to ActivEngage is their ability to chat in 16 different languages along with the fact that 34% of the ActivEngage VSA staff is bilingual, “We have a lot of Spanish speaking customers so having bilingual chatters is very important to us.”

Implementing Chat

When the idea of chat came up four years ago, Rosado didn’t think it would be a good idea stating, “We kind of shied away from chat in the beginning because of the habit of the sales people. They would walk away from the desk, couldn’t keep up with the typing speed of the customer, and misspelled words a lot. But its 2013 now and our shoppers are looking online to communicate with us so we must fulfill that need.”

Rosado did her research, narrowed down her options and after a sales demo of ActivEngage’s managed chat service Rosado was sold, “It’s incredible that ActivEngage effectively manages our chat and any lead information captured by their team is served into our CRM in real-time.”

First-Class Service

Naturally, when electing to outsource your chat you will read a couple of the chat transcripts from time to time. Rosado reads most transcripts from the ActivEngage staff and is blown away with the first-class service ActivEngage gives Headquarter Toyota’s online shoppers. “All the chat transcripts are very professional. Actually, during the first month of having chat, we ended up with a 12% closing ratio for vehicle sales. I’m sure with parts and service we did very well too. ActivEngage’s managed chat has been a great investment,” Rosado stated.

----

If you are a client of ActivEngage and wish to participate in a My Chat Story, please comment below!

Last night the new season of Mad Men premiered, the show that follows the tale of an ad agency on Madison Avenue NYC, garnered much hype last year after the Jaguar episode.Either way, this season opener caught my attention because of the message Don was trying to sell to Sheraton Hotels.

 “I think we’re not selling a geographical location; we’re selling an experience, “ Don said when he was presenting his ad idea.

Don was sent to Hawaii on, “a work junket”. When he returned to the office from Hawaii he told his colleagues, “I had an experience. I don’t know how to put it in words.” The experience Don had in Hawaii was superb, even so much so that he kept thinking about it, couldn’t get the sound of the ocean waves out of his mind. The experience.  Now Don might be questioning his existence in this episode but that’s not the point I’m trying to drive home here.

Dealerships need to sell the experience

This is something that ActivEngage does very well for your dealership. When a person comes in and chats with one of our Virtual Sales Assistants (VSAs), they are professionally greeted and immediately find themselves receiving answers to their questions while also being guided through your dealership’s website to the pages they are looking for. They are not pushed for their contact information or for a salesperson to call them right away.

Your sales staff should be doing the same on your showroom floor. It is not just selling a car from your inventory so you hit your monthly sales goals. It is about providing an elite consumer experience whenever someone comes in contact with your dealership. Start selling the type of experience a visitor can have at your dealership or on your website (You can buy a new car in less than an hour, professional and knowledgeable staff help you decide what vehicle is best for your family, etc.)

How can you sell the experience--Mad Men style?

First, let’s reword this statement Don said about his experience in Hawaii, “I think we’re not selling a [insert vehicle name], we’re selling an experience.”

Now it’s time to consider:

What can it offer for a specific demographic? (busy mom, soccer dad, college grad...etc.)

How does it feel to drive your vehicle?

What is the primary purpose for purchasing this vehicle? (Leather seats for easy cleanup, cargo space, MPG saver...etc?)

What is it like to buy a car from your dealership?

Let’s put it all together now:

I think we’re not selling a Honda Fit, we’re selling an experience. This vehicle is easy-to drive, with the back seats fully down it has a lot of cargo space, and it’s fuel efficient. For you, this means you’ll never have to worry about fitting into a parallel parking spot, seeing if you’ll be able to fit your drum set in the car, or worry about too many trips to the fuel pump. It’s perfect for a musician like yourself.

---

What do you think of last night’s episode? Do you think you’ll be able to sell the experience of owning a certain vehicle to a potential customer? Comment below!

Last night the new season of Mad Men premiered, the show that follows the tale of an ad agency on Madison Avenue NYC, garnered much hype last year after the Jaguar episode.Either way, this season opener caught my attention because of the message Don was trying to sell to Sheraton Hotels.

 “I think we’re not selling a geographical location; we’re selling an experience, “ Don said when he was presenting his ad idea.

Don was sent to Hawaii on, “a work junket”. When he returned to the office from Hawaii he told his colleagues, “I had an experience. I don’t know how to put it in words.” The experience Don had in Hawaii was superb, even so much so that he kept thinking about it, couldn’t get the sound of the ocean waves out of his mind. The experience.  Now Don might be questioning his existence in this episode but that’s not the point I’m trying to drive home here.

Dealerships need to sell the experience

This is something that ActivEngage does very well for your dealership. When a person comes in and chats with one of our Virtual Sales Assistants (VSAs), they are professionally greeted and immediately find themselves receiving answers to their questions while also being guided through your dealership’s website to the pages they are looking for. They are not pushed for their contact information or for a salesperson to call them right away.

Your sales staff should be doing the same on your showroom floor. It is not just selling a car from your inventory so you hit your monthly sales goals. It is about providing an elite consumer experience whenever someone comes in contact with your dealership. Start selling the type of experience a visitor can have at your dealership or on your website (You can buy a new car in less than an hour, professional and knowledgeable staff help you decide what vehicle is best for your family, etc.)

How can you sell the experience--Mad Men style?

First, let’s reword this statement Don said about his experience in Hawaii, “I think we’re not selling a [insert vehicle name], we’re selling an experience.”

Now it’s time to consider:

What can it offer for a specific demographic? (busy mom, soccer dad, college grad...etc.)

How does it feel to drive your vehicle?

What is the primary purpose for purchasing this vehicle? (Leather seats for easy cleanup, cargo space, MPG saver...etc?)

What is it like to buy a car from your dealership?

Let’s put it all together now:

I think we’re not selling a Honda Fit, we’re selling an experience. This vehicle is easy-to drive, with the back seats fully down it has a lot of cargo space, and it’s fuel efficient. For you, this means you’ll never have to worry about fitting into a parallel parking spot, seeing if you’ll be able to fit your drum set in the car, or worry about too many trips to the fuel pump. It’s perfect for a musician like yourself.

---

What do you think of last night’s episode? Do you think you’ll be able to sell the experience of owning a certain vehicle to a potential customer? Comment below!