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!

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but I feel that being imitated means the imitator lacks the creativity to come up with ideas on their own.

Virtual Sales Associates (VSA’s) has become a popular title in the chat industry lately. ActivEngage coined this term in 2007 and now other chat providers are using that same terminology to describe their chatting staff.

That’s okay though, because there’s something that ActivEngage’s Virtual Sales Associates have that no other chat provider can match - passion. Passion for the car industry, passion for the art of conversation, passion for creating that very special connection with YOUR customer. Passion that cannot be imitated no matter how hard others try.

Passion cannot be Imitated.
As many of you know, I was a VSA for six months before moving into our marketing department. I came here knowing not a single thing about cars, the automotive industry, or car lingo. I was hesitant in my first chat because everything was new to me. However, with training, encouragement, and a wonderful team structure that provided ongoing support, I made it through and I shined. I shined through the busiest chatting month of the year - December. In a single day, I took 70+ chats. I didn’t miss a detail and it was invigorating! During those days, I received recognition for taking on so many chats and having over 80% of my chats converting to leads for our dealers, over 75% phone numbers acquired, and over 10% appointments set. Passion.

Every Chat, Every Word, Every Time!
The environment I was in created passion. Our Virtual Sales Associates have a motto, Every Chat, Every Word...Every Time. It’s painted on a bright orange wall, to remind each and every VSA what we do and the passion with which we do it.

Although others are naming their chat staff VSA’s, we know who the real VSA’s are and you will too when you read our chats.

I’ll leave you all with a video to let this sink in just a little bit more:
Watch as our Virtual Sales Director, Carol Marshall, describe our Virtual Sales Associates, the training they receive, and what they provide YOUR dealership. No other chat provider does what our VSA’s can do.

What is your dealership passionate about? Let us know in the comments section below!

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but I feel that being imitated means the imitator lacks the creativity to come up with ideas on their own.

Virtual Sales Associates (VSA’s) has become a popular title in the chat industry lately. ActivEngage coined this term in 2007 and now other chat providers are using that same terminology to describe their chatting staff.

That’s okay though, because there’s something that ActivEngage’s Virtual Sales Associates have that no other chat provider can match - passion. Passion for the car industry, passion for the art of conversation, passion for creating that very special connection with YOUR customer. Passion that cannot be imitated no matter how hard others try.

Passion cannot be Imitated.
As many of you know, I was a VSA for six months before moving into our marketing department. I came here knowing not a single thing about cars, the automotive industry, or car lingo. I was hesitant in my first chat because everything was new to me. However, with training, encouragement, and a wonderful team structure that provided ongoing support, I made it through and I shined. I shined through the busiest chatting month of the year - December. In a single day, I took 70+ chats. I didn’t miss a detail and it was invigorating! During those days, I received recognition for taking on so many chats and having over 80% of my chats converting to leads for our dealers, over 75% phone numbers acquired, and over 10% appointments set. Passion.

Every Chat, Every Word, Every Time!
The environment I was in created passion. Our Virtual Sales Associates have a motto, Every Chat, Every Word...Every Time. It’s painted on a bright orange wall, to remind each and every VSA what we do and the passion with which we do it.

Although others are naming their chat staff VSA’s, we know who the real VSA’s are and you will too when you read our chats.

I’ll leave you all with a video to let this sink in just a little bit more:
Watch as our Virtual Sales Director, Carol Marshall, describe our Virtual Sales Associates, the training they receive, and what they provide YOUR dealership. No other chat provider does what our VSA’s can do.

What is your dealership passionate about? Let us know in the comments section below!

Car Dealers! Have you heard of the term, “Showrooming?” It’s basically a customer that comes into your dealership to look at vehicles while looking online on their smartphone at your competitor’s pricing. Annoying, right? So how do you combat these “show-roomers?”

One thing you can do is create a loyalty program. For loyalty programs to have the desired effect, you must consider these anti-showrooming strategies:

1. Your prices have to be in the same ballpark as those of your competitors.
2. Customers make every purchasing decision independently. You can't expect them to take long-term loyalty rewards into account as part of the buying decision unless those customers are explicitly prompted to do so.
3. Buying decisions often take place in a matter of seconds, which means that any anti-showrooming strategy needs to be executed in near real time to have any effect.

According to Marketingprofs.com  there are five tactics that are worth exploring when showrooming is a problem:

1. Closing the price gap. When customers in a loyalty program receive discounts, the distance between the in-store price and the competitor's online price diminishes. Dealers must find a way to communicate the "effective price" (the current price minus the points-based discount) quickly and clearly: for example, "With your Valued Customer discount, the effective price of this [item]  is $14,999!" Customers can't be expected to do the math themselves.
2. Bonus points. When showrooming is a problem with specific items, retailers can offer increased discounts or points on those items to further mitigate the price difference.
3. Free accessories. Dealers can offer free items that complement the purchase, such as a a bobble head for the car or some cool sunglasses to wear with the customer’s new ride. Often, such items have a perceived value that's significantly higher than their actual dollar value.
4. Bounceback offers. If a customer's behavior indicates the potential for a lost sale, dealers can transmit a bounceback offer, either with a discount or some other incentive. To be effective, however, the bounceback needs to happen in near real-time and it must relate very specifically to the customer's interests (Ex. free window tinting with vehicle purchase).
5. Pushed coupons. With today's technology, retailers can offer instant discounts and special cross-sell or up-sell opportunities; they can even reward customers simply for entering the store. The value of so-called push technology is that it gives customers a reason to make an in-store purchase. For example, ActivEngage, thanks to an integration with Hooklogic, offers ActivShow, which brings customers into your showroom by offering great incentives like a $25 prepaid MasterCard or $25 incentives to popular stores like Starbucks® or Target®.

What do you think of these tactics? Do you have any strategies in combating showrooming?

Car Dealers! Have you heard of the term, “Showrooming?” It’s basically a customer that comes into your dealership to look at vehicles while looking online on their smartphone at your competitor’s pricing. Annoying, right? So how do you combat these “show-roomers?”

One thing you can do is create a loyalty program. For loyalty programs to have the desired effect, you must consider these anti-showrooming strategies:

1. Your prices have to be in the same ballpark as those of your competitors.
2. Customers make every purchasing decision independently. You can't expect them to take long-term loyalty rewards into account as part of the buying decision unless those customers are explicitly prompted to do so.
3. Buying decisions often take place in a matter of seconds, which means that any anti-showrooming strategy needs to be executed in near real time to have any effect.

According to Marketingprofs.com  there are five tactics that are worth exploring when showrooming is a problem:

1. Closing the price gap. When customers in a loyalty program receive discounts, the distance between the in-store price and the competitor's online price diminishes. Dealers must find a way to communicate the "effective price" (the current price minus the points-based discount) quickly and clearly: for example, "With your Valued Customer discount, the effective price of this [item]  is $14,999!" Customers can't be expected to do the math themselves.
2. Bonus points. When showrooming is a problem with specific items, retailers can offer increased discounts or points on those items to further mitigate the price difference.
3. Free accessories. Dealers can offer free items that complement the purchase, such as a a bobble head for the car or some cool sunglasses to wear with the customer’s new ride. Often, such items have a perceived value that's significantly higher than their actual dollar value.
4. Bounceback offers. If a customer's behavior indicates the potential for a lost sale, dealers can transmit a bounceback offer, either with a discount or some other incentive. To be effective, however, the bounceback needs to happen in near real-time and it must relate very specifically to the customer's interests (Ex. free window tinting with vehicle purchase).
5. Pushed coupons. With today's technology, retailers can offer instant discounts and special cross-sell or up-sell opportunities; they can even reward customers simply for entering the store. The value of so-called push technology is that it gives customers a reason to make an in-store purchase. For example, ActivEngage, thanks to an integration with Hooklogic, offers ActivShow, which brings customers into your showroom by offering great incentives like a $25 prepaid MasterCard or $25 incentives to popular stores like Starbucks® or Target®.

What do you think of these tactics? Do you have any strategies in combating showrooming?

In a recent blog post of mine, I highlighted some research done on mobile ads and if it is worth a dealership to spend money on it. Today, I am here to tell you why you should have a mobile site for your dealership (if you don’t already). Some 12.6% of total website traffic was generated via mobile device in the fourth quarter of 2011, up 102% from the 6.3% recorded a year earlier, according to the Walker Sands Quarterly Web Traffic Report.  Additionally, according to AD:60, having a mobile site is a must and they have compiled an infographic that lists 10 Reasons Why You Need a Mobile Site. “The list should obliterate any reasons against putting mobile at the top of your digital must-haves,” Alex Matjanec said, partner and CMO of AD:60.

So here are the top 10 Reasons you need a mobile site:

1. 8% of all digital traffic comes from smartphones and tablets

2. Most mobile phones in America will be smartphones by the end of 2012

   3.    More and more users are making purchases on their phones

4. The proportion of mobile-only users is even higher in developing countries

5. Mobile commerce is growing fast

6. Smartphone users cover a wide range of demographics

7. Couch Commerce is rising

8. Smartphone users have a higher than average income

9. Mobile sites are important for both physical and digital stores

10. Your normal site is not  thumb friendly!

Still not interested? Well, mobile search queries already account for roughly 15% of all Google search volume across categories, according to Google.
So what are you waiting for? By creating experiences that connect, convert, and engage your audiences you will be sure to attract your tech savvy shoppers as well as provide better services to existing customers. Therefore, in saying that, set up a user-friendly mobile website ASAP! Thumbs are the new fingers!

In a recent blog post of mine, I highlighted some research done on mobile ads and if it is worth a dealership to spend money on it. Today, I am here to tell you why you should have a mobile site for your dealership (if you don’t already). Some 12.6% of total website traffic was generated via mobile device in the fourth quarter of 2011, up 102% from the 6.3% recorded a year earlier, according to the Walker Sands Quarterly Web Traffic Report.  Additionally, according to AD:60, having a mobile site is a must and they have compiled an infographic that lists 10 Reasons Why You Need a Mobile Site. “The list should obliterate any reasons against putting mobile at the top of your digital must-haves,” Alex Matjanec said, partner and CMO of AD:60.

So here are the top 10 Reasons you need a mobile site:

1. 8% of all digital traffic comes from smartphones and tablets

2. Most mobile phones in America will be smartphones by the end of 2012

   3.    More and more users are making purchases on their phones

4. The proportion of mobile-only users is even higher in developing countries

5. Mobile commerce is growing fast

6. Smartphone users cover a wide range of demographics

7. Couch Commerce is rising

8. Smartphone users have a higher than average income

9. Mobile sites are important for both physical and digital stores

10. Your normal site is not  thumb friendly!

Still not interested? Well, mobile search queries already account for roughly 15% of all Google search volume across categories, according to Google.
So what are you waiting for? By creating experiences that connect, convert, and engage your audiences you will be sure to attract your tech savvy shoppers as well as provide better services to existing customers. Therefore, in saying that, set up a user-friendly mobile website ASAP! Thumbs are the new fingers!