With all the talk about taking notes, and using IFTTT to record your tweets - I'd like to discuss the art of live tweeting.

Live tweeting takes a little bit of preparation (not a ton, just a little).

First - peruse the schedule (which is really first in any conference-going-experience). And then the (semi) hard part - figure out what the speaker's twitter names are (if you need a clue - Monday at 3:25 PM is my session - "Dealership Culture's Effects on Profitability" & my twitter name is @skeetle). But what - Jason Stum & I have made it easy for you -- here is our handy-dandy twitter key!

Second - set up your Social Media Management Tool (I prefer Hootsuite) - I've created a tab called "DSES" - and the tabs are as follows:

1. Search for "#DSES2014" <-- even though this isn't the 'official' hashtag, people are still using it.
2. "#DSES" <--- the official hashtag
3. Mentions (for @skeetle) - that way, If when someone responds to one of my tweets, it stays top of mind & I can acknowledge them.
4. Scheduled Tweets <--- I've scheduled a few (mostly promotion my session & letting people know which sessions I'm attending so they can follow along if they're not in it).
5. Sent Tweets - so I can keep an eye on that & make sure I haven't mis-spelled anything! :-)
6. My tweets, retweeted - so I can acknowledge/thank anyone who has RT'd me.

Those are the most important columns. You can add others depending on your personal preferences.

Now onto the actual tweeting - I typically announce which session I'm sitting in, that way if someone wants to follow along with my tweets directly, they can. I then look at my twitter key & see who's speaking (& their employer if you want).  Then type those one (or 2) names & the event hashtag (#DSES) into a tweet. Now STOP.  Hit Ctrl+A (Select All) & and Ctrl+X (Cut) Save this for later. Delete the speaker's name & the hashtag.

Sit back and wait for the speaker to start speaking. When you hear something you want to tweet. Type it & then hit Ctrl + V (Paste) that will put the Speaker's Name (& company if you originally typed that in) and the hashtag into the end of your tweet.  Now hit send!

Some key points when live tweeting

1. At the start of each day - put out a disclaimer - something like "My stream will be full of #AutoMarketing Goodness - Tweeting the @DrivingSales Executive Summit at @Bellagio in #LasVegas #DSES" <--- I'm going to schedule that right now.
2. Don't tweet every single point. People see that as "over-tweeting" & will soon tune you out & worse, unfollow you. ::: gasp :::
3. Acknowledge People Who RT you.
4. Follow Other Live Tweeters
5. If someone comments on a tweet you sent - keep the conversation going - that is what Twitter is all about, isn't it?
6. If a speaker puts up a great slide, grab your phone & take a pic & tweet it. Nothing says you can only use 1 device!
7. Remember who you're tweeting to - most of the attendees will know what basic automotive industry terms are (this IS DrivingSales after all) - so save time & use abbreviations that we all know, or don't feel the need to explain basic industry specific terms. You do only have a limited number of characters after all!
8. The event is about the speakers, but it's also about the attendees! If an attendee asks a GREAT question in a session or makes a good point, tweet it!
9. If you feel like a session doesn't have anything for you to tweet - DON'T TWEET - make sure there's value in what you're tweeting good content!

If you've set up IFTTT (link at the top of this post) then you can go back and review your notes. It will be easy to tell who's speaking since you've put their name into every single tweet during their session. Download your spreadsheet made using IFTTT and use Find & Replace - replace their twitter name with their real name - then you can share them with your team!

This may seem like a lot, but if you set up things correctly in your social media management software, you likely won't miss much (if anything at all) as far as RT's or mentions go. It's easy to go back and add your followers later.

Most importantly - have fun & try to learn something!

With all the talk about taking notes, and using IFTTT to record your tweets - I'd like to discuss the art of live tweeting.

Live tweeting takes a little bit of preparation (not a ton, just a little).

First - peruse the schedule (which is really first in any conference-going-experience). And then the (semi) hard part - figure out what the speaker's twitter names are (if you need a clue - Monday at 3:25 PM is my session - "Dealership Culture's Effects on Profitability" & my twitter name is @skeetle). But what - Jason Stum & I have made it easy for you -- here is our handy-dandy twitter key!

Second - set up your Social Media Management Tool (I prefer Hootsuite) - I've created a tab called "DSES" - and the tabs are as follows:

1. Search for "#DSES2014" <-- even though this isn't the 'official' hashtag, people are still using it.
2. "#DSES" <--- the official hashtag
3. Mentions (for @skeetle) - that way, If when someone responds to one of my tweets, it stays top of mind & I can acknowledge them.
4. Scheduled Tweets <--- I've scheduled a few (mostly promotion my session & letting people know which sessions I'm attending so they can follow along if they're not in it).
5. Sent Tweets - so I can keep an eye on that & make sure I haven't mis-spelled anything! :-)
6. My tweets, retweeted - so I can acknowledge/thank anyone who has RT'd me.

Those are the most important columns. You can add others depending on your personal preferences.

Now onto the actual tweeting - I typically announce which session I'm sitting in, that way if someone wants to follow along with my tweets directly, they can. I then look at my twitter key & see who's speaking (& their employer if you want).  Then type those one (or 2) names & the event hashtag (#DSES) into a tweet. Now STOP.  Hit Ctrl+A (Select All) & and Ctrl+X (Cut) Save this for later. Delete the speaker's name & the hashtag.

Sit back and wait for the speaker to start speaking. When you hear something you want to tweet. Type it & then hit Ctrl + V (Paste) that will put the Speaker's Name (& company if you originally typed that in) and the hashtag into the end of your tweet.  Now hit send!

Some key points when live tweeting

1. At the start of each day - put out a disclaimer - something like "My stream will be full of #AutoMarketing Goodness - Tweeting the @DrivingSales Executive Summit at @Bellagio in #LasVegas #DSES" <--- I'm going to schedule that right now.
2. Don't tweet every single point. People see that as "over-tweeting" & will soon tune you out & worse, unfollow you. ::: gasp :::
3. Acknowledge People Who RT you.
4. Follow Other Live Tweeters
5. If someone comments on a tweet you sent - keep the conversation going - that is what Twitter is all about, isn't it?
6. If a speaker puts up a great slide, grab your phone & take a pic & tweet it. Nothing says you can only use 1 device!
7. Remember who you're tweeting to - most of the attendees will know what basic automotive industry terms are (this IS DrivingSales after all) - so save time & use abbreviations that we all know, or don't feel the need to explain basic industry specific terms. You do only have a limited number of characters after all!
8. The event is about the speakers, but it's also about the attendees! If an attendee asks a GREAT question in a session or makes a good point, tweet it!
9. If you feel like a session doesn't have anything for you to tweet - DON'T TWEET - make sure there's value in what you're tweeting good content!

If you've set up IFTTT (link at the top of this post) then you can go back and review your notes. It will be easy to tell who's speaking since you've put their name into every single tweet during their session. Download your spreadsheet made using IFTTT and use Find & Replace - replace their twitter name with their real name - then you can share them with your team!

This may seem like a lot, but if you set up things correctly in your social media management software, you likely won't miss much (if anything at all) as far as RT's or mentions go. It's easy to go back and add your followers later.

Most importantly - have fun & try to learn something!

Many of you might have noticed - I've been hanging out on here in DrivingSales for a while.  A few months ago, I changed the required "Title" to "Sales Catalyst" - now? What does that mean?  Do I help my store sell cars? Absolutely.

But doesn't my detailer also? Doesn't my technichian?  Yep.  Without a doubt.

I changed my "title" to this to prove that a title doesn't mean anything.  I can share my knowledge and information without a title attached to my name.

I have the same philosophy at my store.  My business cards don't have a title on them.  Nor does my e-mail signature.

Funny story - I had a customer walk into the showroom - before they did just about anything else, they asked "What's your title here?" Why did they ask this?  Good question. My response "I don't have one - I've been with the company for over 7 years - I'm here to help you.  I don't feel as though a title is important. I'm not better than anyone else in this dealership. We're a team here - and I'm here to help you however I can. What is it that you need? I'd be happy to help - and if I can't help - I'd be happy to get you to the person who can help." 

My dealership firmly believes in a culture of *teamwork* - and by not having a title - I can be the utility player on the team.

They were blown away. 

Yes - they ended up purchasing a car from us (BONUS!!)

But my point is - the fact that I didn't have a title didn't sway my customers.  But then again - why should it?

What do you think? Do you think titles are more important to the customers or to the salespeople?

Many of you might have noticed - I've been hanging out on here in DrivingSales for a while.  A few months ago, I changed the required "Title" to "Sales Catalyst" - now? What does that mean?  Do I help my store sell cars? Absolutely.

But doesn't my detailer also? Doesn't my technichian?  Yep.  Without a doubt.

I changed my "title" to this to prove that a title doesn't mean anything.  I can share my knowledge and information without a title attached to my name.

I have the same philosophy at my store.  My business cards don't have a title on them.  Nor does my e-mail signature.

Funny story - I had a customer walk into the showroom - before they did just about anything else, they asked "What's your title here?" Why did they ask this?  Good question. My response "I don't have one - I've been with the company for over 7 years - I'm here to help you.  I don't feel as though a title is important. I'm not better than anyone else in this dealership. We're a team here - and I'm here to help you however I can. What is it that you need? I'd be happy to help - and if I can't help - I'd be happy to get you to the person who can help." 

My dealership firmly believes in a culture of *teamwork* - and by not having a title - I can be the utility player on the team.

They were blown away. 

Yes - they ended up purchasing a car from us (BONUS!!)

But my point is - the fact that I didn't have a title didn't sway my customers.  But then again - why should it?

What do you think? Do you think titles are more important to the customers or to the salespeople?

When you hire a new sales professional, they have a TON of tests to go through. HR tests, product knowledge tests, they even have tests on their tests! They have so much to learn and of course want to learn it as quickly as possible.  Because -- if they're taking tests, they're not selling. And if they're not selling, they're probably not making [much] money.

But do they retain everything?  Probably not. Especially not right away.  But instead of trying to impress their customers by letting them think the green pea knows everything --- they should be concentrating what they do know & also admitting what they don't know.

No consumer is going to expect a Sales Professional to know every single answer to every single question.  Especially when the consumers ask the technical questions “What’s the compression ratio on this car?” Really - who knows that, and moreover, the consumer is probably only asking that question to test the Sales Professional.  But what’s the correct answer to the questions?

“I don’t know off the top of my head, but I can find out for you.”

Wow.  Did that just happen? The salesperson did 3 things there.
1.) They admitted they didn’t know something about their product.
2.) They assured the customer they would find out the answer.
3.) They built INSTANT TRUST with the customer.  
Rewind - “How did they build trust?”

If they’re going to tell the truth and admit they don’t know the answer to a customer’s possibly “insignificant” question about a car — then they’ll tell the truth throughout the process!  This is important for the most veteran sales professional to learn as well - just because they’ve been selling for 10+ years, doesn’t mean they know everything about every single car!

VOILA! Isn’t part of what we do building trust and rapport with the customer?  Yep (at least I hope it is - if not, please stop and reexamine your business model).  

Do you teach your sales professionals that saying “I don’t know, but I can find out.”  Is acceptable and important?

When you hire a new sales professional, they have a TON of tests to go through. HR tests, product knowledge tests, they even have tests on their tests! They have so much to learn and of course want to learn it as quickly as possible.  Because -- if they're taking tests, they're not selling. And if they're not selling, they're probably not making [much] money.

But do they retain everything?  Probably not. Especially not right away.  But instead of trying to impress their customers by letting them think the green pea knows everything --- they should be concentrating what they do know & also admitting what they don't know.

No consumer is going to expect a Sales Professional to know every single answer to every single question.  Especially when the consumers ask the technical questions “What’s the compression ratio on this car?” Really - who knows that, and moreover, the consumer is probably only asking that question to test the Sales Professional.  But what’s the correct answer to the questions?

“I don’t know off the top of my head, but I can find out for you.”

Wow.  Did that just happen? The salesperson did 3 things there.
1.) They admitted they didn’t know something about their product.
2.) They assured the customer they would find out the answer.
3.) They built INSTANT TRUST with the customer.  
Rewind - “How did they build trust?”

If they’re going to tell the truth and admit they don’t know the answer to a customer’s possibly “insignificant” question about a car — then they’ll tell the truth throughout the process!  This is important for the most veteran sales professional to learn as well - just because they’ve been selling for 10+ years, doesn’t mean they know everything about every single car!

VOILA! Isn’t part of what we do building trust and rapport with the customer?  Yep (at least I hope it is - if not, please stop and reexamine your business model).  

Do you teach your sales professionals that saying “I don’t know, but I can find out.”  Is acceptable and important?

We’ve heard it time & time again, “People Buy From People.”  Being in this automotive-digital-marketing-world, I spend some of my day looking at other dealer’s websites, mystery shopping, looking for ideas, and just generally scoping out the competition.  One thing I’ve noticed is that quite a few of them are lacking an “Our-Team” page.  

The “Our-Team” page was the 12th most visited page on our website in July & the 8th most visited in June! Average time on page? 2 minutes & 50 seconds! It was also the 5th highest entrance page (Behind homepage, new inventory, used inventory & service). 

The reason for this is the amount of text on the page provides a high SEO value for the website. 

On our page, we have everyone, including office staff, technicians, and our recon staff’s pictures up.  Dealers who have just their “sales” team on the “our-team” page - are they the only members of your team who count? I doubt it.  

Don’t put stock photos up - if you’re going to have an “Our Team” page do it right! Put nice, pictures up. Not goofy ones, make it interesting! People like to go to the “Our-Team” page to see the faces of the dealership. We even have a group picture at the top of our “Our Team” page.  

It really doesn’t take that long to do & unless you have exceptionally high turn over (in that case, you probably have larger issues to iron out), it doesn’t take much maintenance either! 

What do you think? Does your dealership have an updated “Our Team” page? 

We’ve heard it time & time again, “People Buy From People.”  Being in this automotive-digital-marketing-world, I spend some of my day looking at other dealer’s websites, mystery shopping, looking for ideas, and just generally scoping out the competition.  One thing I’ve noticed is that quite a few of them are lacking an “Our-Team” page.  

The “Our-Team” page was the 12th most visited page on our website in July & the 8th most visited in June! Average time on page? 2 minutes & 50 seconds! It was also the 5th highest entrance page (Behind homepage, new inventory, used inventory & service). 

The reason for this is the amount of text on the page provides a high SEO value for the website. 

On our page, we have everyone, including office staff, technicians, and our recon staff’s pictures up.  Dealers who have just their “sales” team on the “our-team” page - are they the only members of your team who count? I doubt it.  

Don’t put stock photos up - if you’re going to have an “Our Team” page do it right! Put nice, pictures up. Not goofy ones, make it interesting! People like to go to the “Our-Team” page to see the faces of the dealership. We even have a group picture at the top of our “Our Team” page.  

It really doesn’t take that long to do & unless you have exceptionally high turn over (in that case, you probably have larger issues to iron out), it doesn’t take much maintenance either! 

What do you think? Does your dealership have an updated “Our Team” page? 

We’re trained from day 1 on how to communicate with customers. Communication is key to our business; from processes, to word tracks, to phone scripts, to CNA’s, to 4 squares, to delivery, and everything in between. But when you’re working on a floor with 10-20 or more people, who’s teaching you how to communicate with each other as coworkers? With that many people working in one place, for many, many, many (many) hours a week, there’s bound to be some personality conflicts. How can we better help communicate with each other?

Just like people buy from people, people also want to be spoken to as people. I don’t care what your “rank” is within your dealership - speak to your co-workers as equals. For without that Salesperson, your F & I team wouldn’t get a chance to get in front of people, and without that guy in recon, your cars wouldn’t get clean. We need everyone, to make the wheel turn.

If we can’t communicate with the people we spend all day everyday with (except for Sundays!), how can we expect to efficiently communicate with customers?

A breakdown in communication with employees can lead to unneeded stress and unneeded complications. If we would all stop sitting at our desks playing Angry Birds or Words With Friends during our down time and instead, talk to each other, and learn each other’s personalities, we could get to know our co-workers better. In the end, it would help us to form a more solid unit - a unit there to deliver 100% Customer Satisfaction and sell a truck load (or 2) of cars!

When there’s a breakdown in communication with a customer, we look back on the situation, and analyze it - why not do the same with co-workers? There’s a plethora of team-building exercises you can find and some of them are focused on communication!

Let’s communicate and help each other grow. Let’s communicate and be humble. Let’s communicate and sell more cars! Who’s with me?

We’re trained from day 1 on how to communicate with customers. Communication is key to our business; from processes, to word tracks, to phone scripts, to CNA’s, to 4 squares, to delivery, and everything in between. But when you’re working on a floor with 10-20 or more people, who’s teaching you how to communicate with each other as coworkers? With that many people working in one place, for many, many, many (many) hours a week, there’s bound to be some personality conflicts. How can we better help communicate with each other?

Just like people buy from people, people also want to be spoken to as people. I don’t care what your “rank” is within your dealership - speak to your co-workers as equals. For without that Salesperson, your F & I team wouldn’t get a chance to get in front of people, and without that guy in recon, your cars wouldn’t get clean. We need everyone, to make the wheel turn.

If we can’t communicate with the people we spend all day everyday with (except for Sundays!), how can we expect to efficiently communicate with customers?

A breakdown in communication with employees can lead to unneeded stress and unneeded complications. If we would all stop sitting at our desks playing Angry Birds or Words With Friends during our down time and instead, talk to each other, and learn each other’s personalities, we could get to know our co-workers better. In the end, it would help us to form a more solid unit - a unit there to deliver 100% Customer Satisfaction and sell a truck load (or 2) of cars!

When there’s a breakdown in communication with a customer, we look back on the situation, and analyze it - why not do the same with co-workers? There’s a plethora of team-building exercises you can find and some of them are focused on communication!

Let’s communicate and help each other grow. Let’s communicate and be humble. Let’s communicate and sell more cars! Who’s with me?