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!

With what is affectionately known as "Conference Season" in full swing, you can hear a lot of talk about "which conference are you going to? As I type this - the DrivingSales Executive Summit is under 2 weeks away.  It runs October 12-14 at the beautiful Bellagio in Las Vegas.  I'll be there -- and if you're going (why wouldn't you? seriously?) - make sure you look me up - I'd love to say "hi!" With an agenda chock-full of the best and brightest both in and out of the industry, this is a "can't miss" conference. (In a bit of shameless-self-promotion - if you are going to DSES, make sure you clear your schedule for Monday at 3:25 PM & swing by my breakout session with my General Manager, Andy Guelcher to learn how Dealership Culture Directly Relates to Profitability).

But what happens after "Conference Season" is over? Where do you as an automotive professional turn for cutting-edge information? One place is the quarterly DrivingSales Innovation Guide. But if you're anything like me, you have a constant thirst for knowledge. Clearly, you see value in forums and blogs (otherwise you wouldn't be reading this).

But what about while you're in your car -- on your daily commute. Do you listen to the local radio station that plays the same 17 songs over and over and over?

Have you listened to podcasting? There's a few automotive-industry specific podcasts which are run by some very, very smart individuals.

The first I want to touch on is Jason Stum's MarketPunch podcast. I originally crossed paths with Jason because we were both finalists in the DrivingSales Best Idea Contest at the 2013 DrivingSales Executive Summit. I've been honored to have been on Jason's podcast twice.  First, we did a post- Best Idea Contest Podcast while in Vegas together. Most recently, Jason, Robert Karbaum & I caught up and previewed this year's DrivingSales Executive Summit as well as offered some advice to this year's Best Idea Contest finalists. Make sure you check it out!

The second automotive podcast that I won't miss is Michael Cirillo and Robert Wiesmann of FlexDealer's Dealer Play Book. Michael and Robert have rock-star guests on every single week including Gary Vaynerchuk, JD Rucker, Grant Cardone and so many more.

Both of these podcasts give immediate actionable tips and tricks that anyone in the auto industry can implement in their dealership.

I asked Robert a few questions about podcasting. When I asked him "Why podcasting?" He said,

"It's my favorite medium right now. I listen to it all day. Right now, my cue is full of 50-100 shows. And I listen to every single new episode those shows have. I think it's the hottest thing in online marketing. It's the only form of media that you can take anywhere. You don't take a walk or jog and watch a video. If you're going down in a basement to a gym, you can still listen to a podcast. It goes you a high level of influence. Someone is putting your media into their earbuds for 40 [give or take] minutes a week. It replaces just listening to music - this is free educatoin. You get to learn from the world's leading experts on their categories for free."

I also asked him what other podcasts he listens to

• Amy Porterfield - On-Line Marketing Made Easy
• Life On Fire
• School Of Greatness with Lewis Howes
• The Art Of Charm

Which podcasts do you listen to?

With what is affectionately known as "Conference Season" in full swing, you can hear a lot of talk about "which conference are you going to? As I type this - the DrivingSales Executive Summit is under 2 weeks away.  It runs October 12-14 at the beautiful Bellagio in Las Vegas.  I'll be there -- and if you're going (why wouldn't you? seriously?) - make sure you look me up - I'd love to say "hi!" With an agenda chock-full of the best and brightest both in and out of the industry, this is a "can't miss" conference. (In a bit of shameless-self-promotion - if you are going to DSES, make sure you clear your schedule for Monday at 3:25 PM & swing by my breakout session with my General Manager, Andy Guelcher to learn how Dealership Culture Directly Relates to Profitability).

But what happens after "Conference Season" is over? Where do you as an automotive professional turn for cutting-edge information? One place is the quarterly DrivingSales Innovation Guide. But if you're anything like me, you have a constant thirst for knowledge. Clearly, you see value in forums and blogs (otherwise you wouldn't be reading this).

But what about while you're in your car -- on your daily commute. Do you listen to the local radio station that plays the same 17 songs over and over and over?

Have you listened to podcasting? There's a few automotive-industry specific podcasts which are run by some very, very smart individuals.

The first I want to touch on is Jason Stum's MarketPunch podcast. I originally crossed paths with Jason because we were both finalists in the DrivingSales Best Idea Contest at the 2013 DrivingSales Executive Summit. I've been honored to have been on Jason's podcast twice.  First, we did a post- Best Idea Contest Podcast while in Vegas together. Most recently, Jason, Robert Karbaum & I caught up and previewed this year's DrivingSales Executive Summit as well as offered some advice to this year's Best Idea Contest finalists. Make sure you check it out!

The second automotive podcast that I won't miss is Michael Cirillo and Robert Wiesmann of FlexDealer's Dealer Play Book. Michael and Robert have rock-star guests on every single week including Gary Vaynerchuk, JD Rucker, Grant Cardone and so many more.

Both of these podcasts give immediate actionable tips and tricks that anyone in the auto industry can implement in their dealership.

I asked Robert a few questions about podcasting. When I asked him "Why podcasting?" He said,

"It's my favorite medium right now. I listen to it all day. Right now, my cue is full of 50-100 shows. And I listen to every single new episode those shows have. I think it's the hottest thing in online marketing. It's the only form of media that you can take anywhere. You don't take a walk or jog and watch a video. If you're going down in a basement to a gym, you can still listen to a podcast. It goes you a high level of influence. Someone is putting your media into their earbuds for 40 [give or take] minutes a week. It replaces just listening to music - this is free educatoin. You get to learn from the world's leading experts on their categories for free."

I also asked him what other podcasts he listens to

• Amy Porterfield - On-Line Marketing Made Easy
• Life On Fire
• School Of Greatness with Lewis Howes
• The Art Of Charm

Which podcasts do you listen to?

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?

Why do I work in the auto industry?

Because I’m a gear head?  No - you’ll realize that once you meet me in person. I can’t even change my wiper blades! The only thing I can do is refill my windshield washer fluid!

How about --- because my family members were in it? Nope! My dad was an attorney and my mom is a school teacher!

Because when asked in Elementary School ‘What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?’ I didn’t answer  “A Used Car Salesman!”  I wanted to be a Lobbyist (which you could argue is a distant cousin of selling cars - convincing people you’re right and to listen to your views.)

Because it just happened to be something which popped into my lap, so I stuck with it for awhile, tried it out, and realized it’s the greatest career ever? Yup. Pretty much - at least that’s how it happened for me!  What’s your story?

But that’s not what I want to talk about. I want to talk about family. In the auto industry, it’s not uncommon to work 50-60 hour weeks (sometimes more).  But through all of the long hours at the dealership (an 8 hour day is a “short day,” right?) it’s still important to remember the real reason why you’re there.

For your family. 

A good friend of mine, Tracy Myers, told me he leaves his dealership at noon every Friday to spend time with his family.  “No matter if the building is on fire.” He still takes that important time every week to spend with his loved ones.  It’s this commitment to family that everyone should embrace.

Drop your kids off at school each day so you can make sure they get off to a good start.  With technology these days, it’s not hard to record a quick video or snap a quick picture and send to them - just to let them know you’re thinking about them and that you care.  Surprise them with a short note in the lunch you pack for when they’re at school. 

Ask about their day, ask about their activities, be involved in your life.  Just remember - whatever age they are, they won’t stay that way forever. Cherish the time you have and how special they are at their particular age. 

Don’t live to work -- live for your family and loved ones. 

What do you do to make sure you spend valuable time with your loved ones? 

Why do I work in the auto industry?

Because I’m a gear head?  No - you’ll realize that once you meet me in person. I can’t even change my wiper blades! The only thing I can do is refill my windshield washer fluid!

How about --- because my family members were in it? Nope! My dad was an attorney and my mom is a school teacher!

Because when asked in Elementary School ‘What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?’ I didn’t answer  “A Used Car Salesman!”  I wanted to be a Lobbyist (which you could argue is a distant cousin of selling cars - convincing people you’re right and to listen to your views.)

Because it just happened to be something which popped into my lap, so I stuck with it for awhile, tried it out, and realized it’s the greatest career ever? Yup. Pretty much - at least that’s how it happened for me!  What’s your story?

But that’s not what I want to talk about. I want to talk about family. In the auto industry, it’s not uncommon to work 50-60 hour weeks (sometimes more).  But through all of the long hours at the dealership (an 8 hour day is a “short day,” right?) it’s still important to remember the real reason why you’re there.

For your family. 

A good friend of mine, Tracy Myers, told me he leaves his dealership at noon every Friday to spend time with his family.  “No matter if the building is on fire.” He still takes that important time every week to spend with his loved ones.  It’s this commitment to family that everyone should embrace.

Drop your kids off at school each day so you can make sure they get off to a good start.  With technology these days, it’s not hard to record a quick video or snap a quick picture and send to them - just to let them know you’re thinking about them and that you care.  Surprise them with a short note in the lunch you pack for when they’re at school. 

Ask about their day, ask about their activities, be involved in your life.  Just remember - whatever age they are, they won’t stay that way forever. Cherish the time you have and how special they are at their particular age. 

Don’t live to work -- live for your family and loved ones. 

What do you do to make sure you spend valuable time with your loved ones? 

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?