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The Worst Dealership I’ve Ever Seen, Is It You?

David Johnson — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:27:46 +0000

Have you ever walked into a place and got the vibe that nobody wanted to be there? Not the customers or even the employees? That’s how I felt the first time I walked into this dealership, and each time afterwards. First, I noticed that there was no music playing, then I noticed only scowls, no smiling faces.The vibe was all wrong.

Everybody, employees included, had their arms crossed in front of their chests, their body language saying, “Don’t approach me, I’m standoffish!” Even the expressions on their faces said I didn’t want to be there, there was contempt written all over the faces of the salespeople, anger and fear on the customers. Is this your dealership?

Just walking in the front door, past the unsmiling, unwelcoming receptionist was enough to put me in a bad mood. I didn’t WANT to be there, after 60 seconds I was ready to leave. What vibe is your dealership putting off?

The decor was all off as well, plastic plants trying to lend to a home like look came off as fake and slightly annoying. No pictures of family, or even happy customers for that matter (probably because they’re aren’t any), adorned offices or desks. The first salesperson I saw I walked up to him, put my hand out and said, “My name is David, and you are?”

I received a limp fish of a handshake in turn, a slight frown and then, “Are you here to buy a car?” There was no emotion behind the words, his gaze somewhere behind me, it was all I can do not to turn around to see what he was looking at.

“No,” I said. “I’m here to to help you, and the rest of the salespeople generate your own leads. How’s you’re day going?”

“So you’re not here to buy a car,” he said, his gaze still behind me. ” That’s how my day is going.” No smile, no nothing.

“I know how that is! What’s your name by the way?”

For the first he looked at me and seamed to see me for the first time, he said “Mark?” Almost as if he wasn’t sure that was his own name, almost as if it were a question instead of a definitive statement. His gaze shifting, once again, to behind me.

“Well, I gotta run Mark. It was a pleasure. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Mmmhmm,” was all I got in return.

To one degree or another this is how everybody acted, as if they didn’t want to be there. I didn’t either. They sold plenty of cars but had horrible online reviews, no repeat traffic and hardly any referrals. In effect they had reduced car shopping into a commodity, where they raced to the bottom, sacrificed profit, and concentrated on units sold instead of gross.

Bottom line? People came because they were the cheapest. They sold below invoice, were completely void of any customer service, and hated the fact that they were alive. At least it seemed that way.

The morning meeting was more of a whipping sessions. A don’t do this or your fired session, one devoid of any direction or motivation. Yes, even the manager hated his job. Do you?

Is your dealership throwing off the don’t buy from me signals like this one was? Are you curious as to the name of this dealership? I’ll give it to you if you ask nicely? The answer? It’s your dealership. Take a closer look and you will see that I’m right. If not, tell me what makes your dealership different in the comment section below. I don’t mind being wrong. So, is it you?

No related posts.

[Video] Automotive Lead Nurturing #5: Inbound Lead Generation

David Johnson — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:32:33 +0000

Welcome to the latest (as I write this anyway! LOL) episode of the Automotive Lead Generation video series. In this video I talk about ways that you can fill up your lead funnel through the creation of an inbound lead generation campaign.

Many dealerships think of only the leads that they get from their website or from third-parties and completely leave out other ways that they can generate leads, such as through your blog and by creating engaging downloads.

If you need help rewriting your auto-responders or want to set up an inbound lead generation campaign contact me HERE. Don’t put it off, it’s time to think pull marketing instead of push, permission instead of interruption. I’ll talk to you soon!

[Video] Automotive Lead Nurturing #4: Connecting With Your Customers

David Johnson — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:40:07 +0000

Welcome to video # 4 in the series Automotive Lead Nurturing, Connecting With Your Customers. Did you know, companies that excel in lead nurturing generate 50% more sales ready leads at 33% less cost? Well, they do! In this video I will share with you one tip that will help you to excel!

This Series

I have about a dozen more videos planned in this series, to ensure that you don’t miss one make sure that you grab the RSS feed (top right) or subscribe using your email address below. If you have any questions just let me know in the comment section below, I’d love to hear from you!

If you would like to hire me to rewrite your auto responders, you can contact me here.

5 Things You Need To Know BEFORE Designing Your Social Media Strategy

David Johnson — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:18:43 +0000

#1 Social Media Is A Force Multiplier

Stop looking at social media as an add-on, in order for social marketing to be truly effective you must first work to integrate it into your daily processes. Instead of seeing social media as a separate identity, one that needs a separate strategy before it can be implemented fully, you need to see it for what it is, a force multiplier.

In military terms a force multiplier refers to an attribute or a combination of attributes which make a given force more effective than that same force would be without it, that’s social media exactly!

So, instead of thinking in terms of new goals, in which a social media strategy would be used to reach, think in terms of how you can use social media, alongside your other marketing efforts, to reach your current business goals.

#2 Never Let Tactics Dictate Strategy

Too many times we look at Facebook as the strategy, when in fact, because it’s a tool, much like the phone and email, it’s a tactic. As such, remember that it’s NEVER okay to let a tactic dictate how you develop your strategy, instead, your strategy will dictate which tactics you use.

The Difference Between Strategy and Tactic

Tactics are the day-to-day activities that are repeatable and clear-cut, they are comprised of the basic components that define the actually strategy.

Strategy is the big picture, it’s the overall plan, comprised of tactics, that gives direction towards meeting goals and objectives.

#3 Think Laterally

The “lateral” that I am referring to is the conversation that is happening between people. With traditional advertising you have only one direction that communication can flow: out from the dealership.

With social media you are able to influence the conversation, the lateral communication that is happening between people in different social channels. So, when designing your strategy always think in terms of how you can get people to talk in a positive manner about your dealership.

#4 Connect With Social Objects

Too many times, as marketers, we think about how we can create a social object, that is a purpose, cause, or past time that people want to socialize about and around. Instead, take a look at social objects that people are already congregating around and find a way to connect it with your dealership.

While that is easier said than done, you do this by becoming part of the community, a contributor that adds to the overall enjoyment of the social object. If you live in a collage town, maybe it’s the local football team, live in a family friendly city, maybe it’s education, it could even be a local charity or fishing, the ideas really are limitless. What can your dealership connect around?

#5 Don’t Go At It Alone

While developing a strategy for the dealership, don’t go in thinking that you don’t need any help. A proper social media strategy will affect each and every department in the dealership and as such, each department should have input into how the strategy is structured. I refer to this group of people at the Strategic Response Team or the SRT.

The SRT is comprised of at least one person from each department in the dealership, even detail and office staff. The reasons are plenty, but I feel the most important reason is creativity. The creativity of the group will always be better than the creativity of the individual.

Have you created your strategy yet? Wait, don’t tell me you’ve gone into battle without a plan for success, you do know that’s suicide right? Tell me I’m wrong in the comment section below and that you do indeed have a strategy…

[Video] Automotive Lead Nurturing #3: Lead Scoring

David Johnson — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:03:44 +0000

Welcome to the 3rd video in the series Lead Nurturing. In this video I talk about lead scoring, about what you should do when somebody clicks on one of the links in your emails. Obviously if somebody clicks on a link and downloads your educational eBook or watches a testimonial video, they are more interested in your dealership than those that don’t. In this video I share with you some ideas on what you should do when that happens.

Warning: You may or may not have the functionality to do what I share with you in the video, but watch it anyway and then call your CRM provider and let them know that you need it. Again, it’s time to start thinking differently about how you interact through email. The way you’ve been doing it now is so… well, last year! HAHA

If you would like to hire me to rewrite your auto responders, you can contact me here.

[Video] Automotive Lead Nurturing #2: Social Proof

David Johnson — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:44:07 +0000

In this second video of the series Lead Nurturing I talk about social proof and how you can use it help shorting the buying cycle of your inbound leads.

Video #1 Educating Your Customers

Why Am I Creating This Series?

Because it’s time to start thinking differently. It’s time to stand out from what everybody else is sending and make an impact. It’s time to be that Purple Cow, it’s time to be remarkable. It’s time to use influence to sell more cars. Think about it. If you’re not remarkable then you must be unremarkable. If that’s what you want to be then DON’T watch this video because it will help you to become more remarkable.

If you would like to hire me to rewrite your auto responders, you can contact me here.

[Video] Automotive Lead Nurturing #1: Educating Your Customers

David Johnson — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:53:37 +0000

This is a series I’ve been wanting to do for a while now, but just never got around to actually doing it. In this video I discus educating your customers and what you can add to your emails to help shorten the buying cycle. Through Automotive Lead Nurturing you can sell more of your leads that are ready to buy and become the obvious choice for the leads who are not quite ready. Either way, this series will help you to sell more cars.

If you’d like to ensure that you wont miss the rest of the series make sure that you grab the RSS feed (Top right), or you can sign up for the Automotive Social Media Newsletter using the short form below this post.

If you would like to hire me to rewrite your auto responders, you can contact me here.

With All Things Being Equal…

David Johnson — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:20:03 +0000

It’s time to change the way you do business. Okay, okay, it’s past time but the way you do business has to change. Everything you do, starting now, has to do two things:

Everything must promote trust, likability, and relationships.
Your product or service has to at least be as good as everybody else’s.

Sounds pretty easy huh? Because it is. Let’s talk about the first one and while what I’m about to say has been around a long time I first read it in Endless Referrals by Bob Burg:

All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer others to, those people they like, know and trust.

So how do you get people (your customers) to like and trust you? By letting them get to know you, that’s how. How do you let them get to know you? You must first think of them as friends, not just as customers. This is where social media comes in, it gives you a way to become part of your customers social graph or at the very least, a conversation within it.

As I wrote before in the Three Ideals For Social Marketing Success Part 1: In a recent study conducted by the Journal Of Consumer Research it was found that consumers don’t buy into the idea that they are in “relationships” with sales people, at least not the same kind of relationship they share with family and friends. The study goes on to say that buyers slip into the normal script of trying to behave as if the sellers interactions are real relationships just to be polite, when in fact, it can have a negative effect if the seller tries too hard to build a real relationship, during the sale.

Who would’ve thunk it? So, while I do want you to be friendly during the whole selling process, don’t try to be too chummy, your customers are there to conduct business after all and you should be to. What I do want you to do though is give each and every one of your customers the best buying experience they’ve ever had. I want you to think customer enchantment. If you want people to talk about you, in a positive way, then you must go above and beyond what they expect. Then, just because you’re already going above and beyond kick it up a notch and go above and beyond what they ever thought possible!

Think of a way that you can connect with your customers on Facebook, here is a way for automotive salespeople to do just that. You could also do giveaways on Facebook and invite your customers to join in by telling them, in person, about all the things you’re doing online. Remember, don’t add them to your personal accounts without asking first, that’s a little creepy.

You could also do larger promotions that include the community as a whole, such as a city wide scavenger hunt to win a car, or a contest to promote a local charity or little league team. The ideas really are endless and once your customers are plugged in, spend time getting to know them, engage them, ask questions and give, give, give!

Be At least As Good

That’s strange isn’t it? If you go back to what I said earlier: All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer others to, those people they like, know and trust. The first part being what’s important, All things being equal.

If your product or service is below par then no matter how much somebody likes you, you won’t be getting any referrals from them, much less repeat business. This is important to remember in the auto industry, when you sell the same product as the guy down the street. What differentiates you? Why would somebody refer your dealership when the guy down the street sells the same thing you do. Take another look: All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer others to, those people they like, know and trust.

Ah Ha! With all things being equal you should put as much emphasis on getting people to like, know and trust you. Why haven’t you embraced relationship marketing yet? Why aren’t you engaging your customers on social networks? Why, why, why?

What are you doing to ensure that your customers like, know and trust you? Remember: our economy is customer-driven and because they prefer to do business with people you must work to be a person and not a cold, hard, unloving, uncaring business. So I ask you again, what are you doing to ensure that your customers like, know and trust you?

Be Remarkable, Stay Away From Average

David Johnson — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 18:42:48 +0000

Remarkable: re·mark·a·ble/riˈmärkəbəl/ Adjective – Worthy of attention; striking.

Synonyms: notable, noteworthy, extraordinary, outstanding

Be remarkable. Don’t be average. Look to see what your customers want and give them more. Being remarkable means being remembered. Being remembered means more word-of-mouth and increased customer loyalty. Everything you do should be remarkable, from your customer service to your content creation.

Give more than you think you should, do more than what’s expected. Be hot, stay away from lukewarm and avoid cold as if it were the plague.

Being hot means being remarkable, being lukewarm means your meeting expectations, being cold means you’re out of business, stay hot. Always remember to be remarkable, it means growth and increased profit.

If you want to be notable then you have to do things that others will not, that others dare not. Don’t look to your competitors and think, “Hmm, if I do what their doing I’ll get as much business as their getting.” or ‘Hmm, if I beat their price then I’ll get all the business.”

Stop racing to the bottom, race to the top by being unique, by giving your customers something they can’t get anywhere else, a world class experience. Once you’re on top you will lean just how lonely it is. Loneliness can be a good thing though, it means that your so called competitors can’t compete with you… all because you’re remarkable.

Create outstanding content. Create videos that teach, posts that inspire and status updates that beg for engagement. If you want to generate more leads, then create content that draws people in. Think pull marketing instead of push. Be a magnet. Be static cling.

If you’re content isn’t noteworthy people wont talk about it or share, people wont be drawn to it, it wont influence. Everything you do online should be remarkable. Everything you do at the point of the sale should be remarkable. Remarkable businesses flourish, unremarkable business struggle. Be remarkable.

What are you doing that it’s remarkable?

[Video] Automotive Lead Nurturing #2: Social Proof

Automotive Social Media Manager – A Job Description

David Johnson — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:05:37 +0000

Job Specification The Automotive Social Media Manager will implement the dealership’s Social Media Strategy, develop brand awareness, generate inbound traffic, create ongoing training for employees, manage the dealers reputation online, and encourage social media adoption. This role coordinates with the internal Marketing and PR teams to support their respective missions, ensuring consistency in voice and cultivating a social media referral network.

This position stewards any content that’s thought-leadership and social media industry related and oversees the blog, webinars, podcasts, ebooks, whitepapers, case studies, client profiles – anything that helps contribute valuable, educational content to our community and customers around the social media space.

Responsibilities Implement the social media strategy by coordinating with both management and non-management employees to ensure its effectiveness and encouraging adoption of relevant social media techniques into the dealership culture.

Work with all outward facing employees to ensure that they are using social media as outlined in the written strategy and to offer training when needed.
Manage presence in social networking sites including Facebook, Twitter, and other similar community sites, posting on relevant blogs, and seeding content into social applications as needed.
Become an advocate of the Company in social media spaces, engaging in dialogues and answering questions where appropriate.
Manage a Blogger outreach program and build an active brand ambassador network to spread the word about the Company.
Monitor effective benchmarks for measuring the impact of social media programs, and analyze, review, and report on effectiveness of campaigns in an effort to maximize results.
Manage the dealerships online presence through the creation of a social mention listening station and feedback loop.
Monitor trends in social media tools, trends and applications.
Local Market Thought Leadership: Serves as a thought leader for local market insights within the automotive field.
Content Planning: Prepares and provides information on locally relevant storylines and content for the Conversation Calendar.
Social Media Champion: Champions social media as an integral channel for execution for all in-market campaigns.
Content Managing: Updates and Manages the day-to-day conversations, engagement and escalation process for the brand’s Facebook page and other social media channels.

Content Execution: Ensures execution of “always on” and campaign specific information provided by the Global team and relevant content for local campaigns

Reporting: Provides quantitative and qualitative measurement, pre and post campaign execution.
Crisis Preparedness: Ability to identify and address any issues/crisis that may potentially occur within the social media realm.

Requirements

Strong project management or organizational skills.
In-depth knowledge and understanding of social media platforms and their respective participants (Facebook, Digg, Youtube, Twitter, Flickr etc.) and how they can be deployed in different scenarios.
Knowledge of the blogging ecosystem.
Ability to effectively communicate information and ideas in written and verbal format, and build and maintain relationships.
Team player, with the confidence to take the lead and guide other departments when necessary.
Good technical understanding and can pick up new tools quickly.
Have a good knowledge of principles of SEO.
Public relations, Marketing, Sales, Community Management experience, a plus.

Personal Qualities

A consummate team player who brings a passionate, positive, high-energy approach and is able to deliver results.
A high degree of personal ownership and the quest for continually finding new solutions.
Able to effectively work on multiple projects both with and without a team.
The successful candidate should possess enough hands-on experience developing and implementing digital communication strategies.
A strong can-do attitude and a “don’t tell me no” level of curiosity is essential.
Excellent English proficiency both spoken and written is essential.