Clunkers Hangover

I'm so tired of blogging on Clunkers! Here's where we are: August is over & hopefully closed out at most dealerships. Many had a heck of a ride full of long nights, lots of deals & tons of traffic. Others didn't participate much in the actual government program but took full advantage of the buzz created throughout the industry the past few weeks. Now, traffic is starting to slow and dealers are "getting back to normal."

Is "normal" still good enough for you?

A dealer told me yesterday he supposed they were "still basking in the glory of last month." I should have told him "snap out of it!" but I didn't :) The bottom line is direct mail is working right now. I don't know if it's because a lot of dealers slowed down on it the past year, or if it's just that the products have changed a lot recently, whatever it is the days of a 1-2% response are very much here again.

Don't let the momentum die in your showroom or with your sales force-it's time to restart our engines and get things going again. Here are just a few of the products that are doing it for us at Tri-Auto right now.

• USED CAR Clunkers themes (or "cash for Junkers")
• Jumbo Postcards with keys or credit cards
• Half Fold 11x17 with keys or credit cards
• Mini 8 page magazines
• Buyback letters to year/make/model lists or your database
• Email blasts
• Service Mailers (making a comeback!)

If you're unsure of what direction to go in, give me a call and we can talk through some ideas.

PS: In case you actually had to ask...the picture of the cheeseburger is in reference to the title of the post today. In lieu of using Tri Auto direct mail to cure your hangover, head to McDonald's.

What do we do with all this...traffic!?

Love it or hate it the C.A.R.S. program has ignited an interest in car buying again across the country. All week I've been hearing things like:

"Last month was close to, if not our best new car month ever." - Ford Dealer, Troy, OH

"July ended as our best month in a long long time and we're hoping August will be even better." - CJD Dealer, Chickasha, OK

One thing is for sure-traffic is up. New car, Used car, clunker traffic and lookers-with all the media buzz the public's focus has again shifted to vehicles. Now that your showroom is full again--what do you do with all that traffic!? Here are just ten ideas for making the most of the increase in traffic:

1. Get their email addresses! Many of these customers have probably never stepped foot in your store before, make sure the salespeople are going through the process and getting all their info--including emails! This is a great time to build your prospect database for future marketing.

2. Put your best foot forward. This program truly is unique and rare--make sure the dealership staff is making a good impression and building strong relationships that will outlast the current program and hype.

3. Reach out to your current customers. With all the commotion make sure your message is loud and clear to the people you've done business with in the past: "We appreciate you and want you back!"

4. Maintain positive attitudes. Things are crazy, and this is a good thing! Watch out for deteriorating attitudes as tensions rise on busy days.

5. Continue the momentum. With your marketing you always have to be looking ahead. Two weeks from now what will the showroom look like? Now that the first rush of Clunkers customers has come and gone how will you continue the steady flow of traffic? We've already developed some pieces for this time frame so give me a call if you'd like some ideas.

6. Refine your sales process. Over the past few months things may have become a little rusty, utilize your morning or weekly sales meetings to brush up on the basics.

7. Ask for referrals! Print up some fliars with the dealership info on them and info on a bird dog or gift for referring friends and neighbors. Again-basic Sales 101, but are you doing it at your dealership?

Shoot me an email if you'd like the final three ideas on what to do with the increase of traffic at your dealership. If you haven't seen the increase in traffic it might be a good idea to email too-we can help with that.

Cash for Clunkers Confusion-What to do about your advertising?

Like many of you I was glued to my laptop last night from 8pm until close to midnight. It seemed the news changed by the minute on the Cash for Clunkers (CARS) program as I flipped back and forth between CNN & Automotive News. Today, Tri Auto sits with a full press run-90% of which include Cash For Clunkers info, or are completely centered on the program. Here are some ideas I'm sharing with my clients on overcoming this obstacle and turning it into a win for your dealership! 1. Get your mind right. The public wasn't focused on the breaking news for three hours last night, most of them only know what they catch in a headline or on the Today show as they get the kids ready for school. Katy and I both checked out the Today show this morning and neither of us heard any mention of the program's future being up in the air. It's likely most consumers are under the impression it's running as planned. 2. Look at July 1st. For proof on #1 all we have to do is remember back...oh like three weeks ago. This program was announced and the public jumped. How many deals had been done prior to the July 27th when everything was actually put in place? Joe A. Consumer had just heard it was coming and went down to their local dealership to check it out-it's likely the same thing will continue happening after the program is through. 3. Your dealership can still offer Cash For Clunkers even if the government isn't! Many dealers have already used this angle when promoting used cars (essentially a $3500 guaranteed trade). Put a "stamp" on your mailer noting that regardless of what the government does your dealership is "extending" this program. 4. Keep your customers up to date--add a landing page to your mailer/ad/commercial/etc.! These are inexpensive and the content of the website can be changed (daily!) if they need to be. Adding something that cues the customer to "check here for the most up to date information on the clunkers program" will allow you to modify your hooks & keep up with whatever is going on with this program. In closing, this program has had more "free advertising" than any other in the last 10 years (maybe ever!?). It may end Monday or they may sign on for the extra 3.5 Million that's being requested...either way capitalize on the media advertising a program you can offer your market regardless of what Uncle Sam decides to do (just make sure you disclaim right-ask Katy for details!). PS: If you're interested in how we're utilizing these techniques, email or give me a call (317-644-5729) and we can get the mailers to you.

Guidelines for Marketing Cash for Clunkers (C.A.R.S.)

Hey Everyone- Even when I went looking for this info on the C.A.R.S. site I had trouble locating it so just wanted to share the link & info on using the official government logo on your marketing--along with the disclaimer that should be included. Please let me know if you'd like to see any of our Cars for Clunkers Mailers or emails. From www.cars.gov: CARS: Advertising Usage Guidelines Use of the CARS Logo NHTSA will permit the CARS logo to be used in advertisements (print, Web or television), provided: The logo is displayed in immediate proximity to a description of the CARS.gov program — and not so it is associated generally with the contents of the entire advertisement. The user makes no alterations to the CARS logo, which includes the www.cars.gov Internet address. Each advertisement utilizing the CARS logo displays the following required disclaimer (which may appear as a pop-up during mouse-over on the Web): "CARS is a program of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (www.cars.gov)" Advertisements do not include quotes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Administrator or any other federal employee. Additional info at here.

Cash For Clunkers Mailers are Here

I've received more phone calls the past two weeks than ever before...and everyone is talking about Clunkers! There seem to be two ideas when it comes to promoting this program and we've got you covered on both fronts. Shoot me an email or give me a call and we'll get things started. Cash for Clunkers Mailer Philosophy #1 We've heard: "I want to take advantage of the media attention over this program and increase traffic to my store. It's important that people know we are participating in this program. I'm less concerned about actually taking in clunkers, and more concerned about overall traffic increase-but we'll take those deals as easy as the rest!" We're suggesting: One of our tried and true event type mailers that has several strong mentions on the program and how it works--why? We know they work & they are saturation so you're getting the message out to your market. Cash for Clunkers Mailer Philosophy #2 We've heard: "We're really excited about the Clunkers bill and think it will increase sales for us. We want to aggressively target people who qualify for the program and bring them in to make sure we get their Clunkers business over everyone else in the market." We're suggesting: A targeted, personalized letter, complete with a personal website to a highly targeted list of people who own vehicle that qualify and are worth the same or less than the $4,500 credit. Using this approach you are weeding out those that have no interest in the program and shooting where the ducks are flying. If you fall into one of these categories let us know and we can talk about what might make sense for you.

C.A.R.S. or Clunkers update :)

How disappointing, this idea took off with so much momentum when it was passed into law and now it's come to a screeching halt as the details are ironed out! There is a silver lining though--this minor delay has allowed us the time to put together a fantastic mailing list to promote the C.A.R.S. or Cash for Clunkers program. You can now send a personalized mailer to people that own vehicles that meet the criteria, they are:

• Vehicles that fall into the correct age category
• Vehicles that with the correct mpg rating
• Vehicles that according to Edmond's should be worth $4,500 or less

Variations on the actual data are also available. Let me know if you'd like a list count to see how many people are in your market for a program like this. I hope all your months are closing out well!

BEWARE-Cash For Clunker Websites

Immediately following the release that this bill was becoming a law "official websites" have popped up claiming to help consumers get in touch with an "approved dealer" or helping dealers become "approved." I was even duped by one & posted it two days ago (it has since been changed). I've been digging into this for the past 2 days and www.cars.gov seems to be the only official site with government information on it. These other sites are looking to collect dealership & consumer info to then sell to marketing agencies. I'll keep you posted as I find out more on the details behind how to get your dealership on the list. Beware of impostors! :) Happy Tuesday!

Cash for Clunkers Bill set to Pass

Cash for Clunkers is all but passed as it awaits the President's signature. For those of you that aren't aware this will go into effect on any vehicles sold after July 1.

Here's a site that has a lot of questions & answers about the bill on it. It's could be a good idea to drop the website into some of your marketing to help educate your customers & your market.

www.cars.gov

There are a lot of opinions out there concerning the bill, I found this quick blog post an interesting commentary on it.

Regardless of if you love it or hate it--I think you'll be missing out if you don't' take advantage of the marketing gains with something like this.

We already have a piece ready to go, if you're thinking of promoting it with mail shoot me an email. I'd also love to hear from YOU what your thoughts are on the bill in general.