Domino's Gets It

After my last post on reinventing our businesses and industry, I thought this was such a fitting application of a company that is doing just that.

Have you seen the new Domino's commercials? If we are Facebook friends I'm sure you've seen my comments on how brilliant I believe them to be. If not here's a very brief recap.

The spots feature Domino's employees talking about how they sucked - "The sauce tastes like ketchup," "Crust is like cardboard," "Microwave pizza is better," etc. Then they talk about how it makes them feel, and how now they have a choice. ...continue to hide the criticism or 'face it head on.' They are choosing the latter. They've completely started over when it comes to their recipe, and not only that, they are TALKING ABOUT IT. The marketing campaign is just as genius as their decision to make a change. Check out their website dedicated to this reinvention. The documentary is great, but what I find fantastic is the up to date feed of what people are saying on Twitter about the new pizza. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, but either way it's honest.

So yes, Domino's is a national company that is very well branded and a household name. Shouldn't your dealership be the same way on a more local level? How can this story be applied on a smaller scale?

1. Take an honest look at the strengths and weaknesses of yourself, your department, your store. If you want true honestly Google your store and look at the online reviews (if you aren't already doing this - shame on you!).
2. Decide where the biggest opportunities for growth are.
3. Commit to changing the things that need to be changed.
4. TALK ABOUT the changes you are making. In your print, TV & Radio ads, on your website, through social media, etc.
5. Put your money where your mouth is. Don't be afraid to go out on a limb and make bold statements.

If you are looking for guidance in building a complete campaign - call me. We aren't just about event sales anymore.

Reputable Mail Companies-How to Find Them

Many of the dealers I work with have told me lately that they've received more sales calls regarding direct mail lately than ever before. Automotive Direct Marketing providers are directly linked to the Automotive Industry, so we, like you have seen the impact on our businesses.

As much as I would love it if everyone who read this blog contacted me for their mail needs, I also realize some of you are just trying to figure out who is legit in this game and who isn't. Here are just a few red flags and questions to ask to separate the quality from the...not.

How long have they been in business? and How long have they been in business under their current name?

There are a lot of businesses that have "closed" under AG scrutiny & lawsuits and have reopened under new names. The names have changed but the people haven't.

What's the level of professionalism with this company?

If they don't have a website, or any marketing material, or even a solid address--any or all of these could be a red flag. Professional companies have marketing collateral, samples, desks and a website. That's not to say that some professional companies aren't smaller and may have fewer resources than some of the big boys--but taking the time to do a little research in this area is time well spent.

How do they feel about providing you with postal verification?

Some companies try to get around sending postal documentation to their customers. These are your basic documents from the post office that says how much mail was sent and how much money was paid in postage. If they are strange about providing these up front-that's probably not good.

Where do they fall on the price line?

I know you don't want to hear this but cheaper isn't always better. If they are considerably less expensive than anyone else you've spoken to, ask more questions. With the economy like it is some companies are truly just trying to stay in business--for some that could mean selling their product at cost to keep people & machines working, for others that could mean telling you 30,000 pieces of mail are being sent out and sending out 10,000.

Have they challenged any of your ideas?

You know cars. I know mail, and so do some other mail professionals. Those of us that do this to help dealers are not afraid to tell you when we feel something is a bad idea or to suggest something different to help increase your results. We don't do this to be know it alls-we do it to assist you. It's your choice if you want to listen to us :) Beware the mail company that doesn't have any insights to share. They may only be in it for one sale and one pay day.

What does your gut tell you? Intuition is our best friend when it comes to things like this. If you don't trust the person on the other end of the phone (or on the other side of your desk), why would you hand them a check? If something doesn't feel quite right it probably isn't.

There are many, reputable, quality mail providers out there. Go with someone that has a proven track record, industry knowledge and plenty of references for you to contact.

This post is intended to educate. By no means am I implying a company that falls into one or more of these categories is practicing illegal or immoral business. This isn't directed at any particular company-please don't send me hate mail :) Thank you!

Social Networking for Sales-Interview with a real dealer Part #3

What advice would you give other dealers thinking of starting their own social networking program? I could give a ton of advice on this subject, but first would be--decide if you're going to do it. Many people "decide" they are going to start trying to build relationships online only to quit a month or so later because of a lack of results. This isn't a quick fix like much of automotive advertising can be. This is a slow process that takes time, but Social networking is viral once it starts and once it grows, it grows exponentially and virally, which is the whole power. We started in January and saw very little from it for the first three months. In April we sold a couple off of it and May was huge. The key is just to stay consistent and let things build - eventually it will pay off. The other benefit is, that unlike paid advertising that runs out once the money runs out, social marketing continues to grow and grow with little effort once its done. William Bryant is not only knowledgeable on the use of social networking sites, dealer websites and blogging but also has a great background in the technical side of things. In a very new industry there are few experts that can provide the whole package when it comes to assisting other dealers. If you'd like some help getting started William also offers consulting services. He can be contacted via email or learn a little more on his website. Thank you William for taking the time to share your insights on this exciting new way to build lasting relationships (that lead to sales)!

Social Networking for Sales-Interview with a real dealer Part #2

Tell me about the different online and social networking avenues you used to promote the dealership?

We're on Twitter, Facebook and You Tube. We also have a very interactive website that has a live chat feature and videos of every pre owned vehicle. Our videos are on YouTube and in a link in all of our vehicle descriptions. People can then access them through cars.com or our website as well.We have close to 800 friends on Facebook. A good tip for other dealers is to hire a service to do an email match on your database. They actually go in to your database and find email address (valid ones!) for many of your customers. You can then just drop the emails into your Facebook account and ask them to be your friend.

I'm also on Twitter for the dealership, posting updates and interesting content for our customers and followers. We have a lot of customers scheduling service appointments and asking questions via our Twitter & Facebook accounts. It's easy for them as they are already on those sites daily and we're able to stay top of mind for them because we're just another one of their "friends."

I feel a lot of online interaction is the customer testing the waters to see if they can trust you. A lot of dealers have tools like live chat on their websites but don't use it correctly. Recently I mystery shopped another dealer and the sales person on the other end of the chat asked me several times for my phone number so he could call me. It isn't about that-it's just about providing the information they need and being helpful and considerate.

A lot of people ask me as a blogger to quantify the sales results I've experienced through social networking, I've always struggled with that. Do you have any way of putting into numbers the success you experience through this marketing? Not really. I can tell you that in May we sold a vehicle to a woman in Florida-she saw one of our vehicle videos online and flew up to purchase and drive home her vehicle. When she got her she said she felt like she already knew us through the video. I also sold a vehicle on Twitter last month. It's one of those things that builds and grows and it literally costs nothing but your time. Take a moment to check out William's Social Media use for Steve White Motors: Steve White Motors Website Steve White Motors Twitter Account Steve White Motors Facebook Page Steve White Motors YouTube

Social Networking for Sales-Interview with a real dealer Part #1

William Bryant, Internet Sales Manager, Steve White Motors

On Twitter I follow several dealers that are using Social Networking for business. One of the most active is Steve White Motors in Greenville, SC. Recently I contacted them to find out who the man behind the account was and get his perspective on using Social Networking for Sales. The next three posts will be on my interview with William. William Bryant is the Internet Sales Manager at Steve White. They carry Audi & VW and of course also provide pre-owned vehicles. William got started in the car business a little less than 5 years ago as a college student. Looking for part time work, he found school in the mornings and selling cars in the afternoons to be a great opportunity. This 23 year old has now created & fulfilled an online strategy that is producing 30% of the store's sales every month. We were able to spend a few minutes on the phone together one evening this week and I wanted to share this with you all as soon as possible.

Tell me about your dealership-Steve White Motors? I came on in January of this year, the last dealer I worked for didn't see the benefit in online marketing and it was a struggle to get any budget at all. The owner at Steve White just turned 30 and understands that this is the marketing of the future. He's very willing to give me the time and budget needed to make this department work. As a dealership our sales are up 8% year to year. We mostly use Radio, Email campaigns and our website/social networking work to advertise. I attribute a lot of our success to our products-as Audi & VW are still strong brands. However, a lot of it is how we treat our customers. We're finding 100 miles won't stand between someone and good customer service. After mystery shopping other dealers in the area I find we are one of the few to just talk to people and find out what they need--there are still a lot of "old school techniques" being used that just turn customers off. That and we give people a lot of different ways to contact and interact with us--they choose the way that works best for them.

Future of Automotive Marketing-Make it Personal

In the five years I've been in the mail business there have been huge new opportunities when it comes to personalizing your message. Here are just a few: 1. Putting names on a saturation mailer! Yes, now you can send out your big saturation mailer but instead of it saying "current resident" or "future satisfied customer" it will have the person's name on it. 2. Adding "variable data"--even just a little. Variable Data is when you speak directly to the person, by name. You can now add "Value Variable Data" extremely inexpensively to any mailer. 3. Personal Websites. Ask the person to go to a website that has their name in the web address. Something like: www.Reveal.MyNextVehicle.com/JohnSample. For additional questions on PURLS please check out my Frequently Asked Questions post. 4. Mail to people that drive your brand...but don't buy from you! There have been exciting developments in these new lists. You can send a customized letter to homes in your market that already own your brand. Talk about gaining market share!

Where is Automotive Marketing headed?

First, a note from your local newspaper...

Hi Mr. Dealer,

It's your old pal here, the local daily paper. I feel like we don't spend as much time together as we used to. In fact, I feel that way about a lot of my old friends. Many homes have cancelled their subscriptions to me in the past year or so--something about the economy and they get their news from other sources. Others still pick me up off the driveway but I lay unopened on their kitchen table until they eventually throw me away. But, as we both know, you have to advertise in the local paper-what else will help keep your name in the public eye?

Sincerely,

Your Town Daily

Daily and Sunday Circulation Declines Percent declines in circulation by six-month period

See the complete story with this graphic here.

In all sincerity I do believe there is a place for ALL marketing-the big media stuff, the more targeted messages, online, on the air and in the mailbox...heck even to your phone. However, it's time to move past the 1980's in many cases.

Every day I talk to someone who let's me know how many years longer than me they've been in the business and how in the glory days all a successful sale needed was 100,000 newspaper inserts. They didn't even need prizes to get 1000 people to the lot. We are so far from the glory days that this type of advertising is an antique.

So where is Automotive Marketing headed? In the future it's going to be about personalized specific messages & relationships. As someone who has built a career off of saturation type-flood the market mail-it's a weird thing to say but it's the truth.

Over the next few days I'll be going through a few of these new ideas & technologies. Some, I hope you will have at least heard of--maybe you're already using them, and hopefully there will be one or new idea for you to check out.

In the meantime...

What is one change you've made this year with your marketing that has increased your response?

Does it Pay to Advertise in a Down Economy?

This was just released today from Ad-Ology: Does it really pay to advertise during a recession? Historical data says yes, but times and perceptions change, so what do TODAY'S consumers think?

"More than 48% of U.S. adults believe that a lack of advertising by a retail store, bank or auto dealership during a recession indicates the business must be struggling."

Ad-ology Research surveyed consumers in late April 2009 about their perceptions of advertising in this economy. The report, Advertising's Impact in a Soft Economy, shows just how crucial advertising is right now for success today and in the future. Regardless of how you spend your ad budget, I hope you are still keeping your name out in your community and letting your past and future customers know that you are still here and plan to be for a long time to come. If you have stopped advertising because you don't know what is working (if anything). Call me. Let's talk-no pressure on direct mail-no pressure on anything, let's just set up some tools on all your marketing to see where your money is being spent wisely, and where it could be reinvested for a bigger impact.

Social Networking for Sales Day #6

No, I haven't forgotten about this blog series, I was just taking a break...please click on the "social networking" tag below to pull up all the blogs on this series. If you've been following along, hopefully you've signed on to a couple of the major social networking sites and have begun getting your own content out on the web. Today we'll be discussing leading people to your content & other sites you participate in. Letting Others Know Where You Are

• Why not start with those that already know you? If your dealership or company doesn't already subscribe to a company like Exact Target to help you legally & easily manage your database marketing--talk to someone who can make that decision. Begin by getting the word out to your customer base-especially those that like to communicate via email-odds are they may be on some of the same sites you are! Send out an email letting them know where to find you and how to connect.
• Include links to your podcast, blog, Facebook Fan Page or other social networking "homes" in your email signature. It's a subtle reminder to anyone you communicate with to check out your content & profile.
• Link with your address book. Most of these sites (if not all) allow you to sign in to your Hotmail, Yahoo, Outlook, or whatever email account you have and let you know who is already on the site. It will also give you the ability to invite new users from your address book.
• Once you have committed to a site or two put your profile or websites on your business cards.
• As you are inputting a new prospect or customer into your CRM or DMS tool-why not search for them on any of the sites you have a presence in? It's likely many of them will be there too and you'll have an open forum to congratulate them on a new purchase or just keep in touch.
• Get involved with the groups that interest you on the different sites. Making a personal connection with someone is the best kind of bonding and rapport. Now that you shared a sports tip with someone-they're very likely to agree to be your friend, fan or follower on the site.
• Stay involved & keep at it! This type of marketing slowly builds over time - you are building an entirely new database of people who will know you (and hopefully like you). Over time they are all going to be in the market for a vehicle--and why wouldn't the shop from a friend first?

Social Networking for Sales Day #5

What's all the Twitter about? Early this year I joined Twitter. It was right before all the buzz started about the little website with the bird. Over the past few months the media hype over this new social networking concept has gotten completely out of control...so what's it all about? If you are on Facebook you are familiar with your "live feed" or "status." Twitter is in essence, a live feed site. You can post updates as often as you like as long as they are 140 characters or less. Why would you Twitter? Twitter is more content based than sites like Facebook or MySpace. There are no fancy profiles with pictures of your dog or kids. It's very much about sharing information and networking. You may find a group of wine enthusiasts that Tweet about vino and get together for a "TwitUp" (in normal language-they meet up somewhere) once a month at the local wine shop. Professionally-you can use Twitter to talk about popular models--congratulate another "Tweeter" on their recent purchase or post stats about your sales for the month. Let your followers know you are pushing to get 2 more units out on the last day of the month and are ready to deal--or host a special event for Twitter users. Twitter is also another great way to gain friends on your other Social Networking sites or to get traffic on your blog or podcast. The best way to get started is to do just that-start. Set up a profile and find some people to follow, make sure I'm on the list! If you join let me know you joined off the blog and I'll suggest some dealers that do a great job using Twitter for business. You can follow them and learn from those that are already doing!

Speed of the Leader, Speed of the Team

"Speed of the Leader, Speed of the Team"

Have you heard this quote? I've mentioned it before and it came from a past manager we had here. This was also mentioned in the book Axiom by Bill Hybels. He writes, “If you cannot say ‘Follow me’ to your followers - and mean it - then you’ve got a problem. A big one.” We are all leaders in one way or another. I know owners, GM's and Sales Managers in the auto industry read this blog-but others do too. We're leaders at home, in the office or in social settings. Recently I was talking to a client about how he's managed to collect thousands of email addresses. He told me how his guys complain and moan about how "old people" don't have emails. Then he told me how he stepped up and took 4 or 5 ups that all happened to be older one morning. In front of all the guys he got all but one email from these customers. Now that he led by example I imagine he won't hear that excuse again in the near future. Today I hope we can all say "do as I do" instead of "do as I say." PS: Anytime I can get Penquins in the blog it's a good day. How can you not smile when you see them?!

Social Networking for Sales Day #4

Become an Expert by Adding Content 1. Determine if you know or can learn enough to become an expert in your field. 2. Share your knowledge!

• Start a blog
• Become a guest columnist on an industry website or blog
• Start a podcast
• Create a webinar educating on your services and the industry
• Post White Papers on relevant topics
• Volunteer to add articles, posts or other content to your company website

3. Social Networking and sharing content go hand in hand. Once you have content to share and promote your Social Network should grow.

I blog and we have a resident Podcaster here. If you'd like help with either just give me a call or shoot me an email.

Social Networking for Sales Day #3

Be Present

1. Log on at least 3-4 times per week.

2. Get involved in the conversation! Add interesting links or articles that you think others would find interesting.

3. Comment on what others are doing.

4. Be a positive force in your network! Sure, misery loves company, but no one wants to buy from misery either. Keep your messages upbeat.

5. Add friends! Continue to add friends as you meet them, and remember once you meet someone on one site, search for them on your other Social Networking sites as well.

Social Networking for Sales Day #1

The next couple weeks I'll be writing on utilizing Social Networking to gain sales. This could be for individual sales reps or the Dealership marketing as a whole. We'll start simple and build up to the more detailed stuff. This is the future of marketing and those that get on board now will be far ahead of the rest when everything becomes more mainstream.

Getting started-

1. Set up an email devoted to all your social networking. Google, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc. all offer free email accounts with a lot of memory. You'll use this email as a user name for all your social networking sites so you are easily search able for people, and you can keep everything in one place.

2. Have someone take a good digital head shot photo of you. Save the photo as your "bio photo" to your desktop so it's always handy.

3. Sign up! Start here: Facebook & LinkedIn. Others would add MySpace to the list too but it seems to be less effective than the other two. We'll cover others later but these need to be a priority.

4. Fill out your profiles. Create and fill out the info on both sites, don't forget to add a picture! Remember to be careful about how personal you get on your info, things like religion, politics & weekend drinking parties are things to consider before posting.

5. Add friends! Search your email contacts for others you know that are already members. Connect with those you know!

Feel free to contact me if you have questions over any of these steps, I'm happy to walk you through them!

PS: If you are already a member of both of these sites, take a minute today or tomorrow to "clean house." Remove any pictures or content you believe could be counter productive to gaining business, or any that present an image of you that isn't what you want presented.

How do you know what Automotive Marketing is Working?

We are in the midst of launching our Dealer ADvantage program this month. I'll start a series of posts on it after I've had a little more experience with it. Here's the basic foundation though: How do you know what automotive marketing is working...and what isn't? If dealers knew the answer to that--they could start cutting what isn't working, increasing what is, causing a better response for less money. Is it possible? IT IS! We're doing it with mail right now using MarketVision, and I can now start helping you track your other marketing as well.

Contact me if you want a more scientific approach to the following:

• Tracking all foot traffic-capture their contact info, find out what message brought them in and add them to your CRM
• Tracking all phone traffic-know your call volume, what marketing produces them and what doesn't and use recordings for future sales training opportunities
• Tracking hits to your website-you can probably already see how many hits you are getting-but how do you know what's driving traffic? Figure out what is sending people to your website AND capture

To give or not to give?? Part I

Welcome to a new week and a fresh start! Don't worry I'm not going to get on you today about your charitable contributions, no today we're going to talk about premiums! To some the idea of giving out gifts just for coming in turns their stomach. They imagine a showroom full of people just showing up to pick up their trinket with no thought of ever buying a car. Others, though, love the idea of a full showroom, regardless of their intent for coming in, they are still THERE in your dealership--not the one down the street. So how do you view these people? Are they opportunities just waiting to be taken, or a waste of your time? A few years ago when mail was the new media and was driving in droves of people it wasn't necessary to have a gift on a piece to get a good amount of traffic. Times have changed though, automotive mail is now a very common piece of "John Doe's" stack of envelopes in the mailbox. It's been seen and done before and the results are starting to diminish, or in some cases disappear! That and, as much as I hate to bring it up, the market isn't what it was a couple of years ago either. It used to be an option whether or not to add a scratch off, peek-a-boo, or matching number to a piece. You know the deal-one large grand prize, a couple of other smaller prizes, and the prize that everyone wins (with the exception of the three winners sent out). If you aren't offering prizes on your mailers, look around and see who is. If you had two pieces of mail in your box and were actually in the market are you more likely to go to the dealership that is offering a chance at $10,000 and you've definitely won something, or the one that isn't? But let's not forget this isn't about you or me, or 90% of Americans, this is about the 1-3% of the population that responds to direct mail. The demographics are there, the direct mail responder WOULD choose the dealership offering a gift for coming in, if you want stats email me, I'll fill your inbox. So why wouldn't you give gifts on a mailer? -Your dealership's image doesn't support that type of marketing -It costs more -The sales team has to deal with "gift getters" -It doesn't work for your brand or line -Your sales team is not effective at turning gift getters into buyers -The possible legal issues are frightening! Am I missing anything? For some dealerships premiums are truly, not a good option. For many they are a fantastic opportunity to increase traffic and business, we'll figure out who is who tomorrow.

Credit Amnesty Events

The past few weeks the elusive "Credit Amnesty Events" have been popping up again. In a lot of states these are not considered illegal, and quite effective, however there has been some nasty backlash recently. An Illinois dealer is facing the possibility of hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines over this theme, click on the title of this post for the whole story. All dealers need to be aware of the laws in their state. Reading through the guidelines that are spewed from the AG's offices can be mind numbing and confusing...and on top of that contradictory and vague. Direct mail seems to be the area targeted the hardest when it comes to these books of laws and "suggestions." Be sure your printer, mail house or marketing firm is also up to date on the legalities in your state. They should be able to red flag certain hooks and offers for you, and at the very least be sure you are covered in your disclaimers. Back to the "Credit Amnesty Events" if you conduct business in any of the states below...run...quickly away from this title or offer. If you aren't on the list it doesn't deem you "safe" it just means there haven't been any recent fines handed down in your area for using it. And while we're talking about disclaimers, here's mine: I'm not a lawyer, and am not able to give "legal advice" I'm just well informed so that dealers I consult avoid fines as much as possible. Happy Friday! Alaska Arizona Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Idaho Illinois Iowa Kansas Louisiana Maine Montana New Jersey New York North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Vermont Washington Wisconsin

Advertising in a Slow Economy

There seem to be only two schools of thought when it comes to the debate on what to do in a down market with your advertising dollars. To spend or not to spend. These aren't the only options, and smart dealers know it. So what do you do in times with the economy isn't the "high tide rising all boats?" Do you create a tide of your own to boost your own business or sit and wait until...the election is over, or gas prices drop, or the stock market rebounds or the first of the year....you get where I'm going with this. In times like these you have to keep your name out in front of your market, and you have to start thinking creatively. Here are three simple steps to getting started: 1. Take stock of your market. What are other dealers doing? What aren't they doing? Don't be afraid to look at other industries. Search out the other highly successful businesses in your area and talk to the other owners, managers and advertising execs. What can you incorporate into your business model that works for them? 2. Spend. Spend smart. It's essential to keep your name in front of your market. Taking a month or two off completely could lull someone into false security. There is such a thing as residual advertising...but it will run out. If what you are doing isn't working try something new, just be sure to research the new product, the new company and the new professional that should be consulting you every step of the way. 3. Track your results and ROI. This seems like a no brainer right? Do you do it though? Do you know how much money you actually made off the last TV campaign you ran? Do you know how many sales on your last super sale actually came from the direct mail and newspaper ads? How many were just walk ins? Find a company that is sophisticated enough to offer tracking tools, and use them! How else are you going to know when to stay and when to walk away? This is a time for everyone to take a really good look at where the money is going. As business owners, and personally, we all have areas we can reasonably cut back just as we can all find areas for growth.