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Do you take your own photos?

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#21
mattwatson81 said:
If they do it themselves they can have more control, perhaps save a little money, take extra pictures, and get it done more often and quicker. The main downfall is you have to have someone to do it and you have manage that person to make sure it gets done.

If they pay someone to do it they have more of a guarantee that it will actually get done. That is the primary benefit in outsourcing it.

At the end of the day, the most important thing is that it gets done. Ultimately that is all that matters. If it doesn't get done, it will hurt the dealership's sales.
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Amen, brother.
 
#23
Blake, I have my staff take our own pictures/videos and it seems to work the best. We upload to our inventory management tool (Vinsolutions). The upload is extremely easy, especially when we assign barcodes to each one of the vehicles and it is scanned by the camera then uploaded in a matter of minutes. I do use Cobalt as a secondary almost free website since I am held hostage by GM on that issue, however I use Dealerskins as well which does an excellent job of recieving the inventory from vinsolutions. I have not had any issues with a lag time. If I want a car uploaded right away I can manually do it as well.
 
#24
2 days on the new "Job" and of course the first thing I'm moving forward with is brining our Photo (and video) process in-house.

I've been working on a job description for this position.

I through this together real quick, any suggestions, additions or recommendations?

------------------------

Automotive Photo/Video & Data Collection Specialist

The Photo/Video & Data Collection Specialist is repsonsible for visiting our dealerships daily, entering vehicle options and equipment, capturing multiple quality digital photographs each dealers New and Pre-Owned inventory while also printing corresponding Pre-Owed vehicles window stickers.

This is a 40 (plus) hours a week postion, Monday through Friday.

Primary Responsibilities:

  • Determine with Managers & Reports on what cars need to be photographed
  • Stage vehicles to take multiple photos of New and Used Inventory
  • Upload photos to designated Invnetory Management Tool (HomeNet)
  • Print out window stickers with price, vehicle options and equipment to be [*displayed in vehicle
  • Mangement and merchandising of inventory on 3rd party sites
  • (AutoTrader.com, Cars.com and corresponding dealer websites)

Primary Requirements:

  • Have a good understanding of digital cameras / video
  • Must be detailed orientated and organized
  • Proficient in basic computer skills
  • MUST posses a valid driver’s license and have a good driving history.
  • Able to work outside year round
  • Able to travel between Hagerstown and Frederick


Applicants must possess these qualities:

  • Willingness and ability to work outdoors (in all weather conditions)
  • Attention to detail
  • Ability to work independently
  • Excellent communication skills
  • Have excellent time management skills
  • Basic computer skills and working knowledge of the internet
  • Automobile knowledge a plus (options/features)

The successful candidate MUST posses a valid driver’s license and have a good driving history. Must also be able to drive a manual transmission and proficiently move vehicles on a dealer lot.
 
#26
[* said:
Automobile knowledge a plus (options/features)
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Hmm... JK, I've got a lil twist on this. I don't have enough time to review this and word it right, so here goes...

Given what I know about data collection (and it's pitfalls), I am thinking that important qualities would be they LOVE cars, are very detailed oriented and are mature enough to be self-managing (this freedom can undo a weak mind).

PROBLEM:
There is NO score sheet on how well the data entry person has recorded the vehicle features & options. A sly & lazy player will blow thru option lists rather than hunker down and get it right.

I am thinking that the ideal candidate is an under-performing young sales rep. with the right traits to fit this profile.

Demonstrated history of being

  • Highly Organized
  • Self Governing
  • Very Strong Attention to detail
  • Passion for cars
  • Understanding the importance of data collection in the sales process

I believe the photo process can be trained easily to a player with the right qualities.


congrats and good luck bro!
 
#27
We take all our own photos in house. With 3 used car lots there's plenty to do. Our lot guys handle the taking of photos. We have a photo booth in our main dealership that's routinely used for 2/3 lots, the 3rd lot sometimes takes pictures outside if its nice.

The one thing I wish we did with photos was use tripods. If we move to high res pictures in the future this will become a necessity!
 
#28
ghen said:
We take all our own photos in house. With 3 used car lots there's plenty to do. Our lot guys handle the taking of photos. We have a photo booth in our main dealership that's routinely used for 2/3 lots, the 3rd lot sometimes takes pictures outside if its nice.

The one thing I wish we did with photos was use tripods. If we move to high res pictures in the future this will become a necessity!
Click to expand...

Since you guys are using our system, I just wanted to let you know that we now support high res photos. Up to any size resolution. Can use your own camera or our camera either way. Check it out:

Kansas City, MO 2010 Ford Explorer Limited Used SUV Liberty, MO Independence, MO Gary Crossley Ford
 
#29
I am the Internet Manager here at my dealership and in middle of the process of bringing picture taking in-house. We're fully upgrading our picture area and am finding curtains, a camera, etc. for us to purchase. We want the nicest looking, most dynamic pictures around.

I am new to this site and feel really dumb because I can't find a button or link anywhere to start a new thread. Can someone help with this?
 
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