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Case Study: Tell Lost Sales to “Get Lost” with Traffic Conversion Analysis (TCA)
When the market is down, sales are declining, and lead volume is lower than normal, how can your dealership respond, not just to maintain a flat line, but to turn around the trend and outsell the national average? What information is available, and what tools exist, to tackle this not-so-uncommon scenario?
When Morrie’s Brooklyn Park Subaru began experiencing a considerable decline in lead volume earlier this year, they were faced with this exact issue.
In addition to a large drop off in leads, their lost sales and defection rates were significantly higher than the national sales trends. They needed a solution to identify the source of all lost sales, and a strategy to reduce the rate of defection to other dealers, while growing their market share in surrounding zip codes.
That solution, was AutoHook’s Traffic Conversion Analysis tool.
Morrie’s Brooklyn Park Subaru used AutoHook’s Traffic Conversion Analysis (TCA) to identify the sources responsible for the highest number of lost opportunities during the 90-day period. TCA is the first ever report that allows dealers to view and compare their own sales data versus the sales they lost, and defection trends to competing stores or brands in their market.
It works by taking a dealership’s CRM data and matching it up against Urban Science’s near real time sales database in order to reveal their greatest opportunities and losses.
[highlight color="#1d4699" font="white"]
Tell Lost Sales to “Get Lost” - Download Free Case Study Now
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You Can’t Win Without Knowing What You’re Losing
AutoHook leveraged TCA data to analyze the leads already in Morrie’s CRM and pinpointed the largest areas of lost sales by zip code, model, salesperson, lead source, and competing dealers or brands in their market. TCA exposed holes within the dealership’s internal processes and removed the leads that had already purchased elsewhere, helping to eliminate wasted spend and marketing effort.
AutoHook then implemented customized, targeted offers to drive customers into their showroom.
Outcome and Action
TCA was able to identify Morrie’s greatest lost sales opportunities:
- By Dealer
- By Model
- By Lead Source
- By Zip Code
Armed with this information, Morries was able to target underperforming models and zip codes while also targeting the lead provider with the highest defection rate.
By doing so, Morrie’s Brooklyn Park Subaru was able to reverse the trend and effectively increase Outback sales growth, despite Outback sales slowing, both nationally and even more so within their own market,
Even with fewer leads, Morrie’s was able to successfully cut defection by a minimum of 50% in the two zip codes TCA defined as their greatest areas of opportunity.
The Results
The results don’t stop here. By increasing their sales of Outbacks by more than 15%, Morries’ exceeded the national average by more than 200% with significantly fewer leads. Morries saw more than a 50% decrease in defection (“Lost Sales”), closing more than 85% of leads, practically a 20% increase from before.
> Go here now to download the full case study in PDF
"We have always seen great results using AutoHook Solutions and we were optimistic when signing up for their Traffic Conversion Analysis (TCA) that it would drive results. The tool has provided us with a robust, new lens for which to view our data and has provided actionable insights we've simply not seen elsewhere. Despite a 28% reduction in Outback leads, we were able to use TCA data and consult with the AutoHook team to grow Outback sales by 15.7%. Our AutoHook leads closed at 87% during this 90-day window proving that the TCA and AutoHook lead tools are a winning combination.” - Ben Robertaccio | Marketing Director, Morrie’s Automotive Group
Authenticom Set to Lay Off 55 Employees Due to Antitrust Battle
- By ryan.gerardi
Upon hearing news just now that Authenticom has informed 55 employees that they will be laid off effective Feb. 2 because of the company’s prolonged antitrust battle with two larger companies, I have to say this is a sad day for our corner of the industry, not only for the workers affected, but also the automotive community as a whole.
In July, Authenticom won a court injunction over Reynolds & Reynolds and CDK, forcing the companies to continue making it possible for Authenticom to service it's customers, dealers and providers alike, but the battle to continue doing so is taking its toll, which is exactly what Reynolds & Reynolds and CDK knew they could accomplish soon enough.
Cottrell’s announcement to the affected employees came two days after the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago dealt Authenticom a blow in its suit, which the company filed in federal court in Madison on May 1.
Authenticom, which tried to hold its number of layoffs to the dozen announced in August, set the Feb. 2 date to lay off the 55 to extend benefits for them, Cottrell said. They will receive help with job-placement efforts, resume writing and other assistance needed to secure new jobs, he said.
“Change is on the horizon, and we are inspired by the way our industry has embraced both technological change and at the same time pushed back on the status quo of control of emerging technology by the privileged few,” he said.
For a complete breakdown of the backstory and timeline of events of this situation, read Dealers Still Own Their DMS Data...For Now.
[highlight color="#f4b945" font="black"]> Join the Discussion on DealerRefresh[/highlight]
INFOGRAPHIC: The Concierge Economy and Your Dealership
What do grocery stores, weather apps, and streaming content providers have in common?
ANSWER: They all use concierge services to personalize the user experience, and drive revenue.
Concierge services include anything that puts items or services in front of customers before they even realize they need it. It's the approach behind grocery stores that present coupons and special offers based on a customer's shopping habits and previous purchases. It's what drives the code behind those spot-on recommendations from Amazon and Netflix.
The general demand for concierge service has also been the catalyst for companies like Uber, TaskRabbit, Fiverr and the multitude of subscription services now available.
We've already seen the growth potential in this area thanks to the rise of online shopping. Not only are people happy to order clothes and personal items online, now grocery store sales are taking off. It's an industry that is expected to grow to more than $100 billion by 2025.
Meanwhile, Amazon is setting the bar when it comes to driving sales based on recommendations. The approach of recommending products now accounts for a third of their annual sales.
What is the Concierge Economy?
[highlight color="#1580fc" font="black"]>> The Concierge Economy and Your Dealership Infographic - Free PDF <<[/highlight]
Concierge Services in Auto Retail
So how can dealers harness this power and tap into the concierge economy? It's simple once you understand the basic road map that creates a concierge economy within your dealership:
- Gather and analyze data
- Provide personalized content
- Anticipate customers’ needs
People want to make their lives easier and the concierge economy does exactly that. People can delegate everything from shopping for their monthly essentials and picking up dry cleaning to standing in line for concert tickets and wrapping gifts. There are ways to make this approach work in a multitude of industries and, when done correctly, the pay off can be huge.
Concierge economy service provides a seamless, personalized, and convenient digital shopping experience. Shoppers have come to expect this high level of service in every area of e-commerce, and they are expecting this type of experience when shopping for their next vehicle now too.
Corruptive Technology
Chances are if you were finishing your business education in the late nineties, The Innovators Dilemma, by Clayton Christensen, was mandatory reading. To this day it’s still considered one of the best business books in modern times. It was in this book that Christensen coins the term disruptive technology (later changed to disruptive innovation), to describe a process by which a product or service gains a foothold in simple applications at the low end of a market, then pushes up market, eventually knocking off the established competitors. Simply put, great companies can, have, and will fail despite ostensibly doing everything right. Think Kodak and Xerox.As I’ve worked in the automotive space for basically my entire adult life, I’ve got to see the forefront of several technologies and services that were self-declared disruptive. Hell, I thought the lead scoring I helped develop would be considered disruptive, but with the absence of third-party leads, it now looks rather ho-hum. Sure the basic logic has led to martech and fintech applications (and recent sales of a company with a lottery valuation), but It didn’t have that Netflix vs. Blockbuster impact. Time will tell that tale.
I’ll default to the good Professor Christensen when it comes to the matter of true disruptive innovation. It should be said, however, it’s hard to declare that a technology is disruptive while it’s actually being developed. In the beginning, few would’ve predicted that the electric motor would completely wipe out steam power, or that the mass-produced automobile would eliminate the horse and carriage. If several generations relied on something, rational people couldn’t conceive that in a single generation things could fundamentally change. Entire business ecosystems were built to support these monopoly technologies, with thousands of jobs depending on that status quo.
As new technologies were introduced, that monopoly of the legacy devices was broken, ushering in a new supply-side of supporting companies. It took years, even decades, for these technologies to be realized for what they were: disruptive. However, during my lifetime, the personal computer destroyed the typewriter, just to have the smartphone destroy the personal computer. With this acceleration has come an ever-increasing lexicon of fresh buzzwords to describe this movement. What was state of the art, became cutting edge, became leading edge, became, bleeding edge. Now disruptive seems to have taken on that same connotation despite the fact that it takes the passage of time to determine.
It’s the buzzword rich environment that has created a false reality that the declaration of disruption equals true disruption. Unfortunately, there’s an ever-increasing market of spenders who desperately want to take advantage of these technologies, at any cost, and do not have the ability to tell the difference between an immature, yet helpful solution from an awesome idea. Unfortunately, there are insidious people who are fluent in buzzwords, but have no intention of creating an actual disruption. Instead, they offer tools associated with a buzzword, create an illusion of sophistication, leverage a first mover advantage, and do nearly everything to prop up the monopoly of status quo. All of this is done while hoarding the cash at the user’s expense. I call this Corruptive Technology.
Corruptive Technology masks itself as disruptive to an exploitable audience. This audience is characterized as having a narrow focus, a large degree of technical ignorance and disposable budget, easily glamoured from performing any background research, and having an overwhelming desire to find a “magic bullet” solution. Corruptive Technology expertly packages buzzwords into a minimally viable product, dispatches an extraordinarily skilled sales and marketing team to rapidly deploy the technology, and generates profits from contractual agreements. Corruptive Technologies also find a boost from influencers (buzzword alert), who often tout the technology as if it’s the greatest thing since the advent of the Internet while collecting a pile of money, thereby doubling the burden on an unsuspecting mark. As one exploitee cycles off, another cycles on. Think of it as an exquisitely detailed box, with nothing but stale air inside.
Like a disease attacking the human body, Corruptive Technology often leaves a business weaker. It redirects resources from incremental improvements that can lead to predictable goals. It sours that staff on using such technologies in the future, as the Corruptive Technology often proves itself to be a monumental waste of time. More importantly, it sucks the life out of certain segments, as better thought-out technologies can’t get a second look. This last symptom might be the most deadly.
Terms like machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI; simply defined as technology that teaches itself without human intervention) are tailor-made for Corruptive Technology. These technologies are buzzworthy, exciting, complicated to understand, expensive to use, even more resource intensive to disprove, and could be the most magical of bullets. Confusing the market with simple algorithms or Amazon’s Mechanical Turk on an immature product or service while shouting that it’s AI from the rooftops creates a negative brand association with term AI. That negative brand association is compounded by trusted, but highly compensated, spokespeople that tout the product’s benefit. Consequently, the term AI then gets corrupted by the negative brand association. Then, along comes a more mature product or service that’s powered by IBM’s Watson or Google’s DeepMind, but the AI ship in a corrupted segment may have already sailed, as there is no longer a demand. This is a rinse, wash, and repeat problem in retail automotive.
Corruptive Technology surrounds us, but doesn’t control us. We have a duty to each other to remain skeptical. If something is spray painted in buzzword gold, try flaking some of it off. Spend some time researching the technology, and pay very close attention to those who developed it. Sometimes a 19-year-old college dropout gets super lucky, but most of the time that lucky dropout went someplace like Stanford or MIT. Ask about what patents have been granted or are pending. If the US Patent and Trade Office doesn’t find it terribly novel, neither should you. If you’re flaking off the paint and finding a turd, just stop. If you’re finding something raw in the middle, but promising, don’t pay to beta test. Offer, instead, to help develop the tool in exchange for its use. If you do the research and think that the technology will be life-changing, proceed, but do so with caution.
Technology continues to change our lives every day. And, new businesses are started every day to make our lives easier, while taking money out of the pockets of established companies. This is how business grows. Yet, all of us have a broom in our closet to clean up the messes our vacuum cleaner can’t. Don’t allow yourself to be corrupted by companies that market themselves as disruptive. Let history resolve that.
Three Unlikely Places to Add Chat for Service
- By todd.smith
A few weeks ago, I discussed The Enormous Untapped Potential of Live Chat for Service (here’s Part 2) and how it benefits both your dealership’s processes and your service customers. The summarized version is that 30-40% of chats are related to fixed operations, and you should be chatting for the service department.
Now, as promised, I want to dive into the strategy behind live chat for service.
Your Website: Prime Real Estate for Service Chats
The short answer to “where do I put a chat button for service on my website?” is everywhere. Why? Because chat buttons and annoying pop-ups are no longer interchangeable. Find a chat provider that follows a brand standard and offers unobtrusive, mobile friendly buttons that enhance the customer experience.
If you’re using a traditional chat invitation that deploys only on your service pages, make sure you’re strategic on where you place the button. Generally, the best place to deploy chat is on the service specials page and the appointment setting page. Customers on your service specials page are just waiting for a nudge to do business with you and chat can get them there. And your service appointment setting page is a no-brainer; the easiest way for a customer to set an appointment is to have someone else do it. Offering chat as a means to set a service appointment will significantly reduce drop-off and, if used correctly, will increase appointment show rate and RO dollars.
If you’re experimenting with the deployment of chat invitations with custom messages, here are three rules of thumb to follow:
3 Unlikely Places to Add Dealer Chat for Service
Live chat technology can be used for so much more than ‘traditional chat’ on your website. Some companies in the industry have taken leaps and bounds towards multi-channel conversations, allowing dealers to engage and convert shoppers wherever else they may be in the digital world. For the sake of brevity, the term ‘chat’ will replace digital messaging variants such as text, Facebook Messaging, etc.
If your chat provider doesn’t offer anything but website chat, then do you even chat, bro?
Facebook
The inherently social and business-friendly Facebook recently gave businesses the opportunity to tailor posts based on intent and call-to-action, with Messenger being a natural option. The context of social media is that people are there to engage. What better way to connect with customers on Facebook than through Facebook?
Ask your chat provider if they integrate with Facebook. If you use the software, it will make your life easier to use one platform for multi-channel service conversations. And if you have a managed solution, then you’re broadening your lead sources. Regardless, make sure the service leads and appointments go directly into your CRM!
Google
Last year Google launched Click-to-Message, an extension that allows shoppers seeing your Google Ad to start a conversation with you from the search results page. Then, as if we needed further proof that text-based communications are the future, Google launched My Business Chat, a feature that lets you connect with consumers who find your business listing on Google Search.
Your call-phobic service customers can now reach you instantly and directly without having to navigate and possibly leave your website, and you can:
Run, don’t walk, to turn on My Business Chat (it’s free), and if you’re running Google Ads for service, use Click-to-Message for your always-on, text-savvy service customers.
Emails
A static link in your email is the simplest, most overlooked way to get people to chat.
If you invest in email marketing, giving your shoppers the option to chat via email allows them to connect with you as soon as they read it. Not to mention that customers who open your email are showing a higher level of intent to take action, so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain! Here are a few options on how to do it:
Remember, Conversation is Key
The competitive advantages of the service department inside a dealership far outweigh the ones of the Pep Boys and Valvolines of the world. Use chat to showcase what your service department has to offer, and add value to these conversations by informing your customers about things like:
Chat gives your dealership a digital platform to showcase its competitive advantages, build trust, establish rapport, and win service customers, but only if the conversation is of high caliber.
In this day and age, a bad chat experience can cost your dealership thousands of dollars. What good is offering live chat for service across channels if you don’t help customers and drive them to your service lane? No matter how you propagate chat for service, the results will still be the same if the conversation sucks. You won’t see the ROI and the consumer experience will suffer.
Implementing live chat for service takes preparation and follow-through. Equip your team to succeed, monitor the results, and adjust accordingly.
Now, as promised, I want to dive into the strategy behind live chat for service.
Your Website: Prime Real Estate for Service Chats
The short answer to “where do I put a chat button for service on my website?” is everywhere. Why? Because chat buttons and annoying pop-ups are no longer interchangeable. Find a chat provider that follows a brand standard and offers unobtrusive, mobile friendly buttons that enhance the customer experience.
If you’re using a traditional chat invitation that deploys only on your service pages, make sure you’re strategic on where you place the button. Generally, the best place to deploy chat is on the service specials page and the appointment setting page. Customers on your service specials page are just waiting for a nudge to do business with you and chat can get them there. And your service appointment setting page is a no-brainer; the easiest way for a customer to set an appointment is to have someone else do it. Offering chat as a means to set a service appointment will significantly reduce drop-off and, if used correctly, will increase appointment show rate and RO dollars.
If you’re experimenting with the deployment of chat invitations with custom messages, here are three rules of thumb to follow:
- Be relevant - Context matters. Your customers shouldn’t see a chat invitation about an oil change while looking at tire specials.
- Be brief - Don’t try to put all of your USPs in the chat invitation. It’s a big turn off and will definitely hurt conversion.
- Be grammatically correct - I wish this went without saying, but I’ve seen it in action. Always check for spelling and grammar before deploying your chat invitations.
3 Unlikely Places to Add Dealer Chat for Service
Live chat technology can be used for so much more than ‘traditional chat’ on your website. Some companies in the industry have taken leaps and bounds towards multi-channel conversations, allowing dealers to engage and convert shoppers wherever else they may be in the digital world. For the sake of brevity, the term ‘chat’ will replace digital messaging variants such as text, Facebook Messaging, etc.
If your chat provider doesn’t offer anything but website chat, then do you even chat, bro?
The inherently social and business-friendly Facebook recently gave businesses the opportunity to tailor posts based on intent and call-to-action, with Messenger being a natural option. The context of social media is that people are there to engage. What better way to connect with customers on Facebook than through Facebook?
Ask your chat provider if they integrate with Facebook. If you use the software, it will make your life easier to use one platform for multi-channel service conversations. And if you have a managed solution, then you’re broadening your lead sources. Regardless, make sure the service leads and appointments go directly into your CRM!
Last year Google launched Click-to-Message, an extension that allows shoppers seeing your Google Ad to start a conversation with you from the search results page. Then, as if we needed further proof that text-based communications are the future, Google launched My Business Chat, a feature that lets you connect with consumers who find your business listing on Google Search.
Your call-phobic service customers can now reach you instantly and directly without having to navigate and possibly leave your website, and you can:
- Reach more mobile shoppers to fill your showroom effectively
- Fill more service bays by setting more service appointments
- Leverage your SEO and PPC efforts to reach customers
Run, don’t walk, to turn on My Business Chat (it’s free), and if you’re running Google Ads for service, use Click-to-Message for your always-on, text-savvy service customers.
Emails
A static link in your email is the simplest, most overlooked way to get people to chat.
If you invest in email marketing, giving your shoppers the option to chat via email allows them to connect with you as soon as they read it. Not to mention that customers who open your email are showing a higher level of intent to take action, so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain! Here are a few options on how to do it:
- Link a phrase in your email like, ‘Chat now to set an appointment’
- Get fancy with it and make call-to-action buttons
- Set it and forget it on your email signature
Remember, Conversation is Key
The competitive advantages of the service department inside a dealership far outweigh the ones of the Pep Boys and Valvolines of the world. Use chat to showcase what your service department has to offer, and add value to these conversations by informing your customers about things like:
- Dealership Amenities
- Specials and Coupons
- Other Service Opportunities
- Service Loyalty Plans
Chat gives your dealership a digital platform to showcase its competitive advantages, build trust, establish rapport, and win service customers, but only if the conversation is of high caliber.
In this day and age, a bad chat experience can cost your dealership thousands of dollars. What good is offering live chat for service across channels if you don’t help customers and drive them to your service lane? No matter how you propagate chat for service, the results will still be the same if the conversation sucks. You won’t see the ROI and the consumer experience will suffer.
Implementing live chat for service takes preparation and follow-through. Equip your team to succeed, monitor the results, and adjust accordingly.
Digital Dealer 23 Review with Kevin Frye #DD23
- By kevinfrye
Contemplating the future of automotive at the Valley of Fire
I thought it might be a great idea to take some peyote, spend some time in the desert, and meditate on the future of our industry before starting Digital Dealer 23. As my mind wandered in the desert heat, a vision overtook me...
I should work to create a conference where dealers and vendors in the automotive industry can gather together to share the latest and greatest on how to be the best digital dealer in automotive. And I should have them gather in a city in the middle of a desert with bright neon lights, dazzling entertainment, and fantastic food and service. Wait? What? Holy hallucination! Someone already has done this and it is called Digital Dealer?
Time for me to straighten up and begin my recap of Digital Dealer 23 in lovely Las Vegas!
Joining Kevin Gordon and Alex Jefferson at Digital Dealer 23
Who remembers the Chevy Vega? I am convinced that auto dealers gave the name "Las Vegas" as a tribute to the city they love to gather in the most. I think it is fair to say that most of us in the industry are in Las Vegas at least once a year. Julie and I love it as well, but we are always looking for something different to do. Many thanks to Peyton "Peyote" Hoffman who recommended the Valley of Fire as a place to visit. We signed up for a hiking excursion on www.lovehikes.com and they picked us up early on Sunday morning to take us on an "intense hike" in the Valley of Fire.
We spent a beautiful morning hiking, jumping crevasses, climbing some peaks and enjoying the beauty of the desert. Thanks Peyton for the heads up, and I highly recommend it for all who visit Vegas (and you can pick the level of hiking you would like, everything is provided). You can see some video of our Valley of Fire hike here.
Smooth registration badge pickup at DD23
Smooth as a summer drawl... Went down for early registration on Sunday afternoon and had my badge within minutes. Do you remember the log-jams we used to have for registration? It has only become better every conference and this was the quickest and easiest registration pick up yet. I also ran into Mike Roscoe who shared that after every Digital Dealer conference, they would sit down, wipe a clean slate, and ask "how can we do this better." Without giving away my entire recap - this was the smoothest run conference I have attended. Congrats to Mike and his team with the efforts to improve across all of these years - and welcome to Emerald Expositions who look to continue this legacy.
Lots of fun seeing Raiding the Rock Vault at Hard Rock Casino
Listen here whipper snapper, today's music is lame! Of course we had to take in a show. This year we went to the Hard Rock Casino and saw "Raiding the Rock Vault" where they assemble a band made up of rock stars from the past to cover songs from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Great times listening to classic rock. Did I say "classic", oh boy... Sitting in the second row made us very susceptible to some "power stances" from some 60+ year old guitarists with what appeared to be some impressive hair weaves. Who knew that leather pants go so well with leathery skin? Show was great, though Julie might have been a bit traumatized by this AARP lineup.
Video killed the car radio star... I started early on Monday morning to setup for my session "Why Bass-ackwards Will Take You Forward" and was pleased to find that Digital Dealer had sent over one of their best AV folks to help ensure my videos played correctly. Remember the issues several presenters had at #DD22? We were able to replicate the problem and fix it - THANK YOU!
Great to see Hunter Hale, Chad Worrel and Tony Rhoades with Gunn Automotive before my session
Conjunction junction, what's that disruption? The 2 buzzwords of Digital Dealer 23 were "disruption" and "attribution", and my session addressed the first. Ladies and gentlemen - our industry is under attack. I shared how, and more important, why, our industry is at the forefront of retail disruption by several outside companies, to include Carvana and many others. Our shoppers have never liked the process of how they buy a car, and removing the friction points, such as negotiating, the lengthy process at the dealership, and more, is what our disruptors are bringing to the table.
Will Carvana make it? This is the most common question I have received in the last year. My answer is this - Carvana has spent hundreds of millions of dollars in capital, they have never been profitable, and their advertising cost per car is over $4000. Yet when you look at the brokerage firms on Wall Street they still rate Carvana as a "buy" vs. a "sell", why? The reality is that the disruption of auto retail as we know it is considered a top growth opportunity for investors. I don't know whether Carvana will make it, but I do know that there is a line of vendors a mile long behind them that will take their place if they fail. So what do we do? Do we sit back and continue to do business as normal while one or more of these disruptors moves in to take the business from us?
Don't Jessica Ruth and Steve Stauning look thrilled to see me?
Bass-ackwards will take you forward. Our industry needs to fight back. That includes doing things completely different than we have in the past in many cases to provide the consumer-facing experience our shoppers are looking for. Even the Internet as we know it is facing significant disruption. If you have not heard about blockchain technology, I highly recommend you start taking some time to learn about it. Blockchain stands to eliminate many of the current solutions we currently contract with today as information goes from fee to free. That's right, even the Internet is faced with doing things 180 degrees different. From serving and charging for information to sharing information for free via Blockchain technology. The upcoming years will be an even bigger transition time for automotive than what the Internet has done to us already. Will you be prepared?
Demo with Dealer Science at Digital Dealer 23
Thank you! I have asked for years that Digital Dealer would set aside some dedicated time slots for exhibit hall during the conferences. In the past, our team from Jeff Wyler would pick a time slot(s) to skip a session so that we could meet with our current partners in exhibit hall while checking out new solutions. Digital Dealer 23 featured several dedicated time slots, to include one on Monday to kickoff exhibit hall.
Uber for Business at Digital Dealer 23
It's none of your business! One of the unique solutions I saw in exhibit hall was Uber for Business. It took only a few minutes to demo, but the idea bears value for dealers. Rather than have a shuttle van at your dealership, you utilize Uber to take customers to work after they drop off their car, and then use Uber to bring them back when their car is finished. The dealership gets to utilize a "digital headquarters" software platform from Uber to get a clear view of trip activity and billing, and the dealer pays for the fare with a small surcharge.
With such a great focus by dealers on fixed ops as a primary profit center in this market of compressing margins, many dealers are extending hours of service. Would it be more cost effective to use Uber for Business with these extended hours, or even overnight hours, and only when needed compared to keeping a full time shuttle bus driver on staff? Great idea.
Yago Paramo inspires me with all of the races and obstacle runs he competes in
Why get married in Vegas when you can get engaged? Monday afternoon began with a visit with Kent Wilson, the new Director of Digital Marketing at Dan Cummins Chevrolet. Kent has spent his first 6-7 months at Dan Cummins with an internal focus on their website layout and looking how to improve its performance. While he measured the traditional conversion metrics, he spent more time on how to better ENGAGE their online shoppers. Not sure how to best do that? Check out the deck from Kent as well as from Brian Pasch and myself from DD22 for a wealth of information on setting up to best engage and measure engagement with your site.
Joining Subi Ghosh and Ryan Gerardi for a DealerRefresh panel
SubiRyan - sounds like a Dealer-refreshing cocktail... Next up was the DealerRefresh panel moderated by Subi Ghosh and Ryan Gerardi in keynote hall. There was a lot of discussion about attribution (2nd buzzword!) and how best to measure it. Brad Paschal might have had the best quote with "Dealers don't really care about attribution as long as they are selling cars". Speaking of which, I could insert several words to replace "attribution" and that quote would still be applicable. I was a bit discouraged to hear near the end of this panel that many dealers still believe "last click" attribution is the best model. Uh - no. Our industry is much better than this. There are many assists in the shoppers journey to purchase and we must continue to work on best measuring this. And for me, I lean towards the time decay model and I would love to hear your input.
Did you know that Brian Benstock was conceived at Woodstock? Just some more fake news for you folks - now my guess is that half of you believed that without question because of your political leanings, but let's move forward... Brian brought us back to "disruption" and shared many of the same thoughts I had in my session - our industry is under attack, how do we best respond? In what was my favorite session of DD23, Brian shared how dealers should always focus on their current return on investment (ROI) while constantly testing new ideas to maximize their return on learning (ROL). Sounds like a great recipe on how to maintain profitability while getting best positioned for the future. Paragon Honda's challenge to our industry is that we must disrupt ourselves with leadership! I could not agree more Brian, well done!
LOVE these two, joining Eliana Raggio and Brent Wees
Me thinks with drinks... Time for the networking hour in exhibit hall which was shortened from 2 hours to one hour for DD23. Another good idea as many folks are scrambling to freshen up for dinner plans after a long day at the conference. I completed some more demos with Podium and Friendemic, while speaking with other current partners like Dealer Teamwork and the great folks at Pasch Consulting Group.
The Jeff Wyler team dinner at Prime Steakhouse at the Bellagio
A prime dinner with a prime view... The Jeff Wyler Automotive team had a fantastic dinner at The Prime steakhouse at the Bellagio. It was a beautiful evening outside on the patio to enjoy great food, better company, and the infamous water show in front of the Bellagio. We welcomed Katie Richter with Cuneo Advertising to join us for dinner and lots of fun followed. Many thanks to Jeff Wyler Co-President Scott Bristow for hosting this wonderful evening.
Hot, tasty, and convenient breakfast to start off the day at Digital Dealer 23
Cars and eggs, yum... C'mon, you know I am always up early for breakfast, where I sat with several great folks, to include my main man Alex Jefferson, Veronica Dunford, Frank Lopes, Brian Armstrong, and more. Our discussion centered on one topic. It's not the actual car deal that we should focus on, but rather the shopping experience for our customer. That is what will bring them back in the future. Timeless advice (and breakfast was pretty good as well
.
Do we need more coffee for this breakfast of champions?
Beatles make the best dessert for breakfast... I am trying to remember the first time I saw Shaun Raines speak (was it Digital Dealer 3???), however I do know that he never disappoints. Shaun used the Beatles music as a great theme for some sound digital marketing advice for dealers today. Did you realize that you can place an ad for your dealership in the map listings with Google? That is a prime opportunity when you consider that the number one inbound source of traffic to your dealership website comes from these map listings.
Shaun Raines literally rocks the house with the Beatles
Go ahead and test this, what is faster, typing in a search query or just saying it? If voice search is 3x faster than typing it in, do you think that being best positioned for voice searches makes sense? More sound advice. Shaun closed his session by getting all of us to sing along to a Beatles song - Hey Jude! Great job Shaun!
Erich Gail inspires at Digital Dealer 23
Let's have a meeting about having meetings... Erich Gail was next, sharing how to lead a world class meeting at your dealership. Erich shared that your dealership should have a 5 year target with a 3 year picture with attainable goals, and a one year plan. Everything you do needs to be specific, measurable, and achievable. The goal is to have one 90 minute meeting each week that is thorough and effective and keeps your team on track to achieve your targets. Erich, I love how you end your session with a personal call for each one of us to improve - I am with you friend.
Would you question my answer??? Ian Cruickshank led a session on attribution which gave good detail on the different models available to dealers today, and had a nice question/answer discussion that I found very useful. While I attended several sessions that spoke about attribution, I could sense that many dealers wanted more. By more, I mean they want detailed examples of applying attribution modeling to our dealer budgets today. Here's a challenge for those applying to speak at Digital Dealer 24 - dealers want more "hands-on" advice and real life examples to learn from.
Frank Lopes and Josh Mitchell enjoy the Digital Dealer party
It's always good to see grace before dinner... See, say, I guess I meant it is great to see James Grace, who is one of the smartest folks in our industry today, and is someone I admire and respect for his insight. What was James talking about? ATTRIBUTION. Here is what I loved about James' session. He gave this simple advice to dealers. If you are just starting to optimize your digital marketing, focus on getting quantity of traffic to quality of traffic. If you already there, then focus on taking your quality traffic and look to identify the assists with that traffic. And if you have advanced that far, now focus on establishing attribution value for each of those assists. Have you ever noticed that the smartest people know how to take something very complex and break it down into something very simple to understand and apply?
Joining Brandon Boyd, Matthew Warren and Mark Boyd with Vin Voyager
A little bit of Vegas goes a long way... First stop was a great happy hour hosted by Mark Boyd. Mark has been a long time leader in our industry, with a focus on connecting the auto industry's top talent, startups, thought leaders and innovators. I will be keeping an eye on his next startup, Vin Voyager with CEO Brandon Boyd, with whom I had the pleasure to meet with at Mark's event. Brandon is a USMC veteran with several tours under his belt. Thank you for your service and sacrifice Brandon, and I look forward to following up with you. My hint on Vin Voyager? Watch out vAuto...
And the night begins for the Digital Dealer parties
Fresh air and fresh friends - the perfect party atmosphere... The after hours Digital Dealer party was packed and it was a great time. The weather was great for this outdoor party and I enjoyed seeing more friends while sharing some cocktails and enjoying some good music. Took a quick break for some 5 star cuisine and then headed to the Aria for the next party.
Some 5-star pizza between parties
Boom boom boom boom... That is the sound of the bass with the music so loud you can feel it. Or is that the sound of my heart as I haven't slept in several days and my heart is pumping 5-hour energy drink. While I had a lot of fun, this guy was starting to slow down. Was great to say hello to Below Deck Mediterranean reality star Jerry Thibeau before Julie and I made the long trek back to our room to call it a night.
Clint Burns and April Rain bringing on the fun
A Honda dealer, Google expert, and Facebook leader sit down at a bar... After some strict instructions about "do not live stream this event", I mean, can you imagine Facebook and Google sharing a stage? Wednesday's keynote began with a panel talking about - disruption! Kelli McNearney shared a great quote with dealers - "Do you look at your Google Analytics like you look at your financials?" I am pleased to share that when I look back at our earliest Digital Dealer conferences compared to today, dealers are much better with Google Analytics than ever before. Think about this for a second. If Google and Facebook are sharing a stage with one of our leading dealers to discuss how we can work together to address disruption in automotive retail, should this be a wake-up call? (hint - YES).
Digital Dealer 23 keynotes were well attended
From hill-billy to the hill-top... Preston Ford shared how they took their rural location and broke into Ford's top 100 dealer list. I liked how they branded "Why go to your local dealer when we can come to you". Their 3 core values were marketing, branding, and consistency. Great core values that are timeless. More important, in today's market, successful businesses are taking themselves to the consumer via the Internet - are you doing the same? I thought it was also interesting to see a common theme with these small dealerships that are achieving exceptional performance. They cannot afford to get regional and national coverage with their marketing efforts via traditional channels like TV or radio, but digital marketing has given them that opportunity. We live in a great era with effective, targeted digital marketing that is affordable.
Two Men with huge hearts, Ryan Leslie and Brad Paschal
I wrote this on PURPOSE... And finally, the most meaningful session, the Case for a Cause with Ryan Leslie. Ryan shared the common marketing values that we all learn - product, price, placement, and promotion. However he challenged that there was one additional "P" missing - purpose. Did you know that 73% of millennials have made an online friend because they have a shared passion? Is there an opportunity for dealers today to SHARE their passions with their consumers and capitalize on this. I don't mean this selfishly. Dealers are often one of, it not the biggest contributors in their local communities with charity, but do we share our efforts well enough?
Subi Ghosh, the lovely Julie Frye, and Brent Wees at the DD party
There is another, bigger picture. And that is how the automotive industry supports itself. You might know it better as #autofam. I can think of so many examples of how our great people have gathered together to support each other. Loving and caring for Ryan Leslie and his family. For Paul Jimenez and his family. For myself and my brother's battle with leukemia. While "car guys" often get a bum rap in today's market, these same "car guys" are some of the most caring and generous people I know.
My last photo with AJ Maida, from Digital Dealer 22
An "Admiral's" farewell... I must share that I stopped several times during the conference to think about AJ Maida. I could always count on hearing "Hey Admiral" while walking on the exhibit hall during Digital Dealer, only to turn around and see AJ coming up with a cheery hello, and "where is Julie?" Autofam lost one of its favorite people this year and this DD seemed a bit incomplete without his presence. Losing AJ made me think how much I respect and love so many of you - even as I write these Digital Dealer reviews that mix a lot of my offbeat humor and my recap remarks. For those of you who helped lead the way, folks like Jeff Kershner, Alex Snyder, Joe Webb, Shaun Raines, Brian Pasch, and so many more, to those younger folks taking us to the next level, I am proud to be part of #autofam. Or should I say, Julie and I are proud to be part of #autofam. God bless each and every one of you, you have my admiration and respect.
Looking forward to seeing you in Orlando at Digital Dealer 24
Survey says... My final summary of Digital Dealer 23 is this. From beginning to end, this was the smoothest show I have attended. I did not walk away with any groundbreaking content - but in fairness I have not seen that at any other shows I have attended this year. I think we are getting ready for another huge transition in our industry. Get ready folks. Change is challenge, and challenge is the fuel for performance-driven folks like those in automotive. Staying on top of our market is more important than ever, and Digital Dealer continues to deliver. And it's back to Orlando for Digital Dealer 24, April 10 - 12 at the Orange County Convention Center - look forward to seeing you there.
Vast Launches CarStory Insights to Transform the Future of Auto Sales
- By bpulseadmin
Dealers Can Now Tap Predictive Analytics to Maximize Turn & Profits
AUSTIN, Texas—September 19, 2017— CarStory , the automotive AI platform from Vast , today unveiled CarStory Insights , the first product to predict when cars will sell and for how much. CarStory Insights builds on 12 years of data and analytics expertise. Combining this with AI and machine learning, CarStory Insights alerts dealers to issues on their lot before they cost them profits. For the first time, dealers can use the power of AI to sell cars at the right time, for the right price, maximizing inventory turn and profit.
“With CarStory Insights , dealers can stop guessing and start knowing,” said John Price, CEO of Vast. “It not only predicts which vehicles will cut into your profits, but also gives recommendations on what steps to take next. There is nothing else like it on the market today.”
An expansion of CarStory’s proven analytics and AI platform, Insights constantly analyzes a dealer’s lot to provide timely alerts, accurate sales predictions and smart pricing recommendations. Instead of scanning historical automotive data to make inferences on sales, Insights uses predictive analytics to see the trends that are coming. As a result, dealers are empowered to make more intelligent sales decisions, increasing their efficiency by eliminating the need to constantly monitor the market.
Dealers can pinpoint slow or fast turning vehicles in their inventory in seconds—allowing more time to take the steps that mitigate a loss. Features of CarStory Insights include:
Turn Drivers
Highlights the vehicle features that help cars sell in a local market and compares those to every vehicle on a dealer’s lot.
Smart Pricing
Provides pricing recommendations based on how each price will change the days to sell.
Market Rank
Provides a detailed comparison how each vehicle stacks up against the local competition.
Sales Alerts
Get notified via phone or email whenever Insights detects an issue in the market or on your lot.
Instant Share
Notifications can be easily shared with members of a dealer team.
CarStory Insights is available to select dealers today. If you would like to get on the waitlist, please visit carstory.ai .
About CarStory
Powered by the industry’s largest database of inventory and shopper insights, CarStory uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to help both consumers and dealers make confident decisions. With a network of over 7,000 dealers nationwide, and touching over 15 million consumers a month, CarStory is the leading automotive analytics platform in the industry. To learn more or sign up, visit: carstory.ai.
About Vast
Vast is the leader in Automotive Vertical AI for automotive industry, applying domain knowledge, expertise and content to service customer-acquisition, vehicle sales and data analysis. Vast’s auto platform, CarStory, supports a number of products including CarStory Market Reports and CarStory.com. Founded in 2005, Vast is the premier provider of automotive big data solutions for the largest brands in automotive. Learn more at vast.com.
Media Contact
Treble
Ethan Parker
512-960-8222
[email protected]
AUSTIN, Texas—September 19, 2017— CarStory , the automotive AI platform from Vast , today unveiled CarStory Insights , the first product to predict when cars will sell and for how much. CarStory Insights builds on 12 years of data and analytics expertise. Combining this with AI and machine learning, CarStory Insights alerts dealers to issues on their lot before they cost them profits. For the first time, dealers can use the power of AI to sell cars at the right time, for the right price, maximizing inventory turn and profit.
“With CarStory Insights , dealers can stop guessing and start knowing,” said John Price, CEO of Vast. “It not only predicts which vehicles will cut into your profits, but also gives recommendations on what steps to take next. There is nothing else like it on the market today.”
An expansion of CarStory’s proven analytics and AI platform, Insights constantly analyzes a dealer’s lot to provide timely alerts, accurate sales predictions and smart pricing recommendations. Instead of scanning historical automotive data to make inferences on sales, Insights uses predictive analytics to see the trends that are coming. As a result, dealers are empowered to make more intelligent sales decisions, increasing their efficiency by eliminating the need to constantly monitor the market.
Dealers can pinpoint slow or fast turning vehicles in their inventory in seconds—allowing more time to take the steps that mitigate a loss. Features of CarStory Insights include:
Turn Drivers
Highlights the vehicle features that help cars sell in a local market and compares those to every vehicle on a dealer’s lot.
Smart Pricing
Provides pricing recommendations based on how each price will change the days to sell.
Market Rank
Provides a detailed comparison how each vehicle stacks up against the local competition.
Sales Alerts
Get notified via phone or email whenever Insights detects an issue in the market or on your lot.
Instant Share
Notifications can be easily shared with members of a dealer team.
CarStory Insights is available to select dealers today. If you would like to get on the waitlist, please visit carstory.ai .
About CarStory
Powered by the industry’s largest database of inventory and shopper insights, CarStory uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to help both consumers and dealers make confident decisions. With a network of over 7,000 dealers nationwide, and touching over 15 million consumers a month, CarStory is the leading automotive analytics platform in the industry. To learn more or sign up, visit: carstory.ai.
About Vast
Vast is the leader in Automotive Vertical AI for automotive industry, applying domain knowledge, expertise and content to service customer-acquisition, vehicle sales and data analysis. Vast’s auto platform, CarStory, supports a number of products including CarStory Market Reports and CarStory.com. Founded in 2005, Vast is the premier provider of automotive big data solutions for the largest brands in automotive. Learn more at vast.com.
Media Contact
Treble
Ethan Parker
512-960-8222
[email protected]
The Ultimate Guide to Video and Email
- By johncolban
Video is king, there’s no way around it.
It’s the Tesla of marketing, ruler of the seven kingdoms, the end-all-be-all of content. It sells better, conveys better, and it’s found better.
In strategizing any sort of video efforts for your brand these days, it would be difficult to escape sending personalized video to your customers and prospects. After all, personalized video has a 16x increase in click-to-opens and a 4.5x increase in total/unique click-throughs (Vidyard).
If you’ve attempted sending videos via email, you’ve probably run into an important question: What’s the best way to send videos? Email and video have an interesting relationship, and they don’t always get along. (Read DR Forum "Why Is Video So Difficult.)
Here are some obstacles you may run into...
Size Matters
A big problem arises when Gmail’s message limit is 25MB per email (that includes text and attachments) and a typical 2 minute video recorded with an iPhone 7 is about 220MB. The math doesn’t add up for sending video via email. It’s important to mention, most private servers have similar size limits.
We took it a step further and tried sending a one-minute video recorded with an iPhone 6 (lower quality). Here’s what we got…
We were able to send an old 40-second video recorded on a iPhone 4, but this is what happened when we tried to open the attachment…
Not a very elegant solution for sender or receiver...
Stop Spamming Me
Anytime an email is sent with an attachment, Internet Service Providers (ISP’s) try to prove it’s not spam. They’ve become very weary of attachments and there’s good chance it will get blocked by spam filters, especially when sending to private servers with tight security. If it does get past the gates, your video still has to get past the recipients that are opening it, all of whom are wary of downloading large file attachments from people they don't know.
The YouTube Blues
While YouTube is a great tool that helps tremendously with sales and marketing efforts, it still has its obstacles if you plan on actually sending the videos you’re producing. The biggest YouTube complaint we hear is the time it takes to upload a video and fill out the required information, and don’t forget you still have to write a corresponding email.
It’s no secret YouTube wants people to stay on their site and keep watching videos, understandable, but this means they don’t really care that you’re trying to sell a vehicle. It’s safe to assume your competitor’s ads and “related videos” of similar vehicles will be queued up and placed next to yours. Not to mention, the YouTube black hole of distractions like Carpool Karaoke and kittens playing tennis.
...So what are the best solutions...?
File Sharing
Services like Dropbox (also WeTransfer, YouSendIt) provide a place to store and send files. Everything is done from their respective sites and your recipients receive an email directly from the third party service.
Although they get the job done, receiving an email from these companies can be intimidating to customers, and there is a learning curve. It may not be intuitive for your end user, but typically instructions are provided with the email on how to download the file(s). After clicking "View File", recipients are then prompted to create an account.
Video Email Service
Now, I'm a little biased on this topic... but using a video email service has become the standard for any company that’s looking for ROI with video. Here’s why…
- The ease of use. For both the sender and receiver, this is by far the easiest and most efficient way to send and receive video. Pre-designed and branded email templates allow for a speedy process, while still supporting the video with a personalized message. The scope of work for the sender only depends on video production, because that’s pretty much all you have to do… Record. Send.
- There’s no sending of large files, the video usually streams through an HTML5 player. The downloading and transferring is all done on the service providers end before the email is sent.
- Most video email services now include an SMS package, which gives you the option to automatically text the recipient your video, along with the email. 75% of millennials choose texting over talking (OpenMarket).
- Imagine not worrying about which videos to delete to save space or if you have enough storage for a new recording. With a video email service, your videos are stored and saved forever on their servers… easily recalled at any time, and no storage required on your end. NOTE: Some service providers may charge extra for storage tiers.
- Performance reports are huge perks of email services. They allow you to see open rates, who has viewed your videos, and when.. An invaluable tool that can steer your video marketing strategy in the right direction.
No matter where you are in your video marketing process, it's never to late to try out one of these solutions, your customers will thank you for it!
Before I wrap this up, I have to give a shout out to Jeff Kershner for being all over the video trend 9 years ago! He saw the value of it way back when and to his credit has stuck with it. I wonder if he still has that flip video camera.. Shouts to Jeff, he's a rockstar. Literally...
Leads? Customers? What's the Difference?
- By john.quinn
A guy walks into a bar and says, "Bartender...." -- oops.. wait.. different story.
A guy walks into a dealership and says, "I'd like to see an SUV with 3rd-row seating."
Who is this guy? Is he a lead? Is he a customer?
If you ask the Salesperson, he's an "Up," but again, that's a different story.
What is he in your system? Does it matter?
If you've ever attempted to produce Lead ROI reporting, generate Customer lists for targeted Campaigns, or just generally wondered what the heck was going-on with your data, then yes, it matters. It matters a lot. But it's really not that complicated -- let's make this easy.
Leads:
Rule of Thumb: you cannot shake hands with a Lead.
Think of a Lead as a starting point: data with a need to be understood:
A Lead is an entity with unverified information and unverified intent that has purposefully contacted the Dealer.
Sounds a little complicated, but think of leads as simply words on a piece of paper or words sandwiched between tags in ADF/XML -- just words sent to a dealer or dealer's system that need to be understood. The words don't change -- ever. Leads are immutable, a fact from a particular point in time. Once we start to understand these words, the game starts...
Customers:
Rule of Thumb: you can shake hands with a Customer.
Customers are often people, although businesses can also be customers. Therefore, let's use the word "entity" in our customer definition:
A Customer is an entity with verified and sufficient information that has purposefully been in contact with the Dealer.
"Customer" is synonymous with "identity;" the answer to "Who?" when the question is asked.
Does "Customer" indicate a transaction has occurred? Not necessarily -- but a verified person or business has been in contact with the dealership.
We have the concept "verify" in both of our definitions because verification logic is a key to determining the maturation path of a lead: do we have enough data to make a determination that the words reasonably represent an identity? Or are the words a bunch of gobly-guk destined for the trash can or in need of further information to make sense?
If we're shaking hands, it's pretty easy to verify that there's an identity. Systems are not so fortunate, so verification logic is put in place to start separating the wheat from the chaff: the maturation of a lead.
This Maturation Path is what it's all about -- commonly referred to as The Road to the Sale. In the old days, The Road generally started when a customer walked through the door. Today, that door is no longer the glass rectangle hanging on the front of the building, and very often our systems are performing the first Meet-n-Greet. When a system understands the difference between a Lead and a Customer, the system's foundation is set to be an integral partner as the dealer travels the Road alongside his or her customers.
And when your system understands the difference between Customers and Opportunities.... then WOW! But that's a story we'll save for next time
Have a comment you'd like to share? Post it here in the dealer forums
A guy walks into a dealership and says, "I'd like to see an SUV with 3rd-row seating."
Who is this guy? Is he a lead? Is he a customer?
If you ask the Salesperson, he's an "Up," but again, that's a different story.
What is he in your system? Does it matter?
If you've ever attempted to produce Lead ROI reporting, generate Customer lists for targeted Campaigns, or just generally wondered what the heck was going-on with your data, then yes, it matters. It matters a lot. But it's really not that complicated -- let's make this easy.
Leads:
Rule of Thumb: you cannot shake hands with a Lead.
Think of a Lead as a starting point: data with a need to be understood:
A Lead is an entity with unverified information and unverified intent that has purposefully contacted the Dealer.
Sounds a little complicated, but think of leads as simply words on a piece of paper or words sandwiched between tags in ADF/XML -- just words sent to a dealer or dealer's system that need to be understood. The words don't change -- ever. Leads are immutable, a fact from a particular point in time. Once we start to understand these words, the game starts...
Customers:
Rule of Thumb: you can shake hands with a Customer.
Customers are often people, although businesses can also be customers. Therefore, let's use the word "entity" in our customer definition:
A Customer is an entity with verified and sufficient information that has purposefully been in contact with the Dealer.
"Customer" is synonymous with "identity;" the answer to "Who?" when the question is asked.
Does "Customer" indicate a transaction has occurred? Not necessarily -- but a verified person or business has been in contact with the dealership.
We have the concept "verify" in both of our definitions because verification logic is a key to determining the maturation path of a lead: do we have enough data to make a determination that the words reasonably represent an identity? Or are the words a bunch of gobly-guk destined for the trash can or in need of further information to make sense?
If we're shaking hands, it's pretty easy to verify that there's an identity. Systems are not so fortunate, so verification logic is put in place to start separating the wheat from the chaff: the maturation of a lead.
This Maturation Path is what it's all about -- commonly referred to as The Road to the Sale. In the old days, The Road generally started when a customer walked through the door. Today, that door is no longer the glass rectangle hanging on the front of the building, and very often our systems are performing the first Meet-n-Greet. When a system understands the difference between a Lead and a Customer, the system's foundation is set to be an integral partner as the dealer travels the Road alongside his or her customers.
And when your system understands the difference between Customers and Opportunities.... then WOW! But that's a story we'll save for next time
Have a comment you'd like to share? Post it here in the dealer forums
