I can remember when we were launching Lexus in 1989 and the new dealers would ask, “what used cars should I stock in my new store?”

Back when we built Driver’s Mart Used Car Superstores we designed a kiosk with key cards and sophisticated gates so we could tell which cars people wanted, whether our inventory was priced accurately, and how the sales associates were performing. I can remember sitting with General Managers and Used Car Managers at 20 Groups and talking with envy about the CarMax inventory software that helped them know what to buy and how to price it.

How much money have we all spent on various pieces of used car software that was supposed to give us “all the answers?”

Today, when you look at what is being done with Big Data, it is finally possible to know the answers to many of our age old questions. The same data that can tell you who to serve, what to do with what product, which site to use at what time, can tell you what that person is likely to buy, when and even why.

I have been advising a company called Vast for the last 2 years that scans 27M cars every day and sees more than 100MM vehicle searches across 400+ different web sites. We together have built the most powerful Big Data application for sales associates - CarStory. Working with their Chief Scientist & analytics experts has been really enlightening.

The data can tell you the kinds of things we all used to say…”if only I knew…”

• Which cars, if advertised, will get the most calls or leads?
  
• What specific attribute of a specific car is the reason someone will buy? What should I say in that ad to get the phone to ring?
  
• How many days it is likely to take to sell a vehicle at a certain price? How many visits, calls, or demos can I expect?
  
• Which sales associate is the best one to present a specific vehicle to a specific customer?
  
• Which alternative vehicles should show to a specific customer based on his or her reaction to the last vehicle shown or driven?

…and so much more…

You don’t need gates anymore. You don’t need to track demos on a log. You don’t need 2/3 of what your inventory software does. All you need to do is welcome Big Data into the shopping process.

You see, not only does it help your associate and your customer, but it captures the whole shopping experience and that is where the information comes from. Then you must have the courage to trust the data. It gets more effective the more you have and the more its used. The payoff will amaze you.

If you are, HOW are you welcoming Big Data in the shopping process?

 

September 8th was a fairly awesome day as I sat at my desk prominently displaying my Tough Mudder orange headband wrapped tightly around my head, random curls squished underneath. It was, after all, Wear Your Headband to work day as I had completed Tough Mudder that weekend.

I couldn’t wait for my official pictures to be emailed to me, they said I’d get them some time that week.

I waited.

And, waited.

I asked my friends if they’d seen their pictures.

Yup, sure did.

I found my victorious, dirty and just plain great photos. Stuck, just trying to get my attention buried in the Promotions tab in my personal Gmail. Poor, poor pictures.

Since its May release of an algorithm that created tabbed Gmail inboxes, you’ve likely missed a few emails. Maybe, some you’ve welcomed the delay, but with others you have not.  I noticed that while my Banana Republic emails always went straight to the Promotions tab, my Hubspot emails had a 50/50 shot at making it to my Primary box.  Between trying to figure out why that was, and seeing our own DealerRefresh emails end up in the Promotions tab, I thought I’d check into this a bit more.

The stats:

• Almost 50% of email opens happen on a mobile device (No tabs).
  
• There are more people using Apple Mail and Outlook than Gmail itself to open emails.
  
• 54% of Gmail opens occurred on a mobile device, while only 19% of Gmail opens happened on the web.

So, what does this all mean to you…:

You’ve become more visible, even if it doesn’t seem like it.  Now, instead of competing in the mix of marketers, Aunt Mary’s Thanksgiving invite, your cousin’s latest crafty card picture and daily horoscopes – you’re just sitting pretty in the same boat with the same paddle.  Only now, the creek is a little less crowded.

What to do:

Be! Just Be. Be engaging, be relevant, be attention grabbing, be great.  You’ll easily get the trash-routed click if you send an email that looks just like rest. Be noticed! Be cognizant of your data. What time of the day are your emails succeeding and failing? Which email subject lines did better than others?

I’ve since gotten my permanent-bragging-rights photos ordered – I was disappointed their merchandise line up didn’t include an excuse to nap daily for a month, but I'm holding out for next year.

Also, I’ve paid a tad, not much, more attention to my Promotions tab. Maybe, because I was on the hunt for Banana Republic coupons for fall, maybe because I was hoping more photos would appear – whatever gets me to look, at least I’m checking it.

What will make your customers check their Promotions tab?

DealerRefresh: Let’s do a meet and greet…Hi, we’re DealerRefresh and you are….?

Aaron: I’m Aaron Wirtz, a native of Wichita, Kansas who just turned 31 years old. I got into the automotive industry through a dynamically worded job posting for a Social Media Manager on Craigslist. I was working as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Wichita State in pursuit of my Master’s Degree in Creative Writing--I love teaching-- but was in dire need of more income for my upcoming wedding, among other things. I made a video resume on a Tuesday evening, interviewed on Thursday and was hired on the spot, and started work on Monday.

DealerRefresh: I would be lost each day without…

Aaron: My pen and spiral notebook. I love my iPad, digital calendars, and all the rest, but my organization begins with handwritten notes, and I don’t ever see that changing.

DealerRefresh: What if you could invent a product for your department, what would it be? 

Aaron: In a perfect world, I’d love to have a social media management/scheduling tool that handled EVERY platform I maintain a brand presence on. This is the reason why I still don’t use tools like Hootsuite or Sprout Social very much--because I still have to have other windows open in addition to those.

DealerRefresh: What changes have you seen over the past year at your dealership?

Aaron: The biggest changes over the past year would have to be the transition from Suzuki to Subaru and the addition of an additional Super Car Guys location.

DealerRefresh: In 2 years what will your dept look like? In 5 years?

Aaron: In two years, I imagine my department to be at least twice the size that it is now. Meaning, it will have two people. In 5 years, maybe a virtual reality dealership? Hard to say.

DealerRefresh: Describe the difference that lies between your view on the brand transition and, for example, a sales rep. 

Aaron: From a Social Media perspective, transitioning from Suzuki to Subaru was like hitting the jackpot. The Subaru brand universe is diverse, vast, and goes back a long way. The challenge that accompanies this, though, is that there are more voices in the conversation, so we have to work even harder to stand out. As far as the difference between a sales rep's view and mine, I think they'd be pretty closely aligned. I went through the same Subaru certification process that the sales guys went through to get a better understanding of what makes these cars such an incredible value, and I try to go farther by providing some historical insight into the Subaru line. I am a big fan of old brochures and print ads, so we've started a collection of Subaru-themed materials, which I then use for blog posts, Pinterest pins, and so forth. There's SO much more of that kind of stuff available for Subaru, so I am having a great time with it.

DealerRefresh: Your title is Social Media Manager - how important do you think it is for each dealership to have someone like you?  Any reason a dealer shouldn't?  You do more than SM, right? 

Aaron: Regardless of what the position is called, I’m convinced that it’s important to have someone in the dealership to tell the story of the organization as it unfolds. It can be effective when a GM or Dealer Principle posts as him or herself for the sake of local celebrity-building, but as far as building a unique tribe, employees need to be able to point at pictures, videos, posts, etc. and feel a sense of ownership in that content. This really became clear to me when I posted a video about our transition from Suzuki to Subaru ( Login to view embedded media View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px7wBFs7HUE
) and several people who were not even in the video told me it felt like I was telling their story, too. I understand that employee turnover can be a concern, but when employees are treated like they're going to stay, many times they accept live up to the challenge.

Yes, I do much more than Social Media. My role is evolving in the direction of Marketing Management, and I have the amazing opportunity to work with Scott Pitman and Tom White, Jr. (our Dealer Principle and General Manager) regularly throughout the week. Most currently, I’ve cut some radio and television spots for our used car brand, Super Car Guys, which now has two locations in Wichita and making huge gains (my first commercial is now on the air:  Login to view embedded media View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hOunSOWSsQ
). I come from a performing arts background, so this is a great fit, and I’m excited about the possibilities of what this could mean for me in the car business. I also help with minor IT issues when I can.

DealerRefresh: Tell me more about the unique culture at SOW and what role that plays in carrying out your daily tasks. 

Aaron: Our company culture is pretty much everything, as far as I’m concerned. It’s just been a matter of aligning the stream of fun, helpfulness, and innovative approaches that happen within the dealerships with the online streams of Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, Vine, Google+, and so forth. I consider myself an actively creative person, but if there weren’t interesting things going on around me all the time, my job would be tough.

DealerRefresh: Do you own jorts? Would you admit it if you do?

Aaron: I actually had to Google the word “jorts,” and I’m not exactly sure what that says about my current level of hipness. To answer your question, though--No, I don’t. I would admit it if I did, though.

DealerRefresh: What nicknames do people call you?

Aaron: It depends on which store I’m at. Here at Subaru, I’m A-A-Ron. At Super Car Guys West, I’ve been given the name “Matrix.” So far, I haven’t been given a nickname at Super Car Guys East--we’ll see how long that takes.

So, there you have it – the insightful thoughts behind a Social Media Manager at a successful dealership.

Be sure to catch Aaron’s session at DSES13!