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esietsma · Nov 29, 2007

Gilbert - I saw you at Race Pace in Owings Mills!! I didn't realize it was you until after you left and the guys at the counter had the iMagic Labs site up. I asked them why and they said - "that guy that just left works there". Small world, huh? I just bought a road bike - let me know if you ever wanna go ride!

Nov 28, 2007

Thanks for the refresher Gilbert, and do believe that quality processes with personalization make the difference as in Jennifer's example above.

Just today as I followed up in the morning with a GM BuyPower lead for our evening appt... "Jeff, I just drove the exact truck I want this morning at XYZ Dealership that we talked about yesterday (my heart sank), do you think you could bring that truck into your store?"

Upon further discussion, it was XYZ's dealership sales rep he didn't feel comfortable with (trust, sincerity, lack of information). Him and his wife drove 45 minutes this evening and are taking delivery Saturday.

If I only had time to do that personalization and process with all of the incoming leads (300+ month, contact - appt - demo - close - delivery), one could only ponder the closing ratio!

Im sure many other DealerRefresh IM's reading this can relate with the scenario, yet are not given the resources and time to implement quality processes to maximize every lead coming through the 'e-door'??

Nov 19, 2007

First impressions are the biggest key factor of all. When calling a customer that was over 120 + miles away and right off the bat they say " Wow you are way to far away " I get over the objection with them and let them know I want to help them with their research etc and have a great shopping experience. I even had customers call other dealers and ask questions on certain vehicles, it shows that you care! Even pulling Car Fax reports on used cars from another dealer, and low and behold they come walking through the front door after a 120+ mile drive because I was with them the whole way.
Gilbert you are absolutely right! They buy from people they like!

Nov 19, 2007

The recent JD Power report which suggests that car buyers are willing to spend more than they originally budgeted provided the salesperson provides a better experience adds a lot of meat to what you have iterated.

Nov 19, 2007

It's important to consciously remind yourself (or your staff) to examine your sales process on a regular basis, and ensure you aren't trying to take too many shortcuts. I learned this in a sales job about 7 years ago. I was consistently the top producer every month, but then all of a sudden my sales numbers took a dive and I didn't know why. I had to take a step back and see what was going on, and it was the exact issue you pointed out here...too many shortcuts. I went back to the basics (and even sat in on a sales training class as a refresher) and what do you know, I was back on top again. It's easy to fall into this trap, especially when you're doing the same things day in and day out. Great post - never lose sight of the fundamentals and consistent success is inevitable.

Nov 19, 2007

Great post and great comments from Gilbert. Gilbert’s bottom line comment about doing business with people they like is exactly right. Consumers are doing business with you and not the dealership. This is true in almost any sales transaction.

One of the key take-aways from this post was just overall engaging your customers in open dialogue. It can be as simple as gathering requirements with open ended questions, etc. Ultimately this is the foundation to a successful sale.

This was a great read!

Nov 18, 2007

Back to Basics. Thanks for the reminder - it is easy to forget them!

Nov 18, 2007

Gilbert,

You could not be more correct. Well said!!!!

[email protected] · Nov 16, 2007

The fundamentals stay the same, they never change. It is like blocking and tackling. The cars change, the people change, but the fundamentals stay the same. There are nuances to this age we are ever evolving into today, but to build that house of sales you need that fundamental foundation. It is the Vince Lombardi mentality of staying focused and winning the games in practice. Throw away all the technology and comes down to you making the best presentation to your customers for the product you sell. You take short cuts and you lose!

Bottom line: People Buy From People They Like.

Dec 26, 2007

I'm still on the fence with this one. Since I built/host our site in-house, I've toyed with the idea of doing this before.
What it boils down to is this: if they like the car and it's features, are they really more likely to convert to a lead by the use of video? It doesn't show/tell them anything that isn't already said in plain old html and still photos.

In my other internet marketing endevours, video works because it halts the 'skimmers' in their tracks - your copy has a much better chance of being communicated.
But is this really a problem with a dealership website? I just can't see it being anything more then a cool factor when it's applied to inventory.

Nov 16, 2007

I believe video is where it’s at. Just as a test, and with the Boss’s permission, I placed a spot on one of the less known video sites. This due mostly to all others are blocked from our company’s system. I’m sure with very good reason. Within a few weeks, over 100 times people watched the T.V. ads I posted. Not bad for the amount of money we spend to have play on our local cable company. The price we could not beat, free… Well that has opened all kinds of doors to Video our Sales Staff, specialty cars, and that’s just the beginning. Next will be a virtual tour of our Dealership, inside and out. No need for expensive programs, or equipment. Just a creative side, and always, and I stress always, in a tasteful professional manner. You can check out one of our sites @ www.veoh.com/videos/v1299621q6knTHe9?searchId=767582285834557119&rank=1.

Nov 16, 2007

Don't overlook one of the most powerful aspects of video-social networking. Once you have posted a testimonial video-ask your customer to link it to their MySpace page. That is exactly what happened with this woman:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8414745426389627971&q=bad+credit+auto+loan+indy&total=35&start=10&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=9

The result-more than 868 views and at least 20 direct links by her friends on MySpace. She has since changed her video. Still, this was a great way to get referral traffic and we are encouraging others to do the same.

[email protected] · Nov 15, 2007

Shaun- Great subject, my compliments. Video is the future. Regardless of how it goes up on the dealer site, live action, streaming video like Mike Parsons provides, or the generic rovion characters, it is what catches the eye.
I think it is paramount for dealers to explore to get it up on their sites. Shaun's recommendation is very sound. EK point is very valid as well. It's going to take an energetic e-commerce guy at the dealership to make it happen.
Anymore, I think its a must instead of a need.

Nov 14, 2007

When using video your customers can see your product and hear you. This can give them the little something extra that will gain their trust and make the sale. You will be speaking directly to your potential customers through an online video that nearly anyone can view and listen to. Make sure your pitch is friendly, interesting, believable, and gives the customer that last thing they need to trust you and your online business so they will purchase your product.

You do not need to do this for every car but if a car been on your lot for 100 days you need to do something. Some say if a car is a hot item then it will sell anyway. This is true, however if you feature it in video with a nice audio presentation jump the asking price $500.00 and sell the vehicle in two days rather than 6, do this 10 times a month plus add a little pizzazz to your dealer image and web site is it worth it? I guess the answer is, how hungry are you?

Create your own product demonstration video to show users how your product works, why your dealership is better, the service advantage ETC..

Use videos to entertain and interest your website visitors so they return to learn more about you and your dealership..

Use video sharing websites IE You Tube ETC to help your business increase sales.

Brand your store/owner/specialty ETC. Dealers spend thousands on TV/radio and think nothing of it, they are also charged each time it runs. The beauty of the website is you can run the same commercial a thousand times and it only costs you the initial cost.

Besides adding videos that people can watch on your own website you can also submit your videos to video sharing websites to increase your marketing and promotional efforts.

Here are some websites you can submit videos to:

Google: https://upload.video.google.com/

You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/group/popsearch07

There are a number of industries and websites that service specific markets, IE realtors, eBay, Craig's list, try to find websites with your specific business niche so you can better reach your target market with videos.

I think an important thing to remember is the fewer dealers in your area that use the new technology the better it is for the few that are embracing it. That is the market advantage you have as well as the cost advantage as many are still "blowin the money out the same tailpipe" as they say.

It is interesting to see some of the sites in Korea and what they are doing with this video imagery. You can see this on some of the more advanced OEM websites as well.

There is a whole new industry building on the horizon.

umer.autojini · Nov 14, 2007

Until we see major third parties actually accepting videos for inventory... it is not going to make much headway... then who knows... AT might up the price by 300% to kill this from even taking off...

Nov 14, 2007

I guess I forgot to mention those 10% who are willing to take the time and do those videos will see fantastic results. The videos we use are definitely just a picture slideshow but the key is that the audio discusses 6 or 7 features that make the car stand out.

As for the uphill battle of moving away from the "old school", I'll be fighting it with you. I have guys who are measuring their cost per contact and cost per sale of many different mediums and guess what the results were?

You have cost per contact numbers in the hundreds and thousands for the traditional means of advertising while Internet remains under $30. "But newspaper draws tons of walk in customers we can't track" Very true but guess what, the same thing is happening with your Internet customers and that is if you are tracking phone calls from your website.

Shaun, all we can do is keep collecting data that shows how effective it is and presenting against the data from traditional advertising.

Nov 13, 2007

While I appreciate EK's comments and CS seconding his opinion, I'm not willing to give up on dealers that still think the newspaper is more valuable than the internet. I'll carry the torch and speak until my voice gives out that dealers in love with the past (newspaper, radio, TV, showroom traffic, bait and switch, manipulate, control, intimidate and so on...) are doing nothing more than treading water, waiting to drown.

EK, you make a great point in the fact that most car sales people don't have interest and don't dedicate time to the things that would help their internet efforts. Most of them will simply wait for apples to fall off the tree instead of making the effort to actually pick some from the branches.

I work with dealers that are making their own videos and selling cars because of it. Remember that I'm encouraging a simplistic, quick and easy way to put someone in a vehicle "virtually." It's actually just as easy as adding enhanced details to vehicles and a lot more fun.

There's no future in the past for car dealers, so I'll keep encouraging progression even if it's an up-hill battle. Helping dealers find new ways to do business the way they've always done business is not really helping dealers.

With encouragement and hope!

Nov 13, 2007

I think some dealers out there are starting to get it right. Video testimonials are a great idea. Website videos should be interesting and helpful to the user. Why waste time watching moving car images when you could be gazing into your screensaver photo stream instead? Lets see videos about choosing the perfect new car, meeting the staff, past customers, vehicle maintenance, your sales team showing a user why the new BMW is that HOT. I wrote a brief blog post about Acton Toyota and their use of video available at:

dealerreview.blogspot.com/2007/10/using-video-to-give-your-website.html.

These guys have the right idea and would have my business if I wasn't saving up for a spaceship.

Nov 13, 2007

I agree with EK. It's not that there is "something wrong" with video, it's just not worth the time yet.

Back in July of this year, one of Jeff's Monday Refreshes discussed hotswap dot com, the video car classifieds site. Although the site has had a make over since then, I haven't seen or heard anything else about it.

I put lots of TV commercials on dealer websites and zero vehicle-specific videos.

Nov 13, 2007

"Make your own videos"

I can honestly say that only 10% of the clients I have create custom comments for their vehicles and now your going to ask them to make their own videos?

Not gonna happen. At least in this decade.

It would be great if they would create their own but the fact of the matter is Internet still doesn't have the same rep as newspaper so until that happens, time devoted to Internet will remain minimal.

Nov 12, 2007

A lot of people are starting to put video on their website
Much more visually interesting and captures the attention right away
Here's an interesting website that uses video right away when you click on the link and also has a bunch of examples of how videos are being used by businesses with websites
www.tvwebpro.com

Nov 12, 2007

A lot of people are starting to put video on their website
Much more visually interesting and captures the attention right away
Here's an interesting website that uses video right away when you click on the link and also has a bunch of examples of how videos are being used by businesses with websites
www.tvwebpro.com

Nov 12, 2007

Couldn't agree more, Shaun. While video usage is still over the horizon for our niche market, I do think it can benefit the dealers that are able to invest the time/money into it, but if they're going to do it, DO IT RIGHT. Still shots that are "animated" with panning, zooming, etc. really serve no purpose. I think it's another one of those things that some dealers want for the "cool" factor, but that cool factor wears off pretty quick IMO.

Nov 12, 2007

Thoughts
Do you have any old pictures from your childhood? Most of us do. Have you turned them into “videos”? Probably not. And the reason is because it wouldn’t really be a video would it? Taking still images and turning them into “videos” isn’t really the same thing as watching a home-movie, is it? Do you have pictures of a special vacation, a major sporting event, a concert or a unique event that means more to you than you can describe? You may also have a video from those events, but they’re two completely different visual experiences, aren’t they?

I think you can pick-up what I’m laying-down by now…you can’t turn still pictures into real videos. Maybe this is the reason why some of you haven’t seen the pay-off that you expected with the “photo-videos”. (I’m sure some of you are already thinking about your response to post on this article, especially if you’re a “video” vendor, but go with me on this for just a minute.)

Memory
If any of you remember the Arsenio Hall Show, you’ll remember a segment called, “Things That Make You Go, Hmm…” Well, here’s one of those for you; if taking still-pictures and turning them into “video” was as good as a real video…why don’t you see them all over YouTube? Why aren’t there tons of “photo-videos” panning-in and zooming-out on still images with a robotic voice on YouTube? I think you’ll agree that they would be lost on most any audience.

Get Real
I’m willing to step into the octagon (UFC reference for the fight fans) and say that most of what I see being sold as “video” today is not really helpful to Car Dealers looking for cutting-edge opportunities. The reason YouTube, Google Video, DailyMotion and others are so popular is based on personal, real footage. I’m not debating the fact that when a video is available, it will result in more clicks and more time spent on a website. I just wonder if consumers find them at all valuable. The same still images are usually on the same page for them to view.

No Question
Video is absolutely valuable today and will continue to be an area of growth for automotive websites. Although, based on this article it may not sound like it, I am a supporter of video usage on Car Dealer websites. I’m simply encouraging an alternative to most of what I see.

Recommendation
Make your own videos. It’s easy and you can get started with a tiny investment. Create your own YouTube channel or use other free resources that allow you to create code that you can embed on your own website or send via email to customers. Start a video testimonial page on your website or on your YouTube channel. I know a few dealers that are taking video into their own hands to provide great virtual experiences for their customers. Like most things when it comes to the automotive internet arena, there are right ways and wrong ways. The right way to succeed with video is to make it personal, creative, engaging, entertaining, captivating, convicting, honest and fun.

With encouragement and hope!

Article written by Shaun Raines.
Shaun is CEO/Owner Dealer Advisor, LLC

Nov 29, 2007

The post I saw that called it as he saw it had a name on it and it wasn't anonymous.

And it dissappeared. Funny how that happened.

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