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Oct 8, 2009

We look at the social networking sites as a great way to have a dialogue with our customers all the time. We can share information with them that they might call up and ask about, such as how to maintain proper tire pressure or get their cars ready for winter. We can tell them about money-saving services. We can introduce our staff, so that our customers feel comfortable when they come in. And we can hear back from our customers all the time, on any topic, in a way that’s very easy for them. We want to know what they’re thinking, what they need and what they like.

Our business success is built upon relationships with people who buy and service their cars with us. Being on Facebook and Twitter and writing a blog is a great way to develop those relationships. We can connect in a very non-obtrusive, helpful way and be a real resource in the community. Our customers become our friends, so we look forward to staying in touch.

We just got involved in the social websites in the last month or so. We have a blog that is updated 3 times a week and is tied to our twitter and facebook. Check us out and see what we are doing.

Facebook

www.facebook.com

www.twitter.com/donayreshonda

www.donayreshonda.blogspot.com

@alex · Oct 8, 2009

@alex here is the link for my bookmarks on social media policy guidelines.

http://delicious.com/Hjumper/policies

the Ibm one is here.

http://www.ibm.com/blogs/zz/en/guidelines.html

There is also a wiki that I am trying to find that is of documented business case studies and another one with SM policies... Hope this helps you with writing about the need for these in dealer biz. I am at @smallbiztwit on twitter and from there you can get all my contacts points online and off.

Mitchell Brenner · Oct 8, 2009

The answers to this are the same as Why We Suck! Even the people in dealerships that do, and can, handle Social Media are not given the due respect because, "Yeah but did you sell a car today?" is all most GM's and GSM's know how to say. Until we as an industry can stop living in the past we will always be way behind the times when it comes to all the things a good eCommerce manager has to do on a daily basis. We might not have, "sold a car today" but we certainly influenced 80% of the cars that the dealership sold.

Oct 8, 2009

I, like so many others are on facebook, and for the most part, it WAS a means to connect with old friends from high school university, etc. which I would wholeheartedly agree has little to no value in the workplace.

HOWEVER recently, business contacts began "adding me" as their friends and soon businesses that I have done work with began adding me as a "friend" or inviting me to join their "Group", and so I am embraced it - NOW my facebook page has grown to be both business and social.

The reality is, most people log in to fb (or their social network of preference) almost everyday, and yes, I see the mundane comments of a an old friend who just got a new puppy, but I also see the newest Pre-Owned units at some of my clients stores or that they just got a load of the new 2010 Whatever in stock....

Talk about being "top of mind"!!!

For a dealer to be "in front of" their customers on a daily basis in any manner is invaluable!

Facebook or any social network is simply where the "customers" are, and those dealers who are using it, no doubt are realizing RETENTION of their customers moreso than a dealer is who is not.

Oct 8, 2009

First of all, if history tells us anything, it's that when it comes to technology, car dealers are usually among the last to adapt. Social media is/will be no different.

Secondly, too many dealers want that report that you speak of, Jeff..."how many cars will this sell me this month?" From a dealer's perspective, I can understand this. They want ROI, and they want it immediately. Social media simply does not provide for an immediate ROI.

Dealers need to approach this topic more as social branding and engagement, as others have stated, not as social media. All of the tools and applications available with Web 2.0 make it easier and more cost-effective than ever to brand your business and engage your customers. In fact, other than time, using Web 2.0 tools cost virtually nothing. Dealers need to see the big picture and look at the long term ROI possibilities, rather than the "how many cars will this sell me today?"

Think about it. The traditional media (TV, newspaper, and radio), while they may allow you to help build your brand (less and less every day), do any of them allow you to truly engage and interact with your customers? No. Furthermore, with the Internet, DVR/TIVO, and satellite radio, how many people is your brand actually reaching? Fewer than ever. Yet, these media remain very costly.

Until dealers learn to adapt more quickly to changing technologies and changing culture, they will continue to spend their resources that provide for immediate (albeit significantly smaller) ROI, rather than the longer term (and potentially much higher) ROI.

Oct 8, 2009

Oh Alex! Just force Dealers to buy Macbook Pro's!

I did 2.5 months ago and I'll never look back. Although I do peer at the glowing green light in my docking station under my desk to see if my Dell hasn't died.

There are great answers here. For the most part I agree with Joe. If you don't embrace and maximize conversion from unique visitation, it's hard to justify an effective Social Media or CGC strategy.

Do a better job of understanding the what-why and how of traffic to your site and Social Media becomes a natural extension.

Oct 8, 2009

Gerald - it isn't like we don't see each other every day on twitter and facebook - lol

The paranoia I speak of, inside IT Departments, is on two levels:

1. Security as viruses are passed through holes in Flash code and deception in links that most people aren't savvy enough to see.

2. The work environment can be plagued by time wasted on social media sites not doing work. On top of that it is virtually impossible to block the porn or other things that shouldn't be seen from these sites.

Gerald · Oct 8, 2009

Great point Joe. The old days were "How many people are in your Rolodex?" Can't remember the last time that was asked.

Gerald · Oct 8, 2009

Hey Alex- good to hear from you. LOL, no I am not privvy to what you and Jeff are writing...

However, as you say the paranoia of social media can best be illustrated by the now infamous case of the young woman who fired for fbooking her boss was a wanker and some other quality remarks about her place of employ.

the point is, she is an illustration of why it is important for a business to keep a reign on what is being published. By keeping it in the hands a select few with control will minimize that business' liability or embarrassment in the online AND real communities

Oct 8, 2009

hahaa... A new criteria for hiring a sales rep is how many FB followers they'll bring!

Or... "we can't fire him, he's got all those FB connections"

Oct 8, 2009

OTOH, If I am a sales rep, I am all over Social Media because it's an extension of yourself. It leverages your personal connections (and travels with you where ever you go

.

Social Media = Self Media.

Oct 8, 2009

I'm in Joe's camp. Before you can maximize your opportunities on your own website, I wouldn't put a lot of resources behind Social Media...just yet a least.

Oct 8, 2009

Steven - do you have a link to IBM's policy?

Oct 8, 2009

I'm on the record on this topic, "The Emperor has no clothes" http://forum.dealerrefresh.com/f44/emporer-has-no-clothes-243.html

My 2cents...
Working Social Media is simply working an audience. Have you "worked" your web site's audience to its maximum potential?

FACT #1).
99% of your BUYERS visited your site prior to purchase (that's powerful!)

FACT #2).
99% of your sites visitors... DON'T BUY FROM YOU.

Want Proof? Read our forum thread, "Where did they all go?" http://forum.dealerrefresh.com/f43/web-visitors-vs-sales-survey-218.html

YOUR TIME IS NOT INFINITE.
We're talking ROI of your time! Why work Social Media when there are so many marketing and merchandising opportunities on our web sites!

Do the math, improve your visitor to sales ratio by one tenth of one percent, now that's ROI that gets me juiced!

@Gerald · Oct 8, 2009

@Gerald your last point is a big one. How many dealers even read their online reviews or know where and how to find them. Also how to engage with a customer in the social realm is different, do you know his /her social graph, best avenue to approach, plan in place to resolve. It is different than the telephone for sure.

I think making a dashboard for the key folks to be able to hear and see what is happening with their online conversation would be the best way for them to start.

@alex just had a big conversation about this blocking thing- "with my i-phone and my own laptop. I don't need the companies stinking computer to do what I need to do? (GenY comment and thought in survey) Also the next gen will not be interested in working in that environment. Social media policy needs to be put in place so that everyone know the rules and what it would take to be fired over it. IBM has one of the best out there, and it will work for any business because the size doesn't matter because being social is a 1-1 game if done right. Look forward to reading future posts.

Oct 8, 2009

Jeff,

You hit all the key points. I have recently worked with a small dealer group on just getting their understanding of what the future will look like in the near term with the Gen y buyers, and the future impact it will have on the sales methodologies that will be needed.

Your last statement that the dealer needs to be his own brand really hits home for me ( I agree), how do you truly make your dealership not the same as the customer base is doing everything to make it a commodity- If you asked all the GM's at the dealer level if they have a written mission statement that is written anywhere besides the employee handbook and is talked about weekly in some format what % do you think will be doing it. (when was it updated last, with employee, customer, vendor involvement?)

From a business ecosystem there are some flaws that make it a short term quick sale 100% commission..if they leave you never get them back mentality that will make it very tough to look long term- why did it take so long for them to adopt real e-commerce compared to other industries? Social Business Design is the way it really needs to be looked at- not Social Media because with that term you just get the "oh a new channel or tools" not a ah-ha moment of wow I can listen to my customer, I can engage with them, and can get them to help me change my way of doing business that aligns more with the way they want to do it. These communications technologies will be changing our society the same way that Mr.Ford did at the start of the industrial revolution- it will be that big. The dealers will all get there over time it just going to be the forward thinking ones that can really make the biggest moves...

Oct 8, 2009

Gerald - did you get a schedule of the next few DealerRefresh articles? There are a few in the can about a lot of what you just said.

The big point you have is something we aren't planning to write, but I'd love to....maybe I will now. It would be an address to the IT Directors and the people who pull their strings about dropping their paranoia of social media. In today's business environment the IT department's policies can hamper business, and I believe some reorganization is needed in that area.

Gerald · Oct 8, 2009

Why indeed. My response is there are several reasons. First, lack of understanding. They not only don't understand the magnitude and reach of social networking, they may not perceive it as a value-added benefit to the store.

If they do understand the reach, they probably do not understand HOW to use it. For example, one dealer I work with called a buddy and told him he has to get a facebook and twitter account for his store. That was it. No advice on how to use it because he thinks simply putting a vehicle on fbook and twitter will yield sales.

Secondly, to your point, there may not be someone to take ownership. And if there is, wouldn't that take time away from selling a vehicle? That is the thought. If someone is not in front of a customer or calling someone on the phone, they are not being productive. Many times I heard the "get out there and prospect" speech, but push came to shove, management would seldom let sales people leave the store to prospect.

Third, and there was a recent post on Mashable about this, more than half the employers block social networking sites, and in many instances, for good reason. This would preclude the opportunity to engage.

Lastly, it is amazing to me to see how much attention is given to fbook, twitter and other user generated content sources, yet those who ARE using social networking are not paying ANY attention to their onine reputations. I would be interested to see if the latter is actually HAMPERING a dealers online efforts, especially with regards to social media.

bpulseadmin · Oct 7, 2009

Reynolds and Reynolds announced today the nationwide roll-out of a new product for automotive dealers and the car-buying public: CarLocate.com, a car search portal designed to offer a better way for consumers to find a car they want to buy and to give dealerships another proven way to market their vehicle inventory to more consumers.

“Reynolds designed and built this new product from the ground up to better connect the business needs of dealers with the car-buying needs of consumers,” said Trey Hiers, vice president of Corporate Marketing at Reynolds and Reynolds. “We’ve taken our knowledge of automotive dealerships – and the entire car buying process – and applied that to the Web experience that consumers go through in searching for a car.”

CarLocate.com is available to dealerships that use the Reynolds POWER or ERA® dealership management system (DMS).

“When you consider the substantial number of dealerships that operate on ERA or POWER, along with the aggregate inventories those dealers carry, we have an opportunity to put consumers in touch with a vast number of cars – and better choices for finding the car that matches best with what an individual consumer may want,” Hiers said.

Hiers indicated the company has seen a strong initial response from dealers to partner with Reynolds on CarLocate.com, with nearly 3,500 dealerships already signed to use the site. Reynolds currently is in the process of adding active inventory from these dealerships.

“CarLocate.com is one more advantage of being a Reynolds customer,” Hiers added.

Benefits for Dealerships

Eight out of ten car buyers typically shop online for a vehicle before visiting a dealership. CarLocate.com is designed to help dealers reach consumers more cost-effectively and to extend the value of the dealer’s data in the DMS.

“Since Reynolds develops both the DMS software and the CarLocate.com site, we’re able to design the site and search features to make optimal use of vehicle data in the DMS,” Hiers said.

Hiers also pointed to two other advantages that CarLocate.com offers for dealers: First, Internet leads from CarLocate.com are loaded automatically into the dealer’s customer relationship management tool. Second, when a dealership updates its vehicle inventory in the DMS, the changes are seamlessly reflected on CarLocate.com.

“We’re not just another media company or Internet start-up looking for a way to replace classified ads or clicks, like many of the sites out there today,” Hiers said. “We are experts in automotive retailing and in technology and in bringing the two together, which is what we’ve done with CarLocate.com.”

CarLocate.com is one of a number of new products that Reynolds has developed and launched this year.

“We’ve always believed in a strategy where we continue to invest in our business for the long term,” Hiers concluded. “We’ve actually increased our focus on product development during this downturn. That will put us in an even stronger position to help dealers grow their business once the recovery takes hold. CarLocate.com is the latest example.”

Appeal for Consumers

CarLocate.com is built to offer consumers an appealing choice in car search portals. The site features:

A clean, uncluttered design that’s easy to navigate;
A single focus on finding the right car;
More efficient vehicle search features to deliver results more closely tailored to what consumers want; and
Easy-to-use tools to narrow searches across more than a dozen specific attributes – location, car model, engine type, price, miles per gallon – or search on several attributes simultaneously.

The nationwide launch of CarLocate.com coincides with the 46th annual Northwood University International Auto Show, Oct. 2-4, where CarLocate.com is one of the featured booths. The show, which is billed as the largest outdoor auto show in North America, expects some 50,000 visitors throughout the three-day event. The opening ceremony and ribbon cutting are scheduled to feature Robert A. Lutz, vice chairman, marketing and communications, General Motors Company.

Reynolds has a longstanding, active relationship with Northwood University, dating back to 1975.

# # #
About Reynolds and Reynolds
Reynolds and Reynolds is the automotive industry’s largest and most trusted provider of automobile dealership software, services, and forms to help dealerships improve business results. The company is headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, with major operations in Houston and College Station, Texas, and Celina, Ohio. (www.reyrey.com)

About CarLocate.com
CarLocate.com combines the best in search technology with the best in site design to make the experience of locating and buying a car simpler, easier, and more effective. (www.carlocate.com or e-mail [email protected])

CarLocate.com also can be found on:
Facebook: Facebook
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/carlocate
YouTube: Car Locate

Oct 8, 2009

Widget heaven here. Great idea with a great future. Like this one big time. Some new skill sets will have to be learned to engage in this manner for sure. Any interest in taking that into other industries? Pizza Hut i-phone widget now get your car that way too. LOL It is part of the future. What % of dealer websites are 2.0 types yet? % using chat, video e-mail response, salesman livestreaming any out there yet? I know several insurance, real estate types that are...

bpulseadmin · Oct 5, 2009

ActivEngage Launches New Facebook Application to Connect Automotive Dealers with More Consumers Online

Orlando, Florida, September 29, 2009- ActivEngage, the automotive industry’s premier provider of proactive live chat with business intelligence for dealer websites, today announced the launch of a custom Facebook application to increase online engagement and reach for auto dealerships. As the world’s largest and fastest growing online social networking site, Facebook offers auto dealerships significant opportunities to connect with more consumers online. Dealers can now use ActivEngage live chat on Facebook to communicate in real-time, even if they are not logged in to their dealership account. The application also allows dealers to share content and videos with consumers on Facebook via live chat, and even post information on consumers’ profile walls.The new Facebook application is ActivEngage’s latest tools to help dealers better leverage technology and connect with more consumers where they spend time online. According to Facebook, the site now has more than 300 million active users and more than 120 million users log on to Facebook on a daily basis. In addition, more than two-thirds of Facebook users are outside of college and the fastest growing demographic is users who are 35 years of age and older.

The new ActivEngage application provides significant advancements to merely having a dealership Facebook page; dealers can now connect with consumers via ActivEngage live chat, even if they are not logged in to the dealership Facebook account. The new application offers dealers a single location to manage chat interactions with consumers, no matter where the communication takes place online: the dealership website, microsites, Facebook, email, newsletters and more.

In addition, dealers can now use ActivEngage’s “shop with me” technology on Facebook to share videos and other dealership and vehicle information, creating a virtual sales experience via live chat. Further, with consumers’ permission, dealers can even post content directly on users’ profile pages from the new chat application. This means that vehicle and dealership content can now be consumed by “friends of friends” on Facebook, creating a viral platform for dealership content. Users can also add comments on dealership profile postings, providing even more exposure by encouraging their network members to comment on postings, even if they are not in the dealership’s Facebook network. The new application can expand dealership reach to hundreds, or even thousands, more Facebook users through sharing content on friends’ and fans’ profiles.

“We constantly monitor automotive consumer behavior and trends to make sure that our dealers can engage with shoppers, no matter where they are online,” commented Ted Rubin, ActivEngage co-founder. “And consumers of all ages now spend more and more time on Facebook, in greatly increasing numbers. We developed this easy to use application to help dealers reach more consumers through this vital channel.”

About ActivEngage: (www.ActivEngage.com)
ActivEngage’s proprietary business intelligence helps automotive dealers meet the needs of shoppers by providing dealerships easy to use, powerful website tools. Advanced live chat services let dealers identify, initiate interaction and communicate with website visitors in real-time. The essential person-to-person Meet & Greet that dealers require at the physical showroom is now possible on the dealership website through ActivEngage. This proactive website engagement decreases abandonment rates and increases website lead generation with the thousands of visitors the average dealership receives each month. ActivEngage provides the edge that dealerships need to engage more customers who browse for information because it starts building a personal relationship with shoppers from the moment they hit the dealership website. ActivEngage offers three tiers of service to ensure that all website visitors’ experiences are enjoyable and uncomplicated, thereby increasing the value of dealership websites through better lead generation.

bpulseadmin · Oct 5, 2009

AutoUSA Reports 500% Increase in Email and Phone Leads for Dealers From Pay-Per-Lead Inventory Listing Network

Fort Lauderdale, FL October 5, 2009 — AutoUSA (www.autousa.com), the industry’s leading provider of the highest quality, Internet-generated consumer leads to auto dealers nationwide, today announced a 500% increase in email and phone leads for dealers since April 2009 from its pay-per-lead Inventory Listing Network, powered by Vast.com. The company also reported that the number of dealers listing their inventory through the service has been steadily increasing at a rate of 20% per month.

“AutoUSA is experiencing great success and phenomenal growth with its pay-per-lead Inventory Listing Network,” said Mike Shawd, director of sales at AutoUSA. “Vast.com is doing an incredible job exposing dealership inventory to in-market buyers.”

AutoUSA’s Inventory Listing Network currently provides exposure to 15 million unique in-market car shoppers monthly, and is expected to grow to an estimated 20 million buyers by year-end, for a dealer’s used and new inventory listings. Inventory is posted at top automotive sites such as Kelley Blue Book’s The Trusted MarketplaceSM, AOL Autos, CarPerks.com, Overstock.com, AutoMedia.com, CarDomain.com and AutoUSA’s used car website, AutoUSAused.com.

The service also includes a pay-for-performance pricing plan in which dealers only pay for the valid leads they receive each month. When inventory becomes depleted, dealers only pay for leads on available inventory listings.

“Instead of paying per lead for used car leads, most dealers pay a monthly subscription fee to list their vehicles on a website. When the inventory shrinks, like what has happened on the other side of the Cash for Clunkers program, the dealer ends up with fewer leads, but still has to pay the subscription fee,” said Phil DuPree, president of AutoUSA. “Our pay-for-performance service eliminates this entire problem.”

Dealers who sign up for AutoUSA Inventory Network can have their inventory appearing online within a week, with a phone number shown on each listing, allowing consumers to contact the dealer while viewing the listing.

There are no long-term contract commitments, and dealers can opt out of the program at any time with a 30-day notice. AutoUSA also employs a stringent scrubbing process for incoming leads from the Vehicle Listing Network that eliminates duplicates and filters out leads with missing or incorrect contact information, such as phone and email addresses.

“We’ve been using AutoUSA’s Vehicle Listing Network for the past year and the quality of leads is superior to all the other lead providers,” says Suzanne Brief, e-commerce director for Dallas Dodge Chrysler Jeep. “I’m in the process of severing relationships with most of my 3rd party providers, and AutoUSA will be one of the few we keep.”

Vast.com is a search and advertising platform optimized to match every shopper to specific, available cars for sale and to a responsive dealer. The Vast network currently reaches 15 million unique in-market car shoppers monthly, and is expected to grow to an estimated 20 million buyers by year-end, with 4.5 million used and new vehicle inventory listings.

For more information on AutoUSA’s Inventory Listing Network, call 877-204-2112. To view AutoUSA’s new Vehicle Listing Network online video, go to: http://no-car-left-behind.com/autousa/

Oct 11, 2009

Amanda - Great to see you here!

I have been exposed to the car business since I was a kid, benefiting the lovely traits from my parents. I sold the old beaters for my dad at the shop to the public. It eventually evolved from there to getting into the Repossession business and so forth evolving to Internet Sales etc. I didn't get suckered into the dealerships to make money, shoot you can make a decent living, very nice, off selling cars. I sold a ton. What driven me to sell more and stay with the dealerships is the passion of sales. Getting to the dealership to help with balloons, getting the lot looking good and making coffee for the boys. This is what made me successful at the dealership is the joy of working a deal and making a family, individual, happy with their purchase.
I did have to fight my battles and to stand my ground. The most popular term of hate, being snaked! Many have tried it however I stood my ground. Drove me a little bonkers and they were shocked how I kept track.... Hello I controlled the CRM / Kiosk etc & Internet. I knew everyone that walked through that door.
People make their own choices of complaining about how sales suck, not making money, on and on and on..... Get your A** out of huddle,drop your smoke, get back to basics and get your feet on the street! You make your decision of making money!

You can complain all day about how sales suck, Surely I am the last person that wants to hear it because you can make money and more sales, just get out there and do it.

Amanda Marsal · Oct 6, 2009

I would definately say that the majority of the people in this business got started just as a way to pay the bills until what they really wanted to do came along, and I am no different. I left Indiana at 18 yr old to attend the Walt Disney World college program. I had a blast, absolutely fell in love with Florida, and decided that after the semester was over that I wanted to stay in FL. Well, I had two weeks to find an appartment (and a job) or it was back to the Hoosier state for me. Where was I able to find a job on such short notice with absolutely no experience as an almost 19yr old girl? A car dealership! They hired me (must have been desperate, because looking back I know I was totally clueless) and I started the next week. I knew that being young and a female, that no one was going to take me seriously, so I had to work twice as hard and know twice as much as the other 30 sales guys (1 other female). Within three months I was selling 25 cars a month, and almost got fired one Saturday because; I had three deals working in three different offices and let one of the families go to lunch and come back later to sign-up. This is the only business in the world where you can almost get fired the same day you sell 4 cars. Needless to say, the biz kind of grew on me, and ten years later, I am the Internet Manager for four car dealerships in Southern Indiana. I am a lifer for sure!

@alex · Oct 5, 2009

@alex...just came back from the Airport and saw you response...YOU ARE FUNNY...my hat off to you and your organization. I am sure we'll see each other soon.
Volker Jaeckel

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