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Mar 8, 2009

I agree with you Frank, I was working at a GM dealership when they started pushing the free website from Cobalt. I was in the process of getting a Dealer.com website put in place and had to justify spending $900 versus the free site. We had a management meeting to compare the two websites side by side, by the end of the meeting they had decided that while losing the links was a negative, they would still rather go with the Dealer.com site because the look, feel, and navigation were much better than the options that were available from Cobalt at that time.

A dealers website is a major part of their online presence and they should be able to decide who they want to use, they shouldn't be told "use our piece of crap or you won't get our links".

Mar 8, 2009

I do not want to share my name because who knows what the repercussions could be if someone at GM saw the reaction. However, you hit the nail on the head!! The only thing MORE WASTEFUL than IMR is the LMA and that would take another 2 page article! Let the dealers do what they do best. QUIT getting in bed with VENDORS!!!!

Mar 8, 2009

This posting has been removed.

After a deep conversation with Frank, I have decided to remove his post from DealerRefresh. It really sirred up form shit and at the end of the day I would never want anyone to loose their job. I have asked Frank to write a quick retraction request which you can read below.

If you're familiar with the post, please continue to comment (please keep your comments clean and respectful though

)

Jeff, Alex an the rest of the DealerRefresh community;

I appreciate your support, I have been watching my post and I am asking that you remove it for a couple of reasons. First of all I have a huge amount of respect for General Motors and Cobalt websites. In our current economic situation I think it would be a benefit to support the manufacture. I also have a huge respect for the dealer I currently work for and I would not want any bad press for this or any dealer just because of my own personal opinion. I appreciate your cooperation in removing my article from DealerRefresh. After review The GM and dealer principle at this store disagree with my opinion and are 100% on board General Motors marketing plan.

Thank you

Frank Davis

Mar 4, 2009

EasyAutoSales.com Integrates with Facebook Connect and Launches Community to Help Auto Dealers Engage Car Buyers Online

ATLANTA, Georgia, EasyAutoSales.com, America’s fastest growing consumer driven automotive resource is now integrated with Facebook, the largest social network on the Internet. The launch of the new EasyAutoSales Community allows car buyers, car dealers and car enthusiasts to interact online and create a user generated resource for buying new and used cars.

“93% of consumers are researching online and reading peer reviews weeks or months before they browse classified listings,” said Wei Yang, CEO of EasyAutoSales.com. “Educated consumers want to be informed and our Community allows car buyers to engage car dealers and car experts throughout the course of the buyers’ research.”

The EasyAutoSales Community allows users to ask car questions and contribute answers, share vehicle pictures, and post YouTube videos within the online discussions. All relevant activities are linked to the 2 million+ vehicle listings on EasyAutoSales.com. As consumers shop on EasyAutoSales.com, buyers will be able to get the buzz on what people are saying about different make and models.

“One of the biggest concerns with buying used cars is whether there will be major problems with the vehicle after the purchase,” said Will Fleiss, co-founder of EasyAutoSales.com. “If maintenance issues, repairs and complaints are the most popular discussions for a specific make and model, car buyers will be able to easily identify these troublesome vehicles and avoid them.”

In addition to launching the interactive Community, EasyAutoSales has integrated with Facebook.com through Facebook Connect to allow open access to the EasyAutoSales Community for the 175 million+ Facebook users.

“Our goal of integrating EasyAutoSales with Facebook is to allow car sellers to reach a greater audience with their online inventory while allowing car buyers to tap into the wisdom of their existing social network for general car advice,” says Fleiss. “You may want a particular car or truck and not realize some of your friends (or their families) already own it. We want to make online car shopping more transparent and interactive so car buyers can get the real scoop from their friends.”

For more information, please check out http://www.easyautosales.com/community

About Easy Autos, LLC (www.easyautosales.com)
EasyAutoSales.com is America’s fastest growing, consumer driven automotive resource for buying and selling cars. EasyAutoSales encourages consumer education and promotes interaction between car buyers, car dealers and car experts. The website now lists over 2 million vehicle listings from 25,000 dealerships and private sellers. EasyAutoSales.com provides free syndication, video and unlimited pictures for all vehicle listings. Private sellers and dealerships are encouraged to advertise their vehicles for free on EasyAutoSales.com for increased online exposure. To add your vehicles or your dealer inventory to EasyAutoSales.com, contact [email protected] for more information.

bpulseadmin · Mar 3, 2009

TK Carsites Enters Into License Agreement with ContactAtOnce!™ to Enable Auto Dealer Live Chat on Websites

Customers Benefit from Improved Conversion of Website Traffic into Auto Sales

ContactAtOnce!, a leading provider of car dealer internet marketing tools that move online shoppers into live conversations with car dealers, today announced a licensing agreement with TK Carsites, a leading provider of custom auto dealer websites optimized for search engines. Under the agreement, TK Carsites will pre-integrate the ContactAtOnce! Dealer Chat solution with their dealer website platform and offer the combined solution to new and existing TK Carsites customers. ATLANTA, GA – March 4, 2009

Since we started using ContactAtOnce!, our dealership has seen a measurable improvement in the number of website visitors that come in for appointments and ultimately buy vehicles,” said Brian Chapman, general manager of Homer Skelton Ford. “Our customers seem to like the convenience of live chat and the ability to interact with a sales person immediately.”

“TK Carsites built a reputation as the best website provider in the industry through our unique custom automotive websites,” said Richard Valenta, CEO of TK Carsites. “Recently we introduced a new offering, TK5, that maximizes search engine optimization (SEO) and improves site traffic, but traffic alone isn’t enough for our customers – the “clicks” need to become appointments and that’s where the ContactAtOnce! live chat solution adds unique value.”

ContactAtOnce! powers graphical elements such as "drop-in business cards" on a dealership’s website, microsites and landing pages that appear if a sales person is available at the moment a site visitor is looking at a car. Site visitors are offered a variety of ways to contact the dealer, including chat, click-tocall, and a phone number. The graphical elements, combined with the availability of multiple convenient communication options, have been shown to increase the number of shoppers that initiate contact with auto dealers by at least 25 percent. ContactAtOnce! tracks and records all conversations, making it easy for sales managers to measure the effectiveness of car marketing and to conduct sales training. ContactAtOnce! dealer chat is simple to use and designed specifically for sales people who are notalways at their desks.

“TK Carsites helps their customers build and tune websites to attract optimum traffic and once visitors
are on the site, ContactAtOnce! Dealer Chat helps convert more of them to leads and sales,” said John
Hanger, president & CEO of ContactAtOnce!. “The combination of our products with their platform is a
win-win for TK Carsites customers who want to maximize the effectiveness of their website.”

The TK Carsites-ContactAtOnce! dealer chat solution is available from TK Carsites immediately.

About TK Carsites
TK Carsites, Inc. is a marketing and technology services company providing online solutions to automotive retailers. Currently they offer their 1,000+ automotive dealer clients consumer friendly websites, email and search engine marketing programs plus numerous interactive and rich media campaigns and lead generating tools. www.tkcarsites.com

About ContactAtOnce!
Contact At Once!, LLC is a leading provider of internet marketing tools for automotive sales, apartment leasing, and other industries where consumers conduct research online before visiting a dealership or office. The ContactAtOnce! service typically moves at least 25% more website visitors into live conversations with sales people by utilizing a suite of technologies such as presence, IM/chat, VoIP telephony, video chat and text messaging, resulting in increased revenue and a better return on marketing expenditures. ContactAtOnce! is the only solution with features specifically for vertical search websites and over 35 such sites, along with thousands of merchant businesses, are using it today. www.contactatonce.com

Feb 26, 2011

But I wanna buy one used Hyundai Sonata model.
Can you please give any suggestion regarding it?

Mar 5, 2009

The mainstream word is "PROACTIVE", dealers need to look at what they DO have (and Not what they don't have) & use to their advantage. Dig down Mr. Dealer, "what separates you from other dealers" Then RUN with it, be positive, be a winner. People are buying cars, make them want to buy them from YOU!

bpulseadmin · Mar 3, 2009

Increase of Interest in Hyundai Sonata, Pontiac G8 Show Marketing Matters

February Trend Engine report shows that Korean automaker Hyundai’s Assurance Program may be paying off. The automaker started off 2009 with an aggressive marketing campaign promoting its Assurance program, which allows a buyer who loses his or her job to return a newly-purchased vehicle with no affect to credit. The program has been highlighted on Super Bowl and Oscars ad buys and through online media buys on sites like AutoTrader.com that directly target in-market car-shoppers. As a result, in February the Sonata midsize sedan saw interest rise 143% over February 2008, pushing it from 82nd to 20th place among all new vehicles viewed on AutoTrader.com. Additionally, interest in Hyundai as a manufacturer doubled year-over-year, making Hyundai the 7th most-viewed new car brand on AutoTrader.com in February. ATLANTA – March 3, 2009 – AutoTrader.com’s

“Hyundai’s Assurance Program shows that there is still an interest in buying cars, and that the challenges in new-car sales are in-part driven by uncertainty around the economy,” said AutoTrader.com President and CEO Chip Perry. “While most manufacturers have been scaling back marketing activities, Hyundai has been one of a handful that has instead increased its spend, allowing it to communicate compelling messages on-line and in traditional media about the Assurance program and the Genesis luxury sedan’s recent selection as the 2009 North American Car of the Year.”

Another winner this month was the Pontiac G8 sedan, which makes its debut on AutoTrader.com’s list of the 20 most-viewed new vehicles at number 14. General Motors has been promoting the G8 during the NCAA basketball finals, high-profile, high-engagement events that provide Pontiac a platform by which it can target a large number of buyers.

“With successful repetition of advertising messages targeting the right media buy, companies can break through the clutter and stimulate interest among consumers, even in a poor sales market,” continued Perry. “AutoTrader.com has adopted a similar advertising strategy in 2009, spreading our advertising spend across multiple high-engagement events, including the NBA All-Star Game and Daytona 500, rather than just focusing on a single ad buy, to bring consumers to our site and offer more value to our customers.”

Other new vehicles that saw an increase in interest levels from 2008 included Nissan’s new 370Z sports car, which saw a 165.41% increase in views from the 350Z that it replaces, and Honda’s Pilot SUV and Odyssey minivan, which saw increases of 91% and 36%, respectively, year-over-year.

Used Vehicle Market Grows in Tough Economy

The used vehicle market continued to show improvements begun in January of this year, with most models either flat or up slightly in terms of views on AutoTrader.com, though average asking prices decreased slightly. For example, interest levels in the Dodge Ram 1500 full-size pick-up increased 22%, though average asking prices fell 11%. Similarly, used Infiniti G-Series sedans and coupes saw interest levels rise 14% while average asking prices decreased 11%.

“The used market will continue to improve in the first half of this year,” said Perry. “We should start seeing asking prices for used vehicles leveling off as some consumers continue to choose pre-owned over new in light of concerns about the economy.”

On both the new and used lists, the continued revival in popularity of large models like the Ford F-150, the Chevy Sliverado and Tahoe, the Dodge Ram and the Toyota Tacoma speak to the need for these vehicles among many U.S. car buyers.

“When gas prices spiked last year, people who didn’t really need these large vehicles sold them and bought more fuel efficient models, while those who did need them stopped buying, but that didn’t mean their need went away,” said Perry. “If your job or lifestyle demands one of these larger vehicles, you can put off the purchase for a while, but there really isn’t a good replacement for these types of vehicles. It will be interesting to see what lessons consumers and manufacturers learned from last year and how those lessons are applied going forward to address any future gas price spikes.”

About AutoTrader.com:
AutoTrader.com, created in 1997 and headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., is the Internet's leading auto classifieds marketplace and consumer information website. AutoTrader.com aggregates in a single location about 3.5 million new cars, used cars and certified pre-owned cars from 40,000 dealers and 250,000 private owners and the site attracts about 14 million unique monthly visitors. Through innovative merchandising functionality such as multiple photos, videos, detailed descriptions and comprehensive research and compare tools, AutoTrader.com unites new and used car buyers and sellers online to improving the way people research, locate and advertise vehicles. AutoTrader.com is a majority-owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. The venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is also an investor. For more information, please visit www.autotrader.com.

Mar 12, 2009

I think that any dealership website can be more consumer friendly. It depends on how well it is structured and the placements of certain links. A dealership that advertises links for female customers makes it female friendly. A dealership that places an interesting little character on their website that is cute, warm, and fuzzy which promises the customer a price quote in seconds is consumer friendly (sorry Jeff, not trying to self advertise here). Other examples are videos and bios of staff members as well as live chat. Things that consumers can use to increase their shopping experience and make it simpler and more pleasant should always be considered.

Mar 12, 2009

Roland - I was actually admiring your post for how well you were able to stick an advertisement in without breaking the rules. That would be very tough for most people, but your product and the current trends work hand in hand for doing that.

I'm not saying keep it up, just saying that was pretty slick.

David Book · Mar 11, 2009

Great post, I enjoyed it and laughed several times.

Something nobody commented on, and IMHO, a major issue with way too many dealer sites (not to mention the manufacturer sites), SPEED.

This giant network of ours is supposed to help us find information - fast. Some sites I visit are so slow that I leave before the page loads. Heavy, bloated, fat, and ugly are words we used in school to describe [you decide here]. If your site conjures up these words, well, um, find a good diet.

Mar 10, 2009

Alex welcome video messages can be cool 2?

What's wrong with them?

I really like visiting a dealer website to find the car i want to buy, only to be spoken to by some chick on my lower right... wow she just gets right up in ur grill wanting to help, i luv it. She's being suggestive and helpful, and persistent. Whats wrong with that Alex? Why does that annoy u Alex?
i mean you wanna buy a car or what?
shes helping people man?!
plus she's usually hot.

Now if i was to have a beemer franchise, i'd put this link as my welcome video:
Login to view embedded media View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPsLIPljJkE&feature=channel_page#t=00m55s

Ok, everyone raise your hand if you've ever used the, "... you gotta be borderline retarded not to buy this car mr(s). customer." sales close.

Guilty! yeah, i've used that a few times, lol.

Seriously tho, rethink those welcome videos now Alex, they all aren't that bad.

Your frend ,-Stew

Mar 9, 2009

Hey Joe and Alex,

I apologize for the long post. I thought that if I didn't mention any website, a point of view of the new guard (Social Media) vs. the old guard (AT, etc.), it would be acceptable. I didn't intend it that way. I will definitely work on my posts so that they are more focused and keep to the topic at hand. Thanks for the reminders that there's a fine line between posting and self-promotion.

I think I understand your position and would rather be a productive contributor than not.

Mar 9, 2009

If you're going to spam on Dealer Refresh, that's a good way to do it!

Maybe you can get 117 free leads for the time loss?

Mar 9, 2009

Roland,

I here by induct your post as a finalist in the DealerRefresh "Spammys".

I can't believe I lost 117 seconds reading this, I want a time refund!

Joe

Mar 6, 2009

Hey Jeff,

I thought you might find this very interesting.

The $22 lead is dead.

The $18 lead is dead.

The $12 lead is dead.

And the $6 and the $4.

And the $2.

"Twitter and Facebook Fight it Out Over Streaming and Car Buyers.” ( Just Google “Twitter vs. Facebook")

(This is my take on the dozens of articles that have come out since Wednesday.)

The battle is fierce. Google, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are engaged in an intense battle for the king of activity-streamers, and by extension, the car business.

Subject: Who's Set To Be The Next Google?

Whoever wins, automotive dealerships are going to take the spoils and save a bunch of "Ad Words dollars" in the process, now and from now on.

Each mega-site is currently working point-by-point to position themselves as the next go-to destination for one of industry's most lucrative markets: car buyers.

This is the new game everyone, and it's called social media.

When 82% of ALL U.S. internet traffic flows through either Facebook, MySpace or Twitter, you know that the fight for that traffic is going to be brutal. And when Facebook, with its $450,000,000 in funding goes after a start-up like Twitter, we should all take note. If you don't know why, I can't explain it to you.

A not-so-minor point of comparison is this: 3rd-party-lead websites like Autotrader and Dealix don't even come close as an "also-ran" when it comes to the real, generated business that Twitter does. Twitter and Facebook are generating leads (soft and hard) for dealerships IN ONE DAY what Autotrader does in a month. Think about that.

As your namesake, Jeff Spicoli, said in Fast Times at Ridgemont High: "Not even close, bud."

Google “Dell and Twitter” if you still have any doubts.

But however it turns out for them, Of one thing we can be sure, AutoTrader, Cars, CarsDirect, Dealix and the rest are on their way out. It's a new world.

The $22 lead is dead.

The $18 lead is dead.

The $12 lead is dead.

And the $6 and the $4.

And the $2.

Can anyone say Open Social?

Bank it.

Throw some pre-owned ads on Twitter with link-backs directly to your vehicle detail page for about 10 continuous days and see what happens.

POW! You win.

Free, clean, sold.

Do you think that Autotrader is raising they're prices for fun, just to ruffle their clients? It's a last ditch money-grab, folks. (What would YOU do if you were one of those (old-guard 3rd party lead providers” now?)

When Facebook and Google are battling Twitter with no clear winner in sight, what chance does the old-guard (AT) have?

The online world has gone social. Period. End of story.

(ps. Look for much anonymous hate from AT trolls in this post.)

In the end, this ain't about you and me. It's not our fight; just our spoils. I'm talking about Facebook vs. Autotrader. Twitter vs. CarsDirect. MySpace vs. Dealix.

Look at the facts.

Twitter alone gets more postings about cars for sale by dealerships in ONE DAY than all of these sites deliver to their "dealer-clients" in a month. Just think about that.

Can you say "Gettin' fleeced"? Twitter and Facebook are free for everyone.

I was an ISM for a long time, and while I’m not doing that for a living now, it’s still my passion. (Wait until I launch my blog about dealer email!) No, Jeff, I won’t pimp it here. Your site is your site, and I respect that. lol

And here's another tidbit: 60% of ALL Facebook users have an annual income of over 60k.

AT, not half that high.

That, Spicoli, is a "friend" worth fighting for.

Mar 5, 2009

Thanks for the article, I have only recently started to check out your site and I've enjoyed what I've seen so far. I have been working with dealers all over the U.S. helping them with internet and telephone skills for the past 10 years,and as to the topics you covered here I would like to add that my experience has shown me that the bigger problem / biggest web opportunity lies in how quickly your customer can contact you directly, ex. live chat, and what we say when we do have contact.
I have seen some beautiful websites out there that attract lots of attention, only to be staffed by people who think that it's still 1975, with the "if I could would you" mentality. Customers want "Easy" and "Fast" as opposed to slow and difficult.
Bill James

Mar 5, 2009

Andrew and Alex - the part about SEO and the goofy phrases we have to write to get our site to search well hits home... BUT - if your site is never found, then the prospect never even gets to see it. It's a Catch 22 driven by Google and the search algorithms... would love to see a solution to this, but that is the reality of what we have to deal with... The only compromise I can think of is being creative in writing search-friendly phrases for your website.. Kevin

Mar 4, 2009

The truth of it is that there are different kinds of personalities that are working internet leads. There are people that are welcoming and friendly that enjoy working them by showing some strong enthusiasm. These people realize the customer is not stupid and work them by catering to the customer needs. The other kind of personality is a negative personality where people think that customers are stupid and they do not show enthusiasm for it.

Mar 4, 2009

Alex: This is such a great post! I especially agree with the OEM resistance to integrating with CRM's. As a former ISM, I always hated going to the OEM to reply to the lead.

Brian: HA! Loved the Bobby Jindal reference. Classic. I went to your site hoping to see the directions video before you took it down but no luck.

Andrew: There are some new ways to increase where and how many times your dealership comes up on Google. One Saturn dealer I know has started using a unique blogging technique and in the past week, he's gotten 2 more placements on Google's first page results for his dealership.

Once again, Alex, that post just cracked me up. Thanks.

Mar 4, 2009

Awesome article!

Mar 3, 2009

I especially like your comment about SEO. I agree that some consumers might be confused/turned off by the "buy your new used preowned special finance car loan hyundai toyota honda pickup truck car van in 30 different cities that are nowhere near where you are located."

Is there anything on the horizon for SEO (or techniques now) that I can use to limit that amount of text on my webpages but still rank high in organic search?

Mar 3, 2009

Love the article Alex. Been following DR for some time now. I will say this. If you need a video on how to operate your website.. Guess what, your stupid website is obviously too complicated. The moto where I work is Shift into Simple. If it needs long list of directions you've done something wrong. I worked in retail for a number of years and sold cars for a number of years... Now work in sales and development for a software company. I've been on both sides of the fence... Heck, I've been on all sides of the fence. I buy cars too. If the auto industry wants to survive they need to fast forward to 2009... not 1999. So much in this industry is WAY outdated... and this is in every aspect of the business from the top dogs like Rick Wagoner down to our local small town dealer. "To keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity." - Albert Einstein.

Mar 3, 2009

I was referring to my driving directions video - it was kind of crude but I thought it might be good for out of town folks. I will shoot it again with a little better audio. I have been taking Bobby Jindal presentation classes

so I should make some strides.

Chip Grueter · Mar 3, 2009

"It is probably safe to assume a consumer knows how to use your navigation bar."
And if the navigation bar actually does require a video demonstration to use it, well...I'd probably be asking "why?".

Great and (from the outside) humorous article. Especially the site statistics - if you're dealership is doing any online advertising, site statistics should be top priority for any campaign. Monitoring what is working and what isn't. Which ads are driving lead form submissions and which ads are driving your bounce rate up. How do people traverse your website? Do they spend an unordinary amount of time on your homepage because they don't know where to begin?

Good discussion,

Chip-

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