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Alex Snyder polls DealerRefresh dealers to determine how many are compensated based on converting and closing internet leads, seeking to understand compensation structures within the dealer community. The thread targets dealer-specific responses while inviting vendor commentary on the topic. The inquiry aims to gauge industry prevalence of lead-conversion-based pay models among top-performing dealership professionals.
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Dealers debate whether VDP (Vehicle Detail Page) views or lead conversion is the more valuable metric to track for dealership success. While conversion-focused metrics appeal to those directly paid on sales, several contributors argue that VDP views are the superior leading indicator—correlating with foot traffic, phone calls, and eventual sales—and that obsessing over lead conversion alone can mask underlying issues like poor website design or customer engagement problems. The emerging consensus is that VDP views should be prioritized as a diagnostic tool, but both metrics matter and should be understood in context rather than in isolation.
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This thread explores whether car sales reps should leverage their personal Facebook accounts as a marketing tool by regularly posting about inventory, deliveries, and work-related content alongside personal updates. While participants agree the strategy has real potential—particularly when reps build authentic engagement through entertaining content rather than aggressive sales pitches—the key insight is that success requires significant ongoing effort to maintain audience quality and trust, and is only viable at dealerships with strong reputations that won't have negative reviews undermine the rep's personal brand.
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A dealership manager asks whether to send generic rejection letters to job applicants or provide specific feedback about disqualifying factors like poor writing skills. The consensus strongly favors generic rejections as the safest legal approach, though several responders note they're willing to offer feedback only if an applicant proactively reaches out asking why they were rejected. The thread reflects the automotive industry's cautious approach to hiring liability in today's litigious environment.
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Jeff Kershner poses a budgeting question about whether dealership websites and conversion tools (chat, trade-in tools, texting, pop-ups) should be classified as advertising expenses and included in the marketing budget, or tracked separately. Chris Leslie responds by suggesting a framework that divides "Internet Advertising" into two categories: services (like Dealersocket and CDK) and products (like Autotrader and Cars.com). The thread explores how dealerships should organize and account for digital marketing expenses across different tools and platforms.
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Dealers and industry insiders debate Apple's rumored entry into the automotive business (Project Titan), questioning whether the company will manufacture actual vehicles or focus on autonomous driving technology and mapping solutions to compete with Google. Key insights suggest Apple's real advantage lies in controlling the software, maps, and user experience rather than traditional car manufacturing, with autonomous vehicles ultimately becoming rolling entertainment systems where OS integration matters more than the vehicle itself. The thread acknowledges this shift represents a disruptive threat to the traditional dealer model, though opinions vary on whether Apple will actually succeed in car production.
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The thread debates whether car dealers should handle marketing in-house or outsource to agencies, with participants agreeing the answer depends on dealership size and existing expertise. Key insight: larger dealer groups benefit from building in-house teams for cost savings and competitive advantage, while smaller dealers should partner with vendors but hire a tech-savvy staff member to oversee and measure results. The thread emphasizes that dealers need either the expertise to manage outsourced work effectively or the talent to execute in-house—hiring without clear strategy or measurement is ineffective either way.
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Ryan Gerardi asks dealers about their practices and challenges in acquiring used vehicles directly from private sellers through online listings, rather than relying solely on trade-ins. The thread explores how common this sourcing strategy is in the industry, what obstacles dealers face when pursuing private sales, and the business impact of this acquisition channel. The discussion provides insight into alternative inventory sourcing methods beyond traditional trade-in acquisition for dealerships.
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A dealer seeking SEO tool recommendations receives suggestions for multiple options beyond her initial MOZ vs. WebCEO consideration. The community emphasizes that tool selection depends on specific needs—MOZ works well for small operations (5 or fewer sites) and citation/link building, while Semrush, Raven Tools, AWRCloud, and others are better suited for tracking rankings across multiple sites and detailed reporting. The overarching consensus is that no tool replaces quality content and hard work, and the best choice depends on how many websites you manage and what metrics matter most to your business.
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The thread debates whether car dealers should prioritize SEO or third-party classifieds (like Autotrader and Cars.com), sparked by a Moz article arguing that organic search results now favor content over business websites. While participants acknowledge that valuable content and multi-channel presence are essential, the consensus conclusion is that dealers need a **balanced, integrated strategy across both SEO and third-party platforms**, paired with proper budget allocation and KPI measurement—rather than choosing one over the other.
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A new dealership marketing manager asks whether managing SEM/PPC in-house is feasible given time constraints, prompting experienced professionals to share their perspectives. Contributors emphasize that manual campaign management by a knowledgeable person consistently outperforms automated solutions, and that once established, campaigns don't require excessive weekly time investment—though vendors struggle to find quality PPC partners, creating both a challenge and potential business opportunity for skilled practitioners. The key insight is that dealership decision-makers often undervalue the benefits of expert human management and may default to bundled services from website/CRM providers rather than invest in specialized PPC expertise.
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This thread discusses whether Volkswagen's emissions cheating scandal or the EPA's strict emissions regulations bear more responsibility for diesel's declining reputation, with participants questioning whether the EPA's standards are unreasonably stringent and whether other manufacturers use similarly questionable (though legal) emissions workarounds. The core tension centers on whether regulators are pushing fuel efficiency and emissions standards too hard, forcing manufacturers into creative compliance methods, versus holding the industry accountable for honest adherence to environmental rules.
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Emilie Benn asks automotive professionals whether they use behavioral marketing automation platforms like Silverpop, HubSpot, or Marketo. The thread explores adoption and use cases of these tools within the automotive dealer community for customer engagement and marketing efficiency.
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Dealers face a fundamental conflict: they want to bring customers into showrooms, while buyers want to research online and avoid dealerships. The thread debates whether consumers are ready for fully digital car buying, with consensus emerging that the future lies in an "evolution, not a revolution"—dealers should pre-complete parts of the buying process online (pricing, financing, paperwork) while preserving the in-person test drive and final transaction, rather than forcing customers through traditional sales processes or expecting them to buy sight-unseen like Carvana.
- Andrew_Compton
- Off Topic & Everything Else
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Dealers debate whether OEM-mandated marketing programs (websites, PPC, social media) help or hurt dealership performance, with consensus leaning negative due to forced vendor selection that stifles competition and innovation. Key insights include that dealers fear OEM retaliation for speaking out, that exclusive vendor arrangements eliminate performance incentives, and that approved vendor *choice* (rather than mandates) would maintain brand consistency while driving better results through competition. The underlying tension reflects dealers' perception of an unequal 51/49 partnership where OEMs increasingly control vendor selection without demonstrable ROI justification.
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Automotive dealers and marketing professionals debate the overuse of chat invitations on dealer websites, with most agreeing that multiple pop-ups and forced chat windows frustrate both shoppers and industry professionals alike. The consensus is that chat should be an optional tool presented subtly (like a simple icon) rather than aggressive pop-ups that block content, slow page loads, or appear repeatedly across pages. A key insight emerges: dealers may get away with more intrusive tactics than other retailers because dissatisfied online shoppers rarely complain directly—they simply don't return or buy—making it difficult for dealers to recognize the damage these tactics cause to conversion rates.
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Jerry Thibeau introduces Talk Options, a website widget that tracks customer communication preferences (calls, texts, chat, email) and manages incoming leads through various channels with analytics. The discussion focuses on technical functionality—how the system routes calls bidirectionally, integrates with existing chat providers, enables texting on landlines, and manages reviews—with interested dealers primarily concerned about response time standards and implementation compatibility.
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eddyshaf asks whether dealership websites should use responsive design (one site for all devices) or adaptive design (different versions for different devices), prompting discussion about Google rankings, performance, and practical implementation. The consensus is that responsive is the eventual standard but currently has performance problems, making adaptive a viable interim solution; Google doesn't significantly favor one over the other, and vendors can blend both approaches (as Amazon does). Key concern: in areas with slower internet speeds (3G), both approaches may face load time issues, though the thread doesn't fully resolve this.
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BDC professionals debate the optimal monthly lead volume per appointment-setter, with responses ranging from 75 to 400 leads depending on dealership structure, lead quality, follow-up duration, and job scope. Key insight: the answer is highly variable because "BDC" lacks industry-wide standardization—some reps only set appointments while others manage leads cradle-to-grave, work multiple channels (phone, chat, email), and assist sales staff, making direct comparisons difficult. Most experienced contributors land in the 100-200 range for fresh leads monthly when prioritizing quality customer interaction and timely follow-up over volume.
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A dealer group using VinSolutions CRM across 8 stores with a centralized BDC reports significant operational issues, particularly around wish list alerts firing across all stores and permission/access limitations that prevent BDC agents from efficiently managing tasks across multiple dealerships. Community responses confirm that VinSolutions was not designed with centralized BDC operations in mind—it functions better as a sales tool—while other platforms like DealerSocket are more BDC-friendly but have their own drawbacks; the consensus is that no CRM is perfect, and success depends on matching platform strengths to your specific operational needs and adapting your processes accordingly.
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Dealership showrooms are predominantly running Windows 7, with some upgrading to Windows 8, though legacy systems like Windows XP are slowly being phased out due to performance issues. A major barrier to OS upgrades is DMS software compatibility—particularly ADP's Web Suite, which doesn't support Windows 8 Pro—forcing dealerships to choose between staying on outdated operating systems or switching DMS providers entirely. The discussion highlights a broader tension in the industry where older software architecture limits technology adoption and security improvements across dealership operations.
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Jerry Thibeau challenges Alan Ram's suggestion that dealership managers should personally listen to all incoming calls, arguing it's an impractical use of their time and that call review/coaching should be outsourced to specialized services. The debate centers on the cost-benefit analysis of manager time versus outsourced call monitoring, with participants ultimately agreeing that while some manager oversight is valuable, expecting them to audit thousands of daily calls is unrealistic—though there's debate about whether third-party services or in-house review provides better quality control.
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A new 10-car dealership owner asks for guidance on which third-party listing sites (Cars.com, Autotrader, etc.) and pricing tools to use for inventory advertising. The consensus from experienced independent dealers emphasizes starting small and free (Google listings, Craigslist), prioritizing high-quality photos and a strong dealership website, maintaining competitive pricing with tools like vAuto, and carefully tracking ROI to avoid overspending on tools that could eliminate profit margins on small inventory volumes.
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A dealer asks which review platform (Google, Facebook, Yelp, Edmunds, Cars.com, DealerRater) deserves priority when customers will only leave one review. The consensus favors **Google for SEO value and DealerRater for achievability and legitimacy**, though participants debate the trade-offs between third-party platforms (which carry credibility but lack control) versus building proprietary review solutions. Key insight: dealers should focus on platforms where customers naturally congregate—Google and DealerRater—and actively promote them, as passive organic reviews are rare.
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Jeff Kershner observes that most dealers lack a structured hiring process, which inevitably leads to poor training practices, and asks the community whether their dealerships follow a thoughtful, documented approach or simply "wing it" when recruiting. The thread references an article by Hireology that outlines these two contrasting hiring methodologies and invites dealers to reflect honestly on their current practices and identify barriers to implementing a more systematic approach.