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Best Practices /Tips for online marketing of an individual SALESPERSON?

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Don Scott

Don Scott

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Apr 15, 2009
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Don
#1
I know this forum category is about DEALERSHIP marketing practices, and I have read many great tips and ideas here. I am also finishing up the ZMOT book. What I would like to know is what many of you think are some great (even really good) ideas that can be used by an individual salesperson to increase his/her 'brand', TOMA, etc. online.

One thing I have just started doing (maybe a little late on the uptake here) when asking customers for positive Google Reviews is to ask them to mention me specifically as their salesperson. I think this may gain some traction.

I have a personal Facebook (d'uh) that is not overloaded with too much over-personal stuff to keep me from ramping up more 'business' related messages. I also have a very gently used Twitter presence I can add to my strategy.

I can't easily do, for myself, some of the BIG, wholesale changes discussed here that are aimed at improving overall reach, SEO, success etc. for an entire store or group. So, what are the things that I (and the many other SALESPERSONS, that lurk here) can try to get my personal "Email, Call or Come See ME" message out there?

As always, thanks much in advance for your ideas. And thanks for all the great stuff I read here everyday.
 
#3
http://www.dealerrater.com/dealer/Heritage-Honda-Westminster-review-15435/

 When DealerRater was still kinda new, Joe Ski was a "legend" in our company. He adopted the format and owned it -- people he never met would show-up and refuse to work with anybody else.

I think you're on the right track with getting your name on-line with positive reviews as often as possible. Have them framed-in to the Wordpress site Jerry recommends.
 
#4
Thank you both for taking time to share some ideas.

Joe, I have always liked the threads with the Phone Ups, and appreciate your insights into proper handling of that important part of the sales effort. Do you have any examples of sites or blogs of individual sales pros? I can see some benefit to having a 'site of my own', but can that place just as effectively be Facebook or twitter or both, instead of adding another channel? I am most interested in having customers that are looking at a popular Chevy model or searching about our dealership (a HUGE name in our market, BTW) find my name all over the place by association.

JQuinn, I think I will start sending at least direct links to the Dealer Rater page for our store out in the After Sale Follow-Up emails that I send. If I set up a page or blog, framing in the site makes much sense, too. Our Dealer Rater page has only three (and 2 are negative) reviews at the moment and all are 2008 or earlier. I have some work to do there.

Thanks again guys....
 
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#5
#6
I've always considered having a post on the blog titled "if I were still on the sales floor I would..."How would I get my name out there? How would I market and build a brand around "me". When I started on the floor, I taught myself basic HTML and MS Frontage. I started my own website "vwrep.com". Back then there was no online social media. There were no blogging platforms and noone spoke of the acronym SEO. I hade a Sony Mavica digital camera that stored photos on a floppy disc. I took photos of every new Volkswagen on our lot. I took photos of each and every customer for on my vwrep.com website under "drivers found". I would add my logo/URL to each photo before uploading to cafepress to be printed on either a mouse pad or coffee mug for each and every customer. I went as far as having my own keychains, stickers, tshirts and jackets. I even leased a turbo Beetle and had it stickered out with vwrep.com and VW logos (actually had VW paying me 150.00 a month for co-op). I made EVERY sale an experience. To this day, I'll have sk wine walk up to me out of nowhere and say hello, reminding me that I had sold them their Volkswagen 12 years ago. If I were on the floor again I would do this all over again, while of course leveraging Wordpress, twitter, Facebook and every other social site I found valuable. I'd also run my own display advertising and Remarketing campaigns with a photo of myself and contact info. I would brand myself as the go "to guy". again making each purchase a true experience. When I left the showroom floor to explore other opportunities in this business, most of my sales were coming from my website and referral/repeat. Who knows how huge I would have been had I stuck with sales and continued to brand myself. With all the tools and technology we have today it kills me to see sales people still standing out front waiting for the up bus. Half of them have an iPhone or driod but yet I've never once seen one take a photo of a car to send to a potential customer. Instead they would rather bitch about low traffic volume and how hard their jobs are. I could rant about this for hours. So I'll stop while ahead. Become a self learner (what most people fail at). Leverage social like no other. Participate in the automotive forums. Get as many customers to mention your name on all the review sites. Set up a facebook and twitter accounts. Video video video!!!Oh too - Join SendOutCards and become a follow up ninja. Lean the true profession of sales.
 
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#7
Jeff: Thank you for all of the ideas. Many of these come immediately to my mind as great ideas.

I guess I should provide a little background. I have been selling for around 6 years and in Internet sales for all of that. Consider myself a master of product knowledge, presentation skills, and can smell out and structure even tough deals out of nothing sometimes. Great rapport builder with customers and have a good customer base with average repeat and referral business.

I have been an Internet Rep at my current store since 2008 and have been a reader/(light poster) of this Blog and Forum since late 2008 early 2009. While heavily focused on the Internet, I used many ideas from this Forum at the store and we have built programs and processes that used a lot of what I and others in my store have learned here.

I am sort of moving out of Internet and more to a floor focus and now want to find the Best Practices to do just what you said, "get my name out there? How would I market and build a brand around "me"." Reading the book about ZMOT makes me want to make sure MY name is in front of the local Chevy prospect when they make the move from undecided to decided. I assume reviews and social media will be the biggest part of what I do online. I may try the Blog/Web site idea, but wonder if that is needed given all of the review and social media sites there are.

I like the idea of display ads and remarketing, but wonder (based on what I know this costs for a store) how to do this inexpensively and effectively.

Thanks again, now I need to put my mind to figuring/researching the best referral outreach methods and programs.

Thanks again, all. (Love this Forum)
 
#8
Don Scott said:
Jeff: Thank you for all of the ideas. Many of these come immediately to my mind as great ideas.

I guess I should provide a little background. I have been selling for around 6 years and in Internet sales for all of that. Consider myself a master of product knowledge, presentation skills, and can smell out and structure even tough deals out of nothing sometimes. Great rapport builder with customers and have a good customer base with average repeat and referral business.

I have been an Internet Rep at my current store since 2008 and have been a reader/(light poster) of this Blog and Forum since late 2008 early 2009.

I like the idea of display ads and remarketing, but wonder (based on what I know this costs for a store) how to do this inexpensively and effectively.
Click to expand...

Don, thanks for the background and thank for being part of the community over the last few years.

I think you might find that Display and Remarketing can be a very cost effective way of getting your name out there. You could set this up yourself with Google Display campaigns. Get a few great photos of yourself with a white backdrop, find someone (on elance) that can put together some grew banner ads in the different sizes.

You could get some cheap inventory for about 5.00-8.00 per CPM
 
#9
Jeff Kershner said:
I've always considered having a post on the blog titled "if I were still on the sales floor I would...
Click to expand...

Sorry Bud, Can't resist this one...

NEW CONTEST! Best Response gets 10 free posts in December!

Jeff Kershner said:
If I [Jeff Kershner]were still on the sales floor I would...
Click to expand...

* Starve
* Dress Differently
* Whine incessantly to the desk manager that I'm not getting enough leads.
* Buy the url "whymymanagersucks.com"
* Start an automotive Blog... (wait... hmmmmmmmm........)

:D Love you Jeff!! :hello:
 
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