Do you REALLY want to DIY?

[terrencegordon]

If I were givien the task to build a totally new a car dealer platform, I'd build it with the tools needed to please the thought leaders. Once the thought leaders are rockin' it (good for street cred), your next hurdle is to satisfy the dealers who need a 'turn key' solution.

Joe, I would tend to agree with this statement (which isn't wrong) although back to my original post - we see that the "Thought Leaders" are usually the ones who are quick to request features but even quicker to not use them once in their hands. That goes for the Turn Key guys too...i.e. we currently have an automated specials system, which requires a click of a checkbox...and guess what...many of our clients aren't even taking time to click the dog-gone button.

However, I do think there is a happy medium which a few vendors have presented in some form or fashion.

I think Dealer.com was onto something with their "Total Control Dominator", which is a simple tool that gives dealers "control" (I don't know how much) over their SEM budgets. But from what I understand, a lot more of DDC's clients are utilizing their Full Service SEM program rather than the DIY tool. I'd be interested to hear from DDC on this.

I'm all for giving dealers an easy-to-use, intuitive, out-of-the-box product that allows them to input their objectives which then creates campaigns based on those objectives with SOME level of campaign control - and obviously reporting. I'm just afraid that once dealers get it in their hands - they simply won't use it. Either they will become bored of it, and/or they won't have a process in-house to manage it.

As to access to the source code (which does break the website) - how many times are you really going to change the background of your website?

 

[yagoparamo]

I could be wrong here... I think this is an OEM issue not vendor...

Here: 2002 Lexus RX 300 For Sale in Reno NV, near Carson City and Lake Tahoe | Vin JTJHF10U520250991

Yes it is but, the GM OEM Cobalt program is probably a lot different than the Lexus OEM Cobalt program...

 

[yagoparamo]

Joe, I would tend to agree with this statement (which isn't wrong) although back to my original post - we see that the "Thought Leaders" are usually the ones who are quick to request features but even quicker to not use them once in their hands. That goes for the Turn Key guys too...i.e. we currently have an automated specials system, which requires a click of a checkbox...and guess what...many of our clients aren't even taking time to click the dog-gone button.

However, I do think there is a happy medium which a few vendors have presented in some form or fashion.

I think Dealer.com was onto something with their "Total Control Dominator", which is a simple tool that gives dealers "control" (I don't know how much) over their SEM budgets. But from what I understand, a lot more of DDC's clients are utilizing their Full Service SEM program rather than the DIY tool. I'd be interested to hear from DDC on this.

I'm all for giving dealers an easy-to-use, intuitive, out-of-the-box product that allows them to input their objectives which then creates campaigns based on those objectives with SOME level of campaign control - and obviously reporting. I'm just afraid that once dealers get it in their hands - they simply won't use it. Either they will become bored of it, and/or they won't have a process in-house to manage it.

As to access to the source code (which does break the website) - how many times are you really going to change the background of your website?

To both Terrence and Joe,

We are oftem times asked to code new things in the system by dealers to see that only 1% use the tool.

We have some twisted things like the ability to add text to a vehicle's photos (so you can have something like $399 down payment on this car), we even added the ability to mass produce that but selecting CPO untis only (so Toyota dealers can advertise the CPO APR in the photo). This is a great tool to customize the photos as they go out on the feeds and you want that message to be very-very visible.

Noone has time to do it...

 

[Billfred]

As to access to the source code (which does break the website) - how many times are you really going to change the background of your website?

Maybe not often, but the notion of being able to experiment and test within certain limits could be a good one. Right now, we've got a big red menu bar--if going to blue or green or coconut husk caused a sample of our website visitors to stick around longer or submit more leads or ring our phone more, you bet I'd jump on changing it!

 

[john.quinn]

Whats funny is those dealers know they won't get as many leads and weirdly enough they don't want them unless all the info is provided... They are thinking about it wrong. They (most likely a service manager) are thinking about it like the leads are a nuisance because they have missing info and not about creating more opportunities as a whole.

This is a bit of a naive statement. In the real world, Resource Management is key to profitability. I'd hazard to say that most dealers do not have adequate resources to properly handle the bottom-funnel leads they get now. Good dealers generate better leads, and have a great process to handle such. That process gets unnecessarily taxed when dealing with habitual Hand-Raisers, Casual Passers-bye, etc. Those willing to give actual contact information are further along in the funnel. Unless you have an automatic "Newsletter" bucket, concentrate on generating better leads.

As far as new-car dealers go, I think the writing is already on the wall: you can kiss the days of hiring the Graphic Designer-type to build and manage sites goodbye. Between covenants, advertising compliance, greater legal scrutiny, increased OEM efforts to brand uniformly -- and just the overall complexity and significance of the subject matter, this has "outsource" written all over it. I can remember having a Cobalt site to please the Dealer Locator on the OEM site, and keeping our own to "do what we want," until the OEM Compliance Police found the site and started lobbing strikes our way. Goodbye to our own site! As much as the OEM's are now controlling the paint on your dealership walls, they will hold the reigns over your sites as well.

 

[terrencegordon]

Maybe not often, but the notion of being able to experiment and test within certain limits could be a good one. Right now, we've got a big red menu bar--if going to blue or green or coconut husk caused a sample of our website visitors to stick around longer or submit more leads or ring our phone more, you bet I'd jump on changing it!

I actually agree that A/B testing is important, so that's forward-thinking. I also was not aware coconut husk was an actual color

 

[Alex Snyder]

I think Dealer.com was onto something with their "Total Control Dominator", which is a simple tool that gives dealers "control" (I don't know how much) over their SEM budgets. But from what I understand, a lot more of DDC's clients are utilizing their Full Service SEM program rather than the DIY tool. I'd be interested to hear from DDC on this.

This is a very interesting example you chose because there are some algorithm complexities that could factor into this, but I'll stay away from those for now.

TCD was built to help dealers better take advantage of Search Engine Adwords marketing with the option to do it themselves. It made things simple for dealers at a time when it wasn't a simple medium to get into. Over the years, other products have come out to compete with it, and Google has done a much better job with its Adwords interface as well. Which of those products is the right one for a dealer should not be a conversation for this thread. The PPC products that are specifically geared at automotive dealers usually have the option for a dealer to let that company handle all the in's and out's around PPC marketing on the dealer's behalf. When that option is present, as is the case with Dealer.com,.....

Big Point: Since day one, the majority of dealers STILL just want Dealer.com to manage what they're doing in the Total Control Dominator tool no matter how easy it can be for them to do things themselves.

 

[terrencegordon]

Big Point: Since day one, the majority of dealers STILL just want Dealer.com to manage what they're doing in the Total Control Dominator tool no matter how easy it can be for them to do things themselves.

Alex - that's not just a "big point"....that's an epiphany.

 

[joe.pistell]

Joe, I would tend to agree with this statement (which isn't wrong) although back to my original post - we see that the "Thought Leaders" are usually the ones who are quick to request features but even quicker to not use them once in their hands. That goes for the Turn Key guys too...i.e. we currently have an automated specials system, which requires a click of a checkbox...and guess what...many of our clients aren't even taking time to click the dog-gone button.

TG,

You say the Thought Leaders makes requests yet rarely uses new tools. Then you say that about the Turn Key guys do too! Wow, both ends of the spectrum suck!


If you really want to understand, think about work load Terrance.


Thought Leaders are waaay over their head. They see the potential that surrounds them and they race to get thru today's tasks to find free time to push for tools for tomorrow. Thought leaders by their nature are also the dealers technology champions, so, they are CRM teachers, the IT department and they fix printers too!

Thought Leaders are high maintenance P.I.A's, but, if you listen well, they'll push your platform into new opportunities. When you finally roll out a new tool and they're no where to be found, ... get a number and get in line.


Turn Key Dealers want Turn Key solutions.
Terrance, YOU are providing a service to a Turn Key dealer, Its YOUR job to erect a system that empowers your subscribers and watches their back. For example, you write:

"That goes for the Turn Key guys too...i.e. we currently have an automated specials system, which requires a click of a checkbox...and guess what...many of our clients aren't even taking time to click the dog-gone button."

Ahhh... it makes sense to optimize a site, why not your process? In this instance, your subscriber fails to click the box.

Does your system recognize the need to work this opportunity and EMAIL THE SUBSCRIBER A ONE CLICK SOLUTION? Or, does your lonely box sit on some damn invisible page where only your staff recall where it is?

No?

Here's another way to make this pain in the ass box an opportunity to reduce account churn. We all know this is an important marketing button. Wouldn't it be a great idea to send an email to your subscriber's customer service advocate so they can call your subscriber to remind/train/assist them? Do it 2,3,4 times, most will learn, most will get more sales and most will appreciate the helping hand you've offered them.

 

[joe.pistell]

Terrance,

Here are the features in my original post to your request:

• Pick a high profile CMS as a platform (i.e. wordpress).
• Create standards for your platform that address our industry (i.e.catalog navigation, branding, ADFs, local SEO, etc)
• Invite Independent WordPress architects into your "dealer marketing system" (templates sell for $1000's, not $19)
• Certify and resell their work via a WP template commerce system (certify revenue, resale commissions)
• Dealers can choose from your certified template library
• Your team is only allowed to install templates and make sites ready for public use.
• Dealers that want template mods can search templates who's authors are prepared to do custom work (some may not want to)
• eCarlist has it's own templates along side of the indies
• Allow use of WP widgets
• Content comes via DIY, Agency or eCarList's Turn Key Program.

This opens many new opportunities like Fast Microsites