Don't fall for this junk!

[Alex Snyder]

I came across this report and didn't know what to think.  It wasn't sent to me by BZ, so I've covered over the URL's used for this report.  You can click on the image to see a larger version.



This report was sent by BZ to solicit business from a non-BZ customer.  That dealership is denoted as "DEALER A" and one of their competitors is "DEALER B".  The funny part is the third competitor's URL is very similar to a national furniture store, so the person who created the report used the furniture store's URL.

The second mistake is the use of Compete.com.  Don't get me wrong, Compete.com is an awesome resource - I use it all the time, but I would never use it like this.  I understand web-hosting competition is fierce, but this just seems like a way to sucker someone who isn't that educated on the Internet.  It is under-handed in my opinion, but I've been wrong in the past.

What do you all think?  Under-handed?  Fine piece of salesmanship?  Preying on the uneducated?  At least you laughed when I told you they're comparing two car dealerships to a national furniture store!

 

[D. Rawls (blog)]

We all know BZ is liable to do anything under the leadership of ADP.

Though I am not well enough qualified to identify this as under-handed, I can tell you succinctly that GM eSummit material is an atrocity. If BZ is getting its guidance from the same stale hierarchy of consultants and professionals as GM, then I assure you it is Cockamanie Bllustih!!!

I'll call you to inform you first-hand of the fools GM made of themselves. I really don't understand the arrogance. They let the same old garde that damned the Internet in 2001, plan and implement the eSummits. WOW!!!

Maybe this BZ sales approach comes from the same old garde. HA...

 

[D. Rawls (blog)]

And Ralph;

Consider yourself an exception to the ADP criticism for mis-handling BZ. That is, of course, unless you have been brainwashed by the old garde already, too.

From what I have witnessed, it takes massive effort to convince the classic pessimists to admit they are no instant Internet gurus.

So, I wish you all the best. Do at ADP what you did at Courtesy Chevrolet, Ralphy, and you get unanimous Internet King props!

 

[Paul Rushing]

Arrogance and idiocy seem to go hand in hand from most vendors in this niche. One day, one day the open source crowd will will level it to the point where this is just a comical reflection.....

 

[JD Rucker (blog)]

As much as I hate to defend a competitor like BZ -- it isn't completely their fault. The lack of knowledge starts at the top from most manufacturers and filters its way down to the Internet Managers. Vendors do what they can to paint themselves and their products in a positive light. That's sales.

This was an amateur attempt to do so, but I can understand why they would try. Still, you're right, it's definitely sad. We know that many vendors compare apples to oranges. It's fun to see a vendor comparing cars to couches.

 

[Joe Pistell]

Some how, I find some joy in seeing "old school" car dealers (aka: Ivory Tower Franchise Squatters) getting fleeced.

IMO, the BZ juggernaut story is a marketing and execution classic and belongs in College marketing courses.

Our DR audience is the upper 1% of our industry and I'll ask you all... "What makes us DR'ers different?" A COMPLETE COMMITMENT TO THE FUTURE OF OUR INDUSTRY... and that IS the Internet.

Darwin's Laws are still in force, the slow get eaten.
Go DR!
Joe

 

[JL]

@ Paul Rushing,

"Arrogance and idiocy seem to go hand in hand from most vendors in this niche."

I'm just going to go out on a limb and guess that you were dropped by a vendor as a small child Nearly everything you post is tantamount to hate speech. I don't get it.

Couldn't agree with Joe more that this is the top 1% of the industry, but that industry includes the vendors. Can't speak for everybody, but I'm here to learn from the best so that I can provide the best.

Gitomer says in sales the successful are the servants. This may be a surprise to you, but the top 1% of vendors here care far less about "taking your money" than they do about serving your interests and learning how to help make you more successful. Seems a little trite to label those efforts as arrogant and idiotic.

 

[Lightnup (blog)]

Gotta agree with JL on this one. I doubt that there are any vendors whose business plan is to provide arrogance and idiocy to their customers rather than good service and value. That doesn't mean there aren't arrogant and idiotic people out there. Working for a vendor, I've run into a fair amount of them in dealership General Manager positions, but I don't paint all car dealers in that vein. That would be like promoting the old stereotype that car dealers are all slick rip-off artists out to bamboozle their customers and we know that's not true.

Sometimes, it's just an individual rep trying to generate business by doing something that management would stop or correct immediately if they knew about it. IMHO, that's probably the case with this apples-oranges compete.com comparison.

 

[JamesKovacs]

The real question is not whether it is underhanded or good salesmanship, but if Dealer A's traffic would even increase using a BZ site.

 

[CS]

what gives people at least it wasn't alexa and pagerank promises.

i don't think the furniture store makes it "funny" either. if the urls are the same, chances are both businesses show up for search queries on either one.