• Stop being a LURKER - join our dealer community and get involved. Sign up and start a conversation.

Ford Store, Anyone?

Jump to latest Follow Reply
#21
KoreyB said:
@alex snyder

Makes sense. In research for a dealership it looks like Yelp, BBB and Insiderpages show up in searches with ratings. DealerRater is buried
Click to expand...

DealerRater tends to rank well on the dealership's name. If we can agree that a search for the dealership name is the most predominate search phrase bringing traffic to a dealership website and a search on the dealership name is also very high on the relevancy meter, then it might be a good idea to invest in DealerRater.....don't you think?

Yes, Yelp, BBB, and InsiderPages are sometimes there as well, I've seen these fall down the results when a dealer is engaged on DealerRater. I like DealerRater because it gives you some measures of control you don't have with the other sites.

At the end of the day, all of these review sites are trumped by Google Reviews that show with your business' map listing. Those stars make all the difference in the world. I would go so far to say:

A Necessary Job: getting reviews on Google Places
A Decent Job: getting reviews on Google Places and 1 other review site
A Great Job: getting reviews on Google Places and more than 2 other review sites
 
#22
Alex Snyder said:
A Necessary Job: getting reviews on Google Places
A Decent Job: getting reviews on Google Places and 1 other review site
A Great Job: getting reviews on Google Places and more than 2 other review sites
Click to expand...

Nice way to put it Alex. Spread the love!

I like the idea of building out a splashpage and allowing the customer to choose where they place their review.
 
#23
I just saw this thread. I was actually Finish Line's Ford Marketing & Sales rep for Ford motor Company. I give major credit to Bill Pearson. What you read is true- he literally was pulling his hair out trying to figure out how to sell new cars. Fast forward 1.5 years later- I open a magazine with his face on the cover. He figured out a system and stuck with it and I give him credit. There are literally 5 Ford dealers within a few miles of him and NOTHING separated him as far as geography. In fact, he was in the least desirable area out of the bunch. Now they have moved across the street into a bigger warehouse but that was fairly recent.

Bottom line- follow up and process is key. Like the book by Chet Holmes The Ultimate Sales Machine, Its not the 300 things you do 7 times, its the 7-10 things you do 300 times. I have been fortunate to take our dealership to #1 for Ford sales in Illinois and last month among top 50 in the nation. I have the basic AT package, a great ILM, and discipline.
 
#24
Just a quick 7 month update.

*Consistently getting into the 20 plus range on deals and averaging between 13 and 16% off of e-mail leads for the store.

*Recently went through second sight re-design. After not getting what we paid for with previous provider we went with BluSolutions. Great product with tremendous value. I would be happy to share info on this up and coming company with you guys. Their product converts much better.

*Just hired an assistant to help me increase volume of calls and attempts to reach leads as well as gather customer testimonials and video content for our social networking channels, etc.

Store is consistently up 20 or so units a month and it's pretty easy to see where it is coming from. I hope you all have a great year!
 
#25
Andrew Carr said:
Just a quick 7 month update.

*Consistently getting into the 20 plus range on deals and averaging between 13 and 16% off of e-mail leads for the store.

*Recently went through second sight re-design. After not getting what we paid for with previous provider we went with BluSolutions. Great product with tremendous value. I would be happy to share info on this up and coming company with you guys. Their product converts much better.

*Just hired an assistant to help me increase volume of calls and attempts to reach leads as well as gather customer testimonials and video content for our social networking channels, etc.

Store is consistently up 20 or so units a month and it's pretty easy to see where it is coming from. I hope you all have a great year!
Click to expand...
Andrew, It sounds like you're hitting on all cylinders and making great progress.

Congratulations sir!
 
#26
Thanks for the update Andrew!

I used to use BluSolutions several years ago. I see Mark Springer is still the top dog over there. They used to partner with AAN for their websites but you website is looking very different from the AAN platform. It's looking good - several point of conversion. I like the ability to toggle between mobile and desktop. Allows you to get a feel for the mobile without having to actually visit it on a mobile devise.

13 and 16% off of e-mail leads for the store.
Click to expand...
- that's solid! Sounds like you are heading down the right direction Andrew. Kudos to you man!!

Are you using anything to help increase your Lead to Show?
 
#27
Confirmation call is key to increasing shown. I have been having my assistant do that and it seems like she is at least as good at is as I am and probably better. I think that having them hear from two separate people about the appointment before they come in might be a key touch point. You have to get them to treat it like a doctor's appointment or an appointment with someone they respect because let's face it, we are car salesmen and initially there isn't a whole lot of respect there.

I am working it at this point almost exclusively as an appointment setter/ internet marketer. I do the initial counselling with the customer when they come in, recap our online conversation and then I introduce them to a sales person and we split the deal. I spend the rest of the time pounding the phones/ doing Social networking/ Social Marketing and looking for new channels to promote our inventory.

We pull the car off to the side and put a hang tag in the window with "Reserved For: Mr. Customer" in the window. This is huge, especially on the used car side because it keeps them on point and away from wandering the rest of the inventory. Sales team didn't appreciate doing "all of the work" initially, but people are seeing that the appointments close fast and often and a few of the guys do great work for me now.

Closing on shown appointments is approaching 60%. We have a good team here once I get people in front of them.
 
#28
Hi all- sorry to reopen an old thread but I am in desperate need of some help!!! I am starting at a Ford dealership pretty soon as their Internet Sales Manager. I previously worked for a small hometown Chevrolet and Dodge dealership for 5 years running their internet department but when it comes to Ford I am clueless about who to contact about updating their website, how to set up online credit applications and so forth. This dealership is literally starting from the grown up! (Just Google Fort Kent, Maine and you will know exactly what I am talking about!) My husband and I relocated to the Canadian border from Georgia for a job opportunity. As much as I told myself I am never getting back into the car business I met a REALLY nice Ford dealership in desperate need of my help. (The new owner is new to the industry and has only had the dealership for 4 months!)

I feel comfortable with the social media piece but as far as the basics I could really use some guidance. Let me first give you some insight on this dealership- I feel like I am sitting on a gold mind once I get it up and running! - It is located on the border of New Brunswick Canada, their dollar is worth about 30% more then ours so many buyers purchase from the U.S., the next closest Ford dealership is 40 miles away, there is only 1 other dealership in town (Chevrolet) and they are not using the internet as of right now, AND most importantly my dealer is willing to support me 100% and get aggressive on price in order to move inventory!

Can ya'll please give me some advice to get me started? I have my 3rd meeting on Friday with the owner and I would like to be prepared. Please feel free to post or message me- I need all the help I can get ASAP! ...
 
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply
Jump to latest Follow Reply
Menu