Re: GM Rep Management "Required"
We had a meeting today with our 2 Chevy reps and our SFE facilitator. At this they proposed we sign up for SFE as a multi-line dealer versus Chevy only. Here was the kicker, only Chevy dealers MUST do reputation management through SFE.
If you are multi-line, you can sign up as a multi-line dealer and not have to participate in the required reputation management. So you may want to talk to your dealers if they don't know this already.
For us, we have a very good grasp on our reviews and reputation with Dealer Rater, so we are glad we do not have to sign up for the GM reputation management.
Vendor note - in talking with my friends at Dealer Rater, they knew nothing about this until it was too late. And Jennifer Sanford with Dominion was in our dealership yesterday and told me the same thing. It is concerning to me that GM doesn't do a better job of talking with vendors and having a broader selection. Because of this dealers might not get the right solution for their dealership with such a limited list of vendors to choose from. Kind of like the monopoly Cobalt has with GM websites.
I plan to write an email to the Chevy Dealer Counsel voicing my concerns about the direction the reputation management requirements have taken. I am not against any of the vendors, I am against limited choices, and the cost imposed on the dealers. For example, we pay about $99 a month for Dealer Rater. GM is forcing this reputation management at $299 - $349. The other part is that it's not 3rd party. Anyone with half a brain knows that 3rd party reviews are a top influence for consumers.
Maybe I am wrong, maybe some others that I have talked to are wrong too, but this feels like Chevy is going backwards a few years in terms of reputation management and reviews by it not being 3rd party. I just don't see how this is the best approach or choice for Chevy could offer dealers not being 3rd party.
