Santa Math

[Marc McGurren]

I really like to read Seth Godin's blog...very witty and usually spot on. He hits the nail on the head in regards to why people are on forum's like this and how vendors can learn from what Alex spoke about in his post regarding social media.

Here is the link to his blog and I have just copied and pasted his post below.

Quid pro quo (santa math)

Walk up to the falafel stand and hand the guy $3. He hands you a falafel, no onions.

This for that.

Something for something.

The time between surrendering the money and getting the sandwich is tiny. You gave him something, you got something. It's simple.

Now, stretch it out a bit. You order dinner in a restaurant. They treat you nicely, the room is beautiful, you enjoy the evening, then you pay the bill. This, pause, pause, pause, that.

Go to law school. Pay a lot of money. Spend a lot of time. Be taught a bunch of things you don't particularly want to know, things you probably don't need. Get a degree with a modicum of scarcity. Pay for a bar review course. Pass the bar. Then you get a job that pays a lot of money.

This, then a multi-year pause, then, in return, that for the next forty years. We call it return on investment.

Online, though, I'm not sure the math is so obvious. You don't write a blog to get gigs. You don't help people out in a forum to build a freelance business. Sure, that might happen, but that's not why you do it. If you are busy calculating quid pro quo, that means your heart isn't in it, and the math won't work out anyway.

Online, the something, the quid, the this, doesn't cost cash. It takes heart and energy and caring, which are scarce but renewable resources. As a result, many people are able to spend them without seeking anything external in return. Even better, the act of generosity, of giving without expectation, makes it easier to do art, to create work that matters on its own.

I think it's more like Santa math. Santa flies around the world, giving stuff away, and for what? He earns gratitude, trust and friendship, that's what. Sure, one day he might decide to license his image or try to sell you something. But right here, right now, gratitude, trust and friendship are plenty. Especially if you enjoy doing what you're doing. Quid, no quo.

 

[joe.pistell]

I...Online, the something, the quid, the this, doesn't cost cash. It takes heart and energy and caring, which are scarce but renewable resources. ...

...I think it's more like Santa math. Santa flies around the world, giving stuff away, and for what? He earns gratitude, trust and friendship, that's what. Sure, one day he might decide to license his image or try to sell you something. But right here, right now, gratitude, trust and friendship are plenty. Especially if you enjoy doing what you're doing. Quid, no quo..

Bam!
"Quid, no quo" Sounds like my Social Media Summary.

From my seat, a managers perspective, my Social Media/Dealer FB Fan Page take goes like this.
If you and your team are organized & refined to the point where all that's left are small day to day issues & tweaks, then by all means dive into the SM soup. I for one, am jealous of you.

For the rest of us mear mortals, we're still working on perfecting the basics. Heck, I just conquered the process of putting comments on AutoTrader and Cars.com!! That simple process only took me 18 months to get done!

Working SM (properly) needs the all too important "heart and energy and caring" component. I don't know about you but my "heart and energy and caring" is out in Triage looking over the bleeding and mangled bodies with names like CRM, AutoTrader/Cars.com, CraigsList, Ebay Local, Video Walk Arounds, VDP Conversion Rate, Micro-Sites, Local SEO, GPOM, SEO and on and on and on..

Hell, I'm still stuck in the early stages of Classified Site lead optimization. I haven't even touched a Dealer Review process (keyword: process). I just added a custom comments system that caused my AutoTrader/Cars.com VDP% to double over night... now how come my lead count didn't double???!! hmmm . Does this ever end??

 

[Jerry Thibeau]

If not for Dealer Refresh, I probably would not be doing what I do today. Giving away freebies and offering free advice has helped me land a bunch of new clients. Heck some of the free mystery shops I did led to dealerships seeking out my competition for help. Not sure why they did not give me a chance to help, but no hard feelings here.

I think too many people attach a dollar figure to everything they do. My advice: focus on on being the best at what you do and provide your customers with a level of service second to none; the financial reward will follow.

 

[Marc McGurren]

Bam!

For the rest of us mear mortals, we're still working on perfecting the basics. Heck, I just conquered the process of putting comments on AutoTrader and Cars.com!! That simple process only took me 18 months to get done!

Working SM (properly) needs the all too important "heart and energy and caring" component. I don't know about you but my "heart and energy and caring" is out in Triage looking over the bleeding and mangled bodies with names like CRM, AutoTrader/Cars.com, CraigsList, Ebay Local, Video Walk Arounds, VDP Conversion Rate, Micro-Sites, Local SEO, GPOM, SEO and on and on and on..

I would concur with you as well sir. It is very easy to get caught up in the SM hype (or orgy as you put it ) and take your eye off the ball. What I can say is that in my context and reason for posting this is that I am not a hard seller. I sell with finesse. I build report right from the start and become valuable to the customer.

I would challenge the vendors on here to do the same. Offer value to us rather than trying to shove your product down our throat. SM could be the same - but also in everyday selling. I try really hard not to be "that guy" when speaking with our customers. I make myself relevant to our community and I will be rewarded b/c of it.

That's it sir.

 

[joe.pistell]

...I try really hard not to be "that guy" when speaking with our customers. I make myself relevant to our community and I will be rewarded b/c of it.

Marc,

IMO, working FB is very smart biz from the sales reps desk. I tell all my reps to get smart and work your FB accounts. FWIW, our reps get way more sales activity with ultra simple one paragraph CraigsList ads than from FB, but, FB is still has value.

 

[Alex Snyder]

Seth always has the right perspective in my opinion. I like the term "Santa Math" because that is exactly what the payoff is for companies on facebook. Everyone likes Santa and looks forward to him coming. This is how facebook needs to be. And this is why it is so foreign a concept to most car dealers. Most dealers' opinions of how they are "Santa" is with 0% financing, a free TV with the purchase of your car, or some crazy low pricing. Santa doesn't ask for anything in return. He just gives.

You have to get the "what's in it for me" mentality out of your facebook approach and look at it as a long term branding and PR campaign. Anything beyond that and it won't work. If you can't just use facebook for branding and public relations, then you shouldn't be using it for your business.

 

[Jeff Kershner]

I'm with Alex. Facebook should be approached from a branding/PR angle. However, I'm not saying there is NOT game there for direct marketing but it needs to be done in the right fashion. PLUS - Positive PR is today's marketing.

"If you can't just use facebook for branding and public relations, then you shouldn't be using it for your business."

I hear you and I agree. However, I also encourage people to jump into things. Give it a shot - you never know what you might find. You never know what you might learn that will carry over into something else you do. You might discover something that is far more important than the actual "project" you are setting out to accomplish.

 

[danoneil]

Marc,

IMO, working FB is very smart biz from the sales reps desk. I tell all my reps to get smart and work your FB accounts. FWIW, our reps get way more sales activity with ultra simple one paragraph CraigsList ads than from FB, but, FB is still has value.

I am with you on this Joe. If I was on the sales floor, everytime I sold a car, I would post it on facebook. Just a way to brand yourself and maybe get a referal.

 

[mwisdom]

I kind of like the fact that vendors take the time to post information on Dealer Social Networking sites. It is obvious when someone truly cares (like Brian Pasch) and when somebody is purely posting SPAM. If a vendor's intentions are not truly genuine, it tells me a lot about the company that they represent (you don't know who you are because you're not reading this).

As far as SM, like Facebook, I must not get it. After years in the business, I consider myself a "Car Guy". Having transitioned into the Internet side of the business like many of you, I am guilty of looking at every aspect of the Internet and thinking, "How can this benefit my dealership sales NOW?" Period. That probably means that I'm arrogant, or maybe that means that I hate the idea of Facebook. I have spent countless hours trying to increase INTERNET SALES by learning, practicing, analyzing and leading. I cry at night because Facebook seems to be getting more and more relevant every day. SM is a weakness of mine because I have not really practiced it in my personal life or for "Networking". I am so sick and tired of reading and hearing about the importance of having a strong Social Media plan. At this rate, many of us "Directors" could be replaced by High School students in the future. Seriously. Somebody has to stop Social Media! Chuck Norris, where are you?!

 

[ehoopman]

Here and listening mwisdon! On the last leg of our road trip back to Wisconsin post digital dealer. Yes guys you read the correctly we are still driving and I'm holding down our booth in the backseat.

@Alex took your post to heart. Though we have always been avid readers, creative thinkers and supporters of DR we haven't always been the best writers. This will change going forward.

I still maintain that the business power of Facebook resides in the hands of your employees and peripheral business evangelists. Not in messages pushed out Monday mornings by the man.

Example: I own a bar in Oshkosh and we have a guy that handles the facebook messaging on live music and weekly events. Pushes info out 2 to 3 times a week. Modest push modest results.. Keeps us top of mind. Now 4 or 5 times a year we have a TRULY special event. Octoberfest, Fourth of July..etc. I enlist the help of 4 or 5 influencers (you know the really popular people on facebook) in the community to push our agenda out to their trusted base and voilà garaunteed results. Without abusing the networks of these evangelists we leverage their power.

I don't think that the Director position will be replaced by high schoolers anytime soon. Every business demands strong leadership! However I do think "how big is your social network" or "how many people follow you on Twitter" will become more and more of a consideration in the hiring process..

That just took me from CHI to MKE to type out! Only two more hours on the road and back at it ready to fire away on some new post DD ideas in the am!

Look on the bright said MW. There's always mobile