Jeff;
"Is it the AAISP conference - or the Digital Dealer Conference..."
Truly, those who have been around for a minute know exactly where you are coming from. It still confuses me a little each year, too!
Look for my synopsis of the conference, soon.
In fact, what the hell - here it goes (as opinionated as a purposefully selected onion-filled lunch item)...
2008 Digital Dealer Conference in Orlando
A CIRCUS OF VENDORS
By: D. Rawls, President
Auto Buyer Consultants, LLC
WOW! An exclamation readily associated with events and happenings that venture beyond the window of what is ordinary, has to be the perfect description for the exposition floor at this year’s 4th Digital Dealer Conference in Orlando.
Opening with a healthy smorgasbord of direction from icons in the Internet Sales Consulting profession, David Kain and Cory Mosley, this year’s conference had all the big names, addressed the big issues, and featured the big technologies. Indeed, Mike Roscoe has parlayed his expo into an industry ‘must attend’.
THREE RING CIRCUS…
From ADP, Reynolds, AutoTrader, Cars.com, and NeoSynergy, to Dealerskins, KBB, IMN, and Dealix, every measure was taken throughout the industry to ensure that product representation was not a shortcoming. However, there were three main attractions on the exposition floor.
The omnipresence of mega-media funded AutoTrader.com and Cars.com played flank to a new kid on the block by the name of NeoSynergy. At the center ring of this bazaar of sorts, the leadership of this new mother ship (much of whom have long ties to the industry, including past tenure with Reynolds and Reynolds) announced product tie-ins with Google to an exciting toast of blue, red, yellow, blue, green, red martinis – custom decorated to commemorate the occasion.
Impressive in every aspect, NeoSynergy commanded the center ring at this year’s conference. This ambitious company out shown the flanking rings by wielding a cutting-edge approach to listing prices for dealers, called Best Deals. At the booth, heavily clad with the blue, green, and black of its moniker, NeoSynergy representatives gave multiple interactive presentations to individual dealer professionals on how their Best Deals product generates quality leads from sites such as AOL and integrates with Google Maps, and then signed them up to begin benefiting right away. During the entire event, C-level leadership from the company was at the booth and made it plain to all why their vision is best. At a break away session I attended (one of the only truly interactive sessions at the conference, as I understand it), NeoSynergy CEO David Wassman presented the facts about consumers’ migration to online retail automotive transactions, and led a search for the best deals on various products – including, of course, a car. To say NeoSynergy was the talk of the town would be a gross misinterpretation. They seemed to own this show!
Cars.com was a good flank to the center ring. Mostly, they attempted to engage dealer professionals in the use of their existing online advertising tools. Their unmistakably purple booth environment was furnished with arte deco sitting places, and a few large, flat-screen computer monitors. There were no significant announcements of new product launches or sign-ups, but much of the executive staff did seem to be on hand to take the event in. Among the most interesting activities at the Cars.com booth were client testimonials being filmed by the Atlanta area Account Manager, Val Williams. She was racking up the points with positive feedback from Cars.com customers, including dealers, Internet sales managers, and ecommerce directors. The Cars.com national trainer, Ralph Ebersole, did a break away session as well.
Admittedly, the information flowing from the AutoTrader.com booth was minimal. As I made my rounds on the exposition floor, I noticed very little activity at the bright orange, jungle-gym-looking contraption which stood in as the AutoTrader.com booth. What I did hear from colleagues was grunts and moans about yet another rate increase for dealer clients. It seems that the circus-goers have greater expectations (especially for increased ticket prices). Indeed, there is still no arguing the numbers when it comes to the amount of consumers who shop the listings on AutoTrader. However, the ‘build and they will come’ approach to Internet is a few eras gone by, now, and it will be interesting to see how the leadership at AT/Cox will adjust.
THE LIONS, THE TIGERS…
Beyond NeoSynergy, there were some other acts and curiosities worthy of note. The notion of moving the entire sales process online was being championed by a few seasoned veterans of the retail automotive Internet space. Among these were Brian Hoecht who hosted the closing general session with a forum discussion of the matter, including the likes of Jeff Clark and Ken Lees. Their discussion of eNegotiations and Artificial Technology as it relates to the immediate future of online automotive transactions was livening.
Dealerskins, KBB, and Dealix were proactive as could be expected. But I couldn’t decide whether AutoUpLinkUSA or The Higher Gear Group offered the better value proposition after presentations on their lead and inventory management tools from Joshua Schofer and Skip Murphy, respectively. That was good! IMN has always been an undeniable asset on my list, and it was good to see them pushing their Loyalty Driver product at the conference. An act out of Atlanta, MyDealerBroadcast.com, grabbed my attention with a sales driver tool that uses email as a call to action for internet customers – it was a new twist on the automatic responder that offers incentive to customers for replying. And, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the winner of the “If I Were to Join a New Company Today Award”, DriveTime TV. These guys were maxing and relaxing in leather smoker’s chairs while watching ESPN on the Hi-Def flat-screen – everyone’s envy at the show. Their product, in-store marketing systems which integrate into televisions in dealerships’ customer lounge, waiting, and showroom areas, was a bang, too!
And, to go along with all the exposition’s headliners, there was some worthwhile information, too. The discussion of moving the entire automotive buying process online found credence in the statistic showing consumer’s who said they would purchase a vehicle online increased from only 2% in 2003 to right at 20% in 2007. Another very interesting figure was relayed in an online car buying presentation which said, “…of all internet shoppers surveyed, 73% leave a website within only two minutes of not finding what they are looking for online.” Of course, tracking was a topic of discussion. The use of a ‘Monthly Internet Performance Report’ was recommended. I did not attend the break away session where the report was broken down and/or explained for practical use.
In fact, implementation and practicality was not the status quo – at all. It was almost as if (among the ‘lions and tigers’) the goal was to give as little that was usable as possible, in far too many instances. But, this speaks sheerly to the evidence of this year’s conference being more so an exposition – or circus of vendors, than a platform for addressing the ascendancy of the Internet to a major tool in contemporary automotive marketing. Indeed, the crowd was indicative, however, of the migration(finally) of attitudes among dealer professionals and vendors that the future of this industry will unfold on the Internet.
THE BEARS, OH MY…
ADP, Reynolds, and the OEM’s seemed to be their sluggish selves during this year’s expo. Being grandfathered into this movement of the industry online is going to be much less likely than before. Absence of representatives from particular nameplate manufacturers was sickening, as it is no doubt that many among the ranks at the manufacturers’ corporate offices are of the old garde who believed Internet would never have relevance in the industry. It’s a frightening thing to know that they trust such stale leadership in a pivotal era.
Learning is still a key to the evolution of retail automotive Internet marketing, and the deficiency in this area seemed blatant at the expo. “Maybe dealers just don’t value the concept of training anymore…” was the sentiment of one conversation between industry icons. I, however, would quickly speak to acknowledge any such sentiment being played out across dealer networks is only the early spelling of doom. Because we are still dealing with an adolescent (Internet Sales is only about 13 years old in the automotive sector), it is imperative that the lines of communication remain open. Many early advocates and pioneers of this automotive Internet era (those among the avant garde) seemed to be taking it all in – whether on hand, or from a distance. Maybe they are weighing in their wise minds whether such spectacles as the Digital Dealer Conferences are integral parts of this zeitgeist shift.
Indeed, products and services in the segment have come a long, long way. In the formative years, that’s usually how it works. But, the circus is a spectacle, only. The best approach to Internet is not a pointed dictatorship, but a democratic forum. The best people are still the only perfect pathway to the best results. The Internet is fast becoming each and every one of our jobs.
Before we let the Big Top down, and head for the next city with this expo, we should be sure to make note that our Internet is no longer a toddler – but an adolescent. The formative years have passed, the fragile teen-age years have arrived, and our online being will begin to take definitive direction. Maybe there is validity to Dr. Lloyd Richardson’s vision to hinge the AAISP upon accreditation and certifications for the industry’s professionals, so as not to alienate those most dear to the evolution of the tools and standards which are integral parts of this zeitgeist shift. Let us all be responsible stewards of the power of this tool. Let us be mindful of the etiquette we would require of our own adolescents, pay close attention to the paths our teen is taking, and stand firm as the creators of this being – unafraid to bestow upon it praise and laurels and/ or time proven threats such as, “I brought you into this world, and I’ll take you out…”
