 Had such a great convo with Jason Harris and Peter J. Duffy with Dealer Image Pro about streamlining communication efforts, entering an era of efficiency, and how customers now control the process! If you missed it and want to hear more about the 'new norm' in automotive you can check it out HERE
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 A local screen printing shop posted an update on their social media offering Facetime appointments for customers still wanting to get their letterman jackets, screen printing or embroidery while self quarantined. Many companies are recognizing that consumers still need and want their products/services however they may be concerned for their own safety. Car dealers should look outside the auto industry for ideas on how to engage their customers during these times of 'Social Distancing' and 'Self Quarantine', I have worked deals by phone in my many years at the sales desk, even texted a few and I think a Facetime deal could be even more efficient and maybe even fun! What do you think car peeps?
Recently I had the opportunity to sit in on a panel with a way cool group of folks on the Advanced Auto Retail Marketing podcast and it was great to chat with awesome folks like Bill Playford, Katie Jackson-Richter, William Sattree, and host Ryan Gerardi. As we wrapped up I was able to share some of the things that I think truly make DealerBuilt #TheDifferentDMS. One of the topics of the day's discussions was companies working better together to serve their customers and I shared how DealerBuilt has partnered with some incredible companies like UpdatePromise, cPayPlus, and Spiffit and integrated their tools within our DMS. Often times technology that is intended to increase efficiency can end up creating more steps required to use it and actually slow down workflow, having to minimize the DMS window, open a new browser and then go back into the DMS creates time-consuming extra steps that result in negative attitudes and wasted time. Having the tools your staff uses all inside the environment they are already working in can make a huge difference and then your DMS is more than just the necessary software for your dealership operations, it can be a profit center! Want to know more about DealerBuilt, #TheDifferentDMS? Lets talk ;)
 Realizing they missed a huge opportunity with the Ranger launch Ford has readied a whole slew of branded accessories for the upcoming Bronco and its smaller counterpart 'Baby Bronco'. This is awesome profit potential for dealers, being 'Ford accessories' means warranty coverage and financing opportunities with Ford Motor Credit. Ford dealers should start working with sales teams now and be ready to sell more than just the new vehicle, which will sell itself, but also the benefits and additional fun offered by upgrading with Ford components! Many dealerships have a small display of accessories somewhere in the showroom but they should seriously look at placing displays at each desk or table, maybe dress up a Bronco for the showroom even if the customer doesnt love the exact combo they see the conversation could result in them customizing their own purchased vehicle with accessories inspired by the display.
More info here: https://jalopnik.com/the-2021-ford-bronco-will-get-a-ton-of-off-road-extras-1841889946  You have seen many posts lately about the importance of managing your businesses Google My Business profile and I have been talking about for years as well! Just in case you still aren't convinced that your company GMB profile is actually more important than even your website check our some interesting facts from Digital Marketing wizard Shawn Joshi that support that very claim!
"The internet is filled with unqualified opinions - so let's not add to that dumpster fire.Here's what the data says: 1. 46% of all Google searches have a local intent. That's about 1.6 billion searches per day where people are looking for products, services, and information in their location. 2. 93% of local searches now feature Google My Business listings. There's a lot of people using Google every day for local purposes. And now we know that virtually all of those searches feature Google My Business listings. 3. 68% of people contact a business directly from search results. If they're on a mobile device - which we've established is already 50% of all web traffic (and growing) - all someone needs to do is tap a link... And they're calling you - or your competitor - directly from search results. These three data points show the importance of Google My Business - especially when we already know that Google wants to send people to a platform they own. But we haven't even covered the most important one... "88% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations." (Source: Forbes)..." Boom right?!! Great post, read the rest HERE Original post found on http://www.antzdigitalmedia.com/blog I am not usually a fan of pointing out other people's failures for likes or views however this video highlights the need to really do a better job of ensuring that employees that speak with the public are better educated on the products we sell as car dealers. The folks that made this focused on the upcoming Mach-E from Ford so it may be a little understandable just how much misinformation they received from dealer staff when asking about it but it could be about a product already on the front line and they would still get a lot of wrong answers or information made up on the spot. As a sales manager long before the fear of being secretly recorded for a YouTube video I always prided myself on product knowledge and trained my team to know our vehicles inside and out, more importantly, to be comfortable with saying 'I don't know that but I will be happy to find out for you' which always seems to be more difficult than it should be. Car dealers, are you sure your team wouldn't sound like the folks captured on this video?? Should you mystery call your store and find out, an even better question is are you using a call review service like CallSource and not bothering to listen to the calls and know if your team members sound like these folks???
 Recently the United States Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from Dominos Pizza regarding a case about how accessible their website is to people with disabilities. By declining to hear the case the court leaves in place a ruling by a lower court that ruled the Dominos Pizza website is subject to the American's with Disbabilities Act, a federal law that requires places of public access to make accommodations for people with disabilities. The appeals court stated that websites are included in the coverage and that Domino's must comply even without "a blueprint for compliance with its statutory obligations." The original case involved a customer with visual disabilities that was trying to use reading software that was unable to pick up the small print of the special offers on the Dominos Pizza website and therefore felt he was unfairly denied the opportunity to save additional money y using the special offer coupons.
If the 'specials' on your dealership's website have small print disclaimers this is a good read. Auto dealers tend to be easy targets, knowledge is key. | "Unclear ADA compliance rules on websites flummox dealers..." Read the full AutomotiveNews post here: https://www.autonews.com/commentary/unclear-ada-compliance-rules-websites-flummox-dealers  One of my favorite conversations at the recent DrivingSales Executive Summit was when I was able to sit with AutoConverse host Ryan Gerardi and one of my own automotive mentors Bryan Armstrong and talk about automotive service dept marketing. Bryan was one of the first car guys I followed online that was doing the kind of stuff I wanted to do at my own dealership, I have followed him closely online for over 10 years now and am lucky enough to call him my friend but this was the first time we really got to sit and chat in person... and it was pretty damn cool! You can watch the convo here:
Mike theCarGuy talks with Ryan Gerardi and Bryan Armstrong  Simply having a presence on social media is no longer enough as most realize by now. Facebook recently noted that not only are posts ranked in news feeds, comments are also ranked as well. It takes time but being on social media means being 'social' if you truly want your companies page to thrive! Make sure you, or your social media manager, is replying to comments and liking customer interactions on your companies social media pages. Think to yourself how cool it would be if a brand name you follow responded to a comment you left on one of their posts, wouldn't you want your own followers to feel that same way?
For more insights read the rest of the SearchEngineJournal's post "Facebook Changes Reach of Comments in News Feed" HERE |
Hey there, I'm Mike theCarGuy and here are some of my thoughts about cars, the car business and sales! Take a look around, maybe you will learn something or at the very least find your self smiling, and if you do... leave me a comment so I know I at least did something right! Thanks for stoppin by...
Need to reach me? Call or Text: (909) 213-5475 mikethecarguy@outlook.com Mike theCarGuy: 22421 Barton Rd Suite 451 Grand Terrace, CA 92313 Twitter: @MiketheCarGuy1 Instagram: MiketheCarGuy 
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March 2020
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