 Car & Driver recently posted an article about the increasing average age of vehicles on the road today, in California its over 12 years now, however, it is not new or solely a result of the current pandemic. Back in May, I co-hosted a webinar with DealerBuilt - LightYear Dealer Technologies CRO Keith Baker and we discussed how, pre-COVID-19, the fixed ops department was already rising to the forefront of dealership revenue as a result of the increasing length of ownership. The Covid-19 crisis will also add to the age of vehicles for sure as people hold on to them longer trying to navigate thru this situation and dealers need to increase their attention on the Service Drive to retain existing business and attract new customers as well. If you would like to know how your dealerships DMS can do more than store data for your dealership check out the webinar here, https://lnkd.in/gEZyQYb , or give me a call! :)
The Car & Driver post with stats on vehicle age is here, https://lnkd.in/dcC-JMT
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 It seems like it has been forever that we have all been sharing how important your dealership's Google My Business listing is, however, a new study from Whitespark shows that there are still many dealers not getting the message. Looking at 15,503 Google Business Profiles they found that "hardly any auto dealers are taking advantage of the features in GMB. The results that are the most shocking are that of the dealer listings analyzed:
~63% have NEVER published a single Google Post (WHAT?!) ~88% of dealer listings are not using the Products feature ~32% have not even been claimed ~24% do not have a link to their website ~93% have not added an appointment link ~91% have not added product/service links ~51% have Q&A questions that haven’t been answered ~13% don’t have hours listed" It seems there may be dealer GM's or principals that are still assuming that 'someone' is taking care of their list for them with updated info but it's clear that many dealerships profiles are sadly being ignored and that means potential customers are not seeing them! The full article is an interesting read and can be found here: https://whitespark.ca/blog/auto-dealers-google-listings-are-a-wreck/  Apple throws yet another wrench into marketer's plans as the release a new version of macOS, “Big Sur", which will block Google Analytics among other tracking software. Although only on desktops for now when it does roll out to mobile devices not only marketers but also site owners will lose valuable insights, are you ready to 'fly blind' with your advertising spend?
Read the full post here: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/apple-safari-to-block-google-analytics-from-collecting-data/372775/#close  New car inventories will start to run low and auctions are still closed, dealers need to find units quickly and the new 1 Click Auto Auction app looks like it could be a powerful solution!
"1 Click Auto Auction is an application and fee structure designed to change the way dealers buy and sell cars at auctions. Created by car guys tired of paying exorbitant auction fees, 1 Click enables dealers to buy and sell their vehicles on the application platform within minutes..." How many times have you had this happen to you while at an auction? ~You wait through hundreds of cars you don’t want before the one you are waiting for is called. ~You are late or busy repping vehicles and end up missing the car you came to see? ~You waste several hours waiting for a vehicle, only to be outbid? You pay hundreds of dollars per vehicle bought and sold at auction monthly. There is a better way! 1 Click Auto Actions is an app with one low monthly fee that offers: ~One minute easy to list auctions from the comfort of your home ~Filtering tools that enable searches for the exact vehicles you are looking to find ~Robust valuation tools using pricing guides and vehicle condition reports ~A five-star buyer and seller rating system to keep everyone honest ONE FLAT MONTHLY FEE for buyers & sellers regardless of vehicles bought or sold, more info here: https://1clickautoauction.com/  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
 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???
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 Mike theCarGuy
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...
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