This Week in Social Media

News for the Week of June 27

Twitter Adds Live Button

Twitter recently added a new button for both iOS and Android that will allow users to broadcast on Periscope from Twitter.  Now users can go live simply by tapping a button in Twitter—without switching apps.  When starting a new Tweet, users will see…

Part III: Gather Data to Dominate

Hopefully you’re already convinced social selling has a lot to offer your dealership.  In fact, dealerships that want to win in today’s marketplace will need to get social—and fast—if they want to keep up with the competition.  In addition to building relationships with consumers and becoming a top-of-mind resource, by amping up your social media presence, your dealership can glean plenty of useful data that will come in handy when…

When I talk to dealers that are disappointed with their email and direct mail marketing results, my biggest question is this:

Why would you send out an email offer to your customers that you would not PAY to send out via direct mail or other methods?

I see it happen all the time. A dealer sends out an email for something such…

Well, you know it’s inevitable.  Eventually some in your dealership will leave, either voluntarily or involuntarily, but will exit nonetheless. Instead of just allowing people to ride off into the sunset, why not invest 5 to 10 minutes with them on the off-chance that you could learn a little something? You…

   Mr. / Mrs. Dealer, remember when you were the green pea in this wonderful business? When I first started selling cars, my sales manager was a retired British officer. "Dot your I's and cross your bloody T's", Jack would bellow. He knew Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan dictator, when he was a Lieutenant (Pronounced Left-tenant). He told me the story of Gaddafi demanding air conditioning units installed in their barracks in the otherwise holes in the walls. So, the British Army…

Part I: Social Selling and Your Bottom Line

There’s serious hype about social selling in every industry, but do you know what it means for your dealership?  Do you know how it can impact your sales, your employee engagement, and ultimately your bottom line?

If not, it’s time to take a look.  There are several ways social selling can dramatically impact your dealership, and in Part I of this 3-part series, you’ll gain insights that will help you…

I frequently talk about the current industry disrupters taking sales from dealers – the Beepis, Vrooms and Carvanas, amongst others. These companies snuck up on dealers and, with little warning, jumped into the spotlight and sucked investors into a future Nirvana of car buying bliss. They are currently blasting feel good messages to consumers portraying car dealerships as inconvenient -- pushing a message of an easy buying experiences which, unsurprisingly, consumers (and investors) have…

Can you guess what the most common complaint about sales people is, from both customers and sales managers alike?

It's this; sales people simply talk too much. And since many of us do indeed talk too much, what do you think the second most frequent complaint we hear about sales people would be? It's this; we don't listen. In light of the first, this second complaint…

The intention of a loyalty program is to show your customers that they are appreciated and encourage them to choose your business over any competition. These programs can create value and generate lifetime relationships with customers -- as long as the experience remains consistently pleasant.

However, a trend currently rearing its head in the loyalty…

This Week in Social Media

News for the Week of June 16

Snapchat Content Now More Discoverable

Snapchat is bringing updates to users and making its content more discoverable by revamping its Stories and Discover pages.  The Snapchat Discover page will now feature a grid-style format, much like Pinterest, as well as headline previews which will allow users to…

This is probably one of the first questions that stress most auto buyers when they have to purchase a car. A brand new car is always an exceptionally alluring alternative, yet monetarily it may not generally be a reasonable decision. The buyers who is new to the driving a car, need to be extra aware as damage and renovation for new cars certainly cost a great deal more to settle than for used cars. There are a lot of considerations that go into buying an auto and each angle should be…

As far as defining moments go, what’s the difference between meeting someone new, interesting, and exciting and getting someone to read our work? The answer is...not a thing!



A good personal introduction will establish interest, expectations, and a direction that the initial conversation can go. Likewise, a good written introduction will establish the direction…

Every business in existence knows what they do – or what product they offer and the associated features and benefits. Every dealership knows what they do best – which is obviously, sell cars. Successful dealerships equip their team with key players that know how to sell cars. But very few…

Businesses today can no longer count on passive consumers; in fact, it’s a given that shoppers will enter your dealership empowered with more information and technology than ever before.  In order to build trust in your brand and win over savvy shoppers, it’s important to keep up with what’s important to them in the marketplace.  While it may not be possible to pinpoint everything that’s transformed shoppers from passive to empowered, it’s clear consumers entering your dealership…

What used car shoppers are looking for most of all is peace of mind. As a dealer, you should be educating your staff, and marketing your vehicles, to deliver that peace of mind. The fact that you spend internal dollars reconditioning trade-ins and from-the-auction inventory should not be withheld from today’s consumers. If anything, sharing this information with them can help improve both your merchandising efforts and customer confidence in their purchase…

All things being equal, why should I buy from you? I posed this question to a salesperson in one of my workshops, and I watched his eyes grow as big as saucers. He hesitated, stammered, and finally said, "Because I will take care of you after you purchase." I smiled and said, "And how will you do that for me?" Again the same type of reaction occurred, and he said, "I will be available if you have any questions." I said, "OK, but everyone says that. Why should I buy from you?" He stammered,…

IT’S BEEN 20 YEARS SINCE THE LAUNCH OF OUR COMPANY, THE MAR-KEE GROUP.  MY GOODNESS, WHERE DID THE TIME GO?…

As consumers, we are influenced by everything we hear and see, everywhere we go, and in everything we do. Whether we realize it or not, no purchasing decision is made entirely on our own. Instead, however large or small the influences may appear, we are swayed by people, marketing, and opinions every day.

It might be a recommendation from a friend, an online review, or a Facebook post recommending a great new product that was recently purchased.  ­Whatever form it takes, all of these…

By Sally Whitesell for Fixed Ops Magazine.

"It’s human nature to want to work with people we like and can relate to. As a matter of fact, we not only want to work with them but we want to work harder for them."…

One of the most common frustrations I hear from dealership employees is vendor finger pointing. Have you ever experienced anything like this?

Your inventory management software is not delivering updated information to the DMS.…