One of my biggest complaints about some vendors in our industry is that they make reputation management seem like it requires extremely specialized talents in order to make it work for car dealers. They would have you believe that you cannot manage, monitor, or influence your own reputation and that it takes extreme talent and a complex strategy to make it happen.

As much as I would love to pitch our own reputation management solution here, I'll keep it simple. Reputation management isn't hard. In fact, it's the complicated measures through which many vendors attempt to manipulate your reputation that gets dealers and other businesses in trouble. Here, I'll break down the steps that make up a real reputation management system:

1. Deliver Great Customer Service - Just as we do with our own clients, dealers that are treating their customers fairly and with respect have a better chance of maintaining a positive reputation online. That doesn't mean that great service will definitely yield a great online reputation or that bad service will definitely blow it online, but it's easier to have a strong reputation when it's reflected as such in the real world.
2. Monitor - This is the first step for us. We might not be able to help you deliver great customer service, but we can definitely monitor the review sites for you and let you know when reviews are left. This also means monitoring social media sites for mentions, something that most are avoiding for whatever reason.
3. Ask for Reviews - With a properly worded email template, you can engage with your sold customers and service customers and encourage them to leave you a review. Those who are unhappy usually don't need prompting, but even your biggest fans often need a reminder that you could use their support publicly.

That's pretty much it. The companies that are promoting 10-step processes for getting a better reputation are doing so to justify their silly prices for the service. If you have any questions about reputation or if you would like to know how WorldDealer can help you manage yours, please feel free to reach out to me.