VOL. 7 | ISSUE 12 | DECEMBER 2014
A Division of IPD
Admit It YOU’RE A PG: 12
,
DINOSAUR
GET
OFF THE BENCH PG: 18
STOP FIGHTING
YOUR CUSTOMERS PG: 22
Inside Feature
Principal’s Office with
John Marazzi
PG: 24
MATT MANERO & his SEVEN TIPS TO SEE
COMMERCIAL FLEET VEHICLES IN A WHOLE NEW LIGHT PG: 8
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CONTENTS Editor-In-Chief Michael Oquendo
Articles
6. Better Call Handling Means More Cars Sold By Carey Fried 8. Seven TIps to See Commercial Fleet Vehicles In A Whole New Light By Matt Manero 12. Admit It, You’re a Dinosaur By Laura Madison 15. The Walking Lead By David Cribbs 16. Six Tips to Having Your Best Service Year Ever By Jeff Cowan 18. Get Off The Bench By David Villa 20. Why Your Local SEO Strategy Isn’t Working By Tim Martell 22. Stop Fighting Your Customers By Mark Tewart 24. The Principal’s Office With John Marazzi 27. Teach Me How to Fish By Ike Elam 28. Intrusive, Abusive or Just Plain Not Conducive By Don O’Neill
Authors CareyContributing Fried Jeff Cowan Tim Martell
Matt Manero
Editor David Villa
David Villa
David Cribbs Michael Oquendo
Creative Director Austin Janowsky
Mark Tewart Don O’Neill
Ike Elam
Marketing Director Jason Yamnitz
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Featured In This Issue...
Laura Madison
Copyright ©2014 all rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited unless expressly authorized by editor or publisher. The views expressed in the articles or advertisements are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the magazine or its staff. Editorial inquiries, questions or comments can be made to the Editor-In-Chief at moquendo@ipdmail.com Advertising Sales: Please call 813-630-5888 ext 523 or 561 or email moquendo@ipdmail.com
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Better Call Handling Means More Cars Sold By Carey Fried
In a 2014 report entitled “Innovating Automotive Retail,” renowned analysts McKinsey & Company reported that “the number of customer visits to a dealer before the purchasing decision is made has tumbled: dealers often get just one chance to strike lucky.” Fortunately, a new approach to training call handlers increases appointments-to-calls ratio and brings in more prospects. Savvy dealers know that even in this Internet-everywhere era, 85% of auto sales still begin with a prospect calling a dealership. That’s good news, because data indicates that car shoppers who call a dealership typically purchase a car in 3-5 days. That small window of opportunity means call handlers’ performance is a crucial link in the sales process. For far too many dealers, however, it is the weakest link. If you want to consistently convert callers to customers, your phone team needs to perform as effectively as possible on every single call. An effective call handler knows the key steps in every successful call: establishing rapport, assessing the caller’s needs, gathering contact information, setting the appointment and ending the call on a positive note. When call handlers lack the necessary skills, valuable advertising dollars are wasted and dealerships lose a lot of potential revenue. That’s why you need to do more than just track calls. The higher ROI comes from using those recorded calls to train call handlers. To do so, you need to add Telephone Performance Analysis® (TPA) to the mix to ensure that every one of your call handlers effectively manages potential sales opportunities. In a top TPA system, the vendor’s trained analysts review a sampling of recorded calls and develop a report card of each call handler’s telephone performance. Analysts review such metrics as establishing rapport, qualifying callers, exchanging information, and setting the appointment. Individual performance is compared to industry benchmarks, and performance trends tracked and reported to management. This allows individual employees to benefit from personalized, additional training that results in an improved conversion rate. Once training needs are identified, it’s important to measure the training’s impact. Even when professional sales trainers are brought in, students forget up to 80% of what they learned in class within 30 days. That’s why the most successful TPA systems draw
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on neuroscience, motivation theory and gamification (the use of game thinking and game mechanics) to engage users and help them learn effectively.
A superior TPA system will offer several training choices, including: • Onsite and online learning from industry experts • Live webinars with interactive features • Animated scenarios offering game-like instruction • Best practice techniques using role play and actual calls Our research indicates that the average rate at which phone handlers set dealership appointments is 7.8 percent. With a TPA system, it’s possible to improve phone handlers’ skills and efficiency by 20% or more, which can raise the appointment setting rate to nearly 15 percent. With the average dealer profit at $2,200 per vehicle, it’s obvious that setting even a few more appointments each week can add hundreds of thousands of dollars to annual profits. There’s an old adage that “it’s better to be lucky than good,” but if you have just one chance to book an appointment to sell a car, it’s better to be well-trained than lucky. Carey Fried is the Director of Marketing & Training at CallSource. For specific questions contact him via twitter - @careyfried or by e-mail at carey@dealersolutions.info.
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SEVEN TIPS to See Commercial Flee By Matt Manero
Matt Manero is the President and Founder of Commercial Fleet Financing, Inc.(CFF) located in Dallas, TX, and is the author of a series of quick read books entitled “10 Tips Every Independent Trucker, Tower, Mover and Construction Company Needs to Know Now!� Since 1995, CFF has provided financing to thousands of small and medium sized transportation related companies. CFF funds over $100,000,000 in loans and leases and is a proud recipient of the 2014 Inc. 500/5000 fastest growing companies in America.
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et Vehicles in a whole new light Commercial Fleet Financing, Inc. is celebrating our 20th year in business and is a proud recipient of the 2014 Inc. 500/5000 fastest growing private companies in America. With over $100,000,000 in annual funding of commercial vehicles like box trucks, cargo vans, big rigs, tow trucks, dump trucks and construction equipment, we know a few things about financing commercial fleet vehicles. Today, I would like to share some of what we have learned to make your business better. First, take a step back and begin to THINK ABOUT THE AUCTION DIFFERENTLY. Most of the dealers that we have as clients are at the auction each and every week with one thought on their minds, buying inventory that will sell quickly. As you might have learned through life experience, doing what everyone else is doing in the exact same fashion is not the best way to stand out. Our most successful dealers attend the auction looking for vehicles that draw attention to their lot. Equipment like tow trucks, cargo vans and box trucks are often passed over. However, many of the small business owners that you are already selling vehicles to have need for equipment like this in addition to what they’re already purchasing from you. If you have worked hard to earn the business from a client on their personal car, why not provide them an opportunity come back to your for their company vehicle needs as well? Become their one stop shop and bring them a full suite of solutions. Secondly, FOLLOW THE MONEY…AND IT COULD LEAD YOU TO USED FLEET VEHICLES. What is the best way to win an auction bid at a good price? Buy with lesser competition. The good cars will always have plenty of competition, driving prices higher. The key is to focus on where the competition is not as steep. Commercial fleet vehicles typically have very few bidders at a traditional auto auction. When a commercial vehicle runs down the block, use this to your advantage to find real bargains that can be turned into profits. Jump on these deals! Remember that used cargo vans or small box trucks can be used by a multitude of small business owners. Consider plumbers, electricians, painters, landscapers, courier or package delivery companies, etc. The list
goes on and on. These service providers are always in the market for this type of vehicle and will pay top dollar to find good used equipment for their business. Turn your bargain find into big profits for yourself as well as a needed solution for your clients. Third on my list of seven steps is to remember that COMMERCIAL VEHICLE BUYERS GENERATE REVENUE FROM THEIR EQUIPMENT. IT’S NOT JUST AN EXPENSE TO THEM. If you take nothing else from this article, understand this piece as it is mission critical. There are two completely different mindsets as well as cost associations for your buyers. When you sell a car to your typical buyer, it is an expense. However, when you sell a commercial vehicle to your business buyer, it is a tool for revenue generation which is paramount to their survival as well as their success. For instance, a landscaping business physically cannot operate without a truck to haul lawn mowers and weed eaters. This enables you to show your commercial buyers the revenue generating value proposition vs. arguing the pure monthly expense. Give your fleet salespeople the tools they need to speak mindfully on how the commercial vehicle will increase the buyer’s revenue and profits instead of just focusing on and selling against cost. Revenue and profit generation can be a greater motivator than the fear of an expense. As a Fourth recommendation, I would ask you to LOOK FOR UNIQUENESS IN THE COMMERCIAL FLEET VEHICLES YOU BUY. Earlier in our discussion, we began talking about standing out and drawing attention to your lot. Well, that differentiation should continue in the respect that, when buying this type of inventory, uniqueness equals big profits. I’m not talking about crazy paint and tires, I’m talking about functionality to help the buyer make more money. A plumber needs shelving inside the cargo van. A painter needs roof racks to hold the ladders. A landscaping company needs ramps to roll the lawn mowers in and out of the truck. If you can provide a business with a READY TO WORK truck, they will buy it and pay more for it. Provide them with their unique solutions. Con’t Pg 10
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Fifth on the list: TALK YOUR USED CAR MANAGER OFF THE ROOF. Our dealer clients tell us that the primary reason they don’t buy commercial vehicles is because their used car managers hate them. Most used car managers will make the same arguments such as: • How are we going to run it through the shop for make ready? • How does this affect my floor plan? • Who is going to finance this? • We don’t have a warranty program for this vehicle! • My salespeople are not trained on how to sell it! Their arguments are based in truths. In reality, commercial fleet vehicles are different and you need to take the time to talk him/her through it. Take a personal and professional approach. Show your used car manager the gross, the potential to serve the same client, and the marketing opportunity to draw attention to your dealership. Illustrate the opportunities for them personally as well as professionally while highlighting the benefit for the dealership. If that doesn’t work, ultimately, you let them know that as the owner your main objective is doing what is best for the dealership’s bottom line and that is exactly what you intend to do. Sixth on my list is to know that FINANCING IS AVAILABLE FOR USED COMMERCIAL FLEET VEHICLES Although the lending market for commercial vehicles is smaller than autos, and many of your current lenders don’t like them, you can get great financing… you just have to look for it. This is where we come in. At Commercial Fleet Financing, Inc., we offer our clients a NO AGE RESTRICTION PROGRAM. While it may sound crazy it’s true. We will finance any commercial vehicle, regardless of the year model, as long as the applicant meets our credit box. You can and should expect the following financing options for commercial vehicles: • 1 page credit application only up to $100,000. No tax returns or financial statements needed. • $0 down payment options. • No max advance amounts. Because commercial
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vehicles are harder to value, most finance companies don’t have max advance rates. If the customer is willing to pay your price, and the credit qualifies, most commercial vehicles finance companies will fund 100% of the purchase price. • TTL can be rolled into the financed amount • Ability to approve, contract and fund the deal in the name of the corporation vs. the individual • 2 hour credit approvals • Funding within 1 day • MOST COMMERCIAL VEHICLE FINANCE COMPANIES WILL DO ALL THE PAPERWORK FOR YOU! Last, but definitely not least, as seventh on the list, I would ask that each and every one of you REMEMBER THE HARD TIMES…THEY WILL RETURN AGAIN. I’m an eternal optimist, but even I have a hard time forgetting the tough times from 2008 and 2009. Despite the good economic times we are experiencing now, we must realize that we will face difficult times again. With this in mind, let’s prepare for them now. Doing things today that could help lessen the impact of a future recession is just smart business. Developing a commercial fleet vehicle strategy and partnering with a strong lender could end up being the insurance policy that does just that for your dealership, your employees and your customers. We built our business through rough patches as well as a lot of trial and error. My purpose in sharing all of these thoughts with you today is to lessen your burden and provide some key concepts that just might change your future.
Matt Manero is the President and Founder of Commercial Fleet Financing, Inc. For specific questions contact him via - twitter:@MattManero or by e-mail at mattm@dealersolutions.info.
THINK...
Commercial Fleet Financing, Inc. Dallas, Texas
ABOUT COMMERCIAL FLEET VEHICLES
DIFFERENTLY.
NEW AND VERY USED VEHICLES OK! UNMATCHED INDUSTRY EXPERTISE! LIGHT DUTY, MEDIUM DUTY AND HEAVY DUTY VEHICLES OK! RESTRICTIONS MAY APPLY WITH APPROVED CREDIT
We Finance That!
GET TO KNOW CFF TODAY
2014
www.cffnationwide.com
972.247.8447 PH
Admit It, You’re a Dinosaur By Laura Madison
Call it what you would like; traditional, old school, archaic. Do you: • Think the BDC should withhold information from customers in order to get the appointment? • Allocate more money to balloons and helium than training and iPads for salesmen? • Believe that we can continue to tire out or confuse a customer into a sale? If you fit any or all of these descriptions you are a fast-talking, gold-chain wearing, slicked-back hair dinosaur.
How the landscape has changed. People shopping for cars today are more educated, impatient, and powerful than they have ever been. They are doing more research, arming themselves with more information, and giving us less of a chance to even meet them. Terrifyingly customers now visit 1.3 dealerships (on average) before purchasing, when 10 years ago they stopped by 4.1. (J.D. Power and Associates) Our buyers are demanding something different from us. They are beginning to expect a 60-minute transaction, with a growing percentage even fore-going the test drive. As many as 3 out of 5 people customers surveyed by Edmunds.com say they would rather sit in the middle seat of a long flight or do taxes than negotiate on their next vehicle purchase. We have to transition from this prehistoric car world where minimal information was given; where we made the process opaque instead of transparent— intentionally confusing and exhausting. Customers are now armed with social media voice, the power to give a poor online review, and ultimately the ability to affect dealerships’ future success. Stories
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of dealers refunding customers back in pennies are going viral. Dealerships with less than acceptable star rating are being visited less frequently. The internet has given consumers enormous power to affect future business.
Vehicle manufacturers provide value, now it’s our turn. Every year manufacturers add new features to vehicles while keeping the costs competitive, all in the name of value. We, as dealers, need to take the first step in adopting a similar theory. To stop becoming the enemy of the customer, or the thing worse than doing taxes, we must begin to provide value. Dig deep: share helpful articles on Facebook rather than just pictures of sold customers. Invest in your staff by encouraging and training, rather than berating and threatening. Give your salespeople some freedom from the dealership for networking meetings or appointments with customers in their home. Facilitate a clear, timely sales process. We need to move beyond the plaid jacket days of long hours and tough love. We need to bury the Mesozoic old-school car-guy mentality. By providing value to customers, we can stand out from other Jurassic dealerships that refuse to do so.
3 Lessons in Social Media and Personal Branding I began marketing myself my first month selling cars. I created my own website, wrote nearly 400 blog posts, filmed and uploaded more than 200 videos, and sent 6,000+ tweets. But after three years of branding myself as Laura Toyota, some press ruffled the feathers of another dealer, and Toyota asked that I change names. I did, and here’s what I learned.
YOU are the brand (with a face.)
After I made the announcement that I would be transitioning to LauraDrives.com and changing the names of all my social channels, I sat back in my chair overwhelmed by dread. Would I loose my following? Will people know how to find me? Do I even have the energy to rebuild my brand? An amazing thing happened: very few people cared. My followers seemed much more familiar with my face than with the ‘Toyota’ piece of my name, which, scientifically speaking, makes sense. Susan Weinschenk, PhD, says that humans are born with “a special part of the brain whose sole purpose is to recognize faces.” This area helps our brains identify faces more quickly than objects, and is also located near the brain’s emotional center. This brain function helps faces create a powerful reaction in the brain, and makes us hard wired to use the human face as a centralized point for information and recognition. The lesson? The power of the human face (via images and video) in the digital world is the most compelling way we can grow our message and relationships. Names are, at the very most, secondary.
We are all storytellers. For over 27,000 years, since the first cave paintings were discovered, telling stories has been one of our most fundamental communication methods. Stories help us understand the world. Storytelling is truly the most relatable and persuasive skill we can command to connect with our customers. Many brands have capitalized on storytelling, transforming their marketing from talking at audiences to speaking with them, and establishing themselves as “help” rather than “sell.”
I seemed to do a good enough job telling a story that people wanted to follow me. They chose to make sure they were on board for the move. The lesson? Regardless of the obstacle, if you provide value, if your connections believe in your story and want to hear more, they will follow you.
It is imperative to connect with people who will inspire and support you. Social support is one of the best anecdotes for stress, and is one of the most important factors in mental and emotional health. Having an online network of people in the car business was what I have felt most grateful for in my adventure in personal branding. A network of people can bring: a source for positivity and encouragement, a library to learn from, and more voices to spread your message. So get out and connect! It’s not hard to find the game changers; they are out there making noise. I formed relationships with sales trainers, motivational speakers, other car salesmen, dealers, and vendors—people who understood my industry. The lesson? Connect and create relationships with people who can bring you greater positivity and support. These people will be invaluable—and hopefully be people to whom you can return the favor.
Laura Madison is a Sales Consultant for Toyota of Bozeman. For specific questions contact her via - twitter:@lauradrives or by e-mail at laura@dealersolutions.info.
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We Get IT
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•Full Service IT •Managed Services •Service Desk •Security Assessment
By David Cribbs
Do you see them? Although only a handful show up at our dealership they are surrounding us almost everywhere we go. Maybe they are dead to you. Maybe you are afraid of them. We stay silent because we have learned that the walkers can’t harm us if they can’t hear us. It is only when we make noise that the walkers can eat us alive with rejection. Typically, one bite is not fatal but if we sustain several bites especially from multiple walkers our chances of survival are tremendously diminished. The fear that walkers bring is so paralyzing that we lose the ability to use the very weapons that have proven to be so powerful such as a smile, or maybe a nice “hello.” The truth is the fate of our profession rests in the hands of a few. For a few, and I am talking about the elite in sales, they see everyone as a walking lead. They also understand that eventually every one of them will show up at a dealership somewhere. Although the sales pro is not immune to the bites of the walkers they have built up antibodies from the sales of previous walkers. The sales pro will purposely make noise to get the walkers attention leading them to the dealership by initiating conversations that develop into things like curiosity, trust and relationships. For these few that see the walkers as very much ALIVE, they are hoping that you will continue to live in fear of the walkers. Ssshhhh! Here comes another one. David Cribbs is Lead Trainer at IPD. For specific questions contact him via - twitter:@DeskingDeals or by e-mail at davidc@dealersolutions.info.
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6 TIPS TO HAVING YOUR
BEST SERVICE YEAR EVER BY JEFF COWAN
As the tide rolls out on 2014 and we look ahead to the new incoming tide of 2015, it is time we sit down and start to plan for what I believe will be a record year for service department sales. Since the recession began back in 2008, I have witnessed many service departments experiencing their best years, year after year. Although the number of service departments having their best years has not increased much with each passing year, those who are having record years understand that it is not happening because of luck. It is happening because they are identifying their roadblocks, developing plans to navigate around those roadblocks, setting minimum acceptable standards, and executing. Having worked with literally hundreds of these successful service departments, I will share with you their secrets of how and why they are so successful. 1. They have processes that have created a sales culture throughout their entire service department; processes that guarantee no matter who a customer speaks with in the service department, they will be talked to and handled in the exact same way. The managers in these successful stores understand that just like in selling, you have to take control of
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a customer, and they understand that you must do the same with your staff. Take control of them, train them, require the memorization of word tracks and processes, and then make sure your staff executes. They fully realize that if they are not in control of their staff and their customers, their staff and customers will control them. 2. They have all the latest tools needed (including multi point inspection processes) which are utilized to their fullest by both their technicians and their service advisors. They have tablets to make the check in process cleaner and quicker. They have up to date displays which are inviting and easy to work from. They have processes in place to maximize the technologies of email, texting, telephones and video to communicate to their customers in the most efficient ways possible; ways that today’s customer welcomes with open arms. 3. They have some type of rewards system that remunerates their best customers for repeat business. Think airline mileage programs. They know that these types of programs are what truly accelerates customer retention, and they never rely on cheap prices and coupons. That said, they will use coupons, but with an advertised “value price� and not necessarily the cheapest price.
meeting to make sure that their goals are on track, and stay on track. Their mantra tends to be, “It is not about any single employee; it is about every single employee”. In addition to all of these major items there are minor things they do as well, to ensure their success. They take this seriously and execute it with great enthusiasm, because they clearly understand that if the customer is not “wowed” every single time, there may not be a next time. They get that they are there for the customer and if there is no customer, there is no job security.
4. They have processes to guarantee that every declined service and every missed check in time is followed up within 24 to 48 hours, maximizing every opportunity and showing their customers how serious their shop is when it comes to maintenance, repair and providing great service. 5. They approach training from the stand point that training is not something you did. It is something you do – forever. They have a basic training course that every service employee must attend when first hired, where they earn a certificate. This is followed by weekly fifteen minute sales meetings, capped with a monthly hour long sales meeting, where strengths and weaknesses are examined and corrected as needed. They typically have a recertification meeting once a year, because they believe all training certificates should come with an expiration date. They also look outside their own business for training, to make sure that they do not become stagnant and that their message does not grow tired.
As many of you know I am out in the field on a consistent basis, and have been for over 29 years. I may not know everything, but I see a lot. I receive telephone calls all the time from Dealers and Managers asking exactly what these dealerships do to have these record years. That question arises in nearly every meeting I am in. When I spell out what I have spelled out here, a few heed the advice and steer their ships toward newer and greater horizons. However, many more write it off as too much work, or unrealistic, and remain on the same ship in the same rough waters, never seeming to realize that it is they who need to simply plot a new course and guide their ship to discover these newer, bigger horizons that await all who are willing to navigate the waters. Jeff Cowan is considered the creator of the modern day walk around and selling processes for service departments everywhere. His company, Jeff Cowan’s PRO TALK, Inc.™ is recognized as North America’s # 1 fixed operations training company. Jeff Cowan is the CEO of Pro Talk. For specific questions contact him via twitter - @JCowansProTalk or by e-mail at jeff@dealersolutions.info.
6. They schedule annual meetings with each employee to discuss goals, each individual’s role, and what they are being held accountable for. They have a briefer quarterly
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I have often said that “where we want to be is in direct proportion to what we do with where we are now.” This statement in my personal life and career has proven to be so very true and, once realized, has been a catalyst. So much of life, if not purposed, is spent “on the sidelines” looking into the game being played all around us on a daily basis that is changing and shifting in spite of our feelings and opinions. I personally believe that most of the time this is determined by the choices we make and our lack of involvement in the game, rather than strictly based on talent, opportunity, and handouts. Many of us have BIG dreams, aspirations, and possibly even a vision of what we’d like our future to look like…but are we ready to “GET OFF THE BENCH?” That’s the question. Let’s look at this for a minute. We are dressed in uniform… from the socks to the helmet. We even have on our shoulder pads and our mouth guard in. But as we look up at the clock it’s already in the fourth quarter and the game is almost over. We don’t even have one grass stain. Why is this? Remember it has less to do with talent or what has been afforded us, but rather what we doing with those things. Some of us have had more than enough schooling or continued education. We have so much training that we ourselves are certified to teach others, but yet there we stand “on the sidelines,” paralyzed, afraid to jump in, apprehensive…what if I get in and I don’t have what it takes. Sound familiar? I say JUMP!
I am a father of three and I remember when my kids were smaller and they were just learning how to swim. You fathers know what I’m talking about. There they were… BIG eyes wide looking at you in the water from the “side” of the pool. They wanted so bad to be in the water, but were so unsure of what would happen if they just let go of their inhibitions and “jumped in.” But what happened the moment that little one let go and you caught them and they realized they weren’t hurt, but safe in the water? IT WAS ON!!! I want to encourage you about what you can accomplish. One of our Nation’s greatest leaders, Abraham Lincoln, is a true testimony to “getting in the game.” Oh no…he wasn’t always a winner. Matter of fact he entered the game in 1832, but wasn’t elected President until 1860. Between those years he lost his job, was defeated in state legislature, failed in business, his sweetheart died, has a nervous breakdown, was defeated for Speaker, defeated for nomination for Congress, lost re-nomination, was rejected for land officer, defeated for nomination for Vice President, again defeated for Senate, AND THEN HE WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT!! Talented…not so much…determined ABSOLUTELY! I’ll give you one more, a more modern day example. How about Michael Jordan? My favorite Michael Jordan moment actually didn’t take place on the court. It was when he said these words. “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed”. So what am I saying? You are needed in the game. Let’s re-write tomorrow’s headlines to read “YOUR NAME” made a memorable debut, coming off the bench to finish with a game-high “A LOT OF” points, wowing the crowd by nailing seven 3-pointers in 10 attempts. When the “YOUR TEAM” ran off the floor with a 131-62 victory, local fans had a new hero in the lanky kid with the AMAZING game and Magic-like charisma. David Villa is the President & CEO of IPD. For specific questions contact him via - twitter:@ipdmail or by e-mail at davidv@dealersolutions.info.
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Why Your Local SEO Strategy Isn’t Working by Tim Martell, CEO of Wikimotive
In the past few years, local-specific SEO has become one of the most important and talked-about parts of online marketing. With its own set of unique ranking factors, local SEO has helped a lot of businesses flourish at the top of coveted Google’s local map results, while others attempt to pick up the scraps in the regular organic results. Most of the factors that make up local SEO come down to old fashion optimization, with a heavy weight on authority, location, and consistency of business-related information (such as name, address, and phone number). For car dealers specifically, the rankings on local map results can cause one to wonder what it takes to claim a top spot. If you’re one of the dealers who have been left behind, here are a few optimization tips that could make the difference between ranking and not ranking in local map results: Check and Optimize Your ‘Google My Business’ Account It takes less than five minutes to login, update, and save information on your Google My Business account. The most important fields you need to check are your business’s name, address, phone number, categories, introduction, and website URL (should be your highest-converting site). Ensure the business name, address, and phone number are the same as what’s associated with your site and existing citations, such as DealerRater and Yelp. Consistency of this information allows Google to judge the legitimacy of your business. Without that, you may not appear in local map results. You also want to make sure you have proper category associations. If you’re a Chevy dealer primarily, don’t have your primary category set as “Auto Repair Shop.” It’s the small things that, once optimized properly, can put you in the results for some very high-trafficked keywords.
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Build the Best, Most Consistent Citations In 2014, a lot of businesses take citations, such as YellowPages.com, for granted. With the focus on “links, links, and more links,” it’s easy to think that directory listings don’t matter. But for local results, Google wants to check up on your business so it knows it’s providing its users with the most accurate information possible. Low-authority, spam-filled directories won’t make a difference. Focus on the big names. Use a service like GetListed.org or Yext to quickly build and update citations by the bulk. And do research on your competitors to see if you’re missing any industry-specific citation opportunities! Build and Maintain a Clean, Quality Link Profile Okay, so links are still really, really important to growing ranks in both local and organic search results. They’re the currency of the web, and without them it’s unlikely your dealership could even compete. Just keep one thing in mind when it comes to links: Some may look like a million dollars, but they’re really pennies in disguise. And just like everyone else in 2014, Google hates pennies. If you try to cash a bunch of pennies in for domain authority, Google may penalize you. By having a fearful respect for linkbuilding, you or your SEO company will be able to help create a clean, quality link profile for your dealership. Tim Martell is the CEO of Wikimotive. For specific questions contact him via - twitter:@TimothyMartell or by e-mail at tim@dealersolutions.info.
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Stop Fighting Your Customers By Mark Tewart
Do you remember when you first got into the retail car industry? There was a moment where you were being taught something to do in your sales process that in your gut did not feel right. Your gut instinct was telling you it felt slimy, lacking character and something you would never want someone to say or do to you. Your gut instinct was right. If you ever try to do something you cannot identify with ethically, morally or just instinctively as good business, then you will fail at that thing. You may have been pressed hard as to why it was okay and is actually in yours and the customer’s best interests. You may have acquiesced, and just went along to get along. Over time you may have even become hardened enough to believe it was okay, or even the right thing to do. Stop fighting your customers. If you think about it, you want to sell and your customer wants to buy. You have the same goals so how does selling become so adversarial? You have been taught that selling is something you must do to someone rather than with and for someone. You have been taught to close rather than to open. You have been taught that negotiating is about you winning and the customer losing. You have been taught wrong! You have the right and the responsibility to question all ideas. Being a trainer or a self-proclaimed guru does not make someone right. I have seen salespeople sell successfully with every type of personality, approach and methodology you can imagine. I have seen successful dealerships with no managers and dealerships where the managers did almost everything. I have seen successful dealerships utilizing one-price strategies and dealerships that were phenomenal at negotiating and working deals. Which idea or process is the best? The best one is the one that is utilized religiously and practiced faithfully. 22
In almost all scenarios, the successful sales process, methodology and philosophy is the one based upon people communicating and helping people. I have never seen sustained success where people sell only in a self-serving and dominating mode. I have witnessed many dealerships that were successful that had the “us against them” mentality, but I have yet to see any that sustained that success. In fact, the more they sold, the quicker their failure. Imagine the process as a water-slide. You get in effortlessly. You gain speed and momentum as you go and it’s exhilarating. You easily and without anything to interrupt you, reach your destination. Now compare the water slide example to your sales process. Where in your process do the customers start to feel that you are stopping them? Where do your customers feel uncomfortable about buying? Where do your customers start to feel that you are doing something to them instead of for them? Where do your customers feel like the process is breaking down? I invite you to reexamine your process through TLC – Thinking Like A Customer. I think Zig Ziglar said, “If you help people get what they want, you can get what you want.” Just because you have been trained in one way for fifty years, does not make it right for today. Stop fighting your customers. For a FREE Special Report – “TLC Selling” email me at info@ tewart.com
Mark Tewart is the President of Tewart Enterprises Inc. For specific questions contact him via - twitter:@marktewart or by e-mail at markt@dealersolutions.info.
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The Principal’s Office with JOHN MARAZZI By Michael Oquendo
Recently I found this story: “Over a leisurely lunch recently, a good friend lamented that he was “too busy” to read. I smiled. Our meal lasted an hour and a half. We then strolled to a nearby restaurant, evaluating the menu for an upcoming dinner party. My friend then headed to a meeting about a conference – he’s a successful entrepreneur – he didn’t actually plan to attend. By the time he returned to work it would be 4:30pm, more than four hours after he had left for lunch. My friend had filled the day. He was busy. But the things that made him busy were the result of his own decisions. He didn’t lack the time to read. He was simply choosing not to…” Let me say this: busywork is often an excuse for being actively lazy. Most importantly, the culture that comes with relying on “being busy” as an excuse for not getting something done is contagious. How many times have you said to yourself, “I wish I could do that but I’m just too busy,” and thought that you had an entirely justifiable, legitimate excuse in saying that. Well, you’re probably wrong. Throughout our day we face a number of decisions about how we will spend our time. As we speak, I am tempted with little things to do that will slow down the process of writing this article. Sure I “need” to reply to that funny office email. I’ll edit another article before writing this one. Let’s contact a few magazine contributors for updates on content development. That’s important, right? That’s exactly the sort of thing that will ruin your day. Each of those mundane choices that I faced throughout the day, if made irresponsibly, could result in a day filled with busyness and void of purpose.
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The worst part is we tend to act as if we have no control over our day, over these small decisions, but we do. No one is forcing our hand, but if we aren’t careful then decision fatigue can cripple us. Have you ever been so depleted that you felt yourself falling back into an old routine, despite your earlier resolve to change a habit? That’s decision fatigue. If you constantly use your willpower and energy on unimportant decisions (i.e. funny office emails, meetings you don’t need to attend, etc…) you will be more open to small temptations. Your willpower is a limited resource, so use it wisely.
Warren Buffett has a “2 List Strategy” that help illustrate the uselessness of being actively lazy (aka busy). Start by writing down your top 25 career goals, then circle your top 5. Most people would say that their strategy would be to focus most of their energy on the top 5, then work on the remaining 20 goals when possible. However, Buffett explains, the best approach is to think of the top 5 goals as your ONLY goals. The remaining 20 should become your “Avoid-At-All-Cost” list. When I spoke with John Marazzi in a recent interview that’s exactly the kind of impression he made on me. He knew his priorities, and because of that he was able to be significantly more productive, and therefore successful, than lots of other Dealer Principals around the country. (For the record, John Marazzi has consistently achieved the #1 volume Honda dealer on the entire West Coast of Florida, according to American Honda Motor Company. He and his dealership were named DealerRater’s “2013 and 2014 Florida Dealer of the Year” and have also earned an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.) John could have been “too busy” for an interview, but consciously decided to make time for something he deemed a priority. In other words, he filled his day with only what mattered. In fact, he also makes time to go to the key conventions, and regularly reads to learn new ways to improve his dealership. He creates trends instead of following them. He doesn’t play catch-up with those who dictate what’s relevant. However, this type of leadership is only possible when your day is free of frivolous activities. When focused, you can translate a significant portion of your learning into new programs, policies, and overall development. For instance, he has given his customers a direct line to communicate with him on his website (personal and dealership websites) that’s called “Talk To The Owner.” Questions and concerns appear right on his phone because he wants his customers to feel connected with him to build trust. Guess what? He actually responds! Plus, even if a customer does not buy, he will send a “what can I do better” letter for feedback. He’s also integrated mobile content into his dealership’s CRM. The reason he chose to deal with mobile devices goes far beyond the percentage of people who prefer to communicate with the things. People, especially millennials, are most concerned with being able to respond however they want. They may or may not use their smartphone, but if they do, and you can’t deal with them on that channel, they will find someone who can handle it.
Most importantly, John Marazzi has created what he calls a culture of accountability at his dealership, something that’s more crucial than any new feature, incentive, or program. “Belief, desire, and action creates reality,” he says, explaining that things like his new additions (like the custom built, 10 year 100,000 warranty) are only possible if you, as the leader, create that reality. It takes work. It also takes effort to shape the general culture of your business to reflect what you want. John made the first step in breaking down traditional walls by making himself personally accountable to his customers through direct contact. So when he decided to send reports to EVERYONE in the dealership that detailed EVERYONE’S performance numbers, he was including himself. Those that performed well actually enjoyed the recognition! Beyond that, if the dealership received a positive or negative review online he would forward it to everyone with his comments attached. That has an impact on people. Ultimately he took the lead in getting his team bought into new ideas. As a result, if you ask him what he thinks about his dealership culture he will say that it’s exactly what he wants (while still looking to improve). If you want to be able to say the same, then it’s time for a gut check. We have to do more of what we don’t know, and less of what we do know. Take risks.
John Marazzi is the Dealer Principal of the Brandon Honda. For specific questions contact her via - twitter:@Johnmarazzi or by e-mail at johnm@dealersolutions.info.
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Teach Me How to Fish By Ike Elam
The automotive industry is a work of art. There are so many moving parts that are used to operate this masterpiece. The car business is so diverse that some cogs seem to think they are bolts. The complexity has created an air of confusion that, at times, means people don’t know what happens in any department aside from their own. What I mean by that is, most of us in sales have no idea what goes into making the steel that wraps our car. I have no idea what’s going on in the design studio. I don’t know what day to day challenges they might face. One thing I do know a lot about is car sales. I’ve been at it for 25 years. As a business, I feel we are doing a very poor job connecting with the citizens of our community. If you really think about our footprint in our backyard, what are we doing to help, aid, or assist our communities? I know some stores are very big into the communities with different food drives, and other charitable events. I’m speaking about sending our sales staff into the community to build the brand. Have them learn more about the customers that they are serving and what is important to them. If you sit inside the store all day waiting on the next customer, how are you really teaching them that the car business is a business that they could one day own? How can they see that their name could one day be on the front of the store? If you’re teaching them to sit and wait for life to happen they will most likely never see this come to fruition. This goes back into the proverb of teaching a man to fish. If you allow your sales staff to sit on the lot day in and day out, that is all they know. Sit here and wait for it to happen. Every time I hire a new salesman I point out the importance of not sitting on the lot everyday. When you take the time to show them why, you may be surprised by the results. Let them know the difference between a sales professional, and an amateur. Amateur’s will certainly not own their own store one day, much less succeed in any line of work.
If you have a staff that just shows up to collect a check every week, then its time for you to do some house cleaning. You cannot expect the average employee to buy into anything that your leadership fails to stand behind 100%. Part of this involves the commitment to being a passionate person that genuinely cares about the growth of the dealership, community, and personal development of all staff members. You want a staff of people that consider your dealership to be their dealership, and one way to do that is by sending them out to promote the business. You wouldn’t have a business if someone didn’t do this at the start of it all. Someone had to take that uncomfortable leap. This builds lasting relationships with the community as well as a better business model for your store. Challenge your frontline to get off the porch and into the community to see how this will help your staff better themselves and bring in more leads to the store. Ike Elam is a Sales Trainer & Manager at Team Toyota. For specific questions contact him by e-mail at ikeelam@dealersolutions.info.
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Intrusive Abusive or Just Plain Not Conducive In this article, I wanted to keep it simple. Hit you right where it hurts, and get you thinking about a topic that should be front of mind…Your Online Credit Application. I know, I know, it’s not the sexy, silky, shiny stuff that movies are made of. No glamorous graphics, no music, flash or pizazz. But, if you handle it right, it will flat out convert and sell cars for you. Let me start with this statement: If your credit application page is not one of the top three converting forms on your site, you are, in fact, failing. You’re wasting money, and letting consumers go elsewhere for the one piece of data they are most interested in: “What financing do I qualify for?” Now here is where it gets fun. You will say, we have an application page, and it doesn’t convert anywhere near the rate of my other forms. Answer: YOUR FAULT. Why? Because you are being too intrusive, and frankly just plain rude. Let’s say for a second that we meet at a conference.
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by Don O’Neill
We shake hands, introduce ourselves, and then the first thing I ask you for is your social security number. Right after that I ask for your date of birth. You’re going to think, “is this guy nuts?” “Did he really just ask me for that information out of the blue?” “What makes him think I would EVER give him that info?” That’s a crazy approach! Yet, you do it every single day, to every consumer that comes onto your virtual property. The fact is that you wouldn’t provide it for a number of reasons. And every single one of those reasons is exactly why your consumer doesn’t want to give it to you! Yet, we continue to ask for it. Day after day, consumer visit after consumer visit. We’re like the homeless guy looking for cigarette butts in the public ashtray. Sure, he may get one every now and then, but let’s face it, he probably would have been better off quitting all together, or saving up for his own pack. It is an exercise in futility. So what do dealers do to get that much needed data to figure out what car to sell, and what bank to send the deal? Well, let’s start with one vendor whose product is real-time, and has all three bureau relationships. Let’s sign on with a vendor who actually can deliver real time data EXACTLY the way we see it on a hard pull. Hell, let’s get one that is fully FCRA compliant. The technology is out there. The kind that delivers exactly what you want, when you want it with regards to consumer profiles without consent to access it. Dig deep, and engrain it within your process. But if that seems like too much of a jump for you, well then let’s just start by discontinuing asking for those key identifiers. Start by not asking for information that we have yet to earn the right to ask for. More importantly, let’s stop being that guy (or girl). Let’s earn the right in the process, and maybe we will sell a few cars along the way. But hey, who am I to judge if hunting for the cigarette butts is your thing! Don O’Neill is the V.P. of Sales and Marketing of CreditMiner. For specific questions contact him via - twitter:@CreditMiner or by e-mail at don@dealersolutions.info.
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