T H E O F F I C I A L M A G A Z I N E O F N E W M E X I C O I N D E P E N D E N T A U T O M O B I L E D E A L E R S A S S O C I AT I O N
DEALER
M A R C H /A P R I L 2 019
INSIGHT
CONGRATULATIONS TO L&L AUTO SALES N M I A DA Q UA L I T Y D E A L E R O F T H E Y E A R
| PAGE 10 |
DALLAS, TEXAS Permit No. 2079
PAID
PRSRT Standard U.S. Postage S TAT E A F F I L I AT E
VISIT US AT W W W.NMIADA.COM
WWW.NMIADA.COM MARCH/APRIL 2019 DEALER INSIGHT 1
MARCH/APRIL INSIDE
2019
05....................................... The “Wow” is Worth it 06..........................................NMIADA Convention 08..................................... Make Your Own Embed 09....... 4 VSC Features That Cool Post-Sale Heat 10...................................................L&L Auto Sales 14...................Why Your Facebook Page is Failing
Advertisers Index
ACV Auctions................................................... IBC Lobel Financial.................................................... 3 Manheim............................................................. 11 NextGear Capital............................................. 8-9 vAuto................................................... Back Cover
WHAT’S NEW
CONVENTION R E G I S T R AT I O N O N L I N E Registration for the 73rd annual NIADA | NABD Convention & Expo is now online! You don’t want to miss this industry-leading mega-conference! The event is June 17-20 at the Venetian in Las Vegas. Learn more and register today at www. niadaconvention.com.
OFFICE
New Mexico Independent Automobile Dealers Association 604 Chama NE • Albuquerque, NM 87108 Phone: 505.232.0809 • Fax: 505.232.0810 email:marc@nmiada.com website: www.nmiada.com
NIADA HEADQUARTERS
NATIONAL INDEPENDENT AUTOMOBILE DEALERS ASSOCIATION WWW.NIADA.COM • WWW.NIADA.TV 2521 BROWN BLVD. • ARLINGTON, TX 76006-5203 PHONE (817) 640-3838
For advertising information contact: Troy Graff (800) 682-3837 or troy@niada.com. NM Dealer Insight is published bimonthly by the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association Services Corporation. 2521 Brown Blvd., Arlington, TX 76006-5203. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NIADA State Publications, 2521 Brown Blvd., Arlington, TX 76006-5203. The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of NMIADA or NIADA. Likewise, the appearance of advertisers, or their identification as members of NIADA, does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services featured. Copyright © 2019 by NIADA Services, Inc.
STATE MAGAZINE MGR./SALES Troy Graff • troy@niada.com EDITORS Jacinda Timmerman • jacinda@niada.com Andy Friedlander • andy@niada.com MAGAZINE LAYOUT Jeffrey McQuirk • jeffrey@niada.com PRINTING Nieman Printing
4 DEALER INSIGHT MARCH/APRIL 2019 WWW.NMIADA.COM
BOARD MEMBERS CHAIRMAN
James Santistevan Zia Auto Wholesaler LLC 4913 Menaul Blvd NE Albuquerque, NM 87110 (505) 889-9653 ziawhsl@cs.com
PRESIDENT
Robert Martinez ABQ Auto Deals, LLC 169 Griegos NW Albuquerque, NM 87107 (505) 554-2428 Rob@abqautodeals.com
VICE PRESIDENT
Luis Soto Sun City Motors 8504 Central Ave SE Albuquerque, NM 87108 (505) 256-1200 suncitymotors@yahoo.com
TREASURER
Jeda Craddick Auto Solution 5200 Alameda Blvd NE Albuquerque, NM 87113 (505) 856-6252 jeda@autosolutionnm.com
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Marc Powell marc@nmiada.com
DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS
Victor E. Saenz 604 Chama St NE Albuquerque NM 87108 505-232-0809
DEALER BOARD MEMBERS
Roger Barkoff Affordable Auto Sales 4525 Lomas Blvd. NE Albuquerque, NM 87110 (505) 266-2886 affordableauto@hotmail.com
Chris Rangel Hiwest Auto Sales Inc 5901 W. Main St Farmington, NM 87401 (505) 324-8878 Leo Doyal Greenlight Auto Sales 7500 Lomas Blvd NE Albuquerque, NM 87110 (505) 200-2664 leo@greenlightautonm.com Paul Cervantes Albuquerque Auto Outlet 1400 Wyoming Blvd NE Albuquerque, NM 87112 (505) 323-0100 paul@abqautooutlet.com
ASSOCIATE BOARD
MEMBERS
Susan Wheeler Automotive Finance Corp – New Mexico (505) 244-3828 www.afcdealer.com Maxine Vega Manheim New Mexico (505) 242-9191 www.publish.manheim.com/ en/locations/us-locations/manheim-new-mexico.html
Mike Godin Godin Dealer Services (505) 881-8700
www.godindealerservices.com
Julio Lopez
TexCap Financial (214) 446-0597 http://texcapfinancial.com
THE “WOW” IS WORTH IT!
MANAGEMENT MATTERS | By Dave Anderson
CREATE
BETTER
EXPERIENCES
In his book Never By Chance, Joe Calloway said, “A brand is defined as a trademark or distinctive name, reputation, or capability that identifies and differentiates a product or service from the competition, for better or for worse.” Every company has a brand. That’s not the question. Does your brand positively differentiate you or render you to commodity status? Does it elevate or diminish the value people see in doing business with you? To delve deeper, a brand isn’t primarily about your logo, jingle, or creative graphics. These things may explain or reinforce your brand, but they aren’t your brand. Nor is building a powerful brand for your dealership accomplished through big ad budgets and slick promotional campaigns. Building a powerful brand happens when you create a culture that supports consistently creating “wow” customer experiences, and by hiring and training the right people at all levels within your organization capable of consistently delivering said experiences. Focus more on the “reputation, or capability that identifies and differentiates you from the competition” aspect of the brand than on a logo, trademark, or distinctive name to communicate it. As a leader, it’s your job to make sure this gets done daily, and that chasing greater excellence in this regard is a priority for every team member. Here are some supporting thoughts and strategies to help refine your focus on intentionally building and leveraging the power of your brand. · The bottom line is your brand is defined by customer experiences. You may declare what your brand is, but a customer defines it based on his or her experience with your company or product. In short, whatever a customer thinks about when they hear your dealership mentioned – which will be based on either a personal experience or one they’ve heard about from others – is your brand. You can say what you want about who you are, but your customers believe what they experience – and that is your brand. · In case the prior point wasn’t clear enough, let me rephrase it slightly: Nothing is more important than customer experience when it comes to brand management. If you want to improve the strength of your brand, you must elevate the quality of the experiences you’re creating for both team members and customers. That starts with hiring the right people at the
outset, setting clear expectations for the experiences you want created (experiential standards) and training team members to deliver that experience while holding them accountable for doing so. · A key to customer experience is consistency of performance. The more consistently great the experience is between departments, the stronger the brand. The greater variation you have between departments concerning the customer experience, or between your various locations, the weaker the brand. One bad apple in this regard will afflict the whole batch. · The best answer to the question, “Who on our team would create the most outstanding customer experience?” is “Any of them!” If you can’t give that answer, you have work to do, and lots of it. · The best way to influence a great customer experience is to create a great employee experience! Rest assured, if your team members aren’t having a “wow” experience working for you they’re not as likely to create similar experiences for your customers. Incidentally, micromanagers, oppressive work schedules, lack of training, hiring recklessly, inconsistent management, hypocritical leaders, tenured nonperformers and more all drain the “wow” out of the workplace for team members. · Keep in mind that even team members who are far removed from direct customer contact have a “ripple effect” impact on the customer experience. This is because of the effect they have on other employees. Naturally, if a co-worker is negative, incompetent, corrupt and indifferent, he or she will diminish the experience of teammates, causing frustration and lower morale – all of which has the potential to trickle down and affect the experience a teammate is trying to create for a customer. There’s much more to say about building your brand, but since the focus of this piece is on perfecting the customer experience, take some time with key team members to honestly evaluate these questions and address the answers you’re unhappy with: · Are the processes and protocols we have in place designed to just meet a customer’s expectations, or are they intentionally designed to get the “wow?” In either case, how can we do better? · Do we have variation in the customer experience between departments or locations? If so, why is that? How do we fix it?
·H ow often do we talk about getting the “wow” in meetings, during one-on-one coaching sessions, in the interview process, and during onboarding periods? Since you can help change a culture by changing the conversation, what more can we do to shine a brighter light on this key responsibility for each team member? ·D o we realize our frontline team members (porters, sales associates, service advisors, receptionists and the like) have more daily opportunities to create a customer experience than the management team since they come into contact with more customers? How much training have they had on creating “wow” experiences? What training could we implement to improve the customer experience, starting with the onboarding of new associates? ·D o we have experiential standards for our organization that clearly define guidelines for the things we will always do – and never do – with a customer or when speaking with a customer? Are all departments and locations on the same page with these standards? If not, how and when do we fix it? ·D o you know how your experience is significantly different and better from those your competitor delivers – from meet and greet, to customer touch points, to your various processes, to the language you use, to follow up, to communication protocols for service, to what they do while waiting to get into F&I, and the like? If your answers aren’t many and compelling, you’ve got more work to do. If this seems like a lot of work, that’s because it is a lot of work. I never said building a great brand through “wow” customer experiences is easy. But I can assure you it is worth it. And if your people and dealership are continually in price battles to be the cheapest so you can get the deal, there’s a better way: create improved experiences and the price becomes less relevant. People pay more for better experiences, and they return for more and tell others to do likewise. Believe me, whatever it costs you in time, training, or dollars to build a “wow” brand, when all is said and done, the “wow” is worth it. Dave Anderson, “Mr. Accountability,” is a leading international speaker on personal and corporate performance improvement. He is also the author of 14 books and host of the podcast, The Game Changer Life.
WWW.NMIADA.COM MARCH/APRIL 2019 DEALER INSIGHT 5
6 DEALER INSIGHT MARCH/APRIL 2019 WWW.NMIADA.COM
WWW.NMIADA.COM MARCH/APRIL 2019 DEALER INSIGHT 7
AUCTION NEWS
| By Auto Remarketing Staff
AMERICA’S AUTO AUCTION NAMES ASST. VP OF OPERATIONS
MATT
ARIAS
Matt Arias has been named assistant vice president of operations at America’s Auto Auction. The company described Arias as “one of the industry’s leading experts in vehicle arbitration procedures, inspections, reconditioning, operations management and resource optimization.” Arias has more than 20 years of auction experience. “Matt will establish stronger consistency in our condition report writing process, enabling our consignors to more accurately price their vehicles and our purchasers to buy with more confidence,” said senior vice president Brian Thomas. “We’re looking forward to Matt’s veteran leadership and operational expertise to better streamline operations across all of America’s 21 locations.” America’s Auto Auction also described Arias as an experienced negotiator, mediator and arbitrator. He spent many years at Manheim and ADT. Matt most recently served as Manheim’s director of operational excellence and as director of arbitration. He is currently co-chair of the NAAA Auction Standards and IARA Standards committees. He is also instructor of the NAAA Standards classes. “I’ve worked alongside America’s Auto Auction for many years in my efforts with the NAAA and the Standards Committee, and I know that company to be aggressively committed to supporting their customers and their employees,” Arias said. “I am excited to have the opportunity to work directly with America’s to continue their efforts to optimize the auction experience, both internally and externally, and across all platforms. I’m fond of saying that we either synch or sink in this industry, and my goal is to find the best ways to enhance operations at America’s so that the processes and flow of information are seamless between the auctions and our customers.”
8 DEALER INSIGHT MARCH/APRIL 2019 WWW.NMIADA.COM
ACCELERATE
| By GWC Warranty
4 VSC FEATURES THAT COOL POST-SALE HEAT
YOU
DON’T
HAVE
TO
Customer buys a car. Customer leaves your lot. Customer has a breakdown. Now your reputation is on the line. If you informed your customers of the VSC features that can help following a breakdown, this potential for post-sale heat won’t even make you break a sweat. The moments following a breakdown are undoubtedly a stressful time for your customers. They’re worried about getting a tow, how much it will cost, whether their service contract covers the repairs and what they will do in the interim while their vehicle is being repaired. These questions, coupled with emotions running high, can be a recipe for postsale heat you and your reputation can live without. Thankfully, if you’ve informed your customers about key features of their service contracts, you can avoid any potential blowback from angry customers navigating a vehicle breakdown. Find a Service Facility If you don’t have your own service bay, highlighting where your customers can find repair facilities that have an existing relationship with your VSC provider will help them quickly find a place to take their vehicle. Perhaps even more importantly, showing your customers where they can find repair
BREAK
A
SWEAT
facility information can bail them out of a difficult situation when traveling. Coverage Lookup These days it’s all about self-service. Most customers today would prefer to find answers to simple questions on their own. Following a breakdown, a customer may want to know if their service contract is still active and what components are covered. In these instances, if they know where to look up their coverage online, they can quickly find this information on their own, even outside of business hours. Instructional Content When customers need repairs quickly, there’s no time to go back and forth over claims procedures. With content readily available online that outlines proper claims procedures, customers can navigate the claims process with as few roadblocks as possible, ensuring a quick and painless claims experience. Multiple Contact Options Customers have different communication preferences. Some might want to make a phone call while others prefer email or live chat online. A VSC provider with all of these options at your customer’s disposal helps them get the answers they need quickly so they can get their car back on the road as soon as possible.
WWW.NMIADA.COM MARCH/APRIL 2019 DEALER INSIGHT 9
COVER STORY
L&L AUTO SALES
DEALER SPOTLIGHT
NMIADA
QUALITY
DEALER
Since 2005, L&L Auto Sales has striven to be the premier independent auto dealership in the Las Cruces market. From humble beginnings to expansions and two locations, L&L has shown a grasp of the fundamentals of the auto business, customer service and marketing. Growing their dealership through the years they have exemplified the qualities and practices that earned them NMIADA Dealer of the Year. NMIADA interviewed Andreanna Lara from L&L Auto Sales via email. WHAT DOES BEING NAMED NEW MEXICO QUALITY DEALER OF THE YEAR MEAN TO YOU? It is one of the most gracious compliments we have received. Auto dealers are still perceived as an unprincipled industry, so to be recognized in such high regard is a great way to dispel this reputation for all the trustworthy, hardworking dealers. WHEN DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME INVOLVED WITH NMIADA? Not long after we opened our business we joined NMIADA primarily to order forms and supplies. As the laws and regulations of the industry changed, we realized how much more the organization offered for our business. We decided to keep up and support the work that was being done in our behalf. WHICH DEALERS OR INDIVIDUALS HAVE BEEN MOST INFLUENTIAL TO YOU IN YOUR CAREER?
OF
THE
YEAR
are evident throughout Las Cruces. Also, I had two exceptional managers, Paul George and Robert Woods, who taught me everything they could and helped polish my abilities in the car industry. HOW HAS COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT PLAYED A ROLE IN YOUR SUCCESS? Community involvement is so important to any small business owner. When a connection is made with the community you serve, a greater sense of responsibility rests on your organization. This is an attitude that goes beyond promotional opportunities. It raises the level of commitment to maintain the highest standards of business practices to benefit the community that supports your business. It is one of the most sincere and measurable ways to show our customers that our dealership values this community. It increases our fulfillment knowing we had a small part in helping our neighbors. IN WHAT WAYS HAS NMIADA IMPACTED YOU AND/OR YOUR BUSINESS?
“AS THE LAWS AND REGULATIONS OF THE INDUSTRY CHANGED, WE REALIZED HOW MUCH MORE THE ORGANIZATION OFFERED FOR OUR BUSINESS.”
“WHEN A CONNECTION IS MADE WITH THE COMMUNITY YOU SERVE, A GREATER SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY RESTS ON YOUR ORGANIZATION.”
Lou Sisbarro has had a big impact on me as an owner of a dealership. My career started working at his dealership and I was always impressed with his commitment to the success of his business. He was willing to make insightful business decisions and work hard. He showed he valued his employees and earned their loyalty. His generous contributions to the community
10 DEALER INSIGHT MARCH/APRIL 2019 WWW.NMIADA.COM
representation we receive to ensure the regulations do not become unduly burdensome is a huge benefit. It truly gives us a sense of confidence knowing that as long as we are diligent in maintaining the standards set forth by the NMIADA code of conduct we have a good chance at being a successful dealer. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE DEALERS JUST STARTING THEIR BUSINESS THAT YOU WISH YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN TOLD?
NMIADA has been so supportive in so many aspects. The first time we realized this was almost 10 years ago when our license renewal was going to be denied for a typographical error. We were so impressed with the immediate action that was taken to mediate with the DLB. It was refreshing to know we had a powerful advocate on our side. We also appreciate the lengths NMIADA takes to help us to stay aware of the ever-changing regulations and requirements. Also, the
Make a long-term plan. If you don’t have a long-term vision for what you want your business to be, a series of events can easily steer you away from your goals. Once you know your long-term goals, implement systems and procedures with those expectations in mind. This means seeing the relationships we establish with our customers as a long-term investment. Sometimes this means doing more than what is mandatory to establish this relationship. If you see it with the view of a long-term plan it will feel less burdensome to make the extra effort. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREER? The ability to be self-employed and create a life that is based on my own priorities is priceless. Being self-employed has given me the ability to earn a good living while enjoying the freedom to spend time with my family and travel. I also cherish that I am able to be an example to my children that hard work and perseverance will open many opportunities.
12 DEALER INSIGHT MARCH/APRIL 2019 WWW.NMIADA.COM
Welcome Member! Dealership Name: _____________________________________________________________ Dealer #: ______________________ Last Name: __________________________________________ First Name: _____________________________________________ Dealership Address: __________________________________________________________________________________________ City: __________________________________________________ St: ___________________________ Zip Code: ______________ E-mail: ___________________________________________ Phone: ___________________________________________________ Cell:_______________________________________________ We Site: ________________________________________________
Select Payment Method: Visa
Amex
MC
Disc
Check * _________
New
Renew
Credit Card # ______________________________________________________________________ Exp: _________ CVV# _______ Billing Address: _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Yes it is important to be recognized as a professional! Enclosed are my annual dues of $395 to make sure that my business has all the advantages IADSC , NMDSS, and NMIADA provide to put me at the front of my profession. By completing this form, I am giving NMIADA, its affiliates and subsidiaries, my permission to (until I give written notice to discontinue) contact me and provide information to me at the mailing and e-mail address, telephone and fax numbers I have provided. All applications are subject to approval by the NMIADA Board of Directors to include renewals. I agree upon acceptance as a member and signing of this application, to uphold the New Mexico Independent Automobile Dealers Association Bylaws, Code of Ethics and all Federal, State and Local laws pertaining to the automobile business. I shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless IADSC , NMDSS, and NMIADA, its affiliates, directors, officers, agents and employees from and against any liability, loss, damage, cost, expense, claim, suit or demand including without limitation, attorney’s fees and other legal costs, resulting from, arising out of or connected with, directly or indirectly any of the following title services provided by NMIADA-SC: (a) any alleged representations by either customer regarding vehicle title, history or condition; (b) any previous or current brandings of title: i.e., Salvage, Non-Repairable, Parts Only or For Export Only: (c) any errors made to titles that are due to CUSTOMER’s typographical errors or illegible hand writing (d) any errors made by an employee of NMIADA or IADSC where the correct procedure was followed by said employee to correct said error and (e) where CUSTOMER did not provide all information on the Application for vehicle title and registration (Form MVD=10002).
________________________________________________ Signature
________________________ Title
___________ Date
Please make checks payable to NMIADA. Mail completed application to: NMIADA 604 Chama St NE Albuquerque, NM 87108 Fax # 505-232-0810 info@nmiada.com or www.nmiada.com For any questions please call us at 505-232-0809.
Load the NMIADA Mobile App today to receive your Member Benefit coupons! Follow us on Facebook! WWW.NMIADA.COM MARCH/APRIL 2019 DEALER INSIGHT 13
SOCIAL MEDIA | By Kathi Kruse
WHY YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE IS FAILING
TIPS
TO
MAKE
YOUR
Not all Facebook pages are created equal. It’s hard to ignore the opportunities available with Facebook to attract, engage and convert car buyers, but building a highconverting Facebook page has been elusive for many. It’s important to know the elements of a successful Facebook page, and even more crucial to recognize the reasons your Facebook page may be failing. If you want your car buyers and their friends to notice, you have to continually reward them with great content and build an engaged community for them. This means employing a content strategy that works for your dealership both culturally and operationally. You also have to incorporate Facebook ads to promote your content and encourage clicks to your website from interested buyers. If consistent engagement and conversions on Facebook is a struggle for you, here’s a list of reasons your Facebook page may be failing, with tips to make it work for you rather than against you. YOU DON’T PUBLISH REGULARLY Consistency is a cornerstone of Facebook (or any other) marketing. Users need to see your posts in their newsfeeds for you to stay relevant. It’s a battle right now for attention. Inconsistent posting (such as a few times per month) is not going to capture anyone’s attention. YOUR PAGE LACKS THE HUMAN TOUCH Fact: Facebook pages fail because posts focus on products instead of people. There’s often a complete disconnect from the human side. Content that demonstrates why people choose the business seems to be non-existent on many dealership Facebook pages. If you approach Facebook with the sole mindset of selling, you will waste your precious time. Facebook is first and foremost a social network, not a billboard. YOU’RE NOT USING THE 3-GEARED APPROACH TO CONTENT Content marketing (messages that meet your customer where they are in their purchase journey) is a powerful tool for driving qualified leads. The challenge lies in producing high-quality, original content on a consistent basis. Content must reach each of three stages of the buying cycle: • Entertain. Most people who engage with your page are not immediately “inmarket.” The inability to engage this large segment of users is where many pages fail. • Educate. Fans who are thinking about a purchase, or who have friends who are, appreciate answers to their questions. • Excite. Facebook posts and ads need to provide offers worth the prospect’s time. Exciting content compels people to click in
14 DEALER INSIGHT MARCH/APRIL 2019 WWW.NMIADA.COM
PAGE
WORK
FOR
YOU
anticipation. YOUR POSTS LOOK AND FEEL COUNTERFEIT Every dealership has a “personality” – characteristics, features, traits, etc. – that makes it unique. People are more attracted to sellers who communicate exactly who they are and what impact they wish to have in their customers’ lives. Publishing benign content that can be found anywhere is the shortest distance to the bottom. This is often obvious when dealers hire outside providers to “do social media” for them. The provider’s “voice” can come through on Facebook and make it look like someone other than you is doing the work. This is not a good look for those who want to engage real people. YOU DON’T FULLY UNDERSTAND YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE Creating a content strategy without a clear understanding of your audience is like setting sail without navigational tools. You’re out there, you’re taking action, but you’re not sailing toward a specific goal. Pretty soon, huge amounts of time and money have been spent without any clear return on investment. Facebook’s deep data allows dealerships to laser-target ideal users. Building target audience profiles improves your Facebook marketing tenfold. •D etermining the “buyer personas” of your core audience improves the way you solve problems for your customers. •E stablishing customer pain points helps create content that’s useful to your prospects (and builds authority with search engines). •U seful, high-quality content increases engagement and builds your social presence. •W ebsite content (i.e. blog posts) published on Facebook and clicked-through to your site increases search ranking. YOU DON’T REGULARLY CONDUCT A FACEBOOK PAGE AUDIT Whether your social media marketing is inhouse or outsourced, it’s often difficult to know where the gaps are between your current successes and where you need to be. There are numerous ways you benefit from an audit or review of your social media. Given today’s accelerated rate of potential failure with Facebook marketing, a social media audit will help your page work harder and achieve goals faster. YOU’RE IGNORING COMMENTS AND MESSAGES Facebook is a communication channel just like email and the phone. Customer service via social media is a game-changer but if you don’t have a process to monitor, listen and respond
to messages, you’re dead in the water. Nobody likes the feeling of being ignored. If you’re looking for a competitive advantage, consider designating a “community manager” to oversee your online channels. YOU HAVE NO DEFINED GOALS High-converting Facebook pages have clear, well-defined marketing goals. At Kruse Control, we begin with an outline of three goals and then build out the specific strategies that help a client achieve them: • Attract. Likability and relevancy are huge in attracting new and existing customers to your Facebook page. Add value to their lives by delivering awesome content. •E ngage. Many dealerships fall flat when determining what to do with their fans once they become connected. •C onvert. Attracting the right audience and engaging them lays the groundwork. Drive conversions using ads that provide valuable information that helps them finalize their purchase decision. YOU’RE NOT LEVERAGING THE POWER OF FACEBOOK ADS Facebook has become one of the most powerful platforms to generate sales leads. Dealership Facebook pages fail because they either aren’t using Facebook ads correctly or they’re not using Facebook ads at all. No Facebook page will be truly successful without Facebook ads. Why? It’s simple: you must pay Facebook to reach car buyers. YOU’RE NOT MEASURING AND ANALYZING YOUR RESULTS You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Dealers who don’t review their Facebook results are doomed to repeat their mistakes over and over again. Facebook Insights (your page analytics tool) gives you all the metrics you need to judge how your page is doing. You can see which content got the most organic and paid interaction, what you did right, and what didn’t work so well. Facebook Ads Manager gives you up-to-theminute stats on how your ads are performing. Analyzing results lets you: •D eliver a better experience for fans and the public. •M ake better decisions on your content. •T weak as you go to improve ROI. • Determine if you’ve reached your goals. If you’re not getting the results you want, compare your page’s components to these 10 reasons and see where you can improve. If your page doesn’t size up and you need help to improve, feel free to contact me. Kathi Kruse is an automotive social media marketing expert, blogger, consultant, author, speaker and founder of Kruse Control Inc., which coaches, trains and delivers webinars focused on integrating social media and online reputation management into dealership operations. She can be reached at kathi@krusecontrolinc.com.
Turning wholesale auto sourcing upside down. down
DEALER-ONLY. ONSITE. ON-DEMAND. SIGN UP NOW 1-800-553-4070 ACVAuctions.com
% 220 INCREASE IN
SALES VOLUME Bradley Berndt
Auto Haus on Velp Green Bay, Wisconsin
INDEPENDENT BUT NOT ALONE Every car counts. Every price affects profitability. Every decision you make can help or hurt your business. That’s how it’s always gone for independent dealers … but now, independent dealers don’t have to go it alone.
Just look at Bradley Berndt. vAuto supports his independent dealership in every inventory decision they make. Whether they’re sourcing inventory with Stockwave or pricing and appraising with Provision, Bradley’s team always has the data that drives results.
Learn more at vAuto.com/notalone | 888-362-5783