It's New Model Year Time...Yippee!

Once upon a time, when I started in the Automotive Retailing Industry our dealership celebrated this time of year.  We would send invitations to the community and "select" customers for an evening cocktail and hors d'oeuvres reception to view the new models.  The whole dealership staff would dress up (the girls in the office took weeks to shop for the perfect outfit), it was a real occasion.  We sold a ton of cars that night, and met prospects that kept us going for months.  Plus the local papers covered it every year - FREE press!

Now, October seems like a fire sale to get rid of the old models and discount the crap out of the new ones.  I don't see one celebration listed anywhere.

So I was just thinking...in a time when it gets tougher and tougher every day to differentiate yourself from the other dealers, wouldn't a new model reception be a fantastic way to do that!?!  Especially with all the new technology we have to mine our database for prospects, and create a targeted guest list.

• It's a great way to get the whole staff excited with a team effort. 
• You can include the community (example; ask guests to bring a canned good to donate to a local food bank).
• Customers love to feel special, and if they feel good - they tell others

It's a win win!  But make sure you have enough refreshments to go around, way back when, Facebook and Twitter werent around so word could spread quickly (which is ALL GOOD).

Back From Vacation..So What's The Word Out There?

All anyone is talking about today is the Used Car market.  It's on the front page of the Detroit News, it was a headline story on CNN, and all the industry blogs and social media outlets are chatting about them.

Watch the Detroit News video, and see the full story here.

Used cars are selling for the highest average price in at least seven years, according to Edmunds.com, an online auto consumer guide. Last month, the average price of a three-year-old vehicle spiked 10.3 percent, to $19,248, compared to July 2009.

So in a nutshell they are saying that "cash for clunkers" depleted the supply of used cars (duh) and that consumer confidence still isn't strong so people are afraid to buy new cars.  So it all boils down to supply and demand!  You gotta love capitalism (especially if your a car dealership).

Now you can read all the articles out there, you can watch the talking heads on T.V. but I have to say that is might be a great time to buy a NEW car. 

I went with a friend to a Ford dealership last week, he wanted to see if he could trade his Edge in on an early lease return and get a Flex - and by early I mean 18 months early.  No way right, that just wouldn't be cost effective.  WELL, he got $2K for his trade and a 2011 Flex and came out $70 cheaper in payment!  No kidding!  They couldn't wait to get this used car and they were ready to deal.

So the moral of the story, if you have shoppers looking to buy a new used car and you have a short supply - FLIP THEM into a new car.  They will be surprised at the affordability.  List your new and used cars on eBay Motors for $1K a month, sell them all!

Dream A Little Dream, On Woodward!

That's right!  It's finally time for the annual Dream Cruise down Woodward Ave in metro Detroit.

It is a special event and this year it's going to be even better.  Detroit has been through a lot, like the rest of the country, but as the "Motorcity" it's seen more than it's share over the last couple of years (but we made it).  Still...it's the MOTORCITY and the Dream Cruise is all about motors!

Cruising Woodward

I could write about the sights, sounds, food, friends and fun forever - but if you have the opportunity to experience yourself, you should.  If not, check out the coverage in the Detroit News and Detroit FreePress, there are some great photo galleries and there will be live web cam coverage all the weekend.

So jump into your classic car, or polish up that old car you have in your garage - or just bring a lawn chair and get ready to have some fun!  See you there.

It's Too Hot To Blog...so, here is the history of the Sno Cone!

Seriously?  Did you know the first snow cone (snow ball) was made in Rome in 27 B.C.?  No kidding!  I don't just make this stuff up, here is what you find if you Google "history of the snow cone".

During the Roman Empire (27 B.C. to A.D. 395) snow was hauled from the mountain tops to the city. Syrup was added to make the world's first frozen dessert, the sno-ball.

They even have pictures...not of ancient Rome but of one of the classic "Snow-ball" carts in 1932.  (I like how they label it Picture From The Past).

Hand-held ice shavers date back to the late 1800s, but the first recorded sale of snow cones was at the Texas state fair in 1919 by Samuel Bert of Dallas. Bert developed an ice crushing machine in 1920 and sold the machines and snow cones until the mid-1980s. In 1935, Ernest Hansen invented the first motorized ice block shaver in New Orleans.

So now when you are enjoying an icy treat you'll be able to share your surprising knowledge of the origins of the Snow-Ball, Sno-Cone, Snow Cone.  Still, nothings going to hide that purple syrup stain on your tongue while you're talking!  Enjoy and stay cool.

We're #1...Woo Hoo

I was really excited when this hit my inbox . It's always nice when the facts really do back up what you preach everyday. eBay Motors is the #1 Automotive Classified site for people in the market for a new or used car. BY A MILE!

Just look at the facts; 2 years straight they've been way out in front of the competition.

So the question is, "why arent dealers using eBay Motors?"

Your customers are using eBay Motors, you should be too!

We can help you get up and running with best practices from the experts.  Peer tested, dealerships that have figured out how to grow their sales by utilizing eBay Motors to expand their customer base and add incremental sales every month.

It's easy and inexpensive - shoot us an email today!

Is Your Website A Favorite Or a Forget-about-it?

When I went shopping for my first car there was a whole section in the newspaper, signs in windows, big blow up animals on local dealerships and Crazy Larry's used car lot. 

Now, every dealer has a website, every manufacturer, every independent...PLUS there are sites just for selling new and used cars - eBay Motors, AutoTrader, Cars.com, Craigslist, just to name a few.  So as a seller how do you set yourself apart from the competition?  JD Power and KBB have both done research over the past quarter to find out what customers want out of automotive website when shopping.  It should be no surprise that EASE OF USE was the number one answer.

If a customer gets to your site and can't easily navigate around or find the information they are seeking - they will drop you like a hot potato!  Trust me (or better yet trust JD Power & KBB).  What are customers looking to get to easily?

• Inventory - with actual pictures and colors not stock photos, they can get that for the manufacturer sites
• Pricing - most customers want a quote right now, not a lead trap
• Payment calculators - with current rates
• Dealership Information - background, good contact info (up to date names and phone numbers, even staff pictures)

The number one "like to have" from customers is video.  Video is getting hotter everyday.  Internet shoppers tend to click on everything and everything they click on keeps them on your site longer and builds that relationship with your dealership.

• Personal video about the dealership, the history, walk around the whole place.  Have the owner narrate.
• Videos by department - benefits of doing business e.g., WIFI in the customer waiting area
• Virtual test drive videos - shoot them yourself or find a service
• Inventory videos - especially of your used cars, give them the 360 experience of looking the car over on your lot.
• Customer reference/testimonial videos - satisfied customer tell their stories (these are great to post on your site)

Videos are the future and there is no end to how creative you can be.  One of the keys to building a successful online presence is keeping your virtual customer interested.  So use video on your site to be informative, fun, and creative.  Give the customers something to visit your website for on a regular basis - not just when they are looking to buy.  You'll find if you keep them interested, they'll send others to your site too, and that's nothing but good!

Enjoy this creative video we found on youtube - having some fun stuff like this on your website will keep your customers visiting your site and maybe even forwarding out the link to friends.  I did!

America The Beautiful...

It seems like only yesterday the US automakers, the "Big Three" were on their way to a museum (probably the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit).  Then, after much debate, mud slinging, and filibustering, the government bailed out the automakers (except for Henry Ford's company - oddly enough).  But today, here are the "Breaking News" headlines on Automotive News;

JULY U.S. AUTO SALES;   GM sales rise 6%; Ford up 3%; Honda, Toyota fall

Holy buy-American Batman!  Did that read Honda and Toyota fall!!!  Honk if you have an "Eat your foreign car" bumper sticker.

Chrysler even posted a 7% gain in July to round out the Big Three.

While I'm having fun with the post, this is really great news for the auto industry and for the future of the American auto workers. (and all us dealer people too).

Consumer confidence is on the rise also with the quality improvements that have been made over the last several years by Ford, GM, and Chrysler.  Now there is more reason than ever to consider the Big Three contenders in the market once again.

So read the news, get inspired, buy a new car (or sell some new cars).  This is happy news from a red hot summer, after a long-long-long cold winter.

So Many Sites, So Little Time and Money

There is an overwhelming number of sites for listing your inventory and more showing up everyday. The problem is you don't have an overwhelming amount of time and money to use them all. So where should you spend?

A few of the big dogs always come to mind (AutoTrader, Cars, eBay, Edmunds) just to name a few, but lets break it down from a dealers point of view. AutoTrader says their #1 and brag that they have 3.5 million listings; Cars makes a lot of those same claims. Let's look at the facts from your customers viewpoint - we'll call them the BUYER. Here's where the Buyers shopped in April 2010; http://tinyurl.com/26q2gdn.

57% eBay Motors, 13% AutoTrader, 5% Cars.com

As a dealer ask yourself this; do you want your cars listed among 3.5 million other cars on a site that buyers visit less frequently or do you want to list your cars on a site with only 50K cars to compete against, and 4X's more buyers?

I talked to a single point domestic dealer last week that confessed he was paying over $15K a month to AT. To stand out he had to buy all the extras, highlighting and placement - you know the drill. He signed up for eBay Motors for $1K, didn't have to buy extras to stand out and got just as many leads. He said the only difference was the leads were stronger because the eBay shoppers were ready to buy, not just researching. He still uses all 3 listings sites, but he's cut out all the extras. Once he has several months of good analytics he's going to re-evaluate.


The other site that's gaining traction with dealers is Craiglist but we haven't seem them hit the Top 10 sites for buyers yet. But we'll keep you posted.

So choose wisely, do the research. Go to the different sites and search for a car, check out how many other cars you're competing against in your zip code. You may find you have less competition on a site you're not even using. Make a change, you could sell more cars! Buyers for used cars overwhelmingly shopped on eBay Motors. Sellers (that's the dealers) overwhelmingly listed on AutoTrader.

Push, Pull, or Drag...

I've been reading a lot of articles lately about the lack of good used cars on the market.  Some of the obvious culprits are "cash for clunkers" and the overall economy.  With the slow economy people are simply just keeping their cars longer.  The average turn used to be 3 years, now it's 5 years. 

One of the good side effects is that new cars are selling better than expected.  Unfortunately those deals are coming with trades that are less than high grossing cars.

Q:  So where do you find good used cars? 
A:  Anywhere you can! 

You need to get creative about sourcing.  Creative, but smart.  There are all kinds of tools and software available to help you stock what sells in your market but don't forget about your own database.

• Utilize matchmaker tools on your website or in your CRM tool
• A customer owned car that's on another customers wish list can be turned into 2 sales with a little effort
• Market "free" inspections to your database - make it a event day at the dealership (hot dogs, music, corn-hole tournament) whatever!
• Have fun things for the family to do while there car is being inspected and your sales staff is showing off new models
• Send out simple marketing that reminds your database that you buy used cars.  A lot of people are looking to downsize to one or two car families
• You can take the "hassle" out of selling a used car
• Another great source is eBay Motors or Craigslist.  Once you know what you're looking for, cars that sell in your area, hit the Internet and look for deals from FSBO's (for sale by owner).  You can pick up some great deals.

Plus, it never hurts to stay in touch with your customer base.  If they're not in the market they probably know someone that is...I smell a BIRD DOG check!

Is that a HEMI?

Sticking with this weeks backyard BBQ theme here are a few grills we thought would be perfect for our motor-head grill masters;  enjoy! 

Is that a HEMI???

You did what with your Austin?

And finally...that grills got some muscle

Moral of the story, if you can't part with it - grill with it!

Can I Get Mine Well Done?

My favorite part of summer has to be the outdoor grilling.  We start early in the Spring and push it as long as we can into the Fall, but on a hot summer weekend nothing can beat it.

I remember neighborhood BBQ's when I was a kid too.  They seemed to make their way up and down the block, everyone brought a dish, the dads all congregated around the grills with beers in hand.  The mom's set up the food and chatted away like they hadn't seen each other in years.  Kids still played yard games (remember those? Hide & Seek, Red Rover, Tag) yeah, they don't come on X-Box.  It was a great way to spend the weekend.

Someones parents had always just bought a new car (my dad always bought station wagons, but that's a whole other nightmare story).  Everyone would go out to the street and look over the car, there would be ohhhs and ahhhs, the inevitable horn honking - and there was always "the story of the deal".  I worked with a guy about a year ago, ex-car salesman, who said something I'll never forget because it's so true. 

He said; when asked if they got a good deal on their new car, never in the history of "man" has there ever been any other answer than, I got a great

Well summer is upon us again, and families are gathering around the BBQ.  Not that much has changed, dads are still drinking beer, moms are still chit chatting and kids are still, well kids are playing video games and skateboarding.  There doesn't seem to be the same excitement around a new car showing up in the neighborhood - but maybe that's just because there's not a great story being told. 

Make sure every sale your dealership closes has a great story.  When you sell a car on eBay Motors to a customer across the country make sure its a great experience.  Think of what a great backyard BBQ story that could be...I found it online, great pictures, the dealer called me right away, they met my price, they helped me with finance, they did all the paperwork for out of state, they even shipped it right to my house in perfect condition!  Hopefully that story ends with, I got such a great deal I'll never buy from anyone else (which of course, it will).

We're #1, We're #1... Again!

So I come back from vacation, I've got the usual "back from vacation attitude".  You know the one, I'm still in shock from the alarm clock going off.  I can't believe I have to wear real shoes, and I don't even want to face my email.

But then, as I'm slogging through (what can only be considered) a mind numbing amount of newsletters; out pops this jewel.  The new Internet Marketing Top 10 Charts were posted and tah-dah...eBay Motors was number 1, again!

I eagerly posted it to Twitter, Facebook, my boss (to justify my daily rantings) and suddenly the fog begins to lift and I'm feeling more like my old self!  I'm ready to take on the world of Internet Car Sales again (right after lunch). 

But before I go (Mexican food today) let me just remind everyone that you don't have to spend a fortune advertising your inventory online, you just have to spend the time.  eBay Motors offers you the most shoppers at the lowest listing price.  You just need to make the effort.  

Write me, I'll help you join team #1.

To Ship or Not To Ship, That Is The Question

With 90% of new and used vehicle shoppers looking for the perfect car on the Internet your potential customer base just got a whole lot bigger (or smaller). 

Bigger if you decide to sell to everyone that's interested, Smaller if you choose to sell just locally.

I've had many of my dealers tell me they don't even respond to bidders on eBay, or emails from people in another state.  THAT'S CRAZY!  Ask yourself this; did you display the name and location of your dealership on the listing?  Of course you did.  So it stands to reason that the customer is willing to buy out-of-state, why aren't you willing to sell out-of-state?

Let's take the mystery and fear out of shipping a vehicle to a customer across the country. Some simple research will tell you exactly what your responsibility is in your state for tax and title, there are also several services that will handle everything for you.  Plus most DMS software will calculate taxes for any zip code and know if there is city, county, etc.

There are also several shipping companies that specialize in autos, heck, you can even use FedEx or UPS.  And for convenience; the shipping charges can be financed into the car deal (line 3) item.  You can even mark it up like sublet and make some money!

To protect yourself from shipping incidents (while rare), take these simple steps, they'll boost your feedback (CSI) ratings too;

• Take pictures of the car being loaded into the shipper and email them to the customer with a message like "here's your car on the way to it's new home".
• make sure the driver sees you take the photos so he knows there is a record of the condition of the vehicle when it left the dealership.
• Leave a Visa gift card in the car with a note to the customer to get the car detailed on you.

If anything happens during shipping the shipper is responsible, but assure the customer you will handle the details of any repairs.

One last thing; make sure you disclose all your "selling out-of-state" requirements, and shipping policies in each listing - build it into your template.  Some of eBay Motors top sellers include a map of the North America in their listing with 'dots' for all the places they sell to instill confidence in potential buyers, it works!  You could even add a video.

Don't fear the out-of-state buyer, that's your new customer, and they'll tell 2 friends, and they'll tell 2 friends, and so on...

Free Beer!

What makes a great eBay Motors listing?  How do you get the shoppers to click on your listing over your competitors (without pulling out the old "Free Beer" trick in the title)?  We have some tips that will get you on the path to high traffic listings and more online sales.

It starts with the template.  Templates are available from many sources, if you're listing with a third party inventory management software they will provide standard templates and in some cases custom templates for a fee.  If you list directly through eBay Motors using their free Dealer Center listing tool they have a variety of free customizable templates.  Which ever you choose templates should be;

• Easy to read, test several background colors and text colors together.
• Use a professional font
• Compliment the brand image of your dealership 

Most templates have sections to guide you on content but make sure you include the following;

• Personalized banner that includes your dealership branding
• Start with a "glamour shot" of the vehicle 3/4 angle front view (headlights on)
• A great description that says more than the vin decoder - remember it's an emotional purchase, build some emotion with your description
• 30-50 additional scrolling FULL SIZE pictures, don't make your customers click on thumbnails, they'll get bored and quit.  A slide show works too.
• Icons or links for vehicle history reports, KBB
• List of standard options or window sticker
• Highlight additional options, especially DVDs, Navigation, Sync, etc.
• Icon or link to secure credit application
• Background or About Us on your dealership (video or photos)
• Clearly labeled sections for Terms and Conditions, payment options, expectations at the end of auction (deposit, etc.), Shipping options - include links, any disclaimers, options for purchase of warranties etc.

The biggest thing to remember is Full Discloser.  All fees, all packs, No Surprises.  Surprises lead to lost deals and bad feedback.  Click here for an example of a great template. (Choose any listing)

Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock

Time is precious.  Time is of the essence.  Time is a hot commodity.  All true; especially when it's your time right?  But never forget that time is just as important to your customers.

Your customers have been interacting with you online more than ever before - mostly for convenience but also to save precious time.  So when they reach out by email or live chat or phone or even if they do walk into the dealership; respect their time.  Here are a few things we suggest that will go a long way to gaining a customers business by showing respect for their time;

• Always start each interaction by asking them if this is a good time for them.  Give them an estimate of the call timing, "Ms. Jones, I'm happy to answer all your questions today, do you have 15 minutes now for us to talk?"
• If they ask the price of a vehicle, tell them.
• If the car is listed on an eBay auction and has a reserve, tell them the reserve price.
• If they ask for a estimated payment, give them one (don't transfer them to F&I).
• Be proactive - offer to send them info (CarFax, more pictures, video) on several cars that may interest them.
• Don't try and force them to make an appointment before you answer their questions - they may not even be local.
• If they ask you to send more information, or follow-up, make sure you DO IT.
• Thank them for their time no matter what the outcome is of the call.
• Encourage them to check out your website and read about your dealership, view testimonials, etc.
• Tell them you will be following up on a certain day and make sure you DO IT.

On your thank you or follow-up email; remember to include links to your website, Facebook, Twitter, etc. along with any links chosen specifically for that customer.  This interaction could be their first impression of you and your dealership, don't waste it by wasting their time.

In The Good Old Summertime

Summertime!  Is there anything better?  OK, except for the unusual amount of rain and thunderstorms we've had this year in the Midwest, but hey - the grass is really green!  Plus with summer comes more foot traffic at the dealership, and that's always a good thing.

I was out and about over the last week visiting our dealerships and talking with the sales managers and I noticed a few trends; good trend - more customers on the lot; bad trend - less listings on the Internet; good trend - more new car sales; bad trend - less Internet sales. I spoke with the GSM's and asked them why and they all said the same thing "we're too buy to worry about the Internet right now."  Luckily I only screamed in my head, since there were a few customers in the showroom.

I know it's easy to get busy and fall into the trap of summer sales but you need to look at the facts.

• Consumers buy more cars in the Summer
• 90% of your customers shop online (first)
• 75% visit the dealership already having made a decision
• Brand loyalty is down 50% from 10 years ago

With this in mind why would you stop using the Internet to advertise your brand, your dealership, and your inventory?  The customers are going to go looking online, if they don't find you they'll find someone else.

Yes, floor traffic picks up in the summer because it's easier for customers to get out and walk your lot, but did you know that Internet car shopping picks up in the summer too?  It does.  Check your own city on Google Insights. 

So instead of listing less, or neglecting your online virtual dealership in the summer (and losing those additional sales) maybe you should consider some summer help instead.  Hire a college kid while they're on break to do the listings, they could even help you set up that Facebook page you've been dying to build.  Happy selling!

No Excuses

OK, so let's talk about the service department.  I know, some sales departments look upon them as a necessary evil or in the words of Dave Page "Redheaded Stepchild".  He wrote an article yesterday on Drivingsales.com that not enough people are talking about out loud.

Most dealerships will admit that the service department carries them through at least a few months out of the year, and the reality of not having service or offering bad service, will ruin your sales department.  So why don't they get the love in your virtual world?  In particular your website and listing templates.  In Dave's article this passage got my attention:

This got me to thinking- how many dealers out there really give the marketing, advertising and development of their service departments the attention they deserve? When you take into consideration that 20% of people who walk onto a showroom floor buy and 100% who walk into a service department buy- might make sense to pay this red headed stepchild of a store a little attention.

Now I know you do market your service department, some of you do a great job but you've got that nice website - why not utilize it for your service department too.

I always recommend to my clients that when designing and building their listings templates for inventory that you include a great background and sales pitch for your dealership.  That includes a section for your service department.  Talk about your "award winning", "ranked #1 by...", XXX years combined experience of staff, kid friendly waiting area, courtesy shuttle...need I go on?  Oh yeah, I do - don't forget to personalize it with photos, customers really start to make a connection when they see smiling faces.

It doesn't take a lot to put this in place, and once you do it you only have to update it occasionally.  So no excuses about not having the time or the people.  Your customers have time to read it, you have time to write it. 

If you build the overall picture of your dealership it will build trust and confidence in doing business with your organization.  You'll see an increase in sales and in service customers.

Would You Recommed Us To A Friend?

There's a good chance your company has responded to the recession with a smaller staff and an increased commitment to providing an exceptional customer experience. Such efforts might address systemic issues like "poorly designed interactions, broken processes, outdated business rules, insufficient customer insight and cultures that are far from customer-centric," notes Bruce Temkin in a post at the Retail Customer Experience blog. And while some companies will succeed in this process, Temkin says, others may falter.

Here is some advice for keeping your customer experience efforts on track:

1. Drop the executive commitment facade. It's very easy for executives to say "customer experience is important." But it's much more difficult for them to dedicate the time and energy required to make it a real priority. So executives should either get actively involved in customer experience transformation or drop it from their agendas.

Start here: Develop a customer experience dashboard and manage the results with the same energy that you manage financial results.

2. Keep from getting too distracted by social media. Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites may seem sexy, but they aren't the only channels for customer feedback. Other channels like comments on surveys and voice-of-the-customer calls can often provide even richer insight. So companies need to learn from social media feedback, but not overreact to it.

Start here: Treat social media as one of many listening posts in a comprehensive voice-of-the-customer program that examines both structured and unstructured feedback.

3. Stop squeezing the life out of customer service. Research shows that consumers care more about good customer service than they do low prices. It also turns out that many customer service interactions are critical "moments of truth" that drive customer loyalty. But companies often treat customer service as an unwanted stepchild, focusing almost exclusively on aggressive cost-cutting. So companies need to start viewing customer service as a strategic asset.

Start here: Measure customer service efforts based on how effectively they help customers.

4. Restore the purpose in your brand. True brands are more than just color palettes, logos and marketing slogans, they're the fabric that aligns all employees with customers in the pursuit of a common cause. They represent a company’s heart and spirit. Unfortunately, many companies have lost this sense of purpose in their brands. So companies need to redefine their brand and embed it in the hearts and minds of all employees.

Start here: Translate your brand into promises you will make (and keep) with customers across every key touch point.

5. Don't assume employees will get on board. Employees are often the most critical element of any customer experience effort. But you can't just hope that everyone will participate in these change initiatives. So companies need to actively focus on engaging employees at every level across the organization in their customer experience efforts.

Start here: Communicate (a lot) about "why" customer experience is important and allow employees to participate in defining "how" to make improvements.

6. Translate customer experience into business terms. Research uncovered a strong correlation between customer experience and loyalty. An average $1 million company can generate $284 thousand of additional revenues from customer experience improvements. But most companies don't fully understand the link between customer experience and business results. So companies need to identify how customer experience impacts their financial results.

Start here: Engage the leadership team to develop a model which shows the impact that customer experience has on customer loyalty.

With everyone wearing more "hats" now, its important to keep your eye on the ball when it comes to customer service.  That's the only way you and your customers will weather this economic storm together.

Success Is Virtually Yours

The NIADA Convention started today in Las Vegas (at Ceasers Palace no less!) Which reminds me of a funny story...oh right, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Any-who, there is a jam packed 3 days worth of workshops that actually sound pretty good. The first session is about Social Media and Networking, and there are additional workshops on The Web and Innovative Marketing.

One in particular caught my eye. Here's the synopsis;

“The Internet: Your Virtual Showroom”
Never had enough space? Couldn’t afford that beautiful building without winning the lottery? Now with just a click of the mouse, you can have it all! This session will give you the keys to online advertising success. You will learn how to stimulate dealership “walk-in” traffic, engage prospects and expand your dealership to the mega “store” you always wanted.

They had me at "with just a click of the mouse, you can have it all!"

That's the great thing about having a virtual showroom, it can be Big and Bad even if you're short on space! It's the perfect extension to your dealership (without having to move all the cars to shovel the snow). Here are some of the keys to having a great virtual presence;

• Invest in a great website, professional and easy to use
• Talk up your dealership, use personal histories, customer testimonials, local news items, and employee quotes
• Take fabulous pictures!  Don't use stock photos
• Anticipate what your customers wants;
• links to KBB, vehicle history reports, financing options, payment calculators
• If you have it listed on eBay or Craigslist - post the link
• Contact info that actually contacts someone! 

You can build a "Mega-Store" without leaving the comfort of your showroom, just make sure you offer the same great service and attention to your virtual showroom customers because they're as real as your dealership.

Give em What They Want

There are a ton of sites and blogs out there that offer advice to the consumer on how to shop for and buy a car online.  You should be reading these.  If your customers are following the "commonly heralded advice" then you should know what that advice is being heralded (word of the day calendar, thank you).

Here's some of the more popular advice:  make a list of what you want, and what you need.

Who is it for, how is it being used?
1.  Do I want a new, used or certified pre-owned vehicle?
2.  Do I want a car, an SUV or a truck?
3.  Is this car going to be just for me or for the entire family?
4.  Do I have a favorite vehicle manufacturer? 
5.  How important is fuel economy? 
6.  Do I want a hybrid? 
7.  How important is the vehicle’s current mileage?
8.  What am I willing to sacrifice?
9.  Do I have any color preferences?
10. What’s my budget? 
11. Do I need a loan and if so, what can I afford per month? 
12. Am I a cash buyer?
13. Do I have money for a down payment?

Once you have the list narrowed down, it's easier to filter your searches to give you more targeted results to pick from.

This is where you come in as a dealership.  You can build your listings to hit the key components on customers lists.  If you know that certain variables are important to buyers, color, hybrid, payment, mileage, family then you can highlight those in your subtitles and descriptions.

On eBay Motors the sub-title is included in what's read by the search engine.  So if you wanted to highlight a low mileage family car with estimated monthly payments you could do that easily:

2007 Dodge Caravan, Silver w/grey, DVD, clean family van, low miles $198 mo.

If a customer searches on body style, color, family, DVD, mileage or payment - your listing will pop to the top!  If you just left the standard line 2007 Dodge Caravan, you'd miss out on a whole lot of serious buyers - the ones that took the time to make a list.

So be like your customers, do the research before you post your listings - a little creativity will go a long way toward selling your cars.

Comets and Cougars and Chevys...Oh My

The big news of the week turned out to be Chevrolet (I dare not say Chevy). Oh wait, it's OK again. This had to be the biggest what were they thinking moment of the week!

I'm sure you read them too, but there were some pretty creative tweets (yes New York Times I used the word tweets) but that's a whole other story. I think my favorite Chevy tweet was;

I took my Chevrolet to the levrolet but the levrolet was dry.

There were many variations on that theme.

In other auto world news; Ford has decided to pull the plug on Mercury. As a Mercury owner myself I had a momentary gasp and then started looking at the Ford website. When I saw the 2011 Mustang I knew I would recover from my loss. Man, that's a sweet car.

Mercury has been around since 1932 and in that time it's had some beautiful cars. Remember the Comet? Or the Cougar? And in recent years they did a nice job with the Milan and Mariner. Mercury always had that little something extra that the Ford model didn't have, more chrome, higher levels of trim, cooler instrument panel or exterior grill.

You will be missed Mercury, but I'm looking forward to courting your rich uncle Lincoln.

Oh, and welcome back Chevy - see you at the levy.

I Gotta Have It! The Value Of A Good Decscription.

While most people are browsing the Internet for news or funny videos, I'm cruising for cars.  Sure, it may not be exciting to you but it's my bread and butter. 

Alright...if I have to honest (and my mom told me I do) then I have to admit that I don't look at listings all day.  However, earlier this week one of my team members was on vacation a few extra days (thanks to the airlines) so I pitched in and covered some of her accounts.  She does look at listings everyday.  She looks at the pictures, she reads the descriptions, and checks the price.  Then she will make recommendations to our customers when warranted to help them "beef" up the listings for better appeal and faster sale.  I have to say - there are some nice listings out there.  I also have to say there are some horrible listings out there.

Let's just talk about descriptions today; When you're typing your description you have to ask yourself the following questions;

• Who is the targeted buyer?  (Male, female, younger, older, sporty, etc.)
• How can I "Bring this to life" for the buyer?
• What is a MUST include?  (Accessories, low mileage, clean interior)

Don't use a standard description like; automatic, AC, power windows, cloth seats.  You're not selling to a robot without emotions, your selling to a person.  Here's a great example of an engaging, enticing, exciting (what's another e-word?) exuberant listing;

What's your favorite dinosaur? The T-rex? Velociraptor? Mine is the Silverado...the only dinosaur still living. Sure it..s a little less popular than some of the other dinosaurs, but if it were to battle any of its peers today, there..s no doubt in my mind it would be victorious. The Silverado is a jungle dwelling beast that can seamlessly blend into its tropical surroundings thanks to its sport red skin. It can survive in these extreme conditions thanks to its great air conditioning with dual climate zones. It also has a plethora of genetic features that make it a fearsome competitor, even today; such as steering wheel mounted audio and Bluetooth controls, cruise control and more! Don..t miss an opportunity to own one of the most intimidating creatures on earth! Give Your Name Here dealership a call to bring it home today.

That's awesome right?  I mean it's a Chevy oops Chevrolet Silverado for cripes sake!  You probably all have one in stock right now.  They worked the word "plethora" in!  Two thumbs up for the Three Amigos Fan out there.


No one expects you to go out and hire a creative writing major to do your listings; but at least try to create a sense of the vehicle to start building some emotional response in the reader.  "Corners like its on rails", "Picture yourself behind the wheel, hair blowing in the breeze", "Your neighbors will think you got a promotion when you drive up in this".  Remember, buying a car is an emotional purchase.


One last thing; remember the rules of e-communications when building your listing;

1. All CAPS means you're yelling
2. Excessive exclamation points and emoticons !!!!! :) are for kids
3. Acronyms are a NC (not cool) LOL (sorry)

And please, please, please - run the spell check!  You didn't think I could spell exuberant without help did you?

Perception IS Reality

We've all heard the phrase "perception is reality" but it really is true isn't it?  As marketers of our own businesses and products, we practice perception/reality everyday.  I think it's become so second nature that I don't consciously think about it anymore.  Until yesterday.

I had an appointment with a new doctor.  He walked into the room, he was in his 50's, nicely dressed, obviously well educated and well spoken, and he was very personable.  He asked about my profession and we started talking about the automotive retailing industry.  He stated he bought his last vehicle online through a local dealership after researching it on the manufacturer website.  He also told me his son bought his car for college online through eBay.  So I asked him why they choose to buy online?  Was it time constraints (he is a busy doctor), was it a better deal (college kids are poor), or just more convenient.  That's when the "perception" factor swooped down and smacked me in the head!

This educated professional simply stated;

Who wants to go into a car dealership anymore?  You spend hours and hours there waiting and getting more frustrated.  You can't trust anything they say, and we've all seen those special reports on the news (about how they try and scam you).

OK, I had to try and compose myself (which isn't easy in one of those gowns) but I calmly replied; "So, were you happy with your online experience?  Do you feel you were treated fairly?  Do you think you and your son got a better deal buying online?  Was your time well spent?  Would you do it again?  Would you recommend it to friends?"

Of course I let him answer in between firing questions and that was my proof that perception truly is reality:

• It was a great experience.  I dealt with one guy (mostly by email) a few phone calls and we were able to wrap the deal up quickly and agree on a pick-up time.
• Yes, I think we got a better deal because the price was right there on the screen - they couldn't change it, in fact, I negotiated an even better price than advertised.
• (Time) My son loves his car and it was delivered right to the house, can't beat that.  And for me; it took me about 15-20 mins to sign paperwork and get my plates switched.  I go back for a car clinic monthly when I can.
• I would do it again, in fact I will only buy cars online from now on.  I've already recommended it to several people.

Now I'm sure they would have had this same experience by just visiting the dealership but he had a preset perception based on bad media and years of stereotyping.  Now he has a perception of buying online based on his own  good experience or reality. 

What's the point?  Make sure your customers perception of YOUR dealership is the reality of what you offer.  A great experience on the lot, or online.

Fintstones or Jetsons?

Innovation. Internet. Selling more cars.  That's the focus of Over The Curb so what better topic than past or future? The OEM’s are focused on it. Your customers are more savvy about it. Most importantly your bottom line depends on it.

Lets start with the future.  The younger generation considers the Internet in almost everything they do including buying cars, and everyone else is right on their heels (my grandmother has a Facebook account!). 

The new model for the progressive, successful car dealership of the future is a stong Virtual Showroom with a thriving Internet sales business. 

JD Power reported 90% of new and used vehicle buyers shop online first, before they ever submit a lead or call or visit a dealership.  In the same study they reported that dealerships are only committing 10% of their sales staff to Internet sales

All you have to do is watch the behavior of shoppers over the last 5 years.  Let's just look at everyday shopping, or holiday shopping.  Over 50% increases in all types of merchandise for online sales over the last 3 years.  I'll bet you buy online (computers, electronics, shoes, clothes, furniture, books).  Look at the success of companies like Zappos, Amazon, eBay.  You can have some of that success, you should!

You probably walk your lot everyday, or drive the main road and look at your street presence but do you do the same with your web presence? 

When is the last time you walked your virtual lot?  Not just the main page, read the descriptions on your listings; are they inviting? Enticing? Do they create the emotion you need to get a buyer excited?  And what about the photos; are there more than 12?  More than 25?  There should be 40 or 50, your online shoppers need to see everything. Trust, everything.  You wouldn't park your cars on the lot so a buyer couldn't open the doors or the trunk, or sit in the car would you?

Put yourself in the shoes of one of your online customers, take a good look at your virtual showroom.  Here's a few of the basics to look for;

• Easy navigation on the home page
• Real photos of your inventory, not stock photos - distinguish yourself
• Compelling descriptions, not a standard vin decoder type list
• Use the "About Us" section to talk up your dealership, photos of staff, awards, customer testimonials, etc.
• Easy to find; payment calculators, credit application, shipping quotes
• Consider trying new "hot" technology like video test drives and live chat.

Above all RESPOND to your customers quickly, there's a lot of competition out there online and studies show customers will buy from the first dealership to answer all their questions.

As for the past, we know what that is - it's in the past.  Time to move on to the next phase of car sales for the future.

So are you a Flintstone or a Jetson? We say strap on your jet pack and let’s get selling!

I Had To Sit Down...Lead Follow Up

I was talking with one of my customers (a Ford dealer that’s part of a large organization) and we were discussing internet leads from his different sources. When we got to his eBay leads we looked at a used Escape with 9 leads – I was excited, 9 leads – WOW! When I asked him if he contacted them his reply was “no, most to them are from out of state.” WHAT? Its 2010, you can sell and ship out of state as easy as making Jell-O! Then he adds, “Plus, the bids were kind of low.” I had to sit down. I realized I hadn’t done my job helping him understand how bidding works on eBay, or how your competition is everywhere, all over the U.S. not just next door or across the street. So let’s go over it.

If you every bought anything on eBay you know that you enter a bid for the item just over the current bid. In your mind you have a price that you are willing to pay and that’s where you’ll stop bidding. If you win the bid you’re prepared to buy.

eBay understands people don’t have the time to sit and watch the auctions 24/7 so they offer a service call Automatic Bidding. It works on the above theory. You put in a maximum amount you want to bid on an item, and it takes it from there. It will bid for you – but only increasing your bid each time enough to beat the other bidders.

In a nutshell – you see a car on eBay and decide you’re willing to pay $25K so you set the Automatic Bid at $25K and it enters your first bid at the seller’s starting price (which could be $500). Each time someone else bids, your bid increases incrementally. So here’s the catch; the bidding could go on for days and still only be up to $5K but remember, the bidder is willing to pay $25K and the only way you will know is to call them!

Once you call them and establish their top price you can negotiate from there, or flip them into another vehicle from your inventory. There were 9 people that bid on an Escape; you can find 9 vehicles to put them in right? Of course you can!

And let’s address the “out of state” issue especially on internet and eBay leads. The customer KNOWS where you are located, they looked at your website, they’ve read your reviews, heck, they’ve probably already checked the shipping prices or mapped out a trip to your dealership. Again, the only way you’ll know is to call and talk to them. Shipping is easy, it’s affordable, it’s financeable (line 3) and it can even be a profit center. Don’t lose a deal because of it; you’ve got the technology to handle anything.

I know I’m preaching to the choir but it’s never been more important to call every lead. Technology has made the customers savvier, but it can also open up doors of unlimited opportunity for dealers if they’re willing to walk through them.

So Many Listing Sites, So Little Time/Money...

There is an overwhelming number of sites for listing your inventory and more showing up everyday.  The problem is you don't have an overwhelming amount of time and money to use them all.  So where should you spend?

A few of the big dogs always come to mind (AutoTrader, Cars, eBay, Edmunds) just to name a few, but lets break it down from a dealers point of view.  AutoTrader says their #1 and brag that they have 3.5 million listings; Cars makes a lot of those same claims.  Let's look at the facts from your customers viewpoint - we'll call them the BUYER.  Here's where the Buyers shopped in April 2010; http://tinyurl.com/26q2gdn.

          57% eBay Motors,    13% AutoTrader,    5% Cars.com

Buyers for used cars overwhelmingly shopped on eBay Motors.  Sellers (that's the dealers) overwhelmingly listed on AutoTrader.

As a dealer ask yourself this; do you want your cars listed among 3.5 million other cars on a site that buyers visit less frequently or do you want to list your cars on a site with only 50K cars to compete against, and 4X's more buyers?

I talked to a single point domestic dealer last week that confessed he was paying over $15K a month to AT.  To stand out he had to buy all the extras, highlighting and placement - you know the drill.  He signed up for eBay Motors for $1K, didn't have to buy extras to stand out and got just as many leads.  He said the only difference was the leads were stronger because the eBay shoppers were ready to buy, not just researching.  He still uses all 3 listings sites, but he's cut out all the extras.  Once he has several months of good analytics he's going to re-evaluate.

The other site that's gaining traction with dealers is Craiglist but we haven't seem them hit the Top 10 sites for buyers yet.  But we'll keep you posted.

So choose wisely, do the research.  Go to the different sites and search for a car, check out how many other cars you're competing against in your zip code.  You may find you have less competition on a site you're not even using.  Make a change, you could sell more cars!

In The Beginning

Remember the simpler times...when you decided to buy a new car, you piled the family into the station wagon, you drove down main street (this is where the car dealerships were) and there, lined up along the curb was a collection of beautiful, shiny, sexy, balloon clad cars!  Ah, life was good.

You drove slowly, spotted the new models you've read about or saw on television.  The family all pointed out the colors they liked; maybe the kids wanted to stop at the dealership with the giant dinosaur on the roof.  You were happy.  Then the anxiety kicked in.  Now you had to go into the dealership and talk to the (gulp) salesman.  What was your trade worth, how much are the new models, what does that cost a month?  Do I need an extra warranty?  Shouldn't the floor mats come with the car?  And the big one...how do I know if I'm getting a good deal? 

Now the Internet has made this so much easier...yeah right!

Sure, you can get all the information you need online but what do you need?  What source do you trust?  Where's the best place to shop, to buy, to finance?

It's OK, put your head between your knees and breathe slowly - the spinning will stop shortly.  We here at Over The Curb have been doing the research, talking with the experts, talking with the buyers, the sellers, and the family.  We will help you navigate this new style of car shopping and bring back those simpler times, and happy faces (not the actual smiley faces, they're so 70's).

We welcome your questions, and conversations.  Most times the best answers come from people that have walked a mile in your shoes.  So start the conversation below, or answer a question, it's all good.