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2011
FEBRUARY
The New Dealer.com Platform
Empowering Connections
   “We connect to our customers
    using Dealer.com’s one
    platform.The less vendors
    you have, the less logins,
    the easier it is to operate.
    I need it to be easy, and
    I need it to work. It’s made
    a big difference.”

   Craig Belowski
   General Sales Manager,
   Acton Toyota of Littleton




     +
         43        %       Acton Toyota
                           Increase in lead volume by 43% while using the Dealer.com platform




To learn more, visit Dealer.com or call us at 888.785.5418
Not all interenet sales reps have the
 time to work every lead until they
           buy... AVA does.




         Automated Virtual Assistant




                           Meet AVA
                  866.476.7748

                   Los Angeles • San Antonio
                          Cincinnati
                       www.tkevents.com
AutoSuccess feb11 (1)
What day does your
inventory go to work for you?

                   Day 1
            (while at auction)



               Day 3-4
(vehicle arrives at dealership)




             Day 5-10
           (after vehicle prep)




          Day 10-20
(after Knucklehead gets to it)




                            Why Wait?
 Same day posting with
 HomeNet’s Inventory Online helps thousands of dealers by automating the conversion of raw vehicle data into
 compelling, interactive, and engaging online ads. With real-time updates, live video, and unlimited photos and
 distribution, HomeNet gets your inventory working for you on Day One. When you’re ready to save time and
 sell more cars, call HomeNet.



                                                                              homenetauto.com
                                                                    salesteam@homenetauto.com

                                                                    877-738-3313
THE #1 SALES-IMPROVEMENT MAGAZINE FOR THE AUTOMOTIVE PROFESSIONAL
                                                                                                                                              AutoSuccess Magazine is published monthly at 3834 Taylorsville Rd., Building A, Ste. 1B Louisville, KY 40220; 502.588.3155, fax 502.588.3170. Direct all subscription and customer service inquiries to 877.818.6620 or info@autosuccessonline.com. Subscription rate is $69
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                                                                                                                                              and solutions; views expressed are not necessarily those of AutoSuccess and by no means reflect any guarantees. AutoSuccess accepts no liability in respect of the content of any third party material appearing in this magazine or in respect of the content of any other
                                                                                                                                              magazine to which this magazine may be linked from time to time. Always confer with legal counsel before implementing changes in procedures.© All contents copyrighted by AutoSuccess Magazine, a Division of Systems Marketing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in
                                                                                                                                              whole or part is prohibited without express written consent from AutoSuccess. AutoSuccess may occasionally make readers’ names available to other companies whose products and/or services may be of interest; readers may request that names be removed by calling
                                                                                                                                              877.818.6620. Printed in the USA. Postmaster: Send address changes to AutoSuccess Magazine, 3834 Taylorsville Rd., Building A, Ste. 1B Louisville, KY 40220.
  2300 Hurstbourne Village Dr, Suite 1200 Louisville Kentucky 40299 | 877.818.6620 / 502.588.3170 | AutoSuccessOnline.com / AutoSuccessPodcast.com | info@autosuccessonline.com
  Susan Givens, Publisher                                                                         Thomas Williams, VP & Creative Director                                            Dave Davis, Editor & Creative Strategist                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Brian Ankney, Account Manager                                                                                                                                                                                                     Susie Horne, Account Manager
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             John Warner, Sales-Improvement Strategist
  sgivens1@autosuccessonline.com                                                                  design@autosuccessonline.com                                                       ddavis@autosuccessonline.com                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                super6@autosuccessonline.com                                                                                                                                                                                                      shorne@autosuccessonline.com
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             jwarner@autosuccessonline.com
feature solution




                                                                                                                                                                                            leadership solution




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            marketing solution
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 sales & training solution
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         growing crm use leads to growing dealership
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 what is change and what does it mean to You?




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             the onlY three waYs to grow Your dealership
                                                               New Mercedes Store’s Intense




                                                                                                                                                                                                                  ‘dealer of the Year’ Jessie armstead a proven




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                sales opportunities in the customer lounge
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       historY tells us to make the transition into
                                                            1 Review Sites Beats Recession
                                                               Online” at Search Engines &




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       video search engine optimization increases
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      prospecting, selling gross and referrals
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       becoming a ‘fifth-generation’ dealership
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                the swell of promise is on the horizon:




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 whY Your new Year’s resolutions fail
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  internet sales 20 group review, part 3




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    easier than shooting fish in a barrel
                                                               Focus on “Getting Found




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     are You ready for the next wave of subrime profitability?
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           want to sell more? eat more! part 2




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             are You using Your data integration
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       how feature and benefit selling can cost You sales
                                                               RBM of Atlanta-North:




                                                                                                                                                                                                                  champion on and off the field




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        do You have a game plan linked to all three?
                   an interview with RBM of Atlanta-North




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 selling cars is like popcorn
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        “i want to shop around”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  customer pain = profit




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             as a strategic weapon?




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       sales bY 45 percent
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                                                                                                                                                                                                                   susanGivens


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   seanv.Bradley

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            marshBuice

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   howardLeavitt




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             gregw.Coleman




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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          scottJoseph


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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                JimCrouse




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AutoSuccess feb11 (1)
SusanGivens          leadership solution


                   ‘dealer of the Year’ Jessie
                   armstead a proven champion
                   on and off the field
Jessie Armstead, a five-time Pro Bowl            “It’s an honor to share this award with other      Jeep Grand Cherokee was named “Truck of
linebacker for the NY Giants and Washington      leaders in the industry who acknowledge the        the Year” and the VW TDI Jetta was named
Redskins was recently recognized as “Dealer      multicultural communities that support our         “Green Car of the Year.”
of the Year” at the 15th Annual Urban Wheel      businesses,” Armstead said. “I can only hope
Awards in Detroit, MI. When a pre-season         that the awards show will continue to inspire      Hamilton Honda’s extraordinary growth
injury prompted Armstead to retire from the      my colleagues in the industry to not only          has been a result of their active community
league, he would continue to win off the field   consider, but to embrace the diversity that        involvement, exceptional customer service
and on the lot of Hamilton Honda in Hamilton,    exists across the nation.”                         and their volume-pricing strategy, which gives
NJ — the 65,000-square foot, state-of-the-art                                                       consumers guaranteed low prices, along with
dealership he opened in May 2009 with partner    Editors at Decisive Magazine and an                free oil changes, loaner cars and car washes
and automotive veteran Mike Saporito. Just       independent panel of 15 professional               for life. The dealership has become known for
one year after opening the doors, Hamilton       automotive journalists and business                its customer-friendly team and its state-of-the-
Honda skyrocketed into one of the top            organizations selected all nominees, finalists     art facility is equipped with an Internet café
10-largest Honda dealerships in the nation.      and winners. Armstead accepted this notable        offering free refreshments and a mini-museum
                                                 honor alongside other industry trailblazers who    with Jessie Armstead artifacts from the brightest
Now, as the dealership prepares to finish its    distinguished themselves for their approach to     moments of his career that makes every visit to
second year in business with tremendous          the multicultural consumer base.                   the dealership a top-notch experience.
momentum, Armstead was recognized as
“Automotive Dealer of the Year” at the 2011      Other awardees included Tony K. Brown,             “On and off the field Jessie is a leader and
Annual Urban Wheel Awards. For 15 years          Ford’s group vice president of purchasing,         he inspires greatness from all those he works
running, the star-studded ceremony has           who accepted the award for “Executive of the       with,” said Sean Wolfington, owner of the
honored companies, executives and suppliers      Year” from two distinguished presenters; his       marketing company Hamilton uses.
for recognizing the growing multicultural        boss, Ford CEO Alan Mulally and U.S. Senator
                                                                                                    Armstead’s recognition as “Automotive Dealer
consumer and embracing diversity in              Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). NASCAR’s Max
                                                                                                    of the Year” comes on the heels of other
operations and missions. Armstead took           Siegel, owner and CEO of Revolution Racing,
                                                                                                    notable achievements since his venturing into
home the Oscar-style statue that celebrates      received the “Pioneer of the Year” award.
                                                                                                    the automotive world. Last year, AutoSuccess
the dealer’s creation of products and            “Lifetime Achievement” awards went home
                                                                                                    recognized Armstead and Saporito as
implementation of services that keep the         with Rodney O’Neal, president and CEO of
                                                                                                    “Automotive Pioneers” for their role in
diversity of their consumers in mind.            Delphi; Andra Rush, president of Dakkota
                                                                                                    growing Hamilton Honda into one of the top
                                                 Integrated System; and Frank Venegas,
                                                                                                    10 Honda dealerships in the nation.
                                                 chairman and CEO of The Ideal Group, Inc.
                                                                                                    Although Armstead has received a lot of
                                                 Held at the MotorCity Hotel and Casino             national recognition, he is deeply committed
                                                 in Detroit, the awards show drew in an             to serving his local community and supports a
                                                 impressive crowd of 1,500 automotive               number of not-for-profit organizations including
                                                 executives, supplier executives, politicians and   YMCA, where he was honored as the recipient
                                                 members of the public. Celebrities, awardees       of the prestigious 2010 Community Enrichment
                                                 and community leaders also graced the VIP          Award. Armstead is also actively involved with
                                                 “Green” carpet, hosted by Ed Foxworth III and      DARE, Cystic Fibrosis, My Sisters Place, City
                                                 Naomi Patton. Master of Ceremonies and CBS         Meals on Wheels and Make-a-Wish Foundation.
                                                 News Analyst Jamal Simmons kicked off the          New Jersey Senator Tom Goodwin recognized
                                                 award celebration that honored leaders in the      that “Hamilton Honda has become an important
                                                 automotive industry and showcased the Urban        member of the New Jersey business community
                                                 and Green Vehicles of the Year.                    since in its first year, employing more than
                                                                                                    100 individuals and generating more than $90
                                                 The ceremony marked the start of the North         million in sales revenue.”
partners Jessie armstead and mike
                                                 American International Auto Show, one of
saporito skyrocket to become one of the          the most prestigious auto shows in the world,      Susan Givens is the publisher of AutoSuccess.
top-10 honda dealers in the country in           by recognizing the following vehicles: The         She can be contacted at 877.818.6620, or by
less than 12 months.                             Chevrolet Cruze was named “Car of the Year,”       e-mail at sgivens1@autosuccessonline.com.




08         autosuccessonline.com
AutoSuccess feb11 (1)
GregW.Coleman              sales & training solution


                   growing crm use
                   leads to growing
                   dealership
Conventional wisdom says that keeping prior        been creating monthly newsletters to keep our        information and vehicle history records, along
customers and selling to them is far easier than   brand both relevant and recognizable to our          with their driver’s license, making paper and
making cold calls to potential new customers,      previous customers.                                  even typing a thing of the past.
and that is as true — if not more so — for the
auto sales business as any other industry.         as: how do you use your crm                          as: when looking for a crm provider,
                                                   system in areas of your dealership                   what are the most important thing a
The CRM is a vital tool in creating a              other than sales?                                    dealership should look for?
relationship with customers that turns into a      gc: Other than the initial sale, we use it for       gc: A dealership should first do an internal
rewarding experience for both the customer         birthdays, anniversaries and even service            analysis. First of all, are we ready for a CRM?
and the dealership. Many dealerships,              campaigns. If you only think of a CRM as an          Will it be a culture change, and do I have the
however, only scratch the surface on utilizing     initial sales tool, you are probably missing         right personnel to embrace this technology?
their CRM to its fullest. We recently spoke        half of the potential benefit to your dealership.    Are we ready to accommodate the customer
with Greg Coleman, director of business            Having the ability to e-mail campaigns to            and sales personnel with computer terminals,
development of the Oxmoor Automotive               hundreds — sometimes potentially thousands           driver license scanners and other technology?
Group in Louisville, Kentucky, about how           — of prospects and customers at no cost is an        After this is answered, a request for proposal
they found a CRM provider that met their           extremely valuable and powerful resource.            should be sent to potential providers. A
needs and how they are growing to use their                                                             cookie-cutter approach won’t work for every
system to build their future.                      as: describe how your crm system                     dealer. Make a CRM provider partner with
                                                   is used in the path to the sale.                     you, not sell to you. Also, consider initial
autosuccess: describe how the place                gc: Our CRM is utilized in the path to the           training and support — these were the two
of the crm system has evolved within               sale as a guide or road map. Once a prospect         most important factors for us.
your dealership in the last few years.             is engaged, either on the lot or through the
greg coleman: The CRM has evolved in               Internet or phone, a set of steps is initiated. We   as: what would be your advice to
our dealerships dramatically, and continues to     don’t believe in templates as a crutch, but we       other dealers on different methods of
be more of an asset each month. As recently as     do utilize templates to begin the conversation       utilizing their crm that they might not
the spring of 2010, CRM was only utilized by       so we have a consistent approach to all of our       be using?
our Internet departments. Traditional “paper       prospects. We also utilize it as a daily guide       gc: One piece of advice I would give would
logs” were used by closers for the sales floor,    for our sales staff. Each has a plan for the day     be to incorporate newsletters and e-mail
and accountability was just a guess. The CRM       to follow up on unsold customers as well as          campaigns into their marketing. I have found
was introduced to the dealership as a whole        those previously sold. In the winter months,         that to be time well spent. It can be used
and communication, as well as accountability,      the “up bus” is not coming; it is important to       for prospects, sold customers and non-sold
has improved dramatically. We follow up            have a plan, and the program our provider has        prospects, and is absolutely free. This is
with each customer, processes have been            set up, helps give us that plan.                     obviously nothing new, but in the regular
streamlined and, with continued monitoring,                                                             mystery shops that I conduct, I find that maybe
we look forward to an increase in ROI of our       as: what would you like to see crm                   only five percent of dealers over a several-
marketing dollars.                                 systems grow to include in the next                  month time period will use a newsletter to
                                                   few years?                                           follow up.
as: how do you use your existing                   gc: It is hard to fathom now what the
customer database in your marketing                need will be in a few years. It seems like
efforts, and how does the crm help                 technology is changing by the day, and in my         For more information about Greg W. Coleman,
with that?                                         opinion, we could use a couple of years to           MBA, director of business development
gc: We utilize our existing database               perfect all of the systems and processes we          for the Oxmoor Automotive Group, visit
for several marketing campaigns. Lease             have available to us now. I can only imagine         www.oxmoorautogroup.com.
renewals, service reminders and data mining        mobile capabilities though, and can envision
                                                                                                        For more information about eLEAD CRM,
for customers in equity positions have been        the time when a customer comes in and can
                                                                                                        contact director of marketing, Melissa Maxey.
some examples of successfully using our            scan their iPhone into a system that will            She can be contacted at 866.922.0175, or by
current database. At a minimum, we have            know their credit, and have all of their trade       e-mail at mmaxey@autosuccessonline.com.


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their situation? beyond “challenging”
When RBM of Atlanta-North’s location was selected in 2006 for a brand-
new Mercedes store, the stars looked aligned for sure success for the
Alpharetta, GA dealership. Atlanta was the fastest-growing city in the U.S.
— Forsyth County ranked among the fastest-growing, highest-income
suburbs in the nation — and car dealers were basking in five straight years
of more than 16.5 million new vehicles sold. As hard as it is to replay the
recent recession, we know the next dark chapter: RBM North opened its
doors in late 2007, precisely when the economy sank into recession. Their
grand-opening balloons deflated fast as housing prices, jobs and car sales
began their downward spiral. “Our location, Forsyth County, took some of
the most severe blows in the entire country,” said GM Randy Powell.

To make matters worse, not only were they the youngest Mercedes
dealership in a market with four established players, they were a near-
rural, “destination” store with severely limited natural traffic. Internet
manager Bethany Johnson joked, “Most of our drive-bys are cows.”

forging the strategy
Powell had to take a hard look at their situation: the harsh economic
realities, their near-remote location and the fact that, in a brutally
competitive market, no one knew who or where they were. “We needed a
cost-efficient strategy that would get us found, and fast,” he said. Powell,
who serves on MBUSA’s Regional Dealer Advisory Board, said that
while he has 35 years of experience in the car business, the strategy he
devised didn’t come from him being a “car guy,” but by taking a clear-
headed look at what actual consumers did when they bought anything.

Powell used his wife as his “strategy muse.” “No matter what she was
after, she was online, all over the search engines and review sites, and
she always managed to nail the right choice, even if she had to go out
of her way,” he said. “I knew we needed to think like her, and focus
aggressively on our search presence/SEO and our online reviews. About
90 percent of car buyers use search engines, so first they have to find
you, and then you need to answer their main question: ‘Do I want to
do business with you?’” While RBM North’s “online visibility” quest
evolved over the next three years, they flew out of the gate with an 85
percent digital strategy (which has now grown to 90 percent). Their
strategy revolves around two core pillars: have a powerful, first-page
organic search presence, and stand out as the No. 1 consumer choice,
with great online reviews.

getting seo right
Powell had a freshly minted URL, but it was, as he puts it, “on the 400th
page at Google.” He initially bought his way onto the first page through
PPC, and then in 2008 hired one SEO company (and then another), but
met with mediocre results, only achieving 30 percent first-page placement
rates. He ultimately chose eXtéresAUTO to try a more collaborative
SEO approach — and one that cast a far wider geographical optimization
“net,” given that Atlanta metro is more spread out than Massachusetts.
And, given the state of new-vehicle sales, they decided to intensely
optimize pre-owned inventory, service and wholesale parts, with tens of
thousands of make-, model- and city-specific optimizations established
around keywords such as “certified,” “used,” “parts,” “service” and
“repair” across Google, Yahoo! and Bing.

seo impact
Powell reports that their subsequent organic results “reveal why dealers
should never give up on SEO, and why they (who know the market trends
best) should collaborate with providers.” Johnson said that within just
three months they saw “a massive impact on new, used, service and parts
sales, and a huge jump in out-of-state parts and pre-owned business.”

• First-page search engine placement rates skyrocketed from 32
  percent in early 2009 to 85 percent today.
• The dealership has had nearly 700 percent growth in Website
  traffic: 765 unique visitors monthly before the campaign (Feb. 2009)
  to 1,215 by Nov. 2009 to 5,905 by Dec. 2010. Search engines now
  drive the lion’s share of their Web traffic (49 percent), followed by
  direct-to-site (43 percent) and third-party lead sources (six percent).

tackling online reviews
By early 2009, Powell and Johnson realized that the impact of online
reviews had reached a tipping-point. And they also saw the major
competitive opportunity, given the striking disconnect between the             instance, when Google Places rolled out in October (a major change in
good customer experience luxury dealers actually provide, and their            the way local search results are displayed, giving far more visibility to
often far less positive online reputations. “It had become a far bigger        a business’ reviews) Johnson said, “Our dealership’s 220-plus, near-5-
animal,” Johnson said, “and while we were committed to keeping our             star reviews now really leap out in local dealer searches at Google, as
online reputation management totally authentic and organically-driven,         does our competitors’ complacency. Reviews are all stacked up against
we needed help with the heavy lifting.” They again partnered with              each other on the first page, and it’s pretty obvious who I would call.”
eXtéresAUTO, setting in place processes and tools to systematically            The upshot: RBM North saw an immediate 30 percent increase in
track, manage and gather reviews.                                              calls from Google/the review sites across the last two months of 2010
                                                                               (traditionally rotten traffic months for dealers), compared with their
their process                                                                  summer numbers.
• Let the whole store know how serious this campaign was — and they
  “funded the party,” replacing CSI survey bonuses with rewards-per-           RBM’s North’s strategy was 100 percent-based on what auto shoppers
  positive-review.                                                             actually do most (search online) — and what they seek most (the right
• Implement a back-office tool to track all reviews/posts about their          dealership, with a great reputation). Despite the nearly absurd challenges
  dealership to immediately respond to any unhappy customers.                  they faced, their SEO and online reputation management campaigns
• Top management personally calls to make it right, following up with          ensured they not only survived the recession, but they prospered. And
  e-mails linking to sites where posts were made, making it easy for           they’ve really put themselves in the pole position today, as search evolves
  customers to retract reviews or post new reviews.                            and online review activity ramps up across the Web and the big auto sites.
• For each new, positive CSI survey and with every visibly satisfied           “At the time, the decisions we made weren’t ‘safe,’ but they turned out to
  customer (sold/unsold), they politely request a review, following            be right,” Powell said. “No marketing strategies have a higher impact, are
  up via e-mail templates that make it easy for customers to post by           more cost-efficient or deliver a greater ROI.”
  including links to targeted review sites.
• Templates are loaded on every sales/service reps’ computer and can           For a free, step-by-step playbook on how to implement this proven
  be customized and deployed with three clicks.                                reputation management process at your dealership – and/or a free,
• Rotate review site links to saturate reviews across targeted sites.          customized report on whether your dealership is ready for the new
• Don’t aim for all 5-stars or try to remove/rebut negative reviews            Google, e-mail or call us at the information below.
  publicly online. If negative reviews appear, use templates to gather
  positive reviews at those sites to “surround them with love.”                For more info on RBM of Atlanta-North, visit www.rbmnorth.com.
• Establish online pages for salespeople to showcase their reviews, and
  then train them to use positive reviews to convert prospects.                For more information about eXtéresAUTO, contact the director of
• Include reviews in outgoing e-mail signatures, at the Website and            dealer training, Merla Turner. She can be contacted at 866.462.6914,
                                                                               or by e-mail at mturner@autosuccessonline.com.
  in marketing.
• Insist on great customer service. Identify anyone less than happy
  before they leave the dealership.

reputation management impact
“Our 20-month review push has led to an ever-escalating increase in
phone, Website and e-mail inquiries; walk-in traffic; and closing ratios,
as we’ve blanketed reviews across many sites,” said Peter Leavy, the
dealership’s GSM. The numbers bear this out:
• The number of reviews has grown from 13 before campaign started to
   296 (near-5-star) reviews by Dec. 2010.
• There has been 1,000 percent-plus growth in review-site-generated
   calls.
• Review-driven customers close 15 points higher than all other leads.
• One-third of review-generated customers specifically ask for
   salespeople by name.
• Overall new, used and service business was boosted by 10 to 15
   percent.

combined roi:
SEO and reputation management combined have had a dramatic impact
on their bottom-line. “We are by far the newest, most remote store, with
the leanest budget among our competitors,” Powell said, “but because
we’ve established the best search and review presence, we’ve quickly
cornered 10 percent more market share.”

search engines + review sites now drive:
• 500-plus, tracked calls each month.
• 70 percent-plus of their digital business, and 60 percent-plus of
  total store business, at only 6 percent of their total digital spend.

google places and developments on the online review front
RBM North’s online visibility campaign helped them thrive over several
of the toughest years the auto business has ever seen. And, in just the last
few months of 2010, there have been a host of rapid-fire developments
on the online review front, from Google Places to Google’s HotPot
(their new location-based review platform) to Edmunds’ new site putting
a huge emphasis on dealer reviews to Cars.com’s announcement that
they’ll unveil dealer reviews this March (putting the muscle of two Super
Bowl commercials behind the launch).

All this means that RBM North’s past, present — and future — hard
work in the review trenches has — and will — pay off even more. For
SeanV.Bradley           leadership solution                                              what three qualities do you look for
                                                                                                            when hiring a new salesperson?

                   internet sales                                                                           • Personality, drive and communication skills




                                                                                                   PART 3
                                                                                                            • Good communication skills, good

                   20 group                                                                                   personality (reflects on phone calls) and
                                                                                                              organization skills

                   review                                                                                   • Appearance, aggressive in work ethic and
                                                                                                              very personable
This month, we’ll finish our look at the                and sheriff deputies with their motorcycles,        • Personality, appearance and hunger
responses we gathered from our recent,                  K-9 units and a helicopter. We also had a             (willingness/wanting to work/wanting the
successful Internet Sales 20 Group three-day            trick or trunk contest where children could           sale)
event. 20 Groups are great because they show            trick or treat and vote on each vehicle.
real-world situations and real-world solutions.
There are few unique problems; odds are,                                                                    • Willingness to learn, creativity, and a person
                                                    if you had to pick one area for your                      who follows through and completes projects
someone out there has faced what you’re facing,     salespeople to work on for professional
and has figured it out. Reinventing the wheel is                                                              on time with the brand in mind
                                                    development, what would that be?
a waste; learn from the experience of others.       • Phone skills and training                             • Desire (the will to do what it takes to
                                                                                                              steadily perform), professionalism (someone
what are some unusual ways that                     • Work ethic and self motivation                          who customers will feel comfortable
you’ve been able to build an identity for
                                                    • Listen, listen, listen!                                 with) and attitude (positive attitude lead to
your dealership to separate it from the                                                                       positive results; negative attitude can be a
competition?                                        • Customer e-mail follow-up, texting and                  cancer to your team and dealership)
• We engage in a lot of community involvement.        social media
  We sponsor local sports teams, host annual                                                                • Self motivated, coachable and good listener
  flu shots through the Red Cross and sponsor a     • Learn to drive traffic for themselves, and
  scholarship at the local high school.               create their own book of business                     • Personality, good attitude and self-
                                                                                                              confidence
• We hosted a child safety and trick or trunk       • Willingness to accept the Internet
  event with 40 other co-sponsors, which              department and the ideas/changes that we              Sean V. Bradley is the founder and CEO
  brought more than 2,000 people to our               would like to implement                               of Dealer Synergy, a nationally recognized
                                                                                                            training and consulting company in the
  dealership. We had our local fire department      • Time management                                       automotive industry. He can be contacted at
  and Northstar ambulance display the “jaws                                                                 866.648.7400, or by e-mail at
  of life” in action, plus we had local police      • Confidence, confidence, confidence                    sbradley@autosuccessonline.com.




                                                                                   AutoRaptor CRM




                                                   •	
                                                   •	
                                                   •	




14          autosuccessonline.com
AutoSuccess feb11 (1)
MarshBuice              leadership solution



                                 want to sell




                                                                                                                                                  PART 2
                                 more? eat more!
         In hopes of improving our sales career, we                   one table to the next as if they were on ice —        Clients like to work with people who do not
         recently peered into the world of fine dining                making it seem effortless.                            look like they are standing on a corner waiting
         in order to gain an insight of what great                                                                          for a cab. When negotiating with your clients,
         servers do so well to enhance their guest’s                  Lesson learned: “Deception” in the world of           a great consultant should follow the 3 P’s:
         evening and to improve their paycheck. We                    sales can be interpreted as a nasty, negative         Prepare, Present and Patience. Preparation
         now know that great servers make themselves                  word, unless put in its proper perspective.           is critical when working with a client. An
         approachable to their guests, are attentive to               Sales is infested with rejection, missed quotas,      unprepared sales consultant can be snuffed
         their needs and have extensive knowledge                     product failures and disgruntled clients. A           out within seconds. Uninterested clients make
         about the foods they are serving. Here are a                 masterful sales consultant deceives the fact          comments like, “We will think about it and
         few more lessons sales consultants can learn                 that, although calamity may be happening all          get back to you.” They then take a “three-year
         from great servers:                                          around, it must be put in its proper perspective      business trip” – always away on business each
                                                                      by dealing with one issue at a time. If sales         time you call to follow up. A made-to-order
         be deceptive                                                 were easy, you would have never replaced the          presentation is presented showing what the
         Great servers are masterful deceivers. They                  person who jumped ship in hopes of finding an         client will benefit from your product. If the
         make their guests feel exclusive. At their last              easier gig. Be grateful that you have the rare        first two have been done correctly, a sales
         table, no tip was given and the guests left the              quality of being able to handle rejections, fight     consultant can then display patience by asking
         charred remains of crackers and foods strewn                 through missed quotas, give superior service          for the order and silently waiting for an answer.
         about by three children who apparently                       when a product fails and be empathetic toward         Great consultants are wave makers; they strike
         have never had the privilege of feeling the                  your frustrated clients. Sales consultants            the water (preparation) causing ripples of
         leathery, disciplining power of a belt. Great                wear many hats. It is not your client’s               more waves to reverberate (presentation) and
         servers deceive their anger and do not carry                 responsibility to deal with your personal             continue to sell even when nothing is being
         their frustrations from one table to the                     problems, but it is your responsibility to care       said at all.
         next. Servers act like a host of the Emmy’s,                 for their needs. Do not let all of the hard work
         keeping the atmosphere light, festive and                    you have worked for hours, days, even months          servers are artists
         moving. Servers have the ability to glide from               get flushed away because you are having a             A great server is an artist who uses his unique
                                                                                                  bad day. Solutions        creativity to show sensitivity and imagination
                                                                                                  to problems are           to his guests in hopes of making the evening
                                                                                                  the mortar in the         as unique as a thumbprint. A magical,
                                                                                                  building blocks           memorable evening creates a relationship and

                                                           Phone?                                 of your character
                                                                                                  and you must
                                                                                                  never take things
                                                                                                                            has guests coming back for more. My wife
                                                                                                                            and I have a restaurant we frequent on very
                                                                                                                            special occasions, but if our favorite server

                                                            Smart!                                personally.

                                                                                                     be alive,
                                                                                                                            is not there, neither are we — she makes the
                                                                                                                            evening that special. What a great server is to a
                                                                                                                            restaurant is what a three-wine reduction sauce
                                                                                                     not a corpse           is to a steak: the missing link.
                                                                Loyalty Driver                       Waiting in a state
                                                                                                     of repose is not       Lesson learned: You are the award-winning
                                                             E-newsletters are                       what great servers     artist of “You.com.” Market yourself in such
                                                             now available on                        do. Servers do not     a way that, through selling a superior product
                                                                                                     believe in hovering    and creating a memorable experience, a
                                                              all smartphones                        over their guests,     relationship will be formed. People do not buy
                                                                                                     as if working for      great products; they buy quality products from
                                                                                                     the Secret Service.    a great consultant. Relationships trump price
                                                                                                     Great servers are      every time.
                                                                                                     experts of running
                                                                                                     a covert operation     Congratulations, you have rekindled your
                                                                                                     making the guests      relationship, brought your pallet out of
             Just another way to reach customers on the go.                                          feel alone, but        hibernation tasting five-star delicacies, as well
                                                                                                     never further than a   as put your sales career back on the right tracks
                Now that’s smart. Really smart.                                                      glance away.           toward your quest of being a superior sales
                                                                                                                            consultant. Eat from the tree of success, be
                                                                                                     Lesson Learned:        fruitful in your relationships, and multiply your
                         Innovative E-newsletter Solutions                                           Great consultants      sales exponentially.
                         For more information, visit our website, or give us a call:
                                                                                                     should be in a
                    AutoSuccess.LoyaltyDriver.com | 866-964-6397                                     constant state of
                                                                                                     motion. I teach
                                                                                                     my consultants to      Marsh Buice is the sales manager of Mark
                                                                                                     appear to be busy,     Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep. He can be contacted
                                                                                                     even if they have      at 866.535.5006, or by e-mail at
                                                                                                     nothing to do.         mbuice@autosuccessonline.com.


         16             autosuccessonline.com
IMN-3.6875x4.875-v4.indd 1                                                             9/17/2010 9:47:58 AM
Providing The
LIVE ADVANTAGE
in AUTo AUCTionS
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BUYERADVANTAGEEXPERIENCEADVANTAGELIVEADVANTAGE


The iAA hybrid Auction Model combines live and live-online bidding into one auction event selling
                                                                                                  ®
to buyers from more than 100 countries. Let us show you how our live auctioneers, iAA run  drive
lanes, and onsite previews promote your vehicles’ full value for high retentions.

Contact us or visit www.iaai-advantage.com to learn more about IAA’s Live Advantage!




remarketing Center
888.839.4220 • 207.426.9034 (Fax)
groupnrC@iaai.com                                                                                               www.iaai.com

                 one Car one difference turns donated vehicles into charity dollars.
                 Make a difference in 2011 – visit 1car1difference.com
                                                                                       © 2011 Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc. All rights reserved.
DalePollak         marketing solution



                    selling cars is
                    like popcorn “In other words,                                                       if you have the wrong cars and
Many dealers are familiar with the phrase          vehicle is on page four and the shopper only
“popcorn cars.” This refers to cars that sell or   looks at vehicles on pages one, two and three.       poor marketing, bargain basement
“pop” quickly off the lot. The analogy between     In this case, your dealership does not get credit    pricing will never be enough.
cars and popcorn, however, may have more           for an SRP until and unless the shopper looks        Similarly, you can have the most
relevance today than ever in the past.             at page four, the one that contains your vehicle.    desired vehicles and tremendous
                                                   If the shopper who looks at page four drills         marketing skills, but if the vehicles
The essential ingredients of popcorn are           down on your vehicle to see all the photos and




                                                                                                        p p.”
kernels, oil and fire. Anyone that has cooked      description, then you get credit for a VDP.          are overpriced it just won’t
popcorn knows that some kernels pop quickly        Keep in mind that on a third-party classified
while others more slowly. When most of the         advertising site, nothing of any value occurs
kernels are popped, there are always some left     for a dealer until and unless the dealership gets
over that never popped.                            a VDP view on their vehicle.

Assume that your used vehicles are the             Now, consider an example of two vehicles in          VDP performance of their inventory. Ironically,
kernels, the oil is your photos and descriptions   stock. After 15 days in inventory, the first car     SRP and VDP information for every car has
and the fire is your pricing. It’s obvious that    has 50 SRP hits and 15 VDP hits. The second          been available for a long time on the back end
no matter how hot the flame, you can’t make        car has six SRP hits and 0 VDP hits. What does       of well-known sites like AutoTrader.com and
popcorn with feed corn or without oil. In          this information tell the dealer that wants to       Cars.com. Typically however, most used car
other words, if you have the wrong cars and        pop these two vehicles off their lot?                managers are unaware that this information
poor marketing, bargain basement pricing                                                                exists or its relevance to the desired outcome
will never be enough. Similarly, you can have      The first vehicle that received 50 SRPs is           of moving cars quickly. Such information
the most desired vehicles and tremendous           one that is much more sought after than the          has traditionally been viewed as merely
marketing skills, but if the vehicles are          second vehicle that received only six SRPs.          Internet metrics without much relevance to
overpriced it just won’t pop. The reality is,      Essentially, the first vehicle is gourmet corn,      used vehicle production. In fact, the tracking
like popcorn, you have to have the right cars,     while the second vehicle is feed corn. The fact      of SRPs and VDPs on a per-vehicle basis
great marketing and proper pricing.                that the first vehicle converted SRPs to VDPs        is probably the most important used car
                                                   at the rate of 30 percent suggests that its photos   management metric in the car dealership today.
Today, dealers have access to information that     and description are superb and the price is          Knowing whether the vehicles in stock are
can help them pop every car perfectly every        proper. The fact that the second vehicle didn’t      ones that people are searching for, whether
time. This new information is the number of        convert any of the SRPs into VDPs suggests           the photos and descriptions are differentiating
search result page (SRP) hits and vehicle detail   that the marketing and/or pricing is not             and whether the current price is right are the
page (VDP) conversions. So what is an SRP          right. Put another way, all the ingredients for      essential ingredients for used car success.
and a VDP? If an online shopper searches for       popping this car off the lot are missing.
a 2009 F150 truck, they may get five pages of                                                           Dale Pollak is the founder of vAuto and a
F150 trucks returned. Depending on the site,       The question is whether the individual in your       best-selling author. He can be contacted
there are usually between 25 and 50 vehicles       dealership who is responsible for popping cars       at 866.867.9620, or by e-mail at
on a page. Assume that your dealership’s           off the lot has any awareness as to the SRP and      dpollak@autosuccessonline.com.




18          autosuccessonline.com
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AutoSuccess feb11 (1)

  • 2. The New Dealer.com Platform Empowering Connections “We connect to our customers using Dealer.com’s one platform.The less vendors you have, the less logins, the easier it is to operate. I need it to be easy, and I need it to work. It’s made a big difference.” Craig Belowski General Sales Manager, Acton Toyota of Littleton + 43 % Acton Toyota Increase in lead volume by 43% while using the Dealer.com platform To learn more, visit Dealer.com or call us at 888.785.5418
  • 3. Not all interenet sales reps have the time to work every lead until they buy... AVA does. Automated Virtual Assistant Meet AVA 866.476.7748 Los Angeles • San Antonio Cincinnati www.tkevents.com
  • 5. What day does your inventory go to work for you? Day 1 (while at auction) Day 3-4 (vehicle arrives at dealership) Day 5-10 (after vehicle prep) Day 10-20 (after Knucklehead gets to it) Why Wait? Same day posting with HomeNet’s Inventory Online helps thousands of dealers by automating the conversion of raw vehicle data into compelling, interactive, and engaging online ads. With real-time updates, live video, and unlimited photos and distribution, HomeNet gets your inventory working for you on Day One. When you’re ready to save time and sell more cars, call HomeNet. homenetauto.com salesteam@homenetauto.com 877-738-3313
  • 6. THE #1 SALES-IMPROVEMENT MAGAZINE FOR THE AUTOMOTIVE PROFESSIONAL AutoSuccess Magazine is published monthly at 3834 Taylorsville Rd., Building A, Ste. 1B Louisville, KY 40220; 502.588.3155, fax 502.588.3170. Direct all subscription and customer service inquiries to 877.818.6620 or info@autosuccessonline.com. Subscription rate is $69 per year. AutoSuccess welcomes unsolicited editorials and graphics (not responsible for their return). All submitted editorials and graphics are subject to editing for grammar, content and page length. AutoSuccess provides its contributing writers latitude in expressing advice and solutions; views expressed are not necessarily those of AutoSuccess and by no means reflect any guarantees. AutoSuccess accepts no liability in respect of the content of any third party material appearing in this magazine or in respect of the content of any other magazine to which this magazine may be linked from time to time. Always confer with legal counsel before implementing changes in procedures.© All contents copyrighted by AutoSuccess Magazine, a Division of Systems Marketing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited without express written consent from AutoSuccess. AutoSuccess may occasionally make readers’ names available to other companies whose products and/or services may be of interest; readers may request that names be removed by calling 877.818.6620. Printed in the USA. Postmaster: Send address changes to AutoSuccess Magazine, 3834 Taylorsville Rd., Building A, Ste. 1B Louisville, KY 40220. 2300 Hurstbourne Village Dr, Suite 1200 Louisville Kentucky 40299 | 877.818.6620 / 502.588.3170 | AutoSuccessOnline.com / AutoSuccessPodcast.com | info@autosuccessonline.com Susan Givens, Publisher Thomas Williams, VP & Creative Director Dave Davis, Editor & Creative Strategist Brian Ankney, Account Manager Susie Horne, Account Manager John Warner, Sales-Improvement Strategist sgivens1@autosuccessonline.com design@autosuccessonline.com ddavis@autosuccessonline.com super6@autosuccessonline.com shorne@autosuccessonline.com jwarner@autosuccessonline.com feature solution leadership solution marketing solution sales & training solution growing crm use leads to growing dealership what is change and what does it mean to You? the onlY three waYs to grow Your dealership New Mercedes Store’s Intense ‘dealer of the Year’ Jessie armstead a proven sales opportunities in the customer lounge historY tells us to make the transition into 1 Review Sites Beats Recession Online” at Search Engines & video search engine optimization increases prospecting, selling gross and referrals becoming a ‘fifth-generation’ dealership the swell of promise is on the horizon: whY Your new Year’s resolutions fail internet sales 20 group review, part 3 easier than shooting fish in a barrel Focus on “Getting Found are You ready for the next wave of subrime profitability? want to sell more? eat more! part 2 are You using Your data integration how feature and benefit selling can cost You sales RBM of Atlanta-North: champion on and off the field do You have a game plan linked to all three? an interview with RBM of Atlanta-North selling cars is like popcorn “i want to shop around” customer pain = profit as a strategic weapon? sales bY 45 percent 38 39 08 14 10 26 36 42 30 32 24 28 16 22 34 18 20 susanGivens seanv.Bradley marshBuice howardLeavitt gregw.Coleman franTaylor markTewart tomHopkins mattBaker seanStapleton scottJoseph susanGivens erikStuttz JimCrouse bryanAnderson dalePollak marcSmith 2 28 10 30
  • 8. SusanGivens leadership solution ‘dealer of the Year’ Jessie armstead a proven champion on and off the field Jessie Armstead, a five-time Pro Bowl “It’s an honor to share this award with other Jeep Grand Cherokee was named “Truck of linebacker for the NY Giants and Washington leaders in the industry who acknowledge the the Year” and the VW TDI Jetta was named Redskins was recently recognized as “Dealer multicultural communities that support our “Green Car of the Year.” of the Year” at the 15th Annual Urban Wheel businesses,” Armstead said. “I can only hope Awards in Detroit, MI. When a pre-season that the awards show will continue to inspire Hamilton Honda’s extraordinary growth injury prompted Armstead to retire from the my colleagues in the industry to not only has been a result of their active community league, he would continue to win off the field consider, but to embrace the diversity that involvement, exceptional customer service and on the lot of Hamilton Honda in Hamilton, exists across the nation.” and their volume-pricing strategy, which gives NJ — the 65,000-square foot, state-of-the-art consumers guaranteed low prices, along with dealership he opened in May 2009 with partner Editors at Decisive Magazine and an free oil changes, loaner cars and car washes and automotive veteran Mike Saporito. Just independent panel of 15 professional for life. The dealership has become known for one year after opening the doors, Hamilton automotive journalists and business its customer-friendly team and its state-of-the- Honda skyrocketed into one of the top organizations selected all nominees, finalists art facility is equipped with an Internet café 10-largest Honda dealerships in the nation. and winners. Armstead accepted this notable offering free refreshments and a mini-museum honor alongside other industry trailblazers who with Jessie Armstead artifacts from the brightest Now, as the dealership prepares to finish its distinguished themselves for their approach to moments of his career that makes every visit to second year in business with tremendous the multicultural consumer base. the dealership a top-notch experience. momentum, Armstead was recognized as “Automotive Dealer of the Year” at the 2011 Other awardees included Tony K. Brown, “On and off the field Jessie is a leader and Annual Urban Wheel Awards. For 15 years Ford’s group vice president of purchasing, he inspires greatness from all those he works running, the star-studded ceremony has who accepted the award for “Executive of the with,” said Sean Wolfington, owner of the honored companies, executives and suppliers Year” from two distinguished presenters; his marketing company Hamilton uses. for recognizing the growing multicultural boss, Ford CEO Alan Mulally and U.S. Senator Armstead’s recognition as “Automotive Dealer consumer and embracing diversity in Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). NASCAR’s Max of the Year” comes on the heels of other operations and missions. Armstead took Siegel, owner and CEO of Revolution Racing, notable achievements since his venturing into home the Oscar-style statue that celebrates received the “Pioneer of the Year” award. the automotive world. Last year, AutoSuccess the dealer’s creation of products and “Lifetime Achievement” awards went home recognized Armstead and Saporito as implementation of services that keep the with Rodney O’Neal, president and CEO of “Automotive Pioneers” for their role in diversity of their consumers in mind. Delphi; Andra Rush, president of Dakkota growing Hamilton Honda into one of the top Integrated System; and Frank Venegas, 10 Honda dealerships in the nation. chairman and CEO of The Ideal Group, Inc. Although Armstead has received a lot of Held at the MotorCity Hotel and Casino national recognition, he is deeply committed in Detroit, the awards show drew in an to serving his local community and supports a impressive crowd of 1,500 automotive number of not-for-profit organizations including executives, supplier executives, politicians and YMCA, where he was honored as the recipient members of the public. Celebrities, awardees of the prestigious 2010 Community Enrichment and community leaders also graced the VIP Award. Armstead is also actively involved with “Green” carpet, hosted by Ed Foxworth III and DARE, Cystic Fibrosis, My Sisters Place, City Naomi Patton. Master of Ceremonies and CBS Meals on Wheels and Make-a-Wish Foundation. News Analyst Jamal Simmons kicked off the New Jersey Senator Tom Goodwin recognized award celebration that honored leaders in the that “Hamilton Honda has become an important automotive industry and showcased the Urban member of the New Jersey business community and Green Vehicles of the Year. since in its first year, employing more than 100 individuals and generating more than $90 The ceremony marked the start of the North million in sales revenue.” partners Jessie armstead and mike American International Auto Show, one of saporito skyrocket to become one of the the most prestigious auto shows in the world, Susan Givens is the publisher of AutoSuccess. top-10 honda dealers in the country in by recognizing the following vehicles: The She can be contacted at 877.818.6620, or by less than 12 months. Chevrolet Cruze was named “Car of the Year,” e-mail at sgivens1@autosuccessonline.com. 08 autosuccessonline.com
  • 10. GregW.Coleman sales & training solution growing crm use leads to growing dealership Conventional wisdom says that keeping prior been creating monthly newsletters to keep our information and vehicle history records, along customers and selling to them is far easier than brand both relevant and recognizable to our with their driver’s license, making paper and making cold calls to potential new customers, previous customers. even typing a thing of the past. and that is as true — if not more so — for the auto sales business as any other industry. as: how do you use your crm as: when looking for a crm provider, system in areas of your dealership what are the most important thing a The CRM is a vital tool in creating a other than sales? dealership should look for? relationship with customers that turns into a gc: Other than the initial sale, we use it for gc: A dealership should first do an internal rewarding experience for both the customer birthdays, anniversaries and even service analysis. First of all, are we ready for a CRM? and the dealership. Many dealerships, campaigns. If you only think of a CRM as an Will it be a culture change, and do I have the however, only scratch the surface on utilizing initial sales tool, you are probably missing right personnel to embrace this technology? their CRM to its fullest. We recently spoke half of the potential benefit to your dealership. Are we ready to accommodate the customer with Greg Coleman, director of business Having the ability to e-mail campaigns to and sales personnel with computer terminals, development of the Oxmoor Automotive hundreds — sometimes potentially thousands driver license scanners and other technology? Group in Louisville, Kentucky, about how — of prospects and customers at no cost is an After this is answered, a request for proposal they found a CRM provider that met their extremely valuable and powerful resource. should be sent to potential providers. A needs and how they are growing to use their cookie-cutter approach won’t work for every system to build their future. as: describe how your crm system dealer. Make a CRM provider partner with is used in the path to the sale. you, not sell to you. Also, consider initial autosuccess: describe how the place gc: Our CRM is utilized in the path to the training and support — these were the two of the crm system has evolved within sale as a guide or road map. Once a prospect most important factors for us. your dealership in the last few years. is engaged, either on the lot or through the greg coleman: The CRM has evolved in Internet or phone, a set of steps is initiated. We as: what would be your advice to our dealerships dramatically, and continues to don’t believe in templates as a crutch, but we other dealers on different methods of be more of an asset each month. As recently as do utilize templates to begin the conversation utilizing their crm that they might not the spring of 2010, CRM was only utilized by so we have a consistent approach to all of our be using? our Internet departments. Traditional “paper prospects. We also utilize it as a daily guide gc: One piece of advice I would give would logs” were used by closers for the sales floor, for our sales staff. Each has a plan for the day be to incorporate newsletters and e-mail and accountability was just a guess. The CRM to follow up on unsold customers as well as campaigns into their marketing. I have found was introduced to the dealership as a whole those previously sold. In the winter months, that to be time well spent. It can be used and communication, as well as accountability, the “up bus” is not coming; it is important to for prospects, sold customers and non-sold has improved dramatically. We follow up have a plan, and the program our provider has prospects, and is absolutely free. This is with each customer, processes have been set up, helps give us that plan. obviously nothing new, but in the regular streamlined and, with continued monitoring, mystery shops that I conduct, I find that maybe we look forward to an increase in ROI of our as: what would you like to see crm only five percent of dealers over a several- marketing dollars. systems grow to include in the next month time period will use a newsletter to few years? follow up. as: how do you use your existing gc: It is hard to fathom now what the customer database in your marketing need will be in a few years. It seems like efforts, and how does the crm help technology is changing by the day, and in my For more information about Greg W. Coleman, with that? opinion, we could use a couple of years to MBA, director of business development gc: We utilize our existing database perfect all of the systems and processes we for the Oxmoor Automotive Group, visit for several marketing campaigns. Lease have available to us now. I can only imagine www.oxmoorautogroup.com. renewals, service reminders and data mining mobile capabilities though, and can envision For more information about eLEAD CRM, for customers in equity positions have been the time when a customer comes in and can contact director of marketing, Melissa Maxey. some examples of successfully using our scan their iPhone into a system that will She can be contacted at 866.922.0175, or by current database. At a minimum, we have know their credit, and have all of their trade e-mail at mmaxey@autosuccessonline.com. OFFER A SERVICE TO YOUR CUSTOMERS THAT MOST OTHER DEALERS CAN’T PROVIDE! Give your customers an alternative to high interest rate financing and owning a liability. With RTO/LTO® your customers will own Freedom & Flexibility and have YOU to Thank! 1-800-879-3433 www.northlanddealers.com 10 autosuccessonline.com
  • 11. Providing the automotive industry with cutting edge digital sales solutions that utilize technology to stay ahead of the competition. Are you effectively advertising your products and services? V-Active gives you the ability to change advertisements, promotions, and specials throughout your store. Let us design your custom campaign. $1,995 AutoSuccess promotional offer* Call today for details. Text VACTIVE To 41411 *$1,995 includes initial production, setup, and required hardware. A signed 24 month contract for $299 a month is also required. This monthly fee includes hosting, repairs, maintenance, and one promotional update a month. Monitor not included. Rates and terms are subject to change without notice.
  • 12. their situation? beyond “challenging” When RBM of Atlanta-North’s location was selected in 2006 for a brand- new Mercedes store, the stars looked aligned for sure success for the Alpharetta, GA dealership. Atlanta was the fastest-growing city in the U.S. — Forsyth County ranked among the fastest-growing, highest-income suburbs in the nation — and car dealers were basking in five straight years of more than 16.5 million new vehicles sold. As hard as it is to replay the recent recession, we know the next dark chapter: RBM North opened its doors in late 2007, precisely when the economy sank into recession. Their grand-opening balloons deflated fast as housing prices, jobs and car sales began their downward spiral. “Our location, Forsyth County, took some of the most severe blows in the entire country,” said GM Randy Powell. To make matters worse, not only were they the youngest Mercedes dealership in a market with four established players, they were a near- rural, “destination” store with severely limited natural traffic. Internet manager Bethany Johnson joked, “Most of our drive-bys are cows.” forging the strategy Powell had to take a hard look at their situation: the harsh economic realities, their near-remote location and the fact that, in a brutally competitive market, no one knew who or where they were. “We needed a cost-efficient strategy that would get us found, and fast,” he said. Powell, who serves on MBUSA’s Regional Dealer Advisory Board, said that while he has 35 years of experience in the car business, the strategy he devised didn’t come from him being a “car guy,” but by taking a clear- headed look at what actual consumers did when they bought anything. Powell used his wife as his “strategy muse.” “No matter what she was after, she was online, all over the search engines and review sites, and she always managed to nail the right choice, even if she had to go out of her way,” he said. “I knew we needed to think like her, and focus aggressively on our search presence/SEO and our online reviews. About 90 percent of car buyers use search engines, so first they have to find you, and then you need to answer their main question: ‘Do I want to do business with you?’” While RBM North’s “online visibility” quest evolved over the next three years, they flew out of the gate with an 85 percent digital strategy (which has now grown to 90 percent). Their strategy revolves around two core pillars: have a powerful, first-page organic search presence, and stand out as the No. 1 consumer choice, with great online reviews. getting seo right Powell had a freshly minted URL, but it was, as he puts it, “on the 400th page at Google.” He initially bought his way onto the first page through PPC, and then in 2008 hired one SEO company (and then another), but met with mediocre results, only achieving 30 percent first-page placement rates. He ultimately chose eXtéresAUTO to try a more collaborative SEO approach — and one that cast a far wider geographical optimization “net,” given that Atlanta metro is more spread out than Massachusetts. And, given the state of new-vehicle sales, they decided to intensely optimize pre-owned inventory, service and wholesale parts, with tens of thousands of make-, model- and city-specific optimizations established around keywords such as “certified,” “used,” “parts,” “service” and “repair” across Google, Yahoo! and Bing. seo impact Powell reports that their subsequent organic results “reveal why dealers should never give up on SEO, and why they (who know the market trends best) should collaborate with providers.” Johnson said that within just three months they saw “a massive impact on new, used, service and parts sales, and a huge jump in out-of-state parts and pre-owned business.” • First-page search engine placement rates skyrocketed from 32 percent in early 2009 to 85 percent today. • The dealership has had nearly 700 percent growth in Website traffic: 765 unique visitors monthly before the campaign (Feb. 2009) to 1,215 by Nov. 2009 to 5,905 by Dec. 2010. Search engines now drive the lion’s share of their Web traffic (49 percent), followed by direct-to-site (43 percent) and third-party lead sources (six percent). tackling online reviews By early 2009, Powell and Johnson realized that the impact of online reviews had reached a tipping-point. And they also saw the major
  • 13. competitive opportunity, given the striking disconnect between the instance, when Google Places rolled out in October (a major change in good customer experience luxury dealers actually provide, and their the way local search results are displayed, giving far more visibility to often far less positive online reputations. “It had become a far bigger a business’ reviews) Johnson said, “Our dealership’s 220-plus, near-5- animal,” Johnson said, “and while we were committed to keeping our star reviews now really leap out in local dealer searches at Google, as online reputation management totally authentic and organically-driven, does our competitors’ complacency. Reviews are all stacked up against we needed help with the heavy lifting.” They again partnered with each other on the first page, and it’s pretty obvious who I would call.” eXtéresAUTO, setting in place processes and tools to systematically The upshot: RBM North saw an immediate 30 percent increase in track, manage and gather reviews. calls from Google/the review sites across the last two months of 2010 (traditionally rotten traffic months for dealers), compared with their their process summer numbers. • Let the whole store know how serious this campaign was — and they “funded the party,” replacing CSI survey bonuses with rewards-per- RBM’s North’s strategy was 100 percent-based on what auto shoppers positive-review. actually do most (search online) — and what they seek most (the right • Implement a back-office tool to track all reviews/posts about their dealership, with a great reputation). Despite the nearly absurd challenges dealership to immediately respond to any unhappy customers. they faced, their SEO and online reputation management campaigns • Top management personally calls to make it right, following up with ensured they not only survived the recession, but they prospered. And e-mails linking to sites where posts were made, making it easy for they’ve really put themselves in the pole position today, as search evolves customers to retract reviews or post new reviews. and online review activity ramps up across the Web and the big auto sites. • For each new, positive CSI survey and with every visibly satisfied “At the time, the decisions we made weren’t ‘safe,’ but they turned out to customer (sold/unsold), they politely request a review, following be right,” Powell said. “No marketing strategies have a higher impact, are up via e-mail templates that make it easy for customers to post by more cost-efficient or deliver a greater ROI.” including links to targeted review sites. • Templates are loaded on every sales/service reps’ computer and can For a free, step-by-step playbook on how to implement this proven be customized and deployed with three clicks. reputation management process at your dealership – and/or a free, • Rotate review site links to saturate reviews across targeted sites. customized report on whether your dealership is ready for the new • Don’t aim for all 5-stars or try to remove/rebut negative reviews Google, e-mail or call us at the information below. publicly online. If negative reviews appear, use templates to gather positive reviews at those sites to “surround them with love.” For more info on RBM of Atlanta-North, visit www.rbmnorth.com. • Establish online pages for salespeople to showcase their reviews, and then train them to use positive reviews to convert prospects. For more information about eXtéresAUTO, contact the director of • Include reviews in outgoing e-mail signatures, at the Website and dealer training, Merla Turner. She can be contacted at 866.462.6914, or by e-mail at mturner@autosuccessonline.com. in marketing. • Insist on great customer service. Identify anyone less than happy before they leave the dealership. reputation management impact “Our 20-month review push has led to an ever-escalating increase in phone, Website and e-mail inquiries; walk-in traffic; and closing ratios, as we’ve blanketed reviews across many sites,” said Peter Leavy, the dealership’s GSM. The numbers bear this out: • The number of reviews has grown from 13 before campaign started to 296 (near-5-star) reviews by Dec. 2010. • There has been 1,000 percent-plus growth in review-site-generated calls. • Review-driven customers close 15 points higher than all other leads. • One-third of review-generated customers specifically ask for salespeople by name. • Overall new, used and service business was boosted by 10 to 15 percent. combined roi: SEO and reputation management combined have had a dramatic impact on their bottom-line. “We are by far the newest, most remote store, with the leanest budget among our competitors,” Powell said, “but because we’ve established the best search and review presence, we’ve quickly cornered 10 percent more market share.” search engines + review sites now drive: • 500-plus, tracked calls each month. • 70 percent-plus of their digital business, and 60 percent-plus of total store business, at only 6 percent of their total digital spend. google places and developments on the online review front RBM North’s online visibility campaign helped them thrive over several of the toughest years the auto business has ever seen. And, in just the last few months of 2010, there have been a host of rapid-fire developments on the online review front, from Google Places to Google’s HotPot (their new location-based review platform) to Edmunds’ new site putting a huge emphasis on dealer reviews to Cars.com’s announcement that they’ll unveil dealer reviews this March (putting the muscle of two Super Bowl commercials behind the launch). All this means that RBM North’s past, present — and future — hard work in the review trenches has — and will — pay off even more. For
  • 14. SeanV.Bradley leadership solution what three qualities do you look for when hiring a new salesperson? internet sales • Personality, drive and communication skills PART 3 • Good communication skills, good 20 group personality (reflects on phone calls) and organization skills review • Appearance, aggressive in work ethic and very personable This month, we’ll finish our look at the and sheriff deputies with their motorcycles, • Personality, appearance and hunger responses we gathered from our recent, K-9 units and a helicopter. We also had a (willingness/wanting to work/wanting the successful Internet Sales 20 Group three-day trick or trunk contest where children could sale) event. 20 Groups are great because they show trick or treat and vote on each vehicle. real-world situations and real-world solutions. There are few unique problems; odds are, • Willingness to learn, creativity, and a person if you had to pick one area for your who follows through and completes projects someone out there has faced what you’re facing, salespeople to work on for professional and has figured it out. Reinventing the wheel is on time with the brand in mind development, what would that be? a waste; learn from the experience of others. • Phone skills and training • Desire (the will to do what it takes to steadily perform), professionalism (someone what are some unusual ways that • Work ethic and self motivation who customers will feel comfortable you’ve been able to build an identity for • Listen, listen, listen! with) and attitude (positive attitude lead to your dealership to separate it from the positive results; negative attitude can be a competition? • Customer e-mail follow-up, texting and cancer to your team and dealership) • We engage in a lot of community involvement. social media We sponsor local sports teams, host annual • Self motivated, coachable and good listener flu shots through the Red Cross and sponsor a • Learn to drive traffic for themselves, and scholarship at the local high school. create their own book of business • Personality, good attitude and self- confidence • We hosted a child safety and trick or trunk • Willingness to accept the Internet event with 40 other co-sponsors, which department and the ideas/changes that we Sean V. Bradley is the founder and CEO brought more than 2,000 people to our would like to implement of Dealer Synergy, a nationally recognized training and consulting company in the dealership. We had our local fire department • Time management automotive industry. He can be contacted at and Northstar ambulance display the “jaws 866.648.7400, or by e-mail at of life” in action, plus we had local police • Confidence, confidence, confidence sbradley@autosuccessonline.com. AutoRaptor CRM • • • 14 autosuccessonline.com
  • 16. MarshBuice leadership solution want to sell PART 2 more? eat more! In hopes of improving our sales career, we one table to the next as if they were on ice — Clients like to work with people who do not recently peered into the world of fine dining making it seem effortless. look like they are standing on a corner waiting in order to gain an insight of what great for a cab. When negotiating with your clients, servers do so well to enhance their guest’s Lesson learned: “Deception” in the world of a great consultant should follow the 3 P’s: evening and to improve their paycheck. We sales can be interpreted as a nasty, negative Prepare, Present and Patience. Preparation now know that great servers make themselves word, unless put in its proper perspective. is critical when working with a client. An approachable to their guests, are attentive to Sales is infested with rejection, missed quotas, unprepared sales consultant can be snuffed their needs and have extensive knowledge product failures and disgruntled clients. A out within seconds. Uninterested clients make about the foods they are serving. Here are a masterful sales consultant deceives the fact comments like, “We will think about it and few more lessons sales consultants can learn that, although calamity may be happening all get back to you.” They then take a “three-year from great servers: around, it must be put in its proper perspective business trip” – always away on business each by dealing with one issue at a time. If sales time you call to follow up. A made-to-order be deceptive were easy, you would have never replaced the presentation is presented showing what the Great servers are masterful deceivers. They person who jumped ship in hopes of finding an client will benefit from your product. If the make their guests feel exclusive. At their last easier gig. Be grateful that you have the rare first two have been done correctly, a sales table, no tip was given and the guests left the quality of being able to handle rejections, fight consultant can then display patience by asking charred remains of crackers and foods strewn through missed quotas, give superior service for the order and silently waiting for an answer. about by three children who apparently when a product fails and be empathetic toward Great consultants are wave makers; they strike have never had the privilege of feeling the your frustrated clients. Sales consultants the water (preparation) causing ripples of leathery, disciplining power of a belt. Great wear many hats. It is not your client’s more waves to reverberate (presentation) and servers deceive their anger and do not carry responsibility to deal with your personal continue to sell even when nothing is being their frustrations from one table to the problems, but it is your responsibility to care said at all. next. Servers act like a host of the Emmy’s, for their needs. Do not let all of the hard work keeping the atmosphere light, festive and you have worked for hours, days, even months servers are artists moving. Servers have the ability to glide from get flushed away because you are having a A great server is an artist who uses his unique bad day. Solutions creativity to show sensitivity and imagination to problems are to his guests in hopes of making the evening the mortar in the as unique as a thumbprint. A magical, building blocks memorable evening creates a relationship and Phone? of your character and you must never take things has guests coming back for more. My wife and I have a restaurant we frequent on very special occasions, but if our favorite server Smart! personally. be alive, is not there, neither are we — she makes the evening that special. What a great server is to a restaurant is what a three-wine reduction sauce not a corpse is to a steak: the missing link. Loyalty Driver Waiting in a state of repose is not Lesson learned: You are the award-winning E-newsletters are what great servers artist of “You.com.” Market yourself in such now available on do. Servers do not a way that, through selling a superior product believe in hovering and creating a memorable experience, a all smartphones over their guests, relationship will be formed. People do not buy as if working for great products; they buy quality products from the Secret Service. a great consultant. 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  • 18. DalePollak marketing solution selling cars is like popcorn “In other words, if you have the wrong cars and Many dealers are familiar with the phrase vehicle is on page four and the shopper only “popcorn cars.” This refers to cars that sell or looks at vehicles on pages one, two and three. poor marketing, bargain basement “pop” quickly off the lot. The analogy between In this case, your dealership does not get credit pricing will never be enough. cars and popcorn, however, may have more for an SRP until and unless the shopper looks Similarly, you can have the most relevance today than ever in the past. at page four, the one that contains your vehicle. desired vehicles and tremendous If the shopper who looks at page four drills marketing skills, but if the vehicles The essential ingredients of popcorn are down on your vehicle to see all the photos and p p.” kernels, oil and fire. Anyone that has cooked description, then you get credit for a VDP. are overpriced it just won’t popcorn knows that some kernels pop quickly Keep in mind that on a third-party classified while others more slowly. When most of the advertising site, nothing of any value occurs kernels are popped, there are always some left for a dealer until and unless the dealership gets over that never popped. a VDP view on their vehicle. Assume that your used vehicles are the Now, consider an example of two vehicles in VDP performance of their inventory. Ironically, kernels, the oil is your photos and descriptions stock. After 15 days in inventory, the first car SRP and VDP information for every car has and the fire is your pricing. It’s obvious that has 50 SRP hits and 15 VDP hits. The second been available for a long time on the back end no matter how hot the flame, you can’t make car has six SRP hits and 0 VDP hits. What does of well-known sites like AutoTrader.com and popcorn with feed corn or without oil. In this information tell the dealer that wants to Cars.com. Typically however, most used car other words, if you have the wrong cars and pop these two vehicles off their lot? managers are unaware that this information poor marketing, bargain basement pricing exists or its relevance to the desired outcome will never be enough. Similarly, you can have The first vehicle that received 50 SRPs is of moving cars quickly. Such information the most desired vehicles and tremendous one that is much more sought after than the has traditionally been viewed as merely marketing skills, but if the vehicles are second vehicle that received only six SRPs. Internet metrics without much relevance to overpriced it just won’t pop. The reality is, Essentially, the first vehicle is gourmet corn, used vehicle production. In fact, the tracking like popcorn, you have to have the right cars, while the second vehicle is feed corn. The fact of SRPs and VDPs on a per-vehicle basis great marketing and proper pricing. that the first vehicle converted SRPs to VDPs is probably the most important used car at the rate of 30 percent suggests that its photos management metric in the car dealership today. Today, dealers have access to information that and description are superb and the price is Knowing whether the vehicles in stock are can help them pop every car perfectly every proper. The fact that the second vehicle didn’t ones that people are searching for, whether time. This new information is the number of convert any of the SRPs into VDPs suggests the photos and descriptions are differentiating search result page (SRP) hits and vehicle detail that the marketing and/or pricing is not and whether the current price is right are the page (VDP) conversions. So what is an SRP right. Put another way, all the ingredients for essential ingredients for used car success. and a VDP? If an online shopper searches for popping this car off the lot are missing. a 2009 F150 truck, they may get five pages of Dale Pollak is the founder of vAuto and a F150 trucks returned. Depending on the site, The question is whether the individual in your best-selling author. He can be contacted there are usually between 25 and 50 vehicles dealership who is responsible for popping cars at 866.867.9620, or by e-mail at on a page. Assume that your dealership’s off the lot has any awareness as to the SRP and dpollak@autosuccessonline.com. 18 autosuccessonline.com