I guess it’s time to establish some rules for commenting.

I started DealerRefresh as a place to write about my thoughts, opinions and daily obstacles as an Internet Sales Manager. Over the course of the last year or so, DealerRefresh has become quite the popular site and is now being looked upon as a resource for Internet Sales Managers and others in this business.

It’s been a tough call for me..do I keep the site geared towards my personal opinions and thoughts (while allowing others to comment) or do I try and stay neutral and allow DealerRefresh to transform itself into a unbiased resource? I’m torn! Maybe it’s possible for both to coincide?

I don’t know if I have the answer right now, until then I think it’s important to establish some rules.

So here they are:

1. No advertisements inside your comments. (If you want a vendor profile, contact me).
2. No Slandering - especially on a personal level. If you have had a bad
   experience with a company and their product, please share your thoughts
   but keep it tasteful and give examples to back up your opinions and
   comments (I would recommend including something positive about your
   experience with the product or vendor as well).
3. No anonymous posts (unless I authorize) and no “free” email accounts
   (yahoo, msn, aol) unless you provide a valid full signature.
4. Excessive self-promotion or promotion of a website or other entity will
   be deleted. If it reads like you are mad or getting paid by someone for
   your words, your comments will be deleted.
5. No hyperlinking to your website for promotional purposes within the body of your comments.
6. Take full ownership of your comments. Always re-read your comments and feedback before hitting the post button. Don’t call me 3 hours later asking if I’ll remove your comments from the thread because you said something that maybe you shouldn’t have. This is the Internet, take ownership for your actions.

Best to all to DealerRefresh readers. It’s because of YOU this site is what it is!!

Jeff Kershner
DealerRefresh

Last week, Google added a few new features to its Local Business Center. This is the place where any business with a physical location can go to essentially plant themselves on Google Maps. If you have not already done so, get your dealer listed in Google Local. This has clear SEO benefits for local search.

1. Sign up for a Google account www.google.com
2. Go to Google maps  http://maps.google.com/maps
3. To the left of the map you will see link for Add/Edit Your Business. This will take your to the admin portion of google local. Use the link for “Add a new business”.
4. Enter your dealers name and continue.
5. You  should then see your dealer name from a list of possibilities, if
   not, use the option “  My business doesn’t appear here”.
6. From here you can fill out or edit your dealer information.

After you have edited your information, you now need to confirm your dealer for Google to authenticate. Google provides 2 ways of doing this (I recommend the phone call – it’s faster).

• Receive a phone call at the number provided
• Receive a postcard at the address provided

Once you have authenticated your dealer, it usually takes about 3 weeks or more for Google to go live with your new or edited local business listing. Google even allows you to add coupons to your listing; I usually rotate a service department special coupon.

If you’re paying big bucks to a vendor for your dealership website SEO and they have not already done this or informed you about this, ask them why.

Company Name: AutoJini

URL: www.autojini.com
Phone: 1-515-232-2042
Online Since: April 18th, 2002
Location: Ames, IA 50010

Homepage Title: Auto dealer website design, car dealership websites developer,
dealer internet marketing - AutoJini.com

Current Homepage PageRank: 3/10

Message from AutoJini about their website services:

Jeff,

Thank you for profiling AutoJini.com and giving us this opportunity.

At AutoJini, we specialize in building elegant, sales-driven websites for auto dealerships. Our number one goal is to help dealers convert website visitors into leads, without the high price tag. Our elegantly designed, easy-to-navigate websites enhance a dealership’s online presence and become an effective leads generation tool for dealers.

Our strategy goes beyond mere search engine optimization. After researching the competition and local market, we start by constructing the site with the right keywords, page titles, meta tags and descriptions. Then, we add on many of what we call the “basics”:

• submit the site to the top 10 auto directories, the DMOZ and local search engines
• provide Google and Yahoo sitemaps in XML format
• export inventory to third party sites (Oodle.com, Google Base, Vast, and LemonFree.com)
• offer inventory details in RSS format
• offer sales and marketing coupons on the website, in RSS format

Since we customize each site, we offer a long list of features and the expertise to solve what dealers often believe are impossible problems in the world on eCommerce and internet sales. 

We create an interactive, integrated user experience that draws the customer’s focus to the dealership and its products.  Once a visitor reaches one of our dealers’ websites, they don’t get “lost” or frustrated.   Just the opposite, in fact. Aside from keeping the website design professional and easy-to-navigate, we offer the right mix of “call to action” features designed to “hold” the customer.   We attract customers and promote leads generation through:

• Pay-Per-Click Program Management (I believe we are the only website vendor that has Google Adwords Professional Qualification.)
• Special Marketing Programs (i.e., we are currently offering $110 in
  Adwords spending for each dealer who signs up with Adwords through us)
• Enhanced Search-Engine-Optimization
• Window Sticker & Buyer Guide Printing and Design
• Internet Lead Management System
• Live Chat
• E-Bay Auction Management
• Inventory Exports to Cars.com, AutoTrader and others 3rd parties
• Email marketing that is fully CAN-SPAM complaint.
• Coupon Management System
• Custom Programming

When using AutoJini, dealerships have the comfort of knowing the websites we develop, and which run on our back-end systems, are guaranteed to work on all major web browsers and operating systems   (i.e. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera on a Mac, Windows, and Linux).  This means both the dealership’s website, backend administration, and customers’ computers will interact smoothly.

Regards,
Syed Azam
AutoJini.com
sales@autojini.com
515-232-2024 (US)
519-342-3004 (Canada)

Comments and Feedback - Do you have experience with AutoJini and their dealer website design services? If so, please share your comments and feedback about their services. Keep your comments professional!

Cliff Banks over at Wards Dealer Business wrote an article with Lisa Keller of eValuation Inc. on how we, as Internet sales managers, need to be careful that our leads are not “evaporating”. Basically saying; it’s always possible for technical problems to arise (like servers crashing) and not allowing leads from our website to make their way into your Internet lead management (ILM) software, and never knowing about it.

I’m sure this could be a possible concern, but how would someone on “our end” track this unless a server went down for hours and it became obvious? I would hope that the vendors providing dealer websites realize the importance of a dealer receiving every lead and have back up measures in place to prevent such a
problem.

What I found more interesting are the statistics that Lisa is able to gather with their mystery shopping service. We all know the longer it takes a dealership to respond to a lead less chance you have of selling that customer. BUT it’s nice to see some hard numbers proving it.

The article also touched on the importance of strong email responses.
The quality of the response is an area many dealerships fail at. According to Keller, strong e-mail responses should include the following six things:

• The Greeting

  You want to thank the customer for the opportunity and introduce yourself and the store. Pretend the customer is in front of you.

• Provide at least one alternative vehicle

  Two or three are better. Always include a certified pre-owned alternative. A pricing range also should be included. Studies show most customers have not decided on what they want when they contact the store. More information may help you set that appointment and close the sale.

• Give the customer a reason to buy from you.

  Keller calls it a value proposition statement. According to a Cobalt Group study last year, more than 90% of online automotive shoppers buy from a dealership other than the first one they contacted.

• Ask two qualifying questions

  Provide reasons why you are asking the questions. For example, determine the trim level of the vehicle they are interested in. Why? Different trim levels can change a vehicle’s by as much as $10,000.

• Be direct and ask for the appointment.

  “We see many responses in which the salesperson says, ‘Let me know if there is anything else I can do,’ and leaves it that,” Keller says. “Seeing that is like nails on a chalkboard.”

• The signature

  Provide your name, e-mail address and phone number along with the web site address and physical address of the dealership.

My question to Lisa; does a dealer include all of this information in 1 email or do you spread this information over a few emails?

I personally spread the information over a few emails. When writing email I think you have to be quick and too the point. Long winded emails will quickly loose your readers’ attention. AND using a few emails to get your point across gets your name in front of the customer a few more times. It makes it easier for the customer to find YOU in their inbox.

Lisa, if you read this..contact me!

Company Name: MJM Internet, LLC

URL: www.MJMI.com
Phone: 1-888-532-3647

Online Since: January 17th, 1998

Location: Clark, NJ

Homepage Title: Dealership Websites by M • J • M • I - "Building America’s Best
Dealership Websites"

Current Homepage PageRank: 6/10

Message from MJMI:

First of all, I’d like to thank Jeff Kershner, both for profiling MJMI here on DealerRefresh and for developing, and maintaining DealerRefresh.com. (thanks Jeff!!)

While we all have our challenges, problems and triumphs in this business, his blog provides substantial and welcome coverage of our industry. It is very well maintained by, obviously, a professional enthusiast of our business.

At MJMI our focus is on common sense, individualism and accommodation when it comes to our approach to building and maintaining our clients’ dealership websites.

Personally, I’ve been involved in retail dealership marketing for 25 years now (ouch), including 11 years in local television advertising, some years of full service ad agency work, and now 10+ years focused on dealership websites.

At MJMI we don’t build the most technologically elaborate website.  We build a dealership website that we believe is the best blending of individualized  presentation, dealership merchandising, content management convenience, and lower expense.

We strive to help our dealerships deal with the people and vendor challenges that come with managing a competent, contemporary website.

We also have a passion for innovation and love to invent new features that help save time and effort, elevate a dealership’s ability to differentiate themselves, and get the online upper hand. With these methods, MJMI elevates a website’s ability to produce more leads for a dealership.

We are also a company who maintains intimate  relationships with our customers. We firmly believe in giving customers personal customer care, several layers deep where your webmasters know you, know you site, and know how to make things happen fast when it comes to support.

Lately, and actually for more than a year, we’ve predicted the incorporation of internet video elements in a dealership site.  Both short term tactical video pieces and informative strategic video pieces are going to completely change the landscape of what makes up
the best dealership websites.  MJMI is uniquely positioned to provide the creative, technological and versatile video marketing elements that maximizes winning the day online.

Thanks!

Jeffrey Bonnell — Principal
MJM Internet, LLC
http://www.mjmi.com   
719 Raritan Road
Clark, NJ 07066 (732) 382-4000
Cell: (908) 693-3733

Comments and Feedback - Do you have experience with MJMI and their dealer website design services? If so, please share your comments and feedback about their services. Keep your comments professional!

We are looking closely at using either iMagicLab or Higher Gear for our CRM.

Is anyone using the iMagicLab CRM that has also used Higher Gear?

Which did they like better?

Is there anything you did not like about the iMagic’s DealerCRM or Higher Gear?  We have been told that the Higher Gear system communicates better with your Reynolds DMS than iCar, is that true?  I would appreciate any input…

Kevin Frye
eCommerce Director - Jeff Wyler Automotive Family

So the 2nd AAISP was last week and I was unable to attend. I heard it was a lot better then last year. They apparently were coining it as Internet Sales 2.0 - The Age of the Customer, though I’m not sure they ever explained what they meant by that.

I personally have been back in forth with my opinion on the AAISP. I think the intentions were good in the beginning but then came too much shift in management, lack of support (at one time they were selling shares of their stock?) and the website still lacks.

I think they need to stick with the conference no matter what happens. I know for myself, just having the opportunity to converse with other Internet Sales Managers, bounce ideas off one another and surrounding yourself around others that "get it" can be more rewarding then the conference itself and somehow regenerates your drive to succeed. 

So..did I miss anything this year?

• What session did you learn the most from?
• What was the single most important thing that you walked away with?
• Was it worth it and will you attend next year?

I’d love to hear from some other ISM’s that attended. Share you thoughts!

Jennifer Schrader is the Internet sales and BDC manager at Williams KIA in Traverse City, MI. We were on the subject of reports and how crucial it is for Internet sales managers / BDC managers to track their performance. So I asked her if she would write a quick article on how she came about tracking her performance and how it has benefited her and her department.

Here it is:

——————————-

Benefiting from your Reports

Starting in the Internet Sales department for a small buy-here-pay-here dealership with 5 locations I had quickly gained knowledge on how to sell to internet leads. I then moved onto a volume dealership with an increased flow of internet traffic and leads. I had done very well working with the increased volume of leads and was successful with setting appointments and closing sales.

After setting a few sales records for the dealership; I felt the need to track my performance; number of appointments made, shown appointments to customers sold. I decided throw down what was floating in my head into a spreadsheet. Within a short time I had a resourceful report for tracking my MONTH END and a YEAR END SUMMARY results.

I quickly found that tracking; total internet leads to scheduled appointments, kept appointments to appointments sold provide huge benefits and enable you to track your strong and weak key performance areas.

Here are some of the benefits that have been very useful to me and my department.

• Keeps yourself and your team on track
• Quicker buy-in from General Management
• Measuring your success
• Allows you to set obtainable goals
• Determines where improvements are needed:

1. 1. Appointments are down (follow-up needs to improve)
   2. Kept appointments down (follow-up and more accurate appointment confirmation)
   3. High shows ~ Low Sales (closing the customer needs improved)

The number 1 benefit of tracking your performance is receiving acknowledgement from upper management while being prepared to answer “the questions”. How many times has your GM or GSM asked you for a number off the top of your head regarding status of your Internet sales performance? With this report there are no questions to be asked; everything is there!

My spread sheet reports have been a huge asset for myself and my BDC. I thought I would share them with whoever is interested. If you’re not already tracking your appointment to sales performance, maybe these will help.

Jennifer’s MTD summary report

Jennifer’s YTD summary report

Guest Posting by Jennifer Schrader
Business Development Center Director for Williams KIA

Company Name: Higher Turnover, LLC
URL: www.higherturnover.com
Online Since: March 24th, 2005
Location: Portsmouth, Virginia 23701

Homepage Title: Auto Dealer Websites by Higher Turnover | Websites For Car Dealers | Online Marketing | Inventory Management

Current Homepage PageRank: 3/10

Message from Higher Turnover: 

Higher Turnover, LLC was started in early 2005 as an effort to provide the most useful internet marketing tools to a particular breed of auto dealer: the independent dealer.  We began with and continue to have three main objectives with our business model:

1. To provide an effective solution for online marketing of vehicles.
2. To make this solution affordable by small independent dealers.
3. To present a back-end administration system that anyone is able to use, regardless of computer experience.

Our core products include custom web design, inventory and lead management, search engine marketing, and eBay listing management.  These products have been developed almost exclusively through independent dealer feedback.  Several companies provide excellent site designs, features, functionality, and total solutions.  We’ve made a conscious choice to focus on the features needed at the independent level, as well as take an educational approach with our dealers who require a little more attention.  We’re not the ideal solution for every dealership, however our rapid growth indicates we have carved out a much needed niche in the industry, and we vow to continue along that path. 

As co-founders, Ray Bonneau and I grew up together in small town, America (Burlington, VT).  Even as Higher Turnover has grown, we’ve been able to maintain our small-town style relationships with dealers – knowing their history, their families, etc.  “Making business personal” has really kept us grounded, and forces us to earn business instead of taking it for granted.  Our hopes moving forward are to continue to build relationships with independent dealers across the country, to continually improve our products without losing sight of our three original objectives, and to further elevate ourselves as the leader in our niche market.

Regards,

Robert "Jake" Jacobson
President
Higher Turnover, LLC
(800) 430-2119

Comments and Feedback - Do you have experience with Higher Turnover and their dealer website design services? If so, please share your comments and feedback about their services. Keep your comments professional!

Our three-location dealership family is in the process of switching websites.  After a bit of research, I’ve categorized our web options into three groups:

1. All-inclusive website/online marketing/CRM tool
2. Standalone website
3. Local web design/host service

After considering cost, functionality, relevance, and flexibility, we have decided to pursue a standalone website.  We all use Autobase as our CRM, ADP WebSuite internally, and our IT manager (who is VERY sensitive to Can-Spam requirements) requires Mozilla (and his watchful eye) for our email campaigns.

Out of our standalone site options, we are considering two.  ADP Dynamic Web Premier and Dealerskins.  Two locations (our MB-Volvo-VW store and our Audi-Nissan-Subaru-Toyota-VW store) have decided on ADP and our Dodge store opted for Dealerskins.  Ownership would like to use only one vendor, so we have a dilemma.

As an ADP advocate, here is my argument.  I believe there are three main differences between the two.  Here are two.

1. The look.  In my opinion, ADP offerings are clean, fresh, and plenty flexible for our needs.  With a few small icon changes on the inventory pages, I think ADP would be a homerun for an Import store.  Inventory is represented well, and the media gallery (with int. and ext. spins) is very impressive.  I think Dealerskins sites are naturally too busy.  Both have good navigability, but seeing through the clutter is a bit trying.

2. Calls to action.  Dealerskins uses too many calls to action that require giving up gross.  In a market where most of our OEM lines are exclusive to the area, I don’t believe such a plan is needed.  ADP uses well-placed, relevant calls to action throughout all pages of the site.  I can see the benefit to a Dodge store, but I don’t know if the average Volvo buyer would necessarily respond to a $200 Internet coupon.

Which finally brings me to my question.  I believe that compatibility with our current inventory database is another very important difference. Since we use ADP already, our compatibility with Dynamic Web regarding inventory polling should be seamless.  And I have heard that Dealerskins uses a 3rd party program to link ADP inventory to the site.  I have also heard that ADP considers any non-ADP polling as hostile, and treats it differently.  From what I understand, some manual input is necessary.  Is this true?  Is there a distinct disadvantage to Dealerskins because of this?  With the exception of photos, I would prefer to be hands-off when it comes to inventory updates to our site.

Sincerely,

Eric J. Deising
Internet Sales Manager