Dealers still playing the PRICE GAME on Classified Websites.

Are dealers still playing this game? …ofcourse they are!

I was hoping this shit would stop as print continues to diminish, but it’s obvious that some of the classified sites allow it to happen as well. Maybe it’s OK. Maybe at the end of the day there really is nothing wrong with it. After all, its the customers responsibility to read the print..RIGHT?

As dealers struggle, it only makes sense to find that “trick” that gets the phone to ring, more leads into the inbox and more people through the front door “We’ll deal with the objections once they’re in the showroom”..right?

I just don’t like it and think in the long run it makes it more difficult to brand your dealership as a reputable place to do business with. I also think it brings a bad image to the classified sites that allow this type of pricing technique to happen on their websites. IMO it’s taking away from the “consumer centric” appeal and again provides a disservice to the customer.

What do you think?

Are you providing the customer a disservice by pricing your inventory like this on the Online Classified Sites?

Should the Online Classified Websites allow this type of pricing technique (knowing consumers initially search by price) ?

What are your thoughts?

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Guest Posting by Ryan Gerardi

For the past 3 years, the auto industry, specifically the dealer community, has inched its way into blogging and social media. It is actually safe to talk about these things whereas fewer than 2 years ago I purposely avoided using such terms in my conversations with dealers and auto insiders because they were still a bit taboo. Now with the unveiling of such companies and services like DealerFeeder, I think we can say that the past is officially behind us.

Of course this day would come, it was only a matter of time. With the efforts of people like Jeff Kershner of DealerRefresh and Ralph Paglia of Automotive Digital Marketing, dealers and auto insiders are becoming increasingly more emerged in the idea and practice of blogging and social media. But what are these things really?

Let’s be clear about something. Setting up a Twitter account or a Facebook account takes 2 minutes, literally. Setting up a blog takes 5 and it is free. If you are paying someone to do this for you without a master plan and direct correlation to your marketing strategy then you are wasting everyone’s time and money. The set up of these things is the least of your concerns. Utilizing them and incorporating them effectively into your sales process is the real challenge.

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Kbb.com adds new Classified Inventory Listings for Dealers

Ahhh, another classified inventory listing website for dealers. As if all the other sites are not enough, we now have another option/site to list our dealers inventory on. Just what we need, right!

Starting July 2009, Kbb.com is launching their new inventory listings program. Dealers will be able to sign up to list their New and Used car inventory in KBB.com (Kelly Blue Book).

What ever happened to the Kbb.com and AutoTrader.com Strategic Partnership?

That sure was short lived. It’ll be interesting to see how this play out.

Below is a C/P from Kelly Blue Book about their new service.

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As auto manufacturers and suppliers grapple with tough economic times, understanding consumer preferences becomes even more important for near-term survival as well as future viability.

J.D. Power and Associates’ Web Intelligence Division utilizes social media to help the auto industry gain consumer insights, mining the blogosphere for unvarnished insight and unbiased opinion.

We invite you to join us for a webinar to discover how J.D. Power Web Intelligence can take the blogosphere beyond monitoring and turn social media information into action.

This webinar delves into the opinions found social media on topics like the following:

• What are short- and long-term auto industry trends, such as consumer purchase intent?
• How are consumers responding to recent OEM incentive and marketing programs such as job-loss insurance?
• How can automakers more successfully approach Gen Yers?
• How has J.D. Power’s newest spin on segmentation – Tribe ReportsTM – helped other companies gauge marketing effectiveness?

DATE: Thursday, May 28, 2009
TIME: 2 pm Eastern
SPEAKER: Chance Parker, Vice President & General Manager
J.D. Power Web Intelligence

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Streamlining your Email, Instant Message and Social Network Communications

I picked up the recent edition of MaximumPC Magazine while I was in the airport the other day and they were showcasing some “Must have free apps”. A few things in that magazine intrigued me, but the only one I’ve followed-up on so far is Digsby: Digsby = IM + Email + Social Networks

It combines all of your email applications, social media stuff, and instant messaging accounts into one place. I doubt I’ll ever launch Tweet deck again now.

I use it for:

Instant Message

• AIM
• MSN Messenger
• G-Talk
• Yahoo Messenger

Email

• Hotmail
• GMail
• POP3 & IMAP accounts not yet setup

Social Networking

• twitter
• facebook
• MySpace

Here are some screen shots:

The application itself – looks like your regular IM app – and it shows you what that particular person recently did on another media if they’re on your other social media accounts:

Here is a Twitter timeline and see how it docks into your open application list in a Microsoft OS:

I’m definitely digging Digsby.

Warning: when installing, make sure you accept just Digsby and Decline everything else. It is pre-packaged with a bunch of junk.

What is your “must have free app” for Email, IM and keeping up with your Social Networks?

This was posted on the DealerRefresh Dealer Fourms as well. Feel free to comment over there!

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