Have you seen iTap Menu?

The best thing about the DealerRefresh forums are of course all the conversations happening day in and day out. Some of the best conversations start with a simple question about a new product or offering.

Within the thread “Dealer Desking Favorites“, one of our members JamieS linked to a new desking company – iTap Menu. I was curious so I made a few phone calls and introduced myself to the founder Shawn and sat through a demo of their cutting edge product.

I like it! A alot!

Not only did I sit through a product demo of iTap Menu but also spent some additional time asking Shawn a few questions.

Jeff – Shawn, Why does the industry need yet another F&I menu?

Shawn – Because the existing providers created a product that simply doesn’t work in the manner it was designed to.

An unchangeable piece of paper full of text, first and foremost, will not convince someone to increase their monthly payment by $60-80/month. Second, the actual “structure” of the menu is not conducive to selling products.

Why are we presenting four columns labeled after metals from the periodic table and, with no real meaning to the customer, lightly decreasing each column in products and payments from left to right? And finally, 99% of the time, the customer doesn’t want one of the options exactly as created, so now what?  You can’t change a piece of paper…unless you have a Sharpie and your DMS handy to re-calculate the requested changes.

Jeff – What about the F&I Managers that use a menu and produce good numbers?

Shawn – It’s not because of the menu, I know that. I’ve been asked this before.  Thirteen years of consulting and observing F&I departments in over 500 stores confirmed it.

Talented people with a dealership committed to F&I…a culture and history of success, with solid Sales Managers, trained Salespeople, motivating pay plans, and the right set of products. That’s what has made these F&I Managers successful. The paper, four-column menu is simply a by-product of that success. Ask the real F&I professionals. They stopped using the current menu as we know it years ago. And the ones that still do essentially use it to create dialog and negotiate payments with the customer. They aren’t feature/benefit/closing.

With a four-column menu and the way it’s structured, that process isn’t possible. This isn’t my opinion. It’s a fact. Look at it. It’s ugly! Would you personally buy anything from it?  Hell no.

Jeff – How is iTapMenu so different from your competitors?

Shawn – First of all, look at it.  It’s incredible. Look at the menu screen.  It was designed by artists, not developers. Apple inspired artists at that.  100 out of 100 people would agree there’s no comparison in the visual experience vs a paper menu.

The customization is also a HUGE difference.  You can move products in and out of options with an immediate change in the payment, you can change the term and rate, increase the down payment, and discount products right on the fly on the iPad.

I envision the F&I Manager using iTap on the showroom floor or sitting next to the customer in their office and actually letting the customer use iTap.  Giving the customer some power will change how they view the F&I Manager, the dealership, and the overall experience.  And, they’ll buy more products because they’re well informed about the products through iTap’s videos and statistics AND they’ll develop a sense of trust because they are involved in the decision.  No more shell games.

And finally, the structure of the menu is different.  I laugh at four column menus and how they’re structured to decrease the products and payments from left to right.  We’re basically stating we understand there’s no way you’re going to buy the first option, so “pretty please” have some interest in one of these less expensive options.  It would be like asking someone to buy a car for $20,000 but then immediately offering them to buy it for $19,000 or $18,000 or $17,000.  Gee, wonder which one they’re going to choose?

With iTap, it simply doesn’t work that way.

Jeff – Shawn, thanks for your time today. You mentioned that you would be attending NADA 2012 but you would not have a booth. How would one contact you for more information?

Shawn – you can of course visit our website at www.itapmenu.com or give me a call at 317-696-6396

It’s impossible to be even a casual DealerRefresh reader and not have come across a ZMOT discussion over the last year or so.

For those of you still assuming that ZMOT is that new kosher malt beverage soon arriving in a delicatessen near you, the Zero Moment Of Truth (ZMOT) is that marketing concept guru’d by Google’s Jim Lecinski, formatively describing modern shoppers’ purchase decision making process through the digital funnel of online social interactions, peer reviews, product ratings, video, etc.

The actual term ZMOT is a play on the terms used in an older Proctor and Gamble study describing the First Moment of Truth (FMOT), and of course if you have a First, you’ll need a Second (SMOT). So we have a whole lotta Moments of Truth here, and if you’d like more information, go ahead and Google them yourself!

Not too many of us dealer-minded people get too caught-up in all this fancy- shmancy marketing lingo.

ZMOT? THERE’S AN UP ON THE LOT!! And herein lies the origin of WMOT….

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Now that we’ve covered the why and how, let’s talk about where to recruit the 1.7 million Gen Y employees in the workplace today.

Obviously, the best ways would be to write a small indie film about a car dealer that premieres at the Sundance film festival, and/or have Obama visit your company.

But if that’s not an option, here is the place to start.

Craigslist – Craigslist is the Gen Y job hunting mothership. The average Gen Y’er spends hours a day on Craigslist as it is, and job seekers use it more addictively than any, refreshing the job listings like a recreational sport. The sheer volume, the real-time updates, and the cost-free nature make this site job-hunting catnip for my generation.

Additionally, while the “Sales/Bus Dev” job category might seem like the most natural place to post your listing, don’t be afraid to consider other categories. Many Gen Y’ers instinctively abhor the idea of sales or being a “salesman,” but we absolutely love “Marketing/PR” or “Business/Management.” Think carefully about the job duties and desired qualifications you’re looking to fill, and categorize based on those, not by industry. Note: If you do go after a less traditional job category, don’t be vague about what kind of business you are in. Be very upfront that it’s a car dealership and that you’re just looking for some diversity. You may find you’re rewarded for your honesty.

Facebook ads – Why wait for Gen Yer’s to find you? Message them where they live: on Facebook. While my generation is self-trained to tune out traditional advertising (thank you, Safari Adblocker), Facebook ads are the exception. With their highly-targeted capability, their clever and creative messaging, and their “lifestyle” feel, Facebook has really cracked the code for creating advertising that is relevant, interesting and appealing to Gen Y’ers.

For the same reasons, Facebook ads are a recruiter’s dream. You can target by education, geography, age, interests, and much more. Try targeting for some terms like “cars” or “automotive,” as well as terms like “entrepreneurship” “business opportunities” and “job.” Make sure to include an eye-catching image and an enticing call to action.

Linkedin – No matter how cool your ads are, chances are most Gen Y’ers just won’t ever stumble across them. Why wait for them to come to you when you can go to them? Gen Y’ers love getting recruited, and it allows you to handpick the cream of the crop, rather than weeding through a massive pile of applications. You can target by industry-specific keywords, software skills, or even employment status-terms like “Looking for” and “Seeking” are LinkedIn code for “unemployed.”

Referral Incentives – Gen Yer’s are all about connections, and this is especially true when it comes to our careers. Our post-grad cycle goes something like this: graduate, apply to every CEO position at the world’s best companies, accept defeat, become an Outback Steakhouse waitress, and then at last, alert every single person in your social circle that you are looking for a job-help!

Knowing this, exploit my generation’s beloved peer pressure for the positive by incentivizing your employees to refer their friends, their friend’s kids, etc. Monetary bonuses, gift cards, free lunches, or even extra days off are all great ways to get your employees excited about making referrals. If you can’t afford huge prizes, just make it fun by spotlighting referrers in company meetings or holding friendly competitions to see who can refer the most people.

Make yourself discoverable – Last but not least, it’s all about inbound marketing, and Gen Y recruiting is no exception. If you’ve got a competitive payment structure or a sweet company culture, expose those things on your website, your company Facebook profile and your Youtube channel. Encourage your employees to leave you good reviews on Glassdoor (www.glassdoor.com). Then, sit back and watch the good job juju roll in. You get back what you put out, so create an attractive inbound space and I guarantee you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results.

And if you need help writing that Sundance script, I know an awesome writer;)

Have you tried any of these Gen Y job hunting techniques? How did they go?

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According to Google Trends, email is more popular than beer, Lady Gaga, McDonald’s and American Idol… but not sex.

Email continues to be one of the most cost-effective ways of staying connected with your customers, but it only works if you have your customers’ active email addresses (and their consent).

Here are 12 ways you can invite your customers to share their email with you.

1. Have you spiffed your advisors lately?
Run a promotion with your advisors and pay them $1 for each email address collected. Whatever percentage of emails that are collected during the promotion should be a good benchmark for the percentage that can be collected after the promotion.

If a $1/email sounds too expensive keep in mind that you’ll spend anywhere from $.68 to $1.25 in costs to mail a letter once you factor in time, paper, envelope, toner, and postage.

2. How about spiffing your customers?

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When a dealer client asks me what CRM vendor I prefer, I first ask them what is it about their current CRM they’re married to that they don’t like.

Why isn’t that relationship working out?

Could it be they don’t value it enough?

Maybe they don’t invest as much time and energy into it as they could. Sometimes, though, it is that the technology is not doing the job that it should. It breaks down too often, won’t communicate with every other software, or do the little things in the relationship that a CRM should.

A great CRM, in a way, is like my wife.

Simply put, they keep your house in order. They track EVERYTHING. They remember EVERYTHING (often to the dismay of others). They communicate with all the different parties and keep the relationships you have with others open and honest. They alert you by the minute, by the hour, and by the day as to what you should be doing with your time. They are a living, walking, breathing To-Do List.

If you want to know when someone’s birthday is, they know. Do you want to remember what you said to someone three weeks ago, somehow they remember. How do you know that person? They can tell you. When do you have to call someone, write someone, email someone… they remind you to do it.

Let’s face it, a dealer without a great CRM (much like me without my wife), will naturally forget everything that needs to be done. All of the tasks to be completed will never be without that guardian angel in your corner (and in your ear).

They’ll clean up after you. They’ll do chores for you. Save you time. Send out communication on your behalf. Sign your name on the letters. They’re your trusted calendars. All the information you have ever shared with it, it has stored. Forever. Somehow miraculously, it can recall every detail you’ve given it (and even some you didn’t give it.)

A great CRM (like my wife is to me) truly makes you a better (sales) person.

If you have that type of CRM in your store, hang onto it. Treat it right. Pay attention to it. If you don’t have a CRM that does the little things to make your life exponentially easier, maybe it is time to take a close look at your relationship with that vendor and cut the ties.

While everyone tells you about the horrors of trying to find that perfect someCRM, when you find the right fit (as I have), they make everything you do that much easier. You’ll try so much harder to give it what it needs as well. You’ll go above and beyond at every instance to involve it in every deal at every point. It is a partnership. They make you a more successful you. In a simple-to-understand, yet overused term, they complete you.

Are you complete with your CRM?

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