If you’ve been watching your inbox, you may have received an email informing you that your Google Analytics is about to receive an upgrade, and activation should be happening soon.

In addition to a redesigned interface there are a slew of new features. Here are a few to keep an eye open for…

Google Analytics Real-Time – exciting!

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I figured this was proper quick post here on DealerRefresh since we have our fair share of Canuck readers and community members.

I’ll have to admit, I had no idea invoice pricing wasn’t available in Canada. We’ve been dealing with transparent invoice pricing here in the states since I can remember.

I’m sure there will be a slew of Canadian websites popping up left and right just like the one in the press-release below.

I’m curious to what our Canadian readers think of this news?

This press-release (promoting a Canadian automotive pricing website) was shared with me a few days ago…

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In February 2010 Google made a presentation to a select group of industry leaders about their foray into automotive lead generation. I was not in attendance but I was briefed on the program at the show. I never heard any more about the details until today’s post in Automotive News.

I am sure that Google has briefed the major automotive vendors that run Adwords campaign for thousands of car dealers about this change. However the larger community needs to know about this major shift in new car lead generation strategies.

In my opinion, this is a major SHIFT for the Google Automotive team which has not gone into direct vehicle lead generation until now. I look forward to interviewing and discussing this new program with the Google Automotive Team at the 2012 Digital Marketing Strategies Conference.

Lead Generation Is Not New For Google

Google has been running lead generation campaigns for other vertical markets, like mortgages. If you look at the screen capture below, Google is running their own PPC ads to capture leads:

These ads are labeled “Comparison Ads” and these ads are competing with other PPC lead collectors. When a consumer clicks on the PPC Comparison Ad for mortgages, a landing page for lead collection is displayed:

Lead Generation For Dealers

According to the Automotive News article written by David Barkholz:

“Google will establish a Web page for vehicle shoppers. Dealers will bid, through a Google auction, to be one of about three dealers listed on the page when shoppers fill out a discounted price request for, say, a 2012 Toyota Camry with some specifications. The shoppers choose which of the listed dealers will receive the lead and provide the price…”

This will be a game changer for businesses that use PPC for lead generation. Companies like Edmunds, Autotrader, and new comers like TrueCar that all use PPC as part of their lead generation strategy for new car buyers will be impacted.

Competition for new car leads just got more interesting, and for some, maybe more expensive.

This offering will need to be examined in greater detail when this official launches this in the Bay Area. We will have more details on this new offering after we get a briefing from the automotive team at Google.

How do you see this impacting your dealership?

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DEALER CONTEST with Contact At Once

Our long time sponsor Contact At Once is hosting a CONTEST for the DealerRefresh community and our reader base.

They’re looking for your best advice on gaining appointments and selling to a chat prospect….

THE QUESTION
What are some of the proven ways you’ve found to turn a website ‘looker’ into an appointment or even a sale using chat?

Post your single best piece of advice along with a chat transcript that demonstrates the technique to this forum thread by November 21st. Then, tweet it out to all your friends so they’ll see what you said. (If you want, you can even let us in on how much you made off the deal!)

THE PRIZE
In the end, CAO will compile a list of the ‘Top 5 Tips For Selling a Car To a Chat Prospect.’ Five (5) individuals and their tips will be announced on the Contact At Once! Facebook Fan Page and featured here on DealerRefresh.com, DealerChatBlog.com and in their monthly eNewsletter, which currently reaches more than 9,000 dealers

They are even going throw in a $10 Starbucks Gift Card for every individual that participates and a $100 Starbucks Gift Card for each of the individuals whose tips make it into their Top 5.

More than just a great contest, sharing the best techniques will help others become more effective at using chat to GAIN APPOINTMENTS and OBTAIN MORE SELL CARS.

TO QUALIFY
Here are the steps to take in order to participate and qualify* for the prizes:

1. Post your single best tip for selling to a chat prospect to this forum (one submission per person).
2. Include a chat transcript demonstrating the technique mentioned in your tip (screen shot or cut-and-paste, just be sure to remove or obscure any customer personal information).
3. Include your full name along with the name of your dealership.
4. Using your Twitter account, send a tweet including a short link to this forum thread and the hashtag:#dealertips

Don’t forget to watch the Contact At Once! Facebook Fan Page where the 5 winners will be announced!

*Note: You must complete all steps to qualify. Only one gift card per person – and no funny business!

LET’S GET POSTING! (over on the DealerRefresh Forum)

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What you may have missed…

DealerRefresh – The Blog

1. Did You Receive Your Google Places Notice? – For many of us, managing our dealers Google Places page proves to be a real challenge. Brian Pasch offers some advise and links to help out.

2. Digital Dealer 11 Review by Kevin Frye – In traditional format, Kevin offers up his review of the 11th Digital Dealer Conference. The conference continues to get better and better.

3. Satisfy Me! – Jerry Thibeau offers a real story on customer service. What 8 areas do most dealers miss out on customer service?

4. It’s Not the Length, But How You Use It – A title like that could only come from our favorite Joe Webb. In this article Joe talks about about quality, not quantity. It’s the only true way to measure greatness.

5. Will AutoTrader Build An Exclusive ZMOT Data Network? – Will Dataium Revolutionize Automotive Digital Marketing and the Role of CRM?

DealerRefresh – The Forum

We’ve had some stellar discussion in the forums over the last week. Be sure to review and weigh-in!

1. How Many Calls Do You Expect Your ISMs to Make? – From cradle to grave or in the BDC – how many follow-up calls do you expect from your team?

2. Highlights from Vegas? – If you attended Digital Dealer 11 or DSES in Vegas, lets us know what you liked the most about each conference.

3. Original Window Sticker – Imagine having access to a copy of the original window sticker of every used car on your lot…

4. QR Codes – In or Out? – The QR thread that never dies. What are you doing with QR?

We’re working on a review of Driving Sales Executive Summit – it was a great conference (one of the best I have ever attended for our industry), we’re not sure where to start.

Deals for Dealers

We have 2 new Deals for Dealers to jump on…

1. DealerFire is offering 10-pack of professional services for dealers  now available for $499, that’s half off!

2. 1to1News is offering 2 months of newsletter service for your dealership. If you have been thinking about adding a newsletter into your marketing mix – this would be a great time to test out a great service.

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