I’ve just arrived in Hartford, CT, after a four day transcontinental trip that led me through snow in Dallas, rerouted through L.A., and then mercifully, eighteen hours later to my final destination, San Francisco, for the 2011 NADA convention.

Eighteen hours of travel could land you virtually anywhere on earth, but my eighteen hours of travel did more. It transported me to a time long since passed, which all things considered is an impressive feat for a commercial flight, the second leg of which couldn’t disembark without spending three and a half hours to de-ice a plane. (Hey Dallas, it has snowed there before, yes?)

As I deplaned, San Francisco appeared normal by today’s standards, yes, it was 2011; I was safe. The hotel, same thing. Signs referencing WiFi availability, wall mounted, flat screen televisions and the mono-chromatic comfort of a modern four star hotel made it clear that I had not been sucked through some sort of time-bending worm-hole. Then I went to the 2011 NADA convention…

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When I read Alex Snyder’s article titled “Are You Being Left Behind?” it confirmed that data PCG has been collecting on dealership investments in digital marketing education should be shared here first.

We polled dealers about their investments in Digital Marketing education and some of the responses tie right into what Alex said in his post.  So before I add my commentary, here are a few questions and answers from the PCG Digital Marketing survey.

Keep in mind that the responses are skewed towards enlightened dealers.  Since the survey was promoted on Twitter, Facebook, and social media channels; only the most connected dealers most likely responded.  This should give you even more of a case for Alex’s point about investing in the next generation of dealership leaders.

Staffing and Budgeting

1.  Do you have an employee tasked with managing your digital marketing and social media?

• Full Time – 58.3%
• Part Time – 22.3%
• No – 19.4%

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With the 2011 NADA convention around the corner it dawned on me that a lot of Dealerships are leaving their future at the dealership this year.

This might get a little cryptic but stick with me here.

• Do you have an inventory stocking & merchandising manager?
• Do you have someone in charge of all your newspaper ads, radio spots, or TV reach?
• Do you have someone who solely looks at CRM and the processes it promotes?
• Do you have an in-house trainer?

I’m asking if you have one individual for each of these rolls?  Chances are, you don’t.  And the truth is, you probably don’t need to.  You don’t need to because many of these items are things your traditional management, GM’s or Executives are fairly well versed in (maybe I’m reaching with this statement).

So, why do you have an Internet manager?  A BDC?  An eCommerce Director?  I bet you have, at least, someone who is solely dedicated to your online presence.

Let’s turn the clock back to roughly 1995 when the “consumerNet” got started.  In 1995 your Internet person was probably still in grade school.  16 years later that person has a ton of Internet experience.  She or he grew up with the consumerNet.  Your current GM’s and Executive Staff grew up with the newspaper, books, TV, and radio as their information hotspots and are experts in those mediums.  Tomorrow these won’t be the people in charge of the dealership; the “Internet kid” will be.  Tomorrow there shouldn’t be a need for an Internet Manager or eCommerce Director because they will be the GM’s and Executive Staff who know the modern digital mediums, like your current management team knows the “traditional” ones.

The sales and service staff of tomorrow will be adept at using email, text messaging, and social media’ing.  Just as you trust your current sales and service staff with your phones (well….maybe you shouldn’t trust them with your phones), the younger generation will be able to handle your Internet Leads…..if Internet Leads are still around tomorrow.

I’ll get to the point. NADA has become a trade show mostly focused on digital.  The dealership attendance is mostly made-up of decision makers with only a handful bringing their Internet person.  Yes, many of those decision makers are making fantastic strides to understand digital better; however, I have to ask some of you why you’re leaving your future management back at the dealership?  Why?  To save a buck?

P.S.  I know my regular audience is not who I am speaking to right now.  If you are being left behind this year, take this argument to your boss.

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Most leaders of dealerships are firefighters, not visionaries, and certainly not risk takers (read: entrepreneurial). Like lemmings, these leaders follow what others do, blaming the handcuffs they wear on circumstances that surround them.

It’s this sea of morons (aka leaders) that mindlessly “follow the pack” into Social Media because everyone else is doing it. To these players, their entire Social Media business model lives on 5 minutes of research and 34 seconds of planning. They don’t get it and they wont get it…ever.

Oh…and just wait until the evil twin of Social Media comes out and WACKS them. Dealer Reviews has the potential to be the single greatest threat to Dealer Leadership since Al Gore invented the internet. By this time next year, I see droves of GMs and GSM’s in the fetal position, sucking their thumbs wondering how this all got away from them.

I am well known for my dis-taste of Social Media. It’s not Social Media that irritates me, it’s…us. Every where I look I see lackadaisical leadership that is so unprepared for the “Bright Light of Social Media”.

I swear the Franchise System (Manufacturer to Dealer) has sucked the balls out of decision makers. It has rewarded GM’s that defend it’s turf, not those that conquer new ground. Boys..I hate to tell you…new ground is coming your way!

Is your dealership READY?

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The world is full of finger pointers and we certainly don’t need more.  I’m so sick of people not taking responsibility for things.  If you’ve been in management, or have had to keep multiple vendors connected, then you have probably felt my same frustration.  Before this turns into a rant I want to say I have been enlightened.  Yes, there are certainly some childish finger pointers out there (that’s right, I called you childish) but most of it comes from a lack of understanding.

Let’s use the pre-owned inventory display conundrum that plagues most dealerships as an example.  This is definitely one of the biggest time wasters and absolutely is hell.

My experience with getting a physical car to show on all the retail sites started with the entry of the vehicle either by a finalized deal (trade) or the wholesale department (auction) entering basic vehicle information into the DMS.  From there it was typical for some digital dead time as we waited for service to check the car out and update their end of things in the DMS.  Then it could be onto some extra reconditioning.  During this time stock photos and “Call for Pricing” are the digital attire for customers to browse – exciting!

While this car is “digitally naked” (feel free to snag that term) the inventory merchandising tool (a HomeNet-type of tool) is showing your photo/comment/pricing to total inventory ratio as being a single car off.  This gets the boss’ blood pressure up as you’re tasked with cracking the whip on your photo takers and window sticker pasters.  Of course, they’re screaming back that they can’t find the car or it is in reconditioning.  Then your representative from vAuto or AAX is telling you the dealership is doing a terrible job on its turn rate…..such is this never-ending fun.

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