DealerRefresh

Obstacles, Observations and Opinions of an Automotive Internet Sales & Marketing Manager

Latest Hot Topic in Forums

Debate: Are customers still intimidated at the Dealership?

john.quinn Sr. Refresher

First Name:
John
Company:
DealerRefresh

As vendors and owners, I think much of our decision-making is based on the belief that customers, when engaging with the dealership, are intimidated by the dealership. Let’s all simply agree that intimidation is another word/form/symptom of FEAR.

Of course, in the Old Days, there was no debate: APB Selling was all about exploiting the fact that “poor, wary, unsuspecting” customers had to come to the dealership to get some information about the car they just saw on TV, or in a magazine, or in the neighbor’s driveway. APB was all about getting to a simple question: “Why Not Now?”

So yeah… if you stopped over at the dealership to see the color options or engine options or (God Forbid!) grab a brochure, you had better be prepared to fend-off a salesperson!

“I’M JUST LOOKING!”

And if you were one out of 20 who were there to actually buy the car, you really had NO IDEA what to expect as far as a discount — as close as you could come to a Fair Price Estimate were stories about your neighbor’s friend’s uncle bragging about his price…

Today? What’s to fear?

I know the colors… if I want to see them in-person I’m already pretty far along the decision-path.

Brochure? What’s that???

Engine combination? Horsepower? (How many electric watts in a horse, anyway??).

Price? Geez Louise… I have 10 estimated prices in 10 minutes… I know it’s somewhere around here…

C’mon — customers know more than salespeople these days by an order of magnitude — there can be no logical argument that “knowledge” or the lack thereof is means of fear or intimidation.

So, is “Fear” really still a motivator? Of what is there to be afraid?  Are vendors and owners still holding-on to the assumption as a familiar convenience?

What does it mean if customers are not afraid or intimidated?

Shout-out over in the dealer forums!!

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2019 Automotive Predictions

Welcome back for another 2019 automotive predictions post. It appears 2018’s final automotive sales number will come in at approximately 17.2 million vehicles amid a mixed sales environment. The four interest rate increases last year may have slowed progress while the tax reform efforts had a positive impact.

2019 is expected to show approximately 16.7 million vehicles sold. This would be the first time in five years that US sales dipped below the 17 million unit mark. Light vehicle sales continued the year-end downward trend approximately 1.2% lower in 2018 and are expected to fall .6% – 1% in 2019 according to Moody’s. Look for the CUV/small and light truck segment to continue its sales momentum this year.

A potential contributor to new 2019 vehicle sales could be rising used car prices. Off-lease vehicles have attracted buyers, but their prices spiked in recent months. Shoppers will continue to look at the cost and value differences in new vs. used vehicles. As this price gap closes, consumers may opt for new vehicles instead.

I noticed a significant improvement in the ways dealers managed their operations last year. Dealers who paid little attention to items such as high-level acquisition and behavior continue to discover the power of the data at their fingertips. Dealers are asking more critical questions and seeing a massive difference between the digital solutions that deliver results and those that don’t. This trend shows no sign of slowing, especially with a tighter market on the horizon.

On to the 2019 automotive predictions… [Read more…]

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The 10 Best Auto Dealer Sales Blogs for 2019

The automotive sales business is highly competitive. Today, you need more than superior merchandise, enticing pricing, superior warranties and financing, a great location, and winning personality to find success. You need to subscribe to auto dealer sales blogs to stay informed and ahead of the game. Why? In 2019, more consumers will search for their perfect vehicle online before they step on your lot. If your sales team knows how to appeal to technologically-savvy buyers, you’ll achieve your sales goals and move inventory.

What Makes a Great Car Dealership Sales Blog

When you start searching for reliable and educational car dealership sales blogs, choose those that post regularly. Red flags include blogs that haven’t published fresh content in over one month or sporadically do so. This may be a warning sign that a particular blog isn’t written by industry thought-leaders.

You also want to seek out car dealership sales blogs that give tips for in-person and online sales. Blog posts should be relevant—recommending best practices and modern software that can streamline the car-buying experience and offer sales automation to free you up to sell more vehicles. Great blogs should also report on relevant industry statistics and case studies that can help you do your job better and earn more sales.

Of course, you can also use this list. We’ve already vetted the following 10 car sales blogs for you to read and learn from in 2019.

  1. DealerRefresh

DealerRefresh offers the perfect blend of marketing industry experts, advertising tips and strategy, and online sales tactics that work. Read this blog and you’ll find resources to help you improve search engine optimization and target your audience with effective ads. There are also plenty of articles about new software, tools, and applications that professionals like you need. One of this blog’s best features is its online forum. If you have an unanswered question after reading an article, you can find a direct answer in one of the forums.

 

  1. Car Sales Professional

The Car Sales Professional Blog offers resources for every type of car sales professional. There are articles for rookies as well as seasoned professionals who want to sell online more effectively. This blog’s articles cover in-person sales tactics, online sales, and how to cold call internet leads for the best results. The clean, simple layout isn’t as flashy as some other blogs on our list. However, it’s easy to find fresh, helpful information no matter what type of dealership you service. This blog fully lives up to its promise of “Moving Metal and Making Money”.

 

  1. AutoRaptor

With a catchy name and the tagline, “All that’s sales worthy”, you can expect a lot from Auto Raptor’s blog. It doesn’t disappoint. Auto Raptor not only focuses on sales tactics and industry statistics but also important topics like dealership security and readying your business for tax time. In the world of car dealership sales blogs, Auto Raptor is suited more for managers, sales leads, and dealership owners who want to have an active hand in how their business runs. The blog offers information that will help you train your sales force—including how to know which training programs are worth their time and your money.

[Read more…]

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The Importance of a Dealership’s Google My Business

There are many touchpoints in a car shopper’s journey. Few are as important as Google My Business (GMB). GMB listings show up in direct searches, and they collect highly influential information, including:

Dealership Name Reviews Q&A Engagement Options
Dealership Citations

(Address, Hours of Operation, and Phone Number)

A typical listing provides a lot of information, but how important is that info to car shoppers?

BrightLocal conducted a study that connected consumer trust with accurate directory information (also known as citations). The study found: [Read more…]

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Champions Seek Opportunities

Champions Seek Opportunities

Change happens – why not embrace it?

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to listen to Melissa Stockwell when she spoke to the entire Cars.com sales team. She’s a patriot, a soldier, an athlete, a mother, and a great speaker. She is also the first American woman ever to lose a limb in active combat. Her story is inspiring, yes; but more than that, it is instructive. You see, most motivational and inspirational speakers fade quickly from memory; a day or a week later the inspiration has ‘worn off.’ On the other hand, when you learn a lesson, you can go back and put that lesson into action over and over again. Melissa’s lesson is one that stuck with me.

Change happens. Melissa’s change happened in an instant. She was leading a convoy in Baghdad when a roadside bomb exploded. She lost her left leg. Her situation had changed. Her future had changed. Her life had changed.

But what she did next is amazing. Before she even left Walter Reed Army Medical Center, she had the dream of participating in the Paralympic Games three years later as a swimmer. In April of 2008, Melissa became the first Iraqi War Veteran to qualify for the Paralympics. She was chosen to carry the United States flag in the ceremonies. She looked for and embraced her new opportunities.

She continued to seek new opportunities; she embraced Paratriathlon and has gone on to become a three-time World Champion in the sport. When Paratriathlon became Paralympic sport, she returned to the Paralympics, winning a bronze medal in Rio.

The situation is changing for car dealers too – subscription services, digital retailing, self-driving cars, car sharing, etc. Change happens – the big question is how do you react to change? You can pretend the change isn’t happening. You can long for the past. Or you can look for the opportunities that exist in the midst of every change.

I have faced major change a few times in my life. I can’t say I have always dealt with it with as much grace as Melissa. But after hearing her speak, I know I will always be looking for opportunity in the face of change.

 

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#RefreshFriday Ep. 41 – Merchandising Matters, Price Badging, Burning Marketing Budgets

On today’s #RefreshFriday Ryan Leslie joins us to discuss why merchandising matters and in-accurate merchandising is burning through your marketing budget. Ryan has been busy figuring out how to apply the correct trims and features to a dealer’s entire inventory. You may or may not be shocked by how many cars are showing the wrong data, but it will make you sick when you hear how much this translates into marketing budgets.

Find out if you are burning your marketing dollars and long with a few other related topics at 1:00 PM EST today.

Join us Friday (today) at 1pm EST, LIVE on Facebook for the answers!

To watch previous episodes of RefreshFriday, visit and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Latest Hot Topic in Forums

Have you ever gone dark on a marketing channel to see what happens?

Dan Sayer Getting Refreshed

First Name:
Dan
Company:
Anderson Auto Group, LLC
Location:
Lincoln, NE

Would that be more like not wearing deodorant to see if you actually stink (I smell like a rose) or like a major league catcher risking it all and not wearing a cup just to feel the rush? 

Either way, I’ve gone dark on Classified before but got scared and re-upped too soon to measure (got a better price though LOL).  I’ve also seen inadvertent black-outs on mailers and TV because the vendor screwed up the drop or spot but the store had a good weekend regardless because they THOUGHT it was running.

Anyway, have any of you gone dark on all SEM/Dig Ad to see what happened? 

Click to join the discussion

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Pay-Per-Click with Intention

 

Google is constantly improving their various platforms in order to improve the user experience and recently Google Ads (formally known as Google AdWords) was the next to receive a mini-makeover. If you have ever worked in Google Ads, you know that taking all of the various steps within the platform to make sure that your business or your client’s business is gaining the best bang for their buck with their Pay-per-Click campaigns can be slightly tedious.  Google recognized this fact and has now simplified this process.

From the moment you select “+ New Campaign” Google is requiring you as the user to take a moment and plan – what is the intention in this PPC campaign? Is there specific inventory that you need to move? Are you trying to drive traffic to your website? Are you looking to generate more leads for your sales department?

[Read more…]

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CarGurus Overstating Search Results (SRP’s)

Recently, I shared a new metric that CarGurus now includes in their dealer reporting. This new metric is called “SRP Impressions”, and at the time I posted, CarGurus was showing this new metric in addition to their normal SRP metric.

A week or so later, I along with many other dealers received an email from CarGurus explaining what this new SRP Impressions metric was, and how it will eventually replace their current SRP metric. What was most shocking to me was their explanation surrounding the old vs. new SRP metric…

[Read more…]