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

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December 14 by Ryan Gerardi

Why Dealer Reviews of Automotive Vendors Matter

Why Dealer Reviews of Automotive Vendors Matter

Customer reviews have become a first stop for today’s savvy shoppers. Online reviews exist for everything from the quality of electronics and computer accessories to which linens are best for a guest room. While the glut of customer reviews can be overwhelming, they illustrate how much stock people put into reviews and how important they can be for any company.

Reviews may be commonplace now, but before the Internet they were harder to come by. Consumer advocacy phone lines, magazines like ‘Consumer Reports’ and old-fashioned word of mouth supplied much – if not all – of the reviews people relied on before making a big purchase. Since there was no way for consumers to effectively communicate directly, businesses did what they could to spin articles and published reviews to their advantage and marketing was focused primarily on appearances.

Today, of course, that has all changed since people can now post reviews on social media, video sharing sites and, of course, directly to many review-based websites like Angie’s List or Yelp. As a result, companies today not only understand the power of customer reviews – they do everything they can to encourage feedback from customers and to use those reviews to improve their services.

Ratings and Reviews of Industry Vendors

For an industry like auto sales, reviews go beyond fielding customer complaints and promoting positive reviews of dealers. Dealerships too are customers for dozens of automotive vendors at any given time, who can use their own voice not only to help out other dealers considering certain vendors, but also to hold vendors accountable. This kind of collaborative, community-based approach does more than simply connect dealerships, it can improve the auto industry as a whole.

So where can dealers go to to rate and write reviews on vendors in an authentic way?

[Read more…]

Categories: Dealer Forums, Opinions & Advice, Reputation

April 29 by Joe Pistell -

Observing my Brother… the car shopper

Observing my Brother… the car shopper

Observing my Brother… the car shopper.

My brother is shopping for a car for his wife. What a great observation experience for me!

My rules are to observe only. Answer questions only when asked. I tie my hands behind my back and put duct tape on my mouth, and off he goes…

My brother is no dummy. He runs multi-million dollar industrial construction projects and he custom builds water cooled gaming PCs for recreation. IOW, he has all the intellectual resources needed… AND like most shoppers, he some what knows cars (makes, models not trims). His wife’s Hyundai SUV gave him ~100k miles of trouble free use, so he’s devalued new car risk (i.e. he’ll buy any brand).

I’ll track workflow, hours and websites (websites will be colored blue)

Day 1. Website #1 (1.5 hrs) [Read more…]

Categories: Dealer Forums, Opinions & Advice

April 7 by Jessica Ruth -

GM’s Shop, Click Drive Program

Screen Shot 2015-04-07 at 9.13.38 PMLatest HOT Topic in the Forums

While it’s not rolled out to all 50 states, a few have been doing this GM program of online car buying – no feet on the lot. 

Check out this video and article here.

As a dealer, what do you think? Do you think you would sell a lot of cars from implementing this program?

As a consumer, would you buy (please, try to imagine) a vehicle without stepping foot, not only inside the dealership, but inside your new vehicle?

Personally, I struggle thinking about skipping the test drive.

What do you think would be the positives and negatives to this?

Join the discussion

 

Categories: Dealer Forums, Latest News & Trends

March 12 by Forum Topics

What’s the most annoying thing on your website?

Latest HOT Topic in the Forums

alex snyder forum bio picIs there anything on your dealership website that bugs you every time you see it?

Do you know what your shopper thinks is the most annoying thing?

Let’s see who’s right and who could be wrong…

Join the discussion

 

Categories: Dealer Forums

March 9 by Jeff Kershner -

TrueCar Sued by Dealers

Latest HOT Topic in the Forums

Screen Shot 2015-03-09 at 9.39.36 PM TrueCar sued by dealers for ‘false advertising’

Dealers representing 117 new-car franchises are suing TrueCar for more than $250 million, claiming they are victims of false advertising and unfair competition. In the complaint, the dealers argue that TrueCar’s advertisements falsely claim that consumers who use the vehicle-shopping site’s services can buy a car without haggling or negotiations.

Agree or disagree?

Join the discussion

 

Categories: Best Practices, Dealer Forums

February 12 by Forum Topics -

What metric do you like to track most?

Latest HOT Topic in the Forums

most important metric

Categories: Dealer Forums

February 11 by Forum Topics -

Is Google “retweeting” from non-war with Twitter?

Latest HOT Topic in the Forums

twitter_to_google

Categories: Dealer Forums

January 13 by Forum Topics -

How Do You Pay Your BDC Staff?

Latest HOT Topic in the Forums

BDC pay plan based on lead to show or sold?

Join the conversation in the forums. This has been a HOT discussion with a LOT of different comments and opinions. And for all you lurkers, you know who you are – you visit DealerRefresh almost every day but has yet to officially join the community. Take a minute and sign-up!

Categories: Best Practices, Dealer Forums

January 3 by Forum Topics

Does Response Time Really Matter Much Anymore?

Latest HOT Topic in the Forums

overnight_BDC_hours_dealershipClick here to comment

Categories: Dealer Forums, Opinions & Advice

December 15 by Forum Topics -

This may be why you DO NOT outsource your off hour chat.

Latest HOT Topic in the Forums

off hour outsourced chat

Categories: Chat & Text, Dealer Forums

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Editors

  • Jeff Kershner

    Jeff Kershner

    I’m the founder of DealerRefresh. I got my start in the dealer business when I was 18. From there I've worked throughout several departments within fixed to variable ops. Whether it’s managing the desk, perfecting sales process or studying online marketing and media trends, I absolutely love this business and the challenges it brings. On top of keeping up with DealerRefresh, I consult with dealerships and key industry businesses. My passion has been and continues to be helping dealers leverage new media to sell and improve customer service.
  • Alex Snyder

    Alex Snyder

    2019 marks Alex's 30th year in the car business. In that time he has had a front-row seat for the rise of the Internet and has been working to bring the online and offline dealership experience closer. Whether you knew him from his life at Checkered Flag or his years with Dealer.com/DealerTrack/Cox Alex has remained an opinionated DealerRefresh contributor who enjoys nothing more than to poke at the unsaid truths in our industry. He also helped found FRIKINtech.

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