DealerRefresh

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

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4 Secrets to Leveraging Technology at your Dealership

For years we’ve been talking about new technology that will allow car buyers to purchase their vehicles online, essentially eliminating the need for sales people and for years this topic has been top of mind.

Sure, we have seen a little uptick in online vehicle purchases but whether this has addressed the main issue or has been an effective solution, is quite debatable. For the millennial, it may be the perfect solution, being that they are “so called” less social and more tech savvy, skipping the dealership is no biggie but Baby Boomers on the other hand, are less tech savvy and crave the face to face interaction.

What about Gen X? They too crave interaction but without the pressure of car sales tactics. [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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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…]

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Digitizing Your Sales Process: The Path To Omni-Channel Retail Success

As a small child, I remember traversing the halls of the local Sears with my father who always acted like a little kid in the candy store when buying new tools. In my bright-eyed view, Sears was the place to go back then. They had the best selection and the best customer service for all of our home improvement needs. I remember how proud my dad was of his latest purchase, and how nice it was of the friendly cashier to hand me a lollipop.

Fast forward to today, and Sears has filed for bankruptcy, joining the graveyard of big box brands who have gone out of business, and the sad truth is that no one is terribly surprised.

So, what happened? [Read more…]

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Online Reviews Made Easy: 5 Steps to Build Your Google Review Link

It is a well-known fact that your online reviews are your first foot-in-the-door with a new customer. It is also widely known that it is essential to respond to ALL reviews – be they negative or positive – but the struggle with online reviews is keeping them up!

Your dealership may be one of the lucky ones. You may have a dedicated staff member that daily monitors your online reviews, but if your dealership is one of the many that do not, I’d like to show you a great way to continue to build consistent online reviews, by creating your Google Review Link.

As technology progresses, consumers collectively have become more and more reliant on what is “easy.” How many times has a company directly asked you to review them online, and you think to yourself, “I’ll get to it when I get to it.”? Most likely that has happened more than you can count, but think of the times when a company has directly sent you a link that you just click on to review them. I know that as a consumer myself, I am 100 times more likely to click on that link and post a review of my experience if the source to do so is sent directly to me.

Setting up a Google Review link for your dealership is easy, and it only takes 5 steps to get started.

[Read more…]

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#RefreshFriday Ep. 39 – Classified Listings and Cost Per VDP – is this STILL a Relevant KPI?

On tomorrow’s #RefreshFriday Dan Sayer and Jon Berna (Mr. Truth) join us to discuss the VALUE of 3rd Party Classified Websites. Dans post over in the dealer forums was the driver for this week’s RefreshFriday. Thanks Dan!

Determining the value of 3rd Party Classifieds can be fairly complicated. Despite all the promises around greater attribution tools, we all know the greater number of eyeballs on our inventory, the higher the influence is on vehicles Sold. So, keeping the classified websites somewhat accountable for consistent KPI’s is still compelling…

  • Which KPI’s should you be tracking?
  • Is the cost per VDP view still a relevant measurement?
  • How does reporting differ between the Classified Websites?
  • What other KPI’s should you be tracking?
  • What attribution tools are in the horizon?

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

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It’s the Boring Stuff that Sells Cars

It’s the Boring Stuff that Sells Cars

As you and your team review your sales plans for 2019, it’s important to remember that the dealers growing market share use the same websites, tools and marketing sources you use. Just like you, they’ve yet to discover a magic bean or digital secret that can sell vehicles without effort. They’ve discovered, as most dealers have, that selling cars isn’t hard, it just takes work.

Moreover, top dealers understand knowing is just a fraction of the job of selling cars; the bulk of what drives their growth is the doing. And doing, for most people, is boring. However, as top dealers know, it’s the boring stuff that sells cars. [Read more…]

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Avoid The Averages Because They’re Costing You MONEY!

Countless decisions get made every day in dealerships based on averages. Popular examples include market day supply, average retail price, average days on lot and average wholesale price. Too often we trust these numbers (simple averages) as if they are the be-all end-all.

After doing something for so long, we begin to take it for granted. We assume the numbers must be right. But what if we’re wrong? [Read more…]