Hum along with me – “It’s the Most… Wonderful Time… of the Year!!!”.
Wow, that Kool Aid I am drinking is strong, but I do look forward to seeing everyone for the fall conferences. After the best Digital Dealer yet this past spring, I am looking forward to what Digital Dealer 15 will bring to the table in fabulous Las Vegas.
Here are my humble recommendations on whom I am choosing to see, and of course I look for your input as well on the sessions you are looking to attend. I would also like to personally invite you to attend my session on Wednesday morning at 9:30 – take a moment to see my video preview below. I look forward to seeing you in Vegas…
My Recommended Sessions for Digital Dealer 15
| Time | Speaker | Tuesday, October 15th |
| 1:00 PM |  |
BDC or Bottom Line with Chris Hill Should you use a BDC or have your sales people work your leads? Always a HUGE debate, and I don’t think there is a better person to talk about this than Chris Hill. Chris is confident in his stance, and since he works on the front lines every day at this dealership, his words should carry a lot of weight with other dealers. Gotta love his description as well – Lack of manager motivation/training allowing a country club atmosphere for your sales people? I will be in the front row Chris… |
| 2:00 PM |  |
When a Stranger Calls with Joe Webb I am not sure why I am going. Is it because phone calls are likely the MOST important thing you should be looking at now with the rise of mobile traffic, or is it because I know that Joe has some great new videos in store for us, or is it because I am curious if Shaun Raines will join Joe on stage for an impromptu Karaoke concert… Joe always delivers. And since Joe threatened me if I did not attend and he is bigger than me, I better be there. |
| 3:00 PM |  |
21 Ways to Help Your Store Build Engagement with the Millenial Shopper with Clayton StanfieldThere is a mobile revolution going on, and a smart dealer should want to learn everything they can about how to best understand and embrace mobile shoppers. This session will share a study that (among many things) shows how the approach to car shopping revolves increasingly around using their mobile device, and even better, Clayton promises to share a number of best practices to help dealers find best success. |
| 4:00 PM |  |
The Art of Enchantment with Guy Kawasaki I have heard Guy before and he is a brilliant keynote speaker. Stand by to not only learn but to also be motivated… |
| Wednesday, October 16th | ||
| 8:30 AM |  |
Tell Me Now with Ed Parkinson Trust me on this – today’s generation is focused on immediate response. Why else do folks search for the shortest line at the grocery store, and get impatient at the drive-thru when their wait takes longer than a few minutes. The top complaint shoppers have about buying a car is how long it takes. Ed tackles two issues for me in this session, how to get better and QUICKER with my response, while using MOBILE (I am also curious to the mobile approach he will be showing and legal ramifications). |
| 9:30 AM |  |
Back to the Future with ME – Kevin Frye You better be there, and in the front row, even if you have to sit on someone’s lap. I spend a lot of time thinking about the future of our industry, and you will get inside my mind as I show you where I think our dealerships will be in the future, but more important, what we need to do to lead and succeed in the future. There will be LOTS of real life examples (there is nothing better) on how to best engage with your digital customers on Social Media and Digital Marketing. Remember that my sessions are educational AND entertaining, and include videos and some fun give-aways. (Hint, study up on Back to the Future trivia if you want to win some of my prizes, or follow me on Twitter @kevinfrye1 for some hints…) |
| 10:30 AM |  |
The Digital Ambush with Seth Barron No offense to Seth, but when I can get info “straight from the horse’s mouth”, which in this case is Google, I am excited to see what info I will learn. |
| 2:30 PM |  |
Dealer DIY: Inbound Marketing with Kevin Gordon Kevin Gordon and Nick Williams have been rising stars in the industry, and their last sessions have been packed. Why? It’s simple, they show dealers proven tactics that work, and that they can do themselves. I am a fan of “pull” marketing as the face of modern marketing has changed, where traditional “push” marketing does not work as well within the digital marketplace. Looking forward to it.. |
| 2:30 PM |  |
How to Manage Your Vendors by Becoming a TV Detective with Subi Ghosh You are correct, I have listed TWO recommended sessions for the same time slot, and I am going to spend time in both. Digital Dealer offers a LOT of GREAT speakers, and this is a classic dilemma for me. Subi tackles a new area that I have not seen at any of the conferences, which is how to best manage your vendors. For us, a great vendor is a PARTNER, and they must share common core values with us to do business with us. Excited for Subi’s input on this key area. |
| 3:30 PM |  |
Improve the Effectiveness of Your Sales & Service Outbound Email Marketing with Justin Brun and Ben Koller For me, this is great timing as I look to update all of our email processes, with a focus on how to best perform on mobile devices. Surprise! Justin and Ben will be sharing best practices on how to accomplish this, with special attention paid to increasing open rates on mobile devices. |
| 4:30 PM |  |
It’s Called a Marketing Mix for a Reason with Larry Bruce There are 3 great speakers to choose from at 4:30 – and I am choosing to see Larry Bruce as digital attribution has been one of my top priorities this year (as well as for many other industries). How you determine and interpret digital attribution is the “wild wild West” right now, and I am writing the book on how to do this at our group right now. Larry is always an outspoken and controversial speaker, and I look to see his input on this advanced topic. |
| Thursday, October 17th | ||
| 8:30 AM | Peer Roundtables GREAT addition by Digital Dealer this year. They are hosting peer roundtables before AND after the event. This is a great opportunity to meet with other dealers as the conference begins to wrap up and share what you have learned. |
|
| 10:00 AM |  |
You Sold a Car… Now What? with Bobby Gaudreau You will learn in my session that customer engagement will be the number one skill you must perfect in the upcoming years. Bobby is going to tackle how to best keep your customers engaged after you sell them the car – and I want to see what he has to share. |
| 11:00 AM |  |
Always Be Relevant with Chris Fousek Truth and relevance are the magic ingredients of successfully using social media to engage your customers (there’s that magic word again – engagement). Chris is another dealer on the front lines who will use real life experience to share we can get better. |
| 12:00 PM |  |
Rick Case Honda – 12 Month Video Marketing Case Study Review with AJ LeBlanc Video is big, Big, BIG in today’s digital market, and AJ is going to share the results of a 12 month case study on how Rick Case Honda has used conquest video marketing and video pre-rolls to improve performance. I am particularly intrigued on the conquest video marketing aspect of this presentation. Don’t disappoint me AJ! |
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