DealerRefresh

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

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Digital Dealer 24 Review with Kevin Frye #DD24

It’s Five AM on Monday morning when I get up. Between the cat meowing to be fed and the dog whining to go out, it’s time to start the day. It has been a long, cold winter, but it’s April, it can’t be that chilly outside, right? Wait, GREAT GLOBAL WARMING! I just looked out the window and there is SNOW on my truck? It’s time for me to get on a plane and head as far south as I can go in search of warmth and sunshine. Digital Dealer 24 in Orlando, here I come!

Digital Dealer 24 at the Orlando Convention Center

Orlando, home of the adult Disneyland…  Wait, am I getting confused with Las Vegas? Maybe, though after multiple WestPac tours with the US Navy, I think that might be found in either Thailand or the Phillipines. I was excited to return to Orlando which has hosted the east coast Digital Dealer show many times. All prior conferences had been hosted at the Rosen Shingle resort, while DD24 was going to be located at the Orlando Convention Center. How did that work out? [Read more…]

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Digital Dealer 23 Review with Kevin Frye #DD23

Kevin Frye at Valley of Fire

Contemplating the future of automotive at the Valley of Fire

I thought it might be a great idea to take some peyote, spend some time in the desert, and meditate on the future of our industry before starting Digital Dealer 23. As my mind wandered in the desert heat, a vision overtook me…

I should work to create a conference where dealers and vendors in the automotive industry can gather together to share the latest and greatest on how to be the best digital dealer in automotive. And I should have them gather in a city in the middle of a desert with bright neon lights, dazzling entertainment, and fantastic food and service. Wait? What? Holy hallucination! Someone already has done this and it is called Digital Dealer?

Time for me to straighten up and begin my recap of Digital Dealer 23 in lovely Las Vegas! [Read more…]

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Here’s Your Deal Cheat Sheet for Digital Dealer 23 in Vegas!

DEALS, DISCOUNTS, GIVEAWAYS FOR DEALERS at Digital Dealer 23 #DD23

It’s Vegas, baby! Digital Dealer 23 opens on Monday and dealers, once again, attend this conference to learn, share and bring home ideas they can implement to make their businesses profitable. Dealers who participate in conferences are determined to be successful despite SAAR and natural disasters. Good news is you have an army of vendors ready to help and support your sales efforts. Product innovation and commitment to service are the tools dealers need so check out the following deals, discounts, insights and promotional offers your DD23 exhibitors have for you. As they say in Vegas: Good Luck! Feeling really lucky? Click here.

MOBAUTO No clickbait promises of a fancy Apple Watch or an Amazon Echo for watching our presentation. We let our product do the talking. Exclusive mobile leads by text. Booth #532. 323-577-2886

COFFEE GROWLER/CARD HOLDERS/LANYARDS PLUS NEW PRODUCT RELEASE ANNOUNCEMENT UpdatePromise – Automated status updates and mobile payments to improve consumer experiences and service lifecycles, UpdatePromise will announce new product release (TBD). Pick up a free growler & business card holder while at the booth. Booth #1023. 951-471-7235

PHANTOM 3 DRONE GIVEAWAY CarChat24 – Stop by the booth and talk to them about their 24/7 Live Concierge Chat and Facebook & Texting platforms. Booth #827. 800-510-7567 @CarChat24

IPAD GIVEAWAY Fastlane – Stop by the booth and drop in your business card for an iPad giveaway. While there, learn more about theirin-store and online checkout product for new, used, lease sales. Booth #424. [email protected]

MUST SEE PANEL DISCUSSION A DealerRefresh Panel – “Freshen Up” discussing attribution, eCommerce and managing vendors. Panelist info here. Monday, September 18th, 2:35 p.m. Keynote Hall. Sign up for RefreshFridays, a weekly 30-minute live video podcast here.

ENTER TO WIN OUR URBAN SURVIVAL KIT INCLUDING A HIGH SIERRA BACKPACK, DRONE, GO PRO, IPAD, AND A $100 AMAZON GIFT CARD! AutoLoop – Take CRM to the next level with XRM. Visit Booth #301 for details. 877-850-2010 [Read more…]

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Digital Dealer 22 Review with Kevin Frye #DD22

Can Peyton Hoffman Keep Me from this 5-Hour Energy Drink & another Digital Dealer review?

Woo hoo! It’s spring break!

I mean – “Hey boss, is it OK if I go to Digital Dealer 22 in Tampa to learn about the latest and greatest in automotive digital?”

Use your noggin knucklehead!

The last approach might be more successful if you want to join fellow dealers in sunny Florida to work, train, and network 24/7 to become a better digital dealer when you return. And who doesn’t want to go to Tampa, Florida for Digital Dealer 22 after a long, cold winter? Are you ready to begin this recap? [Read more…]

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Digital Dealer 21 Review with Kevin Frye #DD21

Helping Jerry Thibeau rehydrate in the Vegas heat

Helping Jerry Thibeau rehydrate in the Vegas heat at Digital Dealer 21

When it is 104 degrees, do you enjoy:

  1. Replacing the shingles on your house
  2. Laying down some new asphalt for your driveway
  3. Going to Las Vegas in August…

Aw c’mon, it’s a dry heat, right?

Kinda like the inside of one of those convection ovens I suppose. Yes, it was HOT in Las Vegas, and it was even hotter with some of the best in automotive gathering for Digital Dealer 21 at the MGM Grand for several days of learning, networking, and gambling.

Did I say gambling?

[Read more…]

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Digital Marketing Mysteries Exposed at Digital Dealer 21

In August 2016 at Digital Dealer 21 in Las Vegas, Digital Marketing Mysteries were exposed during the Naked Truth panel session moderated by April Rain. In the weeks leading up to the event, hundreds of questions were submitted through the AutoHook website which a committee then sorted through to select but a few to address with the panel.

The collection of “Hard Questions” that were tackled by the hard knocks panel (see below) centered largely on paid media spending, social media, and attribution, and effective tactics.

Included on the panel were:

Scott Empringham, Owner/CEO of Flashpoint Communications
Alex Jefferson, E-Commerce Director of Proctor Dealerships
Kelly McNearny, Senior Auto Retail Strategist at Google

The Naked Truth stripped down the roaring complexities of the digital world to reveal the most common pain points dealers face today when shaping their marketing strategies and we were able to capture it live on Facebook for people not attending the event. Be sure to check out the recording and let us know what you think.

autohook-dd21-naked-truth-panel-fb-live

The Naked Truth campaign was a real success for AutoHook and for Digital Dealer and it brought up new ideas and opportunities for doing something similar at future such events as well. Shouts out to everyone that was involved and be sure to stay tuned for future similar initiatives.

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Digital Dealer 19 Review with Kevin Frye

“Have you had too much to drink, sir?”

“Oui oui, my friend”…

Welcome to Paris! Or should I say that The Paris Hotel in Las Vegas welcomes Digital Dealer 19. Wow, I didn’t think Parisians like Americans that well, but apparently they LOVE car folks, and the different venue for this year’s fall conference brought some new excitement to the longest running Digital Automotive Conference.

Speaking of which… [Read more…]

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Digital Dealer 18 Review with Kevin Frye

Searching for Auto Treasure at DIgital Dealer 18

Arrgh! Searching for Auto Treasure at Digital Dealer 18

Have you seen my treasure map? The “X” shows up heeeere…  After a long, cold winter, I was happy to arrive at Digital Dealer 18 in WARM Tampa, Florida. Like so many others, I was searching for the treasure of invaluable information to make me a better dealer with our digital efforts, while visiting with so many great friends.

Speaking of which, a lot of the folks I know in  automotive would have likely been pirates a few hundred years ago… (hey Twitterer’s – note that I have linked most folks Twitter handles in this review, go ahead and click on each to follow some of the best in the industry!). Let’s get started… [Read more…]

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Digital Dealer 17 Review with Kevin Frye

Kevin Frye at Digital Dealer 17

You will get knocked out by this Digital Dealer 17 Review

Have you seen my Led Zeppelin sweater?  It’s made of Kashmir…  As I entered Digital Dealer 17 on day one, I was greeted with the sound of Zeppelin’s classic tune “Kashmir”. Ba na nah, ba na nah, nah nah nah! With music like that, I had to expect something grand at this fall’s conference (and nice selection of tunes care of Pandora). Can you believe we are on our 17th Digital Dealer? Wow, we have come a long way since the earliest conference, and I looked forward to meeting great friends while learning great new content that could help me when I return.

Kevin Frye and Julie Frye

We invited several great friends to our anniversary dinner…

Whoa! Hold on there ‘pardner…  I actually showed up on Sunday afternoon to enjoy some Vegas time with my lovely wife Julie. We always look to celebrate our anniversary with dinner and a show in the city that never sleeps, and Vegas did not disappoint. We spent some pool-time at the Mirage (and might I add – FIRST CLASS people watching…), enjoyed the Spa facilities, and then headed down to the Aria for a wonderful dinner at Jean George’s Steakhouse, followed by the Cirque du Soleil show “Zarkana”.  If you are only coming to Vegas for the conference, you are missing out on some of the best entertainment, food, and first class service that Las Vegas has to offer.

DD17 conference screens

I liked the updating HD TV screens at the DD17 Conference – great job Joseph De Palma

Can you say “check-in while wearing a swimsuit?” – And that is exactly what I did on Monday afternoon. Wearing flip flops and the latest in Italian Speedo fashion, I stopped in for the early Digital Dealer registration. THANK YOU for putting this into place as I can quickly grab my conference badge and more in just a minute, and avoid any lines or waiting on the first day of the conference. Now maybe next year someone can personally deliver my registration badge while I sit poolside… [Read more…]

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Digital Dealer 16 Review with Kevin Frye

Do not stop. Do not pass Go. Do not collect two hundred dollars. Go directly to Digital Dealer 16 in Atlantic City!

Kevin Frye, Mike Roscoe, and Alex Jefferson

Kevin Frye, Mike Roscoe, and Alex Jefferson

That’s right, many of us in the industry headed to the new location of the spring Digital Dealer conference to learn about new industry trends, to see great friends, and to gather with a lot of old people wearing Depends (ok – that is a dig at the common age of most of the folks gambling in Harrahs, but more about that later…).

A bit silly flying into Philly? Perhaps, but that was the closest airport to Atlantic City, and there were a lot of complaints that the new venue was not simple to reach. Once you landed in Philadelphia, it was another hour and fifteen minute drive to Atlantic City.

While many of us rented cars, Digital Dealer was running a shuttle bus (thank you!). There was a direct flight on Spirit airlines flying into Atlantic City airport, but some of my friends who took that cheap flight had a 4 hour delay and a none to pleasant flight. Now that’s the Spirit! Oh, wait, I don’t think that’s what they meant…

[Read more…]