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May 20 by Guest Poster -

2008 SYNERGY SESSIONS New Orleans – Review by Brian Tucker

Synergysession_board

Monday, May 12, 2008, I departed for New Orleans to get my fix of DGI, I canceled the Google alert after Jeff Kershner filled me in, thanks Alex for hours of endless search trying to figure that one out!

This would be my first trip to New Orleans and my first attendance to an event of this magnitude. My endless e-mails to Jeff and Sean V. Bradley begging to go finally paid off in a big way! The W Hotel was a great location for the event, and I really dug the contemporary décor of my room. I had Jeff convinced that Sean reserved me a Penthouse Suite on the top floor. All joking aside, Sean, AutoSuccess Magazine, DealerRefresh and Dealer Synergy went above and beyond putting this together for me. Sean, I will be reporting back to you as I build my library of videos with my new Flip Video Camera and utilize some of the tips you presented on Video Search Engine Optimization (No worries — I will keep the end result in mind).

There was so much info presented at this event — I took close to 20 pages of notes — I will have a hard time recapping everything that I found useful in this post, but as Deverl from Franklin Covey put it, I’ll try to give you a drink of water from a fire hose.

One of the speakers from the first day that I thought brought their “A” game would include the people from Dealer.com, I thought that Dean Evans and Mike DeCecco put together a classy presentation that touched on many thought-provoking topics such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO) defined within the guidelines of Google Webmaster, content organization, used-car brochures and robust sitemaps.

Sean Bradley and his presentation on Video Search Engine Optimization (VSEO) rocked! I’ll touch on one of the most impressive stats he brought to our attention: Online video reached an astronomical number in March, to the tune of 11.5 billion videos viewed in the U.S.! It’s not the next big thing — it’s already a very big thing!

The tricky part is coming up with content that will have the viral effect, such as those Badger commercials we have all come to love. I have some video ideas I have been kicking around and I’m very excited to get them into production — thanks for the tips, Sean!

Ken Potter from CarsDirect had a unique style to his presentation — laid back but very informative. One of the points he made, and I am guilty of it myself, is that we are in an industry of copycats (I sometimes refer to myself as the “The King of Copy and Paste”). I liked his suggestion to include a search bar on your homepage to track what is relevant to your customers. I also liked his suggestion to become a servant to your customers and employees, and finding out why your customers did not buy from you via e-mail was a point well-taken by me — I plan on getting that e-mail together very soon.

I will let Kershner comment on the VIP party at the House of Blues, as someone spiked my tonic water with Grey Goose. I will tell you that the party was off the hook and no expense was spared! The Hummer Limo at our beck and call was a nice touch.

The second day at Synergy Sessions was even more impressive then the first day, with high-energy speakers clearing the fog in my head rather quickly (was it the jet lag or the spiked drinks?).

Howard Polirer from Autotrader.com spoke on bridging the gap with Internet customers and brought up so many relevant topics that I found so useful I could write five pages on his presentation. I will just recommend catching this presentation at the next Synergy Session.

DeVerl Austin from Franklin Covey presented “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and did a great job breaking down the process using the formula in the book. I have found this very helpful as I read through the book; needless to say DeVerl is a true professional and a great presenter.

Sean Bradley spun his version of the process, implementing a plan for building a rock-solid Internet Department using the core fundamentals found in the Covey book. I am currently building my action plan for my dealership based on the info that Sean presented.

The last presenter that I really got to interact with the second day because of work commitments was Mark Dubis from Carfolks. Mark had a very compelling presentation, spun off some of the recent hiccups we have seen lately with dealers managing their online reputations. I have spent many hours myself on Google trying to make sure we address those stealth posts that can silently damage sales. We as auto industry professionals must realize that customer concerns must be addressed at quantum speeds – not in days or hours. The old adage about disgruntled customers telling 10 people has been magnified to the beat of about 1 million views on the last PR disaster that I followed involving a dealership and one upset customer. Looks like we will all need to step it up on the customer satisfaction side of things and make sure we are in tune with what is being posted about our dealerships.

In closing, I would just like to thank everyone for the knowledge I gained from the two days in New Orleans, and I apologize in advance for not naming everyone that contributed to my successful trip.

Guest Posting by: Brian Tucker
Internet Sales Director for Swope Toyota

Categories: Industry Events

March 16 by Jeff Kershner -

WIN a free trip to the 2008 Synergy Sessions in New Orleans!

Synergysessionslogo_300w_2

Sean V. Bradley at Dealer Synergy has put together an impressive deal for ALL DealerRefresh readers! Please take advantage of this very generous offer. THANKS SEAN!!

I (Sean V. Bradley) want to invite EVERYONE to this year’s absolute best conference…2008 Synergy Sessions in New Orleans!

It is brought to you by Dealer Synergy, AutoSuccess Magazine and Mark Dubis. This is the 3rd annual event. It is going to be off the hook!! We have worked incredibly hard to make this better than anything you have ever seen before. We got the best of the best in the industry… experts and dealers. We cut the prices completely to the bottom. ONLY $295 with a DealerRefresh discount code DR0508. We have included breakfast, lunch for two days PLUS a VIP PARTY at the famous House of Blues…food, drinks and AWESOME live entertainment.

We are NOT trying to make a big profit into this event. We are looking to create the most powerful brand out there for workshops / conferences. There are a lot of companies working very hard to give you all the absolute best in class event and not charge you very much for it.

Here is the hook…I want your help…WE NEED your help. To make this the absolute best, we are going to need your feedback as to what your wants, wishes and expectations are.

  • What would make the ultimate workshop?
  • Where would be the best location?
  • What types of subjects?
  • What other speakers or experts would you like to heard from?
  • What kind of give a ways?
  • What kind of materials?
  • Networking?
  • Entertainment?
  • Breakout sessions?
  • Exercises?
  • What is fair pricing?

We want to hear from you.

*RESPOND TO THE POSTING WITH YOUR IDEAS AND SUGGESTIONS AND YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE ENTERED INTO THE "DEALERREFRESH" DRAWING and we will pick the winner on April 15th. Dealer Synergy and AutoSuccess Magazine will give an ALL INCLUSIVE VIP TRIP to the 2008 Synergy Sessions in New Orleans.

Package includes:

  1. Flight
  2. Hotel
  3. Registration
  4. Meals
  5. Limo (for VIP Party)
  6. Free Digital Video Flip Camera
  7. Rockstart Status!

Approximate value is $2,000… not bad for sharing some feedback!

Thanks a lot, Sean V. Bradley-

Click here for more information and to register for the event.

Kershnersspromo

Categories: Industry Events

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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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