Best Practices

What is Your Dealer’s WMOT!

ZMOT - What about WMOT

It’s impossible to be even a casual DealerRefresh reader and not have come across a ZMOT discussion over the last year or so.

For those of you still assuming that ZMOT is that new kosher malt beverage soon arriving in a delicatessen near you, the Zero Moment Of Truth (ZMOT) is that marketing concept guru’d by Google’s Jim Lecinski, formatively describing modern shoppers’ purchase decision making process through the digital funnel of online social interactions, peer reviews, product ratings, video, etc.

The actual term ZMOT is a play on the terms used in an older Proctor and Gamble study describing the First Moment of Truth (FMOT), and of course if you have a First, you’ll need a Second (SMOT). So we have a whole lotta Moments of Truth here, and if you’d like more information, go ahead and Google them yourself!

Not too many of us dealer-minded people get too caught-up in all this fancy- shmancy marketing lingo.

ZMOT? THERE’S AN UP ON THE LOT!! And herein lies the origin of WMOT….

For a moment, let’s assume that I’ve mastered the art of ZMOT. I’m Facebook’ed out the wazzoo…. Hundreds of positive ratings averaging 4.8. Live walk-around videos on all of my Used Cars, 22 actual pictures of my entire New Car Inventory, funny and accurate descriptions: perfect merchandizing. Traffic is lining-up at my door to do business with my store – they love us!!

The door opens, and there it is:

“Kin I hep yuz?” with a full face-full of some combination of garlic, cheese and cigarette smoke that instantly dries your eyeballs and singes your nose hairs.

We’ve just witnessed WMOT: the dealership’s Worst Moment Of Truth. In this case, it’s the realization that all the efforts and dollars put into attracting a client have just been nullified because Stinky Pete doesn’t use mouthwash and never learned to shake hands.

The very interesting thing about WMOT is that there can be many in one dealership, and one dealer’s WMOT may not apply to another dealership. Our people can be our WMOT. Our lack of process can be our WMOT. Our attitude can be our WMOT.

The real problem with WMOT is that it can cancel the best ZMOT. It just doesn’t matter how well you market your goods and services if your people, process, and attitude stink.

Now this is a blog, and by a blog’s very nature, we are going to attract the ilk comfortable discussing digital issues and best practices, technology, and the latest and greatest of everything. But at the risk of sounding like the old timer I’ve become, I’m going to ponder the world (and maybe write a follow-up article or two) where DP’s, GM’s, GSM’s, SM’s, ILM’s, etc., work under a valance of balance. Where the “modern” GM realizes that a hand-shake and eye contact is just as important as Google (Sorry Jade!). Where the ability to put a client at-ease is regarded as highly as the ability to generate 50 leads from the website. Balance is the key to eradicating WMOT.

Anybody catch the Pro-Bowl the other night? All those All-Stars… all those Zillionaires… do you know that the 1st day of training camp every year they concentrate on getting into and getting out of their stance? Yes… the most basic of basics…. How to stand, squat, and step.

Surprised to learn that the Elite focus-on, emphasize and practice the basics?

Is there a lesson there?

Can you recall a WMOT in your experience?

15+ years front-line, battle-hardened automotive vet, foreshadowing 7 years in automotive software construction, production, training, sales, and supp...
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    KellyWilson
  • January 31, 2012
Z to the F MOT JQ!

WMOT happens here almost every time someone picks up the phone! Forget "Stinky Pete" (RIP Charlie we miss you) What about every time someone calls a lead or takes an up disregarding all the information before them? I cringe when I hear the calls and see the interactions on the floor killing all that "we" have built/done getting the customer in the current position.

Basic training is useful, but what is it they say about the ability to "fix" those not willing to learn or capable of implementation? (hint: it should be a Trump quote but it's not)
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    dealerrefresh
  • February 3, 2012
Great article John. Looking forward to any possible future installments.



It's never less than frustrating than working your ass off to win at the zero moment of truth, only to have it lost during a phone call because your sales people lack the ninja phone skills they need in order to schedule more appointments.



So many variables and opportunities for the WMOT to raise it's ugly head and ruin the moment.



I'm writing this comment from Las Vegas during the DMSC. During my session Wednesday with Tom White Jr., he and I spoke in front of a standing room only crowd of dealers. But with all the great discussion about best marketing practices and the different things we are doing to increase our lead to show rate, many questions around the WMOT and their operational side were being asked. I believe progressive dealers winning at the ZMOT are now realizing how much they loose at the WMOT.



It call comes back to leadership, training and having the right people.
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    adamthrasher
  • February 3, 2012
Couldn't agree more! No matter what you try to do to have a stellar ZMOT, if your people aren't professional and trained properly, you are bound to have many WMOT's! If your spending money on stimulus, then you better be spending money on training to make sure your advertising dollars aren't spent in vain.
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Great article John! I've said this a thousand times myself. You can have the best marketing/social marketing out there, if the leads and ups are handled properly, it's is all negated.
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