Car Dealer Marketing Advice

Sales Letters For Car DealersThat Get Results - Strategy # 9

noreply@blogger.com (Canadian Advertising) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 18:06:00 +0000

Is your Dealership looking for a solution to your sales letters? Well look no further for there is a well-known structure in successful sales letters, described by the acronym AIDA.

AIDA stands for:

Attention
Interest
Desire
Action

First, you must Capture your prospect’s attention. This is done with your headline and lead. If your ad fails to capture your prospect’s attention, it fails completely. Your prospect doesn’t read your stellar copy, and doesn’t order your product or service.

The next step is Interest - you want to build a strong interest in your prospect. You must keep them reading, for if they read, they ight just purchase from you.

Next, you channel a Desire. Having a targeted market for this is key, because you’re not trying to create a desire where one did not already exist. You want to capitalize on an existing desire, which your prospect may or may not know they already have. And you want your prospect to experience that desire for your inventory or a financial or vehicle services you offer.

Finally, you present a Call To Action. You want them to pick up the telephone, walk into your showrrom, whatever. You need to ask for the sale (or response, if that’s the goal). You don’t want to beat around the bush at this point. If your letter and AIDA structure is sound and persuasive, here’s where you present the terms of your offer and urge the prospect to act now.

A lot has been written about the AIDA copywriting formula. for many busienss and this will work for your store.

But I would like to add one more letter to the acronym:

S for Satisfy.

In the end, after the sale is made, you want to satisfy your prospect, who is now a customer. You want to deliver exactly what you promised (or even more), by the date you promised, in the manner you promised. In short, you want to give them every reason in the world to trust you the next time they need a vehicle.

Either way, you want your customers to be satisfied. It will make your Dealership a lot more profits in the long run.

Looking for more ideas to increase your Dealership's success?

Go to http://www.automarketingprofits.com/automotive-marketing-books.html
to see some of the books we offer or simply give us a phone call to chat as we would be happy to help you and your Dealership jump to the next level!

Car Dealer Sales Letter Design Strategies - Tip # 8

noreply@blogger.com (Canadian Advertising) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:56:00 +0000

Is your Dealership looking for help to design a sales letter?

Your layout is very important in a sales letter, because you want your letter to look inviting, refreshing to the eyes. In short, you want your prospect to stop what he’s doing and read your letter.

If your prospect sees a letter with tiny margins, no indentations, no breaks in the text, no white space, and no subheads…if he sees a page of nothing but densely-packed words, do you think they'll be tempted to read it?

Not likely.

If you do have ample white space and generous margins, short sentences, short paragraphs, subheads, and an italicized or underlined word here and there for emphasis, it will certainly look more inviting to read.

When reading your letter, some prospects will start at the beginning and read word for word. Some will read the headline and maybe the lead, then read the “P.S.” at the end of the letter and see who the letter is from, then start from the beginning.

And some prospects will scan through your letter, noticing the various subheads strategically positioned by you throughout your letter, then decide if it’s worth their time to read the entire thing. Some may never read the entire letter, but order anyways.

You must write for all of them. Interesting and compelling long copy for the studious reader, and short paragraphs and sentences, white space, and subheads for the skimmer.

Subheads are the smaller headlines sprinkled throughout your copy.

Like this.

When coming up with your headline, some of the headlines that didn’t make the cut can make great subheads. A good subhead forces your prospect to keep reading, threading him along from start to finish throughout your copy, while also providing the glue necessary to keep skimmers skimming.

Looking for even more help for your Dealership? Well take some time and browse through our previous posts or wait until your next issue!

Car Dealer Marketing Tip 7 - 7. The More You Tell, The More You Sell

noreply@blogger.com (Canadian Advertising) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:58:00 +0000

Does the debate on using long copy versus short copy ever seems to end in your Car Dealership? Usually it is a newcomer to copywriting who seems to think that long copy is boring and, well…long. “I would never read that much copy,” they say.

The fact of the matter is that all things being equal, long copy will outperform short copy every time. And when I say long copy, I don’t mean long and boring, or long and untargeted.

The person who says he would never read all that copy is making a big mistaking in copywriting: he is going with his gut reaction instead of relying on test results. He is thinking that he himself is the prospect. He’s not. We’re never our own prospects.

There have been many studies and split tests conducted on the long copy versus short copy debate. And the clear winner is always long copy. But that’s targeted relevant long copy as opposed to untargeted boring long copy.

Some significant research has found that readership tends to fall off dramatically at around 300 words, but does not drop off again until around 3,000 words

If I’m selling an expensive set of golf clubs and send my long copy to a person who’s plays golf occasionally, or always wanted to try golf, I am sending my sales pitch to the wrong prospect. It is not targeted effectively. And so if a person who receives my long copy doesn’t read past the 300^th word, they weren’t qualified for my offer in the first place.

It wouldn’t have mattered whether they read up to the 100^th word or 10,000^th word. They still wouldn’t have made a purchase.

However, if I sent my long copy to an avid die-hard golfer, who just recently purchased other expensive golf products through the mail, painting an irresistible offer, telling him how my clubs will knock 10 strokes off his game, he’ll likely read every word. And if I’ve targeted my message correctly, he will buy.

Remember, if your prospect is 3000 miles away, it’s not easy for him to ask you a question. You must anticipate and answer all of his questions and overcome all objections in your copy if you are to be successful.

And make sure you don’t throw everything you can think of under the sun in there. You only need to include as much information as you need to make the sale…and not one word more.

If it takes a 10-page sales letter, so be it. If it takes a 16-page magalog, fine. But if the 10-page sales letter tests better than the 16-page magalog, then by all means go with the winner.

Does that mean every prospect must read every word of your copy before he will order your product? Of course not.

Some will read every word and then go back and reread it again. Some will read the headline and lead, then skim much of the body and land on the close. Some will scan the entire body, then go back and read it. All of those prospects may end up purchasing the offer, but they also all may have different styles of reading and skimming.

Interested in finding the top Headlines for your Media, Print, Radio and Flyer Advertising?For only $19.99 we are offering our clients the top Headlines and Phrases To Use For Your Markeitng and Advertising. Simply send us an email to sales@automarketingprofits.com for more information.

Tip #6 - The Importance Of Car Dealers Using Headlines

noreply@blogger.com (Canadian Advertising) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:52:00 +0000

If your Dealership is going to make a single change to boost the response rate of your advertising - the most important focus should on your headline (you do use one with your advertising don’t you?).

Why? Because five times as many people read your headline than your copy. Quite simply, a headline is…an ad for your ad. People won’t stop their busy lives to read your advertsement unless you give them a good reason to do so. So a good headline promises some news and a benefit.

Perhaps you’re thinking, “What’s this about news, you say?”

Think about the last time you browsed through your local newspaper. You checked out the articles, one by one, and occasionally an ad may have caught your eye. Which ads were the ones most likely to catch your eye?

The ones that looked like an article, of course.

The ones with the headline that promised news.

The ones with fonts and type that closely resembled the fonts and type used in articles.

The ones that were placed where articles were placed (as opposed to being placed on a full page of ads, for example).

And the ones with the most compelling headlines that convinced you it’s worth a few minutes to read the copy.

The headline is that powerful and that important.

I’ve seen so many Automotive ads over the years that either had a brutal headline or not even a headline. And that’s just the equivalent to flushing good advertsing money right down the toilet.

Why? Because your response can increase dramatically by not only adding a headline, but by making that headline almost impossible to resist for your target market.

And those last three words are important. Your target market.

For example, take a look at the following headline:

Announcing…New High-Tech Gloves Protect Wearer Against Hazardous Waste

News, and a benefit.

Will that headline appeal to everyone?

No, and you don’t care about everyone.

But for someone who handles hazardous waste, they would sure appreciate knowing about this little gem.

That’s your target market, and it’s your job to get them to read your ad. Your headline is the way you do that.

Ok, now where do you find great headlines?

You look at other successful ads (especially direct response) that have stood the test of time. You look for ads that run regularly in magazines and other publications. How do you know they’re good? Because if they didn’t do their job, the advertiser wouldn’t keep running them again and again.

You get on the mailing lists of the big direct response companies like Agora and Boardroom and save their direct mail packages.

You read the National Enquirer.

Huh? You heard that correctly.

The National Enquirer has some of the best headlines in the business.

Pick up a recent issue and you’ll see what I mean. Ok, now how could you adapt some of those headlines to your own product or service?

Your headline should create a sense of urgency. It should be as specific as possible (i.e. say $1,007,274.23 instead of “a million dollars”).

The headline appearance is also very important. Make sure the type used is bold and large, and different from the type used in the copy. Generally, longer headlines tend to out pull shorter ones, even when targeting more “conservative” prospects.

It should go without saying that when you use other successful headlines, you adapt them to your own vehicles and dealership. Never copy a headline (or any other written copyrighted piece of work for that matter) word for word. Copywriters and ad agencies are notoriously famous for suing for plagiarism. And rightfully so.

Tip #5 - Utilizing A Unique Selling Proposition (USP) In Your Dealership

noreply@blogger.com (Canadian Advertising) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:20:00 +0000

Does your Dealerhsip utilize this? The unique selling position, or USP is often one of the most often misunderstood elements of a good sales letter. It’s what separates your vehicles and service sales from your competitors.

Let’s take a quick look at some unique selling propositions for your vehicle:

1) Lowest Price – If you’ve got the corner marketed on budget prices, flaunt it. Wal-Mart has made this USP famous lately, but it’s not new to them. In fact, selling for cheaper has been around as long as capitalism itself. Personally, I’m not crazy about price wars, because someone can always come along and sell for cheaper. Then it’s time for a new strategy…

2) Superior Quality – If your vehicle outperforms your competitor’s product or is made with higher quality, it’s a good bet that you could use this fact to your advantage. For example, compare Breyers Ice Cream to their competitor’s. From the packaging to the wholesome superior ingredients, the quality is evident. It may cost a little more than their competitor’s ice cream, but for their market, it sells.

3) Superior Service – If your Dealership offers superior service over your competitor’s, people will buy from you instead. This is especially true with certain markets that are all about service: long-distance phone companies, Internet service providers, cable television, etc.

4) Exclusive Rights – My favorite! If you can legitimately claim that your Dealership has exlclusive rights to some service or FREE GIVEAWAY, etc., then you have a winner for exclusive rights and customers must buy from your store.

Ok, what if you are not the only *Chev* dealer in town? Don't think you are the same as your competitor because there are always differences. The trick is to turn them into a positive advantage for you. You want to put your “best foot forward.” So what can we do in this scenario?

One way is to present something that your store has devised internally that no other Dealer does. Look, there’s a reason why computer store “A” offers to beat their competitor’s price for the same product by X%. If you look closely, the two packages are never exactly the same. Company “B” offers a free scanner, while company “A” offers a free printer. Or some other difference. They are comparing apples to oranges. So unless you find a company with the exact same package (you won’t…they’ve seen to that), you won’t be able to cash in. Can you think of ways to do this in your store?

But what if you truly have the same vehicles for sale as the guy up the road?

Unless your prospect knows the inner workings of both your and your competitor’s Dealership, including your inner processes, customer service, and everything in-between, then you have a little potential creative licensing here. But you must be truthful.

Want some more USP examples?

We are the only car repair shop that will buy your car if you are not 100 percent satisfied with our work.
Delivered in 30 minutes or it’s on us!
No other furniture company will pay for your shipping.
Our recipe is so secret, only three people in the world know it!

As with most ways to boost copy response, research is the key with your USP. Sometimes your USP is obvious, for example if you have a patent. Other times you must do a little legwork to discover it (or shape it to your target market).

Here’s where a little persistence and in-person selling really pays off. Let me give you an example to illustrate what I mean:

Suppose your company sells beanbag chairs for kids. So you, being the wise marketer that you are, decide to sell these beanbags in person to prospects before writing your copy. After completing twenty different pitches for your product, you discover that 75 percent of those you visited asked if the chair would eventually leak. Since the chairs are for kids, it’s only logical that parents would be concerned about their youngster jumping on it, rolling on it, and doing all things possible to break the seam and “spill the beans.”

So when you write your copy, you make sure you address that issue: “You can rest assure that our super-strong beanbag chairs are triple-stitched for guaranteed leak-proof performance. No other company will make this guarantee about their beanbag chairs!”

Looking for more ideas to increase your Dealership's success?

Go to http://www.automarketingprofits.com/automotive-marketing-books.html
to order "52 Free / Low Cost Marketing Strategies Guaranteed to Attract New Customers & Clients Into Your Auto Dealership In Any Economy".

Tip # 4 - Involving Proof and Believability In Your Dealer Ads

noreply@blogger.com (Canadian Advertising) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:22:00 +0000

When your prospective customer reads your ad, you want to make sure they believes any claims you make about your vehicles or Dealership. Reason being - if there’s any doubt in their mind, they won’t bite, no matter how sweet you make your deal. In fact, the “too good to be true” mentality will virtually guarantee a lost sale…even if it is all true.

So what can you do to increase the perception of believability? Because after all, it’s the perception you need to address up front. But of course you also must make sure your copy is accurate and truthful.

Here are some tried and tested methods that will help:

If you’re dealing with existing customers who already happy with your Dealership, emphasize that trust. Don’t leave it up to them to figure it out. Make them stop, cock their heads, and say, “Oh, yeah. This Dealer has never done me wrong before. I can trust them.”

Include testimonials of satisfied customers. Be sure to put full names and locations, where possible. Remember, “D.C.” is a lot less believable than “Derek Clark, San Diego, CA.” If you can also include a picture of the customer and/or a professional title, that’s even better. It doesn’t matter that your testimonials aren’t from somebody famous or that your prospect does not know these people personally. If you have enough compelling testimonials, and they’re believable, you’re much better off than not including them at all.

If posibble , cite any awards or third-party reviews the product or service has received

If you have either sold a lot of vehicles -- Or you are New Dealer and your manfucturer is #1 in sales , tell them. It’s the old “5 million people can’t be wrong” adage (they can be, but your prospect will likely take your side on the matter).

Try to incorporate a great return-policy if not completely satisified - Perhaps a 7-Day Return Policy at your Dealership?

If you can swing it, adding a local celebrity endorsement to establish credibility. Heck, if ‘ol honest " ? " drives " ? ", it must be true! Get the idea...

If you are limiting the offer with a deadline “purchase by” date, be sure the deadline is real and does not change. Deadline dates that change every day are sure to reduce credibility. Your prospect will suspect, “if his deadline date keeps changing, he’s not telling the truth about it…I wonder what else he’s not telling the truth about.”

And also avoid the "hype" at all costs.

I hope you find value in this weeks post and wish you all that this year - 2012 will be your best ever!

Looking for more ideas to increase your Dealership's success?

Santa's Way Of Helping Out Your Dealerships Marketing

noreply@blogger.com (Canadian Advertising) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:04:00 +0000

Season's Greetings from all of us at Auto Marketing Profits.
What is that ringing sound you hear? It is the sound of cash registers everywhere ringing up sales thanks to Santa Claus.

Just because Santa's old, overweight, long-haired and unshaven and dresses funny, don't overlook his business acumen. Santa is a marketing and sales generating expert and you can become one, too, if you follow his proven methods.

It is true that Santa is mythical - but ask anyone what Santa does or who he is and you will quickly find out that everyone you ask knows exactly about him.

Let us have a look at why he is a marketing genius:

Uniqueness
Be it that red suit, way different way of transportation or his big belly laugh - Santa is simply one of a kind.

Free Publicity
He seems to be a master of receiving free presss being mentioned all over the media during winter - with many movies, books and songs being written about him.

Customer Focused
Santa is not focused on himself and does not talk about how long he has been in business or how much he works and what a workload he has. Rather - he only looks to learn what the everyone else wants.

Giving Away Something For Free
While most gifts in homes are from the family or close relatives, in most house's with youngsters there are many gifts that have the name Santa on them.

How can your Dealership grab some ideas from Santa?

1) Clarify how your Dealership is unique and what seperates you from your local competitors.

2) Grab the media's attention during the holidays but also all year long.

3) Ask your previous customers and leads what they want and look to provide some services / inventory that fits their exact need and want.

4) Give something away for free - articles, free reports, a workshop for women.

5) Know what you are selling - yes, you do know about your vehicles and Dealership but start selling your customers on achieving their exact dream or hope and deliver to them results they can achieve.

It does not matter if you celebrate Christmas - but start marketing like Santa and you will be seeing more happy customers and leads at your store.

From our families to yours; may you have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. - See you in 2012!

Tip # 3 - Push Your Customer's Emotional Hot Buttons

noreply@blogger.com (Canadian Advertising) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:06:00 +0000

Grabbing your Dealership customer's hot buttons is where research really pays off. Kowing where to push those buttons needs to be known first if you wish to get any results.

This is where research really pays off. Because in order to push those buttons, you need to first know what they are.

Listen to this story first, and I’ll tell you what I mean: Once upon a time a young man walked into a Chevrolet dealer’s showroom to check out a Chevy Camaro. He had the money, and he was ready to make a buying decision. But he couldn’t decide if he wanted to buy the Camaro or the Ford Mustang up the road at the Ford dealer.

A salesman approached him and soon discovered the man’s dilemma.

“Tell me what you like best about the Camaro,” said the salesman.

“It’s a fast car. I like it for its speed.”

After some more discussion, the salesman learned the man had just started dating a cute college cheerleader. So what did the salesman do?

Simple. He changed his pitch accordingly, to push the hot buttons he knew would help advance the sale. He told the man about how impressed his new girlfriend would be when he came home with this car! He placed the mental image in the man’s mind of he and his girlfriend cruising to the beach in the Camaro. How all of his friends will be envious when they see him riding around with a beautiful girl in a beautiful car.

And suddenly the man saw it. He got it. And the salesman recognized this and piled it on even more. Before you know it, the man wrote a nice fat check to the Chevy dealership, because he was sold!

The salesman found those hot buttons and pushed them like never before until the man realized he wanted the Camaro more than he wanted his money.

I know what you’re thinking…the man said he liked the car because it was fast, didn’t he?

Yes, he did. But subconsciously, what he really desired was a car that would impress his girlfriend, his friends, and in his mind make them love him more! In his mind he equated speed with thrill. Not because he wanted an endless supply of speeding tickets, but because he thought that thrill would make him more attractive, more likeable.

Perhaps the man didn’t even realize this fact himself. But the salesman sure did. And he knew which emotional hot buttons to press to get the sale.

Now, where does the research pay off?

Well, a good salesman knows how to ask the kinds of questions that will tell him which buttons to press on the fly. When you’re writing copy, you don’t have that luxury. It’s therefore very important to know upfront the wants, needs, and desires of your prospects for that very reason. If you haven’t done your homework, your prospect is going to decide that he’d rather keep his money than buy your product. Remember, copywriting is salesmanship in print!

It’s been said many times: People don’t like to be sold.

But they do like to buy.

And they buy based on emotion first and foremost. Then they justify their decision with logic, even after they are already sold emotionally. So be sure to back up your emotional pitch with logic to nurture that justification at the end.

And while we’re on the subject, let’s talk a moment about perceived “hype” in a sales letter. A lot of more “conservative” advertisers have decided that they don’t like hype, because they consider hype to be old news, been-there-and-done-that, my customers won’t fall for hype, it’s not believable anymore.

What they should realize is that hype itself does not sell well. Some less experienced copywriters often try to compensate for their lack of research or not fully understanding their target market or the product itself by adding tons of adjectives and adverbs and exclamation points and big bold type.

Whew! If you do your job right, it’s just not needed.

That’s not to say some adverbs or adjectives don’t have their place…only if they’re used sparingly, and only if they advance the sale.

But I think you’d agree that backing up your copy with proof and believability will go a lot farther in convincing your prospects than “power words” alone. I say power words, because there are certain adverbs and adjectives that have been proven to make a difference when they’re included. This by itself is not hype. But repeated too often, they become less effective, and they take away (at least in your prospect’s mind) from the proof.

Stay tuned for our next post and tip to assist your Car Dealership. Be sure to have a peak at our

Car Dealership Marketing Website To Attract More Customers.

Tip # 2 - Emphasize Benefits of Your Dealers & Vehicles, Not Features

noreply@blogger.com (Canadian Advertising) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 03:10:00 +0000

Does what I wrote make sense to you? What exactly are features? They are descriptions of what qualities a product possesses.

Here are a few examples:

· The XYZ car delivers 55 miles per gallon in the city.

· Our ladder’s frame is made from a lightweight durable steel alloy.

· Our glue is protected by a patent.

· This database has a built-in data-mining system.

And what are benefits? They are what the actual features mean to your prospects:

· You’ll save money on gas and cut down on environmental pollutants when you use our energy saving high-performance hybrid car. Plus, you’ll feel the extra oomph when you’re passing cars, courtesy of the efficient electric motor, which they don’t have!

· Lightweight durable steel-alloy frame means you’ll be able to take it with you with ease, and use it in places most other ladders can’t go, while still supporting up to 800 pounds. No more backaches lugging around that heavy ladder. And it’ll last for 150 years, so you’ll never need to buy another ladder again!

· Patent-protected glue ensures you can use it on wood, plastic, metal, ceramic, glass, and tile…without messy cleanup and without ever having to re-glue it again—guaranteed!

· You can instantly see the “big picture” hidden in your data, and pull the most arcane statistics on demand. Watch your business do a “180” in no time flat, when you instantly know why it’s failing in the first place! It’s all done with our built-in data-mining system that’s so easy to use, my twelve year-old son used it successfully right out of the box.

These examples are simply made up - use your own imagination to see how YOUR Dealership showcases only Features... And now turn those into Benefits.

By the way, did you notice in the list of features where I wrote “steel alloy?” But in the benefits I wrote “steel-alloy” (with a hyphen). Not sure off-hand which one is correct, but I know which one I’d use.

Here’s why: you are not writing to impress your English teacher or win any awards. The only award you’re after is your copy beating the control (control being the best-selling copy so far), so take some liberty in grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. You want it to be read and acted upon, not read and admired!

But—back to benefits…

If you were selling an expensive watch, you wouldn’t tell your reader that the face is 2 inches in diameter and the band is made of leather.

You show him how the extra-large face will tell him the time at a glance. No sir! He won’t have to squint and look foolish to everyone around him trying to read this magnificent timepiece. And how about the way he’ll project success and charisma when he wears the beautiful gold watch with its handcrafted custom leather band? How his lover will find him irresistible when he’s all dressed up to go out, wearing the watch. Or how the watch’s status and beauty will attract the ladies.

Incidentally, did you notice how I brought up not squinting as a benefit? Does that sound like a silly benefit? Not if you are selling to affluent baby boomers suffering from degrading vision. They probably hate it when someone they’re trying to impress sees them squint in order to read something. It’s all part of their inner desire, which you need to discover. And which even they may not know about. That is, until you show them a better way.

The point is to address the benefits of the product, not its features. And when you do that, you’re focusing on your reader and his interests, his desires. The trick is to highlight those specific benefits (and word them correctly) that push your reader’s emotional hot buttons.

Now for your challenge - Take 10 minutes to yourself and start coming of ways that your Dealership, staff and inventory can benefit your customer.

Job well done!

Looking for other ways to increase sales and profits? Be sure to ask for your FREE PREVIEW of our great book:
"52 Free / Low Cost Marketing Strategies Guaranteed to Attract New Customers & Clients Into Your Auto Dealership In Any Economy".

Tip 1 - Focus On Your Customer, Not Your Inventory & Dealership

noreply@blogger.com (Canadian Advertising) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 22:55:00 +0000

When a potential prospect reads your advertisement / letter, or brochure., the one thing they will be wondering from the start is: “what’s in it for me?”

And if your advertisement doesn’t tell them exactly.... it’ll land in the trash faster than he can read the headline or lead.

Most every advertiser makes this mistake. They focus on them as a company. How long they’ve been in business, who their biggest customers are, how they have the best vehicles...

Actually, these are important, but they should be expressed in a way that matters to your potential customer. Remember, once they thrown it in the garbage, your sale is lost!

When writing your sales copy, it helps to think of it as writing a letter to an old friend. In fact, I often picture a friend of mine who most closely fits my prospect’s profile. What would I say to convince this friend to try my product? How would I target my friend’s objections and beliefs to help my cause?

When you’re writing to a friend, you’ll use the pronouns “I” and “you.” When trying to convince your friend, you might say: “Look, I know you think you’ve tried out every "thing" out there. But you should know that…”

And it goes beyond just writing in the second person. That is, addressing your prospect as “you” within the copy. The fact of the matter is there are many successful ads that weren’t written in the second person. Some are written in the first person perspective, where the writer uses “I.” Other times the third person is used, with “she,” “he,” and “them.”

And even if you do write in the second person, it doesn’t necessarily mean your copy is about them.

For example:

“As a top rated Dealer you can take comfort in the fact that I’ve bought over 10,000 vehicles in the past 10 years and mastered the tricks of buying only the best vehicles”

Although you’re writing in the second person, you’re really still focusing on yourself.

So how can you focus on them? Stay tuned for our next post.

"52 Free / Low Cost Marketing Strategies Guaranteed to Attract New Customers & Clients Into Your Auto Dealership In Any Economy".

Top Adertising Tips For Car Dealerships and Sales

noreply@blogger.com (Canadian Advertising) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 02:33:00 +0000

You may be a Dealer Principal - but do you know what advertising is?

Is it clever slogans or amusing prose? Is it workmanship to be judged for an award or recognition?

No - it is none of the above. Advertising is salesmanship multiplied. Nothing more.

And advertising copy, or copywriting, is salesmanship in print. The purpose of a copywriter’s job is to sell. Period.

The selling is accomplished by persuasion with the written word, much like a television commercial sells (if done properly) by persuading with visuals and audio.

As Claude Hopkins wrote in his timeless classic, Scientific Advertising:
“To properly understand advertising or to learn even its rudiments one must start with the right conception. Advertising is salesmanship. Its principles are the principles of salesmanship. Successes and failures in both lines are due to like causes. Thus every advertising question should be answered by the salesman's standards.

“Let us emphasize that point. The only purpose of advertising is to make sales. It is profitable or unprofitable according to its actual sales.
“It is not for general effect. It is not to keep your name before the people. It is not primarily to aid your other salesmen. Treat it as a salesman. Force it to justify itself. Compare it with other salesmen. Figure its cost and result. Accept no excuses which good salesmen do not make. Then you will not go far wrong.

“The difference is only in degree. Advertising is multiplied salesmanship. It may appeal to thousands while the salesman talks to one. It involves a corresponding cost. Some people spend $10 per word on an average advertisement. Therefore every ad should be a super-salesman.
“A salesman's mistake may cost little. An advertiser’s mistake may cost a thousand times that much. Be more cautious, more exacting, therefore. A mediocre salesman may affect a small part of your trade. Mediocre advertising affects all of your trade.”
These points are as true today as they were when they were written nearly one hundred years ago!

So the goal then becomes: how can you make your Dealership's advertising as effective as possible.

The answer to this is to test. Test again. And then test some more.
If advertisement “A” receives a two percent response rate, and advertisement “B” receives three percent, then we can deduce that advertisement “B” will continue to outperform advertisement “A” on a larger scale.

Testing takes time, however, and can be expensive if not kept in check. Therefore, it’s ideal to start with some proven tested known ideas for your store - and work from there.

For example, if testing has shown for decades or more that targeted advertising significantly outperforms untargeted advertising (which it does), then we can start with that assumption and go from there.

If we know based on test results that crafting an ad that speaks directly to an individual performs better than addressing the masses (again, it does), then it makes little sense to start testing with the assumption that it does not. This is common sense.

So it stands to reason that knowing some basic rules or techniques about writing effective copy is in order. Test results will always trump everything, but it’s better to have a starting point before you test.

This is the intro for your the top 10 Advertising tips for your Dealership - that have been time-tested and known to be the most effective.

Stay tuned for our first post

What questions to ask to defining your Dealership's proper target market?

noreply@blogger.com (Canadian Advertising) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 01:13:00 +0000

What are the most important questions you need to ask when it comes to defining the proper target market for your Dealership?

I know that that most every business or Dealer has not thought about who is their target market is. PLUS, they figure out elaborate concoctions as to why their product and service is needed by everyone in their city.. or Country.

But what I found, is that if you think that everyone can use your vehicles and service, you are simply throwing your money away by not finding the proper niche for your Dealership. What is a niche? How do you find your target Market?

The best way is to survey the people who have already bought a vehicle from your store. Be sure to exclude friends and family who were obligated to buy from you.

If you are a dealer, I urge you to go and sell 2 people that you do not have a relationship with.

You want to know that you can sell someone because as a dealer principal, that is your best skill for growth in the beginning stages

You need proof that have viable vehicles and service

Then, Survey your new customers and review the following

What age is your customer?

Where do they live?

What sex?, family size?

Occupation, education level

Nationality

Lifestyle

If you are just starting and need to find what makes a good niche for your dealership then take a good look at the list below and carefully answer these questions

Are you in a growing area for sales?

Do these prospects have money to buy? Why target poor college students?

Can they afford your vehicles and or auto service?

Does your location support a large enough population and / or nich to sell to?

Where are they located? Specific geographic region? Selling low end / high mileage vehicles in an affluent area?

After determining a market, start thinking about why they would buy? What keeps your prospects up at night? Are you solving your prospects problem - vehicle wise or credit wise?

Is there a related Dealer that is selling successfully in your area? Can you piggy back off of their success?

Is there as similar Dealership selling to your niche that you can “copy” the strategy or advertise in the same media outlets since you see they are successful?

The obvious point here is the importance of developing a proper sales messages that this speaking directly to your proper market. They identify with your message and want to buy. When you talk directly to your prospect, you as the Dealer Principal, stop chasing and begin attracting the right clients because you are focused on your market.

As a last point, “use any information from your previous customers” so look at any information for your customers to find their existing data to find your target market, then construct all of your marketing messages to go hand in hand with this target.

Once you can answer these questions, you’re very likely to have true competitive advantage over your local competition in your city.

Looking for more ideas to increase your success: Go to http://www.automarketingprofits.com/automotive-marketing-books.html
to order "52 Free / Low Cost Marketing Strategies Guaranteed to Attract New Customers & Clients Into Your Auto Dealership In Any Economy".

The Important Questions To Ask At Your Dealership

noreply@blogger.com (Canadian Advertising) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 22:32:00 +0000

Most Dealer's don’t understand they are in the business of marketing their Dealership. Because, quite frankly, without marketing to attract new customers and to bring back old ones, you really have NO business.

There are so many other Dealers selling what you sell, you have to have a really good reason for actually being in business… and be able to answer a certain question when asked, effectively.

I always tell my members and clients, “The last thing you ever want to be compared to is just another Dealer.” The country already has too many of you out there. So, why should I use you?

So, first question is,

“What is your compelling reason for being in business?”

You can’t ignore this, or otherwise, you’re just another “average” Dealer.

Second question, which is the most important question to your future and/or current customers is:

“Why should I (your customer) choose to do business with you versus any and every other Dealer available to me?”

Dan Kennedy’s copyrighted question, in marketing terms is called a “Unique Selling Proposition” (or “USP” for short). A USP is made up of all the things that you have to say and offer. But a true USP is the thing or things that differentiate you, that you do differently, that are different by personality, price, offer, guarantee, whatever, so you stand out in a positive way.

Why should you create a USP? Here are several good reasons:

It gives you an incredible marketing advantage
Those that create a true USP experience huge growth
Without one, you’re are vulnerable to competition
It allows you to achieve “your own” clarity in your business (What you’re about; What you want people to think about your Dealership)

So, now that you understand WHY you should have a USP, can YOU answer the question that’s on the mind of all your prospective clients and customers?

I understand it’s not an easy question by any means and requires a lot of thought and work. But, then again, if every business truly could answer it, then we’d have a lot more businesses staying in business, wouldn’t we?

If you’re truly committed to increasing your profit at your Dealership, I want you to answer just one question:

“Why should your prospects/customers choose to do business with your Dealership versus any and every other Dealer available to them… ?

Once you can answer these questions, you’re very likely to have true competitive advantage over your local competition in your city.

Looking for more ideas to increase your Dealership's success?

Creating A Game Plan For Your Car Dealership To Increase Sales

noreply@blogger.com (Canadian Advertising) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 20:05:00 +0000

Ever consider developing a game plan for your Car Dealership? If not, that this is a must read that would help you to double new customers in your Store.

It's simple; the more new customers that you have, the more successful you will be at your Dealership.

Developing this kind of idea is one way to be on top of your area for sales.

So how do you create a game plan? The answer to this is that you should come up and set for goals. Some goals to set for are:

#1: Setting Goals for How Many New Customers You Want:
Setting goals on how many new customers you would like to have can be one of the very helpful ideas. Set the number of new customers that you would have, let’s say, for a month. Having this number in your mindset can help you target a specific number of customers at a fixed rate in a month (let’s say 100 customers in a month). Then as time passes by, you will be able to add more new customers to those fixed numbers of new customers ( let’s say from the fixed number of 100 customers, you will be able to have 120 customers in a month, etc.).

#2: Setting Goals for What Type of Customers You Want To Attract:
Deciding on what type of customer you would want to attract can also be helpful to increase sales at your Dealership. These could vary from customers from different kinds of status and professions (lawyers, accountants / financial status / location, etc.). Having these ideas would help you in setting up the income that you would like to have in a month; as to how much you would charge for this type of customer, etc. depending on their status and professions.

#3: Setting Goals for How Many Referrals You Want To Generate:
As you will be able to satisfy your new customers with your services, there would be a very big possibility that the number of customers that you have set for in a month will increase in number.. through their referrals. They would come up with ideas of introducing you to their friends, relatives, etc. Your customer would say, “Hey, I’m very satisfied with the services that my Dealer gives me… so maybe I would introduce them to my family and friends!” Through this, you would be able to increase sales at your Dealership.

#4: Setting Goals for How Much You Expect Each Patient To Be Worth:
For this part of the game plan, you should identify how much each new customer would be worth, or what the “lifetime value of each new customer is”. Say for example, you would come up with ideas that for your customer who is worth $1000, for your customer who is worth $1500 you would change your marketing plan, and so on and so forth for each style of customer. Having this kind of planning can help you set how much profit you would have within a month or a year.

Looking for more ideas to increase your success: Go to http://www.automarketingprofits.com/automotive-marketing-books.html
to order "52 Free / Low Cost Marketing Strategies Guaranteed to Attract New Customers & Clients Into Your Auto Dealership In Any Economy".

Car Dealer Marketing is Changing! How is the Strength of Your Dealership?

noreply@blogger.com (Canadian Advertising) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 15:13:00 +0000

The other week I offered a few of my Dealer clients an opportunity to receive a FREE piece of marketing advice that uses a bunch of different Killer Marketing Strategies.

One of the questions I received from one client was:
“Sean, how do I know what strategy to start with using your marketing strategies?”

And

“How do I know if my dealership can be helped with marketing?”

Well, here’s a roundabout answer…and it explains what you REALLY need to think about instead of being misled by a consultant or marketing rep.

There are 7 specific measurements I like to look at that helps me “objectively” coach my clients on the “Strength” of their dealership!

Here are 2 of them:

1. Referral Ratio: you may be thinking to yourself, “What is referral ratio?”

This is simple…and you ‘really’ only need a general ball park. Don't worry about 100% accuracy....

Simply take the total number of referrals you received last year and divide it by the total # of actual customers you had.

Example1: 300 referrals/ 1200 actual customers = 25% referral ratio.
This is “GOOD”, not great…but a good starting place.

Example 2: 120 referrals/ 1200 active customers = 10% referral ratio
If you fall in this range you have some MAJOR improvements to do. The good news is that at least you now know it…and we can go to work on it.

If you hit below a 30% referral ratio, then you would list it as one of your strategic objectives to improve on over the next 3 - 12 months.

If it is below 20%…then it is critical! You need immediate action!

2. Value of a New Customer!

Why You need it? You want to know what a customer is worth to your Dealership. But when first getting started, keep it simple.

The reason you want it is that it will tell you how much profit you are generating per each customer.

This will tell you: “What your Return on Investment Is Per Customer” or ROI

If the cost to acquire a new customer is $300…and your customer value
is $1500…then you know for every 1 dollar you spend…you get approximately 5 back.

That is a good start.

If your ROI is 3:1 or lower, then you are in DANGER…and need to bump it up ASA.!

Either way, even if you have a higher ROI. You are ALWAYS looking to improve this!

Value of a customer is a thing that you will never stop trying to improve. Okay?

Here are some simple steps to increase your customer acquisition ROI

1. increase referrals per customer
2. Bring in more service and improve customer spending
3. Improve your new customer experience
4. Start a customer newsletter so you are communicating with existing customers.
5. Offer more tailored services

etc…

There are more ideas, but this gives you a VERY good start!

Looking for more ideas to increase your success: Go to http://www.automarketingprofits.com/automotive-marketing-books.html
to order "52 Free / Low Cost Marketing Strategies Guaranteed to Attract New Customers & Clients Into Your Auto Dealership In Any Economy".

It Takes More Than Price For Your Dealership To Be Competitive

noreply@blogger.com (Canadian Advertising) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 16:12:00 +0000

No longer is it possible for a Dealer to maintain a competitive advantage for an extended period of time because of simply their pricing and services.

Even if a Dealer can offer unique services, or perhaps even a lower price on similar vehicles or services that are currently being offered, it won’t be long until the competition finds a way to duplicate, or at least pretty closely match that Dealership’s performance. And that puts an end to the competitive advantage the original Dealership held.

So if a Dealership can’t depend on its products, services or prices for their competitive advantage, if they expect to survive, let alone thrive, that Dealers is going to have to perform exceptionally in a number of critical areas.

Marketing Is A Major Key To Success In Dealership

Contrary to popular belief and much misconception, designing, creating, building, and growing a successful and profitable enterprise that commands a dominating position in the marketplace doesn’t automatically require hard work, frustration, and enormous costs.

There’s no question, and you probably won’t get much debate, that there’s more competition, and stiffer competition than ever before, in nearly industry and profession.

But there’s also more opportunity. Especially for Dealer Principals and managers understand a few basic and fundamental concepts.

It really doesn’t matter if you head up the largest Dealership in your city or if you run a 3-person, small used car lot, there are just a handful of things you need to know to gain a competitive advantage in your marketplace.

And mastering just three of the most important of these things will enable you to write your own ticket to success.

You and I both know that the past few years, in both the U.S and Canada, , a huge number of businesses (including Dealers) have closed their doors, never to do business, or provide their products or services to their customers again.

Some analysts say that the major reason for business failure is under-funding – a lack of capital.

Others say it’s because of poor business management practices.

And there’s another school that teaches that many small used car lots are started by the wrong people… that certain people lack entrepreneurial skills, and would be better off working as technicians or employees, rather than trying to run their very own Dealership.

But when you get right down to it, for a Dealer to be in business, in the first place, that Dealership has to have customers… someone to exchange their dollars for the products and services the Dealership sells.

You can have all the funding in the world, you can have great management skills, and you can even have a tremendous entrepreneurial mindset, but unless / until you have someone to purchase your inventory and services in sufficient numbers, you’ll never have much of a successful Dealership; and only enjoy an average income, at best.

Here’s a fact worth considering:

Most Dealers fail because they don’t have enough customers buying from them on a regular basis.

Most Dealers either don’t attract a sufficient number of new customers, or they let their existing or current customers slip away. And, in most cases, it isn’t always because the owners, managers or even sales reps didn’t try.

Quite often, it’s a result of not understanding and implementing effective “customer-getting” and “customer-keeping” strategies.

The bottom line is…

If you really want your Dealership to be successful, you’ve

got to make getting and keeping customers your number one priority.

Let me put it another way. When was the last time you heard of a company going out of business because they had too many happy, satisfied customers buying from them? My guess is, never.

On the other hand, you can probably name quite a few businesses that are no longer around because they didn’t have enough people buying from them, coming back for more and referring others to them.

And that’s where “Marketing” comes in. Letting others know about what you have in such a way that they are compelled... nearly forced to find out more. And then, ultimately, to buy the products and services you offer from you, and not your competitors. Most businesses... no, not most… every business makes mistakes with their marketing efforts.

Some mistakes are worse than others. Some can even be deadly, and if done often enough, or severely enough, can put the very business out of business.

But so much for other businesses. What about you and your business enterprise? How are you doing? Which mistakes are you making that could be holding you back from making the income, and enjoying the lifestyle you’ve always dreamed about?

Take a look at these 20 Critical Mistakes Most Dealers Make. And, as you read through them, think about your Dealership, and see how you’re performing in each of the areas.

Remember, Marketing, or the ability to get your message to others about the goods and services you offer, in such a manner that it compels them… nearly forces them to do business with you, is one of the most fundamental, yet misunderstood areas in business today.

Properly utilized, effective marketing can truly skyrocket a business to new and undreamed of heights.

Not understood, or under-utilized, a business can sink like a lead weight.

If you can get control of your business and avoid making these costly mistakes, you can expect astounding results!

If you only can get a handle on a couple of them, you will still get much better results from your business than you are now getting.

But if you fall short on any of them, and your competition masters them… watch out! They’ll leave you in the dust. And you can’t afford that!

Want to know more? Contact Auto Marketing Profits today on the many ways your dealership may lead the pack.

Marketing Mistakes That Cost Car Dealer's A Fortune

noreply@blogger.com (Canadian Advertising) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:20:00 +0000

MISCONCEPTION #1: Common marketing methods don’t work in today’s competitive environment. Wrong! Common methods -- such as advertising, publicity, free give-aways and newsletters -- can be highly effective when used correctly. If they don’t work for you, assuming you reach your target audience, the problem is that you’re sending an incomplete marketing message. The method is only as good as the message it delivers. If your message lacks any needed components, you’ll lose prospective customers to other dealers who deliver a more complete message.

MISCONCEPTION #2: Your marketing’s most important function is to promote your services. False! The most important function of your marketing is to establish that you can be trusted. Most of us don’t do business with people we don’t trust. While your prospect is considering whether to choose your dealership, they are also trying to determine whether he trusts you and your services.

MISCONCEPTION #3: All you need to do is get the word out. No! You must both get the word out and must get a response back. This is the meaning of “response marketing.” As our media society grew in the 1950s and 60s, marketers had no need to measure direct results, so they used institutional advertising. But today, your marketing efforts must be built on proven principles of response marketing. Because if you don’t receive a response, you can’t be sure your prospect even received / heard or read your message.

MISCONCEPTION #4: A public relations program that generates feature articles and broadcast interviews will attract new clients to your dealership. Maybe not. In most cases, P.R. programs bring exposure, but exposure does not always bring new customers. A good publicity program can be an important part of your marketing program. But whether your publicity program generates only exposure or solid marketing results depends on the experience and know-how of the person conducting your program.

MISCONCEPTION #5: The toughest challenge you face is to persuade your prospects. No! Your toughest challenge is to find prospects. Your marketing program should attract qualified inquiries so you start to build a trusting relationship with genuine prospects. You could have 100 new leads tomorrow if prospects knew how you could help them and where to find you. But, in most cases, prospects don’t know you exist. So you must assume the burden of getting your message into your prospects’ hands. That process begins with finding those prospects.

MISCONCEPTION #6: Word-of-mouth referrals will bring you a ton of new prospects. Usually not. Every dealer wants good, qualified referrals. But when you rely on referrals as your only source of new clients, you allow third parties (referral sources) to control your flow of new clients. In addition to attracting referrals, you should have an ongoing marketing program that generates inquiries directly from prospects.

MISCONCEPTION #7: The most effective time to start delivering your marketing message is when your prospect is in your office. Wrong! The most effective time to deliver your marketing message is when your prospect first thinks about his problem and wants to know what solutions are available. You have a significant advantage over other dealerships when you have a packet of materials you can mail to your prospect. You can offer your information packet any number of ways, such as through advertising, publicity, newsletters or direct mail. When your prospect thinks about his problem, he sees that you offer material on the subject. He calls your dealership and requests your information. Then you send your materials by mail or e-mail. In many cases, this puts your marketing message into his hands before they call other dealers.

MISCONCEPTION #8: You should email your newsletter to clients and prospects quarterly. Not even close! In today’s over-advertised society, you’re fortunate indeed if you can create an impression in your prospect’s mind. If you hope to make your impression stick, you should send your newsletter at least monthly via email. The more often you mail to prospects on your mailing list, the more new business you will likely attract. The frequency with which you deliver your newsletter is much more important than its size.

MISCONCEPTION #9: Prospects will go out of their way to do business with you. Hardly! You must go out of your way to attract their business. Dealers often think a small obstacle, such as paying for a long-distance phone call, will attract calls from more qualified prospects. And this is true when your prospect comes to you by referral. But if your prospect does not have a personal recommendation -- and has not yet received your marketing message -- he may have no greater interest in hiring you as their dealer you than walking into a local competitor. So the small barrier that you hope will qualify him more closely actually causes him to turn away from you and call someone else. I urge you to provide an e-mail address, toll-free number, business-reply envelopes (where you pay return postage), and other conveniences. These increase the likelihood that your prospect will contact you before they contact another dealer.

MISCONCEPTION #10: To attract new clients, you should promote your services. No! When you promote your services, you take on the role of a salesperson, which undermines your credibility. This is called selling-based marketing. Instead, promote your knowledge using Education-Based Marketing. This allows you to attract new clients, increase referrals, strengthen client loyalty and build your image as an authority without selling. Education-Based Marketing gives prospects what they want, information and advice -- and it removes what they don’t want, a sales pitch.

Looking for more sales from your Dealership? Request one of our many Free Reports today.

To Your Success,

Sean Patrick
Auto Marketing Profits
sean.patrick@automarketingprofits.com

Online Marketing for Car Dealers: The ONLY Thing You Need To Care About!

noreply@blogger.com (Canadian Advertising) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:34:00 +0000

All that matters with your car dealer website is converting traffic and getting new customers. Everything else are just the details of closing.

Seriously, if you want to make your life easier and enjoy seeing more customers from your online marketing, then make a note to the formula below:

T + C = Cash

It’s simple.

T stands for traffic; or rather the amount of people coming to your website every day.

Notice, I didn’t say “hits” - I said, “People”. These are the people actually seeking out a car dealer they would like to do business with.

That is why our web site needs to give them what they want, communicate with them in a way that makes it EASY to choose you as their Dealer.

That is where the “C” comes in.

C stands for Conversion.

In one of my future posts, I’ll go more in depth as to
what is the most proven way to structure your website to get clients to enter their name and information, then actually call your office and become a customer.

After all that is what we want. Heck, you can be at the top of Google and spending money on marketing if you aren’t converting prospective visitors into clients, then your website is just sitting out there collecting "Hits".

On the flip side, let’s say you could double or even quadruple your visitors to your Website and put in a good solid Conversion sequence.

Imagine what that would look like.
Let’s say you are currently getting 500 visitors a month…and you are only getting 10 new customers from that. That is a 2% conversion ratio. This can be improved.

If each customer is worth $1750 , then you are adding $17,500 in CASH to your dealership. This is NOT including referrals!

Next, we start by improving your traffic and we get up your traffic to over 1500 visitors a month.

Immediately, you go from getting 10 new customers a month to now getting 30 new customers a month without making a change to your website.

Pretending that your average new customer value stays the same ($1,750). You just increased your dealerships revenue to $52,500 a month.

Now Multiply that number by 12 Months…and you just added a nice $525,000.

Not bad!

Now, if you go back to your dealership and work on your Closing Rate, Transaction Size, Referral Rate while continuing your online marketing…then this improvement in revenue ONLY gets better and better!

Let me know your thoughts…and any questions you may have!

Make it a great day at your dealership!

Sean Patrick
Dedicated To Increasing Your Profits!
sean.patrick@automarketingprofits.com

Dealers - Become The GO - TO Dealer In Your City

noreply@blogger.com (Canadian Advertising) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 19:07:00 +0000

In today's time - comeption is stronger in every industry; including car sales. How do you get the attention of your customer and get the recognition. By making your Dealership the expert in your area.......

You may never thought of it; but making your Dealership an expert in your City has many benefits. Being an expert makes you the go-to Dealer for your product and service. Just think of it; there are many people that we all trust on many subjects simply because they know their stuff, and they’re not trying to sell you anything.

They just want to be helpful in their own industry. These are people that I learn from, but also whom I would buy from because I trust their knowledge and expertise.

Being an expert helps you:

- Establish yourself as an industry leader
- Help others
- Become a trusted resource
- Get interviews and media coverage
- Gain access (via conference/speaking invites, etc.)
- Convert followers to sales

And just how do you become the expert? Get out your "Writer's Pen" and start writing. Write in your Local Newspaper, Blog, Articles and Seminars.

Why do you want to become an author, here are several reasons you should consider so as soon as possible:

1) No other way gives you instant credibility.
2) A small book will help you get your foot in the door with customers who would otherwise turn you down.
4) A small book is both a sales tool and an instant sales force.
5) A small book makes it easier for clients to give you referrals.
6) A small book gives you instant credibility with all types of media.
7) A small book will help you get speaking business.

Although this was spoken about on an earlier post - there is not time like NOW to get the credibility in your Dealership.

If you are interested in how your Dealership can benefit; contact Auto Marketing Profits for a no-obligation consultation.
1-866-927-0437 extension 4
sean.patrick@automarketingprofits.com

Calling Current Customers and Prospects For More Profits At Your Dealership

noreply@blogger.com (Canadian Advertising) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 17:28:00 +0000

Use the below information and start making calls to your current customers and prospects. By using the following script you will be increasing your walk-in traffic and interest in your dealership.

Here is a simple script you may tweak in your own dealership.

(YOU)
Hello, this is John with John Smiths Auto Store; how are you doing today?

The reason I am calling today was to ask if you or someone in your household might be in the market for a new / certified pre-owned vehicle, vehicle trade-in, vehicle upgrade or looking to re-finance your current vehicle.

(THEM)
Really….?

(THEM)
Do you have any particular vehicle or questions in mind?

(YOU)
Well, if you have a free day this week, I'd like to invite you in to speak or to test drive any of our new vehicles or certified pre-owned vehicles. And if you like, while you're looking around, we'll give you a free full service car wash. Do you think you would be free one day this week? When would you be able to make it in, do you think?

(Confirm that they know how to get to YOUR DEALERSHIP.)
(YOU) OK, great! Our staff will have the vehicle shined up and ready for you around 6 PM on Monday, we'll see you then!

If you want to learn How To Dominate Your Local Competition; be sure to request your copy by sending an email to: sales@automarketingprofits.com

Dedicated To Increase Your Profits
Sean Patrick
sean.patrick@automarketingprofits.com

Self-Promotion For Your Dealership

noreply@blogger.com (Canadian Advertising) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 23:32:00 +0000

Are you properly promoting yourself and your dealership? This is a key to solidifying the reasons why someone should visit your dealership rather that your competition.

One thing that I have discovered, in speaking to over hundreds of business owners, is that all business owners believe that their particular business is different. Well, guess what... You are correct!

If you look close enough in your dealership; you will come to the realization that you in fact have something different or special about your dealership. But you are making a BIG mistake.... By keeping this a secret. You have a great opportunity to promote yourselves and your dealership if you start promoting it. And they best part is you can get it done for the cost of a “first class” stamp – just 44 cents currently in the U.S.

What you need is a simple yet powerful postcard that can be mailed to you entire list of contacts, leads and service customers.

You can also write a simple 1-page press release and then send it out in #10 envelope. Your local newspaper and media are hungry for news stories... So make sure they use yours! But they can ONLY use your store if you in fact send them this information.

Making the mistake thinking that they will seek you out your dealership is a big mistake.

If you want to learn more about effective marketing and sales for your Dealership; request a Free Report from Auto Marketing Profits on cost-effective marketing strategies that deliver results. sales@automarketingprofits.com

Dedicated To Increase Your Profits
Sean Patrick
sean.patrick@automarketingprofits.com

Advertising 101 - Essentials of Your Perfect Car Dealer Ad

noreply@blogger.com (Canadian Advertising) — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 15:15:00 +0000

In today's time - it is harder to get your advertisement or marketing piece read and "believed" by your prospect.

Your Dealership is only getting a very small percentage for those big color newspaper ads you run every week that are costing big bucks. Because the following advertising costs so much "Yellow Pages, Radio, Newspaper, Television"- you must be positive you make the most of your advertisement.

Below are the essentials of what you need to be placing in all advertising:

Reason for your Advertisement: In order to get the attention and trust of your reader - you better have big news, a big idea, or a solution to somebody’s problem. Advertising and saying nothing of interest to your prospects is literally throwing your money away.

Attention-Getting Headline: The headline’s first job is to have the reader to STOP everything they are doing – and shift all their attention to your Ad. Many experts claim, “the headline is the ad for the ad.” If they don’t read your headline, they probably won’t read the rest of what you have to say. Auto Marketing Profits gives away the 220 Best Headlines with all products.

Push Buttons: Reasons) to ACT NOW that are believable. Use deadlines, “limited” supply of vehicles or service, “First 100 who respond”, etc. People are busy and tend need a reason to respond now, or they may never do it.

A Clear, Call to Action: Do not assume that your prospect knows how to respond to your offer – or how they should contact you. What you may think is obvious, is not obvious to 100% of your target market. Make it clear and make it stand out so there’s no question on how to respond.

Extras: Offer proof, credibility, answers to skeptics, reasons not to respond and others. What others say about their experience with your Dealership far outweighs what you could ever say about your Dealership. Always get and use testimonials from happy customers.

If you want to learn more about effective marketing and sales for your Dealership; request a Free Report from Auto Marketing Profits on cost-effective marketing strategies that deliver results. sales@automarketingprofits.com

Dedicated To Increase Your Profits
Sean Patrick
sean.patrick@automarketingprofits.com

Car Dealer Advertising Checklist - Deadlines.....

noreply@blogger.com (Canadian Advertising) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 23:23:00 +0000

Does your Dealership use "Deadlines" in your advertising, letters and sales messages? Well, you best get on it!

Every person deals with a busy life. Your Dealership needs deadlines to make people execute action RIGHT NOW and not tomorrow, next week or later.

You know you send out offers on either a Car Sales Event or Service Specials at your store... But do you issue a Deadline?

Here are a few of the Top Reasons to use a Deadline:
1) To stimulate action from your prospects
2) To be exclusive, differentiating you from your competition
3) To initiate a countdown where prospects lose certain things the later they respond
4) To provide your prospect a reason to call NOW

Here are a few helpful steps to use your Deadlines:

BEST: Use a definite date and an expiry ime example - Offer ends at noon; 3:00pm

NEXT BEST: Offer ends wiithin a certain number of days - Offer only good for next 5 days,

ALTERNATIVE OR ADD-ON: Limited number - Offer good only until June 21, 2011 or for the first 11 people come in, whichever comes first.

WITH AN INCENTIVES: Typical discount and / or bonus - Free gift with purchase

DEADLINE TIED TO PENALTY: Reme gift or bonus, incrementally increase price from delayed response - 3 Free gifts only good until June 21,2011 / Price goes up X in 5 days and Y by June 21,2011

The Correct Way To Attract New Customers At Your Car Dealership

noreply@blogger.com (Canadian Advertising) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 15:22:00 +0000

Many inexperienced GM's, Owners and Ssalespeople are always worrying about “how to get people into the dealership.” They’re cold calling or following up on a suspect and they’re unable to get through to the decision-maker. They look for tricky strategies that might fool someone for a moment to get their chance to sell themselves.

This strategy is DEAD WRONG!

Regardless of who your ideal customer is, your best strategy is to create a situation where YOU ARE sought out, and welcomed as an AUTHORITY or EXPERT.

This strategy will set you apart from over 90% of your competion, PERIOD.

It’s actually quite simple. It begins with:

Step One: Getting your prospect to call or walk into your Dealership. (This is called “Lead Generation” and can be established through an advertisement, letter, postcard, or other ways that you can produce a qualified lead.)
Step Two: Send them information that peaks their interest or *pre-sells* your dealership and the value of your leads appointment.
Step Three: Do not call them, but rather wait for them to contact you and sell them ONLY after they contact you and ask you to do so.

Seems simple? Well let us summarize:

Get qualified lead to request information from you.
Send FREE information that sells your dealership and sets up an appointment.
Follow-up by mail but wait until your lead calls you.
Be established as an EXPERT or AUTHORITY

It is really that simple. Go sit down and ask your staff how "Your Dealership Can Apply This Strategy" today.

Make it a great day,

Have You Covered All Sides of “Your Marketing Triangle”?

noreply@blogger.com (Canadian Advertising) — Wed, 25 May 2011 20:42:00 +0000

The best way to productivity and profits within your dealership is through the following 3 fundamentals. Imagine, if you will, a triangle…

The left angle is “MESSAGE” The right angle is “MARKET”, and The bottom line is “MEDIA.”

What this basically means is:
GETTING THE RIGHT MESSAGE, TO THE RIGHT MARKET, USING THE RIGHT MEDIA

The first questions you have to ask yourself are:

“Who, more than anyone, can I help?” Or, better yet… “Who needs my help and how easily can I reach them?”
“What problems are they facing right now that are prominent in their minds?” “How can I solve that problem?”
“Where can I find these people?” “What do they read? Where do they flock?” “What associations do they belong to?”

It does not matter the style of dealership you are; this marketing "Triangle" applies to you.

For instance:

RIGHT MESSAGE, wrong market, wrong media. Uhm... Fail!
Wrong message, RIGHT MARKET, RIGHT MEDIA Uhm... Fail!
RIGHT MESSAGE, RIGHT MARKET, wrong media Uhm... Fail!

You’ve got to have all these three (3) components working together, in perfect harmony. If you have any one of them wrong, you risk poor results.

TO SUMMARIZE:
To win with your marketing communications, you must have these three components in place.

There must be a carefully chosen MARKET–> Clearly identified and profiled
–> Thoroughly understood, and
–> Affordably reached.
There must be a carefully crafted MESSAGE
–> Specifically crafted to present specific promises of irresistable appeal to those specific clientele
You must use the right advertising MEDIA
–> Must be effective in presenting the Message to the Market
AND LAST! You must have honest fulfillment of the promise made, typically requiring intense management of sales staff, service staff and your vehicles.

If you like this post, please leave a comment and/or share it with your social networks.

Sean Patrick

President

Auto Marketing Profits

Dedicated To Increasing Your Sales!

866-927-0437 ext. 4

www.automarketingprofits.com

sean.patrick@automarketingprofits.com