Yup that’s not a hairline crack

In this first “Random Rant”, I update The Dealer Geek Nation on where I’ve been hiding since March, and what’s on my mind.  I’m trying to make this happen with one large post, and I’m hoping I’m not too all over the place.

Also, I have decided to get more personal on The Dealer Geek and really use this blog as an online journal to reflect what I’m doing in the car biz on the regular.

Don’t worry this won’t turn into a pitch fest for my gig as Head of Sales at Kijiji Autos.  But, I do want to update you with what I’m up to @ Kijiji and add some commentary on products, services, and anything else I think you should know about.  Think of it like a Matt Cutt’s from Google type of blog.  Only I’m about 5% as intelligent.

Broken Wing

So as you can see, flipping the bird has became a serious challenge since I broke my middle finger over 6 weeks ago.  This men’s league semi-final playoff game accident really disrupted my work and personal life….. and of course producing content for The Dealer Geek.

For the first 3 weeks my hand was in a full cast, which meant my right hand was officially immobilized.  This was a serious pain in the ass.

So here is a couple things I’ve been involved with.

DealerTalk Conference March 7th

 

Hopping #dealertalk2013 becomes a yearly event! The info so far has been worth the investment! Still have the great @grantcardone to come!

— Brian Santos (@Brian_Santos_) March 7, 2013

Okay, where do I start.  Hmmmm.

Well first off, the DealerTalk conference put on by Kijiji Autos was the highlight of my career to date.

Scott Neil (Head of Verticals, Kijiji…. my boss)  and myself had been talking about throwing an event like this forever.

Finally we took the plunge and made it happen.  DealerTalk is for the dealers.  No hidden agenda.  One day of action packed educational content at a price that everyone could agree was fair ($99 early bird, $149 after).

Originally we had planned host the event at Toronto’s Sony Centre. After realizing it was probably overkill, we moved shop to the brand new Four Seasons Hotel.  Was it a good move ?

BIGTIME!

Dealers are still talking about how gorgeous the conference room was and that they felt like they were in Vegas.

Choosing the line-up was my main responsibility for the event.

It kinda felt like I was putting on a concert and was told to pick my 4 favorite bands.  Except they were Automotive Professionals.  Either way, still Rock Stars!!

Speakers Consisted of:

• Grant Cardone
• Paul Potratz
• Scott Monty
• John Edlemen

THX to @kijijiautosgreat event with over 320 attendees in Toronto #DealerTalk2013 @potratz@scottmonty@ryan_carchat24

— Grant Cardone (@GrantCardone) March 8, 2013

I’m going to share some photos and tweets and save my official review for the DealerTalk website/blog that is being created as we speak.

Follow me on twitter to get more real time updates on #dealertalk2014 – Twitter Handle.

Kijiji’s Scott Neil kicks it off

Paul Potratz starts the day off with a bang

Ford’s Global Head of Social Media, Scott Monty

Hanging out with Grant after his presentation…DOMINATE!

Jay Onrait and the boys. This guy is hilarious

My man Sach from Autodome on the air

Lunch at the Four Seasons was a hit

John from Haldimand Motors was the crowd favorite

EVO Summit

What a line up!

Just 4 days after the accident I had to jump on a plane to deliver my presentation for the EVO Summit in Vancouver.  This turned into a serious stress fest for me.  My fracture clinic exam was on March 28th and it was “non-negotiable” in terms of re-scheduling.  Translation…… I had to get my ass back to Toronto for a 10AM appointment the next day.

Leading up to my trip in Vancouver, I had made some dinner plans with some dealers and was really pumped to get to meet some of our West Coast friends.  It was simply not meant to be.

Immediately after my presentation I had to rush out of the event, jump in a cab, and catch my 4pm flight.

So how was the event?

The New Car Dealers Association of BC were super prepared and everything went off without a hitch.  Word on the street is the next event is this September in Whistler…. I’m in!!

Shaun Raines from Driving Sales brought the house down as usual and delivered a very entertaining presentation.  This was the second time I saw Shaun speak and I consider him one of the most interesting and entertaining auto conference speakers on the circut.

Don’t miss me kicking off the 2013 eVo Summit in Vancouver tomorrow.@newcardealersbc #notsavingthebestforlast #freebeer

— Shaun Raines (@shaunraines) March 27, 2013

My presentation was titled “The 3 Struggles of Classified Advertising” (Tweet me if you want a copy).

Some of the content may have been a little too “101″ but it always receives the same feedback from dealers,

“Ryan, most of what you were talking about I already know.  However, we aren’t doing any of it.  Thanks for the reminder and refreshing our memory”

Of course I referenced my favorite dealership website Mohegan Lake Audi when it comes to my Writing Killer Descriptions examples.  Thanks to Darryl and the boys for bringing me out and to all the BC dealers that were in attendance.

What I need from you guys/gals

What do you want from The Dealer Geek? I feel that there are enough auto industry blogs out there giving you all the Google +, Big Data, and Facebook this and that education.  I really don’t want to turn this into a blog that shares the same content you can find on 5 other blogs (exact same articles….boring).  This post was the first in a long time that was a blast to write.

Do you prefer this type of blog writing?

Me basically writing off the cuff?

Please use the comments and give me some suggestions.  If you have any Kijiji questions you can also hit me up on the Contact Page.

Nope.  They hang up.  Lost and gone forever.

Dealers have long realized the significant value of a phone call.  That realization rarely translates to proactive management of phone processes though.  Most dealers laugh when phone mismanagement or lack of simple phone skills are brought up in conversation.  That topic is an area considered “unfixable” or “just the way it is.”

It’s not difficult to see how we got to this point.  Phone calls are a step removed from management’s view.   Phone conversations happen constantly, unexpectedly, and often out of view of others.  Call tracking technology has helped bring clarity to this area but many dealers still go with the “It’s just the way it is” mentality.  It doesn’t have to be like that.  Below I offer three simple ideas that will shed light on your phone processes:

1.) Take 30 minutes to review your current phone processes.  I’m not talking about phone skills, but instead your basic phone setup.  Understand where your phone lines are pointed and to whom. If a phone call rings to the receptionist and is passed along to a particular department, test this department’s phone line.  Confirm what actually happens to calls after hours.

Review each voice mail box to ensure they are actually set up with a friendly message.  If you have multiple extensions for numerous employees, test the extensions and confirm they are published correctly across your marketing.  Call tracking providers should act as consultants in this review, don’t hesitate to ask them for guidance.

2.) Identify where callers are left stranded.  Remember my example phone call from earlier?  The receptionist answered quickly but that doesn’t mean the caller, who was eager to learn more, actually reached someone who could help them.  To some extent, dealers are using my Step 1 to make sure that calls hit the dealership.  That’s a good start but I assure you dozens of calls were left stranded at your store last month.

Generally, it’s because the red hot shopper asks for a specific sales representative who is unavailable.  Other times it’s hanging up after being left on hold or passed around the dealership.  You know the receptionist who only works weekends?  They may not know how to handle / transfer calls properly and many are left stranded.  If you use a call tracking provider, ask if they offer any sort of reporting data on what happens after the call is answered.

3.) Own The Phone with simple metrics.  Emphasize asking for the appointment on every call and confirming these appointment requests with a set date and time.  Put up reminders in your BDC, bullpen, or sales office.

Once you make an appointment, call them the day of for one final confirmation and commitment.  In a dealership I visited recently, I noticed sprinkled throughout their sales offices were small pieces of paper that read “Every Appointment has a Date and Time.”  Make the phone a priority. Own The Phone.

While horror stories of customer mistreatment and painfully poor phone skills make headlines, these are really the minority.  What doesn’t make headlines are the little things like ensuring proper phone set ups, connecting customers to quickly to a person who can help,  improving appointment request ratios, and confirming appointments.  It’s these little things that will help you Own The Phone.

By: Mike Haeg

Mike Haeg is the Director of Business Development for Century Interactive, a phone call analytics company based in Dallas, TX.  Century Interactive works with thousands of dealers across the US and Canada by measuring their marketing efforts and improving their communication with prospects.  If you’re interested in learning more or would simply like to chat, give Mike a call at 888-593-0830, email at mike@centuryinteractive.com, check out centuryinteractive.com, or follow CI on Twitter @centinteractive.

“It’s very oldschool, it’s bad for business and to put it bluntly, it’s just being cheap – Kevin McKillip”

Your Turn

Why are dealers in 2013 still cutting corners? It can’t just be about being cheap! Share your thoughts below.

ps. I I-Framed the slideshow into this blog post…… sue me!

Grant Cardone is coming to Toronto March 7th; 2013 to speak to Canadian Car Dealers.

For those of you that don’t know, my 9-5 (usually later than that!) is managing the sales team at Kijiji Autos.

When I was given the opportunity to help organize our first ever Canadian Dealer Conference I was ecstatic.

Get this….. My role was to find the talent and book the speakers.

I’ve been a huge Grant Cardone fan for a long time, and really wanted to bring him to “the big smoke” aka Toronto,ON.

After speaking with many dealers and asking for feedback it was apparent Grant was one of the most desired keynote speakers.

When I approached Grant to headline the event he was all over it.

Mr.Cardone loves Canada.  Not sure if I remembered to tell him what the temperature would be.

Grant’s topic will be focused on helping car dealers “Dominate Their Market”.  Dealers looking to understand the newest and most effective elements to running a digital dealership need to attend this event.

How Much Does it Cost?

I know what you are thinking already.  My budget is tapped , I don’t have thousands of dollars to send my staff to an event like this.  Wrong!!!

Kijiji Autos has an early bird special for only $99 / per person! No strings attached.  Buy your tickets on the site today REGISTER.  Early bird tickets are good until Jan.31st (Don’t mind the flyer below).

More speakers to be announced! http://dealertalk.ca

This is only the start.  I will be making announcements on the blog as we add more speakers.  To buy tickets please visit http://dealertalk.ca

Follow @kijijiautos for updates and use the hashtag #dealertalk 2013

***UPDATE !!! EVENT LOCATION HAS NOW CHANGED TO THE FOUR SEASONS AS OF FEB.1 

Your Turn!

Use the comment box below to share any thoughts on this 1 day event. Hope to see you there!

This presentation went over pretty smooth in my opinion, considering it was our first time ever holding a webinar on Go To Webinar.

What does this webinar cover?

Anyone who has been reading my blog for any length of time knows how passionate I am about making your 2010 Chevrolet Impala get online consideration vs your neighbours.

This webinar takes a lot of the ideas I’ve shared in previous blog posts like:

• Back to Basics – Vehicle Descriptions
• What customers look for in their on-line descriptions

Watch the full 50 minute webinar here!

Writing Ads for Auto Classified Sites That Work from Kijiji Autos on Vimeo.

Sign up to my mailing list to be alerted on upcoming Webinars!

2013 is going to be a year that I am going to making a huge commitment to churning out fresh content on a regular basis.

If you enjoy webinars like these, be sure to get on the list so I can let you know when the next one is!

Please use the comment box below to give me feedback and also give me some topic ideas!

Is this even the same blog?

After reaching 2 years in the blogosphere, I felt that The Dealer Geek needed a fresh new makeover before we head into the new year.

A lot of people ask me how I can make a WordPress site look so unique and different then the Plain Jane “out of the box” blogs they are so used to reading.

Here is my secret…..

I have little to no website design skills.  Writing HTML code is something I really have no interest in learning.

What I love doing, is writing content that is going to help car dealers across Canada and the United States.  There are many different platforms you can use for your business’s blog but I’ve been very successful with WordPress, and more specifically the Thesis Theme.

MY REAL SECRET WEAPON IS A GUY NAMED BRENDAN WENZEL

I met Brendan through some online research I was doing on Contest Marketing.  It was actually my first ever blog post on TDG, you can read it here; “How to run a social media campaign with Contest Burner” (the only comment was from Grant Cardone).

Brendan is an on-line marketing whiz kid from the U.S.A. who has escaped the 9-5 grind and setup shop in Costa Rica.  There Brendan is obsessed with surfing every day and starting online businesses.

My obessions is producing content and helping dealers.  Brendan makes things kick ass on-line.  It was an easy decision to outsource the design.  I see too many car dealers with hideous blogs.  If you don’t have the time to learn web design, OUTSOURCE IT!

BRENDAN TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE DID WITH THE BLOG

 WHAT DID I CHANGE?

• Said goodbye to the old black and yellow for a cleaner look
• Updated sidebar to help navigate and find previous articles
• Added “Categories” to the Navigation Bar to help sort by topic
• Email Sign Up in the Navigation Bar to help build my email list
• Social Buttons in the sidebar look cleaner and more 2012

I really wanted to change the header as the flip cam, crappy old laptop, and BMW looked like it was designed in 1997.

They don’t even sell FLIP cams anymore!

For any new readers that want to see the old site , I was sure to take a snapshot before I changed over.  I didn’t hate the old site, I was just ready for a change.  A few readers say I should have kept the old look as it was very BOLD.

 THE DEALER GEEK ORIGINAL BLOG DEC 2010 – NOV 2012 R.I.P.

What do you think of the new site? I would love to hear some feedback in the comment box below.

A lot of dealers have been asking me how Social Media is supposed to help them sell cars.   Paul is the man on this topic, so I knew I had to reach out to him.  Let’s get these dealers some answer for once and for all!

Twitter feed was loving the webinar

I honestly thought Paul was going to run everyone through the Facebook Basics:

• Business Page vs Personal Page
• What to post
• Don’t be too spammy

WRONG!!!  What did he cover you ask?

You will have to watch the video below.  I will warn you that this is the 2nd webinar I have ever been involved with and when using Go To Webinar there are several moving parts (I think I’m almost there!).

The first 5 minutes is a bit annoying because one of the mics was on so you will hear some breathing.  After that it is smooth sailing.

I will be adding our first recorded webinar to the blog shortly.  You can see the slides here: Writing Ads for Autos Classified Sites

Thank you to all 130 dealers and marketing friends that stayed the full hour and were active in the discussion afterward.

What topics should we do in the future?

Please use the comment box below to let me know what webinar topics would interest you.  Don’t forget to sign up for updates, don’t worry I won’t spam you.  This will be one way to make sure you catch these live and can get in on the my favorite part…. Questions/Answers at the end.

SEO, CRM, Blogging platforms, and Lead Management systems are not included in this post.  This is simply my favorite, the good old bread and butter of dealer leads……. The Used Car Inventory

I took 3 separate screenshots from 7 of Canada’s most popular Dealer Website Vendors.  This way you can easily compare each vendors search results and display pages to decide what will work for your store.

Some things to consider when talking to your vendor about conversions (HOW MANY VISITORS SUBMIT AN INQUIRY ON A USED CAR):

• How long are the forms?  This can prevent the visitor from filling out the form completely if it takes too long.
• How many different type of leads can your VDP generate? (Best Price, Test Drive, Credit Application, CarProof)
• How do these pages look on an IPAD?
• What does the mobile version of the site look like?  Pull the Iphone and see for yourself.

Used Car Section is your money pages!

If you check your Google Analytics (you do have those right?) you will notice that used car inventory is always in the top 3 of the most popular pages.  If you don’t believe me see for yourself.  I’m guessing your Used/New Vehicle specials pages also attract a lot of attention.

Consumers have sooooo much access to new car review sites, OEM sites (gm.ca, ford.ca) that they are less likely to do a build and price or research their New Car on a dealership website.  If they are in fact looking for a new car on your website there is a really good chance that they already have made a decision on what they want.  The new car shopper is simply choosing who they want to buy that new car from (best price, available?, reputation, sales person) VS a used car shopper looking for an exact vehicle.

My firm belief is the SRP’s and VDP’s on a dealers New Car section are not as important as the Used Car section.

If they are browsing your dealership website for a used car you better hope that the SRP’s (Search Result Pages) and VDP’s (Vehicle Display Pages) are equipped to bring home the leads!

If your pages convert better than your competitors, you or going to get the first crack at the lead for that 2010 Imapala that can be found anywhere.  Your website can actually make the used car you are selling more attractive than comparable models at the same price.  Don’ t believe me? Ask a dealer that went from a poor performing website to a high quality site with great search and display pages.  The leads will increase overnight!

Don’t judge a vendor by the homepage!

I’m going to tell you a little secret.  It’s not hard for an automotive website vendor to make an amazing “custom”  homepage.  What dealers are not aware of, is that they will have limited ability to customize the Search Results and Display Pages.  They might be able to change a button here or there, but for the most part what you see is what you get.

Get it out of your head right now that you are going to be able to choose a vendor and get them to change their SRP’s and VDP’s to match “That BMW dealer in California I saw at NADA”.  The search pages and display pages are on platform that is shared with all of their customers.  Same thing with the credit application (that is a whole other blog post!).

So here we go.  I have provided you with 3 screenshots for each Canadian website vendor.  Don’t judge a vendor by it’s cover (homepage), the pages that are going to translate into leads are the SRP’s and VDP’s.

ASL

Homepage

ASL Search Results Page

ASL Vehicle Display Page

Dealer Smart Solutions (DSS)

DSS Homepage

DSS Search Results Page

DSS Vehicle Display Page

Evolio

Evolio Homepage

Evolio Search Results Page

Evolio Vehicle Display Page

E-Dealer

Edealer Home Page

Edealer Search Results Page – Chat Icon (on right) doesn’t appear like above

Edealer Vehicle Display Page

Glovebox

Glovebox Homepage

Glovebox Search Results Page

Glovebox Vehicle Display Page

EZ-Results

EZ-Results Homepage

EZ- Results Search Results Page

EZ – Results Vehicle Display Page

Strathcom

Strathcom Homepage

Strathcom Search Results Page

Strathcom Vehicle Display Page

Your Turn:

What is important to your dealership when it comes to displaying your used inventory on your dealership website? Is there anything that is working OR not working? Use the comment box below to be involved in the conversation.

We had over 70 car dealers across Canada and the U.S.A. tune in for the first edition!  This really inspired me to keep cranking out content and working with other industry pros to make sure Canadian Car Dealers were on top of their game.  I’m expecting those numbers to double after the feedback I received from the attendees.

Special thanks to Lewis Howes for putting out the Ultimate Webinar Marketing guide which was a fantastic crash course.  I learned some great tips and tricks on using the Go To Webinar software in this E-Book.

I asked dealers what topics they would be interested in learning more about.  Social Media for Car Dealers was top of the list, so I figured we should start there.

One of  my favorite industry professionals Paul Potratz is a thought leader on the topic, so I reached out to see if he would be interested in sharing some of his findings.  Paul jumped at the chance and promised to create some powerful content that dealers can implement immediately after watching this.

The great thing about Kijiji Autos is they are committed to FREE EDUCATION for Canadian Car Dealers.  This will NOT be a product pitch disguised as a  ”workshop”…….. it’s just not how we roll!

Expect to see a variety of of great topics in this series of Webinars that I will be hosting.

Join us November 6th for a FREE event you can enjoy from the comfort of your office or home.

Register Here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/378357976

Your Turn:

What Webinar topics would you like Kijiji Autos and Ryan Thompson to cover?  Please use the comment box below for suggestions. Please sign up for my mailing list below if you would like to stay informed on upcoming Webinars.

Walk around videos have been around for a few years and are incredibly effective, but the process of creating these videos has been cumbersome, arduous and time-consuming…until now.

We’ve all heard that the Internet has changed everything. And it has, but not in the way you may think. Pretty much every dealership now has a dedicated Internet Sales Department or BDC who’s responsible for either selling vehicles through the Internet or driving those prospects into the dealership.

But just as everyone now believes in the power of the Internet to sell cars, the Internet has actually made it more difficult for dealers to distinguish themselves. From a buyer’s perspective, another dealership is just a click away. Dealers need a way to immediately capture the customer’s attention and differentiate themselves from their competition. Video does that, especially when everyone else is sending the same text-based auto-response emails.

Be different! With more people consuming video, dealers can use this ‘zero moment of truth’ to show each prospect how much they want their business by creating a personalized Walkaround Video just for them. There is no better way for a prospect to feel connected to the vehicle they inquired about than to have a personalized video of it in their inbox.

Anyone who has mystery shopped a dealership quickly comes to the same conclusion. Most dealerships send generic auto-responses emails about how they’re ‘the biggest and the best’ or how they will ‘provide the best service with the best selection.” The problem with this tactic is that people don’t read the emails, and start to feel spammed as the auto-responses pile up. If they’re going to spend any time looking at an email, it better catch their attention quickly; and nothing conveys more information, more quickly, with more emotion than video. With a text email, you’ve done nothing to differentiate yourself from your competitors. With video, you stand out.

Walkaround videos also personalize the buying experience. Show your prospects that you care enough about winning their business to send them a personal video that introduces yourself and your dealership as well as provides a walkaround of the vehicle they’re interested in. In these days of rapid commoditization, you need to sell yourself to sell a vehicle.

Put yourself in the shoes of your prospects: You’ve now received 3 or 4 generic text emails, but also received one that is personalized (with video!) just for you. The Walkaround Video email includes a picture of the sales rep and their contact information. Once you’ve watched the video, heard the rep’s voice and seen their picture, you’ve already started to build a relationship with them.

This creates what we like to call a ‘warm introduction’ so that when the prospect walks into the dealership, they feel as if they’ve already met the sales person and are more likely to ask specifically for them. Nobody wants their hard-fought deals to get skated.

So why aren’t more dealerships using Walkaround Videos?  Frankly, until now, they’ve been asked to choose between two poor options.

1. Either they could go through an unwieldy process and use YouTube, which meant no branding, no control, and competitive advertising. (We also know that many dealers block access to YouTube in the dealership, so store employees can’t even see what they’ve posted!)
2. The other option is to send the customer a ‘stitch video’ with the nausea-inducing zooming in and out of still pictures. Neither of these options is compelling to the dealer or the prospect.

The industry needs a better solution, and now it has one. Authntk’s Walkaround Videos is the most cutting-edge way to create and deliver one-on-one personalized vehicle videos. In about 3 minutes, your lead could receive a personalized video that not only shows real video of the vehicle, but also is fully branded for your dealership and includes your sales rep’s picture, phone number, email address and directions to your store.  Speed is crucial in demonstrating to the prospect that you want their business.

Using Authntk’s easy-to-use app, dealers can now truly personalize the first experience that a buyer has with them in a brand-safe and fun way.

Your Email Response Will Stand Out

These customized, personalized and dealer-branded videos are sent to the prospect and tracked on the Authntk platform so that a dealer knows if the video was watched. Imagine the difference the potential buyer feels when they get a templated email versus a personalized video! How’s that for differentiating a dealership from its competition!

Don’t stop with Walkaround Videos for sales. Use video everywhere to engage your visitors. Take video testimonials for example: Let’s be honest.

Text is boring. The most excited customer can add a few exclamation points, but that’s about it. Using video brings sight, sound, motion and most importantly, emotion to your site. We enable your customer’s to tell their story to your visitors.

Another use is in the service department: Just like using Walkaround Video to sell cars, you can use also video to show your customers exactly what work needs to be completed.

More customers say ‘yes’ if they understand what you’re doing to their vehicle. You can even add coupons to the video email as extra incentive!

Finally, every dealer needs to get vehicles off their lot. Create a weekly video special to promote that car to more buyers. We make the process so easy that you can change your specials every day if you want without having to update the code on your website!

The bottom line is that if you are serious about one-on-one marketing to your leads, there is no easier, faster or more cost/time-efficient way than using Walkaround Videos.

Contact me for a demo.

Len

Your Turn!

Have you had success with video walkarounds? Does this have a place in the dealership?