by Ryan Thompson on May 2, 2012
Mississauga is giving away a free Toyota Yaris on Facebook
I have some big news in the world of Car Dealer Facebook giveaways!!!
A Toyota dealer in my back yard has just launched the biggest Facebook Giveaway in Ontario’s history ( I think .. I have no proof and do not plan to research this).
They are giving out a brand new F$%# IN car!!
When I think of Car Dealer Facebook Giveaways this is what comes to mind:
- Free IPAD
- Free Car Detail
- Tickets to a concert
Toronto Automotive Marketing Guru Brent Wees just let me know that Mississauga Toyota is ready to Pony Up a brand new Toyota Yaris to the winner of their new Facebook Contest which is crowned as “Park a Yaris”. You heard right, a car dealer is giving away a free car via their dealership Facebook page.
With the new Facebook Timeline, I find it a bit trickier to quarterback these type of promotions due to the layout restrictions. If you simply click the box just left of “Like” you will see the Park a Yaris tab. I’m glad to see that Mississauga Toyota had thought this out before launching the promotion. I personally think the old layout was way better to when trying to draw attention to the “Contest”.
As of today Mississauga Toyota has 952 “Likes” but I’m sure you will see that number multiply as the name of the game is getting friends to also join in the fun. [click to continue…]
by Ryan Thompson on April 2, 2012
If you didn’t get a chance to check out the hilarious April Fool’s joke the boys at DealerRefresh pulled yesterday, you can view it on my Facebook Page…. don’t worry Canada loves you Stan.
Time to highlight the articles from the Month of March that I found interesting. Please let me know in the comment section if I missed any.
- How to buy a car (VIDEO): Woah! I remember this dude when I used to sell cars at Ernie Dean Chevrolet in Alliston, ON!! Love him or hate him, this is reality.
- 2011 E SHOPPER Automotive Experience Study: Some really cool finding in this thorough investigation.
- Ultimate Pinterest Guide Part #1: Had to thrown something Pinterest related. Plus Laura has a cool blog…worth reading.
- Social Media for PR Nightmares: David over at Persuasive Concepts explains how to leverage social media when shit hits the fan at your dealership
- Complete Guide to new Facebook Timeline: Pat Flynn has put together the best guide on the web for Facebook’s new timeline changes. Still need to work on mine
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by Ryan Thompson on March 18, 2012
Using video responses helped Elise close 20% of Internet Leads!
Take yourself outside of the auto industry for a moment.
The coffee shop I go to daily is out of my driving way, but I go there because they provide me with the best service and great tasting coffee. The nail place I get my nails done is not the cheapest place in town or the closest to my house but I go there because they do an excellent job in their services and give me personal attention. These are small purchases in my daily life-
So imagine spending instead of $2 for a coffee, $15,000 for a car. Or perhaps I am shopping for an SUV, so now I am spending $30,000 on a vehicle. Who would you buy a car from?
As Internet and BDC departments continue to grow with over 85% of buyers now doing research online, it is mandatory we must use this to our advantage.
BRING VALUE to your first impression. Once upon a time, emails were cutting edge. Proper punctuation, maybe a signature at the bottom or company logo would catch the customers attention.
Now, with the CRM companies providing auto responders-many of these emails are close to or nearly the same. An email is nothing more than words on a screen. There is no audio, no tone inflection or any emotion. There is nothing in an email that can excite a customer except for maybe a low ball price. In an email we have the least control and many dealerships are forced under the perception that the only way to win an internet customer is to drop their pants and sell their product below invoice and give away holdback.
I am here to tell you this is a broken method.
The evolution of a customer starts with the first moment of truth. A customer is shopping online for a vehicle. The internet, a chat session or even a phone call will not gain a sale to your dealership. The customer still needs to come to the dealership. 86% of customers end up buying something different than what they originally inquired on, and the only way for a customer to make a purchase is to come to the dealership. [click to continue…]
by Ryan Thompson on March 4, 2012
The leap year must have gave the auto business a real kick in the ass because sales were up big time. If you want to see the Feb numbers in Canada you can check out this detailed PDF click here.
If you are on the Home Page right now of the Dealer Geek, you will notice the new lightbox I added with a email sign up form. I’ve done a lot of research on this type of sign up form over on Social Triggers. It has only been a couple weeks but the subscriptions are are piling up. I’ll keep you all posted on the results after a few months of data.
The Facebook Page has also been lively as I try to put more effort into some meaningful conversations. Even a picture of Brian Burke talking about goalie troubles at the TADA Digital Dealer even in Toronto.
So let’s get to the goods and look at 5 killer articles from around the web for February 2012.
- Does Social Matter? – Interesting read from Matt Murray at Dealer.com. This guy is super smart and has the data to back up his story. [click to continue…]
by Ryan Thompson on February 20, 2012
This should be on every salesperson's desk
In a world of “Gurus” and “Consultants” it is sometimes hard to see through the fog and obtain some good solid information. Sure the blogs and forums are out there but sometimes a nice paper book at your desk is what you really need.
Phone Ninjas put out a great 80 page in depth Phone and Internet training manual for car dealers. Jerry was kind enough to send me a copy to review.
After a few nights on the Ipad, I bombed through Jerry Thibeau’s latest manual that should be considered the “Bible for Car Sales”.
I have been following Jerry Thibeau, founder of Phone Up Ninjas since 2009 where we met on the infamous DealerRefresh Forums. Jerry was the kind of guy that would help on any issue even if it had nothing to do with padding his own wallet…my kinda guy.
It was clear from reading some of his articles that he was an amazing trainer and a wealth of information. Jerry was the one that got me hooked on Jing after his article “Turbo charging your Internet responses”. If you want to see firsthand why Jerry Thibeau has a thriving business just take a gander at this thread – “How are your phone skills” (quick answer for most dealerships .. pretty shitty)
Why should dealers care about Phone Training? Its 2012 right? The game has changed it is all about email, text, Website Chat right??
Jerry provided me with some interesting stats that will give your management team a reason to invest in phone training. Check it out.
This is taken from Page.4 of Jerry’s training manual. I had to leak this page to give readers an official State of the Union.
INDUSTRY FACTS
Customers
80% of your phone traffic will buy within 3-5 days.
90% will buy within 10 days.
76% of your customers will call before the come in.
85% will visit the internet when shopping for a vehicle. [click to continue…]
by Ryan Thompson on February 2, 2012
So Toronto went through the whole month of January with no snow!! Dealers are loving it! I’ve talked to dealers all over the GTA and they haven’t had to move the lot around once…gotta be a first.
There is a buzz around the city this month when it comes to digital marketing. Dealers have a real thirst for content which works out great for the Five Alive Series.
Holiday parties are over, budgets are being made, and it’s back to business. My Top 20 Blog Topics post received some great comments in January which I am really excited about.
Is blogging going mainstream in the dealer world for 2012? My guess is not yet, but 2013 it’s on!
Here we go with the first Five Alive for 2012. I’ve picked 5 articles that are worth a read for Dealership Marketing Professionals. If I missed any good articles please post them in the comment section.
- Dealer Apps a Nuisance or Necessity? – A lot of dealers are getting caught up in all the buzz over apps. This is a great article to help you decide if it is something you need to jump on now…. or wait and see. [click to continue…]
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