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Volume 6 • Issue 2

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AutoSuccess Magazine is published monthly at 3411 Pinnacle Gardens Drive, Louisville, Kentucky, 40245; 502.588.3155, fax 502.588.3170. Direct all subscription and customer service inquiries to 877.818.6620 or [email protected]. Subscription rate is $75 per year. AutoSuccess welcomes unsolicited editorials and graphics (not responsible for their return). All submitted editorials and graphics are subject to editing for grammar, content and page length. AutoSuccess provides its contributing writers latitude in expressing advice and solutions; views expressed are not necessarily those of AutoSuccess and by no means reflect any guarantees. AutoSuccess accepts no liability in respect of the content of any third party material appearing in this magazine or in respect of the content of any other magazine to which this magazine may be linked from time to time. Alwaysconfer with legal counsel before implementing changes in procedures.© All contents copyrighted by AutoSuccess Magazine, a Division of Systems Marketing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited without express written consent from AutoSuccess.AutoSuccess may occasionally make readers’ names available to other companies whose products and/or services may be of interest; readers may request that names be removed by calling 877.818.6620. Printed in the USA. Postmaster: Send address changes toAutoSuccess Magazine, 3411 Pinnacle Gardens Drive, Louisville, Kentucky 40245.

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God is the source of all supplyDave Davis, Creative Strategist & [email protected]

Thomas Williams, Creative [email protected]

Susan Givens, Vice [email protected]

on the cover

Lead Generating [email protected]

God is the source of all supplyhelping to promote...

810111214161819202426272830313435363738404142

It’s Not What You Say... TomHopkins

Consulting vs. Selling

Digital Marketing - The Not So New Frontier

Order Up Some Quality CustomersThird-Party Providers Serve Tasty Leads to Your Dealership

You’re FiredFiring Your Worst Clients

Hi, I’m Pushy and Obnoxious...Wanna Buy Something

A Visit From the CEO

Making the Most of Your Media Interview, Part 4Tips and Checklist for Radio and Webcast Interviews

BrianTracy

TeresaBordenet

MarkKanter

RalphR.Roberts

MichaelYork

JesseBiter

PattiWood

AmyClark

PatrickLuck

ScottPainter

When Your Callers are on Hold, Your BusinessDoesn’t Have to Be

Increase by 600 PercentFocus on Fundamentals Gives Castrucci Ford a Huge Boost

From Gorilla Marketing to Guerrilla Marketing: Get Your New-Car Inventory Online

Control Clinches the Sale DavidJacobson

DeniseRichardson

SeanWolfi ngton

JeffMorrill

PaulLong

RalphPaglia

DavidThomas

DebbieAllen

BobCarmack

SeanV.Bradley

RichardF.Libin

MarkTewart

Who Would You Tell if Caught in a Compromising Situation

My Country ‘Tis of Thee

‘I Don’t Want to Consider That Car...It Has Too Many Miles’

Measure Success at Every Step

Integrated Search Marketing Funnels Additional 174 Units

Presentation is Everything

How to Boost Your Sales Confi dence

How to Hire, Train and Develop 20 Car-A-Month Salespeople, Part 3

Maximize Your Lead ROI

Seven Steps to SuccessMaking Sure Your People Succeed

Swim With a Dolphin

It’s Not What You Say...

TomHopkinssts fos ls ms sf fi s

sales and training solution

8 www.sellingsuccessonline.com

It’s not what you say, but how you say it that counts, right? I’m certain you’ve heard that cliché hundreds of times.

In business, what you say is just as important as how you say it. In selling vehicles, you must learn to paint mental pictures in the minds of your potential clients. Those pictures show them being happier, sexier, better looking, economically- or environmentally-minded, studly or well-to-do because of their ownership of one of your vehicles. You must strike each person’s buying nerve in a positive way by paying attention to the pictures your words are creating.

While most of what you say is specifi c to the particular vehicles you represent, there are many words that are commonly used in selling situations that you need to pay attention to. Some bring about positive images. Others don’t. Here are a few to get you started on the road to more closed sales.

1. Cost or PriceWhen you hear how much something costs, or what the price is, what comes to mind? For me, it’s a picture of money leaving my wallet. Since money represents security for me (and most other people), that picture can cause some mental anguish unless it’s overwhelmed by the beauty and joy of the vehicle I’m tempted to own. So, until you reach the point where I’m highly motivated to own it, you need to avoid use of those terms. Instead, use the terms Total Investment or Total Amount.

Those two terms create different pictures than “cost” or “price,” don’t they? An investment, in most people’s minds, generates a return of some sort — even if it’s just a sense of confi dence in owning a reliable vehicle. An “amount” is less threatening than a “cost.”

“Jim, I can see you’re excited about owning a brand new mini-van for your family’s next vacation and you can do

so for a total amount of only $27,950.”

2. Monthly PaymentI already have too many of these. How about you? This phrase brings to mind sitting down at my desk and writing out a whole bunch of checks. Use the phrase “Monthly Investment” or “Monthly Amount” for the same reason listed above.

“Pam, based on the total amount for your new car, your monthly investment will only be $390.”

3. Sell or SoldFor some people these terms bring to mind a picture of something being “pushed on” someone. “We’ve sold 20 of these in the last two weeks,” can come across as high pressure sales. Use these phrases instead, “Get them involved” or, “Helped them acquire.” Getting someone involvedwith your vehicles sounds more like they participated rather than that they were a recipient of something they might not have wanted. Helping someone acquire something sounds more like you’re serving their need.

“We have been fortunate to help many young families in the community, like yours, acquirenew minivans as their lives get busier.”

4. DealThis one is a pet peeve of mine. What have we all been looking and hoping for all of our lives but never found? A good deal. “Deal” brings to mind the stereotypical, slap you on the back and squeeze your hand too hard salesperson of old. Don’t use it. Change that image in your mind and theirs to opportunity.

“Sally, after we cover all the features you’ve mentioned you’re seeking in a new car, I think you’ll see that it’s an excellent opportunity for you.”

5. SignNearly every transaction in the world today involves having the person making the buying decision “sign” a piece of paper that obligates them to give up some of their hard-earned money for something else. Whether people realize it consciously or not, there’s a certain level of mental cringing that goes on when that happens. Old-time salespeople used to tell you to “sign on the dotted line.” Having your signature on a sales document is a legal and binding promise. And, where do you go to get out of one should you change your mind? In some cases, you have to go to court. So don’t ask anyone to sign a contract, charge slip or purchase agreement. Ask them to OK, Endorse, Authorize or Approve the paperwork. They know “paperwork” means “contract” just as they know “approve” means “sign.” It’s just the mental picture of a more pleasant experience that matters.

This is just the beginning. Think about everything you say and what kind of picture it brings to mind. In selling it’s all the little things that add up to the closed sale. You’re closing all the time by what you say and the mental picture of ownership that you paint.

World-renowned master sales trainer Tom Hopkins is the chairman of Tom Hopkins International. He can be contacted at 866.347.6148, or by e-mail [email protected].

Think about everything you say and what kind of picture it brings to mind. In selling it’s all the little things that add up to the closed sale.

Consulting vs. Selling

BrianTracysts fos ls ms sf fi s


One particular self-image possessed by high-achieving salespeople is that they see themselves as

consultants rather than as salespeople. They see themselves as problem solvers with their products or services, rather than as vendors. They do not approach their customers, hat in hand, hoping for a sale. They approach hopeful clients with the attitude that they are consultants calling on the prospect to help him or her solve a problem or achieve a goal.

Seeing themselves as consultants, they ask questions carefully and listen intently. They focus all of their energies on understanding the customer’s situation so that they can make intelligent recommendations based on what the customer really wants and needs.

As consultants, they recognize that they

must be experts; they must be authorities in their fi eld. They know their products and services from one end to the other. They invest many hours familiarizing themselves with every single detail of what they sell, and of what their competitors sell, as well. They know the strengths and weaknesses, the advantages and shortcomings, the features and benefi ts of what they are offering. They have excellent product knowledge, which their customers can sense, giving both their customers and themselves greater confi dence throughout the sales conversation.

Top salespeople, positioned as consultants, make themselves resources for their clients. They carry themselves as advisors, mentors and friends. They become emotionally involved in their transactions and are generally concerned that their product or service be the ideal solution to the needs of the prospects they are dealing with. They differentiate themselves from their

competitors by being more concerned with helping their prospects than with selling their products and services. Their customers often feel that they care more about them than about making a sale. And it’s true.

Now, here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, see yourself as a problem-solver rather than as a salesperson. Take suffi cient time to understand the prospect’s real need before you start selling.

Second, think of ways to tailor your product or service to your customer’s needs so that he/she sees what you sell as the ideal solution for him/her.

Brian Tracy is the chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International. He can be contacted at 866.300.9881, or by e-mail at [email protected].


11the #1 sales-improvement magazine for the automotive professional

Digital Marketing - The Not So New Frontier

TeresaBordenet

We have all heard about digital marketing, and it’s reaching a frenzy point with YouTube, MySpace, interactive Web sites, and the

daily feed of news and gossip from instant messenger and RSS feeds.

The thing is, we aren’t as ahead of the curve as we’d like to think. Go to our Asian counterparts and you’ll see a scene right out of “Minority Report” — walk by a Gap and you might get a text message offering 10 percent off right then and there.

The goal of digital marketing is to be able to promote your products and services using online distribution channels to reach your consumers in a timely, relevant, personal and cost-effective way.

So if you are doing your homework, you have seen the statistics. Newspaper spending has gone down by half in some markets and industries while the Internet continues to grow year after year.

So how are you staying ahead of the curve? Digital marketing has many components. Examples would be mobile phones (SMS or text messaging), e-mail, RSS, podcasting, voice broadcasting, Web sites, banner ads, and the list goes on. Within this, there are two types of digital marketing: the “push” and the “pull.”

A good example of a pull is when a user has to go and get the information, so that would be your Web site or a blog. The good news is that the user can pick and choose what they want. The bad news for you is that it’s hard to personalize the messaging.

For a push form of digital marketing, examples are e-mail and SMS, and this is a huge benefi t to those of us that are trying to manage our customer’s lifecycle because we can make the messaging targeted and relevant to the recipient. Plus, we get detailed tracking and reporting, so we can easily make changes to our content. Something to watch out for? Getting blocked. Because of regulations set forth by each push message type, content can be rejected or refused before it even gets to the recipient.

That’s where a partner that is knowledgeable about the digital marketing space comes in handy. They’ll ensure that your messaging meets criteria to get past or through blockers,

and they’ll make sure you are covered in terms of meeting said regulations.

So check out Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) and look up “digital marketing and multi-channel communications.” As the site states, by using a multi-channel approach with your digital marketing, it is “much more successful

when a marketer combines multiple channels in the message campaigns.”

Teresa Bordenet is the vice president of strategic initiatives at MarketView 360. She can be contacted at 866.452.7022, or by e-mail at [email protected].

sts fos ls ms sf fi s

marketing solution

12 13

fs feature solution

www.sellingsuccessonline.com

Dealers fi rst had the chance to buy third-party Internet automotive leads a little over 10 years ago. Back then, anyone selling such leads faced a skeptical and inexperienced audience. But the case to be made for buying third-party leads was largely the same then as it is today: lower costs per sale, measurable ROI and a variety of other advantages over traditional advertising.

What’s changed is that, a decade ago, these claims had yet to be vigorously tested. Today, they are widely accepted, and a growing number of dealers treat third-party leads as a core part of their business.

Why have things gone so well? One, as the importance of the Internet to auto sales grew, the importance of third-party automotive Web sites grew even more. Car buyers have looked increasingly to major automotive portals as sources for objective information, even as they have continued to make good use of manufacturer and dealer sites. Two, in adapting to a new, Internet-based marketplace, dealers have developed skills that have made them even more adept at converting third-party leads. Three, the best providers of third-party leads have grown more skilled at generating, qualifying and verifying leads, and are thus able to deliver more and better leads to their clients.

Still, there are dealers who remain on the fence when it comes to third-party leads. Some, of course, haven’t yet embraced the Internet as a key medium for fi nding and connecting with customers. Others prefer to focus on generating leads themselves, through search engine optimization and paid search advertising. What follows isn’t by any stretch of the imagination an argument against these valuable efforts. It’s simply a look at why third-party leads are good business — now more than ever.

Incremental BusinessMany car buyers prefer third-party automotive Web sites over manufacturer and dealer sites. One measure of this preference is the veritable explosion in the number of these sites. Today, there are literally

hundreds, and it takes more than 10 fi ngers to count the big names.

Many of the car buyers who use these sites will never submit their lead directly to a dealership. This means that, for dealers that don’t invest in third-party leads, these customers will remain completely off the radar screen. For those that do invest in third-party leads, these customers represent valuable incremental business. Mark Kanter, a Chicago-based automotive marketing consultant, explained his philosophy: “It used to be that everyone read the newspaper, and you could reach your entire market that way. Now, different marketing venues provide access to different groups of consumers, with less and less cross-over. And there’s probably no single marketing tactic that offers access to a larger pool of new customers than third-party leads.”

Quantity and QualityThanks to the proliferation of third-party Web sites and the growing number of people who use them, there are more third-party leads available today than ever. And, thanks to the work of “lead aggregators,” leads are available to dealers in quantity without dealers having to do business directly with each of dozens of sites.

Lead aggregators are middlemen who buy leads from the third-party Web sites and resell them. Before you start thinking of this as a bad thing — like the “We’ve eliminated the middleman” TV ads for discount furniture stores — consider the signifi cant value that lead aggregators add:

• They make leads from many different Web sites easily available.

• The best aggregators partner with only the most trusted and effective Web sites, ensuring high-quality leads at the outset.

• The best aggregators have developed sophisticated “scrubbing” techniques that they use to guarantee accurate contact information and fi lter out questionable leads.

• They have developed sophisticated delivery systems that ensure lead

“freshness” — the time from submission by the customer to the receipt in your inbox can often be measured in seconds, not minutes.

Finally, remember that “quality” ensured by a respected lead aggregator means more than timely delivery and a legitimate phone number and e-mail address. Good third-party leads represent consumers who are ready to buy and have indicated the model that they prefer. This is perhaps the biggest reason that the cost per sale is so low for third-party leads: they’re easier to close.

Measurable ROIWith traditional advertising, calculating ROI always involves a lot of guesswork — and often a good deal of optimism, too. With third-party leads, there’s zero guesswork, and your mood on any given day has nothing to do with it. You buy X number of leads, and to these shoppers you sell Y number of cars. This transparency makes your initial foray into the world of third-party leads very safe. According to Kanter, “The guy who sells you newspaper advertising may be able to convince you that your poor results are actually good, but there’s no chance of that with third-party leads — you can pretty much do the math in your head.”

Lower Costs Per SaleNo lead provider would brag about “measurable ROI” if they weren’t pretty certain that, when you calculated your ROI, you were going to like the results. And, indeed, the cost per sale for third-party leads is much lower.

How much lower? In 2005, dealers spent an average of $571 on traditional advertising per vehicle sold — up from $460 fi ve years before.1 Meanwhile, the cost per sale for third-party leads remained constant at approximately $250 per unit sold. Not surprising, given that newspaper advertising is reaching a smaller and smaller audience with each passing year. A recent study found that consumers are spending an average of 10 hours per week online, compared with only one hour per week reading the newspaper.2

“It’s actually kind of amazing that dealers aren’t abandoning traditional advertising at a faster rate,” said Kanter. “It’s getting harder and harder to justify in terms of cost. It’s true, some dealers use TV, radio and print effectively to establish their brand and achieve a certain level of visibility, and there’s a place for that. But, compared to online alternatives, including third-party leads, these media are no longer effective ways to generate leads and sell cars.”

Leads Backed With ExpertiseThis isn’t true of all lead providers, but the best provide leads and the knowledge and expertise you need to get the most out of them. Where does it come from? In-depth market research, for one. But more vital is the accumulated experience of sales reps who spend their days working with dealers and seeing, fi rst-hand, the techniques that work and the ones that don’t.

In a recent study by R.L. Polk and The Cobalt Group, analysis of 1.1 million third-party leads found that 56 percent resulted in a sale. Additionally, 42 percent of those sales occurred within 30 days of a lead’s submission — and 68 percent occurred within 90 days.3 These numbers illustrate the bottom-line strength of third-party leads: They represent consumers who, for the most part, are going to buy a car. The question is, will they buy from you? The answer is simple: Only if your dealership is using third-party leads.

One thing noted by Kanter is the way that third-party leads are evolving into a competitive necessity. “As more dealers begin to rely on third-party leads, any dealership contemplating this investment is faced with the fact that someone will be buying most or all of the leads available in any given market. It’s no longer just a question of leaving money on the table; now it’s a matter of giving it to your competition.”

Mark Kanter is an industry consultant to Dealix, a Division of The Cobalt Group. He can be contacted at 866.852.2754,or by e-mail [email protected].

1. Automotive News Market Data Book, 2003 and 2006.2. Universal McCann, June 2004, Jupiter Research, September 2004, NADA 2005 Industry

Analysis Division.3. 2006 R.L. Polk study: Automotive Industry and Dealership e-Business Performance Study.

Third-Party Providers Serve Tasty Leads to Your Dealership

Order Up SomeQuality Customers

MarkKanter

...the bottom-

line strength of

third-party leads:

They represent

consumers who,

for the most pa

rt,

are going to buy a

car. The question

is, will they buy

from you?

You’re FiredFiring Your Worst Clients

RalphR.Robertssts fos ls ms sf fi s


We have all had our share of bad clients — those wishy-washy, t i m e - c o n s u m i n g , e n e r g y - s a p p i n g complainers who seem

committed to driving us crazy and driving our businesses into the dirt. What do you do with these people? I say fi re them, and the sooner the better.

What about the customer always being right? That is a myth.

What about the fact that you have too few clients already? Maybe you would have more time and energy to fi nd new and better clients if the bad ones were not wasting so much of your time and resources.

What about the bad PR this will generate? Well, you don’t exactly have to be mean when fi ring your clients. You should let them down easy, make it seem as though you are doing them a favor. You have to handle it properly, but you also need to get rid of them. At the same time, you have to fi nd superior replacements.

Identify Your Best ClientsI keep a list of my best clients, past and present. I actually have several lists — a top 25, top 50 and top 100. These are the people I drop everything to serve. To make it on my list, a client must have the following qualifi cations:

• Places me fi rst• Pays a fair price without quibbling• Challenges me to do my best• Allows me to do my job without

second-guessing my decisions• Provides me with leads, referrals, and

other opportunities… what I like to call “a sale that keeps on giving”

You probably spend a great deal of time and effort attracting great clients, so when you fi nd one, make the most of the relationship. Keep in touch with the person. Call them, send occasional greeting cards and e-mail messages, and perhaps even send a gift every

once in awhile as a token of your appreciation. Nobody generates great leads better than a great client.

Fire Your Worst ClientsIn the same way you drew up a list of your best clients, jot down a list of your worst clients — the 10, 20 or 30 people who make you not want to get out of bed in the morning. These are the people you need to get rid of, and here are some suggestions on how to get rid of them:

• Pass the client to a team member whose personality is a better match. This keeps the client in the fold while relieving you of the burden. You should have weekly team meetings with your fellow salespeople. During those meetings, you can discuss “problem” clients and the possibility of swapping clients. (I have three listing managers, who regularly exchange clients to better serve each client and nurture more productive and profi table relationships.)

• Refer them to a competitor. Your client may actually be better suited to working with your competitor than with you. Respectfully tell the client that you want to make sure that their needs are met, and the best way to accomplish that is to match them with the excellent dealership down the road. You may have the option to collect a referral fee, making it a win-win-and-win situation.

• Pull back. If you are a person who is obsessed with pleasing others, your natural impulse when dealing with lousy clients is to ramp up your efforts. Take the counterintuitive approach instead — back off. Let the client go without confrontation.

Tip: Take the blame. Never blame the client for the failed relationship.

Add Better ClientsAs a salesperson, you should be constantly recruiting clients — better clients, clients like the ones on your top 25 list. How do you fi nd these better clients? Basically by learning

more about your top clients, so you have a better idea of where you can fi nd more people like this. Here are a couple suggestions:

• Find out who your client is. Study the demographic — age, household income, geographical location, and so on. Maybe you fi t better with a certain group and should target that group in your marketing efforts.

• Get to know what your best clients do for a living, where they hang out after work, other products they buy, and so on. Gather as much information about your best clients as you can, through normal conversations and correspondence, to draw a detailed portrait.

Brainstorm a list of the seven top sources for more clients who are like your best client. Perhaps targeting a certain geographical area would be best. If you met the person through an Internet promotion, that may be where you want to focus your efforts. Think in terms of what you need to do to get more clients like this.

Tip: One of the best sources of new good clients are former good clients. Clients are like magnets. Their friends and family are likely to be like them, so continuing your relationship provides more opportunities to meet the best type of client for you.

Remember, no matter what you are selling, you are in the business of selling time. If you have clients who are wasting that precious resource, you need to get rid of them. It may not be easy, but it is necessary for your own survival and success. Start today. Fire your worst clients and start searching for better ones.

Ralph R. Roberts is a nationally recognized sales coach, author and offi cial spokesperson for Guthy-Renker Home. He can be contacted at 866.470.5181, or by e-mail at [email protected].


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MichaelYork

Hi, I’m Pushy and Obnoxious...Wanna Buy Something



What’s the perception of salespeople? What comes to mind when you hear the word “salesman?”

In 1978 I became a salesman. I know that because it said so on my business card. It would be years later before I learned to become a selling “performer.” My product was Salad Master cookware, with the same company where Zig Ziglar set all the sales records he often speaks about (and I certainly did my part to make sure those sales records stayed intact).

That was my fi rst introduction to the world of selling. I should say, that was the fi rst time I was included in that group called “salespeople” that I’d heard about. Right up until the time that I answered that ad for a little extra income each week, I’d never seen myself as being “one of them.”

As I began learning my new trade, everyone kept talking about becoming a selling “professional” (they’re still talking about it today). But the word “professional” simply means you’re paid to do something, or to appear professional while doing it.

What the best of the best in the selling profession do is perform — think Hollywood or Las Vegas. This marketplace is all about “The show,” and the performers who are paid to be in it. That’s what this marketplace and every manager wants from a salesperson — a performance. It’s not acting so much as knowing “you’re on,” and responding with an award-winning performance again today.

What’s the general public’s perception of “salesperson?” When I ask that question to live audiences, here’s the list they come up with:Pushy.Obnoxious.Say anything.Do anything.Unprofessional.Less-than-truthful…

OK, we can stop now. Get the idea?

Why is that? Simple answer: we earned that reputation over years and years of doing all those things.

How many managers over the years gave you a book and a business card and said something to the effect of “Now get out there and make somebody mad, don’t take ‘no’ for an answer, close early and close often, do whatever it takes, but bring me back a SALE!”

Oh, so that’s what it takes to make a sale.

Fortunately for the marketplace, there’s something called the 80/20 rule. This rule can apply to many things, but in this case we’ll use it to identify the 20 percent of salespeople who have committed to becoming “aspiring sales performers.”

Aspiring sales professionals are those who perform, and are paid, at the highest level. Wouldn’t that be a worthy ambition if you’ve chosen selling as a vocation?

If you are going to be generating revenues for organizations to survive and even prosper, wouldn’t it be great to decide at some point, the sooner the better, that you will do it in an uncommon fashion? Something other than the typical list of “pushy,” “obnoxious,” “say anything,” etc?

What would you use to make your list on the uncommon selling performers? How about: Honesty.Integrity.Commitment.Continuous Learning.Powerful Communicator.

And that means a commitment to “becoming.”

As a director of sales teams for many years, I used this “what everyone thinks of salespeople” example to convey to my group of aspiring sales performers exactly how they’d be thought of when someone answered their phone calls for an appointment, or when they entered an offi ce, or someone walked through their door for the fi rst time. They would be in that 80 percentile — or at least perceived that way — just like all those other money-grabbing sales types.

But the good news is that just by being aware of this perception in the marketplace and by doing a few things well, any individual can begin to stand out in the mind of buyers and customers as different. Unique. Atypical. Unconventional. As uncommon.

How do you do it? How can you stand out in a marketplace today of sales-sameness? How do you establish yourself as a professional selling performer? How skilled are you at asking questions that set you apart? How well do you listen? How do you create real value for the customer? How can you position yourself as a resource to them, and to the organization?

Welcome to “The NOW Economy,” where no one cares about how good you used to be. What customers are asking now is “How good will you be next week?”

Customers are asking many of the same questions they’ve always asked, but they’re not settling for the same old answers. How are you coming up with new answers to nowquestions, for your organization and for your customers?

Want my short list of 10 things you can do now to “Become Uncommon” as a selling performer? E-mail me at the address below and ask for the uncommon list on selling.

Lights, camera, action! You’re on.

Michael York is an author and professional speaker. He can be contacted at 800.668.5015, or by e-mail [email protected], or visit www.MichaelYork.com.

Welcome to ‘The NOW Economy,’ where no one cares about how good you used to be.

POWERED BY©2007 Autobytel Inc. Autobytel is a registered trademark and MyRide is a service mark of Autobytel Inc.

OUR NEW BABY IS GETTINGA LOT OF ATTENTION.People are ooohing and aaahing over MyRide.com, and why shouldn’t they? MyRide.comhas a passion for everything automotive and is fun, easy-to-use, and hot enough to attractmillions of consumers, which will make both dealers and manufacturers smile. It’s a carlover’s community with millions of used vehicles, thousands of top-notch dealers, plushard-to-find parts and accessories, lots of photos, videos, blogs, and more from acrossthe Web. To see how we roll, log on to www.myride.com, and take the ride.

For more information, call 1-800-785-4584 or go to www.autobyteldealer.com today.


A Visit From the CEO


leadership solution

JesseBiter

Most of us, at one time or another, have had to deal with an uncomfortable visit from the boss. From the reception desk to

the executive wing, even the most seasoned professional can be overcome with anxiety when his or her performance is open for evaluation. That familiar “humbling” feeling is commonplace throughout the business world. But what if the purpose of the boss’s visit was about more than fi scal reports and sales projections?

Christian business leaders are taught to run their business as if Jesus Christ were the Chief Executive Offi cer. Turning the keys over to Jesus is a diffi cult concept for many people to understand and can be equally diffi cult to actually implement. First off, the lack of a physical presence sitting across the conference table presents an obvious challenge. However, part of bringing one’s faith to work is actually having some “faith” to begin with. Just because Jesus doesn’t make idle chatter at the water cooler or fl ash a polite smile as He passes your desk, doesn’t mean He is not an integral part of every aspect of your business.

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds

of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”1 Timothy 6:10

So what would Jesus think if He came to visit your offi ce? As CEO, He would be entitled to inquire about virtually every aspect of your day-to-day operations. You would provide Him an HR overview — how employees are hired, trained, evaluated, promoted and terminated. You would open the books to discuss accounting payables, receivables, profi ts, losses, debt and payroll. A tour of both the sales and customer service departments would surely be on the agenda to examine fi rst-hand how the company establishes new accounts, builds long-term relationships, and manages the inevitable customer complaints. At the end of the day, the CEO must be assured that each department is being run in line with the company’s vision.

In both our professional and personal lives, we either serve God or we serve money. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters.” If a business is designed strictly as a tool to generate revenue, decisions will be made exclusively with net profi ts in mind. If policy hinders profi tability, it must be changed immediately. If employees are not meeting lofty expectations, action must be taken to

either transfer or terminate. Customers, employees, vendors — each would be treated in strict accordance to the impact they have on the bottom line. In contrast, when a business is structured as a part of God’s eternal plan, then decisions will refl ect a different set of values. Rooted fi rmly in Biblical principles, management will look at people, policies and practices and evaluate each based on how they conform to the larger purpose.

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” Psalm 32: 8

Go ahead and take a tour of your offi ce with Jesus. Show Him what you think you are doing to fi t into His eternal plan for you and your company. Ask Him to identify areas of strength and areas that need improvement. A wise manager will always strive to exceed the boss’s expectations. A wise manager that also loves the Boss, will delight in seeing His plans fulfi lled.

Jesse Biter is the president and CEO of HomeNet, Inc. He can be contacted at 866.239.4049, or by e-mail [email protected].

PattiWood

Making the Most of Your Media Interview, Part 4

Tips and Checklist for Radio and Webcast Interviews




As an expert in your fi eld, getting your name into the public’s consciousness can bring many benefi ts to you — being able to

educate people on a topic you feel strongly about, and putting your name at the top of their awareness when that topic comes up, to name just two. Interviews are a great way to spread your name and awareness of your topic, but preparation is key to making it a successful undertaking. Here are some tips to get you ready for the interview. Logistical Preparation for Radio or Web Cast InterviewIt takes more than simply knowing your material in order to have a smooth, successful interview. Even if you are a fabulous speaker in person, there are some tricks of the trade when it comes to broadcasting. Following are some logistical tips for giving a successful broadcast or Webcast interview:

1. Even if they are sending a tape, tape the show on your end. You can buy a recording device from Radio Shack that will tape both sides of a telephone call. Or just use an old tape recorder and capture only your answers. You may have a more sophisticated recording device on your computer that will record onto a CD. Make sure you have the right software and a good microphone.

2. Check your phone for sound quality. Call a few friends and ask them to give your phone a sound check. Many cordless phones have a background buzz.

3. If you use “call waiting,” turn it off. Disable it prior to the interview so it won’t make a clicking sound while you’re on the air.

4. If you have other phone lines in the room, turn them off. You don’t want your fax line or home phone ringing during the interview.

5. Create a quiet place for the interview. Turn off any background buzzing equipment, and if you’re at home, tell everyone you will be on the radio, put a note on the door and put the barking dog outside. Turn the papers on your desk over so you won’t be tempted to read.

6. Prepare your voice. Drink water at room temperature. Do not drink caffeine, orange

juice, iced or carbonated beverages. Caffeine and cold beverages constrict your vocal chords. Orange juice is acidic and traumatizes the vocal chords. This makes your voice tend to be less clear and more raspy. Dairy products produce phlegm, making you want to clear your throat. And carbonated beverages make you burp. Also, just prior to the interview, hum loudly for 3-4 minutes. This warms your vocal chords and enables you to sound as confi dent in the fi rst 30 seconds as you will later in the interview.

7. Prepare a list of questions you think you may be asked and have answers prepared, including key points you want to make. Write them down — don’t rely on your memory. If you’re selling a book or service, develop pithy quotes that focus on the problem you are helping to solve. Then practice saying, “If you are dealing with…this (book) can help by….” Refi ne your main points into sound bites of less than 25 words. Make sure it sounds strong. Practice it over the phone to a friend who will give you honest feedback.

8. Prepare a list of short anecdotes. If you’re used to having time to give long examples and stories, radio can be challenging. Hone a few of your best down to three or four lines. When said aloud, it shouldn’t take more than 30 seconds. Have a few meaty tidbits ready. I talk about body language, which inevitably stirs up funny innuendoes or racy suggestions. I have a few fun facts about handshakes and how to spot a liar that are worded so that they set up the interviewer to follow up with a funny comment. This endears me to the interviewer and ensures that the audience will enjoy the conversation even more. People love the spontaneity of radio. For me, as the interviewee, I enjoy the exhilaration of a challenging question or a surprise reaction.

9. Do not mention your product/service/book repeatedly. Talk about your solutions and insights. There is nothing less appealing than someone saying, “Well, in my book…” every 20 seconds. However, someone who tells you something new, something you can use today, or something that makes your life more fun or easier is incredibly appealing.

Patti Wood, MA, CSP is a professional speaker, author and coach at Communications Dynamics. She can be contacted at 800.849.3651, or by e-mail at [email protected].


DeniseRichardson

Who Would You Tell ifCaught in a Compromising Situation

These days, almost every business has a need to collect or maintain personally identifying information. Names

and addresses, Social Security numbers, credit card numbers and other account numbers are all pieces of information that are routinely obtained from customers, employees, business partners, students or patients. If this information falls into the wrong hands, it could put these individuals at risk for identity theft.

Not all personal information “compromises” result in identity theft, and certainly the type of personal information compromised will affect the extent of potential damage. What steps should you take and whom should you contact if personal information is compromised? Although the answers vary from case to case, based on various state and federal laws, the following guidance from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), can help you make smart, sound decisions.

Deter, Detect and Defend — Have Policies in PlaceYour written policies should take into account all of the state notifi cation laws that might apply, not just the laws of the state in which your company is headquartered. At the very least, a policy should specify what events will cause your company to issue notifi cations, what forms those notifi cations will take (e.g., letter, telephone, e-mail) and which state agencies will be notifi ed.

As some jurisdictions require notifi cation in as little as 10 days following a breach, having this information on hand can be invaluable in ensuring that your company complies with applicable laws quickly and effi ciently. Check federal and state laws or regulations for any specifi c requirements for your business.

Notifying Law EnforcementWhen the compromise could result in harm to a person or business, call your local police department immediately. Report your situation and the potential risk for identity theft. The sooner law enforcement learns about the theft, the more effective they can be.

Notifying Affected Businesses Information compromises can have an impact on businesses other than yours, such

as banks or credit issuers. If account access information, e.g. credit card or bank account identifi cation, has been stolen from you, but you do not maintain the stolen accounts, notify the institution that does so that it can monitor the accounts for any fraudulent activity. If you collect or store personal information on behalf of other businesses, notify them of any information compromise as well.

If names and Social Security numbers have been stolen, you can contact the major credit bureaus for additional information or advice. If the compromise may involve a large group of people, advise the credit bureaus if you are recommending that people request fraud alerts for their fi les. Your notice to the credit bureaus can facilitate customer assistance.

If the information compromise resulted from the improper posting of personal information on your Web site, immediately remove the information from your site. Be aware that Internet search engines store, or “cache,” information for a period of time. You can contact the search engines to ensure that they do not archive personal information that was posted in error.

Notifying IndividualsGenerally, the earlier you notify individuals whose personal information has been compromised, the better chance they have at preventing misuse of their information. In deciding if notifi cation is warranted, check the laws and take into account: the nature of the compromise, the type of information taken, the likelihood of misuse, and the potential damage arising from misuse. For example, thieves who have stolen names and Social Security numbers can use this information to cause signifi cant damage to a victim’s credit record. Individuals who are notifi ed early can take some steps to prevent or limit any harm.

When notifying individuals, the FTC recommends that you:

• Consult with your law enforcement contact about the timing of the notifi cation so that it does not impede the investigation.

• Designate a contact person within your organization for releasing information. Give the contact person the latest information about the breach, your response and how individuals should respond. Consider using letters (see sample below), Web sites and toll-free numbers as methods of communication

with individuals whose information may have been compromised.

It is important that your notifi cation:• Describes clearly what you know

about the compromise. Include how it happened, what information was taken, and, if you know, how the thieves have used the information; and what actions you have taken already to remedy the situation. Explain how to reach the contact person in your company. Consult with your law enforcement contact on exactly what information to include so your notice does not hamper the investigation.

• Includes current information about the FTC's Web site (http://www.ftc.gov/idtheft) and phone number (877-ID-THEFT) where consumers can fi le a complaint, obtain the victim’s affi davit if they become a victim of ID theft, and fi nd useful information.

• Provides contact information for the law enforcement offi cer working on the case (as well as your case report number, if applicable) for victims to use. Be sure to tell the law enforcement offi cer working on your case that you are sharing this contact information. Identifying theft victims often can provide important information to law enforcement. The police report is important evidence that can help absolve a victim of fraudulent debts.

• Advises consumers of their right to a free credit report along with the three credit bureaus contact information encouraging them to place fraud alerts on their credit reports. They should also be informed that weeks or months may pass between the time the information is stolen and the time it is used to perpetrate a fraud.

Denise Richardson is a member of the National Association of Consumer Advocates and an author. She can be contacted at 866.439.9242, or by e-mail at [email protected].


leadership solution

PatrickLucksts fos ls ms sf fi s

special feature

Increase by 600 PercentFocus on Fundamentals Gives Castrucci Ford a Huge Boost

24 www.sellingsuccessonline.com 25the #1 sales-improvement magazine for the automotive professional

After buying a car dealership, many owners would be happy with a 100 percent increase in sales over the same

month the year before. Most owners would be ecstatic with a 200 percent increase. Mike Castrucci, owner of Mike Castrucci Ford/Lincoln/Mercury, has seen business increase more than six times in the past year.

The dealership, located in tiny Alexandria, Kentucky (an outlying suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio), sold 147 cars this May, compared to only 24 in May 2006 under the previous ownership.

“We believed that Northern Kentucky offered an untapped market and opportunity in terms of auto sales in general,” Castrucci said. “There’s considerably less competition in Northern Kentucky as compared to where we come from, which is the greater Cincinnati and Dayton area, and the reality is that Campbell County, where the dealership is located is a booming area in terms of housing and development. We just felt that with the right combination of

inventory, advertising and staff, we could really capitalize on the market and be able to succeed there.”

A surprising amount of traffi c passes the dealership every day on State Road 27, considering Alexandria has a population of less than 10,000. This was one of the things Castrucci noticed when making the decision to purchase the dealership. “It’s a thoroughfare for a lot of neighborhoods that you don’t realize are there,” he said.

Bryan Smith, the dealership’s general manager, echoed that observation. “I called Mike the fi rst day I sat in this offi ce and watched the traffi c going by the lot, and I said this place is going to be huge,” he said. “Coming from Cincinnati, I had no clue what the traffi c was like down here, and the fi rst day here, sitting here watching the 4:00 to 6:00 traffi c, I knew we’d have a great opportunity to sell a lot more cars.”

Castrucci, who also owns a Ford dealership and a Chevrolet dealership in Milford, Ohio (another suburb of Cincinnati) said that there was no magic in the turnaround of the Alexandria dealership; focusing on the fundamentals was the key.

“It wasn’t tough at all,” Castrucci said. “It’s my belief that people wanted to do business with the location, but they didn’t see the things I mentioned — the inventory, the advertising and the staff — they didn’t see those variables in place and for that reason they traveled elsewhere to do business. But it wasn’t tough. I’m not a miracle worker. We didn’t sprinkle any fairy dust on that market and just make it explode. It was there — it was ripe and there to be capitalized on. The people were buying vehicles anyway; they just weren’t buying them in Northern Kentucky. Many of them were traveling to Ohio. We’ve seen a considerable amount of business where the people openly admitted that they were traveling to Ohio. It wasn’t tough. The people were there, willing and ready to do business with the local businesses but the local businesses were just not offering the ingredients that it takes for a customer to feel good about doing business with somebody.” Proper preparation was one of the fundamentals that Castrucci focused on.

“We brought an inventory to the location that the entire Northern Kentucky area, not just Alexandria, had never seen,” he said. “We’ve got roughly 700 new and used vehicles on the ground. We have a phenomenal selection and a large advertising presence in the way

of print, radio, television and direct mail. We set up our management staff, ordered the vehicles, placed the advertising and welcomed the public to do business with us.”

Smith said that he and Castrucci made sure, however, that the public knew that there was new leadership and ideas at the dealership. “We

have had a lot of new business, but this is a very small town,” Smith said. “There’s a lot of traffi c that goes through here, but everyone knows everyone around here. Mike and I talked to some local townspeople and they came back in and gave us an opportunity, and through word of mouth, we’ve got a lot of great recognition.”

In addition to inventory, advertising and public relations, another key to the dealership’s explosive success is the atmosphere created by management, said Ron Burke, director of fi xed operations — all the departments work together, and management wants to hear ideas from the employees.

“When you take the social levels out of an organization, make it an even playing fi eld and treat everyone with respect, you get a lot done,” Burke said. “And that’s what we’ve done. We’ve been successful because we’re working as a group. Everyone’s working in the same direction. You don’t have people slowing you down, saying ‘well, it’s not my job — I’m not doing that.’ We just don’t have that mentality. So many dealership departments function as individual

islands, saying ‘this is my territory, don’t cross that line.’ Once you get out of that mentality and into a culture that supports you, that it doesn’t matter what department you’re in, good things start to happen. It’s simple. The complicated thing is to get people to think like that.”

The mentality of getting employees to buy into the system comes straight from the top, Burke said. “You can’t let egos get in the way,” he said. “You’ve got to let your managers manage. If you don’t teach your mangers how to be successful, and if you kill them after a failure, they’ll never take a chance again.”

The lack of strife creates a positive atmosphere that fi lters down to the customers, Burke

said. “In some dealerships you can feel the tension when you walk in the door,” he said. “That’s not the case here. If you can manage that environment, people will want to come back.”

The future looks bright for the dealership, which is currently adding a new lot to accommodate another 300 vehicles and is working to become a Blue Oval Certifi ed Dealership, the highest commendation Ford offers. The bottom line, however, Smith said, is ultimately how customers see the dealership. “We want to increase our customer satisfaction level — that’s a big deal, and be the No. 1 volume dealer and be the top dealer in our zone, and get to the tops in our region,” he said.

Mike CastrucciOwner

Bryan SmithGeneral Manager

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Mercury Sales Operations

DavidJacobson

Control Clinches the Sale




How to Keep ControlLast issue, we looked at the need for the salesperson to be in control of the sale,

both for his or her sake and for the comfort of the customer. Today, we’ll look at ways to make this happen.

Keep it simple for both you and the customer. You are losing control because you have not answered the customer’s big question, “What’s in it for me?” The only way to possibly regain control once it is lost is to change gears quickly. Put your brakes on and change the subject. Be outrageously honest:

“You know, folks, I believe I have found the perfect car for you. I feel that you are comfortable with me and quite frankly this seems like it really makes sense. I have been wrong in the past, so if I have missed something, please share it with me. It is important for both of us.”

Or

“I am a customer myself and sometimes I don’t want to hurt the salesperson’s feelings, so I hesitate telling them what is really bothering me. Please share whatever may be in our way, so I can try to make you happy.”

Use this type of verbiage, no matter what the challenges are, to bring you and the customer closer together.

Customers, like all people, have distinctive personalities. Therefore, you must be able to adjust to each of them. We call this concept the comfort zone. Each salesperson has a certain type of customer that they work with best. The problem here is that the customer does not have to adjust to your personality, whereas you must adjust to theirs. For instance, you are a quiet, laid back

salesperson. If you are confronted with a take charge, controlling person, how do you handle them? You must have a plan and practice how to handle each type of customer. You are given opportunities and you must do the best you can. Smart managers will direct customers to the salesperson best suited for their personality type.

Customers typically fall into categories such as hostile, talkative or quiet, and each type needs to be handled differently.

The hostile customer, for example, is the one who knows everything, has been hurt by a previous salesperson and probably starts off by saying something like, “I just want your best price.” Most salespeople will say something sure to cause confrontation. What can you say? Remember the force fi eld. Think about it. It is so easy to make this an uphill battle. In fact, it already seems like one. One of my favorite ways to handle this is to say, “That’s a good question. Let me ask you something. Would you recognize the best price if I gave it to you?” There are only two answers — yes or no. If a customer says no, they will probably lighten up. However, you must not take away their pride. If you do, it will be conceived as a put down and will be counter-productive. To avoid this, you must follow up with:

“I’m guessing that you just want to be treated fairly, is that right? They say “Yes.” Then you ask: “How much time did you plan on spending with us today?” What if the answer is “yes” to the question? What if they would recognize the best price if they heard it? Your response should be confi dent such as,

“That’s great. I always appreciate a customer who knows when they are treated

fairly. How much time did you have to spend with us today?” You now have control. A hostile customer is usually the easiest to win over when handled correctly. They are also the most loyal when you have earned their business.

Your immediate goal is to disarm them of their weapon, which is fear. This is usually why they are hostile. By understanding your customer, putting your emotions aside, and using the tools you have learned, you will win them over. We disarm hostility by using empathy. Once again, empathy plays a major role in your sale. Whether a customer is hostile, talkative or quiet, empathy will soothe them.

You must confront the challenge, and do it without confrontation. Staying in control means staying one step ahead.

For instance, take the case of the talkative customers, one who says they are buying a car today, they know more about your product than you do, they tell you their life story in 15 minutes, and then they say “thank you” and leave. We are trained as salespeople to get a customer talking. When we meet the talkative type of customer, we believe they are interested because they are talking to us. We think, “Hey, they like me.” The truth is that they are in control and are likely done with you when they have no more to say or when you are no longer willing to listen to them. This is what I mean by comfort zone. You must be able to slow them down without insulting or stifl ing them.

David Jacobson is the founder and president of GrooveCar Inc. He can be contacted at 866.663.9038, or by e-mail at [email protected].


From Gorilla Marketing to Guerrilla Marketing: Get Your New-Car Inventory Online

ScottPaintersts fos ls ms sf fi s

marketing solution

Giant infl atable gorillas wearing polka-dot boxers are familiar fi xtures on the roofs of car dealerships — the visual counterpart to

the “come on down” holler that’s often at the center of a dealer’s television ads. But that approach — that idea that marketing efforts need to get consumers to the showroom — ignores the new reality that consumers are online, and we now have the technology to bring the showroom directly to them.

Marketing and selling new cars no longer depends on getting people to the dealership. It’s about providing accurate, robust new-car data online — enabling consumers to fi nd the exact car they want in a dealer’s inventory along with an upfront guaranteed price, from the comfort of their own computer screens.

Why? Because there’s a direct correlation between the accuracy and completeness of data provided electronically, and the number of cars dealers sell. Consumers are used to being able to fi nd items and make purchases online, immediately. Whether it’s clothes, jewelry, home electronics or travel plans — they’ve grown accustomed to clicking their way to a closed deal from the comfort of home or work.

Here comes the knee-jerk response: Cars, it’s always argued, are different. And in many ways that’s true. Indeed, before a purchase people want to test drive, kick the tires, sit in the bucket seats and get a feel for the car. But what happens then? Very few people buy their automobiles on an impulse. By the time they’re ready to buy, most already have completed a signifi cant amount of research — including the test drives — elsewhere.

When they’re ready to buy they want the price on the exact model and confi guration they’ve chosen — and they want it immediately. They want to compare. They want more than a promise of a call-back or an e-mail later — they want confi rmation that the precise car they

want is sitting in the lot at the dealership down the street. Or perhaps I should rephrase: Not seeing the exact car they want on a particular dealership’s Web site might not lose the sale for that dealer at this stage of the online car buying evolution; but, if a competitor does show a potential customer that exact car, with all the right options, at a guaranteed price — that dealership wins the sale.

Two out of three new-car buyers conduct research online, according to J.D. Power and Associates. Dealerships have an opportunity to win their business by taking consumers beyond information-gathering to just shy of the close of the sale — all before the consumer even sets foot in the showroom for the actual purchase. Wouldn’t you rather have your sales personnel spending their time with customers who arrive already ready to buy?

The most signifi cant step dealers can take in this direction is making their new-car inventory available online. Tell the consumer as much online as you would in the showroom, including:

• every car in inventory• detailed specifi cations, options and

color of every car in inventory• an upfront, guaranteed price• fi nancing options

Give the consumer more than he or she can get from the manufacturer’s Web site. For the buyer, it’s one thing to know what options are available for the new BMW M6. It’s another thing entirely to know that down the street there’s a black 2007 convertible BMW M6 with leather seats and equipped for Sirius satellite radio — ready to drive off the lot today.

And here’s where we bump up against the challenge. How do dealers get all of this data online and, beyond that, keep it updated? That’s fi rst and foremost a technology question — and the good news is that emerging platforms like Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) are making this easier than ever.

But the required technology investment still is often more extensive and ambitious than any one organization can create and deploy on its own. So, many dealerships are opting to participate in progressive car buying programs through trusted affi nity groups —tapping into sophisticated technology that allows them to make their inventories available online.

The traditional “come on down” approach to dealer advertising doesn’t fully exploit the Internet’s potential for driving consumers closer to the actual sale — while they’re still online.

Dealers can’t fully take advantage of the Internet as a marketing and sales tool until they embrace the Web as more than just a brochure for the dealership itself. It should be an extension of their showrooms — where they offer just as much detail about individual cars online as they would in person.

Scott Painter is CEO of Zag, Inc. He can be contacted at 866.438.9808, or by e-mail at [email protected].

The traditional ‘come on down’ approach to dealer advertising doesn’t fully exploit the Internet’s potential for driving consumers closer to the actual sale — while they’re still online.


When Your Callers are on Hold, Your Business Doesn’t Have to Be

AmyClarksts fos ls ms sf fi s

marketing solution

In today’s advertisement-driven society, consumers are inundated with reminders of all the new products they need, and

businesses are constantly at risk of having their advertising strategies trumped by the mega-advertising giants. Auto dealerships, one of the most advertising-active business sectors, are in need of innovative marketing plans that aim to more effectively reach their target audiences. Television, radio and print ads are designed to drive consumers to call, but what happens when they do call and must be placed on hold?

Since the introduction of the fi rst consumer cell phone models in the late 1980s, the average amount of time a person spends on the phone has increased exponentially, making telephone “on-hold” marketing an effective means of connecting with consumers. A 2005 survey conducted by news organization CNN suggests that the average person spends 60 hours per year on hold, and the average U.S. executive reportedly spends 17 minutes per day on hold. A similar AT&T study suggests that more than 70 percent of business calls are placed on hold for an average of 45 to 60 seconds per call.

Numerous studies have also been conducted analyzing callers’ behaviors when they are put on hold. About 90 percent of callers who hear silence while on hold hang up within the fi rst 40 seconds, and 30 percent of callers who hang up may never call back. With music, callers tend to stay on the line an additional 30 seconds, but when callers listen to a human voice while on hold, they are apt to stay connected nearly three minutes before hanging up.

Many businesses have tried to address the “on-hold” issue by playing broadcast radio. However, playing music over the phone requires the payment of music royalties, and those who neglect paying these royalties face

hefty federal fi nes. Additionally, playing the radio creates the risk that a caller will hear an advertisement for a competing dealership, or offensive disc jockey language or song lyrics.

Enter “on-hold” messaging. With this option, businesses can play customized sales and marketing messages to callers on hold, dramatically improving customer loyalty and sales potential.

So many auto dealerships subject their customers to dead air while placed on hold. If a consumer calls a dealership, this means he or she is interested enough to take time out of a busy schedule to hear what the dealership has to say. This is an incredibly captive audience that offers a great opportunity to communicate to potential customers.

Savvy dealership owners recognize that there’s a more productive way to handle on-hold time than with music alone. Multi-unit dealership owners can opt for messages about promotions and company-wide news that pertain to all of their locations, and the single-unit owner can have specialized messages intended for his or her store alone. Music for different moods, seasons or events can be incorporated, as well as multiple languages and special accents.

What should the messages convey? This is limited only by the imagination. Don’t be afraid to be creative and entertaining — make the caller really enjoy what he or she is hearing. Dealerships can advertise fi nancing promotions, sales events, new model features, dealership hours, etc.

On-hold messaging systems are not new, but early devices were very unreliable. The fi rst devices consisted of an endless-loop cassette playing on a simple tape player, requiring constant maintenance and suffering from frequent quality and breakdown problems. If even the smallest change was needed, the entire message had to be re-recorded. CD-based players, introduced in the 1990s, are

also common, but they suffer from the same issues.

The newest generation players have reinvented this marketing venue in various ways. For instance, MP3 fi les are only limited by the size of the digital storage card used. New messages are downloaded via the Web within minutes of production, saving time and shipping costs. Messages can also be retained for reuse. For example, holiday messages can be created and re-used each year, and any message alterations can be quickly and easily made to the original digital recording.

It is essential to ask for and check references from vendors. A dramatic increase in the popularity of on-hold systems has caused a surge in upstart vendors, many whose credibility and product quality are questionable. Lengthy contracts and unrealistic restrictions often keep businesses from being able to update their on-hold messages as needed, or require payments for services never used. The best type of on-hold messaging vendor is the one-stop shop, providing the equipment, service and message production on a pay-as-you-go basis, with no contract or fi xed monthly charge.

“There are so many on-hold systems out there, but what I like is that dealerships don’t have to lose the personal touch of connecting with customers while they are on hold,” said Horrigan BMW Dealer Principle, Dave Horrigan. “On-hold messaging just helps in our overall marketability. Every little bit helps.”

Telephone on-hold messaging is a concept every dealership should be taking advantage of to both retain callers and deliver effective marketing. Advancements in technology have made on-hold solutions easier to use and more affordable than ever before.

Amy Clark is a public relations and marketing specialist for Applied Media Technologies Corporation. She can be contacted at 866.626.7118, or by e-mail at [email protected].


leadership solution

SeanWolfi ngton

My Country ‘Tis of TheeYes, sweet land of liberty, America: one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all, the land where my fathers

died, the home of the free and the brave. America, the beautiful, a sovereign nation built on the heroism of great leaders and the selfl ess sacrifi ce of thousands of unspoken heroes.

All of us have been infl uenced by heroic leaders at some point in our lives. We have been guided by great and infamous leaders, and we have been interiorly affected and formed through the witness of the profound acts of heroism of ordinary people unfolding before our eyes in the face of horrifi c tragedy. There are as many defi nitions of leadership as there are numbers of leaders, but to most people, a “hero” is readily defi ned as someone who commits an act of remarkable bravery or who has shown great courage or strength of character, even at the risk of death or public humiliation, regardless of the sacrifi ces.

Much of what these perceived heroes have accomplished was for the welfare and good of others rather than for their own self-centered needs. Can you think of someone who possesses these characteristics?

It is important to provide colleagues with examples of positive role models and heroes, so that they may realize their own potential and develop their own strength of character. Recognizing how individuals display tenacity and courage in the face of adversity is vital to the development of ourselves as individuals and to the building of teams within an organization.

What enables people to become heroes? The journey begins from the moment we are born. We all receive some kind of a calling that moves us out of the ordinary world across a threshold into another realm. It is in this higher state of being that the virtues of our souls are unleashed, and we discover the fortitude and courage needed to make a difference in the lives of the people around us. True heroes are the people that do not think about being a

hero; they just begin to do what is instinctive to them. True heroism simply means facing every day with courage and tenacity, no matter how extraordinary or perhaps unrecognized the task may be. It means doing the best you can with what you’ve got — to make morally responsible choices every day.

We are all drawn to stories about heroes - stories that grip us and bring us to tears -because we all have something written deep in our hearts. We realize that the greatest things in life come at a precious price - sacrifi cial love.

Join me in honoring this great country of ours, our founding forefathers, the countless heroes of the past, and the brave men and women of the present and future who continue to lay down their lives in the name of liberty and justice, letting freedom ring from sea to shining sea. God bless America.

Sean Wolfi ngton is the general manager of BZResults.com, an ADP Company. He can be contacted at 866.802.5753, or by e-mail at swolfi [email protected].


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‘I Don’t Want to Consider That Car...It Has Too Many Miles’

JeffMorrillsts fos ls ms sf fi s


Sometimes the only car you have in stock, or will fi t a budget, has more miles than the prospect says he wants. This is a refl ex

objection, typically not well thought out. Slow down and help your prospects understand why an odometer reading shouldn’t stand between them and the right car.

• Find out how a customer defi nes “low mileage” — “You said you were looking for a low-mileage used car…what does ‘low miles’ mean to you?” Without asking this basic investigating question, you don’t know whether he’s talking about 10k or 75k. Everyone has a different defi nition.

• Don’t rule out a car right away just because the prospect says he won’t consider it (especially if it’s the only car you have that’s close to fi tting his needs) — “I know it has a few more miles than you would like, but before you rule this one out, I would like you to see it. I’ll be back in a few moments.” The eye sees what the mind buys. Seeing the car, and driving it, could change his mind.

• Convert an irrational objection into something logical that you can deal with — “You say 60k is too much? How much wouldn’t be too much? 45K? That’s only about one year of driving and you save thousands of dollars over one with lower miles.”

• Show your prospect that wear on a car is not simply measured by the odometer — “A thoroughly reconditioned car here with 60k is likely in much better condition than a car at XYZ motors with 45k because we keep only the nicest cars and then recondition them. You care about the miles because you want the car to last, right? I’ll get the service records to show you why this is the right car for you….”

• Remind prospects how long modern cars last — “Did you know that the average car in America today is over nine years old? There was a day when cars barely made it to 100k. Modern cars are engineered to last much longer. We routinely service cars in our shop with over 200k, and a few with 300k. A car with 60k is still early in its life cycle.”

• Put the mileage objection into context — If you can’t overcome the objection, then put the objection into context. “You wanted a late-model, low-mileage Outback, automatic transmission, with a cloth interior. The one I have in stock has all this, plus a few extra miles. But you’ve found a great dealership

where you feel comfortable, and a great car at a great price that has everything you want except one thing. Do you reckon you’re as close to the perfect car as you’re gonna get?”

• Discount — Discounting should be the last resort, because it costs a lot compared to good sales technique, which is free. However, if you can’t fi nd the mileage, then maybe you can

fi nd the perfect price. “If we could save you an additional $500, would that make you feel better about the mileage?”

Jeff Morrill is co-owner of Planet Subaru in Hanover, Mass., and Planet Chrysler Jeep Dodge in Franklin, Mass. He can be contacted at 866.872.8699, or by e-mail at [email protected].


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PaulLongsts fos ls ms sf fi s

marketing solution

Measure Successat Every Step

All things being equal, the traditional way that dealers have measured their success year-over-year is by the number

of cars they sell. After all, it would stand to reason that if I sold 20,000 cars last year, and I fi nish off this year selling 21,000 cars, my business is growing. It’s also logical to look at this month’s sales and compare it to the same month last year. It’s a quick shot, it’s simple and, if we’re growing, it makes us feel good too.

Things aren’t always equal though. You may be selling more cars, but you may have also hired twice the staff to sell those additional cars. You may have sold an additional 1,000 cars while at the same time losing market share. And most importantly, your ratio of cars sold to the amount of people that walked through your doors may have gone way down. This means you’re actually working harder for FEWER sales.

One of the best and most detailed ways to know if your dealership is experiencing success is to measure every step of your sales process, from advertising all the way to the sale. And surprisingly, with the right tools it’s not that hard. Let’s break it down and measure:• Advertising and branding success• Ease of Web site and the strength of your

people to get customer information• Success in setting quality

appointments• Success in your salespeople adhering

to the sales process

First, measure your advertising and branding. As you plan, keep in mind that branding requires a longer-term strategy than advertising. The payoff for branding, however, is longer sustainability for your efforts. Your advertising should always clearly display your Web site. If you don’t have a functional Web site — one that

clearly displays your vehicle inventory and allows customers to submit requests that will be responded to in a timely manner — this is your fi rst order of business.

You should measure your advertising and branding success by how many visits you are receiving to your Web site and the number of phone calls you are receiving each month. The best scenario is to measure unique visitors rather than total visits, because this is a better gauge as to how many people are responding to your advertising efforts. Additionally, use unique phone numbers to track ad response and branding. You should look at the total number of unique visitors and phone calls each month to assess your advertising efforts.

Look at these numbers monthly and daily to assess spikes in Web and phone traffi c due to increased advertising efforts.

Second, measure the amount of actual leads you get from those visits and phone calls. This is your “Conversion Ratio (Leads/Visits)”. If your Web site allows customers to enter personal information which qualifi es as a lead, then you are easily able to determine your Conversion Ratio. Analyze your Phone Conversion Ratio (Phone Leads/Phone Calls) separately from your Internet Conversion Ratio.

Your Internet Conversion Ratio will help you determine how easy your site is to navigate. Experts will tell you that a 10 percent conversion ratio is acceptable, however in my experience the industry average is more like six to seven percent. The Phone Conversion Ratio allows you to measure how well your staff is capturing customer information. The most important thing to remember is to determine where you are today, then assess how you can increase as the ratios increase.

From your total leads, determine how many appointments your staff is able to set, and how many of those appointments show. This is your Appointment Set Ratio (Total Appointments/Total Leads). Analyze Internet Leads and Phone Leads separately, because they are different types of leads. Your Internet leads should be around 25 to 30 percent, and your Phone Leads should be 40 to 45 percent. If your dealership is not setting appointments at this rate, your staff needs help in learning how to set appointments rather than trying to sell the car over the phone.

Once that appointment shows, you can measure your Sold to Show Ratio (sales/shown appointments). Expect this ratio to be around 40 to 45 percent. By doing a true

analysis, you will be able to uncover some great opportunities for growth that will help everyone sell more cars. For example, perhaps you don’t have a true sales process. Here is an opportunity to create one.

The important thing is to assess where you are today, and see if you can increase some of these ratios while keeping the others the same. By doing this, it can mean serious revenue to your bottom line. Look at all of the numbers in the process often and with a critical eye, and you will understand your business better and how to help it grow effectively.

For a free report template for you to assess your dealership at every step, send me an e-mail or give me a call.

Paul Long is the president of there:member group. He can be contacted at 866.630.0221 or by e-mail [email protected].

Internet Summary

Dealership

UniqueVisits

1,000

TTLLeads

50

Conversation

5.0%

TTLAPPT

15

% APPT

30.%

TTLShow

11

% Show

73.3%

TTL Soldfrom Sold

5

% Sold/Show

45%

RalphPagliasts fos ls ms sf fi s

marketing solution

Integrated Search Marketing Funnels Additional 174 Units

Using the online tracking technology of behavioral targeting, Courtesy Chevrolet has increased unique

visitors to our Web site from 1,551 to a phenomenal 81,672 in just 12 months. By measuring and understanding the online behavioral patterns of consumers in our region, Courtesy Chevrolet has successfully identifi ed and then focused on serving specifi c messages to different categories of car buyers entering the market. By only paying for our online ads and sponsored links to appear in front of consumers likely to purchase a vehicle, we have increased sales and profi ts by maximizing the effectiveness of our advertising dollars.

It is common practice for dealers to track and monitor levels of customer satisfaction after the sale to ensure that their dealerships are providing top quality service and building a loyal base of customers; but, how about achieving a new level of customer retention and profi tability by tracking their online behavior even before they make the decision to buy? There is a new dynamic approach to online advertising that allows dealers to place the right message in front of the right customer at the right time called behavioral targeting.

What is Behavioral Targeting?In order to elicit desired responses from online marketing campaigns, dealers fi rst need to identify which customers are most likely to be interested in their messages contained within the ad. Placing an ad for a Silverado one-ton truck in front of a 20-something who lusts for a supercharged Cobalt SS with 20” Borelli wheels is unlikely to get the reaction we want. Behavioral targeting technologies allow us to show online ads to car buyers when they are likely to be interested in a vehicle, and serve up the ad for the vehicle

or offer most likely to get their attention. Why pay for the wrong ads to appear in front of customers, or worse yet, pay for ads to show up in front of non-buyers? By using new technologies to identify and track which people are doing research on specifi c categories of vehicles, and then analyzing these characteristics to communicate more relevant offers to the right people, we are able to generate the desired response to marketing objectives. Broad generalizations and vague messages don’t cut through the clutter of sales pitches consumers receive every day. The right message at the right time works better than the wrong messages delivered in massive volume by spending more money than other dealers.

Although there are many dimensions to behavioral targeting, at the heart of behavioral targeting is an understanding-based investigation of consumers’ actual online behavior and patterns, which can be used to increase online advertising results. One facet of using behavioral targeting to make online advertising more effective is that it enables dealers to select and bid on key words that are more likely to be used by a dealership’s target audience. Another use of behavioral targeting is to track which Web sites are visited more often by car buyers during the 30 days before they bought a vehicle, then targeting those sites for placing the dealership’s ads. This allows dealers to group a list of Web sites into categories that are targeted for ads showing offers for vehicles likely to be purchased by visitors to those sites. Understanding the online patterns of specifi c types of car buyers helps dealerships to predict a customer’s activities, and then deliver highly relevant messages to the right prospects during specifi c time periods. As dealerships realize the increasing importance of understanding their customers, behavioral targeting will become a foundation

for creating a continuous analytical study of online customer trends and patterns. Who Can Use Behavioral Targeting?Consider this: Would knowing which key search words and what Web sites are visited by people buying specifi c categories of vehicles — allowing you to target the right message with the right content at the right time to the right customer — make your advertising more effective? Or, maybe this: What types of dealerships would benefi t from knowing the online behavioral patterns of their best customers, and therefore, have the ability to craft messages that will attract new customers who have those same characteristics? The answer is simple — behavioral targeting can help all dealerships more effectively achieve their marketing goals of increasing traffi c and sales by improving the effi ciency of their advertising dollars.

The Next StepAs behavioral targeting becomes one of those trendy buzz words, like search marketing (for example) and takes the automotive digital marketing world by storm, making sure that your dealership has the right people using the right technology becomes more important than ever. Choose a digital marketing partner that has proven knowledge, experience and results in the automotive industry to help you create and achieve your dealership’s online marketing goals. Through this advanced strategic science of tracking and studying the online behavior of qualifi ed car buyers, your dealership can know virtually everything about your best sales and service customers’ intentions.

Ralph Paglia is the CRM/eBusiness director at Courtesy Chevrolet. He can be contacted at 866.883.9250, or by e-mail at [email protected].


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One of my favorite shows as a kid was Monte Hall’s “Let’s Make a Deal.” The game show contestants would negotiate

his/her way to a better prize. Two young attractive female assistants would present

the prizes to be bartered. Their presentations skills captivated your attention. They could make a ten-dollar toaster just as appealing as a new refrigerator. It was the presentation that made unsuspecting contestants trade down for prizes. It was a fun and entertaining show that demonstrated the benefi t of great presentation skills.

If you took a moment and looked around your dealership, you would probably fi nd that the top performers have better than average demonstration or presentation skills. Being an effective communicator is also a key ingredient.

Here are some tips in developing your presentation skills:1. Analyze wants and needs to present the right product the fi rst time.

2. Never present a dirty or untidy product.

3. Separate from the pack. Pull the vehicle out – make it stand out.

4. Stage presentations on the curb, parking area or a location with a scenic surrounding.

5. Preset an appropriate AC/Heat setting in the car before your guest gets in. Keep the fan on a low setting to enable the customer to hear you during the demo drive.

6. Preset a neutral FM station, or create and use a demo CD. I recommend a good jazz or movie soundtrack (something upbeat and majestic for impact).

7. Engage their senses of touch, smell, and visuals. Use colorful adjectives to describe features (i.e. supple leather, pearl paint, elegant maple wood trim, 8-speaker surround sound effect, sky-view/moon-roof, projector style headlamps, aerodynamic styling, dual-comfort automated climate control, lumbar seat adjustments, etc).

8. They sit; you adjust seat, steering wheel, seatbelt and mirrors. Cater to them.

9. Make the experience fun and entertaining. If you don’t offer a captivating presentation, the next salesperson will.

Besides watching top performers in your dealership, go outside the industry for some powerful tips. I recommend a trip to a Neiman Marcus or Nordstrom. Try on a suit or fi ne shoes to observe the associate’s presentation.

Your dynamic presentation will give you an edge and help you to the closing table, not to mention making your career a lot more fun and rewarding.

David Thomas is the owner of Subaru of Dallas. He can be contacted at 866.429.6803, or by e-mail [email protected].

Presentation is Everything

DavidThomassts fos ls ms sf fi s



DebbieAllensts fos ls ms sf fi s


Before you can sell anything successfully, you must fi rst sell your ideas, your wishes, your needs, your ambitions, your skills,

your experience, your products and services —you must be absolutely SOLD on you.

Your confi dence will never fail you. What can fail you are those things in which you place your confi dence.

In selling yourself successfully, absolute confi dence in YOU is a must.

Confi dence, in turn, breeds courage. This being true, you must make sure that your self-confi dence goes to work for you, because in selling ourselves, we are putting our confi dence in ourselves.

Why is this so important to be successful in the auto sales business? Because if you don’t have confi dence in yourself, how can you expect prospective customers to have confi dence and faith in you either?

You are what you believe. You are what you think.

Successful salespeople have confi dence in their abilities and knowledge. Unsuccessful salespeople, on the other hand, expect to fail. They lack confi dence in themselves and their abilities. Because they lack the confi dence in themselves, they see obstacles and are unwilling to take the risks involved to become more successful.

It’s normal for everyone in the auto sales business to occasionally question, have doubt, and subsequently lose confi dence regarding the superiority of their company, product, service, offers and even themselves.

During those times of doubt, it’s important to think back to all your successes, how you felt at that time and why you felt that way. Let those positive feelings recharge and revitalize your beliefs that you and what you are selling are indeed the very best.

Everyone has confi dence in something.

YOU and YOU alone have the responsibility to change old programming and beliefs.

Recognize that whether you are worthy or not is all a made-up belief. Nothing has meaning

except for the meaning you give it. You and you alone determine if you’re going to be worthy. It’s simply your perspective. If you say you’re worthy, you are. If you say you’re not worthy, you’re not. Don’t buy into whether you are worthy or not.

Keep building your confi dence by feeding your mind with positive affi rmations. Your confi dence guides you easily toward reaching and exceeding your goals. You can do anything if you think you can. People will respect you and have confi dence in you too, because you are worthy of respect and confi dence.

Accept that your subconscious mind is guiding, directing, and prospecting mentally and materially for you. Once you do that, your subconscious mind will automatically direct you toward complete confi dence and wise decision-making.

You develop a positive mental attitude by being good at what you do, by being prepared, by understanding the realities of what it takes to succeed, and by having the self-discipline to base your actions on those realities.

Hence, the success cycle is self-perpetual: the more prepared a person is, the more confi dent they become; which translates into a natural positive mental attitude; which, in turn, builds self-confi dence.

Start right now by taking the action necessary to develop more confi dence and watch your career soar.

Debbie Allen is an author and professional speaker. She can be contacted at866.467.4104, or by e-mail at [email protected].

How to Boost Your Sales Confi dence

Recognize that whether you are worthy or not is all a made-up belief. Nothing has meaning except for the meaning you give it.

How to Hire, Train and Develop 20 Car-A-Month Salespeople, Part 3

BobCarmacksts fos ls ms sf fi s


Last month I discussed the very direct, hard-core, bottom-line, demanding, overly aggressive and assertive Type “A”

customer. This is one of your best customers once you understand how to communicate with them. This month, we are going to examine the Type “C” customer. Amiable, non-assertive and non-aggressive, the Type “C” customer is 180 degrees opposite the Type “A”.

A reminder before we begin, if we close around 25 percent of our customers, this means we lose 75 percent of the customers that walk into the dealership. If you learn to communicate with this customer, you can nearly double your closing ratio (and your sales).

Let’s start with getting to know and how to become the typical Type “C” customer. This customer wants to buy but will do anything and everything to convince us otherwise. And, they are the most diffi cult with whom to gain rapport, develop a conversation, gain your trust, guide through the sale, and close today — but it can be done.

How They Process Information:Slow — they need to think about it and talk with others for approval. This is an emotional decision for them; they must trust you. They are payment buyers 99 percent of the time.

Patterns When Entering The Dealership:Since the Type “C” is non-confrontational, shy, and non-aggressive, they rarely drive up to the front door, hop out of the car and introduce themselves. This customer hides from salespeople. They are the customers who come out after we leave the dealership at night or the day we’re closed. When they

Characteristics:Amiable Non-Assertive Non-AggressiveNon-Competitive Indecisive IndirectVery Patient Friendly/Shy PoliteEmotional Looker/Thinker Lot WalkerNon-Confrontational Needs Assurance Hates Pressure

Body Language:Eye Contact is 100Percent Indirect

Talk is Slow, Indirect,Evasive

Handshake; Soft or Won’t Shake

Gestures: “Thinking” Hands or Chin, Face

Walk; Slow, Looker,Walks the lot

Forehead, Back of Neck, Strokes Face

visit the dealership, they will usually drive to the side of the dealership, the back of the lot, etc. — anywhere we can’t see them — and get out and walk the lot. Why? They don’t like pressure or confrontation, and they don’t know what they want, so their pattern is to look at everything — cars, trucks, SUVs, used cars…. Their other pattern is to drive the lot in the security of their car. We walk out to the car and they keep driving slowly past us without even a glance toward us. You know they’re saying to each other, “Don’t look at them. If you look, they’ll come over to the car....”

Controlling And Communicating With The Type “C”:When, and if, the Type “C” gets out of the car, they will start walking the lot. If you notice a customer walking (usually with their head down) the lot and looking at everything, approach them slowly. The fi rst thing we need to do is start them saying “Yes” vs “No”, ie. “Hi, how may we assist you?” or “Can I help you?” or “What can I show you today?”. All these similar greeting will almost always result in the customer saying, “No, just looking,” or “No, I don’t need any help, I just want to look.” The conversation starts out negative and usually goes downhill

from here. We usually give them a business card and say, “Well, if you need help, I’ll be happy to assist you.”

Try this: use the extended greeting by keeping your distance and say, “Welcome to ABC Motors, my name is Bob and you are....”. Additionally, accompany this with the extended handshake by simply keeping your distance and, once you shake hands, step back several feet. When a person is non-confrontational and non-assertive, getting too close too early can cause this customer to leave now. Backing up a few feet simply makes this person feel

comfortable. Remember, this person also has indirect eye contact in the beginning, mainly because they don’t trust you early in the sale so the behavior is to look away from you. By backing away, it reduces the perceived “pressure” and causes them to raise their head, their eyes, and within a couple minutes they will probably look and speak directly to you.

Use their name, followed by a leading statement to get and maintain eye contact. One of the major things we do incorrectly with this person is ask them “open-ended” questions. Why? Because all the old automotive training courses say to ask open-ended questions to everyone. Open-ended questions start out “Who, What, When, Where, Why and How,” and command a response or a decision. If you are an indecisive person, open-ended questions won’t work because this person can’t give you a direct decision most of the time. If we ask this person a question such as, “What type vehicle are you looking for?” or “How do you want your vehicle equipped?” these questions require a direct response and decision, so their response 90 percent of the time is “I don’t know, I just want to look....” If we continue this questioning, the person will perceive this as pressure (too many questions they can’t answer) and will push away from you. In the “Meet & Greet” after the handshake we say, “So John, you’re just doing a little shopping and looking around today, right?” This causes them to start the conversation with a “Yes” vs. “No”.

Let’s Start Discussing the Key Controls With the Type “C”:Ask choice questions and give them no more than two or three options to select an answer. Remember, indecisive people must be lead, which means that you have to make their decisions for them in a non-confrontation format. An example after fi rst meeting them is to say, “John, when you are ready to consider a vehicle (take the pressure off), will you be considering a car, truck or SUV?” Depending on their answer to this question, the conversation will take a sharp turn to the “right” or to the “left.” The answers and a lot more next month.

Bob Carmack is president of Carmack & Associates, LP and is a professional speaker and trainer. He can be contacted at 866.393.8221, or by e-mail at [email protected].


Maximize YourLead ROI

SeanV.Bradleysts fos ls ms sf fi s


A lead is an opportunity to do business. In order to maximize the lead ROI, you must have two things. The fi rst is that you need to

align your sales strategy with the source of the leads you are purchasing.

Some leads are higher quality than others, but the most important factors are where, why and how the lead is generated. Before you purchase or change any lead provider, you must go to their site. What do you see? Do they provide pricing? Do they feature new or used vehicles? How are your vehicles ranked in a comparison tool?

You should also take a look at how the lead is generated. What information is required? Are there banner ads for competitors? Are there other services like fi nancing? These are all important factors for you to consider. The leads that you purchase must fi t within the strategy that you have established for your operations.

That strategy should include the radius (locations), target market (new, pre-owned, special fi nance) and it should be built around realistic averages. If you purchase 100 leads, you will close a certain amount. Let’s say a modest 10 percent. That means you will have delivered 10 units. That still means that you will not sell 90 other people that month. What makes the difference beyond 10 percent and 15 percent is not usually the lead — it’s the dealership handling them. In order to get the most from your leads, you need to create an environment where you implement industry best practices. Here are some aspects of components you need to have in place at your store:

• Have an ILM/CRM tool.• Your ILM/CRM has to be set up

properly.• Have a trained staff • Have a standard operating procedure

for everything you do • Put the right people in place and

enough of them to do the job• Utilize all of the reporting capabilities

from your third-party lead provider, as well as from your ILM/CRM tool

You absolutely need a good lead management CRM tool. The average buying cycle is

between 45 and 60 days for an Internet customer. What does that mean to you? That means there is also a residual fl ow factor to the leads you are purchasing. For example, if you generate about 400 leads between the OEM, your third party providers and your dealership Web site and you close 10 percent this month, what happens to the others next month? Where did the other 360 leads go? Most of those leads are still viable opportunities. The following month you generate another 400 leads plus your left over 360 leads for a total of 760 leads. That is a lot of leads to follow-up, not very realistic to adhere to proper follow-up protocol without an ILM/CRM.

You need to have a standard operating procedure in place for every task related to how to respond to the leads, follow-up cycle, how long you follow up for and what you are going to say. Not just policies for fresh leads, but also processes to convert lost sales opportunities to service customers. You also need to retain ownership of your sold leads to prevent buying them all over again.

Let’s say you have all of that in place, it’s still not enough. You need the right people in place trained and with the right skill set. The Internet sale is truly a phone sale. Most of the work will be done over the phone. You need to make sure your staff has the right people for the job. Are they pleasant and smiling? And you need to make sure they have the proper infrastructure in place to support the initiative. Can your team follow-up all the fresh leads for 60 days. What about appointment protocols and follow-up process?

A lead is an opportunity to do business. Regarding your Internet department, a third-party provider is instant gratifi cation. They did the hardest part and found you a prospect. They are providing you with the opportunity to do business. Now, it is up to you. What are you going to do with that opportunity?

Sean V. Bradley is the founder/CEO of Dealer Synergy, Inc. He can be contacted at 866.893.1394, or by e-mail [email protected].


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Every salesperson has the ability to change their behavior and sell more cars regardless of external forces. These Seven Steps to

Sales Success, when followed consistently, will improve closing ratios, job satisfaction and fi nancial rewards for salespeople and the dealership.

Single-MindednessThe salesperson’s job is to help fi nd the right vehicle and the right price for each individual customer. By keeping this in mind and by setting and monitoring their goals and objectives as part of a daily routine, they can develop a single-mindedness that allows them to focus and ultimately succeed.

UnderstandingHaving a deep understanding of the job, the product, warranties, etc., is often taken for granted. Salespeople must include time in their daily plans to follow consumer buying trends and news that can impact their clientele, and to understanding what drives their sales, motivates individuals to purchase, as well as the challenges and concerns that prevent obstacles to closing deals.

Continuous LearningIn the automotive business, there is no “status quo.” Learning must be a constant goal and successful salespeople seek opportunities to learn with each encounter they have every day — customers, friends, colleagues — and to learn about new features, models and other changes from manufacturers. Continuous learning equips salespeople

with the knowledge they need to become valued resources to their clients.

CuriosityCuriosity and enthusiasm spark interest. With a plethora of technical advancements, constantly changing products, services, warranties and practices, it is easy to be overwhelmed. An active curiosity helps salespeople keep up with these developments. In addition, curiosity and enthusiasm are useful tools when it comes to asking clients the right questions. An enthusiastic, curious salesperson can easily learn about clients, their requirements, interests, lifestyle and desires, all critical information required to help spark excitement in customers and fi nd them the perfect car.

EmpathyEmpathy is defi ned as the ability to appreciate the customer’s challenges from their point of view. Salespeople must take the time to identify with each of the customer’s concerns in a genuine manner and walk in their shoes, if they want to meet or exceed their expectations, and ultimately succeed themselves.

State-of-MindA positive state-of-mind or attitude is critical. Regardless of the individuals, circumstances or how the day is going, a positive state-of-mind is essential. Not only will this help keep salespeople focused on their clientele, but it can help turn a potential negative customer or situation into a positive situation and even a sale.

StructureStructure can help every member of a team ensure not only their own success, but the success of a dealership, as well. If team members can rely on established processes that help them develop plans, work in tandem with their team and support each others efforts, then success is surely the only possible result.

Keeping these Seven Steps to Sales Success in mind and developing action plans can be the fi rst step on the road to a profi table and productive career in automotive sales.

Richard F. Libin is president of Automotive Profi t Builders, Inc. He can be contacted at 866.450.6853, or by e-mail [email protected].

RichardF.Libin

Seven Steps to SuccessMaking Sure Your People Succeed



An enthusiastic, curious salesperson can easily learn about clients, their requirements, interests, lifestyle and desires, all critical information required to help spark excitement in customers and fi nd them the perfect car.

Swim With a Dolphin

MarkTewartsts fos ls ms sf fi s


One idea to improve sales that most people don’t want to talk about is the ability to recharge your batteries. Salespeople

who run on low batteries don’t perform as well as when they are charged up. Recently, I went with my family on a cruise and had a fantastic trip. We went scuba diving in Grand Turks and, during the dive, had three dolphins come up to us and play with us for most of the dive. The dive masters on the trip said it was a once in a lifetime experience to not only see the dolphins but to have them play with us for so long.

What if we had decided not to take the trip? What if our fears had kept us from becoming certifi ed divers years ago? I have never left a vacation saying I should take less vacations. I have forgone vacations before because of business or other concerns. I think that’s shortsighted thinking. Vacations allow you

to have those great experiences and recharge your batteries. You seem to have a different perspective after a vacation.

Have you ever skipped taking time off because of a lack of money or time? Consider the mindset that creates a perception of a lack of time or money. To replace a mindset of scarcity and lack, you must fi rst take the time to step back, evaluate your thoughts and actions that have caused the scarcity and begin to change those thoughts and actions. Often, I think we all get so caught up in day to day actions and challenges that we lose our best perspective.

Proper rest is one of the key ingredients to good health. Proper rest includes the mind as well as the body. A few years ago, I made the choice to get one more hour of sleep a night. The difference in my vitality of mind and body was remarkable. Waking up with a clear mind and body can change your appearance and fi rst perception of you by a

customer. When you recharge your batteries, you allow your mind to give and receive answers it cannot do when you are tired.

So often our culture promotes the theory of hard work. I believe you don’t have to associate work with being hard. The connection that links up in your mind about work being hard and a grind can be counterproductive. Every salesperson will say there are times when they are on a roll and in the fl ow and everything they touch turns to gold. I don’t believe those times are accidental. I believe those periods of seemingly easy success are attributable to previous thought and actions. Those successful thoughts and actions are easier to achieve when you are rested and clear of anything blocking your mind or body.

Our culture tends to lend a great amount of macho to the theory of hard work. The theory of resting, thinking and recharging your batteries is looked at as weakness by many. In the last several years I have found the quality of work is more important than the endurance. Bad thoughts and actions done over a longer period of time can never be as productive as good thoughts and actions over a short period of time.

Parkinson’s Law theorizes that work fi lls up to the time allotted. The more time you allow, the more you fi nd to do. The question is what are you really doing?

I would invite you today to analyze your time in one hour time slots and observe your most dominant thoughts and actions. Secondly, I would advise you to be very careful to look out for time wasters. Time wasters can be people, processes and normal activities you may not be paying attention to.

How much time do you spend answering cell phones, checking e-mail and doing redundant tasks? You might be amazed at what you fi nd. Create a plan to eliminate the things from your life that are not productive and add to your stress. Never forget to recharge your batteries. Maybe even go swimming with the dolphins.

Mark Tewart is the president of Tewart Enterprises. He can be contacted at 866.429.6844, or by e-mail [email protected].

IMN Loyalty Driver™ is a turnkey e-marketing service that drivesinterest, sales and customer loyalty. Customized, trackable emailcommunications provide tangible results for dealerships acrossthe country. A couple of examples:

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• 90 phone calls in a month as a direct result of one IMNLoyalty Driver e-newsletter.

Looking for results like these? Call 866.964.6397, ext. 214 or email [email protected].

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