Mike Gorun's Posts - DealerELITE.net2024-03-29T14:25:16ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorunhttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2535868010?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://www.dealerelite.net/profiles/blog/feed?user=15f3yge9h8bhx&xn_auth=noIs Digital Retailing Really a Good Thing for Dealers?tag:www.dealerelite.net,2018-03-27:5283893:BlogPost:5145002018-03-27T13:07:15.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545190062?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545190062?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380"></img></a> The buzz today among vendors in the automotive industry is all about making the car buying transaction faster and more convenient for the consumer. I get it. Consumers think it takes too long to buy a car, so technology companies are inventing ways to trim down that transaction time. Sure, it may make car buying an easier and more convenient experience for consumers which,…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545190062?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="380" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545190062?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>The buzz today among vendors in the automotive industry is all about making the car buying transaction faster and more convenient for the consumer. I get it. Consumers think it takes too long to buy a car, so technology companies are inventing ways to trim down that transaction time. Sure, it may make car buying an easier and more convenient experience for consumers which, the hope is, will make consumers buy more cars. But, while that might be true, what are the side effects?</p>
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<p>Now, if you want to talk about the power of convenience, look at Amazon. Speed and convenience are after all, the keys to their success. If Amazon had its way, it would simply teleport whatever a customer wants to them instantly. They can’t (and they don’t) but they’re very good at getting things to customers quickly – sometimes within hours.</p>
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<p>However, when it comes to automobile purchases the real prize dealerships should be trying to win isn’t a quick “sale,” but rather a customer for life. If you take the human interaction and relationship building opportunity out of the consumer car buying transaction, when will dealers have the chance to START a relationship, much less BUILD one?</p>
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<p>I understand that making the car buying process faster, easier and more pleasant is appealing. But consider the ramifications of essentially sterilizing the car buying process. What will this mean for future business from your customers in both sales and service?</p>
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<p>While everyone is talking about how the auto industry should look to Amazon and create that “Amazon experience,” in my opinion, it’s not so much that consumers are loyal to Amazon. Perhaps the reason there are so many Amazon-loyalists and Prime members is because Amazon customers are, in fact, loyal to convenience. If Amazon stopped being convenient, customers would leave and find a retailer that is.</p>
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<p>Don’t misunderstand me, I certainly believe that using technology to expedite the car buying transaction is wise. Consumers want fast and furious (for the most part). What I’m saying is that it is important to keep those points of in-person human contact during the transaction, so you can bond and create a relationship with each customer.</p>
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<p>When a customer needs laundry detergent, they buy it. They don’t necessarily care from where. In fact, they may even buy Tide from Amazon and skip the grocery store altogether. No relationship will ever be built between the consumer and “whatever random place the consumer chooses to buy Tide from when they need it.”</p>
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<p>I’m certainly not trying to be all doom-and-gloom for technology companies in the automotive industry that are working to create a faster, better transaction. All I’m saying is that we – as an industry – need to consider how to make the customer experience better while still retaining enough opportunities to build relationships. In the end, that’s the only way we can earn and keep a customer’s loyalty.</p>Rewards Programs Mean More than Just Rewardstag:www.dealerelite.net,2018-03-20:5283893:BlogPost:5142722018-03-20T13:54:20.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545187368?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545187368?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380"></img></a> Rewards programs are indisputably a staple in common society. Most retailers have them and consumers have come to expect them.</p>
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<p>The problem is that most retailers view rewards programs as an expense, rather than a revenue generator. Sure, there are discounts and other things that come along with rewards programs – and those are the “expenses” some retailers…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545187368?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="380" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545187368?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>Rewards programs are indisputably a staple in common society. Most retailers have them and consumers have come to expect them.</p>
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<p>The problem is that most retailers view rewards programs as an expense, rather than a revenue generator. Sure, there are discounts and other things that come along with rewards programs – and those are the “expenses” some retailers focus on – but there’s one big missing.</p>
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<p>Branding.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Have you ever seen someone with a keychain full of loyalty cards? Every one of those is attached because that individual either regularly shops at those places or plans to. Nobody attaches loyalty cards to their keychain or sticks them in their wallets for businesses they have no intention of ever visiting again.</p>
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<p>Let’s look at it from a retail automotive perspective. How much does it cost to attach those personalized paper plates, license plate frames or metallic logos to the vehicles you sell? It’s not cheap, right? But you do it because every vehicle rolling down the road with your logo on it is advertising! Whether it’s conscious or subliminal, or whether those buyers driving down the street with your logo love you or hate you, the potential customer viewing it simply sees the logo and the fact that the car buyer CHOSE your dealership. And that’s what matters.</p>
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<p>Rewards programs offer the same type of promotion. Those loyalty tags hanging from keychains get noticed… and even if they aren’t that apparent to others, the branding and top-of-mind stays with the owner.</p>
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<p>Assuming your loyalty program is in fact attractive to your customers, they will continue to come back. Set up properly, they will not only come back, but come back more often. Consumers love to rack up points towards rewards that matter to them. All you need do is ensure that your rewards matter… and that your rewards program is branded. Just like those license plate frames.</p>
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<p>Rewards programs aren’t designed to lose revenue but to increase it while building customer loyalty and retention. It’s a well-known fact that at businesses make more money from retention than acquisition, yet many dealers are willing to spend $650+ to acquire a new customer, while cringing at giving an oil change away to a loyal one.</p>
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<p>Take care of those that take care of you. These loyal customers can bring in more business than any efforts to acquire new customers while fighting the independents. If you keep them happy enough, they won’t even consider going anyplace else.</p>A PERFECT example of the Trifecta that Creates Loyaltytag:www.dealerelite.net,2018-03-13:5283893:BlogPost:5139662018-03-13T13:54:16.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545185748?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545185748?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380"></img></a> The never-ending question is… what does it take to earn customer loyalty? Of course, the answer changes all the time and that is what makes loyalty so confusing and difficult.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As technology continues to develop and improve, consumers have more access to information and aggressively compare prices and services. Businesses are constantly on their feet scrambling…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545185748?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="380" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545185748?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>The never-ending question is… what does it take to earn customer loyalty? Of course, the answer changes all the time and that is what makes loyalty so confusing and difficult.</p>
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<p>As technology continues to develop and improve, consumers have more access to information and aggressively compare prices and services. Businesses are constantly on their feet scrambling to adjust in order to keep customers and maintain any customer loyalty they’ve built.</p>
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<p>However, there is one outstanding exception:</p>
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<p>Southwest Airlines.</p>
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<p>How has Southwest Airlines created such an outspoken, vocal and happy group of consumers where other airlines have failed? An article on <a href="https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/southwest-airlines-customer-loyalty">Thrillist.com</a> shares how Southwest started its journey promoting budget travel, but is no longer the least expensive. They do things differently than other airlines with no assigned seats or baggage check charges. And they hire willing employees who they allow to be themselves. And you know what? They are the only airline that hasn’t gone out of business or declared bankruptcy in the last 25 years! Oh, and I forgot to mention, they have never laid off or furloughed an employee.</p>
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<p>Southwest made sound business decisions such as purchasing a fleet of the same model airplanes to maximize their parts volume efficiency. The airline encourages employees to be themselves and do “their thing,” which engages customers, makes them happy and creates an excellent customer experience.</p>
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<p>While the biggest complaint is always their boarding procedure – which some call a “cattle call” – it is in fact more efficient than any other airline.</p>
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<p>All other airlines are adding charges for everything under the sun, but Southwest Airlines continues to do its thing. There’s no first-class or seating assignments, but there are also no baggage charges or, as in some other “budget” airlines, charges simply to bring a personal item on board.</p>
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<p>You know what they do have? Peanuts. And, yup, pretzels – sometimes.</p>
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<p>But everyone loves them.</p>
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<p>You don’t hear other airline’s passengers claiming to be raving fans anywhere near as often as Southwest Airlines. And, despite all of the cost-cutting, budget fares and other strategic moves, Southwest airlines has transitioned itself into one of the top three airlines in the country.</p>
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<p>So how did it do it while keeping costs down? Employee engagement, customer experience and doing your own thing.</p>
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<p>Even Southwest Airlines admits they aren’t always the lowest fare… which is why they shy away from travel search engines. But they encourage employees to delight their customers and that translates into customer happiness and pleasure. Their customers no longer USE those search engines but simply go straight to Southwest Airlines and book their flight, knowing that they will have a great experience at a competitive rate.</p>
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<p>We would all be well served to look at the practices and tactics Southwest Airlines has implemented over the years to understand why their customers are loyal, raving fans and how they have grown into are one of the most profitable and stable airline in the country… without always being the lowest price.</p>Being Real: The Fastest Way to Earn Customer Loyaltytag:www.dealerelite.net,2018-03-06:5283893:BlogPost:5138512018-03-06T14:44:08.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545186516?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545186516?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380"></img></a> Today’s consumers are fickle beings. It’s much harder to keep their loyalty than ever before. And, while it may take years to earn loyalty from a single customer, it could take only minutes to lose it. Your dealership can do everything in its power to earn and keep a customer – from loyalty programs, to amazing customer service and luxury amenities. But, there is one basic…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545186516?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="380" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545186516?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>Today’s consumers are fickle beings. It’s much harder to keep their loyalty than ever before. And, while it may take years to earn loyalty from a single customer, it could take only minutes to lose it. Your dealership can do everything in its power to earn and keep a customer – from loyalty programs, to amazing customer service and luxury amenities. But, there is one basic concept that, should you adopt it, is the easiest and fastest way to nurture, earn and retain customer loyalty. And that is by setting realistic expectations for your customers, then consistently delivering on those expectations.</p>
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<p>Think about it this way. If you were to go to a dealership which promotes a 30-minute oil change through their quick lube service, you would expect that, at the very minimum, your oil change is completed within 30-minutes. And rightfully so, because the business set the expectation for you. If the dealership fails to deliver on that promise, it’s much harder for a consumer to believe any future promises or expectations.</p>
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<p>Another example is service upsells. Let’s say that same customer comes in for an oil change and, after the multi-point inspection is completed, the service advisor presents the recommendations to the customer. One of the first things just about every customer asks – whether they are waiting in the service department or dropped their vehicle off – is, “How long will it take to complete those recommendations?” A service advisor has two options here: they can give the customer a realistic timeframe, or they can downplay the time it will take in order to (supposedly) get the business.</p>
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<p>My advice? Always be real with your customers. If you don’t know the answer to that question, tell them. If you do know the answer, be honest. There are multiple variables when it comes to answering these questions such as, how busy is service today, whether technicians are out sick, causing a backload and extending service times, or perhaps there are simply a lot of big repairs being completed. On a regular day, these services may only take an additional 2 hours. But on a busier day, that can be extended.</p>
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<p>Service advisors usually have a good idea on any given day what is – or isn’t – going to affect that timeline. If they give the cookie cutter response – such as 2 hours -- anytime a customer asks, they could be setting an expectation they simply cannot fulfill. And that’s bad news when it comes to earning customer loyalty.</p>
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<p>Sure, customers are in a hurry. But, if you want their trust, the truth is that customers simply want a “real” answer. Being honest with them and telling them the truth starts the transaction and relationship off on the right foot. I believe a customer would rather be told something to the effect of, “Mr. Jones, Normally these types of services would only take a couple of hours to complete. Today, however, the shop is quite busy, and we are short-staffed. So, it may take a bit longer even up to four hours or so. We will do our best to complete them faster. I just wanted you to know up-front.”</p>
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<p>Will you lose some service recommendations because of an extended timeline? Probably. That being said, I can guarantee you one thing. You won’t lose a customer. Or create an unhappy one. In fact, what you will accomplish is trust. By setting realistic expectations, then delivering on them, customers will appreciate you and continue to use you for service.</p>
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<p>In addition, with each successful visit, it becomes easier to upsell service. And, in the end, a loyal customer will bring more revenue to your service department over their lifetime than a customer who has a poor experience because unrealistic expectations due to unreal expectations and failing to deliver on them.</p>
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<p>Be real. Set realistic expectations. Communicate honestly. That’s how you earn a customer’s loyalty without spending a dime.</p>Wowing the Customer: Actions Speak Louder than Wordstag:www.dealerelite.net,2018-02-27:5283893:BlogPost:5137062018-02-27T14:12:27.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545184773?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545184773?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380"></img></a> Occasionally, when creating a great customer experience a business will have to go above and beyond for its customers. These little WOW moments can easily take a repeat customer and make them loyal, or even take a loyal customer and make them into a brand advocate.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Author and thought-leader…</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545184773?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="380" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545184773?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>Occasionally, when creating a great customer experience a business will have to go above and beyond for its customers. These little WOW moments can easily take a repeat customer and make them loyal, or even take a loyal customer and make them into a brand advocate.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Author and thought-leader Peter Shankman shares an interesting</span> <a href="https://www.shankman.com/the-greatest-customer-service-story-ever-told-starring-mortons-steakhouse/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">story</span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">about this subject. He was about to get on a flight and hadn’t eaten much that day. As a big fan of Morton’s Steakhouse, before his flight took off he jokingly sent them a tweet, asking to be met at his destination airport with a steak. Thinking that was the end of the story he went about his travels. To his surprise and delight, upon arrival at his destination airport a Morton’s Steakhouse employee was waiting for him with not only a steak, but all the side dishes as well. Imagine how that affected his perception of Morton’s.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Of course, an experience like this is too wonderful for Shankman not to share on his social media and it sure did garner a lot of positive attention for Morton’s. But that’s not quite the point. The point is this: He will continue to love Morton’s and this story will be told many times more. In fact, here I am telling his story seven years later.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Are there examples in the auto industry? Certainly. Inspired by this story, I heard about an incident where a conference attendee sitting in a session tweeted out that he could really use a cup of coffee. Well, conference management were listening. They figured out which session the attendee was in, based on other tweets, and took him a cup of coffee – without disturbing the session. What do you think that attendee thought about the conference after that? He was certainly impressed and shared the story via social media – and told it throughout the conference to his peers.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It is important for every business to be ready, listening to customers and finding those WOW opportunities, or they will be perceived as if they don’t care. I’m not saying that you need to do extraordinary things such as delivering steaks. But that act of delivering a simple cup of coffee took minimal effort and accomplished the same effect.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Finding small things to make the customer’s day a little more special can have a huge impact on loyalty without taking a bite out of your bottom line. In the end, it’s not how expensive the gesture is, but simply showing the customer that you heard… and, more importantly, cared. And that’s what will make a difference.</span></p>Don’t Forget Mr. & Mrs. Cellophane!tag:www.dealerelite.net,2018-02-20:5283893:BlogPost:5125452018-02-20T14:37:40.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545185319?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545185319?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380"></img></a> People are motivated by many different things. Some by money. Some by time off. But one of the most universal ways to motivate an employee is by recognition. For the most part that recognition comes from external sources; perhaps a customer compliments the employee either in person or via an online forum – then management reacts and shares that feedback with the employee and,…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545185319?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="380" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545185319?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>People are motivated by many different things. Some by money. Some by time off. But one of the most universal ways to motivate an employee is by recognition. For the most part that recognition comes from external sources; perhaps a customer compliments the employee either in person or via an online forum – then management reacts and shares that feedback with the employee and, perhaps, with the dealership’s staff.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But what about that employee customers never directly interact with?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In the musical Chicago, the husband of the lead actress sings about how nobody ever notices that he exists:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>“Cellophane, Mister Cellophane. Should have been my name, Mister Cellophane. ‘Cause you can look right through me, walk right by me and never know I’m there.”</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Every dealership loves receiving perfect CSI surveys from customers. It helps financially in many ways. But, in most cases, the person receiving accolades is the salesperson. I am not saying that they shouldn’t, as the salesperson certainly has a large role in the dealership.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The point I am making here is that there are many cogs in the wheel that created that perfect survey/experience for the customer. From the service technician that did the pre-delivery inspection on the vehicle, to the finance manager that handled the paperwork, to the porter that detailed the vehicle and, in some cases, to the person that went over the vehicle at delivery with the customer – all of them contributed to that perfect survey and that specific customer’s great experience.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A recent Disney Institute <a href="https://disneyinstitute.com/blog/2018/02/are-you-recognizing-those-who-work-behind-the-scenes/?CMP=SOC-DI-Blog-RecognizingBehindTheScenesEmployees-02.13.2018">blog</a> by Senior Programming Director, Bruce Jones, stresses the importance of employee recognition. He states that employees working after hours, or with limited guest experience, are just as important in the process and experience as front-line employees with direct customer interaction. They should also be rewarded and recognized.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Employee engagement is an important part of company culture. Without buy-in and a coordinated effort from all the cogs in the customer experience wheel, that salesperson could do a perfect job yet receive a bad CSI survey simply because a porter failed to clean the car properly, or a technician forgot to remove some plastic protective wrap.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Company culture and employee engagement extend to every person in the organization. While those on the front-lines may get DIRECT recognition from customers, the behind-the-scenes employees, with little to no direct customer contact, tend to be forgotten. And that can be the easiest differentiator between a perfect survey and one that is not.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jones references a quote from a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamcraig/2017/07/17/3-reasons-why-employee-recognition-will-always-matter/#7eed0c1163c9">Forbes article</a> which inspired his blog, “employee recognition knows no calendar.” He went on to add that it “also knows no timeclock.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Employee recognition reinforces desired behavior, acknowledges employees when they do a great job and leads to consistency in desired behavior. Don’t let your employees’ gas tanks get low because you failed to fuel them with recognition.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It’s an easy oversight to make – even if not intentionally. Just as a sales manager might high-five a salesperson who closed a deal, or a finance manager that sold product in F&I, the porter who spent some extra time making the new vehicle ready for presentation to the customer should also be recognized for their hard work.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Recognize everyone in the process that led to a great customer experience and you should find a more consistent – and rewarding – result for both the dealership and the customer.</p>Winning Customer Loyalty Through Conveniencetag:www.dealerelite.net,2018-02-13:5283893:BlogPost:5123382018-02-13T14:02:22.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<p></p>
<div id="contentsContainer"><div id="contents"><p id="E46"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial" id="E47"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545187405?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545187405?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380"></img></a> Customer loyalty is increasingly difficult to earn</span><span class="qowt-font3-Arial" id="E48">. Co</span><span class="qowt-font3-Arial" id="E49">nsumers</span> <span class="qowt-font3-Arial" id="E50">simply</span> <span class="qowt-font3-Arial" id="E51">aren’t as loyal…</span></p>
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<div id="contentsContainer"><div id="contents"><p id="E46"><span id="E47" class="qowt-font3-Arial"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545187405?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="380" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545187405?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>Customer loyalty is increasingly difficult to earn</span><span id="E48" class="qowt-font3-Arial">. Co</span><span id="E49" class="qowt-font3-Arial">nsumers</span> <span id="E50" class="qowt-font3-Arial">simply</span> <span id="E51" class="qowt-font3-Arial">aren’t as loyal to a specific store</span> <span id="E52" class="qowt-font3-Arial">as</span> <span id="E53" class="qowt-font3-Arial">they were in the past.</span></p>
<p id="E54"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E55"><span id="E56" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Years ago,</span> <span id="E57" class="qowt-font3-Arial">perhaps you’d visit that local hardware store owned by Bill and Martha. Each time you visited they welcomed you by name and offered their assistance. In our current age of mega-stores</span><span id="E58" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span> <span id="E59" class="qowt-font3-Arial">the customer experience</span> <span id="E60" class="qowt-font3-Arial">is not the same</span><span id="E61" class="qowt-font3-Arial">. There’s no longer a Bill and Martha waiting to greet you</span><span id="E62" class="qowt-font3-Arial">. N</span><span id="E63" class="qowt-font3-Arial">or, in most cases</span><span id="E64" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span> <span id="E65" class="qowt-font3-Arial">do the staff know your name.</span></p>
<p id="E66"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E67"><span id="E68" class="qowt-font3-Arial">So, these days,</span> <span id="E69" class="qowt-font3-Arial">the mega-stores and Internet retailers create and maintain customer</span><span id="E70" class="qowt-font3-Arial">s</span> <span id="E71" class="qowt-font3-Arial">through convenience.</span> <span id="E72" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Just this past week, Amazon announced 2-hour delivery</span> <span id="E73" class="qowt-font3-Arial">from Wholefoods</span> <span id="E74" class="qowt-font3-Arial">for Prime customers</span><span id="E75" class="qowt-font3-Arial">.</span> <span id="E76" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Most grocery stores</span> <span id="E77" class="qowt-font3-Arial">already offer customers the ability to</span> <span id="E78" class="qowt-font3-Arial">order online</span><span id="E79" class="qowt-font3-Arial">. The customer then</span> <span id="E80" class="qowt-font3-Arial">simply show</span><span id="E81" class="qowt-font3-Arial">s</span> <span id="E82" class="qowt-font3-Arial">up at the store where an associate loads</span> <span id="E83" class="qowt-font3-Arial">the</span> <span id="E84" class="qowt-font3-Arial">items in</span><span id="E85" class="qowt-font3-Arial">to their vehicle.</span> <span id="E86" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Amazon says…</span> <span id="E87" class="qowt-font3-Arial">“</span><span id="E88" class="qowt-font3-Arial">meh… we’ll bring them to you</span><span id="E89" class="qowt-font3-Arial">!”</span> <span id="E90" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span></p>
<p id="E91"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E92"><span id="E93" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Banks</span> <span id="E94" class="qowt-font3-Arial">now offer consumers</span> <span id="E95" class="qowt-font3-Arial">the ability to deposit checks via</span> <span id="E96" class="qowt-font3-Arial">a</span> <span id="E97" class="qowt-font3-Arial">mobile app. Starbucks allows you to order your coffee in advance through their app</span><span id="E98" class="qowt-font3-Arial">. You can</span> <span id="E99" class="qowt-font3-Arial">simply pick it up when you arrive</span><span id="E100" class="qowt-font3-Arial">, skipping to the front of the line.</span> <span id="E101" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span></p>
<p id="E102"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E103"><span id="E104" class="qowt-font3-Arial">The point is that retailers are conditioning consumers to expect convenience an</span><span id="E105" class="qowt-font3-Arial">d, if</span> <span id="E106" class="qowt-font3-Arial">the rest of the experience is good, consumers</span> <span id="E107" class="qowt-font3-Arial">flock</span> <span id="E108" class="qowt-font3-Arial">to use these services</span> <span id="E109" class="qowt-font3-Arial">and continue to return.</span> <span id="E110" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span></p>
<p id="E111"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E112"><span id="E113" class="qowt-font3-Arial">How convenient is your dealership?</span></p>
<p id="E114"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E115"><span id="E116" class="qowt-font3-Arial">In the future, c</span><span id="E117" class="qowt-font3-Arial">onvenience</span> <span id="E118" class="qowt-font3-Arial">will</span> <span id="E119" class="qowt-font3-Arial">be the top priority</span> <span id="E120" class="qowt-font3-Arial">for</span> <span id="E121" class="qowt-font3-Arial">customer loyalty and retention</span><span id="E122" class="qowt-font3-Arial">.</span> <span id="E123" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span><span id="E124" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Our s</span><span id="E125" class="qowt-font3-Arial">ociety</span> <span id="E126" class="qowt-font3-Arial">has developed</span> <span id="E127" class="qowt-font3-Arial">to a point where consumers are no longer Wowed by</span> <span id="E128" class="qowt-font3-Arial">the</span> <span id="E129" class="qowt-font3-Arial">convenient services</span> <span id="E130" class="qowt-font3-Arial">offered by</span> <span id="E131" class="qowt-font3-Arial">major retailers</span><span id="E132" class="qowt-font3-Arial">; they</span> <span id="E133" class="qowt-font3-Arial">expect and demand them.</span></p>
<p id="E134"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E135"><span id="E136" class="qowt-font3-Arial">The more convenient</span> <span id="E137" class="qowt-font3-Arial">your</span> <span id="E138" class="qowt-font3-Arial">dealership</span> <span id="E139" class="qowt-font3-Arial">makes all customer</span> <span id="E140" class="qowt-font3-Arial">interactions, the more likely th</span><span id="E141" class="qowt-font3-Arial">ose</span> <span id="E142" class="qowt-font3-Arial">customer</span><span id="E143" class="qowt-font3-Arial">s</span> <span id="E144" class="qowt-font3-Arial">will continue to come back. With the future of retail sales predicted to slow</span><span id="E145" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span> <span id="E146" class="qowt-font3-Arial">and service revenue</span> <span id="E147" class="qowt-font3-Arial">predicted to</span> <span id="E148" class="qowt-font3-Arial">be increasingly important</span><span id="E149" class="qowt-font3-Arial">, now is the time to</span> <span id="E150" class="qowt-font3-Arial">investigat</span><span id="E151" class="qowt-font3-Arial">e</span> <span id="E152" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span><span id="E153" class="qowt-font3-Arial">how to</span> <span id="E154" class="qowt-font3-Arial">streamline every process and touchpoint for</span> <span id="E155" class="qowt-font3-Arial">your customers.</span> <span id="E156" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span></p>
<p id="E157"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E158"><span id="E159" class="qowt-font3-Arial">However, k</span><span id="E160" class="qowt-font3-Arial">eep in mind</span> <span id="E161" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span><span id="E162" class="qowt-font3-Arial">that you can be convenient and still lose customers if the overall experience is poor.</span> <span id="E163" class="qowt-font3-Arial">For example,</span> <span id="E164" class="qowt-font3-Arial">what</span> <span id="E165" class="qowt-font3-Arial">if you went online, ordered</span> <span id="E166" class="qowt-font3-Arial">your groceries, dr</span><span id="E167" class="qowt-font3-Arial">ove</span> <span id="E168" class="qowt-font3-Arial">to the store, ha</span><span id="E169" class="qowt-font3-Arial">d</span> <span id="E170" class="qowt-font3-Arial">the associate load up your vehicle then dr</span><span id="E171" class="qowt-font3-Arial">ove</span> <span id="E172" class="qowt-font3-Arial">home. So far so good, right?</span></p>
<p id="E173"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E174"><span id="E175" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Well, what if w</span><span id="E176" class="qowt-font3-Arial">hen you g</span><span id="E177" class="qowt-font3-Arial">o</span><span id="E178" class="qowt-font3-Arial">t home</span> <span id="E179" class="qowt-font3-Arial">you</span> <span id="E180" class="qowt-font3-Arial">discover</span><span id="E181" class="qowt-font3-Arial">ed</span> <span id="E182" class="qowt-font3-Arial">some of the items you ordered and paid for</span> <span id="E183" class="qowt-font3-Arial">were</span> <span id="E184" class="qowt-font3-Arial">missing. Now what?</span> <span id="E185" class="qowt-font3-Arial">You are forced</span> <span id="E186" class="qowt-font3-Arial">to return to the store</span> <span id="E187" class="qowt-font3-Arial">to</span> <span id="E188" class="qowt-font3-Arial">find a manager and get those items. At this point, you’ve made two trips to the store and probably spent more time than</span> <span id="E189" class="qowt-font3-Arial">if you</span> <span id="E190" class="qowt-font3-Arial">just went to the store</span> <span id="E191" class="qowt-font3-Arial">and shopped there, rather than ordering online. Suddenly, t</span><span id="E192" class="qowt-font3-Arial">he convenience factor</span> <span id="E193" class="qowt-font3-Arial">disappears</span><span id="E194" class="qowt-font3-Arial">. You may still like the idea of buying your groceries online</span><span id="E195" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span> <span id="E196" class="qowt-font3-Arial">but you might just be tempted to try out a different grocery store next time.</span></p>
<p id="E197"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E198"><span id="E199" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Time is money and it’s increasingly factored into</span> <span id="E200" class="qowt-font3-Arial">the consumer’s</span> <span id="E201" class="qowt-font3-Arial">transactional decisions</span><span id="E202" class="qowt-font3-Arial">. Frequently</span><span id="E203" class="qowt-font3-Arial">, consumers</span> <span id="E204" class="qowt-font3-Arial">choose</span> <span id="E205" class="qowt-font3-Arial">to spend a little more money for a more convenient experience. It’s no longer all about “lowest price</span><span id="E206" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span><span id="E207" class="qowt-font3-Arial">” but more about “most convenient.”</span></p>
<p id="E208"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E209"><span id="E210" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Make sure that your dealership’s processes are designed to create the most convenient </span><span class="qowt-font3-Arial">customer experience consistently and your customers</span> <span id="E212" class="qowt-font3-Arial">will</span> <span id="E213" class="qowt-font3-Arial">stay around much longer</span> <span id="E214" class="qowt-font3-Arial">and</span> <span id="E215" class="qowt-font3-Arial">will not tend to be</span> <span id="E216" class="qowt-font3-Arial">swayed by coupons or low prices elsewhere.</span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p></p>Creating Brand Advocates Is Not as Hard as You Thinktag:www.dealerelite.net,2018-02-06:5283893:BlogPost:5122012018-02-06T14:30:00.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545179456?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545179456?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380"></img></a> As countless messages fill the world, consumers increasingly turn to family, friends, peers and, even strangers, to make buying decisions. Whether those decisions are as broad as who to do business with or are centered around which item to buy to help solve their problem, word-of-mouth and online reviews have become a key part of that decision-making process. Too many bad…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545179456?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="380" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545179456?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>As countless messages fill the world, consumers increasingly turn to family, friends, peers and, even strangers, to make buying decisions. Whether those decisions are as broad as who to do business with or are centered around which item to buy to help solve their problem, word-of-mouth and online reviews have become a key part of that decision-making process. Too many bad reviews via word-of-mouth or online can instantly cause a customer to start looking for alternative businesses or products.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Negative reviews can cause you to lose business. This is why there has been a big push for the past decade or so in the reputation management area. Dealerships are increasingly sensitive to reviews and are monitoring and responding to them as needed. The prevailing theory is that customers with bad experiences are more likely to leave negative reviews AND unhappy customers will tell more people about that poor experience than happy customers will about a good one…. But is that really true?</p>
<p><a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/308365" target="_blank" rel="noopener">An article</a> on Entrepreneur reports that companies who deliver a positive customer experience enjoy revenue growth up to eight percent higher than market average. It also shared that, while customers with a negative customer experience will tell multiple people about that experience, they tend to do so once then move on to the next company.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Meanwhile, customers with positive experiences tend to keep coming back and, through a consistent positive customer experience, tend to tell more people over the course of time with each and every experience. The research revealed that over the course of a happy customer’s lifetime, they turn into brand advocates and create more than 14 times the value of those customers with negative experiences.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>So, what does this mean when it comes to reputation management and handling reviews in general?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>For the most part, dealerships tend to focus on and react to NEGATIVE reviews. Nobody really wants an unhappy customer – especially one that has taken to the Internet to share that negative experience with the world.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>What typically happens is that management jumps right on that negative review and reaches out to these customers in an effort to resolve their issue. This accomplishes three things: 1. If you can solve the customer’s problems there’s a possibility that they give you another chance and perhaps even remove or edit the review; 2. By simply responding to the review publicly, other consumers considering your business will see you care about your customers and may not give those negative reviews as much weight in their decision-making process; and 3. This increases the chances that a customer continues to do business with you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But what do many dealerships do with excellent reviews?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>For the most part, nothing!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Perhaps if a particular employee is mentioned, he or she will get a “good job” from management. Everyone will be happy and thankful for the positive review. But what about the customer? While you are certainly listening to them because you see the positive review -- here’s the kicker: they don’t know that you are!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Customers with positive experiences can ultimately increase revenue and spread positive messages and word-of-mouth recommendations. Therefore, it’s just as important to acknowledge positive reviews as it is to respond to the negative ones.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Recognizing a positive review shows happy customers that you are listening to them and appreciate their business. Personalized “thank you” responses will go a long way with that customer. Acknowledging them reinforces the type of behavior you want to continue… namely seeing that these customers continue to share positive messages to their networks, which ultimately creates brand advocates.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In the end, responding appropriately to all consumer feedback, good or bad, is important. But for different reasons. It ultimately all ends up as a part of each individual customers TOTAL customer experience with you. You probably can’t fix all of the unhappy customer’s problems. However, in the end, you can say you tried and others will see that you did.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>For those happy customers, a simple thank you adds just one more piece to that experience. Either way, your dealerships will win more often than lose.</p>Why Consumers Are Navigating Away from Traditional Customer Servicetag:www.dealerelite.net,2018-01-30:5283893:BlogPost:5119322018-01-30T14:22:54.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545184983?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545184983?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380"></img></a></p>
<div id="contentsContainer"><div id="contents"><p id="E46"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial" id="E47"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545184983?profile=original" target="_self"></a>In a very interesting dynamic shift, consumers are increasingly changing how they want to interact with businesses</span> <span class="qowt-font3-Arial" id="E48">for…</span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545184983?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="380" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545184983?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380" class="align-right"/></a></p>
<div id="contentsContainer"><div id="contents"><p id="E46"><span id="E47" class="qowt-font3-Arial"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545184983?profile=original" target="_self"></a>In a very interesting dynamic shift, consumers are increasingly changing how they want to interact with businesses</span> <span id="E48" class="qowt-font3-Arial">for customer</span> <span id="E49" class="qowt-font3-Arial">support.</span></p>
<p id="E50"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E51"><span id="E52" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Jus</span><span id="E53" class="qowt-font3-Arial">t five</span> <span id="E54" class="qowt-font3-Arial">years ago,</span> <span id="E55" class="qowt-font3-Arial">think about</span> <span id="E56" class="qowt-font3-Arial">how</span> <span id="E57" class="qowt-font3-Arial">irritating it</span> <span id="E58" class="qowt-font3-Arial">was to navigate through phone trees</span><span id="E59" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span> <span id="E60" class="qowt-font3-Arial">just to finally</span> <span id="E61" class="qowt-font3-Arial">reach</span> <span id="E62" class="qowt-font3-Arial">a support agent, explain the problem</span><span id="E63" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span> <span id="E64" class="qowt-font3-Arial">then be transferred to another agent</span><span id="E65" class="qowt-font3-Arial">, repeat</span> <span id="E66" class="qowt-font3-Arial">your story and hope they are the right person to</span> <span id="E67" class="qowt-font3-Arial">resolve the problem</span><span id="E68" class="qowt-font3-Arial">.</span></p>
<p id="E69"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E70"><span id="E71" class="qowt-font3-Arial">We have put up with this for years – but</span> <span id="E72" class="qowt-font3-Arial">times</span> <span id="E73" class="qowt-font3-Arial">they</span> <span id="E74" class="qowt-font3-Arial">are</span> <span id="E75" class="qowt-font3-Arial">a</span> <span id="E76" class="qowt-font3-Arial">changing.</span> <span id="E77" class="qowt-font3-Arial">T</span><span id="E78" class="qowt-font3-Arial">here is a new sheriff in town that, surprisingly, is much more empowered. Let me tell you a true story.</span></p>
<p id="E79"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E80"><span id="E81" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Last week, a friend of mine discovered a fraudulent purchase on his credit card.</span> <span id="E82" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Within</span> <span id="E83" class="qowt-font3-Arial">three</span> <span id="E84" class="qowt-font3-Arial">minutes he</span> <span id="E85" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span><span id="E86" class="qowt-font3-Arial">was notified</span> <span id="E87" class="qowt-font3-Arial">of the activity</span> <span id="E88" class="qowt-font3-Arial">via an email</span> <span id="E89" class="qowt-font3-Arial">from his credit card issuer</span> <span id="E90" class="qowt-font3-Arial">stating</span> <span id="E91" class="qowt-font3-Arial">that a “card not present” transaction</span> <span id="E92" class="qowt-font3-Arial">had been</span> <span id="E93" class="qowt-font3-Arial">made.</span> <span id="E94" class="qowt-font3-Arial">He also</span> <span id="E95" class="qowt-font3-Arial">received an order confirmation</span> <span id="E96" class="qowt-font3-Arial">and so</span> <span id="E97" class="qowt-font3-Arial">immediately called the company</span><span id="E98" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span> <span id="E99" class="qowt-font3-Arial">explain</span><span id="E100" class="qowt-font3-Arial">ing t</span><span id="E101" class="qowt-font3-Arial">hat he did not place the order. The company proceeded to</span> <span id="E102" class="qowt-font3-Arial">claim</span> <span id="E103" class="qowt-font3-Arial">they couldn’t cancel the order and</span> <span id="E104" class="qowt-font3-Arial">said</span> <span id="E105" class="qowt-font3-Arial">he would need to contact his credit card company. Frustrated, he asked to speak to a supervisor who then proceeded to tell him the same thing. Normally, this major brand enjoys extreme brand loyalty</span> <span id="E106" class="qowt-font3-Arial">and</span> <span id="E107" class="qowt-font3-Arial">is all smiles and</span> <span id="E108" class="qowt-font3-Arial">very</span> <span id="E109" class="qowt-font3-Arial">helpful when it comes to customer service. But not this time.</span></p>
<p id="E110"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E111"><span id="E112" class="qowt-font3-Arial">He</span> <span id="E113" class="qowt-font3-Arial">then called his credit card company who told him they would monitor the charge</span> <span id="E114" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span><span id="E115" class="qowt-font3-Arial">but couldn’t dispute it until it posted to his account. He was irritated that the company</span> <span id="E116" class="qowt-font3-Arial">where</span> <span id="E117" class="qowt-font3-Arial">the order was placed couldn’t cancel the order</span><span id="E118" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span> <span id="E119" class="qowt-font3-Arial">since it had been made such a short time ago and</span> <span id="E120" class="qowt-font3-Arial">had</span> <span id="E121" class="qowt-font3-Arial">not yet</span> <span id="E122" class="qowt-font3-Arial">been</span> <span id="E123" class="qowt-font3-Arial">sent</span> <span id="E124" class="qowt-font3-Arial">through</span><span id="E125" class="qowt-font3-Arial">.</span></p>
<p id="E126"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E127"><span id="E128" class="qowt-font3-Arial">What did he do? He took to Twitter to voice his displeasure. And guess what? The company responded and asked him to</span> <span id="E129" class="qowt-font3-Arial">direct</span> <span id="E130" class="qowt-font3-Arial">message them his issue.</span> <span id="E131" class="qowt-font3-Arial">At first, he got the same response</span> <span id="E132" class="qowt-font3-Arial">as that from the</span> <span id="E133" class="qowt-font3-Arial">reps and supervisor he</span> <span id="E134" class="qowt-font3-Arial">had previously spoken to</span><span id="E135" class="qowt-font3-Arial">.</span></p>
<p id="E136"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E137"><span id="E138" class="qowt-font3-Arial">So</span><span id="E139" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span> <span id="E140" class="qowt-font3-Arial">n</span><span id="E141" class="qowt-font3-Arial">ow even more frustrated, he returned to Twitter and again voiced his unhappiness. Within 15 minutes he got a message back from the company’s Twitter account saying that</span><span id="E142" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span> <span id="E143" class="qowt-font3-Arial">after their team</span> <span id="E144" class="qowt-font3-Arial">had</span> <span id="E145" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span><span id="E146" class="qowt-font3-Arial">reviewed</span> <span id="E147" class="qowt-font3-Arial">the matter, the order had been cancelled and charges reversed. Of course, he was happy and his faith in the company restored</span><span id="E148" class="qowt-font3-Arial">. BUT</span> <span id="E149" class="qowt-font3-Arial">this brought up an interesting observation.</span></p>
<p id="E150"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E151"><span id="E152" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Both the initial support rep and the supervisor claimed there was absolutely nothing they could do to help him – that</span> <span id="E153" class="qowt-font3-Arial">he</span> <span id="E154" class="qowt-font3-Arial">would have to go through his credit card company. But the social media team</span> <span id="E155" class="qowt-font3-Arial">WERE able to help him.</span> <span id="E156" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Since the social media team w</span><span id="E157" class="qowt-font3-Arial">ere</span> <span id="E158" class="qowt-font3-Arial">able to handle the problem and get the customer’s concern taken care of, does that mean they are more empowered to handle problems than the support rep or the supervisor?</span></p>
<p id="E159"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E160"><span id="E161" class="qowt-font3-Arial">There are</span> <span id="E162" class="qowt-font3-Arial">several</span> <span id="E163" class="qowt-font3-Arial">similar stories you can read on the Internet.</span> <span id="E164" class="qowt-font3-Arial">T</span><span id="E165" class="qowt-font3-Arial">he next time there’s a problem with the same company,</span> <span id="E166" class="qowt-font3-Arial">do you think</span> <span id="E167" class="qowt-font3-Arial">my friend</span> <span id="E168" class="qowt-font3-Arial">will be</span> <span id="E169" class="qowt-font3-Arial">more likely to CALL or to TWEET?</span></p>
<p id="E170"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E171"><span id="E172" class="qowt-font3-Arial">For</span> <span id="E173" class="qowt-font3-Arial">customer retention and loyalty, consistency in service is crucial. When it’s not, consumers will use the communication channel that solves their problem over the one that does not.</span></p>
<p id="E174"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E175"><span id="E176" class="qowt-font3-Arial">With the introduction of</span> <span id="E179" class="qowt-font3-Arial">social media teams empowered to provide solutions, consumers are quickly navigating away from phone</span><span id="E180" class="qowt-font3-Arial">s</span> <span id="E181" class="qowt-font3-Arial">and towards digital interactions</span><span id="E182" class="qowt-font3-Arial">.</span> <span id="E183" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span><span id="E184" class="qowt-font3-Arial">T</span><span id="E185" class="qowt-font3-Arial">hese</span> <span id="E186" class="qowt-font3-Arial">digital</span> <span id="E187" class="qowt-font3-Arial">teams seem</span> <span class="qowt-font3-Arial">to not only have more empathy</span><span id="E188" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span> <span id="E189" class="qowt-font3-Arial">but</span> <span id="E190" class="qowt-font3-Arial">are also more motivated to help and</span> <span id="E191" class="qowt-font3-Arial">empowered to make</span> <span id="E192" class="qowt-font3-Arial">decisions</span><span id="E194" class="qowt-font3-Arial">; is this all due to the power of social media? N</span><span id="E195" class="qowt-font3-Arial">o company wants their brand’s name and image dr</span><span id="E196" class="qowt-font3-Arial">agged</span> <span id="E197" class="qowt-font3-Arial">through the mud</span> <span id="E198" class="qowt-font3-Arial">in social forums</span> <span id="E199" class="qowt-font3-Arial">on social media</span><span id="E200" class="qowt-font3-Arial">.</span> <span id="E201" class="qowt-font3-Arial">And that motivation is a powerful one indeed</span><span id="E202" class="qowt-font3-Arial">.</span></p>
<p><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p><span id="E205" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Some customers may not even think to</span> <span id="E206" class="qowt-font3-Arial">turn</span> <span id="E207" class="qowt-font3-Arial">to social media for help and</span> <span id="E208" class="qowt-font3-Arial">so</span> <span id="E209" class="qowt-font3-Arial">find themselves unhappy after a poor customer experience</span> <span id="E210" class="qowt-font3-Arial">with no resolution in sight</span><span id="E211" class="qowt-font3-Arial">. Those are the customers you need to worry about.</span> <span id="E212" class="qowt-font3-Arial">If</span> <span id="E213" class="qowt-font3-Arial">the company’s</span> <span id="E214" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span><span id="E215" class="qowt-font3-Arial">social medi</span><span id="E216" class="qowt-font3-Arial">a team</span> <span id="E217" class="qowt-font3-Arial">had not in fact</span> <span id="E218" class="qowt-font3-Arial">saved</span> <span id="E219" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span><span id="E220" class="qowt-font3-Arial">the day</span> <span id="E221" class="qowt-font3-Arial">for my friend</span><span id="E222" class="qowt-font3-Arial">, that company may have damaged</span> <span id="E223" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span><span id="E224" class="qowt-font3-Arial">his</span> <span id="E225" class="qowt-font3-Arial">brand loyalty.</span></p>
<div id="contentsContainer"><div id="contents"><p id="E226"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E227"><span id="E228" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Ensure that</span> <span id="E229" class="qowt-font3-Arial">every</span> <span id="E230" class="qowt-font3-Arial">issue is handled on a case-by-case basis</span><span id="E231" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span> <span id="E232" class="qowt-font3-Arial">and that each support touchpoint in your</span> <span id="E233" class="qowt-font3-Arial">dealership is empowered</span> <span id="E234" class="qowt-font3-Arial">to solve problems</span><span id="E235" class="qowt-font3-Arial">. You</span> <span id="E236" class="qowt-font3-Arial">will find</span> <span id="E237" class="qowt-font3-Arial">your</span> <span id="E238" class="qowt-font3-Arial">customers are</span> <span id="E239" class="qowt-font3-Arial">happier</span><span id="E240" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span> <span id="E241" class="qowt-font3-Arial">no matter how th</span><span id="E242" class="qowt-font3-Arial">ey choose to interact with you</span><span id="E243" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span> <span id="E244" class="qowt-font3-Arial">and will have a much easier time retaining</span> <span id="E245" class="qowt-font3-Arial">loyal</span> <span id="E246" class="qowt-font3-Arial">customers</span><span id="E247" class="qowt-font3-Arial">.</span></p>
</div>
</div>Don’t Eat Tomato Soup with Chopstickstag:www.dealerelite.net,2018-01-23:5283893:BlogPost:5117622018-01-23T15:01:49.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<p id="E93"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial" id="E94"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545183671?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545183671?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380"></img></a> As a dealership t</span><span class="qowt-font3-Arial" id="E95">here are many ways</span> <span class="qowt-font3-Arial" id="E96">you</span> <span class="qowt-font3-Arial" id="E97"></span><span class="qowt-font3-Arial" id="E98">can identify</span> <span class="qowt-font3-Arial" id="E99">if…</span></p>
<p id="E93"><span id="E94" class="qowt-font3-Arial"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545183671?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="380" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545183671?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>As a dealership t</span><span id="E95" class="qowt-font3-Arial">here are many ways</span> <span id="E96" class="qowt-font3-Arial">you</span> <span id="E97" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span><span id="E98" class="qowt-font3-Arial">can identify</span> <span id="E99" class="qowt-font3-Arial">if</span> <span id="E100" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span><span id="E101" class="qowt-font3-Arial">you’re</span> <span id="E102" class="qowt-font3-Arial">losing customers. Through data,</span> <span id="E103" class="qowt-font3-Arial">you</span> <span id="E104" class="qowt-font3-Arial">can see that John Smith used to come into the dealership regularly for service but then disappeared without a peep. Why did John Smith stop coming in? Do you know? You could certainly reach out to John and see if you can get any insight</span><span id="E105" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span> <span id="E106" class="qowt-font3-Arial">and he may even respond and tell you</span> <span id="E107" class="qowt-font3-Arial">why.</span> <span id="E108" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Perhaps he simply moved out of the area</span><span id="E109" class="qowt-font3-Arial">. B</span><span id="E110" class="qowt-font3-Arial">ut what if he defected to competitor or took his business to an independent service center? Wouldn’t you want to know</span><span id="E111" class="qowt-font3-Arial">?</span> <span id="E112" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span></p>
<p id="E113"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E114"><span id="E115" class="qowt-font3-Arial">A</span><span id="E116" class="qowt-font3-Arial">n interesting</span> <span id="E117" class="qowt-font3-Arial">article on</span> <a href="https://www.allbusiness.com/why-customers-leave-3-reasons-losing-business-114778-1.html" id="E118" target="_blank" rel="noopener" name="E118"><span id="E119" class="qowt-font3-Arial qowt-stl-Hyperlink">allbusiness.com</span></a> <span id="E120" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span><span id="E121" class="qowt-font3-Arial">discusses</span> <span id="E122" class="qowt-font3-Arial">how business</span><span id="E123" class="qowt-font3-Arial">es</span> <span id="E124" class="qowt-font3-Arial">can’t implement or maintain customer retention or loyalty unless they understand the reasons why their customers</span> <span id="E125" class="qowt-font3-Arial">are leaving.</span> <span id="E126" class="qowt-font3-Arial">In</span> <span id="E127" class="qowt-font3-Arial">an “eating</span> <span id="E128" class="qowt-font3-Arial">tomato soup with chopsticks</span><span id="E129" class="qowt-font3-Arial">”</span> <span id="E130" class="qowt-font3-Arial">analogy,</span> <span id="E131" class="qowt-font3-Arial">the author</span> <span id="E132" class="qowt-font3-Arial">explains that without knowing the “why</span><span id="E133" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span><span id="E134" class="qowt-font3-Arial">” when it comes to customer defection, “you may be getting a little taste, but you’re not really catching any of the good stuff.”</span> <span id="E135" class="qowt-font3-Arial">According to the article</span><span id="E136" class="qowt-font3-Arial">, the three reasons customers leave</span> <span id="E137" class="qowt-font3-Arial">are as follows</span><span id="E138" class="qowt-font3-Arial">: they had a bad experience, their loyalty isn’t being rewarded</span><span id="E139" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span> <span id="E140" class="qowt-font3-Arial">or they found a better deal elsewhere.</span></p>
<p id="E141"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E142"><span id="E143" class="qowt-font3-Arial">When it comes to th</span><span id="E144" class="qowt-font3-Arial">ese three</span> <span id="E145" class="qowt-font3-Arial">reasons for customer defection, dealerships are certainly challenged – probably more so than other retail and service industries.</span> <span id="E146" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Many c</span><span id="E147" class="qowt-font3-Arial">onsumer</span><span id="E148" class="qowt-font3-Arial">s</span> <span id="E149" class="qowt-font3-Arial">already enter</span> <span id="E150" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span><span id="E151" class="qowt-font3-Arial">the transaction with skepticism and low expectation</span><span id="E152" class="qowt-font3-Arial">s.</span></p>
<p id="E153"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E154"><span id="E155" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Well, w</span><span id="E156" class="qowt-font3-Arial">hat about rewarding loyalty? If customers are defecting because they don’t feel appreciated, that would certainly be an area a</span><span id="E157" class="qowt-font3-Arial">ny</span> <span id="E158" class="qowt-font3-Arial">dealership should consider changing. There are many ways to show a customer they are appreciated</span> <span id="E159" class="qowt-font3-Arial">-- not just through</span> <span id="E160" class="qowt-font3-Arial">loyalty programs</span><span id="E161" class="qowt-font3-Arial">.</span> <span id="E162" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Taking the time to get</span> <span id="E163" class="qowt-font3-Arial">to</span> <span id="E164" class="qowt-font3-Arial">know a customer, greeting them by name, smiling and thanking them for their business</span> <span id="E165" class="qowt-font3-Arial">-- these</span> <span id="E166" class="qowt-font3-Arial">are all ways</span> <span id="E167" class="qowt-font3-Arial">staff can show appreciation and make a customer feel welcome. A loyalty program on top of these basic interactions can keep a customer engaged and</span> <span id="E168" class="qowt-font3-Arial">loyally returning</span><span id="E169" class="qowt-font3-Arial">.</span></p>
<p id="E170"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E171"><span id="E172" class="qowt-font3-Arial">If you find that you’re losing business because customers are getting better deals elsewhere, you have two choices: offer better deals or build</span> <span id="E173" class="qowt-font3-Arial">more</span> <span id="E174" class="qowt-font3-Arial">value in</span><span id="E175" class="qowt-font3-Arial">to</span> <span id="E176" class="qowt-font3-Arial">your services.</span> <span id="E177" class="qowt-font3-Arial">As</span> <span id="E178" class="qowt-font3-Arial">there will always be competitors willing to meet or beat prices on vehicles, many dealerships have chosen to add value through extra services</span> <span id="E179" class="qowt-font3-Arial">including</span> <span id="E180" class="qowt-font3-Arial">free car washes for life and other perks. Will this tactic work</span> <span id="E181" class="qowt-font3-Arial">and help</span> <span id="E182" class="qowt-font3-Arial">overcome losing customers over price?</span> <span id="E183" class="qowt-font3-Arial">O</span><span id="E184" class="qowt-font3-Arial">nly if the customer experience that goes along with</span> <span id="E185" class="qowt-font3-Arial">any</span> <span id="E186" class="qowt-font3-Arial">value-adds is also great.</span></p>
<p id="E187"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E188"><span id="E189" class="qowt-font3-Arial">A customer isn’t going to car</span><span id="E190" class="qowt-font3-Arial">e</span> <span id="E191" class="qowt-font3-Arial">about free car washes if they have a horrible experienc</span><span id="E192" class="qowt-font3-Arial">e and decide to never return.</span> <span id="E193" class="qowt-font3-Arial">The same applies in the service drive.</span> <span id="E194" class="qowt-font3-Arial">I’m pretty sure</span> <span id="E195" class="qowt-font3-Arial">that</span> <span id="E196" class="qowt-font3-Arial">most dealerships</span> <span id="E197" class="qowt-font3-Arial">aren’t going to want to try an</span><span id="E198" class="qowt-font3-Arial">d</span> <span id="E199" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span><span id="E200" class="qowt-font3-Arial">match</span> <span id="E201" class="qowt-font3-Arial">pric</span><span id="E202" class="qowt-font3-Arial">ing</span> <span id="E203" class="qowt-font3-Arial">with independent service centers and you shouldn’t have to. Dealership service has many advantages over independents. The problem is that many dealerships don’t make customers aware of those advantages</span><span id="E204" class="qowt-font3-Arial">. S</span><span id="E205" class="qowt-font3-Arial">o</span><span id="E206" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span> <span id="E207" class="qowt-font3-Arial">when a customer sees a $19.99 oil change coupon, the</span><span id="E208" class="qowt-font3-Arial">y</span> <span id="E209" class="qowt-font3-Arial">mak</span><span id="E210" class="qowt-font3-Arial">e</span> <span id="E211" class="qowt-font3-Arial">the decision to leave your business based on price alone</span><span id="E212" class="qowt-font3-Arial">, without</span> <span id="E213" class="qowt-font3-Arial">factoring in why dealership service is superior.</span></p>
<p id="E214"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E215"><span id="E216" class="qowt-font3-Arial">If you can address these three challenges in your dealership</span> <span id="E217" class="qowt-font3-Arial">which</span> <span id="E218" class="qowt-font3-Arial">cause customers to defect and understand exactly why</span> <span id="E219" class="qowt-font3-Arial">it is happening</span><span id="E220" class="qowt-font3-Arial">, you’ll be well on your way to creating a customer retention strategy that is</span> <span id="E221" class="qowt-font3-Arial">both</span> <span id="E222" class="qowt-font3-Arial">effective</span> <span id="E223" class="qowt-font3-Arial">and</span> <span id="E224" class="qowt-font3-Arial">reliable. As the old saying goes</span><span id="E225" class="qowt-font3-Arial">, if you don’t know it’s broken, you cannot fix it.</span></p>
<p id="E226"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E227"></p>Communication Makes Everything Easiertag:www.dealerelite.net,2018-01-16:5283893:BlogPost:5114352018-01-16T15:05:19.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545178852?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545178852?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380"></img></a> In our fast-paced society, some of the things done just a short time ago to impress and retain customers no longer work. Today, business owners can’t always keep on top of the latest and greatest ways to keep their customers loyal. However, there is one thing that hasn’t changed much over the years – personal interaction without expecting immediate returns: a friendship of…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545178852?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="380" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545178852?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>In our fast-paced society, some of the things done just a short time ago to impress and retain customers no longer work. Today, business owners can’t always keep on top of the latest and greatest ways to keep their customers loyal. However, there is one thing that hasn’t changed much over the years – personal interaction without expecting immediate returns: a friendship of sorts.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Communication has always been one of the keys to long-term customer satisfaction. Without any motive to sell your services, or set up another appointment, something as simple as a follow-up phone call can have a tremendous effect on customer satisfaction and loyalty. Even if you fail to reach the customer, leaving a brief message could still make them feel appreciated. </p>
<p></p>
<p>Simply pick up the phone and talk to your customers. This could score more business for you in the future. Who should be making these calls? Ideally, the person who will be interacting with the customer in the future. While that may not always be possible, this personalized service and attention to each customer is what will impress upon them that you consider them important, value their business and care about them -- even when they aren’t actively at your dealership buying a vehicle or getting it serviced.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Imagine “Jack”, one of your service advisors. On a slow day, he takes a list of customers he previously assisted. Away from distractions, he picks up the phone and spends just a of couple minutes on each call. About an hour later, he may have touched twenty customers, and somewhere in the mix, and without Jack’s prompting, a customer mentions that they want to schedule their next service visit. Without even trying, Jack has new business lined up for your dealership. A little time spent cultivating his customer base today could yield significant business in the future, both from these customers and any they refer to the dealership by being happy, satisfied customers.</p>
<p></p>
<p>If you have the resources, and your employees value customer relationships, have them take a bit of time to pick up the phone and bring a smile to your customers’ faces. It’s not so much what is said on the phone, it’s simply being remembered. </p>
<p></p>
<p>It’s the personal thought that counts and it’s that personalized attention you bring to customers that will keep them coming back.</p>It’s 2018. Now What?tag:www.dealerelite.net,2018-01-09:5283893:BlogPost:5111622018-01-09T14:16:16.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545178801?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545178801?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380"></img></a> If you work in a dealership, my bet is that you are either celebrating because you exceeded your goals, are breathing a sigh of relief that you met them, or are extremely nervous because you didn’t.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This time of year is generally crammed with reports, RDRs, OEM face downs and accountability.…</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545178801?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="380" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545178801?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>If you work in a dealership, my bet is that you are either celebrating because you exceeded your goals, are breathing a sigh of relief that you met them, or are extremely nervous because you didn’t.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This time of year is generally crammed with reports, RDRs, OEM face downs and accountability. It is also the one-time that management and salespeople reverse roles, in a sense. Let me explain:</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At the beginning of every month, each salesperson starts anew. It doesn’t matter whether the salesperson was the top salesperson of the month, or the bottom… they’ve all gone from “heroes to zeroes.” Well, as the clock struck midnight and the year changed to 2018, managers also went to zeroes – all the way up to the General Manager. A new year started, and new goals are crafted – and the dealership resets at zero in both the manufacturer’s and dealer principal’s eyes.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the middle of all of this, some of your most important people tend to take a backseat at the dealership… your customers!</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Customer follow-up post-holiday – especially end-of-year -- tends to get a little less effort. While this is true at the beginning of every month (ever had that top salesperson get fat from the previous month’s paycheck and then relax a little to start the next month?), it’s even more true as the new year arrives.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Well, this is the exact time when you should be your most vigilant with customer follow-up. If your dealership killed it during your holiday sales, you would be wise to double-down on your efforts to cultivate relationships with those new sales and service customers who chose to do business with your dealership, not slack off.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Each month there is only a limited amount of time available to your salespeople and service advisors to make connections and impress these new-to-your-dealership customers. It’s not enough to simply rely on your CRM to send automated follow-up templates. You must be a little more creative and pro-active. Customers can see right through that. It’s a new year and these customers can’t be forgotten because everyone is so busy worrying about – or focusing on – the previous year.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Customer loyalty and retention is a full-time effort. It should be consistent, regardless of Holidays or time of year. It’s not enough to double-down acquisition and service recommendation upsell efforts when the month is ending, while slowing down at the beginning of the month. There’s an old saying in the car business – “If you would take a deal at the end of the month, why aren’t you taking the deal at the beginning?” This saying also applies to customer retention and loyalty. Don’t just focus on these follow-up efforts when times are slow, and business is good. You’ll never know if that next customer follow-up call ends in a new sale if you don’t make it.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Currently, at just about every dealership across the country, everybody is a zero. Don’t take your foot off the gas. Charge into the year making every second count -- whether your efforts are in sales, or service.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Don’t wait for that next person to walk through the door that you weren’t expecting. Reach out to your past customers – especially those that recently purchased – and connect with them. You just may find your dealerships starts the new year with a bang.</span></p>Don’t View Questions as a Weaknesstag:www.dealerelite.net,2017-12-26:5283893:BlogPost:5109022017-12-26T14:30:00.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<p id="E59"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial" id="E60"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545186882?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545186882?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380"></img></a> A</span> <span class="qowt-font3-Arial" id="E61">recent article</span> <span class="qowt-font3-Arial" id="E62">on…</span> <a href="https://customerthink.com/3-questions-to-improve-your-cx-in-2018/" id="E63" name="E63" rel="noopener" target="_blank"></a></p>
<p id="E59"><span id="E60" class="qowt-font3-Arial"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545186882?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="380" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545186882?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>A</span> <span id="E61" class="qowt-font3-Arial">recent article</span> <span id="E62" class="qowt-font3-Arial">on</span> <a href="https://customerthink.com/3-questions-to-improve-your-cx-in-2018/" id="E63" target="_blank" rel="noopener" name="E63"><span id="E64" class="qowt-font3-Arial qowt-stl-Hyperlink">CustomerThink</span></a> <span id="E65" class="qowt-font3-Arial">explain</span><span id="E66" class="qowt-font3-Arial">s how</span> <span id="E67" class="qowt-font3-Arial">many companies</span> <span id="E68" class="qowt-font3-Arial">view</span> <span id="E69" class="qowt-font3-Arial">requesting</span> <span id="E70" class="qowt-font3-Arial">customer</span> <span id="E71" class="qowt-font3-Arial">feedback</span> <span id="E72" class="qowt-font3-Arial">a</span><span id="E73" class="qowt-font3-Arial">s a</span> <span id="E74" class="qowt-font3-Arial">weakness</span><span id="E75" class="qowt-font3-Arial">. However, by</span> <span id="E76" class="qowt-font3-Arial">asking questions</span> <span id="E77" class="qowt-font3-Arial">you</span> <span id="E78" class="qowt-font3-Arial">can optimize the results of</span> <span id="E79" class="qowt-font3-Arial">your</span> <span id="E80" class="qowt-font3-Arial">CX experience</span> <span id="E81" class="qowt-font3-Arial">and</span> <span id="E82" class="qowt-font3-Arial">save money</span> <span id="E83" class="qowt-font3-Arial">because, s</span><span id="E84" class="qowt-font3-Arial">ometimes</span> <span id="E85" class="qowt-font3-Arial">what</span> <span id="E86" class="qowt-font3-Arial">WE think</span> <span id="E87" class="qowt-font3-Arial">should</span> <span id="E88" class="qowt-font3-Arial">improve the</span> <span id="E89" class="qowt-font3-Arial">customer</span> <span id="E90" class="qowt-font3-Arial">experience</span> <span id="E91" class="qowt-font3-Arial">isn’t</span> <span id="E92" class="qowt-font3-Arial">what the customer</span> <span id="E93" class="qowt-font3-Arial">wants.</span></p>
<p id="E94"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E95"><span id="E96" class="qowt-font3-Arial">If you don’t</span> <span id="E97" class="qowt-font3-Arial">consult with customers</span> <span id="E98" class="qowt-font3-Arial">about</span> <span id="E99" class="qowt-font3-Arial">what</span> <span id="E100" class="qowt-font3-Arial">THEY</span> <span id="E101" class="qowt-font3-Arial">think is wrong with the experience</span><span id="E102" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span> <span id="E103" class="qowt-font3-Arial">then craft solutions t</span><span id="E104" class="qowt-font3-Arial">o</span> <span id="E105" class="qowt-font3-Arial">solve those issues,</span> <span id="E106" class="qowt-font3-Arial">you can end up like a</span> <span id="E107" class="qowt-font3-Arial">fortune teller</span><span id="E108" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span> <span id="E109" class="qowt-font3-Arial">attempting to read the minds of</span> <span id="E110" class="qowt-font3-Arial">y</span><span id="E111" class="qowt-font3-Arial">our customers</span> <span id="E112" class="qowt-font3-Arial">without really having a clue</span><span id="E113" class="qowt-font3-Arial">.</span></p>
<p id="E114"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E115"><span id="E116" class="qowt-font3-Arial">On top of that, c</span><span id="E117" class="qowt-font3-Arial">ustomer experience is an ever-evolving thing. You could create the best customer experience in the world and flourish from it.</span> <span id="E118" class="qowt-font3-Arial">But</span><span id="E119" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span> <span id="E120" class="qowt-font3-Arial">if you just maintain the</span> <span id="E121" class="qowt-font3-Arial">status-quo,</span> <span id="E122" class="qowt-font3-Arial">you may soon</span> <span id="E123" class="qowt-font3-Arial">find that your customer experience is outdated – not unlike that laptop or iPhone</span> <span id="E124" class="qowt-font3-Arial">which is</span> <span id="E125" class="qowt-font3-Arial">succeeded by the “next best thing.”</span> <span id="E126" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Customer experience is dynamic</span> <span id="E127" class="qowt-font3-Arial">and should</span> <span id="E128" class="qowt-font3-Arial">be a continuous initiative</span><span id="E129" class="qowt-font3-Arial">.</span></p>
<p id="E130"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E131"><span id="E132" class="qowt-font3-Arial">When developing any CX initiative, keep in mind that the</span> <span id="E133" class="qowt-font3-Arial">only way to</span> <span id="E134" class="qowt-font3-Arial">truly know issues of importance to your</span> <span id="E135" class="qowt-font3-Arial">customers</span> <span id="E136" class="qowt-font3-Arial">is to ask them. Find out</span> <span id="E137" class="qowt-font3-Arial">what they want improved or how their experience</span> <span id="E138" class="qowt-font3-Arial">is</span> <span id="E139" class="qowt-font3-Arial">negatively</span> <span id="E140" class="qowt-font3-Arial">impacted</span> <span id="E141" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span><span id="E142" class="qowt-font3-Arial">by asking</span> <span id="E143" class="qowt-font3-Arial">them directly</span><span id="E144" class="qowt-font3-Arial">!</span></p>
<p id="E145"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E146"><span id="E147" class="qowt-font3-Arial">However, you won’t get all the data</span> <span id="E148" class="qowt-font3-Arial">just</span> <span id="E149" class="qowt-font3-Arial">by a</span><span id="E150" class="qowt-font3-Arial">sking</span> <span id="E151" class="qowt-font3-Arial">yo</span><span id="E154" class="qowt-font3-Arial">ur</span> <span id="E155" class="qowt-font3-Arial">customers</span><span id="E156" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span> <span id="E157" class="qowt-font3-Arial">because they don’t</span> <span id="E158" class="qowt-font3-Arial">always</span> <span id="E159" class="qowt-font3-Arial">respond</span> <span id="E160" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span><span id="E161" class="qowt-font3-Arial">honestly</span> <span id="E162" class="qowt-font3-Arial">-- perhaps they are too polite, afraid to offend anyone. So, you also need to ask your</span> <span id="E163" class="qowt-font3-Arial">employees.</span> <span id="E164" class="qowt-font3-Arial">I promise you this is far from</span> <span id="E165" class="qowt-font3-Arial">a weakness</span><span id="E166" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span> <span id="E167" class="qowt-font3-Arial">but rather a show of strength, leadership and caring.</span></p>
<p id="E168"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E169"><span id="E170" class="qowt-font3-Arial">By asking questions of your customers and employees you</span><span id="E171" class="qowt-font3-Arial">r dealership</span> <span id="E172" class="qowt-font3-Arial">can</span> <span id="E173" class="qowt-font3-Arial">show that it</span> <span id="E174" class="qowt-font3-Arial">care</span><span id="E175" class="qowt-font3-Arial">s</span> <span id="E176" class="qowt-font3-Arial">about the</span><span id="E177" class="qowt-font3-Arial">m;</span> <span id="E178" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span><span id="E179" class="qowt-font3-Arial">that you are open to suggestions, ideas and criticism. Nobody thinks</span> <span id="E180" class="qowt-font3-Arial">anyone</span> <span id="E181" class="qowt-font3-Arial">is perfect, I guarantee you that.</span> <span id="E182" class="qowt-font3-Arial">T</span><span id="E183" class="qowt-font3-Arial">he person who thinks they are perfect is the one that probably isn’t.</span></p>
<p id="E184"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E185"><span id="E186" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Take the time to be inquisitive. Never stop asking questions of both your customers and employees</span><span id="E187" class="qowt-font3-Arial">. Then</span> <span id="E188" class="qowt-font3-Arial">adapt, chang</span><span id="E189" class="qowt-font3-Arial">e</span> <span id="E190" class="qowt-font3-Arial">processes or implement new ones and you will see that everyone work</span><span id="E191" class="qowt-font3-Arial">s better</span> <span id="E192" class="qowt-font3-Arial">together to win the game</span><span id="E193" class="qowt-font3-Arial">.</span></p>
<p id="E194"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E195"></p>The Allure of Cross-Monetization & Evolving Loyalty Rewardstag:www.dealerelite.net,2017-12-19:5283893:BlogPost:5104942017-12-19T14:35:46.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<p id="E50"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial" id="E51"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545182452?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545182452?profile=original" width="380"></img></a> Today, consumers have grown used to loyalty programs and they have become the norm</span><span class="qowt-font3-Arial" id="E52">.</span> <span class="qowt-font3-Arial" id="E53">So, to keep their customers’ interest, businesses have been forced to become m</span><span class="qowt-font3-Arial" id="E54">ore innovative and…</span></p>
<p id="E50"><span id="E51" class="qowt-font3-Arial"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545182452?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545182452?profile=original" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>Today, consumers have grown used to loyalty programs and they have become the norm</span><span id="E52" class="qowt-font3-Arial">.</span> <span id="E53" class="qowt-font3-Arial">So, to keep their customers’ interest, businesses have been forced to become m</span><span id="E54" class="qowt-font3-Arial">ore innovative and creative</span> <span id="E55" class="qowt-font3-Arial">with their rewards. In fact,</span> <span id="E56" class="qowt-font3-Arial">experiential rewards</span> <span id="E57" class="qowt-font3-Arial">which</span> <span id="E58" class="qowt-font3-Arial">transcend simple discounts or free services</span> <span id="E59" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span><span id="E60" class="qowt-font3-Arial">are very much on the rise.</span> <span id="E61" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span></p>
<p id="E62"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E63"><span id="E64" class="qowt-font3-Arial">A</span><span id="E65" class="qowt-font3-Arial">s loyalty programs seek to</span> <span id="E66" class="qowt-font3-Arial">further</span> <span id="E67" class="qowt-font3-Arial">entice members</span> <span id="E68" class="qowt-font3-Arial">to focus on</span> <span id="E69" class="qowt-font3-Arial">gaining points towards rewards the</span><span id="E70" class="qowt-font3-Arial">se members</span> <span id="E71" class="qowt-font3-Arial">desire</span><span id="E72" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span> <span id="E75" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span><span id="E76" class="qowt-font3-Arial">a</span> <span id="E77" class="qowt-font3-Arial">new trend is</span> <span id="E78" class="qowt-font3-Arial">developing</span> <span id="E79" class="qowt-font3-Arial">… and the interesting part is that those rewards are products and services at other businesses!</span></p>
<p id="E80"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E81"><span id="E82" class="qowt-font3-Arial">While this may seem counterproductive to the foundational goal of a loyalty program</span> <span id="E83" class="qowt-font3-Arial">– keeping customers loyal to your product --</span> <span id="E84" class="qowt-font3-Arial">it’s quite clever. It’s also not</span> <span id="E85" class="qowt-font3-Arial">that</span> <span id="E86" class="qowt-font3-Arial">new, it’s just expanded beyond magazine subscriptions and</span> <span id="E87" class="qowt-font3-Arial">such.</span> <span id="E88" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Now, many global brands have teamed up with the retail behemoth Amazon</span><span id="E89" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span> <span id="E90" class="qowt-font3-Arial">allow</span><span id="E91" class="qowt-font3-Arial">ing</span> <span id="E92" class="qowt-font3-Arial">customers</span> <span id="E93" class="qowt-font3-Arial">to</span> <span id="E94" class="qowt-font3-Arial">use loyalty program points to purchase items</span><span id="E95" class="qowt-font3-Arial">.</span></p>
<p id="E96"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E97"><span id="E98" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Two</span> <span id="E99" class="qowt-font3-Arial">large</span> <span id="E100" class="qowt-font3-Arial">brands</span> <span id="E101" class="qowt-font3-Arial">I know off recently partnered with Amazon</span><span id="E102" class="qowt-font3-Arial">: Hilton Honors and American Express. Both have strong loyal customer bases. Hilton loyalists tend to stay at Hilton</span> <span id="E103" class="qowt-font3-Arial">hotels</span> <span id="E104" class="qowt-font3-Arial">exclusively</span><span id="E105" class="qowt-font3-Arial">, so they can</span> <span id="E106" class="qowt-font3-Arial">earn points</span> <span id="E107" class="qowt-font3-Arial">– like fr</span><span id="E108" class="qowt-font3-Arial">equent fliers</span> <span id="E109" class="qowt-font3-Arial">-- who</span> <span id="E110" class="qowt-font3-Arial">tend to choose a single airline. Points are more valuable – and rewards easier to earn – when they aren</span><span id="E111" class="qowt-font3-Arial">’</span><span id="E112" class="qowt-font3-Arial">t spread thin across many</span> <span id="E113" class="qowt-font3-Arial">retailers.</span></p>
<p id="E114"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E115"><span id="E116" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Why then, would Hilton and American Express choose to partner with Amazon</span><span id="E117" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span> <span id="E118" class="qowt-font3-Arial">allow</span><span id="E119" class="qowt-font3-Arial">ing</span> <span id="E120" class="qowt-font3-Arial">customers to utilize their earned loyalty points as currency on the retail giants site?</span></p>
<p id="E121"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E122"><span id="E123" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Because Amazon has EVERYTHING. Think about it.</span> <span id="E124" class="qowt-font3-Arial">In the past, a customer</span> <span id="E125" class="qowt-font3-Arial">with a bunch of Hilton points could only look forward to someday utilizing those points</span> <span id="E126" class="qowt-font3-Arial">for</span> <span id="E127" class="qowt-font3-Arial">a</span> <span id="E128" class="qowt-font3-Arial">future</span> <span id="E129" class="qowt-font3-Arial">hotel stay</span><span id="E130" class="qowt-font3-Arial">.</span> <span id="E131" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span><span id="E132" class="qowt-font3-Arial">And,</span> <span id="E133" class="qowt-font3-Arial">customer</span><span id="E134" class="qowt-font3-Arial">s</span> <span id="E135" class="qowt-font3-Arial">with</span> <span id="E136" class="qowt-font3-Arial">the most points are</span> <span id="E137" class="qowt-font3-Arial">mainly</span> <span id="E138" class="qowt-font3-Arial">business travelers</span><span id="E139" class="qowt-font3-Arial">. Their</span> <span id="E140" class="qowt-font3-Arial">companies pay for travel</span><span id="E141" class="qowt-font3-Arial">, which</span> <span id="E142" class="qowt-font3-Arial">reduces enticing rewards to</span> <span id="E143" class="qowt-font3-Arial">just</span> <span id="E144" class="qowt-font3-Arial">personal vacations.</span></p>
<p id="E145"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E146"><span id="E147" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Bu</span><span id="E148" class="qowt-font3-Arial">sinesses have</span> <span id="E149" class="qowt-font3-Arial">the challenge</span> <span id="E150" class="qowt-font3-Arial">of keeping rewards fresh, interesting and desirable to their customers. By partnering with Amazon</span><span id="E151" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span> <span id="E152" class="qowt-font3-Arial">allowing members to utilize points on the site, they literally transform available loyalty rewards into anything a customer desire</span><span id="E153" class="qowt-font3-Arial">s</span><span id="E154" class="qowt-font3-Arial">!</span> <span id="E155" class="qowt-font3-Arial"></span><span id="E156" class="qowt-font3-Arial">And</span><span id="E157" class="qowt-font3-Arial">,</span> <span id="E158" class="qowt-font3-Arial">the biggest benefit of</span> <span id="E159" class="qowt-font3-Arial">this is that</span> <span id="E160" class="qowt-font3-Arial">the</span> <span id="E161" class="qowt-font3-Arial">loyalty</span> <span id="E162" class="qowt-font3-Arial">rewards offered will always be attractive to the program’s members!</span></p>
<p id="E163"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E164"><span id="E165" class="qowt-font3-Arial">W</span><span id="E166" class="qowt-font3-Arial">hile some members may choose to use their points towards Amazon purchases, others will continue to use them in the more traditional way (</span><span id="E167" class="qowt-font3-Arial">such as</span> <span id="E168" class="qowt-font3-Arial">towards future hotel stays in the Hilton</span><span id="E169" class="qowt-font3-Arial">).</span></p>
<p id="E170"><span class="qowt-font3-Arial"> </span></p>
<p id="E171"><span id="E172" class="qowt-font3-Arial">Either way, the consumer is motivated to</span> <span id="E173" class="qowt-font3-Arial">continue their loyalty with the</span> <span id="E174" class="qowt-font3-Arial">original business</span><span id="E175" class="qowt-font3-Arial">. While also</span> <span id="E176" class="qowt-font3-Arial">excited and motivated to earn loyalty points. Seems like a win-win</span><span id="E177" class="qowt-font3-Arial">-win</span> <span id="E178" class="qowt-font3-Arial">in my book</span> <span id="E179" class="qowt-font3-Arial">--</span> <span id="E180" class="qowt-font3-Arial">for the brands that have implemented this, th</span><span id="E181">eir customers and, of course, Amazon.</span></p>You’re Not Going to Create Brand Loyalty with Urgencytag:www.dealerelite.net,2017-12-12:5283893:BlogPost:5098312017-12-12T14:09:54.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<p><span><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545182825?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545182825?profile=original" width="380"></img></a> For many marketers, most </span><span>consumer </span><span>messages ha</span><span>ve long</span><span> been based on some sort of sense of urgency. </span><span>Take dealerships, for example. </span><span>Even when the customer is in the dealership, everything is about the “big sale” and the threat of “buy now or lose this…</span></p>
<p><span><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545182825?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545182825?profile=original" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>For many marketers, most </span><span>consumer </span><span>messages ha</span><span>ve long</span><span> been based on some sort of sense of urgency. </span><span>Take dealerships, for example. </span><span>Even when the customer is in the dealership, everything is about the “big sale” and the threat of “buy now or lose this deal.” </span><span> </span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span>The problem is</span><span>, it </span><span>is</span><span> no longer effective. Consumers </span><span>have become </span><span>numb</span><span> to these messages</span><span>;</span><span> the simple reason </span><span>being </span><span>that they don’t believe them</span><span>!</span><span> There’s always a big sale and consumers fully expect that</span><span>,</span><span> if they come in next weekend</span><span>, </span><span>or a month from now</span><span>, </span><span>there will still be a big sale and a good deal to be had. They believe this because they have all the</span><span> </span><span>information need</span><span>ed</span><span> to confirm it through the many Internet resources available to them. </span><span> </span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span>But what does this have to do with customer loyalty?</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span>First, by continuously throwing out these messages, you </span><span>thoroughly </span><span>destroy whatever credibility </span><span>you may have built </span><span>prior to them coming in. </span><span>R</span><span>ightly or wrongly, c</span><span>onsumers are already jaded when dealing with car dealerships</span><span>. This i</span><span>s </span><span>simply exacerbated </span><span>if they</span><span> come in </span><span>only to be </span><span>met with high-pressure salespeople extolling </span><span>how </span><span>the dealership only wants to earn their business “right now</span><span>!</span><span>” Not in the future. Not for life. Not even for another day. </span><span> </span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span>Imagine going on a first date and telling </span><span>them </span><span>that tonight </span><span>is</span><span> the only chance</span><span> they get</span><span> </span><span>to have </span><span>a relationship with you. You’d probably get laughed</span><span> at right before </span><span>your date gets up and leaves you standing there with a disbelieving look. </span><span> </span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span>Relationships with </span><span>your dealership </span><span>are no different. In fact, it’s much harder </span><span>for a business </span><span>to build a relationship with a customer</span><span> than it is on a personal level</span><span>. And</span><span>,</span><span> by beginning the relationship with a message of “this is your </span><span>one and </span><span>only chance,” you send a message contrary to the one you should </span><span>be sending</span><span>. </span><span> </span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span>Customer loyalty is built on emotion. That’s why we spend our money on brands we love and </span><span>that make us feel appreciated.</span><span> Those brands don’t focus on immediacy</span><span>, </span><span>or messages of “right now</span><span>!</span><span>” </span><span>Rather, their message is</span><span> focused on long-term customer relationship</span><span>s</span><span> </span><span>by</span><span> catering to emotions. </span><span> </span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span>Think of the last commercial you saw that brought tears to your eyes. What about that business involved in philanthropic efforts that you care about</span><span>? </span><span> Or, if nothing else, the one that always delivers excellent customer service and fulfills its brand promise</span><span>?</span><span> Th</span><span>ose</span><span> are the businesses </span><span>which </span><span>build loyalty organically and enjoy a stable base of loyal customers built on a strong foundation. </span><span> </span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span>The next time your dealership is tempted to push a customer into </span><span>deciding </span><span>“right now</span><span>,</span><span>” consider how that will affect the long-term relationship</span><span> you have yet to </span><span>build</span><span>. If lifetime customer value means anything to you</span><span>,</span><span> and you would </span><span>like to </span><span>see hundreds of thousands of dollars flow into your dealership from repeat, service and referral business, you may want to reconsider your tactics. </span><span> </span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span>Of course, if you are only interested in the immediate gross profit and don’t care about the future, you may find yourself in an eternal search for the next date. And that </span><span>may be a lonely </span><span>journey.</span><span> </span></p>The Fight Club: Why Your Dealership Should Have Onetag:www.dealerelite.net,2017-12-04:5283893:BlogPost:5093082017-12-04T15:33:16.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<p><span><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545178889?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545178889?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380"></img></a> I know that in writing this article, I</span><span>’</span><span>m completely violating the first rule of the fight club. </span><span>However, my</span><span> guess is that your dealership doesn</span><span>’</span><span>t have one</span><span>,</span><span> so I</span><span>’</span><span>m willing to risk the wrath of </span><span>Tyler Durden to help you get started…</span></p>
<p><span><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545178889?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="380" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545178889?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>I know that in writing this article, I</span><span>’</span><span>m completely violating the first rule of the fight club. </span><span>However, my</span><span> guess is that your dealership doesn</span><span>’</span><span>t have one</span><span>,</span><span> so I</span><span>’</span><span>m willing to risk the wrath of </span><span>Tyler Durden to help you get started in creating a fight club of your own. </span><span> </span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span>First, I</span><span>’</span><span>m not talking about the fight club that involves salespeople arguing over half-deals taking it </span><span>“</span><span>out back</span><span>”</span><span> </span><span>to settle it. The fight club I</span><span>’</span><span>m talking about </span><span>in</span><span>volves one simple truth:</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span>Your salespeople should be fighting to work in your service drive. </span><span> </span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span>You know this is true. </span><span>I bet </span><span>that you also </span><span>fight tooth and nail to </span><span>get your salespeople to work your service drive but, </span><span>more importan</span><span>t</span><span>ly</span><span>, to get them excited to do it! </span><span> </span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span>Look, you</span><span>’</span><span>re </span><span>probably </span><span>spending </span><span>somewhere north of </span><span>$5,800 per month on sales-related software</span><span>,</span><span> of which over 90 percent is dedicated to showroom or Internet sales. The average dealer </span><span>also spend</span><span>s</span><span> $28,000 per month on advertising</span><span>. However, most dealers </span><span>allocat</span><span>e</span><span> less than 5 percent to service. Yet the average profit per vehicle retailed in service is almost 20 percent higher than walk-in or Internet sales</span><span>. Why? B</span><span>ecause the typical service customer d</span><span>oes</span><span>n</span><span>’</span><span>t</span><span> </span><span>come prepared to buy</span><span>,</span><span> which means they </span><span>hav</span><span>en</span><span>’</span><span>t had </span><span>time to price shop you</span><span>, </span><span>or research all </span><span>2</span><span>4 touchpoints </span><span>consumers </span><span>supposedly visit</span><span>! </span><span> </span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span>So</span><span>, </span><span>why does </span><span>the average dealer ha</span><span>ve</span><span> NO dedicated sales professional for service lane sales</span><span>?</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span>Every dealer is going to fall into some sales from their service driv</span><span>e. </span><span>But, if </span><span>you</span><span>’</span><span>re sitting back thinking about how many service lane sales your store generates every month</span><span>, t</span><span>hat</span><span>’</span><span>s the exact opposite of what you should be thinking. Stop focusing on the ones you sold and shift your focus to the ones you didn</span><span>’</span><span>t!</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span>The </span><span>main </span><span>challenges </span><span>in </span><span>successful service lane sales </span><span>are people and process</span><span>es</span><span>. </span><span>Inte</span><span>grating a sales process in</span><span>to</span><span> the service lane isn</span><span>’</span><span>t rocket science</span><span>,</span><span> but it must be tailored to service customers. Simply throwing a salesperson into the service d</span><span>rive</span><span>,</span><span> saying </span><span>“</span><span>Go get </span><span>‘</span><span>em, tiger!</span><span>”</span><span> </span><span>will only accomplish two things: it</span><span> will alienate your service customers</span><span>; </span><span>and it will cost you more money from those salespeople drinking the </span><span>“</span><span>good</span><span>”</span><span> </span><span>coffee you have for service customers</span><span>.</span><span> </span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span>I</span><span>n addition, your service writers don</span><span>’</span><span>t have any skin in this game. For every customer you succeed at dragging out of service and selling a car to, that</span><span>’</span><span>s a repair order</span><span> they don</span><span>’</span><span>t get </span><span>a </span><span>commission</span><span> </span><span>on</span><span>.</span><span> Sales and service have always butted heads</span><span>,</span><span> but tha</span><span>t</span><span>’</span><span>s only because most dealerships don</span><span>’</span><span>t operate as a cohesive unit</span><span>,</span><span> but rather as two entities. </span><span> </span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span>Get your service advisors on board the sales train by including them in your sales meetings. Start spiffing them for bringing prime </span><span>sales </span><span>candidates </span><span>to your </span><span>attention</span><span> --</span><span> You know</span><span> --</span><span> that customer </span><span>about to</span><span> be</span><span> present</span><span>ed</span><span> with a $3,000 repair estimate. You might find that </span><span>sudden</span><span>ly</span><span> there is less friction and more cooperation between sales and service. </span><span> </span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span>Don</span><span>’</span><span>t throw that super-a</span><span>g</span><span>gressive closer out there and expect results. Service customers are willing to listen</span><span>, </span><span>but they don</span><span>’</span><span>t want to feel harassed. </span><span>In addition,</span><span> blanket selling to your serv</span><span>ice customers is unwise. </span><span>You should </span><span>know who is coming in to service the next day. By reviewing the service appointments, you can identify </span><span>customers that are </span><span>great candidates for a new </span><span>vehicle</span><span>. H</span><span>ave value propositions waiting for them when they arrive</span><span>. </span><span>I</span><span>’</span><span>ve found </span><span>the </span><span>most effective </span><span>sales personality </span><span>in the service lane is your soft sell guy</span><span>. The</span><span> salesperson who </span><span>present</span><span>s </span><span>a value proposition in a non-</span><span>ag</span><span>gressive, fact-based way can avoid alienating service customers</span><span>. The customer is then </span><span>more open to listening to the proposition. </span><span> </span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span>By failing to have a good service sales process in place, m</span><span>ost dealerships are </span><span>not only </span><span>missing out on </span><span>additional sales</span><span>,</span><span> but th</span><span>ose </span><span>sales </span><span>which </span><span>are typically the most profitable</span><span>.</span><span> Gather the troops. Have a heart to heart. Get everyone on the same p</span><span>age. Train the best soft-sell sales candidates you have on how to handle service customers and put them in the service lane. Identify the best prospects and approach them with a previously prepared value proposition in a non-a</span><span>g</span><span>gressive </span><span>manner. Y</span><span>ou</span><span>’</span><span>ll find t</span><span>hat your service to sales units increase</span><span>,</span><span> while holding some good profit. And that</span><span>’</span><span>s what it</span><span>’</span><span>s all about. </span><span> </span></p>The Essential Ingredient to Customer Loyaltytag:www.dealerelite.net,2017-11-28:5283893:BlogPost:5084132017-11-28T14:25:26.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW238462605"><p class="Paragraph SCXW238462605"><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545193157?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545193157?profile=original" width="380"></img></a> When it comes to </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">customer loyalty, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">o…</span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW238462605"><p class="Paragraph SCXW238462605"><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545193157?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545193157?profile=original" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>When it comes to </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">customer loyalty, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">o</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ne thing</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> I find </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">that many businesses fail to analyze </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">-- and</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> perhaps one of the most essential </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ingredients </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">to earning and keeping customer loyalty</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> – </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">is quality. </span><span class="EOP SCXW238462605"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW238462605"><p class="Paragraph SCXW238462605"><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Customer</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> may love you and love your staff</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">; t</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">hey may keep coming into </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">your </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">beautiful facility packed with all </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">kinds </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">luxuries</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. But, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">in the end, if the output from their visit isn’t </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">of the expected</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> quality</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">you may quickly find </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">th</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">at the customer’s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> eyes cloud</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">over and </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">they start to look at taking their business to your nearest competitor.</span><span class="EOP SCXW238462605"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW238462605"><p class="Paragraph SCXW238462605"><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Examples of poor quality in service could include </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">failing to fix a vehicle </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">right</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> the first time</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">; </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">forgetting to put the air filter in the car</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">;</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">communication errors; </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">mistakes on the bill</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">; or </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">even something as small as </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">returning the </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">vehicle with </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">a </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">dirty carpe</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">t</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. </span><span class="EOP SCXW238462605"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW238462605"><p class="Paragraph SCXW238462605"><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">So</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">metimes the customer </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">will </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">inform you and you can</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> immediately</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> address </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">the situation</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">But o</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ther times the customer may just stay quiet and/or not notice</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> un</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">til later. Either way, there was a bump in the road for the customer because the service they received wasn’t of high</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> enough</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> quality. </span><span class="EOP SCXW238462605"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW238462605"><p class="Paragraph SCXW238462605"><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Being reactive is much more expensive than being proactive. Think about it. When customer hiccups do occur, dealerships will </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">often </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">not only fix the problem</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">but also throw in some</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">thing</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> “extra” </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">as an</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> apology. That extra could be a free oil change</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">or a gift card</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. R</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">egardless of what it is, those extras cost money and detract from revenue. </span><span class="EOP SCXW238462605"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW238462605"><p class="Paragraph SCXW238462605"><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Dealerships </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">with</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> a quality control process in </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">place that helps</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> ensure they don’t happen in the first place, and identifies </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">these issues before the customer</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> even becomes aware of any problem</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">find less occurrences of poor quality work. </span><span class="EOP SCXW238462605"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW238462605"><p class="Paragraph SCXW238462605"><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">What does a quality control process look like? It could be as simple as having the service advisor inspect the vehicle before giving it back to the customer. Perhaps a second technician could do a once-over inspection after the work is completed</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> just to get a fresh set of eyes on the vehicle</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> In sales </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">have </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">a sales manager review the deal with a customer prior to sending it to F&I</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. This can help en</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">sure nothing was misse</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">d</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> that</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> the customer understands all the terms</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, and that </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">it includes everything the customer has voiced </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">they want included in</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> the deal.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="EOP SCXW238462605"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW238462605"><p class="Paragraph SCXW238462605"><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">These simple stop-gaps installed within </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">regular</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">dealership </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">processes</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> can</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> prevent issues from arising. Whether service or sales, many tasks are routine and the simple process of performing the same tasks day in and day out can lead to fatigue or carelessness. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">No </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">dealership wants to make mistakes. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">But they do </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">happen</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> – it’s just part of being human. </span><span class="EOP SCXW238462605"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW238462605"><p class="Paragraph SCXW238462605"><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">To keep the highest quality possible, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">all staff </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">need to</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> be on the same page and share an</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> ambition for quality</span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, which is </span><span class="TextRun SCXW238462605" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">of utmost importance in the quest for customer loyalty.</span><span class="EOP SCXW238462605"> </span></p>
</div>Sometimes It’s the Small Things that Matter Mosttag:www.dealerelite.net,2017-11-21:5283893:BlogPost:5080262017-11-21T14:45:44.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW57356749"><p class="Paragraph SCXW57356749"><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545180853?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545180853?profile=original" width="380"></img></a> In </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">building customer loyalty</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">,…</span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW57356749"><p class="Paragraph SCXW57356749"><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545180853?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545180853?profile=original" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>In </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">building customer loyalty</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> one of the first things that come</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> to mind is the cus</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">tomer experience.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> Many businesses </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">focus on the </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">overall </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">experience</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> and end u</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">p missing small things </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">which</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> detract from the customer experience and can even drive people away. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Perhaps </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">the bathroom was dirty</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> or the water cooler</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> was empty</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. Or it could be something </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">at the dealership which is not quite as obvious</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> – </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">such as</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> emails. </span><span class="EOP SCXW57356749"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW57356749"><p class="Paragraph SCXW57356749"><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">What? How can an email drive a customer away? </span><span class="EOP SCXW57356749"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW57356749"><p class="Paragraph SCXW57356749"><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">The obvious way is</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> by</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> bombarding customers with irrelevant e-mails</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, or, what is now referred to as </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">spam. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">However,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> this isn’t a blog about</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> spamming customers</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. </span><span class="EOP SCXW57356749"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW57356749"><p class="Paragraph SCXW57356749"><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Let’s assume your dealership is sending out relevant emails</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">at appropriate times</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">via your CRM. Perhaps it’s time </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">for the customer </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">to service their vehicle</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, or the customer is a new prospect you are reaching out to for the first time.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> While the</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">re is typically a process set up in the CRM for these type of communications, it can be perilous to fail to pay </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">attention to what</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">’s </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">happening</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> in the virtual engagement between your dealership and </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">the </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">customer. </span><span class="EOP SCXW57356749"> </span></p>
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<div class="SCXW57356749"><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW57356749"><p class="Paragraph SCXW57356749"><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">An </span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW57356749" href="https://www.business2community.com/email-marketing/transactional-email-experience-critical-customer-loyalty-01942471" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW57356749">article</span></span></a><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> on Business2Community explai</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ns</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> that </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">in email communications, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">simple things can detract </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">from that communication and even turn the customer off. The article shares </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">things that </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">should be avoided in any email communication, as follows:</span><span class="EOP SCXW57356749"> </span></p>
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<li class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW57356749"><p class="Paragraph SCXW57356749"><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Spelling, grammar and language mistakes.</span><span class="EOP SCXW57356749"> </span></p>
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<li class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW57356749"><p class="Paragraph SCXW57356749"><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Emails that contained sensitive information.</span><span class="EOP SCXW57356749"> </span></p>
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<li class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW57356749"><p class="Paragraph SCXW57356749"><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Emails that don’t visually look like a brand’s website. </span><span class="EOP SCXW57356749"> </span></p>
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<div class="SCXW57356749"><ol class="NumberListStyle1 SCXW57356749" start="4">
<li class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW57356749"><p class="Paragraph SCXW57356749"><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Emails that t</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ake</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> too long to arrive in the inbox.</span><span class="EOP SCXW57356749"> </span></p>
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<li class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW57356749"><p class="Paragraph SCXW57356749"><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Emails that reach the SPAM box, rather than the inbox.</span><span class="EOP SCXW57356749"> </span></p>
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<li class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW57356749"><p class="Paragraph SCXW57356749"><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Emails that g</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">et </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">categorized as a ‘promotion</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">.’</span><span class="EOP SCXW57356749"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW57356749"><p class="Paragraph SCXW57356749"><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">R</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">emember that how </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">your e</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">mail LOOKS is almost as important as what </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">it </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">SAYS. It’s not uncommon to find spelling, grammar and language mistakes in</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">dealershi</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">p</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> templates</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. T</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">hose mistakes are </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">then </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">going out to every customer </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">targeted for that message</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">mak</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ing</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> the dealership appear un</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">professional to </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">its </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">customer</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">In addition, if</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> the email design is </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">completely different to t</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">he look and feel of the dealership’s website, that can cause a disconne</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ct in the minds of the customer</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. It then </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">either end</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> up ignored completely</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, or is not at all </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">memorable. </span><span class="EOP SCXW57356749"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW57356749"><p class="Paragraph SCXW57356749"><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">When communicating with a customer in real-time, time</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> also</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> comes into play. The customer is waiting for an answer to a question –</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">p</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">erhaps, “W</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">hat price</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">can I get</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,”</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> or</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, “I</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s my vehicle ready yet</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">?” T</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">he longer it takes to receive an answer, the less pleased they will be with the dealership experience. </span><span class="EOP SCXW57356749"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW57356749"><p class="Paragraph SCXW57356749"><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Of course, the final hiccup is one that no dealership wants – namely, communications that go into </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">the </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">consumer’s SPAM mailbox. The instant you hear that customers are receiving your emails in SPAM, a red flag should rise</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. A</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ctions </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">should immediately be </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">taken with </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">your </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">email provider </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">to</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> resolv</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">e </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">this issue</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> as</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">it </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">could very easily cost revenue via a lost sale</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">.</span><span class="EOP SCXW57356749"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW57356749"><p class="Paragraph SCXW57356749"><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">It is important to not just</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">sit back and </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">trust that </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">your communication tools</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> are working properly</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">R</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">egularly inspect to ensure they are.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> An easy way to keep up with how your communication tools are working is to input yourself into the CRM as a customer</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. Then </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">let the processes </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">happen just as they would for any customer. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">W</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">hen those emails arrive, inspect them for any of the issues mentioned above. </span><span class="EOP SCXW57356749"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW57356749"><p class="Paragraph SCXW57356749"><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Don’t </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">just </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">sit back and rely on technology. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">S</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">mall interactional mistakes can create big problems when it comes to retention, loyalty and revenue. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">When analyzing the overall experience</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">to</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> improve it, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">make sure you’re not blind to the small things. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">E</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ach piece of the puzzle </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">needs to be </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">in place before examining the result. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Then </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">you </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">can </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">truly know if you have a completed puzzle</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> or </span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">if</span><span class="TextRun SCXW57356749" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> a piece is out of place.</span><span class="EOP SCXW57356749"> </span></p>
</div>You Don’t Have to Be Company 2nd to be Customer 1sttag:www.dealerelite.net,2017-11-14:5283893:BlogPost:5077312017-11-14T14:13:54.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW17750583"><p class="Paragraph SCXW17750583"><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545207349?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545207349?profile=original" width="380"></img></a> While today’s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US"> businesses understand the need to provide a</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">n excellent customer…</span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW17750583"><p class="Paragraph SCXW17750583"><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545207349?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545207349?profile=original" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>While today’s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> businesses understand the need to provide a</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">n excellent customer experience</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW17750583"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">many</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> don’t truly understand what </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">customer experience means. What’s more, some don’t even realize </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">they </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">already have most of the things </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">need</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ed</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> to</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> provide a truly great customer experience.</span><span class="EOP SCXW17750583"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW17750583"><p class="Paragraph SCXW17750583"><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">According to </span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW17750583" href="https://which-50.com/companies-still-misunderstand-customer-experience-really/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW17750583">an a</span></span><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW17750583">r</span></span><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW17750583">ticle</span></span></a><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> published by Which-50, 61</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">% </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">of marketing leaders </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">stated </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">that their company has a CXO (Chief Experience Officer)</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> or equivalent position. This alone illustrates the importance modern businesses </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">place </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">on customer experience. However, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">according to the article, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">many are misguided and tend to focus on crafting the experience</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">when what they should be focusing on is the customer</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">’s needs and wants</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">The fact is, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">you can’t create a great customer experience if you don’t know what experience your customers want.</span><span class="EOP SCXW17750583"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW17750583"><p class="Paragraph SCXW17750583"><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">It’s easy to look at your business operations and decide what experience you think your customers will want. You may, however, be misguided by your knowledge and </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">personal </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">bias. Pe</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">rhaps you think they want speed, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">when what they really want is service. Or vice versa. Unl</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ess you put the customer first; talk to them, ask </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">them and </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">then truly adopt the </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">what </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">they tell you they want, you’ll never have a great customer experience. </span><span class="EOP SCXW17750583"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW17750583"><p class="Paragraph SCXW17750583"><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">H</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">aving a customer-first business environment doesn’t mean that you neglect the company by putting it second. Rather, a great business k</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">nows and fosters an attitude that customers and c</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ompany are equally as important. They know that they </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">work together. </span><span class="EOP SCXW17750583"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW17750583"><p class="Paragraph SCXW17750583"><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">While this is all well and good, your dealership can’t jeopardize its </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">livelihood for the sake</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> of customer experience. If you do, you </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">may have the happiest customers in the world staring at the “Out of Business” sign hanging on the door. </span><span class="EOP SCXW17750583"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW17750583"><p class="Paragraph SCXW17750583"><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">The opposite is</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> just as true in that a dealership</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> completely focused on revenue and the bottom line</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW17750583"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">with no regard for the customer, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">will also be forced out of business d</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ue</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> to a</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> lack of customers. F</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">or any business to thrive and grow</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, a </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">symbiotic relationship </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">should exist </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">between healthy business revenue and satisfied customers.</span><span class="EOP SCXW17750583"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW17750583"><p class="Paragraph SCXW17750583"><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">How, then, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">are you supposed to focus on the customer, while also on your</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> bottom line?</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW17750583"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Through a deep examination of how </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">your dealership </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">can financially support a great customer experience</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> and</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> then</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW17750583"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">d</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">eliver the experience your</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> customers want. </span><span class="EOP SCXW17750583"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW17750583"><p class="Paragraph SCXW17750583"><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Your dealership does not </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">have to build movie theaters to provide a great customer experience. In fact, most great dealerships don’t have anything of the sort. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">The </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">focus </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">should be on </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">the</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> experience your</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> customer</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> want</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. Then analyze the tools you already have, along with</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW17750583"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">affordable </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">solutions</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> you can acquire</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> that will enhance or improve t</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">he customer experience.</span><span class="EOP SCXW17750583"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW17750583"><p class="Paragraph SCXW17750583"><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">By approaching customer experi</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ence in this manner, your dealership should </span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">be able to create a</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">n improved</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> customer experience that is</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> financially</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> sustainable</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> And that’s the only way for the customer experience to remain consistent</span><span class="TextRun SCXW17750583" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">.</span><span class="EOP SCXW17750583"> </span></p>
</div>The Key to Modern Customer Loyaltytag:www.dealerelite.net,2017-11-07:5283893:BlogPost:5074302017-11-07T14:53:47.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW72343491"><p class="Paragraph SCXW72343491"><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545180675?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545180675?profile=original" width="380"></img></a> As times change, so d</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">o consumer desires. What hasn’t</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US"> changed are…</span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW72343491"><p class="Paragraph SCXW72343491"><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545180675?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545180675?profile=original" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>As times change, so d</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">o consumer desires. What hasn’t</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> changed are</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> the fundamen</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">tal </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">business practices which</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> have led</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> to customer loyalty for hundreds of years. That small shop owner in the early 1900’s kept his customers coming back through friendly</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> and</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW72343491"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">familiar customer service.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> Granted, those customers didn’</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">t have as many choices as today, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">but that’s why businesses need to work ha</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">rder </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">these days </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">to create loyalty. Today, for </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">consumer</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s it</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> is all about convenience. </span><span class="EOP SCXW72343491"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW72343491"><p class="Paragraph SCXW72343491"><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">An </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">interesting </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">article in </span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW72343491" href="http://www.autonews.com/article/20171104/RETAIL05/171109934/audi-service-secrets" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW72343491">Automotive News</span></span></a><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> shares</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> why Audi has been able to post 96 straight months of increasing auto sales</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> and soared from </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">#18 in 2008</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> to </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">its current position of </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">#1</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. It’s not due to gr</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">eat deals or superior vehicles. Instead, it is </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">fundamental changes in business </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">practices at the OEM level which </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">support dealers and allow them to provide better and</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> faster customer service. Two key</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> changes credited for this consistent increase in sales </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">are </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">overnight</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ing parts and </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">empower</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ing</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> dealerships to make decisions. </span><span class="EOP SCXW72343491"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW72343491"><p class="Paragraph SCXW72343491"><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Previously, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Audi </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">used a slower method to ship </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">parts for customer repairs</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. Customers were frequently forced to reschedule </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">appointment</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s as t</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">he parts did not arrive on</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> time. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">In fact, according to the article, Audi </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">previously </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">discouraged dealers from ordering parts overnight. By changing their parts shipping </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">policies to all overnight, Audi dealers receive parts </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">faster</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> and </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">can turn around customer repairs with greater speed and efficiency.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="EOP SCXW72343491"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW72343491"><p class="Paragraph SCXW72343491"><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Audi </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">also changed its</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> goodwill repair program</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> and now allows </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">service managers to perform goodwill repairs without authorization from the factory. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">S</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ervice managers </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">can</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW72343491"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">fix problems immediately</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> rather than making the customer wait</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, which of course means an</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> improved customer experience. </span><span class="EOP SCXW72343491"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW72343491"><p class="Paragraph SCXW72343491"><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">While overnight shipping is </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">costlier, the benefits derived from increased customer satisfaction</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> proved to be well worth it. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Of cours</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">e, Audi </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">was </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">nervous about giving its</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> dealerships an</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> open wallet with the </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">goodwill repair program</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> However, after an initial spike in goodwill repairs, the progr</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">am relaxed into a stable amount, which </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">a</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">lleviated </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">those concerns. </span><span class="EOP SCXW72343491"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW72343491"><p class="Paragraph SCXW72343491"><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Modern customer loyalty is cemented in convenience and experience. Customers don’t have time to wa</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">it around or </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">reschedule</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. Nor do they like the aggravation when the employee has no power to fix their problem. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">They will simply vote with their wallets and head to the next dealer or independent. </span><span class="EOP SCXW72343491"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW72343491"><p class="Paragraph SCXW72343491"><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">By consistently providing convenient and friendly service</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, quickly and </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">proactively</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> fixing problems as they appear, you </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">can keep th</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ose customers coming into you </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">shops</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. In addition, if you wisely work</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> a well-run </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">equity mining program, that</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> can also </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">translate into additional sales</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, without the expense of acquiring </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">new sales customers. </span><span class="EOP SCXW72343491"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW72343491"><p class="Paragraph SCXW72343491"><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Evaluate your service department</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> and see just how convenient it is </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">to your customers. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">In addition, analyze</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> your dealership’s use of an existing OEM </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">goodwill </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">program</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> if one exists. Is it being used regularly</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> or not at all? If your manufacturer doesn’t have a goodwill repair program, consider creating one</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> at your dealership and empower</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> staff to individually decide when it’s needed to fix a customer experience iss</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ue. </span><span class="EOP SCXW72343491"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW72343491"><p class="Paragraph SCXW72343491"><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Your </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">service staff will be motivated to </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">fix problems rather than </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">be </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">left feeling</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> powerless</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> C</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ustomers will not only appreciate it</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> but forgive. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Sure, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">mistakes happen</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. But</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> a mistake</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> will only hurt loyalty if it cannot be resolved </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">to the customer’s satisfaction</span><span class="EOP SCXW72343491"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW72343491"><p class="Paragraph SCXW72343491"><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">There’s nothing worse for </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">your bottom line than regularly losing business that should be yours. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">It’s certainly much less expensive to fix a problem and </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">have that customer </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">stay </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">loyal, than </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">to spend the money to acquire a new customer to replace</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> them.</span><span class="EOP SCXW72343491"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW72343491"><p class="Paragraph SCXW72343491"><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Consider that as you ponder whether your dealership should have a goodwill repair program</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> --</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> or not. I promise</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> you’ll come out </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">further </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ahead by having one</span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Audi discovered this – and it took them to </span><span class="TextRun SCXW72343491" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">the top and has kept them there!</span><span class="EOP SCXW72343491"> </span></p>
</div>Holidays are the Perfect Time to Nurture Loyaltytag:www.dealerelite.net,2017-10-31:5283893:BlogPost:5071132017-10-31T13:34:22.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW68904929"><p class="Paragraph SCXW68904929"><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545179715?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545179715?profile=original" width="380"></img></a> It’s beginning to l</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">ook a lot like the holidays. I</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">n retail, that typically means an upsurge in…</span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW68904929"><p class="Paragraph SCXW68904929"><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545179715?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545179715?profile=original" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>It’s beginning to l</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ook a lot like the holidays. I</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">n retail, that typically means an upsurge in business. In the au</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">tomotive industry, the sales department typically </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">find</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> consumers buying vehicles for their loved ones</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. And </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">the service department sees</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> an upsurge in repair orders </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">in preparation for a </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">road trip</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> to </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">visit </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">family</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> over the holidays</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">In addition, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Black Friday is looming and those </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">bottom</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW68904929"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">funnel</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> consumers </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">are waiting to see where </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">they can get the best deal and where </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">they should spend their money. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">If you h</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ave </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">a </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">loyalty program</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, this can be your</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> most productive time of the year… if done right. </span><span class="EOP SCXW68904929"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW68904929"><p class="Paragraph SCXW68904929"><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">What do I mean? According to </span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW68904929" href="https://www.colloquy.com/latest-news/u-s-customer-loyalty-program-memberships-reach-double-digit-growth-at-3-8-billion-2017-colloquy-loyalty-census-reports/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW68904929">2017 Colloquy Loyalty Census</span></span></a><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, there are 3.8 BILLION memberships in retail loyalty programs. While that may sound like a lot (and it is), there has been a slowdown in memberships</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> – 2017 saw a 15% </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">growth rate down from a 26</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">%</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> growth rate</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> in 2015. Why? Well, c</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">onsumers don’t want to work hard </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">for rewards and want to feel t</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">he rewards offered are worthwhile. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">According to t</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">he census</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, 53% of consumers enjoy loyalty programs that are easy to use, while 39% like great discounts, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">and 37</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">% like the fact that the program is </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">“easy to understand.”</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> On the other side of the coin, the reason for abandoning a program is that it takes</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> to</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">o</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> long to earn points [that led to rewards]</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, according to 57%</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">.</span><span class="EOP SCXW68904929"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW68904929"><p class="Paragraph SCXW68904929"><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">That being the case</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> how do you</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> leverage your loyalty program to motivate and entice both new and existing users</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">? During the holiday season</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, many dealersh</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ips like to leverage things such as</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> price and discounted services. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">C</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">onsider leveraging your loyalty program instead. Promotions with points-based offers incentivize customers to use</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> their loyalty membership</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW68904929"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">and then continue to do so.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> Think of all the other retailers out their leveraging this. There’s nothing like getting a free $10 Kohl’s certificate to motivate you to go into Kohl’s (where you’ll probably spend more money than</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> the $10). Consumers love it. Another thing that works is to offer incentives such as</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> double points</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> or sell </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">dealership </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">gift cards at a discount </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">as an idea for a gift for friends and family. (for example, sell</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> a $50 gift card for $45). </span><span class="EOP SCXW68904929"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW68904929"><p class="Paragraph SCXW68904929"><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">The holidays present dealerships with a condensed volume of opportunities – whether that’s from existing customers </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">who are </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">traveling</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> for the holidays or buying vehicles as gifts;</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> or</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> even </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">friends and family members seeking gift ideas. F</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ind ways to </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">utilize your loyalty programs in the manner for which they are intended </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">– </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">to build relationships!</span><span class="EOP SCXW68904929"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW68904929"><p class="Paragraph SCXW68904929"><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Of course, a</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ny consumer that </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">doesn’t feel </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">they are being rewarded and/or feel</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> like </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">the </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">rewards are simply out of reach</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> probably won’t be aroun</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">d long (in the loyalty program). So, make sure your</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> reward program is easy to use and understand, that r</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ewards aren’t too hard to reach, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">and that you utilize offers</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> to cultivate that relationship. G</span><span class="TextRun SCXW68904929" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">et your customers into the habit of using it. Once the customer knows that the loyalty program is beneficial to them, they will use it and choose you over a competitor. And that’s the exact goal of a loyalty program – a customer relationship.</span><span class="EOP SCXW68904929"> </span></p>
</div>Information is a Powerful Loyalty Tool -- if Used Properlytag:www.dealerelite.net,2017-10-24:5283893:BlogPost:5067422017-10-24T13:28:52.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW145393353"><p class="Paragraph SCXW145393353"><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545174777?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545174777?profile=original" width="380"></img></a> In today’s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US"> retail automotive climate, customers have</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US"> more access to information than…</span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW145393353"><p class="Paragraph SCXW145393353"><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545174777?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545174777?profile=original" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>In today’s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> retail automotive climate, customers have</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> more access to information than ever before. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Quite often, a</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> properly prepared and researched customer come</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> into the dealership armed with more knowledge than the salesperson</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. This can </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">cause friction as the custom</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">er interprets the salesperson as</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> deceptive when, in fact, they may truthfully </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">just </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">not have the information. </span><span class="EOP SCXW145393353"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW145393353"><p class="Paragraph SCXW145393353"><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">In the past, sellers had a distinct advantage over customers</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. B</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ut no longer. So</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> how can </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">your dealership use </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">information </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">to </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">foster</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> customer loyalty? </span><span class="EOP SCXW145393353"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW145393353"><p class="Paragraph SCXW145393353"><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">According to </span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW145393353" href="https://www.inc.com/linkedin/don-peppers/you-keeping-secrets-from-your-customers-don-peppers.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW145393353">an article</span></span></a><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> on Inc.com, there are essentially two ways that retailers can use in</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">formation in a transaction. You</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> can use it to </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">gain short-term profit, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">or use it to the customer’s advanta</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ge to build trust and loyalty. For e</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">xample, when visiting Amazon to buy a book, if you’ve already purchase</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">d it before, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Amazon </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">will inform you prior to purchase, in </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">case you fo</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">rgot. This information</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> builds a better and more trusting customer experience.</span><span class="EOP SCXW145393353"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW145393353"><p class="Paragraph SCXW145393353"><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">While customers have ACCESS to more inform</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ation, many – especially in vehicle </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">sales transactions – don’t have all the information they need.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> And, the reason is quite simple: Vehicle </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">sales transactions are incredibly complicated</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">! T</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">here are </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">many </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">pieces to the transaction: price, trade-in value, down payment, interest rate, etc. While many customers focus on payment</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s, some may neglect one or more pieces of the puzzle.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> In these cases, a dealership can choose to keep the secret (information) to themselves and score higher gross on the deal</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> or they can assist t</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">he customer by advising them and providing information for </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">the best course of action </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">for the customer’s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> specific circumstance</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="EOP SCXW145393353"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW145393353"><p class="Paragraph SCXW145393353"><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">If your</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> dealership choo</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ses to keep the information to itself,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW145393353"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">you run</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW145393353"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">the risk that </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">the customer will find out after the transaction and feel swindled</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, end up </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">disgruntled</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> and post</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> negative reviews</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. To say nothing of t</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">he fact that </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">the customer will</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> probably</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW145393353"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">take their business elsewhere</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, since they no longer trust your </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">dealership. </span><span class="EOP SCXW145393353"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW145393353"><p class="Paragraph SCXW145393353"><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">In contrast, if your</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> dealership chooses to share the information </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">to benefit the customer, that very action </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">is </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">appreciated and</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> builds trust with the customer, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">increasing the likelihood that they will leave </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">h</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">appy</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, desiring </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">to continue to do business with </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">you.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> In addition, they are much more likely to refer their friends and family</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> to your dealership.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="EOP SCXW145393353"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW145393353"><p class="Paragraph SCXW145393353"><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">The long-term success of a dealership requires </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">a customer base it</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> can rely on. It’s no longer a viable business model to continuously be in customer acquisition mode. If </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">you cannot retain your customers, you will end up running in place, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">scrambling to replace every customer that </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">defects to your competition.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> There is no room for growth in that scenario</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> – I am sure you have heard a million times that </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">it costs more to acquire a new customer than it does to retain an existing one. </span><span class="EOP SCXW145393353"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW145393353"><p class="Paragraph SCXW145393353"><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">The next time you find yourself in a situation with a customer </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">where you have </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">a choice </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">about if you should use information to benefit yourself, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">or the customer, keep this lesson in mind. While you may lose a little immediate profit, the long-term benefit (and prof</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">it) that comes from a happy</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW145393353"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">trusting</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, loyal and retaine</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">d </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">customer is far more beneficial</span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW145393353" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Think of the future income!</span><span class="EOP SCXW145393353"> </span></p>
</div>Does your Dealership Have a Retention Problem?tag:www.dealerelite.net,2017-10-17:5283893:BlogPost:5067082017-10-17T14:08:02.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW159749720"><p class="Paragraph SCXW159749720"><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545174477?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545174477?profile=original" width="380"></img></a> The automotive industry, in general, has an employee retention problem. A BIG one. And especially big in dealership’s sales departments. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">Sure, there…</span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW159749720"><p class="Paragraph SCXW159749720"><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545174477?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545174477?profile=original" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>The automotive industry, in general, has an employee retention problem. A BIG one. And especially big in dealership’s sales departments. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Sure, there</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> are exceptions</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. However, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">NADA reports that sales turnover in dealerships av</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">erages 70 percent. That’s a lot!</span><span class="EOP SCXW159749720"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW159749720"><p class="Paragraph SCXW159749720"><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">I’m sure that dealerships would rather not have this issue</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> --</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> so why is it happening? </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Well, </span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW159749720" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2017/10/10/ten-signs-theyre-desperate-to-hire-you-or-any-warm-body/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW159749720">an article</span></span></a><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW159749720"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> I recently read in Forbes shines a really interesting light on this.</span><span class="EOP SCXW159749720"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW159749720"><p class="Paragraph SCXW159749720"><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">The iron</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">y of this article is that it is giving </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">advi</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ce to job seekers, not employers. It provides advice about</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> hiring behaviors to beware of when interviewing for positions. As I read this piece, it </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">struck </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">me how fami</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">liar some of these behaviors are</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> when it comes to how dealerships hire. </span><span class="EOP SCXW159749720"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW159749720"><p class="Paragraph SCXW159749720"><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">In my many years in the automotive industry, it has not been uncommon </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">for dealerships to be </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">in a perpetual hiring mode. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">People leave and the dealership needs</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> new</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">people on staff to cover the floor and assist customers. Nobody wants to lose a sale because a customer gets irritated by</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">having to wait due to</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> lack of assistance</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">So, what does the dealership </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">do? They hire anybody that walks in the door. Don’t get me wrong</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, m</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">any dealers</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">hips require drug testing, etc., for potential hires. But should</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> the biggest concern</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> when hiring</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">be</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> availability</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> rather than </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">the quality of the potential new hire and how well they might fit into the dealership’s culture? Shouldn’t it be important to establish if the person</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> is motivated, ready to learn and </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">willing to work as a team player to create</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> a positive customer experience</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">? If not, your d</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ealership is </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">probably </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">setting itself up for failure. </span><span class="EOP SCXW159749720"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW159749720"><p class="Paragraph SCXW159749720"><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">The automotive industry is a demanding one. Hours are long, financial stability can be stressful (especially for commissioned salespeople) and management can change quickly</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">adding a</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> new element of inconsistency to</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> processes and expectations. </span><span class="EOP SCXW159749720"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW159749720"><p class="Paragraph SCXW159749720"><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">T</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">hese working conditions are never really explained to a prospect</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> Most conversations revolve around </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">earning potential, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">and a lot of managers only care whether a potential salesperson is aggressive and ambitious… and, most importantly, available… as in</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">;</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> “Can you start tomorrow?” </span><span class="EOP SCXW159749720"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW159749720"><p class="Paragraph SCXW159749720"><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">In essence; </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">continuing to hire warm bodies to cover the showroom</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> rather than truly identifying </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">people who will fit in and </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">stay awhile, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">can be a </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">catalyst for employee defection in sales that continues to occur</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> to this day</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. </span><span class="EOP SCXW159749720"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW159749720"><p class="Paragraph SCXW159749720"><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">It doesn’t matter how many interviews </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">you put </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">an applicant through</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> if </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">manager</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s are </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">only concerned with </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ambition and availability. B</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ecause</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> in the long run, that applicant probably </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">isn’t going to stick around</span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. </span><span class="EOP SCXW159749720"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW159749720"><p class="Paragraph SCXW159749720"><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Take </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">the time to truly screen applicants and stop </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">simply </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">hiring warm bodies. My guess is that you will </span><span class="TextRun SCXW159749720" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">start seeing less turnover. </span><span class="EOP SCXW159749720"> </span></p>
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</div>Dealership Staff Stressed Out? Try Storytelling Your Way To Increased Productivitytag:www.dealerelite.net,2017-10-10:5283893:BlogPost:5060782017-10-10T13:36:17.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW235379287"><p class="Paragraph SCXW235379287"><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545180210?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545180210?profile=original" width="380"></img></a> Let’s face it. The car business can be brutal. Many in </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">auto </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">retail fin…</span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW235379287"><p class="Paragraph SCXW235379287"><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545180210?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545180210?profile=original" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>Let’s face it. The car business can be brutal. Many in </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">auto </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">retail fin</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">d themselves working long hours, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">under stressful conditions, with </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">hardly </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">any free time to </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">see their families or </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">enjoy other activities.</span><span class="EOP SCXW235379287"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW235379287"><p class="Paragraph SCXW235379287"><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">In our industry, m</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">any managers </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">are </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">under a lot of stress. The stress of production </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">can wear a person out</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">– whether that’s sales goals</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> to be met, or service revenue targets.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW235379287"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">As a result, t</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">empers flare and</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> leadership skills sometimes sway</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> away</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> from </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">being </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">nurturing to </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">being annoyed and </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">short</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">-tempered, which </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">affects everyone on the team. </span><span class="EOP SCXW235379287"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW235379287"><p class="Paragraph SCXW235379287"><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">If this is the case in your dealership stop and think for a minute. R</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">unning</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> any business with an iron fist where managers lack any flexibility and are overly </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">demanding </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">about meeting </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">goals</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> can </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">in fact </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">be less productive</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. It can make it </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">even </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">HARDER</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> to reach those goals. </span><span class="EOP SCXW235379287"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW235379287"><p class="Paragraph SCXW235379287"><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">An </span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW235379287" href="https://hbr.org/2017/09/great-storytelling-connects-employees-to-their-work" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW235379287">excellent article</span></span></a><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> in The Harvard Business Review tells the story of the importance of connecting your employees with their work. It di</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">scusses an alternate way to lead, which</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> not only mak</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">es the business more productive, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">but </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">also </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">creates a better company culture which then results in happier customers. What is it?</span><span class="EOP SCXW235379287"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW235379287"><p class="Paragraph SCXW235379287"><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Storytelling. </span><span class="EOP SCXW235379287"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW235379287"><p class="Paragraph SCXW235379287"><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">I know, it perhaps sounds a little out there if this is not a term you’re familiar with. But stay with me here for a couple of minutes and all will be revealed!</span><span class="EOP SCXW235379287"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW235379287"><p class="Paragraph SCXW235379287"><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">So, h</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ow do you use storytelling as a manager? </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">The article gives the example of a restaurant employee who was mentally checked out. Rather than doing his job, he was sneaking peeks at his phone and</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> when things were busy, was</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW235379287"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">failing to make the effort </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">needed to</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> quickly</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> keep tables clean for customers</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> The supervisor noticed this and approached the employee. Rather than discipline him or rebuke him, she told him a story of how she watched a mother leave her 2-year old at a table while ordering food. The table had no</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">t</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> yet been cleaned and the 2-year old proceeded to take her hand, wipe it across the dirty table and then licked the crumbs and catsup off. The employee immediately understood how his failure to keep up with cleaning the tables had affected the customers on a personal level and immediately proceeded to perform his job better. </span><span class="EOP SCXW235379287"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW235379287"><p class="Paragraph SCXW235379287"><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Why does this type of management work better? Because</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> rather than simply telling an employee that they are not doing their job, the manager was able to make a</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">n emotional</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> connection that</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> was real to the employee and could easily be understood. It</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> personalized the importance of the task. By making that personal connection, it</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> turned a mundane task into a meaningful one. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">And that made the employee more productive. </span><span class="EOP SCXW235379287"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW235379287"><p class="Paragraph SCXW235379287"><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">This type of leadership and management style may sound arduous and time-consuming but, in fact, it’s not. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">According to the article, m</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ost storytelling is brief. It involves using concrete examples that reframe a moment by personifying human consequences.</span><span class="EOP SCXW235379287"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW235379287"><p class="Paragraph SCXW235379287"><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">By emotionally connecting your employees to their work, they become more productive</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, both personally </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">and as a team member. This makes your entire organization run more efficiently, makes your goals easier to achieve, creates a culture of hospitality and lays the foundation for a better customer experience. </span><span class="EOP SCXW235379287"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW235379287"><p class="Paragraph SCXW235379287"><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">The next time you feel the need to discipline an employee who is slacking, consider telling them a story that makes the </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">task meaningful.</span><span class="EOP SCXW235379287"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW235379287"><p class="Paragraph SCXW235379287"><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">A couple </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">minutes of thoughtful interaction can change the</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ir</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> b</span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ehavior for good - not just the one time. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW235379287" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">In the end, that’s what truly matters and what turns managers into leaders.</span><span class="EOP SCXW235379287"> </span></p>
</div>Customer Acquisition Can Be More Effective When You Spend $0tag:www.dealerelite.net,2017-09-29:5283893:BlogPost:5058242017-09-29T13:51:45.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW261138116"><p class="Paragraph SCXW261138116"><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545171240?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545171240?profile=original" width="380"></img></a> C</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">ustomer retention is typically much less expe</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">nsive than customer acquisition. However,…</span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW261138116"><p class="Paragraph SCXW261138116"><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545171240?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545171240?profile=original" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>C</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ustomer retention is typically much less expe</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">nsive than customer acquisition. However, with the advent of the internet, c</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">onsumers </span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">are changing.</span><span class="EOP SCXW261138116"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW261138116"><p class="Paragraph SCXW261138116"><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Now</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> I</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">’</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">m not saying that your </span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">dealership </span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">should ditch </span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">retention and loyalty strategies </span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">–</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> not by a longshot. You</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> need both retention and acquisition t</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">o grow. But what if I told you there is a</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> customer acquisition strategy that cost</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s ZERO</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> dollars? Interested? I thought so. The answer lies in online reviews. </span><span class="EOP SCXW261138116"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW261138116"><p class="Paragraph SCXW261138116"><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Online reviews have become</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> a prime source of information for consumers deciding which business to frequent, w</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">hether that</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">’</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s a resta</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">urant, nail salon or car dealer.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> Consumers trust other consumers </span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">–</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> as long as the reviews are genuine and believable</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">.</span><span class="EOP SCXW261138116"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW261138116"><p class="Paragraph SCXW261138116"><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">According to </span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW261138116" href="https://www.loyalty360.org/content-gallery/daily-news/how-brands-cultivate-customer-loyalty,-customer-en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW261138116">an a</span></span><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW261138116">r</span></span><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW261138116">ticle</span></span></a><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> on Loyalty360.com, the problem with cultivating online reviews isn</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">’</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">t that consumers aren</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">’</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">t willing to leave them</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">;</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> but that businesses fail to ask</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> Those consumers that are happy with the business, had a satisfactory experience and</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> plan to </span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">continue </span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">frequenting </span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">that business</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> just aren</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">’</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">t emotionally compelled on their own to leave a review</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">…</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> but they would if they were asked. In fact, 70% of consumers would leave a review if the business asked them, according to </span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW261138116" href="https://www.brightlocal.com/learn/local-consumer-review-survey/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW261138116">a survey</span></span></a><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> by BrightLocal.com</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">.</span><span class="EOP SCXW261138116"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW261138116"><p class="Paragraph SCXW261138116"><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">If you look at recent trends in the automotive industry, reviews have become more important than ever before </span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">–</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> not just on the dealership level but on the salesperson level</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> as well</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. Cars.com recently announced the launch of integrated salesperson-specific reviews on the dealership</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">’</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s VDP pages</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> hosted</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> on their site.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> Consumers are now not only determining WHERE they want to purchase a vehicle but WHO they want</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> to deal with at the dealership.</span><span class="EOP SCXW261138116"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW261138116"><p class="Paragraph SCXW261138116"><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">P</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">eople want to do business with people they like and trust. If the customer has never been to your dealership</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> and never done business with you before, all they have to go on is the word-of-mouth by their friends, family and social networks</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> along with online reviews submitted by other customers. </span><span class="EOP SCXW261138116"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW261138116"><p class="Paragraph SCXW261138116"><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Why aren</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">’</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">t dealerships asking customers for reviews as part of their sales AND service process?</span><span class="EOP SCXW261138116"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW261138116"><p class="Paragraph SCXW261138116"><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">The hesitation I</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">’</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ve seen </span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">is due to the fact t</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">hat they don</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">’</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">t want to inadvertently motivate someone who had a poor experience. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">If your dealership has a customer retention, loyal</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ty and experience plan in place, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">and strives to provide that excellent service, I promise that the positives will outweigh the negatives by far. </span><span class="EOP SCXW261138116"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW261138116"><p class="Paragraph SCXW261138116"><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Online reviews can be an excellent way to acquire new customers without expense. You</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">’</span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ve earned it. All you need </span><span class="TextRun SCXW261138116" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">do is ask.</span><span class="EOP SCXW261138116"> </span></p>
</div>PrePaid Maintenance in the Age of Ride-Sharingtag:www.dealerelite.net,2017-09-19:5283893:BlogPost:5054302017-09-19T13:46:56.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW23454409"><p class="Paragraph SCXW23454409"><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545175516?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545175516?profile=original" width="380"></img></a></span> <span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">Younger generations prefer fixed monthly cost</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">s for expenses that include…</span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW23454409"><p class="Paragraph SCXW23454409"><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545175516?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545175516?profile=original" width="380" class="align-right"/></a></span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Younger generations prefer fixed monthly cost</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s for expenses that include</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> things </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">such </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">as vehicle maintenance</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. T</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">hey can </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">then </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">budget </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">and have less concerns about </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">encountering </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">a repair bill they can’t</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> afford. But how do ride-</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">sharing services fit into the PrePaid M</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">aintenance equation? </span><span class="EOP SCXW23454409"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW23454409"><p class="Paragraph SCXW23454409"><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">R</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ide-sharing </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">–</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> even as a secondary source of income </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">–</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> is skyrocketing</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> with many part-time Uber and Lyft drivers joining the ranks to add a little money to the</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ir</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> bottom line. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">This brings opportunities aplenty</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> to provide </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">a valuable service</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> while also adding revenue dollars for your dealership.</span><span class="EOP SCXW23454409"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW23454409"><p class="Paragraph SCXW23454409"><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">There are many</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> standard </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">pitches for P</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">re</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Paid Maintenance such as</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> fixed ownership co</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">sts, security and peace of mind. Well, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">it might be time to add another question when discussing </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">P</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">re</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Paid Maintenance with customers</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> in F&I. Try </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">asking:</span><span class="EOP SCXW23454409"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW23454409"><p class="Paragraph SCXW23454409"><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">“</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Do you plan to use </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">this vehicle to earn extra money as an Uber or Lyft driver?</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">”</span><span class="EOP SCXW23454409"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW23454409"><p class="Paragraph SCXW23454409"><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Ride-share drivers put many more miles</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> on their vehicles than regular</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> driver</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. I’ve met </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">several </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Uber and</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> Lyft drivers in my travels. Some </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">tell me they only do it for </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">extra income, wh</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ile others</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> do it full-time. Who knows what, if anything, they told the dealership when they purchased the vehicle? </span><span class="EOP SCXW23454409"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW23454409"><p class="Paragraph SCXW23454409"><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Either way</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, for those</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW23454409"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">customers planning </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">to make </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">some income driving, P</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">re</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Paid M</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">aintenance becomes very appealing. Time off the road </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">means money out of their pocket</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. So,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW23454409"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">subsidizing maintenance with their vehicle loan means </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">operating without any </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">wo</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">rries </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">about an expensive repair bill </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">threatening their </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">livelihood</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">.</span><span class="EOP SCXW23454409"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW23454409"><p class="Paragraph SCXW23454409"><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">As P</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">re</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Paid Maintenance covers just regular maintenance, if your </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">dealership lock</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s the customer into a PPM</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> you have </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">the first chance to gain </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">additional business that comes with normal wear and tear</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. This </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">occurs much faster</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> with these Uber and Lyft drivers.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> New tires, brake pads, etc.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">;</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> the list goes on. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">For these drivers</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, PrePaid M</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">aintenance </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">should be </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">a no-brainer for both the customer and the dealership. The customer doesn’t have time to go shop pri</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ces at 10 different competitors; t</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">hey need to get the vehic</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">le repaired and back on the road</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> so that they can continue making money. </span><span class="EOP SCXW23454409"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW23454409"><p class="Paragraph SCXW23454409"><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Ride-sharing</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> is exploding and these </span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">drivers</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW23454409"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">must</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> provide their own vehicles. Start including questions</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> in your F&I process to establish</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW23454409"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">if the customer is planning to,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> or may consider becoming an Ub</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">er or Lyft driver in the future. Y</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ou may see some lightbulbs going off and fi</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">nd them more receptive to your PrePaid M</span><span class="TextRun SCXW23454409" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">aintenance offer. </span><span class="EOP SCXW23454409"> </span></p>
</div>Shattering Communication Silos Increases Productivitytag:www.dealerelite.net,2017-09-12:5283893:BlogPost:5052302017-09-12T14:02:29.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<div class="SCXW93992031"><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW93992031"><p class="Paragraph SCXW93992031"><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545174365?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545174365?profile=original" width="380"></img></a> In many businesses, it is </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">typically frowned upon when an employee goes over the hea…</span></p>
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<div class="SCXW93992031"><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW93992031"><p class="Paragraph SCXW93992031"><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545174365?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545174365?profile=original" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>In many businesses, it is </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">typically frowned upon when an employee goes over the hea</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">d of their immediate supervisor, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">or directly to another department</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> to get questions answered or problems solved.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> This </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">easily create</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> animosity between the employee and </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">their direct superv</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">isor</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> and is frowned upon </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">as it is a failure to follow</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> chain of command. This system of following a hierarchy has been in place for decades</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">…</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> but is there a better way?</span><span class="EOP SCXW93992031"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW93992031"><p class="Paragraph SCXW93992031"><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Elon Musk says</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> there is. </span><span class="EOP SCXW93992031"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW93992031"><p class="Paragraph SCXW93992031"><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">As </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">recently </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">reported on </span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW93992031" href="https://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/this-email-from-elon-musk-to-tesla-employees-descr.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW93992031">Inc.com</span></span></a><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">in an e-mail to his staff, Musk </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">outlined </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">how employees </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">should communicate</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> and why. Feel free to click on the l</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ink to read the whole e-mail, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">but here are the highlights:</span><span class="EOP SCXW93992031"> </span></p>
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<li>Using the most common flow of information <span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">–</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> through management up the chain and then back down </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">–</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> only serves to e</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">nhance the power of the manager, but</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> fails to service the company.</span><span class="EOP SCXW93992031"> </span></li>
<li>Fr<span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ee flow of communicatio</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">n between any employees, without having to go through management or a chain of command, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">gets problems solved quickly.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> Musk tells </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">his employees </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">they </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">are free to talk to anyone in the company without thought of an</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">y chain of command, or the need for</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> anybody</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">’</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s permission. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">“</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Y</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ou should consider yourself obligated to do so until the right thing happens,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">”</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> said Musk. </span><span class="EOP SCXW93992031"> </span></li>
<li>Musk also stated that, <span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">“…</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">managers should work hard to ensure that they are not creating silos </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">within the company that create an us vs. them mentality or impede communication in any way.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">”</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="EOP SCXW93992031"> </span></li>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW93992031"><p class="Paragraph SCXW93992031"><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Musk feels </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">strongly about management impeding communication</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. In fact, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">in his employee communication</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> he stated,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW93992031"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">“</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Any manager who allows this to happen, let alone encourages it, will soon find themselves working at another compa</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ny. No kidding.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">”</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="EOP SCXW93992031"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW93992031"><p class="Paragraph SCXW93992031"><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">It certainly seems to make sense. The faster problems get solved and/or issues resolved, the more productive a company is</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="EOP SCXW93992031"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW93992031"><p class="Paragraph SCXW93992031"><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Many dealerships operate in silos and enf</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">orce the whole chain of command-</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">type communication system. A sales manager would probably frown upon a salesperson going directly to the GM for an issue. In many dealership, sales and parts are operated almost as independent businesses (silo</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s) which can cause</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> animosity and friction</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. For example, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">perhaps </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">a salesperson encounters a problem with a customer that he or she knows can onl</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">y be rectified by the GM. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">T</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">hey cannot go </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">directly to the GM</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, but </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">first </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">have </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">to go to </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">the sales manager, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">who then may </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">need to discuss it with the GSM</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. A</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">nd then it </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">may still need to go to the GM, a</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ll </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">w</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">hile the custom</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">er is getting increasingly</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> impatient</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Or, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">the used car manager</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> gets frustrated with what he considers </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">excessive recon costs. Typically, these issues are discussed or debated with the GM at manager</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">’</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s meetings</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> rather than </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">being </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">addressed immediately.</span><span class="EOP SCXW93992031"><br/></span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW93992031"><p class="Paragraph SCXW93992031"><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Perhaps it would help if your dealership took a lesson from Elon Musk </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">regard</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ing employee communication protocols.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> It certainly sounds l</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ike a reasonable solution that c</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ould increase productivity</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> by </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">empower</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ing</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> employees </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">to expedite solutions, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">allow</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ing</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> them to incr</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ease their contribution to the dealership.</span><span class="EOP SCXW93992031"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW93992031"><p class="Paragraph SCXW93992031"><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">I</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">’</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">m not saying management is obsolete. Only that managers </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">may want to consider </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">allow</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ing faster</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> communication </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">channels that solve</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> problems. By </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">so </span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">doing, employees can do their jobs better,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW93992031" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> customers should be happier and the result should be improved CSI and profitability.</span><span class="EOP SCXW93992031"> </span></p>
</div>Consumer Attention Spans Are… SQUIRREL!tag:www.dealerelite.net,2017-08-31:5283893:BlogPost:5047822017-08-31T14:00:00.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW46756984"><p class="Paragraph SCXW46756984"><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/125313325?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/125313325?profile=original" width="380"></img></a> If you haven’t already noticed, human’s attention spans, in general, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">are …</span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW46756984"><p class="Paragraph SCXW46756984"><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/125313325?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/125313325?profile=original" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>If you haven’t already noticed, human’s attention spans, in general, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">are </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">decreasing. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">A deluge of</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW46756984"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">short </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">soundbites, marketing messages and social media has created a society that simply won’t listen… if you talk too long. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Do you have a </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">friend who, when they want to tell you a story, you immediately as</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">k</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> them how long it is? If so, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">I’m sure </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">you understand. </span><span class="EOP SCXW46756984"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW46756984"><p class="Paragraph SCXW46756984"><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">A</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ccording to a </span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW46756984" href="http://searchengineland.com/data-consumers-grow-demanding-impatient-brands-fall-behind-281075" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW46756984">recent article</span></span></a><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW46756984"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">on Search Engine Land, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">today’s consumers have become so used to </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">receiving relevant information </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">instantaneous</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ly</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> that, when the online customer experience doesn’t deliver, they simply leave and don’t do business with the company. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">For </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">exampl</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">e, the article shared that in July 2016, the </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">average U.S. retail mobi</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">le site loaded in 6.9 seconds. Well today, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">4</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">0 percent of consumers </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">will leave a page that takes lo</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">nger than three seconds to load. Furthermore, 79</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> percent of shoppers dissatisfied with site performance say they’re less likely to purchase from the same s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ite again.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> While th</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">at may seem harsh, it’s reality -- a</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">nd it’s probably only going to get worse. </span><span class="EOP SCXW46756984"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW46756984"><p class="Paragraph SCXW46756984"><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">For automotive retailers, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">the</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> current trend is</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> to take more of the buying experience online</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. This is </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">evident in the start-ups vying to sell </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">and deliver vehicles </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">online direct-to-consumer</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, as well as </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">in the larger traditional automotive vendors </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">who are </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">rolling out comprehensive ways </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">for</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> customers to complete more of the buying process online.</span><span class="EOP SCXW46756984"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW46756984"><p class="Paragraph SCXW46756984"><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">If the statistics from the Search Engine Land article </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">hold up for </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">the </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">car dealership web experience (and there is no reason to expect that car buyers are any different from any other type of online buyer), then </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">you would be wise to ensure that the customer experience on your</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> website throughout the entire process is </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">both fast and easy. Otherwise you</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW46756984"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">risk losing the</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW46756984"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">sale and any future business </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">from that customer. </span><span class="EOP SCXW46756984"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW46756984"><p class="Paragraph SCXW46756984"><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Customer loyalty cannot be earned from a customer that never existed. There are plenty of people </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">searching through your </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">dealership website</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> every day that </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">you </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">will ne</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ver know existed. Ensuring </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">the DIGITAL customer experience is great is </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">in fact as important as, if not more important than insuring </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">the customer’s physical experience is</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> exceptional</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. </span><span class="EOP SCXW46756984"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW46756984"><p class="Paragraph SCXW46756984"><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Your </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">dealership will </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">get more consumers on your </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">digital lot (i.e. website) than in person. Imagine </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">if a customer came onto your lot and was</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> ignored for 30 minutes. That</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> customer experience would </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">probably </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">not work out well for your </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">dealership</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="EOP SCXW46756984"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW46756984"><p class="Paragraph SCXW46756984"><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">The problem is </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">that </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">the gap between </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">business investments and technology adoption is </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">currently quite </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">significant</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> – especially in our automotive industry. While many businesses b</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">eliev</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">e they “should” adopt</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> new technologies, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">according to the article, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">66 percent of m</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">arketers have no plans </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">to do so. </span><span class="EOP SCXW46756984"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW46756984"><p class="Paragraph SCXW46756984"><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">S</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">tart analyzing consumer behavior</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> as far as </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">what is working, what is not and what is n</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">eeded (technology-wise). If you don’t, you</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> risk losing sales and loyal </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">customer</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s who</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> could </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">bring you r</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">evenue for years.</span><span class="EOP SCXW46756984"><br/></span></p>
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<p class="Paragraph SCXW46756984"><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">I</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">n our era of 140-word count tweets, Facebook posts</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> that lean</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> towards </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">shorter </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">video</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s and brands that thrive on shorter marketing messages,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> it’s become a challenge for businesses to capture – and ke</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ep – the attention of the average</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> consumer. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">T</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">oday’s customers have the attention span of a squirrel. If you don’t cater for the faster, almost instant gratification </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">they</span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> demand, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">your customers </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">will </span><span class="TextRun SCXW46756984" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">move onto a better experience at the competition.</span> </p>
</div>Text Messages: Google’s Wake-Up Call to Dealerstag:www.dealerelite.net,2017-08-22:5283893:BlogPost:5047242017-08-22T13:57:04.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW252251445"><p class="Paragraph SCXW252251445"><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545191144?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545191144?profile=original" width="380"></img></a> T</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">ext</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">ing is by far the most popular…</span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW252251445"><p class="Paragraph SCXW252251445"><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545191144?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545191144?profile=original" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>T</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ext</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ing is by far the most popular</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> form of communication</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> for consumers</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> – especially with younger generations.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> However, because of the many compliancy rules and laws that have to be followed, m</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">any dealers </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">are </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">hesitant to adopt text messaging </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">-- they simply </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">don’t want to risk it. </span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCXW252251445"><span class="SCXW252251445"> </span></span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW252251445"><p class="Paragraph SCXW252251445"><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Consumers</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">prefer to communicate via text b</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ecause it’s short, to the point and non-intrusive. Have you e</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ver tried to call one of your kids or grandkids only to have them fail to answer, then</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> text you right back asking what you need? </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Or have your ever received a voicemail, not bothered to listen to it, and simply </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">texted the caller back? </span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCXW252251445"><span class="SCXW252251445"> </span><br class="SCXW252251445"/></span><span class="EOP SCXW252251445"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW252251445"><p class="Paragraph SCXW252251445"><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Short</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">-</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">form messaging is popular and should be high on </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">your </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">list of priorities to</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> offer your customers a</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s a form of communication</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. Why? Well, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">while email marketing has been around for</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> many years</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, emails go into spam filters, get lost in a stack of unread e-mails</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> or </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">are </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">simply ignored. If you get an open rate anywhere north of 20 percent, you’re doing</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> a</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> pretty good</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> job</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. Text messages, on the other hand, typically get read within 3 minutes of </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">receipt</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, according to the </span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW252251445" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-morrow/5-reasons-sms-marketing-i_b_12273948.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW252251445">Huffington Post</span></span></a><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. There is also </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">no spam filter (short of a customer blocking your number, that is.) </span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCXW252251445"><span class="SCXW252251445"> </span><br class="SCXW252251445"/></span><span class="EOP SCXW252251445"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW252251445"><p class="Paragraph SCXW252251445"><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">If that isn’t proof enough for you that consumers want to communicate with businesses via text messages, try this on for size</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">:</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> Google recently implemented a “</span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW252251445" href="https://support.google.com/business/answer/7177958?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW252251445">Message</span></span></a><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">” feature on its </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Google M</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">y Business pages. What does this</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> mean</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> for your dealership</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">? </span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCXW252251445"><span class="SCXW252251445"> </span><br class="SCXW252251445"/></span><span class="EOP SCXW252251445"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW252251445"><p class="Paragraph SCXW252251445"><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">In the past, when </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">consumer</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s searched a business on a</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> mobile device, they were presented with a map</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> with some user-friendly buttons such as</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> directions, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">click-to-call, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">etc. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">But n</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ow, for businesses that </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">choose to turn it on, Google will provide </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">consumers </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">with </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">the option to text </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">the business</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">O</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">nce cons</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">umers get used to using it, I’ll get usage will skyrocket. If the most popular search engine by far and </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">largest advertising platform </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">believes </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">adding text</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ing capabilities to its platform</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> is what consumers want, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">this is a pretty big </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">wake-up call</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> for us all</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. </span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCXW252251445"><span class="SCXW252251445"> </span><br class="SCXW252251445"/></span><span class="EOP SCXW252251445"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW252251445"><p class="Paragraph SCXW252251445"><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">While I </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">love the idea </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">of Google’s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Message service, I do see a problem with it. Texts sent via this</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> service go to indiv</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">idual cell phones. Sure, as a dealer you </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">can set</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> up as many cell phones as you want </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">for customers to </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">text to. But there is currently no way</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> I know of</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> for you </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">to memorialize those text </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">conversation in </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">your</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> CRM, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">other than manually notating it. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">And, as I am sure you are aware, a</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> customer’s cell phone number is gold when it comes to data, functionality and efficient communication. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Lacking this data and conversations in your CRM would be a huge hole. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">If anyone out there knows of a solution to this I would love to hear about it!</span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCXW252251445"><span class="SCXW252251445"> </span><br class="SCXW252251445"/></span><span class="EOP SCXW252251445"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW252251445"><p class="Paragraph SCXW252251445"><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">My bet is that vendors and OEMs will certainly pay attention to this development by Google, as Google certainly keeps on top on what consumer’</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s demand. So, keep a look out </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">for a solution soon that efficiently </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">memorializes </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">these text conversations in your CRM –</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> that will be </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">a great addition as far as </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">tracking </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">the consumer’s path to the sale. I strongly believe consu</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">mers will</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> soon</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> be using</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> this service (assuming you</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> tur</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">n it on and set it up). </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">And, a</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">more and more consumer </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">use</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> this method of commu</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">nication through Google, if your dealership does not</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> allow this type of functionality</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, you may well find you are</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> missing </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">prime </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">opportunities</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> which </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">go to competitors which</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> do offer it</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. </span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject DragDrop SCXW252251445"><span class="SCXW252251445"> </span><br class="SCXW252251445"/></span><span class="EOP SCXW252251445"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW252251445"><p class="Paragraph SCXW252251445"><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Text messaging isn’t going away. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">As a form of communication i</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">t’s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> only going to get more popular. F</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">lip the “on” switch and be there when they reach out. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Your customers will appreciate it and you’ll </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">be able to </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">more </span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">efficiently communicate with your</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> customer</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW252251445" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> – a win-win in my opinion.</span><span class="EOP SCXW252251445"> </span></p>
</div>A Successful Rewards Program Should Not Be All About Rewardstag:www.dealerelite.net,2017-08-16:5283893:BlogPost:5046172017-08-16T13:42:40.000ZMike Gorunhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeGorun
<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW139766463"><p class="Paragraph SCXW139766463"><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545177498?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545177498?profile=original" width="380"></img></a> Let’s face it, for every 10 businesses that exist, 9 have some sort of rewards program. While they used to be novel and exciting, customers are </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US">now …</span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW139766463"><p class="Paragraph SCXW139766463"><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545177498?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545177498?profile=original" width="380" class="align-right"/></a>Let’s face it, for every 10 businesses that exist, 9 have some sort of rewards program. While they used to be novel and exciting, customers are </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">now </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">used to them. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">They may well sign up. But, far too often, customers do so </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">not because they are loyal</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> but because they happen to</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> already be at that</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> business</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. </span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject SCXW139766463"><span class="SCXW139766463"> </span><br class="SCXW139766463"/></span><span class="EOP SCXW139766463"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW139766463"><p class="Paragraph SCXW139766463"><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">T</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">oo many companies use customer loyalty programs as a crutch</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> thinking if they give the</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ir customers something for free, or offer incentives, this will create loyalty. That viewpoint is </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">wrong. A loyalty program is designed to enhance the customer experience </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">and show the customer that you care </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">about them.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> Often,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> loyalty programs aren’t as successful as anticipated solely because the customer experience </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">falls far short of any reward </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">the customer could </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">possibly earn</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Or the program</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW139766463"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">present</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> customers with undes</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">irable or irrelevant rewards and make</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> any that are d</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">esirable seemingly impossible to reach. </span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject SCXW139766463"><span class="SCXW139766463"> </span><br class="SCXW139766463"/></span><span class="EOP SCXW139766463"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW139766463"><p class="Paragraph SCXW139766463"><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Well, if it’s </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">not rewards, what actually does create</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> a loyal </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">customer?</span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject SCXW139766463"><span class="SCXW139766463"> </span><br class="SCXW139766463"/></span><span class="EOP SCXW139766463"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW139766463"><p class="Paragraph SCXW139766463"><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">An </span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW139766463" href="http://www.smartcompany.com.au/partner-content/articles/rewards-create-loyal-customers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW139766463">article</span></span></a><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> carried by</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> SmartCompany, gives an</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> interesting</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> example</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> about </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">a</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> fish and chips restaurant </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">that </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">always gave customers an extra serving of </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">fish</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. A</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">s customers got used to </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">it,</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> they started ordering one less than they act</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">ually wanted, knowing </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">that the restaurant owner would give them an extra one – the exact amount they wanted. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">This practice actually had </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">an adverse effect on the business</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> and it ended up </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">losing money</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> while failing </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">to create customer loyalty.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW139766463"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Why? Because the reward became… well… not a reward, but an expectation. </span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject SCXW139766463"><span class="SCXW139766463"> </span><br class="SCXW139766463"/></span><span class="EOP SCXW139766463"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW139766463"><p class="Paragraph SCXW139766463"><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">T</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">o earn loyalty, the </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">first and foremost item on your “to-do” list should </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">be to create a great customer experience. Without a great experience, it doesn’t matter what rewards </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">you offer</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">According to </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Chief customer experienc</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">e officer and strategist of CXA, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Cos Luccitti</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">, who is quoted in</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> the </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">SmartCompany </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">article, “Humans are complex, demanding creatures. We like free stuff, but it’s not what b</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">onds us to a brand </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">or business.” He goes on to state </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">that answering the question of </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">“</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">how does the business solve my problem and make my life easier</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">,”</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> is the most important thing. </span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject SCXW139766463"><span class="SCXW139766463"> </span><br class="SCXW139766463"/></span><span class="EOP SCXW139766463"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW139766463"><p class="Paragraph SCXW139766463"><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Loyalty programs have become integrated into </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">our society. You probably</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> belong to several.</span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US"> The fact is that many customers would find it odd for businesses NOT to have one. </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">However, simply offering one, and having one that is fully integrated it into a company culture based on an excellent customer experience, are two completely different things – and guess which one wins?</span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject SCXW139766463"><span class="SCXW139766463"> </span><br class="SCXW139766463"/></span><span class="EOP SCXW139766463"> </span></p>
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<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW139766463"><p class="Paragraph SCXW139766463"><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Rather than trying to leverage your loyalty program to create loyal customers, why not leverage your customer experience </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">first, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW139766463" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">and then use your loyalty program to reward them? That, is a winning formula.</span><span class="EOP SCXW139766463"> </span></p>
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