Tom Gorham's Posts - DealerELITE.net2024-03-28T19:28:37ZTom Gorhamhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/TomGorhamhttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2535843333?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://www.dealerelite.net/profiles/blog/feed?user=1kfzt0xh961qc&xn_auth=noOde to Jim Zeigler and Living at Warp 5tag:www.dealerelite.net,2011-10-12:5283893:BlogPost:2312512011-10-12T00:30:56.000ZTom Gorhamhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/TomGorham
<p>I no sooner got back to Chicago from Digital Dealer 11 in Las Vegas, than I took off with my family to a campground in Indiana where I had no Internet… no Smart Phone… no electronics! What an absolute turnaround! Upon arriving home, I immediately went to my computer and fired up my email; I saw that Jim Zeigler had posted his latest monthly article at ADM. I couldn’t wait and went directly to his article, which mesmerized me as usual. …</p>
<p>I no sooner got back to Chicago from Digital Dealer 11 in Las Vegas, than I took off with my family to a campground in Indiana where I had no Internet… no Smart Phone… no electronics! What an absolute turnaround! Upon arriving home, I immediately went to my computer and fired up my email; I saw that Jim Zeigler had posted his latest monthly article at ADM. I couldn’t wait and went directly to his article, which mesmerized me as usual. <a href="http://www.automotivedigitalmarketing.com/profiles/blogs/an-ode-to-jim-zeiglar-and-living-at-warp-5?xg_source=activity">http://www.automotivedigitalmarketing.com/profiles/blogs/an-ode-to-jim-zeiglar-and-living-at-warp-5?xg_source=activity</a></p>From the Trenches – The Hybrid Internettag:www.dealerelite.net,2011-09-27:5283893:BlogPost:2253762011-09-27T02:18:58.000ZTom Gorhamhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/TomGorham
<p>There’s been a lot of talk recently about the death of the Internet Department and the birth of the digital dealer. I certainly agree with this in principle as the Internet and digital technology have essentially become part and parcel to most retail industries. However in car dealerships, at least, there are issues that can’t be glossed over or treated lightly. These are issues of implementation.…<br></br><br></br></p>
<p>There’s been a lot of talk recently about the death of the Internet Department and the birth of the digital dealer. I certainly agree with this in principle as the Internet and digital technology have essentially become part and parcel to most retail industries. However in car dealerships, at least, there are issues that can’t be glossed over or treated lightly. These are issues of implementation.<br/><br/><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1560703103?profile=original"><img width="201" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1560703103?profile=original" class="align-right"/></a>In a recent conversation with a dealer who expressed dissatisfaction with the organization of his Internet strategy, I mentioned a system of integration that I originally put in place in 2004. A light bulb seemed to go off in his head. As I began to explain the benefits of my system, he said repeatedly, “I get it, I get it, and I like it!”<br/><br/>This made me think that perhaps others would find this information useful. And so this article originated. And though each dealership has different characteristics, staff abilities or buy-in, and competitive market, I believe with modifications, this strategy can work in most individual dealerships.<br/><br/>Before 2004, I was Internet Manager in the traditional sense, responsible for all aspects of the experience from the technical to selling cars from start to finish. I had assistance (my Assistant Manager alone has been with me 10 years) but as Internet sales grew, we had to decide whether to continue that path and continue to grow the size of our Internet Department or go a different route.<br/><br/>I was convinced that in the future, all sales staff would be Internet salespeople. In that statement lay the path to erasing the line between the Internet Department and the sales floor. Here is the system, the benefits, and the pitfalls that must be overcome.<br/><br/><strong><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1560703205?profile=original"></a>Strategy:</strong></p>
<p>Have people who will answer incoming leads in a timely, professional manner “in the name of” people on your sales staff with their photo and signature. The leads will then be given to the salespeople who will immediately begin follow-up starting with the phone, but also incorporating texting, email, and whatever other means of communication the dealership utilizes.<br/><br/><strong>Organization:</strong><br/><br/></p>
<ul>
<li>There must be a certain person or number of people to handle digital sales “management” and marketing (website, Social Media, lead sources, SEO/SEM, customer reviews, etc. This is the person or people with knowledge and experience who are capable of planning and implementing strategy.</li>
<li>There also must be people to answer incoming leads. I utilize my Assistant Manager and BDC people who also have other duties but are trainable to properly answer a lead and are ALWAYS in front of their computer.</li>
<li>Sales Professionals who have been trained to understand pricing strategy and how to deal with knowledgeable Internet consumers.</li>
</ul>
<p><br/><br/><strong>Benefits:</strong> <br/><br/></p>
<ul>
<li><span class="font-size-2">Timeliness of response</span> – a good response time is approximately 15 minutes 24/7</li>
<li>Quality of response</li>
<li>Price control - formulas for initial quotes are strictly enforced</li>
<li>Professionalsim is always maintained</li>
<li>Continuity - customer feel like they are working with one person throughout the sales process</li>
<li>Eliminates conflict and resentment between floor staff and Internet staff</li>
<li>Promotes teamwork</li>
<li>Gets the whole dealership involved in reaching goals</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Requirements and Pitfalls:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Training for your staff – BDC, sales staff, floor managers, etc. – Crucial!</li>
<li>Commitment - the transition doesn't happen overnight, it takes patience and persistence</li>
<li>Good user-friendly CRM, sales processes, templates, pricing strategy and follow-up system</li>
<li>Communication and buy-in – sales staff are traditionally geared toward the sales experience or performance. They must see the value in work that may seem tedious and under-whelming to get customers “in the door.”</li>
<li>Hiring must incorporate different or broader skill requirements for future sales staff. Computer literacy is a must.</li>
<li>Valued older staff that produce but cannot adapt must be dealt with either by acceptance of their limitations or replacement. We chose attrition.</li>
<li>A good, reasonable T.O. policy - you may wish to T.O. non-responsive Internet customers to your BDC (Customer Care) for a fresh approach after 2 weeks</li>
</ul>
<p><br/><br/>This is just a broad outline of “one way” to achieve digital dealer integration. It obviously may not be for everyone. But if you are agonizing over this question, you may wish to consider this. I welcome your questions or comments.</p>Death of a (Car) Salesman?tag:www.dealerelite.net,2011-08-28:5283893:BlogPost:2041422011-08-28T18:16:51.000ZTom Gorhamhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/TomGorham
<p>Recently, Larry Bruce provided us with a wonderful article called "The American Car Salesman". In it he talked about the characteristics of those who make their living by proving themselves every single day. And for us in the business for some time, it touched us and gave us pride for the independent spirit of those of us who have never drawn a paycheck just for showing up. But no wistfulness here; I think this spirit still lives today. <br></br><br></br>The Internet revolution, being followed by…</p>
<p>Recently, Larry Bruce provided us with a wonderful article called "The American Car Salesman". In it he talked about the characteristics of those who make their living by proving themselves every single day. And for us in the business for some time, it touched us and gave us pride for the independent spirit of those of us who have never drawn a paycheck just for showing up. But no wistfulness here; I think this spirit still lives today. <br/><br/>The Internet revolution, being followed by the Digital and Social Media revolutions is changing the way we do business just as surely as the railroads, settlers, and ranchers changed the old West. Change is here. But it is not the death of the independent spirit here in America. Those qualities will just manifest in otherways and other places.<br/><br/>Today, I hear the debates and passionate exchanges of those who are blazing the way. They are betting their livelihoods and reputations on being right. They are in the trenches and dealing with reality day after day. <br/><br/>The resisters are living wistfully in the past and no longer have the adventurist spirit. They keep asking why.... instead of connecting with their customers. <br/><br/>Yet I see individual salespeople experimenting and trying new things to step ahead of the competition and EARN their way. They are using new technologies and new ways of relating to their customers and guess what... they are still one of the few in America who make their living by proving themselves every single day.<br/><br/>Death of a Car Salesman? I think not. It may be the end of a certain type of selling, thank God, but that spirit of self-reliance, resilience, and independence lives on.</p>The People We Touch - Word of Mouth Advertisingtag:www.dealerelite.net,2011-05-21:5283893:BlogPost:1144072011-05-21T21:45:01.000ZTom Gorhamhttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/TomGorham
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545099190?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545099190?profile=original" width="600"></img></a> <br></br>Word of mouth advertising – it’s not almost a cliché, it IS a cliché. But it’s one we must be mindful of, because it’s the one thing in advertising that not only hasn’t changed, but is even more important today than ever.</p>
<p><br></br>With the Internet and digital advertising, Social Media and Dealer Reviews, word of mouth advertising rules. Everything we say and do can…</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545099190?profile=original"><img width="600" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2545099190?profile=original" class="align-center"/></a><br/>Word of mouth advertising – it’s not almost a cliché, it IS a cliché. But it’s one we must be mindful of, because it’s the one thing in advertising that not only hasn’t changed, but is even more important today than ever.</p>
<p><br/>With the Internet and digital advertising, Social Media and Dealer Reviews, word of mouth advertising rules. Everything we say and do can be magnified and broadcast literally to the world.</p>
<p><br/>A local dealer has a website that receives thousands of potential customers a month. It is has been called the first point of contact for a potential customer, not the dealership facility itself. But even that is passing.</p>
<p><br/>The dealer may be putting videos on YouTube. My company has a thousand videos on YouTube that received over 60,500 views. Today is May 21st and already this month, our videos have been watched over 3500 times.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>If a dealership has a Blog, it may be receiving hundreds of readers per month. Their Facebook page possibly receives 500 to a 1000 daily vistors, and they may have a thousand followers on Twitter that pass their tweets to thousands more. What impressions do they get from these interactions?</p>
<p><br/>When a potential customer looks on Google, they may find you on the first page. That’s well and good, but what are they seeing there? Near the top, they see your Google Places page with reviews (good and bad). Those reviews may take them to other review sites such as DealerRater.com or Yelp where they will see more reviews (good and bad).</p>
<p><br/>The telephone has always been one of the best ways to communicate with customers. We have learned scripts and ways to deal with objections, requests for prices and project ourselves professionally over the phone. But email and texting create new problems. Projecting personality, concern, and influence becomes more challenging. And monitoring these exchanges can be difficult if not impossible.</p>
<p><br/>What every dealer, manager, salesperson, and service writer should understand today is that is all about the people we touch with our communications, marketing, and interactions. With the Internet and digital communications, we have ALL become public figures. One slip of the tongue, one poorly written email, or one thoughtless text can become headline news the next minute.</p>
<p><br/>This is not a bad thing. It creates opportunities for dealers. Operate in a transparent manner with the customer’s best interests at heart, and you have the advantage. Strive to exceed the customer’s expectations, and handle problems and disappointments with concern and you can be a hero. After all, our customers ARE our business. They support us and our families.</p>