Businesses and organizations have made strides in the last year to improve their overall understanding and strategy in social media. Many who once played in the social media realm using traditional internet marketing techniques such as posting only self-serving links have changed gears and focused on higher-visibility content such as images. Unfortunately, many are still lacking the understanding of how the networks work and how to post properly.…

New case study shows how Auto Sound teamed with AOA and dealerships to drive a 50% increase of in-dealership sales of Auto Sound products in just four months.

One year after launching, izmocars’ AOA Supplier Digital Network is generating accessories sales results for both suppliers and dealerships. A new case study released today shows how Boston area aftermarket supplier, Auto Sound, helped dealerships selling its products leverage the…

When making the perfect peanut butter chocolate pie (my all time favorite), there are several ingredients that go in to make the perfect tasting pie. When it comes to selling a new or used vehicle, there are also certain ingredients that will facilitate a sale.

With the pie baking analogy not only do you need the right ingredients, but you also need the right pre baking components in order to make the pie like an oven, baking pans, measuring cups etc. When it comes to…

Content marketing is internet marketing. It has been for a while (which I'll discuss below) but is 2013 it will emerge to become the "must have".

It was during a discussion on ADM…

Much of the eastern seaboard is expecting (or already experiencing) massive power outages and flooding as Hurricane Sandy makes landfall. We at ActivEngage think this is a good time to talk about what to do when your Internet network goes down. As a live chat provider, it is…

Twitter is planning to get rid of their favorite button in favor of something a little more Facebook-y. They want to actually add a tool similar to Facebook’s ‘Like’ tool, which may be use the terms ‘like’ or ‘star’. The company is saying they want to change the wording just to make it seem “lighter weight” but it could still have an impact on…

It’s been a few months since I have written for SEL. I had to take a short ‘sabbatical’ to hunker down and focus on a major phase of development and updates on our own site.

It’s nice to get back to blogging but I have to admit that I feel a bit off the pace. Writing is like exercise; once you are out of practice the first time back takes longer and…

In May, 2010, Matt Cutts denied that social signals had an effect on search rankings. In December of the same year, he declared that they were actually starting to work in the buzz and signals they were able to get through social media into the site authority factor of their ranking algorithm. Six months later, Google+ was born.

The Penguin Update and subsequent tweaks to it have changed the way that search engine marketers approach aggressive optimization. The days…

Unless you're some sort of crazy selling machine, keep reading!

Contrary to what the title of this article suggests, I am not going to write about how to sell less. Rather, I will focus on some of the simple steps to the sale that often go overlooked that prevent more deals from being closed. In vehicle sales, the amount of units you push directly affects the amount of money you collect so it’s crucial to keep yourself in check so that you can constantly strive to kick your sales up a…

A couple of hours ago, I made note of a photo that Brian Pasch posted of empty shelves at his local grocery store.  That photo reminded me that I’d meant to cover a back-to- the-basics concept that I struggled with while doing some research last week.

First off, let me tell you that I LOVE CARS.  I have loved…

There are 13,000 different voter districts in the United States and each one has its own rules and regulations. As HR administrators and employers, the important thing to know is whether or not your state requires employers give their employees time off for voting. Most do, and even some with pay.

Here’s the state-by-state list of employers who are mandated to give their employees time off to vote, re-posted as it appears on the …

Enough is Enough!

Haven't you had it with all of these Data Pirates using our own customer information to defame us, lower our profits, alienate our customers... while…

Scripting Our Objection Responses

As I travel around the country meeting with Salespeople I am so amazed at the lack of preparation that most have in overcoming some of the basic Customer objections. So many still use the old, “If I could would you?”, “What will it take to earn your business today?”, and the most popular, single…

For some time now I have chided myself for not chronicling the random and not so random thought that courses through my brain on a daily basis.  A child of the "teach English by forced journaling" era, perhaps I believe that every thought must be put to print lest you deprive the future of your all importance consciousness.  Or perhaps, like everyone else in our current narcissistic culture I believe that my thoughts and ideas have meaning beyond the confines…

The Internet is practically a limitless form of Media. This interconnected Web has brought together people across the world in ways that no one could have ever imagined some

twenty years ago. Let’s face it, the Internet is here to stay and your dealership’s website is becoming the go-to for interested car buyers. Don't make your customers wonder whether they've visited the wrong side of the…

How many positive reviews from customers…

Good morning Dealer Elite Members.....

As I travel around North America and speak to salespeople, customers, managers, owners and BDC reps I am always surprised by how often salespeople are prevented from selling vehicles buy not asking great questions.

The situation usually starts after a salesperson has spend several hours with the customer and asks for the order. The customer usually says something like, I need to speak to my wife, my friend, my dad, my…

You’ve probably heard of Reddit.com. It’s a social news website where users can submit links. These links are voted on, either up or down, so that quality posts move towards the first page and other posts fade into obscurity. Usually, Reddit is talked about as a great place to find interesting content, but the site offers more than that. It can be a great asset for marketing…

Greetings, everyone!



I often hear this in dealerships and it drives me crazy: “Today with the Web, clients know more about cars than the salespeople!”

And the sad fact is that this is often true… How can this be?  Do sales staff not have the same access to the Internet and do they not have the latest information at all times?

It’s an open secret that consumers have drastically…