We are well into December. It's time to take stock of your year and your accomplishments. It’s definitely time to have fun and to be mindful of what is ahead. As we turn the corner into a new year, 2015, today’s Women’s Wednesday you are invited to take a short, interactive quiz to evaluate where there is room to expand your dealership’s customer excellence. And in doing so, your competitive…

DMDIRECT announces Michael Vahl as Director for Software Design and Technology

Machias Me, December 15, 2014 - Former software designer for ADP joins DMDIRECT.  Michael Vahl has signed on as the technology director for the data mining company.  He is responsible for the platform design as well as adding innovations to the data mining service.  He has assembled a team of…

Let me start off by stressing the word social, these are going to be topics, events and days of interest that you can use to be conversation pieces with people in your online communities. None will be car specific but instead topics that might stimulate two-way conversations and recognition. People are pretty smart, they know ABC Toyota sells Toyota’s, you don’t have to tell them every day.

These topics will fall into the fun section of my 4-3-2-1 Rule of Facebook Posting. Each month,…

Womens-Drivers.com, the leading dealer ratings and review site for Women buyers, conducts ongoing research through our Women’s Satisfaction Index (WSI®) report to provide dealers with important insights into buying habits of women.

Women-Drivers.com asks women to complete an optional 25 question survey about their dealership experience after completing a dealer review. An amazing ninety-two percent of women complete this extensive survey primarily to share their experience with other…

http://youtu.be/8xbo_FkIx3U

As you can hear in the attached video, we're ready to prove what has improved in equity data mining technology. DMDIRECT is poised to take on the challenge of all the rooftops ignored thus far by other data mining companies.  We are also adding new technology that has never been available under one brand.

For example:

• Text Marketing to…

Today, our Women’s Wednesday focuses on the road to ultimate business success. This is powered by a growing customer base, increasing loyalty and customer retention. Here are some innovative marketing ideas to increase your competitive edge by delivering more value to women customers.

Data Mining has taken a gigantic leap forward this year as www.dmdirectglobal.com announces the latest in technology advances for data mining of previous customers.  DMDirect has engaged top level software designers from ADP and the designer of the site RAPIDLEGAL.com.  This means that in addition to having one of the auto industry's top sales expert coupled with the leaders in software design, they can now offer dealers more…

In the modern day, auto dealership owners are being encouraged to tap into the benefits of mobile marketing. So, what are the reasons why a dealership should use mobile marketing? Is it the only effective form of marketing today? Does it mean that other forms of marketing are obsolete? Mobile marketing is in no doubt among the best forms of marketing today. The use of mobile devices has been on the rise in recent times and thus business owners find it…

I’ve written many times about the value of training and professional development to employee retention.  Training, in combination with a company culture designed to create engaged employees, can help make a dealership a force to be reckoned with. Employee retention has always been a pain point in the automotive industry, because many employees feel there is no job security.…

Today we focus on customization when selling to women. When dealership personnel say that they “treat everyone the same,” what they really mean is that they greet prospects consistently and similarly with a sales process - whether in person or digitally. However, having the capacity and ability to treat each customer the same simply can’t be accomplished. It sounds nice as a concept, but after all we are humans, not robots. We can’t be shaped and programmed to treat…

Investing in self-managed live chat can be a big, yet profitable step for your dealership. It saves you money and allows you to connect with your online shoppers in a way that builds trust and starts lasting relationships before they even reach your physical store.

However, in-house live chat can be a bit challenging if you’ve never done it before. That’s why I’m sharing some quick tips to help any first-timers get started.

CHAT…

Last week, I mentioned 6 important social media updates you should look out for on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. This week, it’s all about the recent changes to Pinterest -- and boy, there are quite a few. SPOILER ALERT: Some of these update launches are in the works, but it is good-to-know information for planning your dealership's marketing strategy on this…

Today we are looking at the Service Drive. This is the critical department where your female customers visit in between purchasing or leasing their vehicles. With all the touch points in the service department, it's also happens to be the highest gross margin department in your store. It's the place where retention happens - or doesn’t.…

Today’s Women’s Wednesday is a must-read as we focus on the cost to your dealership when women walk out.

In the Wall Street Journal last month, it was reported there are now more women drivers on the road than men. The last several years the auto…

Bob visits a website searching for a new vehicle. As he filters down to the model he is considering, he is confronted with a seemingly endless list of stock photos with similar prices. Frustrated at the lack of information, he leaves and attempts his search on another site just to get the same results.

Suzy is in the market for a used vehicle.…

A recent Wall Street Journal article titled “Car Sellers Refine Pitch to Women” revealed that more women are driving than men. In fact, there are 105+ million women on the roads today, as opposed to 104+ million men and more elderly women are holding on to their driver’s license (USA Today, Nov. 2012). As the relationship women have with their cars tightens, it’s time the…

There are many stories of young kids or teens starting successful businesses. And there are as well the simple stories of kids mowing lawns or washing cars to earn extra money while their friends are out playing. A similar story gained…

With so many options available when choosing how to allocate marketing budgets, dealers are increasingly finding themselves conflicted over what to use. Every dealer wants to know whether their marketing is producing results – whether that is in sales or service. And all vendors will attempt to show ROI for their services. Furthermore, how is a dealer to know whether the…