We've always known about our phone answering problems, but I rarely hear anyone talk about what we're saying to customers via email.

Did you know that you can measure all sorts of things around email to discover who is doing it well and who isn't? My favorite is to look at the number of emails sent against the number of emails a customer replied to.

For example: Joey sends 800 emails in a month and only 100 customers reply to him ...100 ÷ 800 = 12.5%.  When I see this number at a percentage less than 35% I start reading emails.

And what do I find when I start reading the emails that aren't being replied to?

Everything from people putting FU (more seasoned sales people believe this means "Follow Up") in the subject to "we don't provide prices over email." I even see messages where sales agents tell customers the dealership's advertisements are a joke. And the vast majority of the emails I read do not answer the customer's questions.
Email is where you are losing the most opportunities. Maybe as much as half.

There are two main email lessons to teach your staff:

1. Email needs to benefit the consumer (and all communication for that matter).  Happily answer their questions and provide a path for them to follow.
   
2. Consistency.  You're not having one on one communication with another person; you're a representative of the dealership.  They're not going to be friends with you after the sale.  If you say something wrong they'll turn on you in a second.  Be sure that your message is consistent with the one the dealership is saying, and never berate it.

Managers, please start measuring the difference between the number of emails sent to the number of emails your staff is receiving.  And then read the emails being sent from those individuals under the 35% mark.

I predict that most dealers are under a 20% email response average from their customers. That means that up to 80% of what you're sending might be telling a customer to buy their next car somewhere else.

Whats your dealers email response average? 

A huge stumbling block to creating interesting, original social media content is the fear of the lens. Time to get comfortable.

 


By now, I’m sure you’ve read all about why using video is important in your dealership. Videos of vehicle presentations, employee introductions, customer testimonials, special events, kids, and general silliness (among other things) can help communicate the personality of your organization in ways no other medium can.

If the employees in your dealership aren’t used to having a camera around, it will take some work to get everyone accustomed to it. If your dealership does embrace video--fantastic, but there still might be some ongoing challenges to overcome. Perhaps this scenario sounds familiar...

It’s a weekday morning, and the showroom is empty except for a few service customers reading their iPads and drinking coffee. A creative urge strikes, and you grab your video camera to start on that idea you wrote down last week. As you walk from station to station, looking for willing subjects, you’re met with a string of rejections, like ”I’ve got a migraine,” “you know I don’t do well on camera,” “ask so and so--he’s the real star,”  “I’ve got people coming in” and “not today.” Maybe someone actually grunts at you. Your creative momentum comes to a screeching halt, and the camera goes back in the bag with the dim hope that sometime soon, you’ll get another chance. 

This scenario highlights what I believe is the biggest obstacle to making videos at a car dealership: Camera shyness. Not just on the part of the subject, but the camera operator as well.

Obtaining someone’s agreement to be on camera is very much a sales exercise, and, come to think of it, camera shyness has a lot in common with a car shopper’s anxiety. Both involve a lack of trust and the fear of making a mistake.

Take heart. Embrace the spectrum of personalities of the people you film -- it’s what will make your videos come alive. As much as you might be tempted to, you just can’t keep taking pictures and video of the front of your building or of the cars on the lot. People want to see other people, so here are some suggestions I’ve compiled based on my experience as an in-house video guy...

Be prepared. Approaching people with a fully formed idea is more effective than asking “would you like to make a video?” Remember that good video is about telling stories, and turning on the camera and telling someone to “do something” will not result in a compelling story. Even if you’re asking someone to describe to the camera how their job fits in to the organization, have a quick conversation about what the goals of the video are, and how this person fits in to the achievement of those goals. Five or ten minutes alone with a pen and notepad before the lens cap comes off will work wonders. Remember to think in terms of shots, not just dialogue and action. The time of day has a huge impact on which shots will work in what locations, whether customer traffic or the position of the sun.

Give your subjects time to prepare. Sounds fair enough, right? It isn’t realistic to expect everyone to always be ready to shine on camera, and I’ve found that scheduling an appointment to film works wonders. Recently, I filmed some introduction videos for the ladies of our BDC, and we had a fantastic time because they knew what would be happening and came to the session relaxed and prepared. Granted, sometimes videos need to be made right now (filming a walkaround for a hot out-of-state lead, for example), but when that happens, use the situation as an opportunity to bond with the others involved in the project.

Be specific about what you want from people. People respond to direction, and the more you can explain to them what will work best for the photo or video, the more comfortable they will be losing themselves in the moment. Saying, “so, yeah, just be natural, you know what to do” isn’t enough. You MUST be the director. Even if they seem in a hurry, they’ll appreciate you taking the time to tell them how to look their best.  Also, it may seem simple, but giving directions in reverse (okay, move to the left, no, my left, your right, etc) takes practice, so give that some thought, too.

Experiment with props. You can’t buy new props every time you want to make a video, but if you’d like to see a lot of people get involved, this could be a great way to start. Hiding behind a huge white beard or silly hat is great for the nerves.

Try setting up a decoy situation. I’ve found that just setting the camera up and recording nothing in particular will encourage people to goof off or try to undermine what they think is happening. This is a gamble, however. Sometimes, this goofiness makes for good video, and many times, it does not.

Identify and utilize your camera-friendly allies on the sales team. Having your go-to people will help you get projects done when you’re in a hurry and can encourage others to get involved. Invaluable.

Create a culture of safety and trust. Salespeople know that customer trust is a precious, fragile thing. A cameraman must treat the trust of his subjects the same way. Avoid hidden camera pranks and let your subjects see the finished video before its uploaded for public viewing. Blow it once, and you may not get another chance.

Start reluctant subjects off with small parts in a video--maybe two sentences or less. Don’t expect too much too soon. Often, if someone agrees to give you two sentences, they’ll usually give you more than that once you start rolling. You might even ask for a single word or a particular facial expression which, if edited in at the right time, can bring the house down. Perhaps Vine, the new video-sharing app for Twitter that limits creations to just six seconds, would be a great way to start.

Know your talent, and know your audience. If an idea seems way out of character, there’s a good chance that it won’t make for an interesting photo or video unless the absurdity is exaggerated for comic effect. Use discretion here, however. With that being said, don’t be afraid to push your subjects outside of their comfort zones if you feel they can handle it.

Sometimes, just leave people alone and let them have fun. If you’re always focused on capturing the next unexpected YouTube sensation, you’ll miss out on a lot of opportunities to connect with your coworkers, which is an essential element of your job. I can’t stress this enough. Yes, you want a working environment where people understand the importance of video, but more than that, you want a working environment where people feel comfortable having fun ALL the time. Spoil too many moments by uncapping the lens, and you’ll be regarded as a fun vulture.

Show your willingness to be on camera at any time. Taking the stance that “I’m the camera man, not the talent” does not set a good example. Demonstrate that you wouldn’t ask anyone to do what you wouldn’t do yourself.

Some people will never be willing, so once you’ve identified them, leave them alone or you’ll never get anything done. Don’t torture yourself.

But what about...

What about asking for a video testimonial from a customer? When a salesperson comes into my office and asks me to record a customer testimonial, I make sure to always go out to where the customer is sitting without the camera. A conversation with the customer will remind everyone that you’re a human being, too, and not just “the intimidating camera person.” Letting the customer know what’s going to be happening and asking for their input on the process will put them at ease.

What about when someone gets upset that you’ve edited out their favorite part? I don’t hear this complaint much, to be honest. If you do, you can use this as an opportunity to have a discussion about what they feel their on-camera strengths are. You could also return to the footage in question and use the moment in a blooper reel montage.

How do you respond when someone insists on commenting negatively about their own weight, hair, appearance, speaking ability, etc? Offer reassurance, but avoid dishonesty.  Usually, such comments aren’t asking for a response, so do your best to stay on task.

Finally, enjoy what you’ve created. A beloved video can be a source of pride and laughter for years to come, so embrace this opportunity to help write your company’s history. Now, get out that camera and start shooting!

 

 

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I thought I’d share some ideas on how you can get a little more love for your email campaign by giving it a second chance.

Let’s say you sent off your email and the results aren’t what you expected. Since you’ve already put your time and effort into crafting your message – maybe it has a great offer or it’s a newsletter with helpful info – any additional opens you can get is a bonus without a lot of effort. Here are two scenerios where this is worth trying and a couple of techniques to help it work.



Scenario #1:

When you look at your email open rates broken down by email provider (please tell me you ARE doing this), you notice that one is pretty far off compared to the others. Example: Hotmail opens = 27%, Gmail = 33% and Yahoo = 12%. In this situation, why not try resending your campaign ONLY to Yahoo email addresses that didn’t open the first time?

Scenario #2:

You're reviewing the open rate and although your content was relevant and helpful to your customers, your open rates are pretty far-off compared to previous campaigns.

First, let’s consider why people who want your information may not have opened your email. Maybe:

• The subject line didn’t appeal to them so they never opened it.
  
• They were on vacation and yours was included in the bulk delete they did upon their return.
  
• They saw it come in and intended to open it but it got buried before they remembered.
  
• It got delivered to their spam folder and they never saw it.

These are people who may be interested in a second opportunity to see your message so why not try resending to those that didn’t open.

But before you hit the send button for the second time, you first need to make some changes. Begin by changing your subject line. You might try:

• Adding personalization if you didn't use it the first time.
  
• Use a different hook / highlight a different feature.
  
• Take a reminder approach: "In case you missed this - "

Next, target a different time to send your message:

• Change the time of day
  
• Change the day of the week

And finally, select your recipients. Using your analytics from your last email, create a database of people who didn't open it. To be cautious, I would revise this list to include those people who didn't open this email, but have opened previous emails from you.

Wait a week or so since your original email (or whatever your analytics define as the drop-off point for your opens) and then resend.

A few words of caution... if you have a bad email reputation or you are filling up your customers' inboxes with info they don't want, sending an email a second time around is going to make your spam complaints skyrocket.

This technique is best used cautiously and when you have a special message that warrants a second chance or you’ve identified an issue with a specific email provider.

 

Another football season comes to an end with the crowning of a Super Bowl champion. Are the Baltimore Ravens the most talented team in the NFL?

Maybe... or maybe not.

Love them or hate them, what the Ravens are is a unified team. Separate units of offense, defense and special teams that worked together to accomplish a goal. Each unit focused on their individual objectives, while at the same time, focused on putting the next unit in position to help influence a win.

A high-performing dealership is similar to a championship football team, with individual units or profit centers working as a unified team to deliver a win; an exceptional consumer experience that results in vehicle, service, parts and accessoriessales.

As consumers interact with profit centers within your dealership, their in-store journey is far from linear. There is a beginning in-store interaction that might be in sales, parts or service; but not a defined path towards the next profit center. Each consumer’s in-store journey takes a slightly different path with a different destination, time frame and points of influence. For a successful automotive consumer journey, profit centers must be unified just like the three phases -- offense, defense & special teams -- of a Super Bowl champion.

But what happens when profit centers are compartmentalized; looking to pad their own stats instead of winning as a team? How many dealerships have loyal sales customers that never visit their service department; or loyal service customers that never set foot on their showroom floor?

Sadly... too many!

Becoming a unified championshipteam begins with each profit center acknowledging their co-dependency. Working together instead of individually has a substantially greater influence on consumer behavior; and adjusting in-store processes to reflect multiple points or channels of influence creates wins for each profit center and the dealership as a whole.

Escorting a customer from the service waiting room to the showroom floor for coffee creates an influence channel with the sales department. A salesperson showing the customer accessories on a vehicle creates an influence channel for the parts department. This unified profit center approach helps high-performing dealers deliver an exceptional consumer experience and increased dealership profits.

A unified profit center approach is not just an in-store best practice, but is also a best practice when it comes to your dealership marketing. Just as a consumer’s journey through a dealership is non-linear, a consumer’s digital journey is even more complex, often with no clear path.

A high-performing dealership will translate its unified profit center processes into a unified, multichannel marketing approach. According to Cobalt’s multichannel eBook:

“Rather than turning on different channels at different times in a neat cascading order, high-performing dealerships are ever-present. However, whenever, and wherever the modern consumer chooses to find them, they will be on and active through a compelling mix of media: email, search engine rankings, advertising, reviews, website, etc.”

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There’s research that backs-up the multichannel marketing strategy that these top-performing dealership have deployed. Cobalt’s latest eBook also states:

“According to Aberdeen’s July 2012 Customer Experience study; businesses who engaged in multichannel marketing saw growth in key performance improvements across the board, such as: a 6.8% increase in customer retention, a 5.1% increase in customer lifetime value, and a 4.0% increase in customer satisfaction.”

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In football terms, that means a serious uptick in roaring fans for you.

While you may never get to experience the thrill of winning a Super Bowl, you can experience the thrill of beating your competition through multichannel marketing; an experience that many high-performing dealerships are experiencing daily.

If you were coaching in the 2013 Marketing Super Bowl, what advice would you give your players?

 

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