- Dec 30, 2009
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- Yago
We are mixing "being social" with "social media". While they are related in the surface what customers expect from a biz via social media is not friendship. Maybe if anything they expect an "insider" deal,
Social media gurus nailed in Onion parody
- Thread starter ed.brooks
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- May 1, 2005
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- Jeff
Good stuff. Thanks for sharing this Eley. I wasn't aware of this crafty little tool..
Just hit 4,000 followers this week. Not too shabby!
If you don't like old car guy stories, don't bother with this.
I figure you might have been a freshman in High School. I had been there about 5 years and left about the time you graduated to be the General Manager of a store in Baton Rouge. It was there that I met Regi Williams. He told me that he didn't catch ups, didn't go to meetings and only came to the dealership to deliver his appointments. I would have never hired him but he listed two references of people that I knew very well. For the next 4 years, he was my top salesperson in volume and gross. Every morning, he got up and went where people congregated: churches, parks, barber shops, beauty parlors, and the farmer's market. He seemed to know everyone. Monday through Friday afternoon, he would be at the dealership with his appointments. He had a blues band and played weekends in the French Quarter. When I left, he went to the Mitsubishi store. He was the number one Mistusbishi salesperson, in the country, for three years. Regi was overweight and didn't take his blood pressure medicine. He had a massive coronary when he was only 45. He was the best retail guy that Ihave ever known. I am convinced that Baton Rouge is the toughest market in the country.
Eley, being a Chevy guy, I bet you know Ken Thompson. He is at Classic Chevrolet but I was the Used Car Manager at Frank Parra when he was there. Both he and Regi built their business the same way. One on one, Regi was the better salesman. Ken went to businesses of all types. He passed out and collected business cards and made friends. Once he got your name, he would call and send letters. He sent out enough letters that the dealership bought a machine that stuffed envelopes. When Sonic bought the store, the General Manager couldn't stand the fact that Ken made more money than he did. Ken went to Classic with a huge sign-on bonus and they built him his own building. I don't know how many years that he has been the volume salesman for Chevrolet. Ken has to be around 80 and has about 10 or 15 people that work for him including his wife and son.
Yes, this is old school. Will it work today? I believe that a green pea salesperson could pass out business cards at the mall and generate more business than facebook. Beyond the additional business, can you imagine the goodwill people like this develop in the community. Their CSI is perfect.
Think about this as you walk past the floor salesmen with their noses pressed against the glass.
Jeff, that was Jeremy that shared it earlier in the thread, give that credit to him.
Thats pretty cool on 4,000 followers.
I was surprised by a few, like JD Rucker, he has 100K followers and the stats were; 56% fake, 22% inactive and 22% good?
One of your favorite people Ralph;
@DigitalRalph was 5% fake, 82% inactive, 13% good
@ralphpaglia was 6% fake, 70% inactive, 24% good
@ADMcommunity was 1% fake, 77% inactive, 22% good
Course, who knows if this thing is accurate.
Doug..... what the...
.... all I asked was the definition of years ago! I have no clue who this people are. There is a need and place for all types of communication in our business. Weather you think social media is worth it or not is a personal opinion. It is another way to engage your customer. Just like your example of the guy going to the park, mall, farmers market getting to know people and hand out cards. Facebook is kind of the same in the digital world if you think about it. Its better than standing at the mall I think, your reaching 1,000's of people that choose to engage your business by LIKEing the dealership. I know it sells cars cause we have sales people that have reconnected with people that led to a sale. Is it a volume lead generator, no, but it keeps your name in front of people.
We did a Halloween costume picture contest on our Facebook page this year. We had over 50+ kids entered, and over 2,000 Likes on those pictures. That was 2,000 people seeing Duke and remembering, "you guys had the fun halloween costume contest" - I heard this on the street many times in the days after. Its already paid off, we gained a few new service customers and had several people say they will come to us next time for their new car. All cause they were aware of us outside the box of a TV ad, billboard, etc.
It has its place, its just up to you to utilize it and accept it, if you want. Kind of like "years ago" when you had to finally accept the telephone and do away with Western Union.
Eley, I'm sure that it is good for PR. I want someone to show me a significant number of cars sold through social media. Maybe it is coming. Ken is the number one chevy salesman in the nation and has been for years.
- May 1, 2005
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- Jeff
oops, my bad. Thanks Jeremy. That's what I get for reading too fast.
Well I hope it's not bad, since I have some impressive percentages.
Quality trumps Quanity every time.
- May 1, 2005
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- Jeff
Will it work today? Yes, I of course. But why would you now limit yourself to just these tactics when nowadays you have technology and "online" social to support you?
The business card handed out can now direct the customer to your "personal (social) CRM" where you are not only touching the potentional customer during their birthday and a random phone call (that less and less people appreciate) but you now have the potential ability to cultivate relationships ongoing.
Social media is today's business card. And so much more if leveraged correctly.
Jeff, you and Eley are probably 100% correct. Yesterday, I was watching a group of teenagers, in the park across from me, sitting in a circle texting each other. Last night, I was looking at some comments to a political artical on NBC.com. It was some of the most hateful dialog that I have ever seen. There is no way that those conversations would have taken place, face to face.
When I was just getting involved with the internet, an old guy told me, "this stuff will go the way of the CB radio". At the time, I was all into it while the business rapidly passed him by. If this is the direction that the car business is going, I think social media is my jumping off place.
