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Automotive Marketing

Automotive Marketing
End_of_month-crunch

How to Avoid the End-of-Month Crunch

Do you ever wonder why dealerships and consumers alike are all programmed to buy cars at the end of the month? Asking how this happened is like asking which came first, the chicken or the egg. For sales teams and managers, the end-of-the-month crunch is a grind.

When it’s over, it’s natural to relax a little before diving into the new month. For consumers, all the commercials and pressure to buy are pushed out towards the end of the month, so many of them are programmed to know they can get a better deal if they wait.

Then there are the manufacturers, who throw out additional incentives towards the end of the month to keep managers and salespeople motivated.

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Differentiate_Your_Dealership

Do What Others Won’t

In an era when new vehicle margins are razor thin, it’s difficult to compete on price alone. The good news is you don’t have to. Although many customers claim that price is the most important factor when it comes to purchasing, we all know from experience that other factors weigh into the decision. 

When a customer is deciding where to purchase a vehicle, it’s important that your dealership has a powerful differentiator or message that sets your brand apart. If you’re a salesperson, the same concept applies. What do you do that others won’t do? 

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How to Handle Inbound Sales Calls

As an industry, we have pretty much perfected the process of following up on Internet leads, but we are far from perfect when it comes to handling inbound phone leads. According to CallSource and IHS/Polk research, 84 percent of consumers purchase vehicles from a different dealership than the one they originally called.

The good news is, there’s a huge opportunity to improve. Consumers are using cell phones more than ever for research during the car-buying process. In recent years, this has led to a significant increase in the volume of inbound calls to dealerships, compared with the number of email and Internet leads which have stayed the same or even declined.

When a customer calls your dealership, most times you’ve got one shot to get it right. Which is why converting inbound calls to sales opportunities should be your number one priority. To ensure you don’t drive customers away, follow these tips. Read More

Brand Loyalty and Dealership Customer Service

What is Brand Loyalty, Really?

The automotive industry is extremely competitive – not just locally, but also at the manufacturer level. Manufacturers spend truckloads of money on conquest marketing and brand loyalty – which you would think should be great for dealers – and, to some degree, it is.

But think for a just a second here, does your OEM really care whether your customer stays loyal to your dealership? If you answered “No,” you are 100% correct. While manufacturers like dealers to treat their customers well, and build a loyal base, it really doesn’t matter to them whether your customers buy and service their vehicles with you, or any other franchise store, as long as that customer stays loyal to the brand.

That’s reality, folks. Those CSI surveys are only important to the manufacturer because they want to ensure customer stays loyal to THEIR brand, not yours. And there’s a critical difference between the two. Read More

Video: Maximizing Your Inbound Call Handling

With competition at an all-time high and sales margins shrinking more and more each month, no dealership can afford to ignore inbound call handling. In this eye-opening one-hour webinar recording, Bill Wittenmyer of ELEAD1ONE shares strategies, tips and tricks to improve inbound call handling performance and convert more valuable phone leads into appointments.

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Dealer Tip of Month: Managing Used Car Inventory

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Staying on top of the competition calls for a daily assessment of  your used car inventory.  Andrew Cowart, Camp Chevrolet Cadillac General Sales Manager, shares his one solid habit to set the market standard in Spokane, Washington in this Dealer Tip of the Month, first published in April 2017.