Archive for December, 2011
True Car and ZAG – Cyber Bandits or Good for the Business? Automotive Marketing
Posted by Ralph Paglia in Automotive Digital Marketing, Automotive Retail Management, Automotive Sales, Car Dealers, TrueCar - ZAG on December 29, 2011
True Car and ZAG – Cyber Bandits or Good for the Business?
Jim Ziegler Guidance: Ten Areas We Need to Concentrate on to Bring This Monster to It’s Knees…
1. Government investigation of ALL Data Aggregators taking consumer information from dealers’ DMS. Sadly enough, dealers who do business with TrueCar are exposed to liability charges. Cut off all access to unecessary data, no matter who takes it from the dealers DMS and make it illegal to “resell identifiable consumer data” and “transactional data”.
2. If anyone takes financial transactional data, they expose the dealer that allowed it to violations, especially if it is passed on to other vendors or shared.
3. Educate Consumers to what they’re doing with their information…
a. You buy a car from a dealer, do you really want your personal information, and maybe
even your financial information, passed along and sold and shared by “God knows who?”
b. These People Charge the Dealer $300 which the dealers have to build into the deal
c. Your Privacy and the Security of your Information could theoretically compromise your identity if you do business a company that takes data from the dealership.
4. Educate Investors and potential investors they could possibly be mislead if anyone is telling them this is a safe investment because of all of the dealers pushing back, associations pushing back, and government regulators in many states coming after TrueCar’s business model as NOT compliant, in some cases they’re saying it is Not Legal.
5. AMEX, USAA and all of their affiliates do not want the bad consumer relations this push back is creating with their members and customers.
6. Cancel your dealership’s Affilation with TrueCar. Tell people with certificates YOU don’t honor TrueCar and you feel the company is NOT reputable. Educate consumers as to perceived data exposure if they buy from a TrueCar dealer.
7. Make the dealers selling at huge losses take all of those deals. Big problem right now is too many Nissan Dealers and others are taking huge losers to get the factory money. The TrueCar reverse-auction business model will continually push those numbers down until the factory money is non-existent. Consumers need to hear from many dealers, “We don’t do TrueCar”
8. Keep calling your National and State Dealer Associations demanding they get involved and stay involved… No excuses.
9. Get the Manufacturers into the game. If GM, Ford, Toyota, and other majors change the rules about how we advertise and do business to protect the dealers, we can cut off their ability to set pricing. So keep it up at every dealer meeting. Call your Dealer Council Members and protest to your factory reps.
Tell the manufacturers, if they want showroom and facility improvements, we need the ability to make fair profits.
10. Tell everyone you know. Educate other dealers and industry people. Watch the Painter interviews…I believe this the first time a vendor has publicly announced they intend to bring down the dealers and hijack our business, taking our profits and starving us out with our own data. Painter has said manufacturers and dealers should bankrupt and he, in his God-like way” will control distribution.
When their Yahoo Deal kicks in we need to stand firm and “Just Say No” we don’t honor TrueCar deals.
TrueCar Insider Information – Automotive Digital Marketing Professional Community
Posted by Ralph Paglia in Automotive Digital Marketing, Automotive Retail Management, Automotive Sales, Car Dealers, TrueCar - ZAG on December 17, 2011
It seems to me that the real problem that dealers should have with TrueCar/ZAG is not as much the disclosure of transaction prices in the now infamous bell shaped curve at TrueCar.com, but instead, the insidiousness of trying to predict who will buy a car from a dealer ANYWAYS and then charge that dealership $300 for a vehicle sale that TrueCar did not actually facilitate. I said to Scott Painter during our phone call that if he is successful in enrolling 10,000 dealers he will have in fact implemented a tax on every new vehicle sold for $300 that TrueCar collects. Three dealers in each geographic area that TrueCar defines, and the leads go to the dealer that would have been most likely to sell that car even if TrueCar was not involved… Paying for sales a dealership would have made anyways!!!
How Dealers United works – Automotive Dealership Cost Control
Posted by Ralph Paglia in Automotive Digital Marketing, Automotive Retail Management, Car Dealers, CRM, Email Marketing, eNewsletter, Social Marketing on December 13, 2011
When considering the Dealers United value proposition, there are at least two important points to identify and evaluate:
1. What is the problem being solved?
2. Who are the principals and can they be relied upon to deliver?
In the case of Dealers United, the problem the company seeks to solve is fairly easy to understand, it is simply one of economics and purchasing power… Large buying groups have the economic clout to drive lower costs, while individual businesses are relegated to serving the quest for higher gross margins by the supplier. Dealers United will give the single point and smaller privately owned groups the ability to access mega-group buying power.
So, the real question is really one of do you trust and have confidence in the leadership of Dealers United? I (for one) have dealt with Jesse Biter for several years and have found him to be smart, trustworthy and a man of good conscience with strong business ethics and a sense of morality that is based on simple “Right or Wrong” dynamics, rather than being guided by selfish reasons or greed. Do I trust Jesse Biter? Yes, I do…
In my professional opinion, there is no reason why every independently owned dealership and smaller dealer group in America should NOT join Dealers United, and many valid reasons why they should. Use the links provided to watch the Dealers United video…
Autobytel, Dealix, Edmunds, KBB – Automotive Digital Marketing Professional Community
Posted by Ralph Paglia in Automotive Digital Marketing, Automotive Retail Management, Automotive Sales, Car Dealers, CRM, Email Marketing on December 8, 2011
Dear Autobytel, Dealix, Edmunds, KBB
Jerry Thibeau – Early Monday morning I start receiving e-mails from third party lead providers thanking me for submitting my information. The e-mails were on the same vehicles I shopped on TrueCar. Coincidence, I think not! Now here is where it gets interesting, my data had been corrected to reflect my current e-mail, and my current phone number. I also started receiving phone calls from dealers. I am guessing my information could have been taken was from the DMS of the dealership where I last purchased my Infiniti. My questions to you, where did my lead originate from and how did you get my information?
The Probability of Accountability – Automotive CRM
Posted by Ralph Paglia in Automotive Digital Marketing, Automotive Retail Management, Automotive Sales, Car Dealers, CRM on December 5, 2011
The Probability of Accountability
Joe Webb “reveals” the hidden truth behind the BS that masquerades as a CRM installation in most USA based car dealerships… This article could have also been titled “The PROBLEM Of Accountability”. I can attest to the fact that what Joe observed is something I have seen on far too many occasions in dealerships I was assigned to visit for CRM installation purposes back when I worked for The Reynolds and Reynolds Company, but is also a painful reality of what we see up to this day. These sorts of false accountability systems were destructive 8 years ago, and remain destructive to this day.
The good news is that most BDC’s and slightly fewer Internet Sales Teams do not engage in such shenanigans because they do not have the luxury of putting their names on deals that they did not bring into the dealership (for the most part).
The bad news is that regardless of the systems you put in place, employees will usually figure out a way to game the system… For example, the nonsense I see of dealers blocking access to Facebook only results in the use of smartphones for this purpose and their employees bringing in their own laptops. In other words, technology does not prevent or provide accountability as much as it gives owners and managers a false sense of security that policies are being followed.
Use the link provided in order to read the actual article written by Joe Webb…
Playing Keep Away – Joe Webb Video
Posted by Ralph Paglia in Automotive Digital Marketing, Car Dealers, Humor, ZMOT on December 3, 2011
JOE WEBB VIDEO: Another funny and insight producing video vignette by Joe Webb that shines a light on one of the many ways digital marketing ignorant people in car dealerships chase away many thousands of dollars in gross profit and dozens of units sold each month… You gotta watch this clip! Use the links provided.
-
You are currently browsing the archives for December, 2011
Automotive Marketing Professional Community Blogs- DUI Dangers: Why Alcohol Intoxication is So Dangerous for MotoristsAfter a night of drinking, it might seem like it is not a big deal to drive the fifteen minutes back home, especially if you have only had one or two drinks. But driving under the influence is dangerous not only to you, but also to others on the road. It can also have long term consequences in your life. Here is why you should never drive under the influence […]Anica Oaks
- PUBLISH YOUR STORY FOR DISTRIBUTION IN J.D. POWER'S AUTO MAGAZINENEW OPPORTUNITY: PUBLISH YOUR STORY FOR DISTRIBUTION IN J.D. POWER'S AUTO MAGAZINE LAUNCH DATE AND PLACE: OCTOBER 24-25, 2017 BELLAGIO, LAS VEGAS Don't miss this chance to share your insights in the first issue of J.D. Power's NEW emPower Collection magazine! This magazine highlights findings from companies both speaking and attending […]Ralph Paglia
- Text Messages: Google’s Wake-Up Call to DealersTexting is by far the most popular form of communication for consumers – especially with younger generations. However, because of the many compliancy rules and laws that have to be followed, many dealers are hesitant to adopt text messaging -- they simply don’t want to risk it. Consumers prefer to communicate via text because it’s short, to the point and […]Mike Gorun
- How Technology Advancement Helping Manufacturing Industries to Sell their ProductsInnovation is a broad idea that has come to allude to achievements in science that take into account a superior or robotized arrangement. While the clearest advantage to change in a private venture is expanded profitability - which converts into a lower cost structure- - some different benefits can help the main issue too. Enhanced speed, the simplicity of s […]Emma Miah
- How To Use Facebook To Sell Your InventoryPart 3 in a 4-part series In part 1 and 2 of this series I discussed merchandising and web display best practices that improve conversions, turn vehicles faster and attract online shoppers to your inventory. In this blog, I’d like to share one of the newest and more engaging online marketplace trends your dealership should start preparing for to stay compet […]Devin Daly
- Should Manufacturers Be Able To Recall Recalls?According to an article posted on Ford Authority, Takata has taken a massive hit to the tune of a $1 billion settlement in the US, $25 million criminal fine, $125 million dollars to compensate victims and $850 million to compensate automakers. As a result, Takata has filed for bankruptcy and has to rely on an infusion of capital from another company to cover […]Chris Miller
- SEVEN of the Most Expensive Personalized Number Plates in the WorldWe are more or less used to seeing rich and successful people spending a whole lot of money on luxury cars and yachts. But what about those number plates that represent the very same vehicles? Spending big bucks on personalized number plates is also a common practice among the rich who believe that a luxury car is incomplete without its matching number plate […]Kent Charlie
- Auto Tech: How Modern Technology is Impacting the Automobile IndustryToday's automobile industry landscape is exciting... Car manufacturers are embedding connectivity and sensor solutions to deliver more in-vehicle services. Connected infotainment systems and advanced driver assistance systems are two technologies shaping the current car market. Connected Infotainment Systems Looking at a car maker's advertisement t […]Lizzie Weakley
- Service Advisors: End Your Day with the Beginning in Mind!When you first come to work every morning, do you spend time planning your day, or do you dive right in and start working? Depending upon your role in the dealership, it may not matter that much. However, service advisors really don't have a choice. Your service department opens early and it's busy as soon as it opens. Ending your day with the begi […]Josh Blick
- Are Self-Driving Cars Safe?In our modern age, technology has become omnipresent. We rely on technology to help make our lives easier and to help us to solve problems that would otherwise take much longer without. Computers have a very big presence in society and we are seeing exponential growth not only in their complexity but their integration into many aspects of our lives. One of t […]Rachael Murphey
- SWAPALEASE.COM REPORTS DECLINE IN LEASE CREDIT APPROVALS FOR THE MONTH OF JULYSwapalease.com, the nation’s largest car lease marketplace, reports car lease credit applicants registered just a 54.3% approval rate for July. July’s credit approval rate is showing a decrease from the previous month (68.8%). A year ago the approvals rate was just slightly higher, reaching 57.7%. Overall, this year’s credit approval numbers have been somewh […]John Sternal
- Used Car Prices Crash To 2009 Levels Amid Glut Of Off-Lease SupplyWith Increased Volumes of three-year-old vehicles coming back into the market at the end of their Lease Terms, Used Car Prices are Crashing to their Lowest Levels Since 2009. Article below was written by Tyler Durden The U.S. auto market is at an interesting crossroads with used car prices crashing to new lows every month while new car prices continue to d […]Ralph Paglia
- Tesla – Latest Big NewsTesla said in 2nd week of Aug 2017 that it expects to bring about $1.5 billion up in a bond offering as the U.S. automaker looks to increase generation of its most current electric car, the Model 3. Car Rental Abu Dhabi The obligation offering comes as Tesla has conveyed the initial couple of Model 3s to clients, and it's producing the principal drivi […]Rahul Paul
- Auction BuzzThe Hired Gun..... Where the money is...... So.... Those of you who know me by now..... Know that I can tell a story..... Stories that can only happen to me..... Well.... About three days ago one of my students purchased a 2009 Honda Pilot at our local Manheim Auto Auction..... He wrote a check for $7590.00 .... (Including the auction fee..... ) He took […]Barry Neuman
- Emissions Cheat Devices to Be Included in Roadside ChecksIf you are a regular or a professional driver that loves listening to the news, you are probably aware that air pollution and emissions are a quite a popular topic currently. As the condition of the atmosphere worsens, humanity is looking for new and innovative ways to reduce pollution and become eco-friendlier. The fact that most of the pollution originates […]Rahul Paul
- A Successful Rewards Program Should Not Be All About RewardsLet’s face it, for every 10 businesses that exist, 9 have some sort of rewards program. While they used to be novel and exciting, customers are now used to them. They may well sign up. But, far too often, customers do so not because they are loyal, but because they happen to already be at that business. Too many companies use customer loyalty programs as […]Mike Gorun
- Simple Tips To Increase Newsletter Signups For A Car DealershipThere are countless marketing strategies that automotive industry businesses can use but the truth is that some of the older ones are still among the most effective. This does include creating newsletters and driving promotion through them. Unfortunately, this does not mean that you just create a newsletter and people are going to sign up. You do have to put […]Derek Crowden
- 3 Ways To Prepare Teen Drivers For The Real Rules Of The RoadTeaching your teen to drive is an interesting experience. While you're largely teaching them to follow certain rules, you also know that these aren't the real rules of the road. If you want them to know how to really drive, you'll need to avail yourself of some of the tips below. Put Them on the Road Perhaps the best way to prepare a teen dr […]Brooke Chaplan
- Seller Integrity: How to Assess the Honesty of a Car DealershipCar salesmen are often characterized as slick con artists who seek to take unfair advantage of their customers. In truth, many businesses that specialize in selling pre-owned and new vehicles do not deserve this reputation and go out of their way to take care of people who come to them looking for quality cars and trucks. You can locate a reputable car lot f […]Anica Oaks
- Used Vehicle Depreciation Ticks UpWelcome to this week's edition of Black Book Market Insights, with in-depth analysis of used car and truck valuation trends and insights straight from the auction lanes. Click here to download the full report. This week’s Black Book Market Insights report shows an increase in wholesale vehicle depreciation, especially in the car segments. Although cars […]Black Book
- DUI Dangers: Why Alcohol Intoxication is So Dangerous for Motorists
