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.
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Automotive Marketing Professional Community Blogs- SureSale Taps Auto Innovator Michael Rose as Vice President Product DevelopmentVeteran of TrueCar, eBay Motors, Google, Autobytel/AutoWeb charged with further innovating and expanding SureSale’s platform for quality used vehicles Los Angeles, CA – September 30, 2020 – SureSale, the award-winning platform for quality used vehicles, today announced that veteran automotive product innovator, Michael Rose, will join the company as Vice P […]Crystal Hartwell
- 5 Hidden Sources for New LeadsThe saying, “Everything old is new again,” applies to your leads. Old leads can become new sales when you use the data in your CRM to re-start sales conversations with customers who are still in the market, or in the market again. This strategy is especially helpful if you’re not getting the volume of high-quality new leads that you’d like from your websit […]Bill Wittenmyer
- Directory Of Image Sizes Required By Each Major Social NetworkWhat Image Size Do You Need For The World’s 20 Biggest Social Networks? [Updated for 2020] Disclosure: Your support helps keep the site running! We earn a referral fee for some of the services we recommend on this page. Learn more Sharing is caring! Keeping track of the right image sizes for different social media platforms is a pain… but a necessity. Unfort […]Ralph Paglia
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- Know more about email solution by Roadrunner email problemsRoadrunner email is very helpful for your small business since you will be using a dedicated system of Roadrunner mail. Roadrunner email support will teach you how to keep email safe which will provide you with more security in your Roadrunner email accounts. So. The first instruction will be given by Roadrunner mail support team expert regarding the securit […]Jack Jons
- Sometimes Sinners Make the Best PreachersCorrecting My Contribution to the Battle Between Buyer and Seller I spent 31 years in automotive retail, in every variable role from used car salesperson to GSM, then GM and Dealer Principal. For most of that time, I was a part of and supported the combative culture the car business created. I was a master of small print. I mislead in my marketing with unatt […]Chip King
- Easy Tips for Car Dealers to Buy Likes on InstagramThe photo-sharing social media site Instagram is the best way for auto dealers to reach out to their prospective customers. You can simply show the high-definition visuals of your inventory to pique audience interest. It could be stunning photos and videos of the swanky cars. You can create excitement among online shoppers through your Instagram page about v […]Trudy Seeger
- Human Resource Management: What Dealers and General Managers Need To Know3 Things Every Business Leader Should Know About Human Resource Management Of all the different working parts in automotive organizations, human resources (HR) is perhaps the most reviled and least understood. Viewed by many "car guys" as pencil-pushers at best and corporate mouthpieces at worst, HR actually has one of the most important roles in […]Ralph Paglia
- Amplify Your Marketing With Video AdsAmplify your marketing with video ads. #videoads #youtube #dealers #dealerships #localsearchgroup #jimflint #marketingJim Flint
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- eMarketer Report: Automotive Digital Advertising Spend In 2020Pandemic Causes Significant Pullback, Making Automotive Hardest-Hit Industry After Travel The pandemic has caused the US automotive industry to reduce its digital ad spending by 18.2% in 2020. As car sales plummeted, dealerships closed, and manufacturing slowed, marketers backed off from performance initiatives and focused on branding efforts. About This Rep […]Ralph Paglia
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- Corona Pandemic Triggers New American Car CultureCoronavirus Pandemic Fuels Road Trips, Drive-In Movies, New Car Culture Covid-19 fears have stoked a new car culture for Americans seeking a safe way to travel, shop and enjoy entertainment. (Nils Davey) This summer, road trips both short and long have been all the rage as people shy away from breathing each other's air — whether it be on an airli […]Ralph Paglia
- Live Video, The New Normal to Sell More Cars & ServiceEvery penny spent on advertising and marketing is to get more people into the dealership. Dealers also make a significant investment in the salespeople themselves, training them to help develop the person-to-person skills needed to sell to all the prospects marketing dollars drive into the dealership. Those person-to-person skills are where most automotive s […]Timmy D. James
- What Is The Best Content For Your Consumers?Craft the best content for your consumers in your area. #jimflint #localsearchgroup #marketing #content #socialmedia #engagement #dealershipsJim Flint
- Ecofriendly: Top 101 Most Popular "Go Green" Slogans and Advertising TaglinesShown Below are the 101 Most Popular "Go Green" Slogans and Advertising Taglines List of 101 popular and attention getting "Go Green" type slogans. These advertising taglines focus on environmental preservation and changing lifestyle habits for individuals to minimize their environmental footprint. Always Demand Clean and Green! Always Ke […]Ralph Paglia
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- Mobile-First: - The Only Way to Talk to Your CustomersI was getting ready to write a blog about "Mobile-First," because I had a hunch that mobile phones are everywhere. Well, I cannot claim it is a hunch any longer because when you look around everybody has a mobile phone and more specifically a smartphone. So, I started doing some research and the data blew me away. Between the ages of 19 and 49, 94% […]Ujj Nath
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- SureSale Taps Auto Innovator Michael Rose as Vice President Product Development
