Dmaxx Pro can assist automotive dealerships in maximizing their internet presence by enhancing the inventory photos. The Customer Drive By has been replaced with the Digital Drive By. Your Dealership needs to put its best foot forward and distinguish it’s self from all the others.
How do you separate your inventory from the dealership down the highway that has the exact same inventory? You already know the answer, The Pictures!
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This program motivates your sales team to higher performance levels, promoting increased sales and 100% compliance in the vehicle delivery application.
At no cost to the dealership or the salesperson, points are accumulated each time a sale is made and awarded to the individual sales person. The sales person can redeem their points for merchandise rewards by signing onto the ClubMaxx web site, at www.theclubmaxx.com, registering and becoming an exclusive member.
There are many generations of vehicle owners pulling into dealership service drives across the nation. Furthermore, they can be driving anything from a late model relic to the latest in automotive wonderment. You pick the letter in the alphabet to define the generation...Boomers, Gen-X, Gen-Y, Millennium-Gen. That's a lot!
As a service professional, it's your job to pick up your customer's highest expectations and maximizing profits per repair order. Oh yeah, did I mention you've got to do all that AND get high CSI scores? A circus juggler might come to mind as you try to wrap your head around it all. But let me highlight the concept of Effective Communication. Without a doubt, effective communication between you and your customer is the single most critical aspect of your success, your business, your R.O. averages, and your CSI scores...PERIOD. Are you still using the telephone to do that? Let me expand that thouught just a bit.
I have a Time Magazine from April 1993. The cover reads, 'The Info Superhighway' (Time Magazine: April 12, 1993 / Vol. 141 No. 15/ www.time.com/web ). There is a page after page of concepts pertaining to internet technology in the future. It was all so foreign to the average consumer that it seemed like science fiction. However, now, looking back on all of that in the rear-view mirror, it's like "(yawn)...what's your point?"
The point is this, when that article came out I was writing service for one of the largest Honda dealers in Portland, Oregon. The computer at my write-up station had a green-screen for crying-out-loud! The most sophisticated car in the suite of automobiles available to our customer had 24 on-board computers, very few people had a personal computer at home, cell phones were flip-phones that made phone calls...that's it, and Data, he wass a character on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Nevertheless, the basic elements of service consulting in the dealership service drive haven't changed that much over the last 20+ years. The tools for communication have.
The basic tenants of added-value customer service are still the same: courtesy, cleanliness, promptness, professionalism, product knowledge, effective communication, active delivery...all the same. Yet the products are more sophisticated and so are your service customers. My boss at that Honda store summed up customer perception like this, he said, "if you're customer has to call you before you contact them by the end of the day then you've lost their perception of a high standard of customer service." Are you still using the telephone to do all of that?
I like to get out into dealerships and talk with the pros working on the front lines of service consulting. In fact, the other day I was at Southwest KIA of Rockwall in Rockwall, Texas talking to a few of the writers in that store. It’s a new store with an exciting suite of products. The service area and write-up area are clean and very modern-looking. It’s a really nice store. They have a consultant named Kevin Leary who’s been writing service since 1979. Do you think he’s seen some changes?! Needless to say, Leary is a valuable asset just by his years of experience alone. I was talking to him about some of the modern technology they are using in their service drive. Leary says “We’re reaching our service customers in ways we’ve never dreamed of before.” By that he’s referring to internet technology via emails and social media like Facebook and Twitter as well as texts and data sharing on customer’s smartphones. Leary also utilizes powerful write-up tools like remote pads to do the customer write-up at the car. The remote table also allows him to pull up vehicle and customer history, previous service recommendations, current service recommendations, and any current recall information from the manufacturer for that customer’s vehicle. John Monigold, also a service consultant at Southwest KIA of Rockwall, has developed an email template to interact with his Generation-Y service customers after they’ve visited him. John says he uses modern internet technology to cultivate a high volume of highly favorable CSI review responses by his younger, tech-savvy customers. Leary concedes that he prefers the telephone to do most of his consulting and communication but, he realizes the power and value in internet technology, especially with the younger generations of car owners. Regardless, it is easy to understand why Southwest KIA of Rockwall’s service department has earned the highest CSI averages in their district. Great job!
Another service pro I talked to is Richard Ancheta at David McDavid Lincoln in Plano, Texas. With 11 years of experience, Ancheta is the highest producing Assistant Service Manager in the service drive at the Plano store. He also uses email, texts, and data sharing with his service customers as a form of effective communication. He conveys estimates, pricing, progress reports as well as up-to-date warranty and recall information to his customers throughout the day. Like Kevin Leary, Ancheta says that “At the end of the day, there’s nothing more solid than a verbal conversation with your customer…” but the internet and technology via social media and smartphone technology make him vastly more effective in conveying the perception of the highest standards of customer service to his service customers. So, are you still using the telephone to do all of that?
Isn’t amazing how quickly technology in automobiles change? Earlier in this article, I mentioned that in 1993 a “high-end” car had about 24 processors on-board. Since then that number has more than doubled. All of those processors are synched with control sensors and monitors; it is a marvel indeed, the cars we drive today. So why would any service consultant in the modern dealership not want to employ all of the benefits of modern technology to communicate with their customers? These customers who are likely to be tech-savvy, and at the very least, as sophisticated as the cars they drive. According to Kevin Leary, “It’s important to keep technology fresh and updated.” In other words, is your service customer’s perception of your operation up-to-date and modern, or is it lacking? Updated, modern technology is often a large expense for dealerships, but that cost is a small price to pay when compared to the loss of customers, revenue, and low CSI in its absence. Perhaps perception can be improved by a service consultant simply asking their customer which method of communication they prefer, “Email, text, phone calls, or smoke-signals.” Regardless, effective communication is at the forefront of every service transaction, and crucial to the success of your service business. And so, if you are a service professional working in the modern dealership today, are you still using the telephone to do all of that?
DeliveryMaxx in the Automotive Industry Leader in helping dealerships with customer loyalty, increasing CSI Scores, higher SEO value, published positive reviews, strategic social media marketing, additional fixed operations revenue, more sales, and repeat and referral business. Our company was founded by “Car Guys”, and we make it a practice to hire the top talent that has automotive dealership experience. Craig Rodenmayer, the author of this article, has spent years working service in the automotive industry. His experience allows us to provide programs that are advantageous for fixed operations.
Before we can discuss success we have to define success. Too often, I travel to businesses especially automotive dealerships and am disappointed that success eludes their dealership. After spending a few hours talking with staff members from various departments the same element is usually missing from the formula of “success”.
These dealerships have poor employee retention. The employees feel overworked, and underpaid. Morale is at an all-time low, and loyalty to the company is non-existent. Even worse, is that nobody seems to have the answer as to how to turn the organization around.
I also travel to great companies, and have been afforded the opportunity to learn from great business and political leaders. A common trait that all great businesses and leaders have is that they are able to motivate teams to strive and accomplish goals which have been established. For more information on Leaders and Leadership visit: Automotive Leadership at its Finest
Definition of Success
Success is reading a desired result or organizational desired end-point in some sort of assumed development.
Now that you have read the definition, why do we have successful dealerships, and failing dealerships? Why do we have successful employees, and unsuccessful employees? Utilizing the assumption that nobody wants to fail, I will discuss the missing ingredient failing dealerships all have in common. In addition to providing the “secret sauce of success”, I will first dispel myths of achieving success in the dealership. Once this is explained, we will then establish a plan to help you cultivate success in your automotive dealership.
Myths for Achieving Success
I. You must manage, develop, invent, or implement an entirely new concept to achieve success. It is true that we read, hear, and use new concepts. Yes, it is popular to sensationalize famous entrepreneurs because they were the first to practice their craft. However, most successful organizations are successful because they utilize sound business practices and common sense. Henry Ford did not invent the automobile. He learned how to make it more affordable by using efficient production methods to create success for Ford Motor Company.
II. To achieve success, you must not deviate from your plan. Challenges and obstacles are a fact of business, and ultimately organizational success. Every great war the United States has participated in there were battles that were lost. This adversity is great for success because without failure, mistakes, or checked egos learning would not be able to take place. The proper statement would be to not to lose focus of your goal.
III. Success is the calculation of Risk/Reward. Great leaders of successful organizations are very calculated. They seem like they are the best or most lucky gamblers, but this is not entirely true. A successful organization or successful leader stacks the deck in their favor. They play with their own marked cards. They identify the outcome before the action takes place. That’s right, they have researched and methodically identified the desired result and understand how to overcome challenges before they happen.
IV. An organization is successful because of their leader. A leader will receive many accolades when they have achieved the goals of the organization as well as criticism when results are missed. Just pay attention to the CEO at the end of each quarter for publically traded companies. Successful organizations require great leaders, but true successful organizations have countless number of supporters. Have you ever heard that there is no “I” in “TEAM”?
V. Success is all work and no play. Organizations that do not have team members who are having fun will fail. Sure, there should be rules and procedures created to combat chaos. However, an unmotivated employee will be a short sided employee.
VI. The definition of the organizations success is defined by leadership. Unless you are not dependent on anyone’s responsibilities then you will be sadly mistaken to buy into this myth. A successful organization depends on the weakest link in the company.
VII. If your organization looks successful then it will be successful. We have all heard that if you “dress for success” you will achieve it. However, there is another saying that “it is better to be considered a fool then to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” Would anybody think the Big Mac was any good without the secret sauce? KFC’s chicken would be like everyone else’s if Colonel Sanders didn’t mix the right ingredients. The same is true for your organization. You can have a beautiful state-of-the-art dealership, and not be able to sell a vehicle.
VIII. Successful organizations make everyone happy. Success can never be satisfied; it always craves more. Successful organizations are always striving for more success, and once they stop their competition will pass them.
Cultivating success in the dealership
If you have spent any time in the automotive industry you have probably been part of several organizations. Many sales, service, and finance personnel tend to change organizations more often than they visit the dentist and some change at the same frequency as they get their haircut. By reading this piece, you are either validating yourself because you are running a successful dealership or you are looking for ways to improve.
The “secret sauce” to cultivating success in the dealership is to identify the desired end result and proper motivation helping others reach those goals.
Steps to Cultivating Success in the Dealership
1. Identify, understand, respect, and explain the cross-functional dynamics of the dealership. The reason this is the first step listed is because most individuals reading this are charged with changing the culture or outcome of the dealership. The dealership is made up of Service, Sales, Finance, Operations, Marketing, Maintenance, Logistics, Advertising, Information Technology, Human Resource, Business Development, Vendor Relations, and Accounting. Without the needs of each department being met the dealership will not maximize its fullest potential of success. Most dealerships that perform poorly have management that fails to respect the functions of each of these departments. This translates into poor management, and breeds a culture of distrust, apathy, and isolationist departmental attitudes. For example, if a dealerships IT Department (In most cases the IT Guy) doesn’t understand the necessity of faster internet speed for the Finance Department then customer service can suffer ultimately hurting potential revenue for the dealership. During any new hire, the goals of the organization and orientation of each department is essential for cultivating success in the dealership. A sad fact is that most managers in the dealership completely understand the dynamics of each department, and why those departments are needed for the overall goal of the dealership.
2. Establish, and communicate clear measurable goals, both short-term & long-term, for each department and the organization in its entirety. A dealership that has established these goals early in its infancy is more likely to be successful than a dealership that has to change due to lack of results. However, most dealerships have not realized their full potential and change management to move closer to the desired outcome. Therefore this is the second step to cultivating success in the dealership. If leadership accepts step number one then step number two is very easy to accomplish. However, there are a few key points when trying to accomplish step number two.
First, establish a clear measurable short-term goal for each department. A short-term goal can be managed and measured by a superior allowing the subordinate to plan accordingly to meeting these established goals. Short-term for senior management (Owner/Operator, CEO, CFO, CMO, COO, GM, etc.) is quarterly and short-term for middle management (GSM, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Service Director, Marketing Director, Business Development, HR Director, etc.) is monthly while frontline managers (Sales Manager, Service Manager, Advertising Director, etc.) have weekly short-term goals. Frontline Employees (Sales, Service, Maintenance, etc.) should have daily short-term goals.
In addition to short-term goals for each department, establish the measureable result of a short-term goal for the entire organization and communicate the effectiveness of each department’s importance in reaching the goal.
Second, identify clear measurable long-term goals. These are goals that have been extrapolated from a combination of meeting short-term goals. For example, a short-term goal for the CFO may be to find $30,000 a quarter in savings for a dealership. The long-term goal would extrapolate into $ 120,000 measured at the end of the fiscal year.
Using the example of a long-term goal for the CFO is sure to communicate the effects and importance of reaching this goal throughout all departments. Identify why saving $120,000 a year in current expenses will help each department. Establish a cross-talking culture with all departments.
3. Establish complete “buy-in” and clear reasonable expectations. Teamwork is not always about building a consensus. The success of the company does depend on building a great team, but a leader sets the direction and the team needs to be able to effectively work together to accomplish the objective. If you have strong communication explaining the importance of the goal, and how everyone is needed to reach these goals then managing these expectations will be easier. It will also be easier to “coach-up” or “coach-out” an employee that will not “buy-in” to the organizational goals. Be sure to establish clear reasonable expectations. If expectations are set too low, the company will never have the opportunity to reach complete success, and if they are too high failure will become the norm.
4. Motivate, celebrate, and communicate reaching the goals. I could write an entire blog about motivation. Proper motivation is key or the “secret sauce” for cultivating success. Some are motivated financially and others are motivated by more responsibility. Really, it comes down to how the employee feels their contribution is valued within the organization. This step requires managers to manage. They must always inspect what they expect. However, good coaching is vital to success. When celebrating the successes the cake should fit the goal. You do not reward a salesman the top parking spot for being the top salesman of the week. However, this might be a great reward for the month.
5. Create vendor partners. You rely on vendors to provide you with particular service or products. Educate the vendors about the goals of your organization, and expect them to adhere to step number three. A good vendor truly cares about the success of your organization because without your organization winning they should not win either. Therefore, they are your employees and have a responsibility to help your dealership reach their goals.
6. Empower and hold accountable a culture of success. Foster great ideas with your employees and vendors. However, expect a plan of action and provide the support for the great ideas. In the end, measure these results and hold the champion accountable for the innovative idea.
7. Set customers’ expectations from the start. The customer is not always right. If they were, then every company would be out of business. Running a dealership at the whim of the customer will never lead to profits. However, the customer is always the customer and the goal is to win those Customers for Life! It is important to understand, listen, and empathize to see things from their point of view. If the expectations are firmly set from the start they will be satisfied at the end. Build a strong customer loyalty & retention program.
8. Let the world know that you are a successful dealership. Today, if you are not utilizing social media, you are missing over 75% of the market. This is where all of the eyes are. Online Reputation is important to your dealership because that is where everyone is talking about your industry. Social Media Marketing is where you can reach your potential customers or employees. If you are not established correctly on the internet through Search Engine Optimization then people will not be able to find you.
If cultivating success were easy, then all dealerships would be successful. It is no different than raising a child or building a house. You have to have a strong foundation, and continue to maintain it.
DeliveryMaxx, the industry leader in Automotive Social Media Marketing (SMM) has perfected the science of maximizing the exposure for automotive dealers on the Internet. Utilizing our proprietary software and years of expertise, we can increase your market share and brand exposure through portals such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Flickr and more. We have revolutionized Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Local Search Engine Optimization (LSEO) and Online Reputation Management (ORM).
In today’s marketplace it is vital to have command over your public Brand Image while acquiring and retaining customers. DeliveryMaxx helps you dominate the World Wide Web utilizing your customers as Social Media Billboards which increases your brand share as well as turning a “one-time customer” into a "Customer For Life".
