Successful Companies Help Our Community

 “A successful company creates jobs, jumpstarts the economy, and allows all of us to pursue the American Dream” states James Schaefer, Chief Operating Officer of DeliveryMaxx.

Schaefer explains, “The facts are simple.  A small business that was developed, and financed with our own resources has led to jobs for 15 employees and the opportunity to spend their income on goods and services that employ others as well.  As our company grows, so do opportunities for others.”  “It is the ‘multiplicity effect’.  It is not about the haves and have-nots!  It is about opportunities created for all.  Small business owners take personal risk after identifying advantages, perceived or otherwise, and if successful provide jobs, family vacations, medical care, and educational opportunities for future generations.  If a father or mother is able to bring home income they are able to provide these things for their children.” Schaefer points out during one of his Small Business Summits.

The Declaration of Independence, one of our nation’s foundational documents, states in simple eloquence a philosophy of government which is profound, viable, and Biblically correct.  In the words of the Declaration written by President Thomas Jefferson,

We hold these truths to be self–evident,
That all men are created equal,
That they are endowed by their Creator
with certain unalienable Rights,
That among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,

The constitution states that we all have the right to pursue “Life, Liberty, and Happiness”.  It does not guarantee us “Life, Liberty, and happiness.”  So why are businesses, no matter the size, made to look like evil empires by some media outlets?  Why do some politicians stir up emotions of some that they are entitled to these rights?  The word “Pursue” is left out of this argument all too often, and that has created a “fundamental war” between the “haves” and “have-nots”.

Mr. Schaefer gleams about the business partner he found in Co-Founder, Josh Deaton.  Mr. Deaton has taken on the role of Chief Executive Officer for DeliveryMaxx.  Mr. Deaton’s story is a story like many other great American business owners.

Josh grew up very poor in the small town of Anna, Texas.  He lived in a trailer home most of his life with his mother and various step-fathers.  His mother was married five separate times, and his birth father spent many years in federal prison.  Deaton was determined to pursue a different life, and break the chains of poverty.

While in high school, Josh would wake up early in the morning and sit in the middle of the field taking site of Doves that would fly into the sites of his shotgun.  If successful, he would provide dinner for him and his family.  Once he saw the bus kicking up the dust from the gravel road about two miles out, he would place the gun back in the house grabbing his school supplies for a nine hour day of learning and athletics.  He was a star athlete in basketball and football, but Anna High School was too small for any major college to take notice of him.

When it was too dark to see, Josh resorted to fishing in the dark at a nearby pond or lake to continue providing food for his family.  All odds were against Josh.  His mother was on disability.  His Father was in prison.  His step-fathers were drunks, abusive, or both.  Mr. Deaton’s, step-grandfather and uncle was a positive role model for him.  They both were accustoming to working hard and instilled those values into Josh.  At the end of high school, Mr. Deaton joined the United States Marine Corp which he considered an honor to serve his country.

Mr. Deaton’s leadership qualities were quickly noticed by the Corp where he became a Guide and ran his Platoon during training. Deaton was honored as the top in his class with the highest rifle and pistol scores in the division. He quickly rose to the rank of Corporal where he led his platoon as Platoon Guide. Mr. Deaton then was asked to try out for the C.Q.B. (Close Quarters Battalion) where he was honored to train with the FBI to protect National Security.

 

Josh Deaton (with gun ready), Squad Leader taking a break with his men before next engagement

However, adversity struck Josh’s family again when he learned that his mother had suffered a severe debilitating back injury in an automotive injury, and was unable to provide for the family.  Mr. Deaton was given an Honorable Discharge from the military and came back home to provide for his family.

Without much formal education, despite having an IQ of 144, Mr. Deaton learned masonry and other manual skills resulting in laying tile in many upscale homes.  Josh was able to see some of the finer things in life, and knew that he wanted to provide those things for his family.
After purchasing a vehicle from a dealership in the Dallas, Texas area, he inquired about working as a sales person.  He knew that with a lot of hours, hard work, and the mindset for treating customers’ right, he would be successful in the automotive industry.

Deaton’s outstanding automotive knowledge and managerial achievements have been honored by industry and business leaders, including one of the largest publicly traded automotive companies in the world, Sonic Automotive. Deaton was named “Best of the Best” in 2005 as their highest valued and most respected Manager in the organization. 
 
Deaton worked at Lute Riley Honda, one of Sonic Automotive’s premiere dealerships. He held just about every position including consecutive “Salesman of the Month”, Top grossing Business Manager, Top Grossing Sales Manager and voted “Best of the Best” as the New Car Director. While in-charge, Deaton implemented a unique process that increased revenue, CSI scores and Sales, putting Lute Riley Honda at the top of the charts. In doing so, Lute Riley Honda won 2 consecutive Presidential Awards which are only awarded to the top dealerships for Honda. This is the equivalent to winning the Super Bowl and to do it two years in a row is a top feat in itself.

During his time at Lute Riley Honda, Mr. Deaton hired, trained and motivated a staff of 76 people. Within 2 months Lute Riley Honda rose from the number 6 to the number 1 volume dealership in the state of Texas. Within 6 months of Mr. Deaton’s leadership, Lute Riley Honda ranked within the Top 10 highest volume dealerships in the United States. Lute Riley Honda profits were the highest in the company’s history along with a system to put Lute Riley Honda in the top 5% of the 1000 Honda dealerships in the Nation for customer satisfaction. Because of this exceptional achievement, Lute Riley Honda was awarded the President’s Award 2 years in a row. This award is given to the elite dealerships that rank in the top 10% nationally for their high customer service scores compared to all of the Honda dealerships nationally.

Mr. Deaton was named “The Best of The Best” by Sonic Automotive. Sonic Automotive (SAH) is recognized worldwide as the leader in the automotive industry. Their organization owns more than 120 new- and used-vehicle dealerships and 25 collision repair centers in 15 states. Lute Riley Honda was Sonic Automotive top performing store under Mr. Deaton’s leadership.

Deaton loves a challenge and wanted to see if he could do the same thing at other dealerships. He was offered the position of New Car Director at David McDavid Honda of Frisco. His first month at the helm,  the dealership went from ranking number 15-25 in volume to number one in the State of Texas, beating Lute Riley Honda and at the same time winning the prestigious Presidents Award again.  Soon the dealership was ranking in the top 5 highest volume dealerships in the United States.

Deaton has always been the leader in the industry. As a General Sales Manager Acura in Phoenix Arizona, he implemented many new strategies and processes that many dealerships

follow to this day.

During his time in the automotive dealership world, Josh was able to invest most of his earnings into startup companies giving yielding him capital to pursue the dream of owning his own company.

Josh now brings the same leadership and vision, which made him successful at the dealership level, to DeliveryMaxx, providing outstanding services to the entire automotive world. DeliveryMaxx provides dealers with cutting edge technology that ensures that the dealership is getting maximum exposure and creating a long lasting bond with their customers. This will keep them as customers of the dealership for life!

Before DeliveryMaxx was born, Mr. Deaton was an investor in an International Marketing Company that James Schaefer was a Senior Level Executive.  James’s story took a little different path than Josh’s, but was based on many of the same life learning lessons.He was the son of a German Immigrant, who had come to the United States just after World War II.  Mr. Schaefer’s father’s family had lost everything in the war including a private college in Cologne, Germany.   Mr. Schaefer’s father had grown up in a very similar situation that Josh had grown up.  “I think that is why Josh and I get along so well.  I can relate to Josh, because that is how my father grew up” Mr. Schaefer often tells business associates.  His father did not have anything given to him in life having to work road construction in Houston, Texas throughout high school.  “His best clothes were a pair of jeans without holes in them and a white t-shirt that was not dirty.”  James’ father earned a football scholarship to Stephen F. Austin State University after playing high school football for one of the famous Coach Bear Bryant’s Junction Boys, Coach Bobby Marks.  His father turned to a life of education, coaching, and ministry to help young people plan and pursue their dreams.  However, a life of service to others did not provide the riches Mr. Schaefer desired in his youth. 

One day while helping his father dig a drainage ditch he answered to his father’s demand of learning manual trades that, “I plan to make enough money that I don’t have to do this for a living!”  Mr. Schaefer always knew he would become an entrepreneur.  In the ninth grade, he secured many lawns with a reality company and employed several of his high school classmates to help him maintain this business.  His knack for understanding simple economics led him to open up one of several businesses that revolved around customer service and advertising.

After becoming a 1996 graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University with a major in Political Science and Minor in Business Mr. Schaefer has been employed with Universal Technical Institute (UTI), Alta Colleges, and Combustion Media.  He has started four companies in addition to being a Co-Founder of DeliveryMaxx.

Universal Technical Institute is the leading provider of Technical Training in the fields of Automotive, Diesel, and Collision Repair.  UTI has entered into partnerships with NASCAR, Mercedes Benz, Audi, Porsche, Ford, Toyota, Lexus, International Trucks, Volvo, Nissan, and Volkswagen.  They have a sales force of 270 representatives responsible for the growth (enrollments) of UTI.
 
During his tenure with UTI Mr. Schaefer has served as a Field Sales Representative, Change Leader, and Regional Sales Director and as a result has acquired experience in sales, management, training, public relations, marketing, human resources, and an understanding of the vocational need in America.  He received many awards year after year as one of the top representative, and when in management his team of representatives became one of the top teams in the organization.  His last position with UTI was as a Regional Admissions Director.

 

(Left to Right)In 1999 pictured is James Schaefer, UTI Director; Richard Younker, Park Place Porsche; Patrick Stanberry, BMW of Dallas; Tim Minor, Sewell Lexus are all former students of Mr. Schaefer.  They are living the American Dream.

After leaving UTI, Mr. Schaefer accepted a position with Alta Colleges as a Regional Director of Admissions quickly becoming a leader within the organization.  Alta Colleges even designed their assessment test for managers after Mr. Schaefer because of his leadership qualities in motivating and turning around underperforming sales teams.  In his short tenure, Mr. Schaefer earned multiple awards and being appointed to the Leadership Counsel.

Alta Colleges is a for profit educational institute specializing in CAD, Graphic Design, and Computer Science.

Alta Colleges offered Mr. Schaefer a Vice President of Sales position, but he declined to embark on a new challenge outside the education industry.  Mr. Schaefer accepted a position as the Vice President of Sales with Combustion Media.  He quickly moved up within the company into the role of Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing as well as the Secretary of the Board of Directors.  During his tenure with Combustion Media, he led the organization through an unprecedented growth and into the Social Media arena and Professional Sports Marketing.  Through his business negotiations he was involved with some of the world’s business and political leaders such as Steve Forbes, Senator Mitchell, Alexander Muse, Jack Furst, and then Governor Mitt Romney.

 

Senator George Mitchel and James Schaefer speak at Leadership Conference in Washington D.C.

Schaefer started his first company at the age of 19 while a sophomore in College selling advertisement to local businesses and giving him a taste of successful entrepreneurship.  Before the internet, Byron Consultants utilized the power of cross marketing to consumers driving business sales.  At 21 he sold Byron Consultants and started Sweet Remembrance with Victoria Bates who later became his wife.  Sweet Remembrance was a catering company which allowed parents to have cakes, birthday, holiday, and exam packages delivered directly to their students who were studying in college.  His key role was to negotiate strategic partnerships which were accomplished by securing Wal-Mart and Stephen F. Austin State University as partners.  Again, the concept was new and innovative during this time.  He capitalized on a need and provided a great service.  In 2007, Mr. Schaefer started CarSch Enterprises and Byron Thomas Holdings which specializes in providing hair products and grooming services for Men.

It was only a matter of time that Mr. Schaefer expanded his portfolio.  Never one to rest on his laurels and his drive for making a difference in the world he co-founded DeliveryMaxx.  With the introduction to Mr. Joshua Deaton’s vision of a customer retention program; he seized the opportunity to help develop what is now called DeliveryMaxx!

When Mr. Deaton and Mr. Schaefer sat down at one of their many late night meetings to discuss the development and future of DeliveryMaxx, they were determined to make the company one of the “Greatest Places to Work”.  They based their decisions off of their life’s experiences, and were determined to overcome adversity and obstacles that they continue to face today.

Starting a new company is difficult.  Starting a company in a billion dollar market and competing against companies with over a hundred million dollars in revenue can seem monumental.  However, both gentlemen rely on their faith, family, and work ethic to climb the mountain of success.

The first decision that the founders of DeliveryMaxx had to make was how they were going to finance the company’s start-up requirements.  They had developed a great concept, but they needed to market this concept into the Automotive Industry.  The choices were to obtain a Small Business Loan, add Investors, or Finance the Business through their Personal Wealth.  The requirements for a small business loan didn’t make sense to the founders.  They would have to secure the loan with their own money.  Mr. Schaefer said, “Why should I pay a bank interest on money that I borrow with the loan being backed up with my money?”  Mr. Deaton stated that the investor option did not make much sense either.  “Why would I want to trade in one boss for another when they do not fully grasp the concept of what we are trying to do?  Investors typically only look at the bottom line and a good business has real people involved.  You cannot create a great place to work looking at only the bottom line.  We would have more control if we financed the business ourselves.”

Therefore DeliveryMaxx was financed 100% by Mr. Deaton and Mr. Schaefer.  This was not done without much sacrificing from both men and their families.  To minimize personal expenses, Mr. Deaton sold his beautiful upscale home taking a hundred thousand dollar loss due to the depressed housing market and moved into a much more modest neighborhood.  They explained to their kids that eating out was a luxury and found ways to make potatoes and rice into a gourmet meal.  Josh talks passionately about the meals he came up with.  “If DeliveryMaxx didn’t work out, I would have a great career as a chef for the middle class and less fortunate.  I should start a cookbook and watch it jump to a best seller!” he states with a chuckle.   James’s kids have learned that luxury’s like ESPN and top cable TV shows would only be able to be viewed from the internet once the recordings were released.  “My kids thought the biggest sacrifice we made was cutting our cable where we only watched a couple of channels together that was part of the $9 a month package” James says with a smile.  Both men who claim that their family is God’s biggest blessing to them turn to more outdoor, church, and school activities to spend quality family time.  “Even when we reach the top of the mountain that we are climbing, we will continue to maintain a balanced and family oriented life.  Of course that mountain will never stop growing because we always loved to be challenged” they both state.

From the beginning, Mr. Deaton and Mr. Schaefer established a mission statement that is still governing the company today.  DeliveryMaxx is committed to quality work and superior customer service in all aspects of our business.

We value our employees and encourage them to make productive suggestions.  We want them to succeed at their job.  One of our visions is to create a Great Place to Work.  This can only be accomplished by placing a high value on every employee and their responsibilities inside and outside the workplace.  DeliveryMaxx’s Core Values are People, Purpose, and Profit.

People make the difference in our company whether they are clients or team members.  Our purpose is to provide perfect service 100% of the time.  By taking care of our people, and providing perfect service, we will earn great profits!

Our mission is to be EVERY Dealerships choice and any other entity to provide innovative tools to help retain customers for life.

That meant allowing employees to have flexible work schedules, and encouragement to put family and public service first.  Furthermore, DeliveryMaxx created a fair wage schedule that allows every employee to be financially rewarded as the company grows.  Each account that is added and all revenue that is earned are shared amongst all active employees.  As the company earns more, so does every employee within the DeliveryMaxx organization.  This concept has empowered every employee at DeliveryMaxx to help make decision that will better serve their clients.

DeliveryMaxx has developed a comprehensive program from a dealerships perspective.  They have done this because over 95% of their employees have spent some part of their careers in the automotive industry, and mostly at the dealership level.  “That’s right, our employees have sold cars, worked the desk, penciled deals, closed the gates, ported cars, bought and sold at the auction, and gone bell to bell weeks at a time.  Our employees have been General Managers, Internet Directors, Sales Managers, Managing Partners, Marketing Directors, Business Development Managers, Human Resource Directors, Service Advisors & Managers, Trainers, and Sales People participating in the automotive industry” Josh says with pride.

DeliveryMaxx was founded by “Car Guys", creating a more efficient method for successfully completing the sale at the point of delivery.  They have developed a system that effectively increases the positive experience of buying a new vehicle, accurately tracks the process, and generates increased customer retention.  They do this utilizing modern innovations and traditional techniques.  The net result to our dealership family is Increased Sales both repeat, referrals, & new business, Higher CSI Scores, Complete and Total Web Domination of Branding, Real Published Positive Reviews, Additional Revenue for Fixed Operations, and a follow-up data base that assures “Keeping the Customer for Life.”

DeliveryMaxx was formed to help businesses, particularly the automotive industry, an opportunity to show appreciation to their consumers for making these purchases.  DeliveryMaxx creates a Social Media Marketing program (SMM) to publically thank their customers on a daily basis.  Included in this marketing program, DeliveryMaxx is able to increase Search Engine Optimization (SEO) value, Online Reputation Management (ORM), and help businesses acquire positive reviews and branding.  The end result utilizing DeliveryMaxx's Images of Success program is an increase in customer loyalty and satisfaction.  This program is truly a complete comprehensive automotive dealership consumer care program.

For more information about DeliveryMaxx visit www.deliverymaxx.com

 

DeliveryMaxx captures dealership customers' image at the point of delivery and markets that exciting time to the world helping dealerships create customers for life.

Because DeliveryMaxx has become one of the fastest growing Automotive Service Vendors they have been able to provide jobs for many individuals.  They have created real opportunities for parents to be able to help their kids go to college, buy school supplies, and ability to partake in some form of entertainment.  Thus, the “multiplicity effect” is in full swings.  When these parents pay for school supplies those who make those school supplies and sell them are able to provide for their families.  When DeliveryMaxx employees entertain their families, others are able to continue to provide earning income and increasing their spending.

Small businesses are the foundation of United States Capitalism and are what has made America the leader in the world.  Free-Enterprise allows anyone the right to pursue “life, liberty, and happiness.”

Both Josh and James spend many hours talking with today’s political leaders about obstacles for small business today.

 

Former President George W. Bush talks with DeliveryMaxx Employees about success

Mr. Deaton, and Mr. Schaefer remain steadfast in helping the economy.  They strongly believe that small businesses have a direct effect on employment rate and consumer confidence. Consumer confidence is an economic indicator which measures the degree of optimism that consumers feel about the overall state of the economy and their personal financial situation. How confident people feel about stability of their incomes determines their spending activity and therefore serves as one of the key indicators for the overall shape of the economy. In essence, if the economy expands causing consumer confidence to be higher, consumers will be making more purchases. On the other hand, if the economy contracts or is in bad shape, confidence is lower, and consumers tend to save more and spend less. A month-to-month diminishing trend in consumer confidence suggests that in the current state of the economy most consumers have a negative outlook on their ability to find and retain good jobs.

 

James Schaefer speaks with former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert about importance of small business and the economy during his Senate bid for Texas

Investors, manufacturers, retailers, banks and government agencies use various assessments of consumer confidence in planning their actions. The ability to predict major changes in consumer confidence allows businesses to gauge the willingness of consumers to make new purchases. As a result, businesses can adjust their operations and the government can prepare for changing tax revenue. If confidence is dropping and consumers are expected to reduce their spending, most producers will tend to reduce their production volumes accordingly. For example, if manufacturers anticipate consumers will reduce retail purchases, especially for expensive and durable goods, they will cut down their inventories in advance and may delay investing in new projects and facilities. Similarly, if banks expect consumers to decrease their spending, they will prepare for the reduction in lending activities, such as mortgage applications and credit card use. Builders will plan for the decline in home construction volumes. The government will get ready for the reduction in future tax revenues. On the other hand, if consumer confidence is improving, people are expected to increase their purchases of goods and services. In anticipation of that change, manufacturers can boost production and inventories. Employers can increase hiring rates. Builders can prepare for higher housing construction rates. Banks can plan for a rise in demand for credit products. Government can expect improved tax revenues based on the increase in consumer spending.

How important are small businesses to the U.S. economy?

Small firms:

•Represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms.
•Employ about half of all private sector employees.
•Pay more than 45 percent of total U.S. private payroll.
•Have generated 60 to 80 percent of net new jobs annually over the last decade.
•Create more than half of nonfarm private gross domestic product (GDP).
•Supplied 22.8 percent of the total value of federal prime contracts in FY 2006.
•Hire 40 percent of high tech workers (such as scientists, engineers, and computer workers).
•Are 52 percent home-based and 2 percent franchises.
•Made up 97 percent of all identified exporters and pro­duced 28.6 percent of the known export value in FY 2004.
•Small innovative firms produce 13 times more patents per employee than large patenting firms, and their patents are twice as likely as large firm patents to be among the one percent most cited.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census; Advocacy-funded research by Kathryn Kobe, Economic Consulting Services, LLC, 2007, Federal Procurement Data System ; Advocacy-funded research by CHI Research, 2003, U.S. Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey; U.S. Dept. of Commerce, International Trade Administration.

 

Josh Deaton with Congressman Ralph Hall during Small Business Summit

How many new jobs do small firms create?

Over the past decade, small businesses created 60 to 80 percent of the net new jobs. In the most recent year with data (2004), small firms accounted for all of the net new jobs.

Firms with fewer than 500 employees had a net gain of 1.86 million new jobs. Large firms with 500 or more employees lost more jobs than they created, for a net loss of 181,122 jobs.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census information on employment dynamics by firm size from 1989 to 2004.

DeliveryMaxx pledges to conduct business ethically, provide opportunities for motivated individuals who desire to make a difference in the world, and create a great place to work. DeliveryMaxx will continue to provide a great service to companies that wish to grow their business and increase customer satisfaction.  DeliveryMaxx desires to help improve the economy administering these sound principles.

In addition to helping small businesses thrive in today’s economy, Mr. Deaton and Mr. Schaefer also believe in employee satisfaction.  Employee satisfaction can be measured many ways, and one of the ways it is measured is by an employee’s quality of life.  The founders believe in giving back to their community and not just with financial support.

Josh spends a lot of his free time with the Masons.  He recently earned his 32nd Degree Mason Scottish Rite.  He takes great pleasure in raising money and volunteering for children with terminal illness.  “Nothing is worse than the thought of losing your child and feeling helpless against a terminal illness.  If I can do at least something small to offer comfort or relief to families going through this adversity then I feel like I have accomplished something of great value for the day.”

 

Josh & Amy Deaton during 32nd Degree Mason Award

James spends most of his free time coaching youth sports.  He coaches basketball, football, and girls softball.  His kids have one many championships, and in 2011 his football team won the National Championship earning a number one ranking going into the 2012 season.  “I started out coaching because I wanted to spend more time with my kids, but I am rewarded every day by teaching these youngsters strong life values that they may not have receive like I was taught by my parents.”

 

James Schaefer celebrates with Rockwall Jackets Youth Football Team

Small Businesses affect our economy and level of spending.  However, Small Businesses can truly allow people to make a difference in today’s world.  DeliveryMaxx takes pride in being a small part of allowing all individuals to pursue “life, liberty, and happiness”.

 

Social Media - what and how to use it

Social media marketing is the process of promoting your site or business through social media channels and it is a powerful strategy that will get you links, attention and massive amounts of traffic.

There is no other low-cost promotional method out there that will easily give you large numbers of visitors, some of whom may come back to your website again and again.

If you are selling products/services or just publishing content for ad revenue, social media marketing is a potent method that will make your site profitable over time.

Those who ignore the efficacy of social media usually fall into three categories;

• those who don’t know much or anything about social media

• those who are interested, but don’t know how to use it

• those who don’t believe in the value that a social media strategy can bring to any site or business.

The Value of Marketing through Social News Websites:

For those who don’t understand or see the value of social media websites, let’s take a look at the benefits of creating viral content and effectively promoting them through social media channels.

Developing link baits and successfully getting it popular on various social media websites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Digg and YouTube will lead to multiple benefits for any website:

•  

  Primary and Secondary Traffic. Primary traffic is the large amount of visitors who come directly from social media websites. Secondary traffic is referral traffic from websites which link to and send you visitors, after they come across your content through the social sites.

• High Quality Links. Becoming popular on social news websites like Digg or Reddit will get you a large number of links, some of which may be topically relevant, some not. A good story can realistically acquire a large number of high quality editorial links, most of which cannot be easily bought.

Now let’s translate this into tangible benefits for your website: 

Links = Better Search Engine Rankings.

 

When a website receives a large number of natural, permanent links from trusted domains, it develops authority. Search engines trust it. If you optimize your linkbait and website structure properly, you can easily start ranking for competitive keywords, which will in turn bring in search engine visitors.

Do this often enough and your search traffic will undoubtedly increase. In a sense, you are obtaining these quality links through borrowed trust. Many bloggers and webmaster still think that if an article is on the WordPress or Blogger homepage, then it’s probably worth checking out and referencing through a citation link.

A new website may find it difficult to gain links from a critical mass that is not familiar with it but a trusted social news resource makes it easier for links to come in, because the community and buzz has somewhat ‘certified‘ the value of the site. Note that the actual strength of the article is still of utmost importance for all.

Primary + Secondary Traffic = Community/Supporters.

Some people claim that social news websites only send useless traffic, visitors that will often just view a specific webpage and click away. Yes, that’s usually the case. Sites like Digg are notorious for their poor bounce rates: many visitors drop in for the article and then leave after reading it. StumbleUpon is much better in this aspect.

But don’t mistake this with a lack of interest. Your subscriber figures will often take big jump up and then stabilize after a few days. If your entire site is relevant to the general interests of the social media website, there will always be a handful of social users who will start to track your site in order to submit future content.

Detractors also ignore the power of ultra targetedsecondary traffic. General sites or blogs in the same niche will link to a story that’s popular on social sites, because it adds value for their readers or users. This is done naturally on a daily basis for many.
While primary traffic usually comes in a larger volume, one could argue that secondary traffic is more valuable. Why? Because links from other websites bring visitors who are very likely to be interested in your content. These citation links demonstrate recognition of your site in the eyes of others. It builds your brand.
 
Think of the social news site as a platform or a soapbox. As something that gives you a chance to be heard or read, even for a brief moment of a few hours. The people who are drawn to your message will visit your site and recommend it to others.

Four Reasons to Practice Social Media Marketing

Why bother exploring social media as a marketing channel for your website or business? After all, you could stick to link exchanges, search advertising or the purchase of banner and editorial ads on relevant sites.

Here are some reasons why you should consider using social media:

1. It’s natural. Not only do you get natural links without any discernible pattern, your website is exposed to large groups of people in a spontaneous fashion. This differs from paid advertising which has overt commercial overtones.

2. It’s defensible. Once successfully mastered, social communities can be a great source of web traffic on top of any traffic you are already receiving from search engines. While you can’t easily increase your search engine traffic, social media traffic can be very easily controlled through strategic marketing.

3. It’s low-cost/high returns. If done by yourself, costs are limited to only time and perhaps the expenses involved in hiring a freelance programmer/designer. The benefits will often exceed the cost. It would take you thousands of dollars to buy many links; social media has the ability to give you that for free.

4. It complements other efforts. Social media optimization and marketing is usually community-specific. It doesn’t interfere with any other methods of getting traffic to your website. It can and will fit perfectly with an advertising campaign targeting other websites or search engines.

So How Does Social Media Help Me to Make Money?

It doesn’t, at least not directly. Every site or business that wants to expand and become profitable, needs a core group of supporters who will be willing to make purchases or recommend the site to others. Your site needs to perpetuate itself.

The more supporters you have, the faster word spreads about your site. Social media marketing is an excellent way to get people to come into your site to take a look at what you have to offer. You will grow when there are a group of loyal visitors ready to always act upon what you have to offer.

Because social media websites can be leveraged for links and better search rankings, they can greatly increase your site’s income potential. For example, you will be able to price ads higher or generate revenue from any paid business models.

Why Bloggers Should Learn How to Use Social Media

There are many ways to build a popular blog and many methods to promote your website. For example, you can start leaving comments regularly on many high traffic blogs in your niche or perhaps, consider guest posting on other bigger blogs.

My marketing strategy for blogs is very simple. I don’t comment actively, hold contests or write guest posts. I’ve never done any of that for any blog I’ve ever set up. Some people might enjoy doing it but it’s just a little too tedious for me.

What I do instead is strategic. I focus on creating just oneexcellent blog post, which I will then push through social media sites and email pitches to other bloggers. This is straightforward and I don’t have to run around many blogs putting up my URL and thinking of something insightful to say.

Think about it. Why write 50 guest posts for 50 different blogs when you can easily just write one article and get an equal amount of links and greater traffic through the use of social media? Guest posting builds relationships but I reckon there are many more powerful ways to network with others.

It isn’t just about creating articles and then promoting them on social sites as an afterthought. It’s about putting social media in the center of your marketing strategy, optimizing your site or content and making it an attention magnet.

• LinkedIn might serve your needs more effectively. There are also smaller social networks targeted to very specific niches (webmasters, photographers, etc.). There’s no reason to try to “do it all.”

• Understand the numbers. Don’t join a social network simply because they say they have X number of members. Those numbers mean absolutely nothing. What you should care about is not the total membership, but instead the “active” membership (and those specifically within your target audience - it goes back to targeting).

• Get to know a network’s policies on promotion, as it applies to your plans. The last thing you want is to be labeled a spammer. Understand that these tools are more about networking, building relationships, and communicating than blatant promotion, as in marketingand sales.

• No matter how deep you decide to delve into social networking and / or microblogging, always make sure you’re making the best use of your time, and reaching your intended targets.

The Bureau

Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ, a photo by DeliveryMaxx on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
California has issued at least 6 drivers licenses to people named Jesus Christ.

Windshield-Wipers

Windshield-Wipers, a photo by DeliveryMaxx on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Prior to the manufacture of Henry Ford's Model A, Mary Anderson was granted her first patent for a window cleaning device in November of 1903. Her invention could clean snow, rain, or sleet from a windshield by using a handle inside the car. Her goal was to improve driver vision during stormy weather - Mary Anderson invented the windshield wiper.

During a trip to New York City, Mary Anderson noticed that streetcar drivers had to open the windows of their cars when it rained in order to see, as a solution she invented a swinging arm device with a rubber blade that was operated by the driver from within the vehicle via a lever. The windsheld wipers became standard equipment on all American cars by 1916.

Rolls-Royces-in-Hong-Kong

Rolls-Royces-in-Hong-Kong, a photo by DeliveryMaxx on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
The city which has the maximum number of Rolls-Royce luxury cars per capita in the world is the city-state of Hong Kong, which has been a part of China for the last decade. In fact, it has been confirmed that Hong Kong is currently in the position of the market leader for luxury cars in the world and it is due to this reason the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Hong Kong opened its first showroom in the Central district of the city-state of Hong Kong on July 30, 2003.

Ferrari-Cars

Ferrari-Cars, a photo by DeliveryMaxx on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
In just about any discussion of high-end sports cars, you can pretty much count on the mention of one manufacturer in particular: Ferrari.

The iconic Italian brand is practically synonymous with flowing, sinewy body contours, racing-bred technology, painstaking craftsmanship and high horsepower.

It's also synonymous with high cost. All that go-fast goodness, and the aura that comes with it, will
cost you. A brand new Ferrari California would set you back around $192,000 as of mid 2010. One reason is that they don't come streaming off the assembly line every few minutes like the typical Toyota or Ford models do. Despite modern manufacturing and efficiency practices, Ferraris aren't made exactly like mass-market vehicles.

1931-Bugatti-Royale-Kellner-Coupe

1931-Bugatti-Royale-Kellner-Coupe, a photo by DeliveryMaxx on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
The 1931 Bugatti Royale Kellner Coupe was sold for $8,700,000 in 1987. However, that car and many alike will not be included in this list because it is not available on the market today. It is hard to imagine someone would actually spend 8 million dollars on a car instead of using it for something more productive. However, if you had the money and opportunity, you would probably spend a small fraction of it on a collection of supercars for your private garage.

Midnight-Rider-Limousine

Midnight-Rider-Limousine, a photo by DeliveryMaxx on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
The Midnight Rider is the World’s Largest and Grandest Limousine boasting 460 square feet of pure luxury and is reserved by those who expect the very best. In fact, she is a traveling celebrity vehicle in her own right, based in Southern California and licensed to travel anywhere in the United States.

Representative of the luxury days of railroad travel, she is classified as a “Tractor-Trailer Limousine", and is the only one ever built. The air-ride suspension makes for a ride so smooth and comfortable, it allows you to stand up and move from lounge to lounge, dancing, mingling and partying with your group.

Car-Radio

Car-Radio, a photo by DeliveryMaxx on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
The designer stereos available in today’s cars—be they luxury sedans or cheap sporty coupes—have 80 years of development behind them. Here’s a look at the landmark advancements in car radios that evolved into today’s iPod hookups and satellite radio.

1930: First Commercial In-Car Radio

The Galvin brothers’ expensive $130 unit (a Model A Deluxe coupe cost $540) was the first commercially successful car radio, and the first product to wear the Motorola name.

Deployed-Airbags

Deployed-Airbags, a photo by DeliveryMaxx on Flickr.

Via Flickr:

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that, as of September 1, 1998, air bags have saved 3,448 lives (2,954 drivers, 494 passengers) since they were first installed in quantity in the late 1980s. During the same period 115 people (66 of them children) have been killed by air bags, with another 40 unconfirmed deaths, for a total of 155. So we're talking 22 lives saved for every one lost. It's estimated that air bags reduce the risk of dying in a direct frontal collision by 30 percent.

Starbucks-Coffee

Starbucks-Coffee, a photo by DeliveryMaxx on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
I think most people just dont pay that much at the gas pump.. about $40 a week if you follow the statistics.. and lots of people are now averaging about 30mpg with modern smaller cars.

What is that.. 8 starbuck lattes?

Distance-Between-Earth-and-Sun

Distance-Between-Earth-and-Sun, a photo by DeliveryMaxx on Flickr.

Via Flickr:


Brittany, age 7, and D.J., age 12, ponder this question over dinner one evening. James, also age 7, suggests taking a really fast racing car while Christopher, age 4, eagerly agrees. Jerry, a really old guy who is used to estimating driving time on family trips based on distance divided by speed, offers to do the numbers. "Let's see ... the Sun is 93 million miles away. So, if we drove 93 miles pe
r hour the trip would only take us 1 million hours." How long is 1 million hours? One year is 365 days times 24 hours per day, or 8,760 hours. One hundred years would be 876,000 hours, still a little short of the 1 million hour drive time -- so the Sun is really quite far away. Christopher is not impressed, but as he grows older he will be. You've got to be impressed by something that's 93 million miles away and still hurts your eyes when you look at it!

Muddy-Jeep

Muddy-Jeep, a photo by DeliveryMaxx on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
62 percent of car owners believe car appearance is essential, 53 percent of car owners wash their cars less than once a month - and 16 percent never wash their cars. This translates into 73 million grimy automobiles among all 138 million registered vehicles in the United States. Even worse: 61 percent of respondents admitted to leaving garbage in their cars, and 27 percent say their car stinks, or used to, because of it.

Ford-Mondeo-Red-Car

Ford-Mondeo-Red-Car, a photo by DeliveryMaxx on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
No, it's not illegal. But here's the thing about Chinese laws. I wouldn't be surprised if it was illegal, because China has a law for absolutely everything. However, most people have no idea what they are and only about 1% are actually enforced. You're pretty much breaking 5 or more laws at any given moment in China

Deer-on-the-Road

Deer-on-the-Road, a photo by DeliveryMaxx on Flickr.

Via Flickr:


Wildlife biologists and researchers estimate that vehicles may kill as many deer in Utah every year as hunters do.

(During the 2009 hunting season, hunters took about 23,000 deer.)

But it's the part of the population cars take that makes the difference.


Hunters take mostly bucks. But cars mostly kill the deer that are the key to the future growth of Utah's deer herds — does and fawns.

Fortunately, new and innovative road structures are helping reduce the number of deer that are hit and killed by cars in the state.

A proposal to pave a road through the Book Cliffs in eastern Utah is a good example of two things: the effect roads can have on deer, and steps transportation officials and wildlife biologists are taking to help deer out.

Los-Angeles-Roads

Los-Angeles-Roads, a photo by DeliveryMaxx on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
In 1972 the average speed of cars on Los Angeles freeways was 60 miles per hour. Ten years later, the growing traffic problem dropped that number to 17 miles per hour.

The average American will spend two weeks of her life stopped at red lights.

To drive on all of the paved roads in the United States, you would have to drive nonstop at 100 miles per hour for over four years.

The first car insurance policy was issued in Westfield, Massachusetts, in 1897.

1967-Shelby-Mustang-GT-500

1967-Shelby-Mustang-GT-500, a photo by DeliveryMaxx on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
One of the original 1967 Mustang Shelby GT500 Eleanor that starred in the 2000 action hit movie “Gone in 60 Seconds” starring Nicolas Cage is up for sale on eBay. According to the current owner of the Eleanor, the producers of the film used a total of 11 Mustang GT500s. Of those 8 were shell cars and only 3 were actual running and driving examples and this is one of them.

Cars-in-U_S_A_

Cars-in-U_S_A_, a photo by DeliveryMaxx on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
There is about 1.023 cars per person in America. (That's about 1023 cars per every thousand people in America.) In China, there is only 9 cars per 1000 people. In India, 11 cars per 1000 people.

Smart-Car

Smart-Car, a photo by DeliveryMaxx on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Most People Crammed Into A Smart Car: Female students set world record

KARACHI, Pakistan -- Nineteen students from Karachi Grammar and other schools, led by Aymen Saleem Yousuf, squeezed into a standard smart car - setting the new world record for Most People crammed Into a Smart Car.

Speeding-Ticket

Speeding-Ticket, a photo by DeliveryMaxx on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
The one million dollar traffic violation ticket price was not taken from the sky, but rather was a result of a formal calculation. Under the traffic laws of Switzerland the sum rate of any speeding ticket is based on several factors. Those factors mainly are the speed of the car and the income of the driver.

In this case, according to 5koleso.ru, the driver was driving Mercedes-Benz SLS. The traffic violator was a Swedish citizen. His speeding was recorded on a camera on the highway, which connects Bern and Lozan. This car was going at 186.4 mph which is 3.107 miles per minute.

At-Red-Lights

At-Red-Lights, a photo by DeliveryMaxx on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
The average person will spend six months waiting at traffic lights. Also the average person spends fives years waiting in lines.

Frank-Duryea

Frank-Duryea, a photo by DeliveryMaxx on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
The Chicago Times-Herald race was the first motor car race in America. Announced in June of 1895, it was not so much a race as it was a contest, an invitation to test the viability of a self-propelled vehicle.

The contest required vehicles to have at least three wheels and be able to carry at least two people, one of whom was to be an umpire selected by the judges to ride with the driver during
the race. Entrants also had to run their vehicles through a preliminary test. The cars were placed on a machine built by the Chicago City Railway Company that simulated road conditions. Officials measured and noted various aspects of the automobiles' performances, (fuel consumption, load capacity, tractability, etc.), and compared these findings against the horse and wagon.

Online Reputation Management: The Basics

All professionals, especially those who conduct business online, can be subject to bad publicity. All it takes is one negative comment on a blog or website with the right (or wrong) mix of traffic to drive a company’s reputation into the ditch. If your company has not heard of or are not doing Online Reputation Management (ORM), here are the basics and why this is something every business needs to start doing now.

What is Online Reputation Management (ORM)

ORM is the process of following online references to a brand, company, person or service while having a plan in place to deal with any negative feedback. It is a three-step process, although they may not always occur in this order:

• Monitor – Maintain an ongoing system for researching and keeping track of public perception.

• Evaluate – Consider individual feedback, as well as the source, outlet, reach and timing, to come to a decision about the risk.

• Act – Comment, rebut, draft a formal response or simply ignore what has been said, based on your company’s evaluation.

ORM is typically considered to be a mix of marketing (including SEO) and public relations. There are numerous firms offering ORM services, although it’s something companies can do on their own for free.

Why Companies must have an Online Reputation Management Program

Let’s say your company has years of experience, a solid client base, and great relationships with your clients and colleagues. Your company recently bid on a huge design project with a well-known company and won. One of the other candidates, who was not awarded the job, is resentful. Not only did he put hours into the process, but a friend within the company essentially guaranteed him the job.

Upon discovering that your company was awarded the work, the other candidate publicly attacks your company’s character, work ethic and values in his very popular design blog with over 5,000 readers. Unbeknownst to your comapny, one of the top Google results for your name is now this scathing post, which at this point has 35 comments from people who don’t even know your company, agreeing with the author. Anyone who Googles your company will now see this negative response -- potentially before they reach the business’s website.

It takes two weeks until the company is aware that there is a drop off in normally steady inquiries, and a call from a long-term client asking for details on the situation further highlights the situation. At this point, your company has no way to know how much business has been lost, but senior members are quickly scrambling to find all references to this post, and trying to do damage control.

If your company had been monitoring its online reputation, senior management would have immediately known about the negatively. Now the business’s executive team would not have been able to avoid this situation, but they could have done a few things immediately to defray some of the damage. The most important part of online reputation management is being aware of what’s being said about your company, to whom and why. It also requires that the proper methods be implemented to be quickly advised of negative comments on the Internet and that that there is a plan in place when action can be taken.

How to Handle Negative Publicity

Ideally, with every project taken on and every relationship formed, companies need to work toward building a professional reputation. Your company can enhance the effectiveness of a positive reputation by:

• Doing great work

• Being customer service oriented

• Making yourself approachable

• Collaborating with others in your industry

• Forming personal relationships

But even if your company does everything right, there may come a time when negative publicity raises its ugly head. Harmful feedback can happen for many reasons – a misunderstanding, a wrong-doing on by a company employee, varying points of view, a disgruntled former employee, a competitor, or any number of other reasons.

How your company reacts to negative feedback is dependent on the type of comment, who said it, what forum it was said in, and the potential it has to damage your company’s reputation. However, there are some ways to gauge the risk of negative publicity and determine how best to handle it.

Think It Through

We’re human, so our initial reaction to negative comments is usually anger, belligerence, and/or defensiveness. The worst thing a company can do is react quickly without thinking the situation through because your company may only make the situation worse. Put yourself in the other person’s position, and be honest with yourself. Take a deep breath and ask yourself these questions:

•  Is the comment true?

• Can I see how this person could view my company’s actions this way?

• Did an employee do something that was misunderstood or misconstrued?

• Is my company in the wrong?

By being rational and at the same time pragmatic about the situation, the senior management can avoid doing further damage. Senior management may want to get a focus group of company employees together to further analyze the situation and get a new perspective.

The saying, “All publicity is good publicity,” may not be entirely accurate, but your company can certainly turn some negative situations into positive events. Negative publicity can give your company the opportunity to right a wrong; it can provide a platform for your company to address an issue; and it can make your company better at what it does.

Respond or Not?

Not every negative comment deserves a response. In fact, your company may decide not to respond because they feel the situation is best simply ignored. If the impact is minimal, don’t fuel the fire by pleading your case when it’s not necessary.

In some cases, your company may want to go to the source and try to work it out offline. A personal conversation may uncover information that would not have been otherwise known. If your company was in the wrong, your company can rectify the situation, and ask the author to publicly retract their comment or provide further information to defray the impact.

Your company can also respond by posting a public comment or publishing an acknowledgment letter on your company’s website or blog addressing the situation and providing your own perspective. However, be sure not to be overly defensive or personally attack the other party as that will only make your company look unprofessional.

Use It to Your Advantage

Keep in mind that whatever method your company chooses to handle the situation, your company cannot change the actions of others. Handle the situation as your company thinks is best, but don’t be pulled off-track by the negativity of others.

The Bureau

How do you FIND the RIGHT Vendor Partner for YOUR DEALERSHIP?

Let’s face it…You do not have time to do everything the dealership needs to succeed.  That is why America and the Free Enterprise system are so great.  Automotive dealerships provide jobs for many people, and help jump start the economy by providing transportation allowing individuals to get to their jobs.  Thus, increasing spending which helps all businesses.  Just ask my daughter who has convinced her mother she needs a whole new wardrobe for back to school.  (She is going into 4th grade, and acts like she is starting a new job.)

Dealership managers do not have time to create nor truly manage necessary applications that will provide strong online reputation management, high value search engine optimization, accurate locals’ optimization, complete and total web domination, strategic social media marketing, and a customer loyalty program that will increase fixed operation revenue, sales, repeat, and referral business.  Sure, dealerships can do all of these things, but they cannot do them completely and correctly without overspending on the necessary personnel or flawless processes that will automate the program without compromising the personal attention that is needed to turn “one-time customers” into “Life-time Customers”.

Before you say to yourself, this is another self-promoting advertising piece for a company that wants my business I implore you to continue reading the blog.  (Don’t get me wrong, I write these pieces to help you, but also to show you that my company will help you make more money.  I do want your business, and relish the opportunity to build your dealership into a powerhouse that you desire.)

As a business owner, I like to have complete control over everything I provide for my customers.  However, at times it makes sense for me to turn to a vendor to provide excellent services for my clients.  For example, our company provides follow up cards such as birthday, holiday, thank you, and anniversary cards for dealership clients as a part of our customer loyalty program.  We do not print these cards because the cost would be enormous, and quite frankly, I do not want to be in the business of printing cards.  I leave that to an expert printing company that will pass the savings of their bulk printing business to me, so I can pass those same savings to my dealership clients.

We solely focus on what we are experts at.  

We focus on providing our dealership clients a program and service that will satisfy every department’s needed participation in customer satisfaction which in return will bring back your customers year after year. 

 
DeliveryMaxx has developed a program from a dealerships perspective.  We have done this because over 95% of our employees have spent some part of their careers in the automotive industry, and mostly at the dealership level.  That’s right, our employees have sold cars, worked the desk, penciled deals, closed the gates, ported cars, bought and sold at the auction, and gone bell to bell weeks at a time.  Our employees have been General Managers, Internet Directors, Sales Managers, Managing Partners, Marketing Directors, Business Development Managers, Human Resource Directors, Service Advisors & Managers, Trainers, and Sales People participating in the automotive industry. 

 

DeliveryMaxx was founded by “Car Guys”, creating a more efficient method for successfully completing the sale at the point of delivery.  We have developed a system that effectively increases the positive experience of buying a new vehicle, accurately tracks the process, and generates increased customer retention.  We do this utilizing modern innovations and traditional techniques.  The net result to our dealership family is Increased Sales both repeat, referrals, & new business, Higher CSI Scores, Complete and Total Web Domination of Branding, Real Published Positive Reviews, Additional Revenue for Fixed Operations, and a follow-up data base that assures “Keeping the Customer for Life.”

So how do you find the right vendor partner for your dealership?  We know!  We have been there!  You do not want to have to interview another vendor or listen to another vendor tell you how great their product or service is.  You do not want to listen to a vendor tell you how they will revolutionize the automotive industry.  You have heard it all before, and need to focus on your sales staff and advertising budget.  You need to make sure you have enough inventory, and a plan to move it quickly so you can do the same process all over again in four more days.  Your time is better spent looking at reports, and trying to identify the reason your CSI score dropped two tenths of a percentage point.  You are too busy to see a new vendor!  However, be careful.  Being too busy today, may free you up in the future because you were told in the form of a box sitting on your desk with your awards, family pictures, and a plaque with a quote defining success by Vince Lombardi that your services are no longer valued at this dealership.  Are you missing good partners that can make your life easier and less stressful?  The answer is simple, and can be explained like a potential vehicle sale.  Everyone who walks on the lot is a potential sale.  Not only are they a potential sale, they have a friend who has the same credit as them, and will be looking to purchase a vehicle soon.  The same goes for the vendor.  The vendor would not be on your lot if they did not have something that your dealership has or needs to increase business.  You just have to have a process that will help you identify quickly if you need to enter into serious discussions with this vendor.

Let’s look at why you would not look at a vendor.  You may know some of these guys I am talking about.

1. Your dealership cannot improve anymore and know everything there is to know about the automotive world.  This type of manager, I cannot help.  They wake up in the morning, and thinks that they could leave the bathroom door open because the whole house will smell like roses when they leave.  It’s OK if you work for this manager.  He is in his late 50’s, and will have a heart attack pretty soon.  Unfortunately, the turnover rate at this dealership is high because his employees are being stifled and cannot grow to their full potential.  Just hope he drops before you get canned for his ego.

2. You are satisfied with your vendor because you have used them at another dealership and they were easy to work with there.  This makes complete sense, right?  If you were making great bonuses at your past dealership, why would you leave?  If that vendor is not constantly improving the way they do business then they have fallen behind the times.  If you do not like change, then you should not be in the automotive industry.

3. You do not have time to listen to another sales pitch because you are too busy.  Come on now.  You have to eat sometime.  Have the vendor take you to breakfast, lunch, or dinner and listen to their idea.  You might even be able to require your current vendor to adopt best practices that you liked from the vendor that bought you a meal.

Now that we have established that you should listen to new ideas, this is What you should look for in a Vendor.

1. Will the vendor provide a service that will improve your business?  In short, will your dealership be able to provide better service, achieve its marketing goals, or sell more cars because of the vendor?

2. Does the vendor make you sign a long term contract?  Anything other than a 30 day contract is long term.  At DeliveryMaxx, we believe our services should speak for themselves.  If we are not accomplishing point number one then we should be fired.  A long term contract only means security and complacent service for the vendor.

3. Are you getting a fair price for the services provided?  Price is not the end all, but it is very important.  There are some vendors that have a low price, but that usually means they are doing things that you can do yourself with the personnel or programs you already have.  Take the time to do the math.  Look in detail at the program and see what it would cost to develop the applications or programs and hire personnel to implement the program.  If you cannot do the service at a high quality and less expensive then you should look at using a vendor.  Will the price fluctuate with your business?  Why should you have to pay for a service if your business is not improving?  If your dealership is hurting, so should your vendors.

4. Can the vendor provide multiple services that will help you manage more effectively?  This point you have to be very careful when evaluating a vendor’s service.  A common practice is to “take a hit or bath on certain aspects of the program, and then overcharge on other parts of the program.  Evaluate every part of the program, and see if the value is there.  If not, negotiate.

5. Does the vendor practice what they preach?  If a vendor is trying to sell you on Search Engine Optimization or Branding, then shouldn’t they be strong in those areas as well?

6. Who are the vendor’s employees?  Do they truly understand what your business does, and what it needs?  You can spot these vendors when you talk about your business.  A good vendor has a passion about the automotive industry, and truly cares about how your dealership is doing.  I feel this makes a great partner.

7. Is your vendor easily accessible?  If you needed to contact your vendor after 9 PM can you?  Customer service is lacking in every business.  You should never settle for this in life, much less your own business.

8. Do you understand how your vendor makes money?  They are taking your money.  Shouldn’t you know if they are running their business properly, so you are not adversely affected by their decisions?

9. Have they provided you with referrals?  Many vendors do not want you to contact their clients because their clients may not have something great to say about them.  Take the time to research the vendor, so you do not spend good money after bad.  The market will dictate strong companies that can stand the test of times.

10. Biggest is not always the best.  Don’t get caught up into the hype of the bigger the vendor is the better they are.  It is simple.  If a vendor is huge and does not have the employees to support your dealership then they cannot give you the service they desire.  Ask them what their role-out plan is.  You want to make sure you continue to get personalized service.  You should always feel like you are their only client.

DeliveryMaxx practices each of these points when we hire a vendor for our company, or when we provide our services to our dealership network.  It would be crazy for me to write this article if we didn’t.  When our CEO, Josh Deaton & myself, James Schaefer started this company, we started it out of necessity.  We identified that the automotive dealerships lacked our type of services both in programs and value.  We were serious about helping dealerships turn “one-time customers” into “Life-Time Customers”.  After strong research, strategic planning, software developing, and putting together the right team, DeliveryMaxx was created.  Our results speak for themselves, and dealerships are happy to speak for us. 

DeliveryMaxx is one of the fastest growing companies in the automotive industry, and has a plan to continue to make each of our clients feel like they are our only client.  For more information, visit us at www.deliverymaxx.com

We look forward to speaking to you in the near future, and want to see you at the top!

 

What SEO & Online Reputation Management Companies are NOT telling YOU

DeliveryMaxx has acquired an insider who is an expert in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Local Search Engine Optimization (LSEO), Online Reputation Management (ORM), Pay per Click, and Social Media Marketing (SMM).  This individual has over 30 years of success in the automotive industry including running internet programs for publically traded companies, and owning dealerships.

We are choosing not to identify him publicly at this time because the information he is about to give to the public will upset a lot of the “big boys” who continue to charge dealerships for services that should not be charged for.  DeliveryMaxx is a growing company which was founded by people who have been executives in the automotive industry.  We make it a practice to hire experts who enjoy helping the automotive industry become familiar innovative ways to market and talk to today’s consumer.

 

Below is an excerpt from who DeliveryMaxx is calling “The Bureau”.  Have fun with the read, and stay tuned for more to come:
 
'Before I climb onto my Soapbox I want to clear something up. SEM is Search Engine Marketing not Pay Per Click (or even paper clips) SEM is the art (yes art) of utilizing the search engines (SEs) for your business’s advantage which can include PPC (Pay Per Click) campaigns.

Now give me a moment to climb on to my soapbox.

For years now we have heard that PPC was an absolute to be successful in any business in the Market Place. There is some truth in my opinion in this statement but do you really know what you are getting for your advertising dollars?

You just think you do!

Think about these points:
• How many impressions does my PPC ad get?
• What search engine do my impressions come from?
• What is the position are my ads displayed on the search engines?
• What time of day do my ads display to the public?
• Do my ads show on Mobile Devices?
• Are my PPC Ads pointed to a proxy website or my website?
• Is a Proxy Phone Number displayed in the PPC Ad?
• Is a Proxy Phone Number on my Local Area Listings?
• Do I have access to a real reporting tool so I monitor my ads?
• How do I know the reports on my ads are not skewed?

This list could go on and on but this should be enough to raise some pretty interesting conversations with your marketer or marketing company. Be prepared to see the “Deer in the Head Lights” look. I can almost guarantee it.

1. Let’s start with Ad Impressions… Impressions are how many times your ads were displayed on a search engine, right? Well there is a bit more to it than that. What if your ad is in the number 8 position on Google. Which most of the time is below the fold (the fold is the bottom of the webpage before you scroll down). If your ad is not in the top 5 then you LOOSE! You will receive an impression, but not receive the benefit of it being viewed by the public… this skews the reporting numbers - Marketing 101 right here.

 
2. Impressions and Search Engines. Most people assume (remember that word assume) that their Marketer or Marketing Company is placing ads on Google and Maybe Bing or Yahoo…. WRONG! To get cheap clicks most Marketers and Marketing Companies place your ads on Second Tier Search Engines such as 7Search, Lycos, Kanoodle and Enhance as well… Never heard them, of course not, but Marketers or Marketing Companies know about them. These clicks can cost as little as 2 cents, but produce nothing other than cheap click… now here is the kicker… Many Marketers and Marketing Companies don’t report the impression from these Search Engines, which elevates the click thru rate…

3. What is position of my PPC Ad? – Do you know, have you looked… if they tell you we can keep you in the number 2 position all the time, you better call them out. Because all PPC campaigns work on a bid system there is no way they can guarantee position. You might be number 1 at 10:00am and number 10 by 11am… and if your campaign contains several hundred word and 10 to 20 ads… well do the math… It is not possible… that’s why they get you an average position report at the end of the month.

 
4. What time of day do my ads display – We hope during business hours, Right? Most of the time your ads are gone by 2 or 3 in the afternoon do to budget restrictions… most marketers or marketing companies don’t advise their clients properly and give them an accurate estimate of a daily budget. A Car Dealership in a major metropolitan area can easy spend $300.00 per day in real money (not their marked up budget) on Google alone to stay in the top 5 during business hours. (Remember most Marketers and Marketing Companies keep 55 to 60% of the PPC money you spend)

 
5. Mobile Devices – Some Companies do not turn this feature on for their clients, because it can burn thru cash very quickly. Which in turn can have you dark in a matter of a few hours, that means your ads will not display because your budget is depleted for that day.

 
6. Proxy Websites – This is a great one – Most Companies use proxies (mirrored image of your site, but you don’t get organic credit for it because it sit on their server) because they say it is the way from them to get an true report on how your marketing dollars are spent. NOT TRUE, this the way they skew the number to their benefit to keep you as their client. Ask them if they ever hear of Java Script Source Tracking.

 
7. Proxy Phone Number – This is the same thing as Who’s Calling, Call Source or Call Bright… they are recording the calls to justify the ad spend. The real question it, where do these calls really come from? Once you read number 8 you’ll realize how they skew these numbers as well.

8. Locals, Places and Area Network Sites – You will know them as Google Places, Yahoo Local, Local.com, City Search, YP and so on. Do you know most marketer and marketing companies create these listings for you and place their Proxy Phone Numbers on these sites to enhance their call reporting… Have you ever noticed that you may have 3 or 4 or even more duplicate listing in some for these places and you can’t understand why…. Well here is the reason… if you have worked with several PPC companies of the years… there is no doubt you have duplicates spread across hundreds of sites.

9. Access to Real Reporting – As you can see there is no such thing with Marketers or Marketing Companies… think about… Have you ever called your buddy at another store and ask how many cars they have out… how accurate do you think that number is? Same thing here, only they package it up for you with bright colors and cool charts and graphs. We all know how Car Dealers love Bright and Shiny things!

 
10. Reports are Skew – After all of this I think is fairly accurate to say if you don’t manage your ads and use a Marketing Company the reports are skewed in one fashion or another.

The reason I wrote this today is I read a blog from an Automotive Marketing Company that was singing praises for SEM while talking about PPC… and I thought … These people are misleading (I had to edit misleading from stealing) the dealers with their nonsense. I my opinion again this company is clueless and people are buying into it…

I’m not saying at PPC is not something a dealer shouldn’t invest in. What I am saying is be very careful and pay attention to what they are reporting to you. Ask and have them prove to you they are a proven company or better yet, hire someone that can manage these types of functions for you. Believe it or not with some basic knowledge of how Digital Marketing works and with the implementation of some best practices it is not that hard. It is common sense!

Now let me climb down off my soap box….

I’m sure you are asking yourself “Who is the guy”? I have spent 3 decades in the car business starting in the 70s as a lot boy (for you younger set that’s what we called porters). I have developed some of the largest Internet Departments in the country and have worked for several Major Dealer Groups at the Regional or Divisional Level. Matter of fact I would bet several of you are using some of my old customer reply templates that I developed in the 90s. Several of the major CRM companies are using them in one form or another still today.

I have retired from the car business several years ago to have a life with my family and just now starting to remerge after discovering I really enjoy the car business. (Who I’m I kidding… I miss it). I’m not going back to retail or corporate, but I would like to help the dealer navigate their way through all the garage so they choose a marketing concept that really works for their dealership.'

from,

The Bureau

DeliveryMaxx is an innovative leader providing dealerships with solutions to increase CSI Scores, improve public branding and online reputation, dominating the world wide web through social media, add additional revenue for fixed operations, and provide real results for sales both repeat and referral business.  DeliveryMaxx’s business is turning the potential one-time customer into a raving fan for the dealership creating “Customers for Life”.

To find out more, please visit our website at www.deliverymaxx.com

 

Can Facebook & Social Media Help GM Sell More Vehicles

On May 22, 2012 I wrote a blog asking the public if GM made a wise choice dropping its 10 million dollar advertising spend from Facebook.  (For the entire blog visit: http://deliverymaxx.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/did-gm-make-a-wise-decision-dropping-facebook-as-an-advertising-medium/ )  My position then as it is now is that GM and many automotive dealerships are not utilizing Social Media Marketing correctly in particular Facebook.

In my youth, I lived in a small country town in Texas for a few years.  Often, I would hear the expression, “you can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig…”Decisions regarding advertising by GM look like they are changing, but marketing strategy looks to be the same when you wipe away the “lipstick”.

Often, I quote Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity which is “doing the same action continuously and expecting different results.”

Companies have two schools of thought as to whether it’s worth the investment for paid advertising on Facebook or bypass it and continue using their business fan page which doesn’t cost anything to use instead.  This blog is not entertaining this debate; it is stating that to take part in this particular debate would be the wrong battle to fight altogether.

Advertising 101 says that the more eyes that view your product will give you the exposure to help you sell your product.  It is a law of numbers.  Marketing 101 tells us that the best message that resonates with your audience will help you sell more of your product.  When GM spends hundreds of thousands of dollars in their next advertising & marketing retreat developing the direction of their message, I can’t help to think about how the answer is right in front of their nose.

Advertising 101

Let’s discuss Advertising 101 first.  The more eyes that view your product will give you the exposure to help you sell your product.  Taking this principle to the core- Facebook has over 900 million active users.  Facebook is the world’s largest URL.  Facebook has captured over 75% of Social Media Users.  Your read this correctly.  FACEBOOK is NOT the ONLY GAME in TOWN!  Business must utilize Social Networking sites to market to their potential consumers.  GM needs to develop a strategy that encompasses all of the market.  Most companies try a shot gun approach without truly diving into the analytics of consumer behavior within the confines of Social Networking Sites.  Web 2.0 will allow companies to create a strategy that will weave throughout the web to reach your desired audience.  The key is to create a net large enough that will reach all of your potential consumers.

Marketing 101

Now for the Marketing 101 discussion, I am not going to pretend to have all of the answers for every company’s needed message that they should deliver to the audience.  However, I will stick to the basics.  If a company has a good product or service, a fair price, and exceptional customer care then their brand and reputation will fly through the air like a Michigan cold front in October. The consumer will be the companies best (or worst if one of the three business principles are not met) marketer.

Business 101

Assuming a company has a good product or service, fair price, and exceptional customer care it is necessary to combined Advertising and Marketing like peanut butter and jelly into a strategy that will create the unique taste the consumer is looking for.  Companies need to look at creating a forum (see advertising 101) for their consumer (see marketing 101) to share the benefits and advantages of their product or service.

Results

Key results for automotive dealerships (but you can replace automotive dealerships with any type of company) include strong CSI scores, increased sales, repeat business, more referrals, additional fixed operation revenue, domination of the web or Search Engine Optimization (SEO) value, published positive online reviews or strong Online Reputation Management (ORM), and overall exceptional Customer Loyalty and Retention.  It is about the emotion of the sale isn’t it?  Why not take advantage of what you do the best, and have your customers work to help you sell more vehicles (or product).

About DeliveryMaxx

DeliveryMaxx understands the needs of Automotive Dealerships.  They create real customized solutions that utilize both traditional media and innovative technology that helps dealerships realize tremendous results in turning “one-time customers” into “LIFE-TIME CUSTOMERS”.

For more information, visit http://deliverymaxx.com

DeliveryMaxx Helps U.S. Companies & the Economy

DeliveryMaxx prides itself on being a small business giving new opportunities to individuals who would like to make a difference in the way consumers feel about their percieved value of their purchases.

We live in a society that places value on the size of our homes, type of vehicle we use for transportation, time pieces we wear on our wrist, and the brands of suits that makes up our attire.  Americans spend more time working for these worldly possessions on average than we do with our families at home.

Thus, DeliveryMaxx was formed to help businesses, particularly the automotive industry, an opportunity to show appreciation to their consumers for making these purchases.  DeliveryMaxx creates a Social Media Marketing program (SMM) to publically thank their customers on a daily basis.  Included in this marketing program, DeliveryMaxx is able to increase Search Engine Optimization(SEO) value, Online Reputation Management (ORM), and help businesses acquire positive reviews and branding.  The end result utilizing DeliveryMaxx's Images of Success program is an increase in customer loyalty and satisfaction.  This program is truly a complete comprehensive automotive dealership consumer care program.

Founded by Josh Deaton, and James Schaefer, DeliveryMaxx has quickly become a tremendous value to the Automotive Industry utilizing a proprietary system called Images of Success that is able to advertise to the world on how dealerships treat and value their customers.  The results speak for themselves.

Dealerships reported an increase in sales, positive online reviews, higher CSI scores, additional fixed operation revenue, stronger store branding, and a dramatic increase in referrals and repeat business.

Both Mr. Deaton and Mr. Schaefer have served successfully in corporate management in years passed, but each saw a deficiency in the way consumers were acknowledged, or lack thereof, for their business.  In addition to these organizations not providing the level of customer service one should expect, employees did not feel valued throughout the organization.  Before DeliveryMaxx's first client was acquired, the founders decided on creating a best place to work.  That meant allowing employees to have flexible work schedules, and encouragement to put family and public service first.  Furthermore, DeliveryMaxx created a fair wage schedule that allows every employee to be financially rewarded as the company grows.  Each account that is added and all revenue that is earned is shared amongst all active employees.  As the company earns more, so does every employee within the DeliveryMaxx organization.  This concept has empowered every employee at DeliveryMaxx to help make decision that will better serve their clients.

For more information on DeliveryMaxx, visit: www.deliverymaxx.com

Both Mr. Deaton, and Mr. Schaefer remain steadfast in helping the economy.  They strongly believe that small businesses have a direct effect on employment rate and consumer confidence. Consumer confidence is an economic indicator which measures the degree of optimism that consumers feel about the overall state of the economy and their personal financial situation. How confident people feel about stability of their incomes determines their spending activity and therefore serves as one of the key indicators for the overall shape of the economy. In essence, if the economy expands causing consumer confidence to be higher, consumers will be making more purchases. On the other hand, if the economy contracts or is in bad shape, confidence is lower, and consumers tend to save more and spend less. A month-to-month diminishing trend in consumer confidence suggests that in the current state of the economy most consumers have a negative outlook on their ability to find and retain good jobs.

James Schaefer & Josh Deaton have dinner with Congressman Ralph Hall to discuss the local economy and small business advantages.

Investors, manufacturers, retailers, banks and government agencies use various assessments of consumer confidence in planning their actions. The ability to predict major changes in consumer confidence allows businesses to gauge the willingness of consumers to make new purchases. As a result, businesses can adjust their operations and the government can prepare for changing tax revenue. If confidence is dropping and consumers are expected to reduce their spending, most producers will tend to reduce their production volumes accordingly. For example, if manufacturers anticipate consumers will reduce retail purchases, especially for expensive and durable goods, they will cut down their inventories in advance and may delay investing in new projects and facilities. Similarly, if banks expect consumers to decrease their spending, they will prepare for the reduction in lending activities, such as mortgage applications and credit card use. Builders will plan for the decline in home construction volumes. The government will get ready for the reduction in future tax revenues. On the other hand, if consumer confidence is improving, people are expected to increase their purchases of goods and services. In anticipation of that change, manufacturers can boost production and inventories. Employers can increase hiring rates. Builders can prepare for higher housing construction rates. Banks can plan for a rise in demand for credit products.

Government can expect improved tax revenues based on the increase in consumer spending.

How important are small businesses to the U.S. economy?

Small firms:

• Represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms.
• Employ about half of all private sector employees.
• Pay more than 45 percent of total U.S. private payroll.
• Have generated 60 to 80 percent of net new jobs annually over the last decade.
• Create more than half of nonfarm private gross domestic product (GDP).
• Supplied 22.8 percent of the total value of federal prime contracts in FY 2006.
• Hire 40 percent of high tech workers (such as scientists, engineers, and computer workers).
• Are 52 percent home-based and 2 percent franchises.
• Made up 97 percent of all identified exporters and pro­duced 28.6 percent of the known export value in FY 2004.
• Small innovative firms produce 13 times more patents per employee than large patenting firms, and their patents are twice as likely as large firm patents to be among the one percent most cited.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census; Advocacy-funded research by Kathryn Kobe, Economic Consulting Services, LLC, 2007, Federal

Procurement Data System ; Advocacy-funded research by CHI Research, 2003, U.S. Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population

Survey; U.S. Dept. of Commerce, International Trade Administration.

How many new jobs do small firms create?

Over the past decade, small businesses created 60 to 80 percent of the net new jobs. In the most recent year with data (2004), small firms accounted or all of the net new jobs. Firms with fewer than 500 employees had a net gain of 1.86 million new jobs. Large firms with 500 or more employees lost more jobs than they created, for a net loss of 181,122 jobs.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census information on employment dynamics by firm size from 1989 to 2004 .

DeliveryMaxx pledges to conduct business ethically, provide opportunities for motivated individuals who desire to make a difference in the world, and create a great place to work.  DeliveryMaxx will continue to provide a great service to companies that wish to grow their business and increase customer satisfaction.  DeliveryMaxx desires to help improve the economy administering these sound principles.