Friday, October 26, 2012

Southwest KIA utilizes DeliveryMaxx

Southwest KIA utilizes DeliveryMaxx to help their Customers share their Wonderful Experiences with the World

For 10 consecutive years Southwest KIA Dealer Group in North Texas has been the recipient of the company’s prestigious Kia President’s Club membership selected from a pool of more than 755 U.S. dealers. KIA USA President’s Club recognizes the “best of the best” dealers who achieve the highest overall sales volume and outstanding customer satisfaction.

On any given day, one can visit the dealer which is known for besting any new KIA deal in Texas as stated in their commercials by company president, Bill Dickason and see happy customers. When a customer arrives at the dealership they are greeted as family, and treated to an outstanding buying experience. Customers are given the opportunity to review the dealership before they leave, given a tasty apple pie, and then the moment is captured for a lifetime with a digital picture of the customer and their family in front of their new purchase.

“Since we have partnered with DeliveryMaxx, our sales have increased, CSI scores have been at an all-time high, and our customer loyalty is the strongest in the industry” says Steve Dodge, Southwest KIA of Rockwall General Manager.

“DeliveryMaxx has been so easy to work with, to deliver exactly what our dealership was missing. We have always been above industry standards, but with DeliveryMaxx we are able to truly share our message with the world because of the technology they have developed” explains Mr. Dodge. “I have been in this industry for a long time, and have never seen a program quite like this. More importantly, DeliveryMaxx’s Images of Success Program has exceeded every expectation that I have had. Because of their program, we are actually selling five to ten additional units each month utilizing their digital solution program.”

DeliveryMaxx was founded by Josh Deaton and James Schaefer who have spent their fair share of time in the automotive industry. They are true “car guys” that understand how to help companies, particularly automotive dealerships gain and win customers for life.

“Our program is very simple for dealerships to utilize as well as see immediate measurable results in Sales, Social Media Reach, Online Reputation, and additional fixed operation revenue” states DeliveryMaxx’s Chief Operating Officer, Josh Deaton.

DeliveryMaxx has a patented program that helps dealerships obtain published positive reviews, strong company branding, outstanding search engine optimization, accurate local searches engines, and a customer loyalty program unlike anything the automotive industry has ever seen. “It is a total dealership customer care program” that will help the dealerships customer return to the dealership time after time for years beyond the initial sale. DeliveryMaxx has developed a program that turns happy customers into virtual social media billboards for the world to see.

Key results for DeliveryMaxx clients are increased sales both repeat and referral business, positive online reputation management, strategic result oriented social media marketing, additional fixed operation revenue, lower advertising cost, higher CSI scores, web domination, customer loyalty, and retention. These results are achieved utilizing modern technology and common sense business principles that many companies lack in today’s time.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Do Great Products or Services Receive Positive Online Reviews?

In October of 2011 a class-action lawsuit against Yelp claiming that they were removing negative reviews in exchange for “advertising” was dismissed with prejudice (meaning they cannot be sued again for the same reason). It’s now two months from 2013 and already it seems the complaints of extortion are not going away; instead they appear to be growing more frequent in numbers as awareness has risen that something fishy could be going on at Yelp.

So far, courts have allowed Yelp to hide behind Section 230 of the Communications Act. For the uninitiated, Section 230(c) (1) of the Communications Act provides:

"No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider."

In the spirit of full disclosure, I am the Co-Founder of DeliveryMaxx and we have a patent pending product which helps companies, particularly automotive dealerships obtaining positive online reputation.  As I always tell my clients, "nothing will replace excellent customer service and an outstanding product."  However, if companies excel in both criteria than why should these businesses not enjoy the rewards of positive online recognition or reputation?

When Google changed their algorithims to scrape fake reviews, DeliveryMaxx was not worried and stood out above the rest of Online Reputation Companies because we identified and implemented a method allowing the consumer to share with the world about their positive experiences immediately. In fact, we have posted several blogs that our clients loved while these guys hated us pulling down the curtain.  When most of these companies had to close shop or make up an excuse to their clients about why the reviews were being scraped, DeliveryMaxx's client base grew 300% overnight.

As one can imagine, other marketers are not happy with our methods or how we share them with the world because they do things wrong or unethical.  DeliveryMaxx practices what we preach and that is to provide a great product or service coupled with outstanding customer service.  In return, we and our clients have a strong customer loyalty.

Now, the issue with Yelp and its label of being an extortion site.  First, let me state that I have no problem with a company saying they will not post business reviews without that company paying to be on their sites.  This is a true "pay to play" business model, and there are some good service sites that consumers utilize to make their purchasing decisions.  The Better Business Burea (BBB) identified a need for the consumer to rate companies on the business and services provided.  The BBB investigates and allows a response from businesses and then makes a judgment for all to see.  According to the BBB's website: "Fulfill all licensing and bonding requirements of applicable jurisdictions; provide all license and bonding information upon application for BBB accreditation; and provide periodic updates upon request of BBB" and "If a business has been accredited by the BBB, it means BBB has determined that the business meets accreditation standards which include a commitment to make a good faith effort to resolve any consumer complaints. BBB accredited businesses pay a fee for accreditation review/monitoring and for support of BBB services to the public."  Clearly, this is a pay to play evaluation for businesses.

However, Yelp has been criticized over the fairness of both negative and positive reviews on the site. A competitor can easily write an anonymous review with either extreme in mind. Yelp states that it will not censor reviews, but will remove suspicious reviews. Reviews are filtered for accuracy and reliability by an automated process that is intended to be neutral. The Oakland, California based East Bay Express published a 2009 story highlighting businesses that said that Yelp salespeople offered "to hide negative customer reviews of their businesses" by paying for advertising sponsorship contracts, and that positive reviews were removed and negative ones appeared when the business refused. In February 2010, two law firms filed a class action lawsuit, later dismissed by a federal judge, accusing Yelp of "extortion" on behalf of a veterinary hospital in Long Beach, California that made similar claims. Partially in response to these allegations[not in citation given] and in a move to increase transparency, Yelp added a feature that shows which reviews were filtered by its filtering algorithm. Nonetheless, Yelp continues to receive criticism over the filtering system as well as accusations by business owners of review manipulation.

Like every Web site that depends on consumer critiques, Yelp has a problem with companies trying to manipulate their results. So it set up a sting operation to catch them. The first eight businesses — including a moving company, two repair shops and a concern that organizes treasure hunts — will find themselves exposed on Thursday.

Now businesses caught soliciting favorable reviews are increasingly running the risk of getting slapped with a badge of shame like this one:

Yelp_reviews_deliverymaxx_online_reputation_management

Is this right?  At first glance, I don't mind cheaters being punished if they are wrong.  I loved what Lance Armstrong overcame to win an unprecedented seven Tour de France races.  However, he cheated.  No matter how much I enjoyed seeing him dominate his sport, he did not play within the rules and his accomplishments are now erased from the record books.

Lance_armstrong_online_reputation_managment_deliverymaxx
The same should go for businesses that practice obtaining fake reviews.  However, the question still remains to the businesses that are judged and virtually hanged in the virtual courtyard of consumer opinion without much recourse to clear their name.

In today's world:

  • 66% of consumers use the internet to research an item online before their purchase
  • 89% of consumers research vehicle reviews online before they make their purchase
  • 62% of all consumers read consumer-written product reviews online (with the highest percentage coming from 22-35 year olds (82%) with 36+ at 45%)
  • 69% of consumers who read reviews share them with friends, family, or colleagues, thus amplifying their impact in consumer behavior
  • 82% of consumers say their purchase decisions have been directly influence by the user reviews, either influencing them to buy a different product other than the one they had originally been thinking about

The facts are businesses have to get positive published online reviews in order to sustain profitability.  They have to find mediums to share these positive experiences with the world.  The consumer is all to willing to share there bad experiences which is not a bad thing.  The fact is that consumers are not as willing to share great experiences online.  This is where the problem is created.

So my question to the reader is this.  "Is it wrong to allow EVERY consumer to review a businesses product or service immediately whether the review is positive or negative?"  If you say "no" than what is the best method?  I am of the belief that Google, Yelp, Merchant Circle, Yellow Pages, CitiSearch, Yahoo should allow the consumer to write a review immediately, and not punish the business for providing this opportunity within their brick and morter confines.  Unfortunately, there are cheaters.  If review sites like Yelp catch the cheaters, that is a good thing.  But should good ethical businesses that provide exceptional goods or services be punished for identifying methods that allow reviews to be published immediately?  DeliveryMaxx has been very successful in providing our clients with published positive reviews on all of these sites.

Ultimately, the consumer will provide the answer.  Our enterprise system will prevail.  The consumer will find the flaws in the review sites that don't have correct filters and stop trusting those sites.  They will also find the sites that are non-biased and choose to research information and make their purchasing decisions accordingly.

Finally, if a business wants to succeed then they must provide a great product, and outstanding customer service.  Some things will never change.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Social Media Executive of Fastest Growing Marketing Company by Day and Coach by Night

Before the 4 AM wakeup alarm blares, James Schaefer is awake reading the newest blogs and daily news of the day.  He breezes through topics of sports, politics, religion, finance, technology, marketing, and business.  By 5 AM, Mr. Schaefer is getting ready for a day of helping companies; particularly Automotive Dealerships spread their message to the world about their great services.  “DeliveryMaxx has allowed me to learn other people’s business, and share how great they are doing.  Today, consumers have more choices than ever as to where to spend their hard earned money.  My company emphasizes the great qualities of our clients in a way that nobody has figured out how to do utilizing modern innovations of social media marketing, online reputation management, search engine optimization, and our proprietary DigitalMaxx Solution.  The results combined together to create one of the strongest customer loyalty and retention programs on the market which creates more sales, repeat business, referral business, branding, positive reviews, and most importantly greater customer satisfaction” said Schaefer.

By 6 AM, Schaefer is sitting in his home office pouring over the same topics now mixed with his clients’ reviews, blogs, and press releases.  “I want to make sure we are always providing the best service for our clients.  Great ideas are all around us if we just look for them.  We don’t always have to reinvent the wheel.  We just have to brand it a little different.  I look to see successes, and make sure my clients are among those successes” says Schaefer.

By 7 AM, Schaefer is meeting with his business partner Josh Deaton at the local Starbucks.  “I bet James and I spend 12-15 hours a week drinking coffee and coming up with some of the best ideas before most people arrive at work” states Josh Deaton, DeliveryMaxx’s Founder and CEO.

Both Mr. Schaefer and Mr. Deaton met in Rockwall at a local youth sporting event in 2009.  Both of their sons played football although they were on different teams.  Mr. Deaton was very successful in the automotive industry and invested his earnings quite well.  Mr. Schaefer was a senior executive at an international marketing company, and entrepreneur.  At the time both men met, Schaefer owned two franchises and had started and sold two other small businesses before graduating from college.

During their encounter, Schaefer was surprised to find out that Mr. Deaton was one of the investors in the company that he was an executive at.

Taking advantage of an opportunity:

Both James and Josh continued to speak regularly, and one day Josh presented the idea of DeliveryMaxx to James.  “With James’ ethics, and knowledge of running companies, and my knowledge of the needs the automotive industry as well as lack of vendors being able to provide our services the way we are able to provide them, it made perfect sense to me to partner with him for DeliveryMaxx” says Deaton.  They strategically put together a team of highly skilled minds and set out to share the DeliveryMaxx Images of Success & DigitalMaxx program.  Both refused to take investors’ money, so they would have total control of the direction of the company.  “I have seen too often when someone puts money into something they expect results immediately and just because they financed a project they didn’t understand the true vision of the idea.  Before we incorporated the company, I told Josh that it was his vision and my job to make that vision happen” says Schaefer.  Therefore, Mr. Deaton assumed the title of Chief Executive Officer controlling 60% of the company’s stock and Mr. Schaefer took the title of Chief Operating Officer owning 40%.  “There should always be one person who has the final say during any disagreements.  It was Josh’s vision, his idea, and he is very clear headed and allows people to utilize their expertise."

Within three years, DeliveryMaxx has earnings surpassing $ 1,000,000 annually.  They employ an accountant, vice president of technology and social media, vice-president of information technology, director of marketing, human resource director, new business development officer, photographers, editors, graphic artist, customer service representatives, and sales people.  “None of us have our titles on our business cards because we all focus on the company as a whole, and not just our individual department.  I don’t want one person to think that because they work in one department, they don’t have a stake in what happens in another” says Schaefer.  “Actually, everyone’s earnings are based on the success of the company.  If the company wins, so does everyone who contributes to the vision and mission!” Deaton adds, “I thought this was the one of the greatest implementations James has provided to our company by sharing the rewards with everyone.  It also allowed our company to become cash flow positive, and debt free in a very short amount of time."

So as you can imagine, Mr. Schaefer does not stop working at 5 PM.  However, he does put on his coaching attire and heads out to a football field, basketball court, or softball field to share his knowledge with Rockwall and surrounding area’s youth.  In the evening, Coach Schaefer currently can be seen working as the Offensive Line Coach for the Nations number one ranked 10 and under youth select football team by National League Certification Management (NLCM), the Rockwall Youth Sports Association Jackets.  His son, Joseph, has been in the organization since he was five and Coach Schaefer has been a part of the coaching staff for four of those years winning the championship each year.  “The RYSA organization actually showed me that kids are never too young to learn and will absorb just about anything they see and hear” states Schaefer.  When his son who plays select football and select baseball year around, wanted to play basketball, Coach Schaefer’s wife signed him up to coach the team.  “Nobody was able to coach the team.  Since that was the sport that James played in high school and college, I thought he would be the best one to coach our son” says Victoria, James’ wife of 16 years in November.  James modestly adds, “Actually, I didn’t ever suit up in college as my attitude got in the way of my ability.  I should have played, but I learned out the hard way that your attitude is just as important as your ability.  Hopefully, I can pass that lesson to the kids I am entrusted to coach.”  “I will always remember my son looking up to me when we were signing him up to play (basket)ball and saying that he didn’t know if he would be a good basketball player for me.  I told him that I didn’t know if I would be a good coach either, but would do my best if he would too, and no matter what always love him.”

National_championship_rockwall_jackets_james_schaefer_deliverymaxx

James Schaefer (3rd coach from left) & son Joseph (#40) with National Champions RYSA Jackets

Both Coach Schaefer and his son have done their best winning the local league as well as a more competitive league in the same season.  However, it was only a matter of time that Elizabeth, Coach Schaefer’s 8 year old daughter started playing sports a couple of years ago.  As it turns out, she is the athlete in the family.  She is already taller than her two year older brother and quicker too.  “He won’t admit that!” says both of his parents.  His daughter plays softball, basketball, and just recently picked up volleyball.  Coach Schaefer has been a coach for her softball and basketball teams, but he leaves the volleyball instruction to his younger sister Jennifer Minor who was an Academic All-American 4-year volleyball player at Houston Baptist University.

Every day is eventful in the Schaefer household.  They have three businesses, two kids, four sporting events at all times, school (both of their kids are straight A students), PTA (Victoria formally served as the president and currently serves as the treasurer), and still make time to spend with nieces, nephews, cousins, and grandparents who live in the metroplex.
Most practices end around 8 PM on school nights.  After Schaefer takes the whistle off, he sits back down in his home office and gets back to work.  He finishes up most nights working with DeliveryMaxx clients about 11 PM, and then starts the routine all over again tomorrow.

Balancing the kid’s activities, and work can be a bit stressful at times, Schaefer explains in a few words, but “I love it, and I think athletics is a lot like business.  There are winners and losers on the scoreboard, but how you carry yourself during victories and defeats is the true definition of your character.”

Social Media Executive of Fastest Growing Marketing Company by Day and Coach by Night


"Athletics is a lot like business. There are winners and losers on the scoreboard, but how you carry yourself during victories and defeats is the true definition of your character.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

National Champions RYSA Jackets (Coach Schaefer 2nd from right & son #40)National Champions RYSA Jackets (Coach Schaefer 2nd from right & son #40)
PRLog (Press Release) - Oct 08, 2012 -
Before the 4 AM wakeup alarm blares, James Schaefer is awake reading the newest blogs and news of the day. He breezes through topics of sports, politics, religion, finance, technology, and business. By 5 AM, Mr. Schaefer is getting ready for a day of helping companies; particularly Auto Dealers spread their message to the world about their great services. “DeliveryMaxx has allowed me to learn other people’s business, and share how great they are doing. Today, consumers have more choices than ever as to where to spend their hard earned money. My company emphasizes the qualities of our clients in a way that nobody has figured out how to do utilizing modern innovations of social media marketing, online reputation management, search engine optimization, and our proprietary DigitalMaxx Solution. The results combined together to create one of the strongest customer loyalty and retention programs on the market which creates more sales, repeat business, referral business, branding, positive reviews, and greater customer satisfaction” said Schaefer.

By 6 AM, Schaefer is sitting in his home office pouring over the same topics now mixed with his clients’ reviews, blogs, and press releases. “I want to make sure we are always providing the best service for our clients. Great ideas are all around us if we just look for them. We don’t always have to reinvent the wheel. We just have to brand it a little different. I look to see successes, and make sure my clients are among those successes” says Schaefer.

By 7 AM, Schaefer is meeting with his business partner Josh Deaton at the local Starbucks. “I bet James and I spend15 hours a week drinking coffee and coming up with some of the best ideas before most people arrive at work” states Josh Deaton, DeliveryMaxx’s Founder and CEO.

Both Mr. Schaefer and Mr. Deaton met in Rockwall at a local youth sporting event in 2009. Both of their sons played football although on different teams. Mr. Deaton achieved success in the automotive industry and invested his earnings quite well. Mr. Schaefer was a senior executive with a marketing company, and entrepreneur. At the time both men met, Schaefer owned two franchises and had started and sold two other small businesses before graduating from college.

During their encounter, Schaefer was surprised to find out that Mr. Deaton was one of the investors in the company where he was an executive.

Turning a chance meeting into an opportunity. Both James and Josh continued to speak regularly, and one day Josh presented the idea of DeliveryMaxx to James. “With James’ success with running companies, and my knowledge of the needs the auto industry and lack of vendors being able to provide our services the way we are able to provide them, it made perfect sense for me to partner with him for DeliveryMaxx” says Deaton. They strategically put together a team of highly skilled minds and set out to create the DeliveryMaxx program. Both refused to take investors’ money, so they would have total control of the direction of the company. “I have seen too often when someone puts money into something they expect results immediately and just because they financed a project they didn’t understand the true vision of the idea. Before we incorporated the company, I told Josh that it was his vision and my job to make that vision happen” says Schaefer. Therefore, Mr. Deaton assumed the title of CEO controlling 60% of the company’s stock and Mr. Schaefer took the title of COO owning 40%. “There should always be one person who has the final say during any disagreements. It was Josh’s idea and he is very level headed allowing people to utilize their talents.”

Within three years, DeliveryMaxx has earnings surpassing $1,000,000 annually. They employ an accountant, VP of technology & social media, VP of IT, director of marketing, HR director, new business development officer, photographers, graphic artist, customer service representatives, and sales people. “None of us have our titles on our business cards because we all focus on the company as a whole, and not just our individual department. I don’t a person to think that because they work in one department or wherever, they don’t have a stake in what happens in another department” says Schaefer. “Actually, everyone’s earnings are based on the success of the company. If the company wins, so does everyone who contributes to the mission!” Deaton adds, “I thought this was one of the greatest implementations James has provided to our company by sharing the rewards with everyone. It also allowed our company to become cash flow positive, and debt free in a very short amount of time.”

So as you can imagine, Mr. Schaefer does not stop working at 5 PM. However, he does put on his coaching hat and heads out to a field or court to share his knowledge with Rockwall and surrounding area’s youth. In the evening, Coach Schaefer currently can be seen working as the Offensive Line Coach for the Nations number one ranked 10-U youth select football team by National League Certification Management (NLCM), the RYSA Jackets. His son, Joseph, has been in the organization since he was five and Coach Schaefer has been a part of the coaching staff for four of those years winning the championship each year. “The RYSA organization actually showed me that kids are never too young to learn and will absorb just about anything they see and hear” states Schaefer. When his son who plays both select football and baseball year around, wanted to play basketball, Coach Schaefer’s wife signed him up to coach the team. “Nobody was able to coach. Since that was the sport that James played in high school and college, I thought he would be the best to coach our son” says Victoria, James’ wife of 16 years in November. James adds, “Actually, I didn’t ever suit up in college as my attitude got in the way of my ability. I should have played, but I learned out the hard way that your attitude is just as important as your ability. Hopefully, I can pass that lesson to the kids I am entrusted to coach.” “I will always remember my son looking up to me when we were signing him up to play and saying that he didn’t know if he would be a good player for me. I told him that I didn’t know if I would be a good coach either, but would do my best if he would too, and no matter what always love him.”

Both Schaefer and his son have done their best winning the local league as well as a more competitive league in the same season. However, it was only a matter of time that Elizabeth, Coach Schaefer’s 8 year old daughter started playing sports a couple of years ago. As it turns out, she is the athlete in the family. She is already taller than her two year older brother and quicker too. “He won’t admit that!” says both parents. His daughter plays softball, basketball, and just recently picked up volleyball. Schaefer has been a coach for her softball and basketball teams, but he leaves the volleyball instruction to his younger sister Jennifer Minor who was an Academic All-American volleyball player at Houston Baptist University.

Every day is eventful in the Schaefer household. They have 3 businesses, 2 kids, sporting events at all times, school (both of their kids are straight A students), PTA (Victoria formally served as the president and currently serves as the treasurer), and still make time to spend with family members who live nearby.

Most practices end around 8 PM on school nights. After Schaefer takes the whistle off, he sits back down in his office and gets back to work. He finishes up most nights about 11 PM, and then starts the routine all over again.

Balancing the kid’s activities, and work can be a bit stressful at times, Schaefer explains, but “I love it, and I think athletics is a lot like business. There are winners and losers on the scoreboard, but how you carry yourself during victories and defeats is the true definition of your character.”