Business Has Changed, Have You?

I believe in the Basics; open the dealership, get the cars open, put some balloons out and sell some cars, right? Yes, but that's not all. Here is the CORE of what it takes in addition to the BASICS.
You have to have a department committed to full spectrum sub-prime financing. You have to be marketing your dealership and the full spectrum of services offered by your dealership via the Internet. It is very important that all sales staff members as well as fixed operations are participating in the promotion of the dealership. Internet, E-mail, Texting, Blogging, MySpace, Facebook and Craigslist are just a few ways of digitally promoting the dealership. The phone is one of the most important tools that the dealer ignores. I don't mean the sales staff; I'm talking about the person who answers the phone. That's your stores first impression for the consumer. Here we are spending endless amounts of money and man hours promoting the dealership and we have people who have no business answering the phone greeting that money well spent only to have it go to the next dealership when they get on perma-hold or are greeted improperly to say the least.

1 Internet manager for your dealership? 20 group?

Every dealership needs to find new ways to promote their products. It amazes me why some dealerships today still only have one guy running their entire internet. Sure some programs you buy and services the dealership subscribes to are fully automated and require nothing more than just routine updates etc. But these days with todays customer they are actively participating in information gathering through the internet . While half of your crew is sitting around waiting for an "up" to walk up to the dealership and buy a car they could be sending free posts on Craigslist for instance or posting a blog, investigating the classifieds online, in the blog area there are consumers out there with massive amounts of questions . Especially in this climate of worry that grips the average american. Remember buying a car is still one of the most important decisions in peoples lives, scoff at the notion or not. Get your salesman actively participating in posts,classifieds,blogs,emails,etc. I promise you will get more car deals by incorporating this routine into your staff.

Money well spent for Car Dealerships

Auto retailers spent $7.3 billion on direct marketing campaigns in 2007, driving $248.1 billion in sales - for a return on investment of $33.81, according to the Direct Marketing Association’s first-ever “Direct Marketing Facts and Figures in the Automotive Industry” report.
The 122-page report provides an overview of the automotive industry and nearly 100 charts to help readers benchmark their own direct marketing progress.
Among the key findings:
Auto manufacturers spent $8 billion on direct marketing advertising in 2007, realizing $77.8 billion in sales. That translated into a $9.68 ROI per dollar spent.
By 2012, auto manufacturers are expected to invest $9.8 billion on direct marketing, yielding $108.1 billion in sales, with an ROI of $11.
Automotive retailers, whose direct marketing efforts drive the highest ROI of the 52 US industries tracked by DMA, invested $7.3 billion in direct marketing advertising in 2007. As a result, this sector of the industry saw $248.1 billion in sales and an ROI of $33.81.
Vehicle retailers will see a slight decrease in ROI, to $33.67 by 2012. That will result from spending $8.8 billion on direct marketing advertising and earning $297.8 in sales.
Direct-order campaigns produced at least 40% of direct marketing sales in 2007.
In Q3 2007, Toyota was the No. 1 vehicle brand mailer of service promotions.
Of the domestic brands, Ford, Chrysler, and Dodge sent out the most direct mail sales campaigns during Q3 2007.
Of the foreign auto brands, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, and Honda sent out the most direct mail sales campaigns during Q3 2007.
Most direct mail sales pieces sent in Q3 2007 were aimed at acquiring new customers.