THE TEXT GENERATION AS A CLIENT

 

This year alone, about 1.5 million vehicles are expected to be sold per month. Every. Month. Is your dealership achieving record sales numbers as well, with record sales statistics for auto dealers in 2015 and projections for 2016 looking to be as forecasted?

This article discusses how to sell effectively across various generations utilizing a Texting Platform that everyone can use. What is the significance of this? This is significant since satisfied customers are more likely to buy and spend more money.

 

Millennials, with a population of 75.4 million in 2015, are the largest generation in the United States. Pew Internet Research (Pew Internet Research, 2015). The Baby Boomers have a population of 74.9 million people, and don’t forget about Generation X. Over three generations, that’s a lot of potential purchasing power.

 

For many dealerships, a current and major marketing difficulty is:

How does my dealership bridge the gap between the various generations’ preferred communication modes, from conventional advertising for older consumers who may still read a physical newspaper in the mornings to digital advertising for newer generations who have grown up in the digital age?

 

How do you effectively advertise, connect, and interact with potential consumers ranging in age from 18 to 99 in a way that is comfortable for them? The answer is straightforward: texting.

 

68 percent of Americans had a smartphone in 2015. (Pew Internet Research, 2015). When given the option, more than half of those surveyed choose to text rather than call; that’s 100 million people in the United States who prefer to connect primarily by text! Within 5 minutes of being sent, the bulk of those texts are opened and read!

 

GET IN TOUCH WITH MORE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO BUY YOUR PRODUCT

Texting is a very effective approach to reach more buyers, and it is mostly ignored by the car sector. Most Americans are texting these days, and have been for a time, whether they are young or elderly, using a smart phone or a dumb phone. Take a look out the window into your customer waiting area. How many of them are engrossed in their phones? Over 60% of phone users use their phones to assist them in purchasing a home, over 40% for banking and loans, and over 30% for vehicle purchases, with those percentages rapidly rising as society’s reliance on cell phones grows.

 

A good and well-managed texting campaign exposes your company to a previously unexplored and commonly used method of communication that is convenient for customers of all generations. In an era where the most popular social media can vary from month to month, a solid texting strategy will help you not only preserve client loyalty but also help you gain new consumers. Leaving you frustrated, hands in the air, over squandered Internet advertising time and time again.

 

REMAIN IN CONTROL OF YOUR COMMUNICATIONS

Texting is another area where your salespeople may easily take over if you don’t take charge of the process from the start. A dissatisfied employee leaving with a list of clients’ phone numbers, which he or she has been messaging, is the last thing you want. This is only one of the reasons why having the assistance of a trained and experienced texting partner is critical.

 

Increased response times and more comfortable, well-managed, and controlled dialogues with your customers result from a successful texting campaign, which leads to more walk-ins and vehicle sales. That’s why you need to work with a business that not only has experience, but also has the most up-to-date automotive text messaging technology to help you with this part of your marketing strategy.

LEAD GENERATION AD CAMPAIGNS ON FACEBOOK

 

Facebook’s Lead Ads are the quickest and most cost-effective way to convert a click into a lead on Facebook, and the internet in general. They enable visitors to express interest in your offer by filling out a form on Facebook. Because the forms are pre-populated with the user’s Facebook information, it’s the quickest way for individuals to respond to advertising and advertisers to acquire leads. You can capture a lead in Facebook in a matter of seconds. This is a match made in heaven for digital advertisers, especially when you consider the huge quantity of data Facebook allows you to use when developing your advertising.

 

The method of generating Facebook leads is depicted in the diagram below.
How to Generate Leads on Facebook

 

The only issue is that there is no simple way to get these leads into your CRM. There are several CRM connectors, but none in the automotive area that I’m aware of. You must manually download and import a CSV from your Facebook page into your CRM. Due of Facebook’s inadequate notifications when a new lead is received, you’re obliged to check for new leads on a regular basis. As you might guess, this is a time-consuming and unpleasant operation, and if you don’t answer quickly enough, you will lose consumers.

 

SIMPSOCIAL’S RECOMMENDATION: Our clients, and auto dealers in general, are drastically increasing their Facebook ad spends, and we were compelled to find a solution out of necessity. We liked the advertising, but the time it takes to handle the leads is making us work more harder than we should for such a simple task. So, we recently began experimenting with Facebook’s Graph API to see if we could find a solution to the dilemma described above. I’ve never been one to take the long way around! The more procedures you can automate and codify, the more efficient you will become, and the more time you will save, and we all know that TIME = MONEY.

 

Today, I am pleased to inform that we now have access to that solution for ourselves and our clients. Not having to manually retrieve leads and sort through which ones you’ve already downloaded and which ones you haven’t will save you a lot of time. Because they received a prompt answer, more automobiles will be sold to satisfied consumers!

 

You can sign up for a Lead Event for your Facebook page using our Text Marketing platform. Once you’ve successfully subscribed your page to SIMPSOCIAL’s texting platform, we’ll start receiving notifications whenever a new lead is added to a Facebook lead form you’ve created.

 

From a Facebook Lead Generation Ad, a text message and a lead were produced.

 

 

After the lead is uploaded to SIMPSOCIAL from Facebook, We can then enroll them to our Automation feature letting them know we got their information and include all of the standard opt-out disclaimers. You may also program the SIMPSOCIAL Automation to ask a series of questions after the lead is received.

 

Now that the lead is in our system, your sales team can continue texting the customer from the SIMPSOCIAL App and push the lead into your CRM when they’re ready, or if you’ve enabled Auto Push, the lead will be sent to your CRM immediately as soon as we receive it from Facebook.

FACEBOOK ADVERTISING VS. GOOGLE ADWORDS

 

I had the privilege of attending the CBT Conference in Atlanta, GA in early March, as well as the PCG Companies training session that preceded the conference. Much of the conversation in automotive digital marketing is now focused on Google AdWords and the quality of website traffic generated.

We’ve been measuring our Google AdWords outcomes for the past decade by looking at CPC, Bounce Rates, Impression Share, and Click Through Rates. When cars were flying off the shelves, these simple measurements were ideal.

 

The quality of that traffic has decreased in recent years, and the cost per sold unit has risen dramatically. The fact that every dealership in your market is vying for the same set of customers isn’t helping matters. Now that sales have slowed, it’s time to examine those AdWords budgets more closely.

 

According to PCG’s study, around 80% of Google AdWords traffic to dealership websites is just consumers searching for the dealership’s name. There is no need to pay for clicks from those who would have found you otherwise. Essentially, your dealership’s Yellow Pages directory at an exorbitant charge.

 

When you factor in Bot and Service traffic, your AdWords budget is left with very few sales prospects. By installing VistaDash on your website, you can simply assess what is being generated, as well as track engagement and isolate bot traffic. You can score your phone calls as Sales/Service using a service like CallRevu.

 

When you go further into your AdWords traffic, you’ll rapidly notice that there are very few sales opportunities available. The ones you do have are usually shopping for the best deal, and they anticipate you to lose money while selling them a car. You’ve been informed you must be searching on Google. In the world of digital marketing, Google is the be-all and end-all. Google accounts for the majority of most dealerships’ digital spending. That’s where you’ve heard folks go to look for an automobile. So, what are your options?

 

The solution is right in front of your eyes. The majority of you use it several times during the day. Facebook! There was a lot of snake oil being marketed when Facebook first entered the market. Vendors informing you that by creating a Facebook page, generating some Fans/Likes, and starting to post some amazing engaging content, they may improve sales by $500-$1,000 per month. It was supposed to be a simple and inexpensive approach to increase car sales.

 

I was one of the first merchants to jump on board. I switched my focus away from direct mail and toward Facebook marketing. I spent eight years trying to figure out how to assist car dealers sell more cars for less money. The industry, as well as myself, took the incorrect approach to this. Remember, nothing worthwhile in life is free or simple!

 

Everything we knew about marketing was turned upside down. We’ve even been instructed that you “don’t sell automobiles on social,” and that you should post interesting stuff that isn’t even relevant to your brand. Vendors and dealers did this in order to combat Facebook’s constantly changing algorithms aimed at reducing the quantity of spam content their users were exposed to. They also aimed to push marketers into a Pay-to-Play strategy in order to boost their profits.

 

Our clients have chosen a different strategy during the last year. Many of our clients have switched major sections of their expenditures from Google to Facebook by investing in “paid” Facebook ads. About a year ago, Facebook launched something called Lead Gen Ads. It gave us a way to create significant volumes of leads from paid ads for the first time.

 

These adverts, when combined with the appropriate response mechanisms, demonstrated that these are real people interested in discussing car purchases. Many of them aren’t in the market when they see the Facebook ad, allowing the dealership first chance at the customer’s business and avoiding having to compete with every other dealer in town.

 

Frank Hyundai’s General Manager, John Carlson, spent $10,000 on paid Facebook advertising in February. A large portion of this budget was redirected from Google AdWords. They moved from producing low-conversion clicks and few new sales prospects to receiving over 500 text messages about buying a car. They’ve significantly raised sales and gross margins on each device sold. They’re connecting with customers in ways that their competitors aren’t. This provides them with the competitive advantage they require to dominate their market.

ARE THERE ANY MORE OF THESE LOW-FUNNEL IN-MARKET SHOPPERS OUT THERE?

 

Consider this: Have prices for low-funnel in-market shoppers grown as conversions have declined in recent years?

For the merchants who got in early, AdWords was like a gold mine. This isn’t the case anymore. The sales are becoming increasingly difficult to come by. To acquire conversions, you must price vehicles far back on the invoice. Your website’s form completion rates have decreased.

 

What do you believe is causing this? Allow me to assist you. Look up supply and demand on the internet. TrueCar, AutoTrader, Cars(.)com, and a slew of other companies all vying for your attention. OEMs are requiring dealers to purchase a set number of impressions, and many dealers are doing it on their own. The market is completely saturated. If this were a real estate market, it would be referred to as a MAJOR sellers’ market. These giant corporations are hitting grand slams, while dealers are becoming increasingly squeezed.

 

Sellers are devolving into order takers rather than salespeople. Gross and commissions have never been lower. This is a recurring theme I hear from time to time.

 

This is exactly what occurred. We prefer to pursue the path of least resistance as humans. As though it were water. AdWords and other low-funnel channels generate a lot of low-cost shopper leads. You receive more sales if you have the lowest prices. Easy! That is, until everyone boarded the vessel. That boat is now beginning to sink.

 

What options does the industry have? Just keep traveling in the same direction? No, the solution is straightforward. On Facebook, you may target a broad audience. The principle is straightforward. You can reach folks who aren’t in the market yet, just like you can with television, radio, newspapers, and other traditional media means. You may be the first to catch their attention and the first to sell them a car before they go online to shop.

 

Rather than narrowing your audience, go for a larger one. Look for those that have a concept for a new car but haven’t started the procedure yet.

 

Because your advertising was bad, the television, radio, and newspaper didn’t cease broadcasting. It ceased to function because people stopped utilizing them and their focus shifted elsewhere. Your marketing strategies were good; all you needed to do now was relocate them to where the eyeballs are.

 

We’ve had a lot of success for our clients simply by employing broad targeting and typical Facebook advertising strategies. However, this attracts a different type of customer. It develops a consumer to whom you must truly sell the reason for their need for a vehicle, not merely the price at which you are selling the vehicle. You’ll need to ask them questions like: Do you require a larger vehicle for your family? Are you seeking for a more dependable option? You’ll have to persuade them that now is the best time to begin shopping.

 

I’m not saying you shouldn’t advertise to get low-funnel customers; rather, you should fill your funnel completely! From the top to the bottom. This will help you lower low-funnel demand, locate new customers to work with, enhance your gross profit margins, and benefit the industry as a whole. Everyone needs a new vehicle; they just aren’t aware of it. It is our responsibility to demonstrate why they do. Facebook, when combined with text messaging, is the ideal medium for accomplishing this.

DID WE WENT TOO MUCH FOR BDCS

 

In today’s dealerships, BDCs are hobbling around their final lap. They were doomed to fail since they were tasked with overseeing one of the dealership’s most valuable assets with the lowest-paid and least-experienced workers. With little to no training and expertise, dealers have been passing over hundreds of thousands of dollars in leads to BDC departments.

In many businesses, the incredibly valuable asset of in-market car shoppers is squandered when customers desire more information than the BDC can supply before showing up for an appointment. Why do we make it so difficult for people to buy cars? Many BDCs are simply not equipped – and in many cases are not permitted – to give this information to today’s car buyers. In dealerships around the country, the customer engagement center will quickly replace the BDC. The BDC’s time has come to an end. Or did BDCs ever get their own day? BDCs were built with a few of catastrophic defects that made them virtually hard to succeed.

 

BDC employees are among the least well-trained and paid in the dealership. They are also many clients’ first point of contact and impression of the dealership. Initially, giving customers with minimum information and driving them all to a dealership appointment worked well. Today’s automobile shopper expects more, and most BDCs are unable or unwilling to give payment and other information. The first fatal flaw is this. The BDC pay plan is the second. Employees at the BDC are compensated according on the number of appointments they make. As a result, they make appointments for clients who haven’t had all of their questions addressed and aren’t yet convinced to visit the dealership. This is one of the key reasons why just half of the appointments are kept. It’s easier to agree to a time even if you don’t plan on attending than it is to get a BDC representative to pick up the phone. With an appointment set for a few days, the BDC representative leaves the buyer alone to look at other dealerships. Have you ever phoned a customer who failed to show up for an appointment only to discover that she had purchased a car the day before at another location? The TO from the BDC to the sales department needs to happen early in order to set meaningful appointments that clients will actually keep. The customer engagement center comes into play in this situation.

 

The CEC’s employees will initiate the initial contact with the consumer and obtain the necessary information. When the customer requests information that only the sales department can supply, such as payments, interest rates, and trade values, the CEC transfers the customer to a salesperson. In this scenario, the consumer is led inside the dealership by a salesperson who has all of the information necessary to persuade the customer to come in. There are inner and outside salesmen in most other firms. All inbound communications and queries are handled by the internal sales reps. Outside salesmen demonstrate products and close sales. Consider CEC representatives to be inside salespeople who filter through all of the prospective possibilities and pass the excellent ones on to outside salespeople to close. Your salespeople would prefer to only engage with clients who are ready to talk about buying a car. Wasn’t this the idea process behind BDCs from the start?

 

The first step in transforming your BDC to a CEC is to gain buy-in from both the BDC and the salespeople…

 

Invite them to talk about the optimal customer experience, how to communicate with both departments, and how to get there. You’ll be shocked to learn that after a few minutes of pointing fingers, they’ll actually agree. The BDC/CEC representatives want to gather data and deliver basic information to customers. When the conversation moves on to financial matters, they’ll want to hand it over to sales. What’s more, guess what? The salespeople also want to have control over this phase of the transaction. This is the best time for a TO, according to both groups. Now for the payment schedule. Bonuses for successful TOs and, eventually, delivered units, should be given to your CEC salespeople. Everyone should be striving for the same goal: automobiles burning gas over the curb.

 

**The customers who are ready to work a car transaction will be sent on to your salespeople by your new CEC reps.

 

Your salespeople will devote all of their time to customers who are ready to make a purchase.

 

Your CEC reps and salespeople will be happier, and your customers will be happier as well. **

 

With this new procedure, your dealership’s customer experience will improve. Every step of the way, from purchase to delivery, your customers will be dealing with the proper person.

IS PAID MARKETING ON FACEBOOK THE WILD WEST?

To some, the automobile industry used to resemble the wild west. What with the gunslingers as dealers. To sell as many vehicles as possible, dealers used to locate something that worked and pump more and more money into it. Why not double a marketing investment of $7500.00 in direct mail that resulted in 35 automobile purchases the following month in the expectation of doubling the results? Today, most stores have lost their entrepreneurial gunslinger spirit. The day is ruled by staying safe and doing what everyone else is doing.

For the past two decades, dealership marketing has evolved at an ever-increasing rate, albeit few dealers go into new marketing area until the herd has already moved in that direction. Dealers, like every other dealership in every other town around the country, have switched their marketing budgets from traditional to digital. Dealers today are doing less newspaper, television, radio, and direct mail than they were two decades ago, yet most would agree that this was and still is the greatest way to spend marketing resources. Websites, SEO, SEM, and third-party lead suppliers were able to generate more leads per dollar, and practically every dealer went all in. Today’s marketing scene has shifted again again, and early-adopter dealers now have a stronger advantage than ever before. If this appeals to you, go inside your closet and dust out your pistol belt, because the wild west has returned.

Facebook began as a lamb and has grown into a lion. Dealers have been attempting to gain likes and post non-sales content in the aim of selling cars for years. Some vehicles were sold, but Facebook was seen by dealers as a necessary evil and did not evolve into a vehicle delivery mechanism for many years. Facebook has matured in the previous two years, and the Facebook lead generation ad is the most cost-effective way to identify auto customers and bring them into your dealership. It is, in fact, the closest thing to a silver bullet now accessible. Facebook accounts for up to 30% of sales for dealerships that embrace it and adjust their marketing budgets to reflect their success. So why are so many dealerships hesitant to give it a shot… or, if they do try it, why are they so hesitant to give it their all?

Many dealers have dabbled in Facebook with a $500 or $1000 investment and then decided it wasn’t for them? In the 1990s, how many automobiles could you have sold with $500 in direct mail or newspaper? Other forms of digital marketing, while taking into account software, people, and budget, are also unable to do so. Let’s get down to business. Any strategy that will actually boost incremental sales will cost more than $500. We all know that Facebook is where the majority of us consume the most media, so allocating a larger amount of our spending to it makes reasonable.

Not only will Facebook provide you with more leads for less money, but the leads will also be higher gross consumers than any other source. Car buyers submit the majority of internet leads after spending ten or more hours researching the best strategy to extract every last dollar of profit from the transaction. They come into your store with their heels dug in and ready to fight. Facebook lead generation advertising appear in people’s newsfeeds. They’re scrolling through photos of their friends’ children and holidays when they come across a new automobile offer that appeals to them. They haven’t gone shopping or doing research. They’ve just responded to an offer with two easy clicks and are back to like their friends’ status updates.

It really is as easy as two clicks. The lead form on Facebook is auto-populated, and the customer opts in to receive SMS messages.

Texting is the easiest approach to schedule an appointment once you’ve captured this customer lead. Text message open rates top 99 percent, according to a survey commissioned by SinglePoint, and 90 percent of text messages are read within three minutes. Talk about a high rate of communication…

Facebook lead generation advertisements are swiftly gaining traction, and you can’t afford to be the last business on your block to implement them. If you’d like to see some examples of successful Facebook advertising, please contact us on (888) 829-1110
demo@simpsocial.com .”

Although Facebook may appear to be a wild west, your customers are already there.

IS YOUR DEALERSHIP STUCK IN THE MUD BECAUSE OF TRAINING AND ACCOUNTABILITY?

In every industry, managing salesmen is difficult. Automobile salespeople can be a pain to manage. Today’s dealership executives wear more hats than ever before. They’re working on sales, assessing automobiles, preparing reports, predicting, dealing with irate customers, mentoring their millennials, monitoring and adjusting digital and traditional ad spending, keeping up with the CRM, and trying to keep up with their employees’ training and development.

As most of you reading this will agree, far too often, our people’s training and development takes a second place to the many other fires burning in a manager’s office. Unfortunately, if left to smolder for too long, a lack of training typically becomes the hottest burning and most difficult to contain fire.

Turnover is a problem in our sector, and it can have a significant impact on client satisfaction. A lack of constant training and professional development is one of the leading causes of turnover. Salespeople in the automotive industry are expected to work long hours and deal with difficult customers. Many salespeople are driven away before they have an opportunity to master the skills they need to succeed because they believe management is working against them – or is at best apathetic. Managers must be held accountable for their sales teams’ progress. A salesperson’s revolving door is not a prescription for success. The days of flinging twelve green peas at the wall and praying for a few to stick are long gone.

Management must provide something different to each salesman on the floor. New salespeople in the dealership require a lot of care. They must master the procedure, the technology, how to handle the phone, and, most significantly, how to establish rapport and sell automobiles. While more seasoned salespeople who understand the process and technology require less attention, they nevertheless require refresher training and development. Finally, we’ll talk about your A players. Your dealership’s most effective and experienced salesmen need more flexibility and autonomy, but they still need to feel loved by management. If you micromanage your most valued salesmen, you’ll lose them to your competitors. They may not require daily assistance, but they may still crave approval from on high. It’s critical that your A players feel they’re valued and that you’ve got their backs.

Who has the time to do it all? If you don’t already have one, consider hiring a training manager. If this is not a financially viable choice for your store, in-house trainers and a variety of technologies are now available to help. Traditional in-house training is being phased out in favor of more cost-effective digital options. There are curriculum-style online trainings that have been around for over a decade but have yet to catch on, in which each salesperson is assigned video training and takes exams to ensure that they comprehend the information. The most promising new trend is situationally diagnosed one-on-one training. When a circumstance happens where a salesman either proceeded incorrectly or didn’t know how to proceed, technology now allows them to be tagged. The salesperson is then contacted by a trainer who walks them through the necessary next actions to take with the customer. The salesperson can then deal with the customer on their own or with the help of the trainer on the phone. This new blended procedure has shown a lot of potential and has proven to be incredibly profitable for dealerships across the country.

The days of treating everyone the same are long gone. Millennials aren’t the only ones that feel like snowflakes and want to be treated as capable individuals. Each salesperson must be managed differently by the manager. There are numerous trainers and technology available today to assist you in your endeavor. The initial step is the most crucial… as is every subsequent step. Make 2018 the year you invest in building a successful sales team that will stick with you and help your dealership achieve its objectives for years to come. Do not join up for something only to forget about it later. Even if you’ve hired a trainer or enrolled in a technology-enabled hybrid course, you’ll still need to keep an eye on things. Maintain the course and hold your trainer, technology supplier, and team members responsible for their own growth.

Accountability and training. From step one, go over the perception of complexity and focus on understanding the components that fit together to form a successful team.

CHAT, PHONE CALL, AND EMAIL VS. TEXT MESSAGE

 

The most prevalent mode of contact between us is text messaging. Text Messages can be sent and received by anyone with a cell phone. When it comes to connecting with customers, the car sector needs to start taking text messages seriously.

Let’s start with talk. Chat is a fantastic way to capture clients who are browsing your site. The most serious issue is that customers must remain on your website in order to communicate with you. Frequently, you will be left with a ghost lead and no way to contact the customer. Even if you obtain contact information, you are unable to contact the customer via phone or email. No one picks up the phone or checks their emails these days.

 

The next option is email; however, text messages are considerably superior to email in every way. It’s a basic fact that text messages are read and responded to at a higher rate than emails. Here’s an article from CallHub that highlights some of the many advantages of text messaging over email. Click Here to Read the Article Let’s be honest. Email is on its way out. It’s growing less probable that your email will be opened as more spam enters the inbox.

 

Finally, Phone Calls, millennials, millennials, millennials, millennials, millennials, millennials, millennials They simply do not enjoy answering the phone these days. Have you ever attempted to phone your children only to be forced to text them instead? If you have to call them, it doesn’t matter how many leads you create. You’ll make ten calls, and you’ll be lucky if even one of them picks up the phone. We all know that people prefer to communicate with others via text before conversing on the phone. Phone calls are still useful; it’s just easier to acclimate folks to the phone call by sending a text message first!

 

We take Text Message very seriously at SIMPSOCIAL! It’s not an afterthought that we’ve tacked on to our main offering. It’s what we’re known for. To make managing and following up on Text Message leads a breeze, we’ve integrated Artificial Intelligence and sales workflows. With a 180-day lead follow-up, you can stay in touch with a consumer until they Buy or Die!

 

In today’s society, text messaging is simply the best means of communication. Let’s boost your website’s performance and begin taking text messages seriously. From this page, you may try out our widget. It’s the Text Us Power Button, which is placed at the bottom right of the website. It’s worth a shot. This can be easily integrated into any car website to begin producing Opt-In Text Message leads right away!

THE SALES PROCESS ISN’T WORKING ANYMORE.

 

“The sales process is no longer alive.” This is something I constantly hearing from various experts. And I’m not sure if these people have ever worked in sales or if they’ve ever been on the other side of the desk. The process, however, is not dormant. Don’t get me wrong: it’s changed and evolved over time, and hopefully so have you, but it’s far from dead. Consider some of our most successful sports teams. The triangle offense was used by the Lakers and Bulls under Phil Jackson. Love them or hate them, the Patriots are a force to be reckoned with. Every successful sports team follows a set of procedures. They know exactly what they’ll do in any case. They’ve written a play about it!

**proc•ess1

ˈpräˌses,ˈprōˌses/

noun

 

a set of acts or steps taken to accomplish a specific goal.**

 

The moment where you have to complete the steps of the sale (whatever they are to you) in a specific order is where the wheels may start to fall off. I’ve worked in stores with seven stairs, ten steps, twelve steps, and fifteen steps…and it always comes down to the same issue. We want to sell a car and believe we know how to do in the best way possible. I’ve been preaching these three stages for years:

 

1st, get to know your client.

2 – place them in a vehicle

3 – Place them in a comfortable position.

 

I realize this is incredibly simplistic, but the game of cars and trucks is straightforward. Mine will most likely need to be completed in the sequence listed above, but after you start adding in all of the other processes that need to be completed, you may mix and match these three in any way you like and still obtain the intended result.

 

1 – Have a conversation with your customer. Why is the consumer in this location? What do they make a living doing? Let’s engage them in conversation and ask them questions as though we genuinely care about them!

 

2 – We must, without a doubt, land on an automobile. Preferably one that is currently available… However, we must now select a vehicle that they will purchase and drive.

 

3 – Bring them inside and place them in a comfortable position. Outside or standing up, you can’t negotiate with them. Let’s sit them down in a professional manner.

 

If the salesperson is unable to progress at any point, the manager must intervene. Hopefully, he’s already given an early manager introduction, and all he has to do now is join the conversation and see if his knowledge can help bring the conversation to the next level.

 

According to statistics I recently read, 72 percent of purchasers arrive on the lot knowing exactly what automobile they want to buy. I’ve also heard that 85% of purchasers don’t buy the first automobile they inquire about. As a result, even as a conservative estimate, these figures strongly suggest the need for a salesperson. We can move customers along the process without irritating them if we have the correct staff on the floor and behind the desk.

 

The vehicle dealer makes a mistake if their sales process is so tight that they won’t show someone a number till they test drive it. They’re even willing to squander a prospective sale if they don’t want to do things their way. “If you want numbers, we’ll need to run a credit report.” Why not crunch some figures and use their estimated credit score? Everyone now has a credit card that can display their credit score at any time.

 

We must recognize that in today’s world, customers are accustomed to doing business how and when they want. We used to be able to control the entire sales process as vehicle dealers, but that is no longer the case. It’s past time for us to grow up. Is there a short and lengthy method to conduct business? Yes. But, guess what? If the consumer wants his transaction assessed in the end and then see how that affects the numbers, guess what? That is how we must proceed. Are we going to try to explain why we shouldn’t do it that way? Of course we are, but it will not lead us to lose a deal.

 

In the end, I don’t believe the sales process is dead, but I do believe our rigid perception of it is. It has to be a lot more fluid than we now allow. We must keep in mind that there are an endless number of ways to skin a cat, and we should not place too much emphasis on how it is done. Great job if our salesperson can sell a car while not strictly adhering to the procedures of the transaction.

 

“But that green pea has no idea what he’s doing!” I can almost hear someone exclaim. Why are you letting him to take ups then? Who is to blame for this? They should be fine if they understand that the goal of our process is to establish some rapport, place them on a car, and then set them down so that either they can finish a transaction or the manager can come over and assist them in closing a deal. “But what about the dealer’s reputation?” someone else asks. “I can’t have a bunch of salespeople out there doing whatever they want.” “Who are you hiring?” I’d have to inquire. Again, who is to blame if there are a slew of criminals on the loose? Because they should be doing what the customers want, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, is it?

IN THE DIGITAL AGE, THERE ARE THREE WAYS TO CONNECT

 

THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO CONNECT TODAY, BUT THESE THREE ARE THE BEST!

When you consider it, there are a plethora of ways to “connect” with others today. I’m referring to right now, in the year 2018. The list goes on and on: phones, email, chat, text, social media, and so on. Of course, there are a slew of other possibilities! (How long has it been since you mailed a postcard? … and many more!)

In actuality, many of today’s tactics only generate a surface connection with another person, rather than a deep or meaningful one. Communication creates meaningful connections. Communication that is two-way and of high quality. Shared ideas, shared aspirations, and shared passions. When two or more individuals have information and exchange it, and there is active listening. The receiver, after all, is the one who determines the quality of communication. It is NOT determined by the individual who is disseminating the information. So, in order to have a genuine quality exchange, we must first speak or share, and then listen to how the person receiving it comprehended it. Then go ahead…

It’s not a one-way street when it comes to communication and connection… Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a trade, would it?

So, based on my views on connection and communication, here are three effective approaches to communicate with others.

1. THE TEXT

It’s unsurprising. I’m a fan because… EVERY… SINGLE… PERSON… ON… EARTH… RIGHT… NOW. Texting is convenient, quick, and allows you to share a quick concept or idea. Texts are read by people. Texts are opened in 98 percent of cases. So, if you want to get your message in front of people’s eyes, do so. People should be texted. Another benefit is that people can read and respond to SMS at their leisure. People aren’t interested in responding when you want them to. They want to contact you when THEY have the opportunity. The issue is that texting only accounts for around 7% of our conversation, and the language is limited to words on a screen. It does not integrate all of the other elements, such as voice tone, eye contact, and body language. For me, the purpose of any text is to allow people to reply when they want and to strive toward a technique in which they can hear or see the consistency of who I am.

2.VIDEO 

Video conferencing is fantastic. It allows people to relate your body language and voice tone, as well as all other aspects of your communication, to WHO YOU ARE before they even SEE you (in person). Because video is so readily available on platforms like Facebook, SnapChat, YouTube, video email, and many others, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t incorporate it into your corporate or business model. The reason why more individuals aren’t participating in video engagement right now is because they’re afraid. They are afraid of how they will appear on camera, what they will say, or that they will say something “stupid.” So, my advise is to go ahead and take a chance – practice, drill, and rehearse until you get it right, and if you goof up on the video, you can remove it BEFORE you transmit it.

3. TELEPHONE

The phone is still one of my favorites. It’s a fantastic way to get people’s attention. “Reach out and touch someone!” said the old AT&T commercials. The best thing about the phone is that it allows the person on the other end to form a true relationship and feel like they are getting to know you based on what you say and how you say it. It’s more personal than texting, yet it takes less time (most of the time) than making a video. People can become lethargic or acquire “phone aversion,” where they are afraid to call because they have been denied, hung up on, or shouted at on the phone. Get over it — up to 85% of your conversation can be transmitted over the phone through vocabulary and voice tone, and in most situations, if you’re in sales, the aim is to migrate from one of your other modes of communication (text, email, DM, etc) to the phone, and then in person! The single most important aspect of phone communication is that when people call back, you must pick up the phone and answer it!

These approaches are all straightforward, reliable, and profitable, especially for those of us who work in sales!

Yes, I am aware that there are plenty more excellent ways to communicate. “What about social media, Mike?” you might wonder. And, sure, I am a major supporter of almost all social media platforms. However, there is a LOT of NOISE in the social environment when it comes to connecting. People are discussing other relationships, political beliefs, and other topics that aren’t really amusing. And, on most social media sites, you get a version of the individual, which may or may not be who they are once you start connecting on a more personal level.

What other communication techniques do you use with your friends, family, and customers or clients? Do you have something that works really well for you but is a little out of the ordinary? If you do, feel free to “reach out and touch someone” in the comments section below!

DO SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISEMENTS WORK? ONLY IN THE EVENT THAT YOU DO!

 

LIKE ANY OTHER SALE OR LEAD… WORK IS REQUIRED OF SOCIAL CUSTOMERS!

Because I’m blogging on the SIMPSOCIAL website tonight, this feels appropriate. Also, I’m not a SIMPSOCIAL employee or affiliate; I am, however, a fan.

 

I believe that using Facebook and other social media to create sales leads is a good idea. This may be done for almost any company, regardless of their demographics, background, or location. Ten years ago, social media advertising didn’t even exist. In the United States alone, more than $30 billion was spent in 2017 (according to the HootSuite Blog) to grab people’s attention on Facebook.

 

With all the money spent on social media, you’d think it’d be simple, right? To offer for sale. Because of the advent of social networks, relationship marketing, and the need for transportation, people, all those prospective clients, should be lining up to buy automobiles from you. After all, they clicked your ad, so what else is there to do?

 

IT REQUIRES EFFORT.

Facebook and other social media platforms will be able to generate leads, clicks, and attention for your company. But…

 

Someone still needs to WORK the lead, the relationship, and the deal. Just because you can appear where the eyeballs are doesn’t imply it will happen automatically. People, like any other consumer from any other lead source, want to be taken seriously and treated well.

 

Any social media channel, in fact, can create leads. In comparison to other types of leads, I believe social leads, or “relationship leads,” are special. Before they even know who you are, these individuals are out buying for you! Someone has submitted their information because they believe you or your company is who they think you are. It’s due to their view of you and the way you presented yourself on Facebook (or elsewhere). They simply want to be recognized, make a buddy, and buy a car.

 

IS THEIR PERCEPTION CONSISTENT WITH THE PROCESS AT YOUR STORE?

The issue is that many salespeople overlook this initial chance. Because they have been conditioned not to be human anymore, but to be salespeople, salespeople get in their own way and raise objections. They make assumptions and try to figure out what “excellent leads” are. Managers obstruct growth because they do not believe Facebook is a “genuine” advertising platform. We follow the old school approach of “Get ’em in!!” and “Let’s sort things out once they’re here.” BDC (phone) personnel obstruct customers since they frequently do not know the answers to their questions. It’s like a game of customer volleyball gone awry. THAT STUFF DOESN’T WORK AT ALL.

 

THE TIME HAS COME FOR YOU TO SHINE.

Here’s what actually works. This is where the magic takes place. THE GOLDEN RULE: TREAT OTHERS AS YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED.

 

When did we stop doing that? People should be treated as humans. Remember that a social consumer came from a social network and treat them with respect. In theory, you should treat all customers equally, but occasionally social customers don’t even aware they’re customers. It’s possible they weren’t looking at 19 other websites and touch points. They were perusing Facebook with cousin Eddie when they came across a truck they loved. So they pressed the button. And then… #BOOM, the sales process begins.

 

Allow for greetings and the initial stages of “wishes and needs” evaluation to take place right away. Remember… what is the one thing that someone expects in return when they ask a question? Yes, there is a response. People want a response… closure to what was asked, even if it isn’t the one that was expected. Then, as the sale progresses, Continue each step where you left off as things progress.

 

The last thing a customer wants is to feel like they’re making progress with you, so they decide to move forward with you toward a purchase, only to be thwarted and have to start over when they arrive at the dealership… they’ll be wondering, “What just happened?” Both online and offline, maintain continuity by picking up where the conversation left off.

 

In a nutshell, social networking and Facebook advertising both work. These platforms are costing you money —

 

PUT IN THE TIME AND EFFORT! IT WILL ONLY BE AS EFFECTIVE AS YOU ARE, LIKE ANYTHING IN LIFE.

EMOTIONAL AND TRANSACTIONAL CUSTOMERS: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

If you’re a car enthusiast like me, the image of this car caught your eye as you went through your newsfeed. For a brief moment, it drew your attention. That is all you have in social media marketing. A fraction of a second. You only have a fraction of a second to grab the customer’s attention before they scroll right past your ad.

When I first started in this industry, I recall that dealerships used a lot of traditional advertising. Before the days of online marketing to “in-market” buyers. Dealers couldn’t narrow down the crowd to simply those who were out shopping at the time. This resulted in a large number of “emotional” customers, or people who saw the ad and thought it was time to buy because of it.

The competition has been fierce as dealers spend more and more money to generate these “in-market transactional” shoppers. Customers who come via this advertising strategy want you to give them the car and, in many circumstances, lose money on the transaction. Dealers are pressured to keep lowering their costs or risk losing these clients to a competitor down the line. How much longer will we be able to keep lowering prices?

This does not have to be the end. We don’t have to drive our industry to extinction in this current race to the bottom. “How can we do something about it?” you might wonder. The solution is straightforward. Rekindle Your Passion for Automobiles! Stop seeing at clients as transactional and only advertise to those who are transactional.

This is how I always explain Facebook Lead Gen advertisements.

IT’S LIKE A MONKEY THROWING LEADS AT YOU ALL DAY ON EVERY ROAD IN YOUR TOWN.

SIMPSOCIAL has now produced over 200,000 leads in the automotive market through Facebook Lead Gen advertisements. One thing we’ve discovered while examining the data is that the leads are predominantly “emotional buyers.” We estimate the data to be 80% emotional and 20% transactional based on our analysis.

So, now we can all just use Facebook ads to market and the problem will be solved? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no The majority of today’s dealerships are set up to work with transactional buyers. People who have already decided to buy a car and are only looking for the best deal.

These Facebook emotional buyers are an entirely other kind. To get them into the store, you’ll need some dexterity. They require us to return to liking the vehicles we sell and letting our customers know it through our phone and in-person pitches.

They require you to slow down and relearn how to sell. I’m not a taker of orders. You can’t use the same scripts and strategies with transactional customers. This new type of buyer requires a modification in your method, which isn’t really new to those of us who have been doing this for a while.

Customers still adore automobiles. They’re out there somewhere. All you have to do now is track them down and make them fall in love with the vehicle. The benefit is that your gross and bottom lines will reward you at the end of the month.

TURN YOUR BACK ON THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN

Dorothy and her friends seek the all-knowing and all-powerful wizard in The Wizard of Oz. The tin man had a heart, the lion had bravery, and the scarecrow had a brain, and they all wanted to go home. They arrive to meet the wizard after an adventure, only to discover that the wizard is a phony and only a man.

Many auto dealers share their displeasure, realizing that many of their new digital vendors, while not hiding behind a curtain, are selling smoke and mirrors. For far too long, dealers have been exploited.

The multivendor deal is a regular scenario in dealerships around the country. What exactly is the multivendor agreement? It’s a car deal that numerous vendors claim credit for, and the dealer only gets to sell the vehicle once. Each vendor provides dealers with reports that show a favorable ROI and transactions that they are responsible for delivering to the dealership. The difficulty with these reports is that they are all unique, and individual car buyers frequently appear on many reports. It’s as though you’re being squeezed by a falling home.

Many dealers are confronted with a befuddling tangle of reports from several vendors based on various criteria, rendering them unable to take anything to enhance the store. It doesn’t have to be this this. Dealers must expect a yellow brick road of accurate reporting based on their specific criteria. Vendors will always select reporting methods that highlight the positive outcomes they have achieved for the dealership. Don’t rely on them to solve the problem. You’re the customer, and you can’t run your business if your data and reports are inaccurate.

What are our options for moving forward and resolving this problem? How do we gather reliable data so that we can focus more on the things that work and less on the things that don’t? It is possible to make it very simple. All transactions must be assigned to a single source. Who gets credit if a car buyer received a piece of direct mail three weeks ago, a series of emails over the last month, and eventually texted a response to a Facebook Lead Generation ad? The customer was not motivated to act by the mail or email. Although the customer’s name will appear on the list of those who were mailed and emailed, it’s unlikely that they read either message. The last marketing component that motivates the buyer to act and interact with the dealership should be given credit.

Don’t treat your vendors like cowardly lions. It’s time to have a tough talk with your marketing partners. Dealing with the evil witches’ flying monkeys will be a lot easier. Keep in mind that if they are truly your partners, they will desire the best for your business. Invite all of your vendors to a conference call or an online meeting. Tell them how you plan to track your marketing’s effectiveness and return on investment. Let them aware that multivendor deals are no longer available. Tell them that each deal will now only be credited to one vendor. Show them how you plan to figure it out and what data you’ll need from them in the form of reports.

Split deals among vendors have proven to be profitable for some dealerships. If a deal is split, the credit is split, just like on the showroom floor. There is just one deal and one gross for the dealer. Why should a dealer be asked to pay twice for the same deal?

First, decide that you want accurate reporting and that you will no longer pay for the same bargain more than once. Step two is to decide out how you’ll distribute credit for transactions and whether you’ll use a split deal structure. Step three is to figure out what kind of data you’ll need from each vendor in terms of reporting. Last but not least, make the call and lay down the law. Keep in mind that you are the consumer. Dorthey was finally able to return home, and her companions realized they already had everything they wanted. You and your dealership will also receive what you desire.

You don’t require the assistance of a magician. You are the one who controls the purse strings. Your vendor partners must honor your requests and provide the reporting you require to grow and improve your company.

ARE YOU THROWING AWAY PERFECTLY GOOD LEADS OPPORTUNITIES?

With the volume of leads coming into dealerships these days, using a typical CRM to follow up with prospects on a long-term basis is nearly difficult. Most dealers place leads into a long-term email follow-up after they’ve been on the market for seven days. Is it possible that we’re squandering perfectly good opportunities?

Customers are shopping for their next vehicle online earlier than ever before. Some consumers begin the procedure six to twelve months before they are ready to buy a car. “I’m simply looking,” a consumer has said how many times to you?

Customers are getting quotes on their vehicles utilizing platforms like KBB ICO. The customer’s information is subsequently sold to local vehicle dealerships without their knowledge. In the meantime, they are given a valuation for their vehicle and discover that they have too much negative equity to trade it in at this time. “I’m just looking,” the customer tells the dealership when they call.

A strong salesperson might be able to use a great sales pitch to move a consumer along the funnel, but many of these customers are just not ready to buy. They are just getting started on their adventure, therefore it will take some time for them to make the transition. Extended Follow Up is a garbage bin in your CRM for these types of leads, or your team simply marks the lead as dead.

Email was a good tool to stay in front of consumers who were further down the sales funnel. Sadly, email open rates have been progressively declining over the years. Most clients have hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of unopened emails. With email rates below 20%, it’s becoming more difficult to rely on email as a viable method of mass follow-up.

Text message open rates are considerably superior to email open rates, according to studies. With a text message open rate of 90% or greater, you can be sure that the higher funnel opportunities will receive your follow-up messages.

Text messaging is a more intimate mode of communication. Most people assume the SMS message was delivered by a real person and don’t expect it to be sent in bulk or by a robot. This increases the response rate by making the communication feel more personal. According to our internal data, more than 70% of clients respond to text messages delivered to them.

You may utilize automation to follow up with leads for a much longer period of time if you have a better open rate and a more personal touch. Opportunities are never thrown away by our clientele. They never stop following up. The customer is unaware that the follow-up is automated, and the dealership can follow up in bulk.

SIMPSOCIAL believes that no opportunity should be discarded. Every customer should be treated equally, and our software assists dealerships in doing so with minimal labor. Dealerships can cut the number of people needed to follow up on leads by half or more by using our software.

Work hard, but remember to work smart! When done correctly, text message follow-up can assist you in doing this. For a free demonstration of how we can help your dealership stop squandering opportunities, click the Text Us button.

TRAINING YOUR EMPLOYEES IS A WASTE OF TIME..

MOST DEALERSHIPS WILL NOT BE AFRAID TO SPEND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON AN ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN IN ORDER TO DRIVE MORE TRAFFIC INTO THE STORE. TO SELL MORE VEHICLES, THEY HAVE A BUDGET OF 300…400…OR EVEN 600 DOLLARS PER CAR. YET, WHEN YOU ASK THEM HOW MUCH THEIR TRAINING BUDGET IS, THEY LOOK AT YOU AS IF YOU WERE SPEAKING CHINESE.

Consider this: most dealers complain about how their employees treat their clients, but we pay money to increase traffic for them to mishandle. Is it the fault of the salesperson? Certainly not! In the automobile industry, our hiring process leaves a lot to be desired. The term that comes to mind is “if they can fog a mirror.” We hire them in the hopes that they will find it out while shadowing a “senior salesperson” who is likely to have some bad habits of their own. It doesn’t appear like we are preparing them for success.

Is the manager to blame? Man, most sales managers are being asked to do more and more with what appears to be dwindling daytime hours. With a 70-100 percent turnover rate in most businesses, I believe they are continuously onboarding new employees with little opportunity to spend time training them.

So consider the following. We’ll spend a lot of money on advertising to get more traffic, we’ll recruit just about anyone, throw them out there, and then whine when they don’t treat our consumers the way we want them to be treated.

I know that the average consumer spends 19 hours researching and visits 1.2 stores, so they are far more informed than ever before and may want less from our salespeople. Our objective, on the other hand, should be 1. It’s not the.2 that they go to. People prefer to purchase from people they like. A well-trained salesperson can overcome obstacles and deal with situations that unprepared salespeople couldn’t handle. According to a study conducted by salesforce, 71 percent of respondents rely their purchasing decisions on trust and credibility. Unfortunately, if our salespeople are baffled by basic objections and can’t identify the difference between a stated and an actual problem, we will lose.

So, what’s the answer? What is this, a training seminar? Is it possible to hire a sales trainer for a day? Both of these options have flaws. According to research on the Forgetting Curve, people forget 50 percent of what they’ve learned in one day and 85 percent in a month. So, no matter how skilled the trainer or how fantastic the seminar was, they will forget practically everything they learned.

Training is something that you do, not something that you did. That’s all there is to it. If we treat training as a one-time event rather than a continuous process, it will never stay, and we will be discouraged by the lack of results. Repetition is the only way to improve at something. Repetition to the point of unconsciousness. Consider when you first learned to drive… Your hands were 10 and 2, and you were hyper-alert. You checked your mirrors every 2 seconds, read every sign on the road, and observed every automobile in front of you. Now consider your last night’s travel home. When you first started driving, you probably didn’t pay half as much attention as you should have. You probably pulled into your driveway before pondering how you got there in the first place. It’s because you’ve done it hundreds of times and it’s become second nature to you. That’s the direction we need to go with our employee training. It must be done so frequently and in such a way that the staff is able to address complaints without even thinking about it. The salesperson’s response to a customer who says “your price is too high” should be natural. Without even thinking about it, it was as if we were having a normal chat.

So, what’s the answer? Training. Training on a daily basis. Role-playing. Doesn’t that sound awful? There are a plethora of options available to assist you in training your employees, so I’m not going to promote my own. However, remember that educating your employees is more vital than advertising. We have more business coming out the front door than we could possibly handle if we could simply close the door properly. So, educating your employees is a waste of time. Constantly training your employees, on the other hand, is gold.

What if we put all of this time, money, effort, and energy into training only to have our salesperson leave? I’ll ask you this: what happens if you don’t spend any time training them and they stick around?

BUILDING A SMARTER FOLLOW-UP PROCESS WITH TEXT MESSAGE AND HYBRID INTELLIGENCE

 

USING A TRADITIONAL CRM PROCESS BASED ON PHONE CALLS AND EMAILS, MOST AUTO DEALERS CAN ONLY FOLLOW UP WITH LEADS FOR ABOUT 7 DAYS.

 

Dealerships have been attempting to find out how to effectively follow up on leads produced via the internet since the advent of the internet age. They’ve set up large BDC departments and held innumerable sessions instructing their employees to dial more numbers and send more emails. Due to enhanced spam screening by email providers, fewer customers are picking up their phones for unknown numbers, and fewer emails are being delivered to inboxes. As a result, dealers have instructed their staff to make even more phone calls and send even more emails in order to convert a bigger percentage of the leads they have paid for. Managers and salespeople are becoming increasingly irritated with one another across the country. Managers want more calls and emails, and salespeople feel like they’re wasting their time calling people who don’t answer the phone or read their emails.

 

Creating and finishing phone calls and emails are fundamental to the typical CRM process. You work on one activity at a time, complete it before moving on to the next. When you’re a salesperson, it’s a time-consuming and irritating linear process. Some salespeople have adjusted to the procedure, but most are not wired to sit at a desk and do a never-ending list of chores. This procedure is carried out for one simple purpose. To make contact with someone and sell them an automobile. That’s all the salesperson cares about. I’ve worked as a salesperson who used a CRM. I’ve been using them since the beginning of CRMs, starting with ACT and GoldMine, two of the original CRMs. It’s like striking gold when you get a call or a response to an email from someone who is interested! Your adrenaline starts pumping, giving you the energy to complete even more activities. If people stop answering the phone and reacting to your emails you eventually feel frustrated and lose your motivation.

 

We activated our integration with Facebook Lead Generation advertisements on Labor Day of 2016. Leads were pushed into our freshly constructed SMS CRM as a result of the integration. We created a CRM with a primary focus on Text Messages rather than Phone Calls and Emails. When the first few leads came into the system, I was working from my little home office. While texting customers about acquiring a vehicle, I realized one thing: I didn’t have to send the text messages personally, and the customer would never know it wasn’t me. This was the first time I heard the term “hybrid intelligence”! I called my wife into the office to assist me in communicating with the customers, and we were able to be more efficient by working together. When I was unavailable, she could pick up a discussion and the customer would never know.

 

Over the next few months, it became evident that not only could I enlist the support of others, but we could also develop tools to help with the workload. We didn’t have to follow up with clients one by one; we could do it in bulk, and the customer wouldn’t know it wasn’t a real person doing so. The CRM’s linear “task procedure” was no longer required. With the press of a button, we could complete all of our follow-up tasks. EVERYTHING was changed as a result of this! Not only might you have other people help with lead follow-up, but you could also have robots help. The text message has ushered in a new era for CRM follow-up.

 

Clients frequently ask, “When will you establish a CRM?” We’ve already constructed one. It’s just a different way of doing things. It’s a procedure that revolves around text messages rather than phone calls and emails. The SIMPSOCIAL SMS CRM is a level above a typical CRM. It’s an appointment scheduler that allows you to follow up on leads indefinitely without having to hire an army of BDC employees. SIMPSOCIAL allows you to track consumers until they “purchase or die.” We have a one-of-a-kind method for generating a pipeline of leads with whom you may actively communicate. At any given time, our clients have thousands of ongoing discussions with customers. With a 7-day follow-up process, BDC salespeople could previously manage 200-300 new leads per month. They may follow up on 700-1000 new leads per month using SIMPSOCIAL, shattering the 7-day follow-up and continuing to follow up until the customer is ready to buy.

 

With clients starting the car-buying process up to eight months before they’re ready to buy, follow-up will be critical to maximize the dealership’s return on investment on leads. A seven-day follow-up isn’t going to cut it. You must be able to follow up with a large number of people over a long period of time. Text Messaging and Hybrid Intelligence are the answer to long-term follow-up without wearing down your team with a stack of unanswered phone calls and unread emails!

HELPING YOUR CAR DEALERSHIP GROW WITH AUTOMOTIVE FACEBOOK MARKETING

 

 

Car dealerships appear to be localized companies on the surface; after all, consumers want to inspect and test drive a vehicle before purchasing it. Many dealership owners rely on traditional advertising to bring in new consumers, such as local newspapers and billboards. To entice potential buyers, most dealers create a website and employ various sorts of internet advertising.

People, on the other hand, do not instantly assume that a dealership would gain from social media advertising’s far-reaching reach. What they don’t realize is that car dealerships do extremely well with social media marketing platforms like Facebook.

 

If you want to offer your dealership an advantage over the competition, you should investigate what an automotive Facebook marketing campaign may accomplish for you.

 

 

THE PRIMARY BENEFITS

 

 

Your present marketing strategy may limit you to displaying prices and offering a variety of items and services. You may engage potential customers by using Facebook. When done effectively, you can boost the quantity of leads you get from sources other than standard dealership advertising.

 

Some of the advantages of implementing Facebook marketing for your dealership are as follows:

 

DYNAMIC VEHICLE ADVERTISING FOR NEW AND USED VEHICLES

 

 

Dynamic advertising allows you to customise adverts so that potential customers receive ads that are relevant to what they are looking for online. You’d start by uploading your new and used goods. Then you’d use VIN Specific Advertising to create dynamic ads that let you define trim, model, and pricing, among other things. Even if your leads aren’t ready to buy right away, it’s far easier to entice them in when you show them the exact car they’re looking for.

 

THE NEXT GENERATION

 

 

Not everyone knows what kind of car they desire. They may see your ad and click on it to learn more about the automobile you’ve advertised. If you’re using Facebook Lead Ads, you may include a feature that auto-populates the customer’s information, allowing them to request further information with a single click. Once you have their contact information, you or one of your workers could SMS or call them to follow up.

 

IT ALLOWS YOUR EMPLOYEES MORE TIME

 

 

You may increase the efficiency of your follow-up by using Facebook and its advertising platform. No more cold phoning old leads for days on end. Now you can use Facebook Messenger or a platform like SIMPSOCIAL to engage these potential clients.

 

INCREASE PARTICIPATION AND CREATE A FOLLOWING

 

 

Leads will be placed into your CRM or SIMPSOCIAL as soon as you bring them in. The sky’s the limit for what you can do to expand your business at that moment. You can do the following:

 

Send out relevant information to potential clients on a regular basis. You might discuss the necessity of car maintenance, new cars on the market, or even entertaining places to visit on a rainy day, for example.

Keep in touch with them via text messaging to provide a more personal touch and aid in the development of a relationship.

Send out unique offers and promotions, such as free tire changes for the life of the vehicle if someone buys a car from you, or discounts on any of your services and repairs.

Follow up with consumers to see if they’d want to submit a review of their purchase and how they liked working with you.

 

ESTABLISH YOURSELF AS AN EXPERT IN YOUR FIELD.

 

The choices are unlimited, but one of the most important methods to grow your business through the leads you’ve acquired is to distribute helpful content. It assists you in establishing yourself as an authority in the automotive business. It also establishes a sense of confidence between you and your potential consumers, even if they do not purchase a car right away. When it comes time for them to buy a vehicle, if you play your cards well, they will choose you over your competition.

 

SUCCESS FOLLOW-UP

 

It’s difficult to tell which commercials paid off and which were a waste of money with traditional advertising. There was no way of knowing if someone called you after seeing your advertisement on a billboard or in the newspaper. With Facebook advertising, you’ll have access to statistics such as how many people clicked on your advertisements, conversion rates, and a whole lot more.

 

EXPERIENCE AND FAILURE

 

You may launch several different types of campaigns on Facebook. You can use them to boost lead generation, brand exposure, reach out to potential customers, target certain audiences, and so on. How do you know which one to chose when there are so many options?

 

You don’t have to stick to a single method, thankfully. You can test one or several approaches at once to discover how well they work for you. However, it’s crucial to give the advertising time to optimize before deciding whether or not to make improvements.

 

ENGAGE THE SERVICES OF AN EXPERT

 

You can see how successfully Facebook advertising works for car businesses by now. There are a slew of other benefits to running an automotive Facebook ad campaign.

 

However, launching a professional campaign on your own is difficult because there are numerous options to be made. What budget should you make aside for your election campaign? Should you set an overall budget or a daily limit for your marketing expenditures?

 

The setup and follow-up processes also entail a number of difficult activities. You will be required to do the following, among other things:

 

Make sure your inventory is compatible with Facebook’s platform by uploading it.

Keep an eye on your return on investment.

Keep track of your leads.

Keep a close eye on your finances.

It’s usually a good idea to work with a professional marketing agency to manage a campaign appropriately.

 

SIMPSOCIAL has aided many vehicle dealerships, including yours, in increasing sales. We assist our customers with everything from selecting the right campaign for their business to creating advertising, receiving appointment reminders, following up with consumers, uploading their vehicle catalog, and much more. To join our expanding list of pleased clients and to start raising your sales, contact us immediately.

WHICH ONE SELLS MORE CARS: TEXT MESSAGING OR EMAIL MARKETING?

Today, how many emails have you received? How many of them have you read? Is it even a quarter of a percent? Now turn your attention to texts and ask yourself the same questions. You probably get a lot of texts, too, but you probably read them all eventually, with the exception of those group texts that take on a life of their own. Have you ever mistakenly deleted an email because it appeared to be spam? Have you ever lost contact with someone because an email was mistakenly sent to junk mail? With texting, there is no such thing as a “trash text” bin where messages can get lost. While not every client is tech-savvy or prefers to interact via text, an increasing percentage of customers are opting out of reading marketing materials sent via email. Take a look at the differences between email and text marketing to enhance your car sales and stay ahead of the curve.

 

METHOD OF DELIVERY

 

Emails and messages, especially during the workday, are less intrusive than phone calls. Texting, on the other hand, sends your message faster and appears on the screen, even if your consumers are in a meeting or unable to speak on the phone. Some people don’t have their email configured to notify them of new mail while they aren’t signed in, whereas texting sends a notification of the message you wish to send immediately. This is the easiest strategy to ensure that customers get the message before the deal closes if you’re holding a sale or promotion. It’s a simple method to capture their attention while also reminding them of your products and services without bothering them.

 

PERSONALIZATION

 

An email allows you to go into greater detail about the services you offer. While some clients, especially the older age, enjoy this more formal method of communication, it does have certain drawbacks. Because emails are layered between layers of marketing communications from other organizations, they run the danger of being deleted. Every day, many people discard a large number of marketing emails and spam, and yours could get lost in the shuffle. Thousands of companies have access to email accounts, removing the personal touch from conversation. When you write an email, you’re just one of many people trying to sell you something. Because messages often come from people we’ve decided to provide our phone number to, texting is more individualized. When you text someone, you are engaging in non-advertising contact with friends, family, and coworkers.

 

BREVITY

 

Many people don’t have enough time in a day to read all of the lengthy emails they get. When sending many pages of information, papers, or documents to sign, dealerships should use email. Most clients, though, prefer texting since it is more direct. Without even opening the text, the reader can usually receive the gist of the message from the first sentence. You can then link files to longer documents that people can access when they have the time. This provides readers a quick summary of why you’re writing, which they’re more likely to read.

FOLLOW-UP

 

A seven-day communication time is included in the standard CRM cycle for phone calls and emails. Text marketing and SMS CRMs allow for continuous follow-up. Many car purchases necessitate extensive research, comparison, fund gathering, and financing possibilities. Customers frequently begin the procedure up to eight months before making a purchase. Customers who merely needed more time to process will be lost if your communication stops after a week. Text marketing helps you to stay in touch with a consumer until they are ready to make a purchase, preventing a competition from stealing the sale.

EFFICIENCY

 

Calls and emails are time-consuming activities that follow a set of steps. You can only phone or send one personalized email at a time, and only during your work hours. These marketing strategies could be utilized for clients who don’t want to text or just want to give their home phone number. Texting, on the other hand, may be done without a team of people using an SMS CRM system. Appointments are set up to follow up on a large number of leads at the same time, allowing you to contact with several consumers at the same time. You can follow up with 1,000 consumers every month without spending any additional time. This system also operates whenever you require it, allowing you to concentrate on other tasks.

APPEAL

 

A customer may become irritated if they receive an opportune phone call or an indifferent email. You want your message to be appealing to them so they don’t feel harassed or rushed. Texts are short and informal, and they don’t necessitate a dialogue. Texts can also be read swiftly and responded to afterwards, keeping your brand in front of your customers’ minds. When you text a customer, you’re showing them that you’re serious about their business. This is a big decision for them, and they want to know that you care about them. They also like the fact that they can reach you quickly rather than having to call a landline and maybe being sent to voicemail.

Text marketing is sophisticated and effective, connecting you to a large number of customers in the most appealing way possible. Working with reputable pros who can build up a smooth system is a good place to start. Text messages mixed with Hybrid Intelligence are used by SIMPSOCIAL to establish a Text Thread that maintains the lines of communication open. With the help of notification symbols and customer source information, you can jump into the thread at any time and always know who you’re texting. Our Assigned User Designation feature allows you to know who owns each lead so you can send the appropriate notification. We also offer appointment scheduling and “Click to Call,” which allows consumers who prefer to call to reach you without having to share their cell phone number. See how SIMPSOCIAL is employing innovative technology to increase dealership sales by reading our reviews. We provide free demos and enjoy demonstrating how the simple act of texting may produce a large number of leads.

TEXT MESSAGING FOR THE MODERN COMBAT: HOW TO SELL MORE VEHICLES

 

Car dealerships have only a few straightforward objectives.

They want to sell more cars, follow up with possible leads, and keep the automobiles they’ve sold to consumers in good working order. While these objectives are straightforward, effective marketing can aid in their attainment.

 

Text messaging is one of the best and most recent marketing tactics. Whether you sell cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, or RVs, the techniques outlined here can help you use text messages to entice clients back into your dealership and keep them informed about the services you provide.

 

 

IMPROVE SALES THROUGH SMS CHAT

 

 

Your website is already being visited by others. They may have inquiries, want to look at your inventory, or want to purchase anything from you.

 

One of the reasons why SMS chat can be so effective is because of this. This is similar to other types of live chat, except it lets users to communicate with you via their computer. The distinction is that responses to incoming messages are sent directly to your consumers’ phones.

 

This is more effective than online chat since it allows visitors to leave the site while still participating in the conversation. It also allows you to obtain their contact information.

 

After using this method, several dealerships notice a significant increase in conversions.

 

 

 

OPTIMIZING PROMOTIONS FOR HIGH RETURNS

 

 

You may enhance your revenue by holding deals throughout the holidays and throughout the year.

 

However, if you can alert potential leads and customers who have previously purchased from you about these events, the revenue might be considerably higher.

 

Text messages with promotional content are surprisingly powerful. The vast majority of them are read, and a significant number of them receive a response. When compared to the effectiveness of email, using text can inspire a lot more people to notice your message.

 

Your sales volume may benefit from the increased reaction. Take a look at the examples below to get an idea of the types of texts you could send.

 

“The all-new Toyota model has arrived!” With money off our old inventory, we’re providing you some great offers. Now is the time to get your $5000 discount. The offer will expire on November 30th.”

 

“Veterans Day is quickly approaching! It would be a pity to pass up this opportunity to save 40% on these autos. For further details, please visit our website.”

 

Text can help you get a higher ROI with pricey retail items (known as high ticket items) simply because it is so inexpensive to send them out.

 

 

 

ACTIVELY FOLLOWING UP ON YOUR LEADS

 

 

Finding leads for your dealership can be difficult, but once you do, it’s critical that you keep them on board.

 

The first step is to talk to someone and pique their attention. To convert leads into sales, however, you must move customers to the next step in the purchasing process.

 

Many times, they will need to consider their options or consult with someone else in the family who manages money. As a result, it’s simple to lose track of this client and never hear from them again.

 

Getting back in touch with these potential consumers could be all it takes to turn them into actual customers. Text is an excellent approach to do so. You might simply send them a text reminding them of your previous interaction. Consider the following scenario:

 

“Hello, [name],” says the narrator. Do you intend to purchase your Ford Mustang? If that’s the case, get in touch with us because we have a terrific bargain for you!”

 

You might enhance this message even further by including an image in the text to help them remember it. Because many people read text messages within minutes of getting them, this is extremely successful.

 

It also makes it simple for customers to contact you or ask questions about the current transaction. They might also wish to schedule a visit to the dealership.

 

If your website is set up to allow clients to buy vehicles online, having a link in the text to assist them in doing so is a great way to make it even easier.

 

 

 

MANAGE ORDERS AND REQUESTS

 

 

If an automobile isn’t properly maintained, it will begin to break down. Your customers will find themselves in need of new car parts on a regular basis.

 

You can let your customers give you part names and numbers to see if you have them in stock by establishing a request service via text. This makes it simple for them to get the item installed at the dealership.

 

It’s as simple as ordering the component and setting a time for them to come down to the dealership if you don’t have it in stock.

 

 

 

ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR UPDATES AND SERVICING

 

 

You may also use text to schedule when consumers can bring their car in or receive vehicle updates. These types of questions are common, but having an SMS service for them makes them a lot easier to deal with.

 

Having a service number can help with this. This makes handling service considerably easier and reduces the number of non-essential phone calls you have to make.

 

 

 

TEXT MESSAGING OPTIMIZATION FOR YOUR SERVICES

 

 

You can improve service and keep clients informed about what your dealership has to offer by employing text messaging in conjunction with your business. As a result, you’ll be able to generate more revenue and provide a better customer experience.

 

Do you want to learn how to start text marketing? To learn more, please contact us.

WHERE TEXT MESSAGING CAN ASSIST AUTO DEALERS IN SELLING CARS FASTER!

HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU HAD A PHONE CALL APPEAR ON YOUR SCREEN ONLY TO HIT THE DECLINE BUTTON?

 

 

How frequently do you hit “delete” on that obnoxious marketing email that arrives in your inbox? Consider how frequently you read your texts. Isn’t it true that you at least give each one a cursory glance? That’s why text messaging is such a powerful marketing tool for auto dealers looking to sell more cars, and sell them faster! Though your dealership may currently rely on more traditional marketing techniques to generate new leads, it’s critical to evolve and adapt. SIMPSOCIAL’s auto dealer text messaging is the answer to making your job easier, generating more leads, and eventually selling more cars.

 

 

 

 

HOW CAN TEXT MESSAGING FROM AN AUTO DEALER HELP ME?

SIMPSOCIAL’s vehicle dealership is on the rise.

Many people nowadays prefer texting to making phone calls or even sending emails. Our Text Ninjas at SIMPSOCIAL employ artificial intelligence to communicate with thousands of clients each day and give the greatest outcomes. To assist YOUR auto dealership in driving sales, we specialize in lead creation and client follow-up. The key to beating your local competition is to use automotive text message marketing.

Another advantage of text messaging for auto dealers is this. You can be sure that when your potential consumer receives a text message, their phone will beep or vibrate, which is more than can be stated for email.

Furthermore, if a potential purchaser has a query about a specific automobile, they will know who to contact. All they have to do is send a simple text message from their phone. It doesn’t get any easier than this. All day, every day, we keep our phones in our pockets or purses. We can also text at any time and from anyplace. There’s no need to leave the house to call the dealership with your query. Instead, customers can text whenever they want. (Don’t worry, we won’t find out if you text during the meeting.)

It also works both ways. How many times has a potential client assured you that they would think about it and then disappeared? It might just seal the sale if you can text them a delicate but convincing follow-up message. A SMS relieves the client of the strain that a phone conversation imposes, while also being more personal than an email.

 

 

 

 

CUSTOMERS ARE ALREADY GETTING INFORMATION FROM THEIR PHONE. WITH THE POWER OF SIMPSOCIAL, ALLOW THEM TO TURN TO YOU RATHER THAN A COMPETITOR.

 

HOW DO TEXT MESSAGES ASSIST AUTOMOTIVE DEALERSHIPS IN SELLING MORE CARS?

What role does text messaging play at your auto dealership? Text messaging may be used by car dealerships in a variety of ways, including updating consumers about deals, following up with leads, soliciting reviews, and more. These are just a few examples of how SIMPSOCIAL clients have used text messaging to grow their businesses dramatically.

INFORM CUSTOMERS OF PROMOTIONS

You’re probably aware that sales are an excellent strategy to attract customers to your dealership. However, how are you informing folks about your most recent promotion? To notify leads about your latest deals, try employing text messaging. Is it time for your big blowout sale at the end of the year? Or are you trying to get rid of some stock? A text message with a notification could be all they need to walk in the door and drive away with a new car.

CONTINUE TO FOLLOW UP ON LEADS

A brief text message is a great method to stay in touch with a potential client who has expressed interest. To tempt them, provide a snapshot of the car they’re interested in, or sweeten the deal.

REQUEST REVIEWS

Beyond sales, text messaging can assist your dealership in achieving other objectives. You may, for example, send an SMS to a satisfied customer asking them to leave a positive review on your dealership’s website. You might even give them a 10% discount on their next service in exchange for a great review. Consider the possibilities! The possibilities for auto dealer text messaging are virtually limitless. The best part is that messages can be customized.

 

 

 

 

SIMPSOCIAL lead generation

TEXT MESSAGES FOR CAR SALES AT THE BEST PRICE

You can utilize SIMPSOCIAL to text potential consumers about a new promotion your dealership is providing, or to connect with a past client about a new vehicle update you know they’d be interested in. Rather to using typical mass advertising or marketing tactics, text messaging allows you to reach real leads personally.

Some of the top vehicle sales text messages are as follows:

“By giving low prices on our 2020 models, we’re making way for our 2021 inventory!” Come in today and save $5,000 on a new vehicle!”

Alternatively, “Happy New Year!” Come check our holiday offers on our brand-new cars at (insert dealership name here)!”

You may even make your message unique. “Hello Kim, I hope you had a wonderful weekend,” for example. We still have the 2018 Toyota Camry you loved, and if you’re still interested, I can get you a wonderful offer!”

The idea is to make an incredible offer that your potential client can’t reject. The better your SMS message is, the more individualized it is.

 

 

AUTO DEALERS’ USE OF FACEBOOK MESSAGING

 

Text messaging isn’t the only way to communicate with prospective customers. Did you realize that you may convert casual online surfers into leads for your dealership by using Facebook messaging? Facebook messaging is just another way to communicate with your next lead directly. The next stage is to use Facebook for automotive marketing.

Facebook advertisements can also help you reach an audience that you wouldn’t normally be able to reach using traditional marketing methods. SIMPSOCIAL leverages Facebook’s advertising platform to assist dealerships in selling more cars and engaging directly with automotive customers via direct messaging. As a result, your dealership will be able to sell more cars in a shorter period of time. Automotive Facebook marketing can assist you in growing your business and achieving your objectives.

 

 

 

SIMPSOCIAL TEXT MESSAGING FOR AUTO DEALER

We can assist you in generating more leads and competing with other dealerships in your area. SIMPSOCIAL can help you generate leads and schedule appointments. All you have to do now is finish the task and sell the automobiles! If you use SIMPSOCIAL, you can free up the rest of your team to complete their jobs, not to mention make their work MUCH easier. Allow our Text Ninjas to handle the heavy lifting for you! To discover more about how SIMPSOCIAL’s automobile text message marketing services may help you drive sales through the (sun)roof, contact our team now!

No leads were lost. reduced overhead.
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