autosuccess sep05
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AutoSuccess addresses the specific, researched needs of new car and light truck dealerships by providing entrepreneurial, cutting-edge, solution-based editorials to increase dealership profits and reduce expenses AutoSuccess, magazine, sales, new, used, selling, salespeople, vehicle, dealer, dealership, leadership, marketingFor Similar content visit http://www.autosuccesssocial.com/TRANSCRIPT
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AutoSuccess Best Practices Summit III Details Page 4
Mark Strong
CRM Keeps Getting Better,
Faster and More Powerful
CRM Keeps Getting Better,
Faster and More Powerful
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Dealers & Managers Only!
Two days of intense learning. Dramatically improve
your results.
MGM GrandLas Vegas, Nevada
November 3 & 4, 2005
Limited Seats, Register Today!866.317.7914
Case studies from successful dealerships across the country.
Class room style seating only $695 in advance, $995 after
October 5, 2005.
Speakers and times subject to change
Dean EvansVice President of
Marketing, Dealix
You will learn:
- Internet Marketing that
generates high quality
leads
- Maximizing lead
generation from your
Web site
- Maximizing third party
automotive sites
- Metrics that matter
- Focus on return on
investment
Jasen RiceInternet Director, Lou
Fusz Automotive
Case Study: Ranked #17 in Total Internet
Sales for dealer groups, Internet departments
generate upwards of 20%-40% of the
dealerships total business.
You will learn:- Marketing to today�s
Internet consumers- Internet Department�s steps and processes to
the appointment/sale- Gaining revenue in the Þ nance department and getting them to become
more atoned to the Internet customer
- Meeting and exceeding Internet customers
expectations
David KainPresident, Kain
Automotive Inc.
Internet & BDC Training
Specialist
You will learn:
- Mapping out the best
Internet sales process
- E-mail templates for
the best short and long-
term communication
- Phone script elements
that turn leads into
appointments
- Recruiting, hiring and
compensating for results
Chip PerryCEO and President,
AutoTrader.com
Internet Advertising
Best Practices
You will learn:
- How AutoTrader.com�s
top performing dealers
get their outstanding
results
- Take home
examples of effective
merchandising you
can put to
immediate use
Robert RevereCRC Director, Avondale
Auto Group
Case Study: Transition
from Internet BDC to
modern day CRC
You will learn:
- Lower compensation
percentages
- Lower overhead
- 100 percent
accountability
- Higher results
SeanWolÞ ngton
Owner, BZResults.com
Case Study: How to use BDC/Internet departments to sell
100 - 500 extra cars a month.
You will learn:- Setup a successful
BDC/Internet department
- Use the Web to promote all your proÞ t
centers- Use the Web to drive
showroom & phone trafÞ c
- Sell old stock, vehicles & parts inventory
- Use e-mail marketing to drive more trafÞ c for
zero cost
Jim AdamsGeneral Manager,
Roper Kia
Honor Your
Commitments: The
Þ ve things we owe our
sales staff
You will learn:
- How to understand that
opportunity generations
are the key to success
- Individual goal setting
- Managing activities
bring results
- Daily one-on-ones: The
key to success
- Your selling attitude:
Mirroring behavior
- Building your dealer
brand
Erik StuttzVice President of
Consulting, STC Group
Case Study: Paragon Honda & Acura uses
CRC to sell 106 extra cars in one month.
You will learn:- How we increased our
leads and increased our closing ratio from 7
percent to 25 percent- How to evaluate the different CRC models
to choose the one that works for your store
- How to staff your CRC- How to build out &
overcome obstacles to creating a successful
CRC- Best practices for
turning leads into appointments that show
and appointments into sales
JenniferPicheco
Director ofe-Commerce, Germain
Motor Company
Case Study: Germain Motor Company�s
Internet department sells over 200 cars per
month - here is our secret
You will learn:- Dedicated vs.
Designated- The pricing fear factor
- Are you really listening to the customer?
- Third-party leads...Why not?
- Move forward or move on - Our follow-up
schedule- Measure, track and
feedback
Steve HiattOwner, Mountain
Mitsubishi
Case Study: How to increase your net by half
a million in a year.
You will learn:- Evaluating personnel,
the lazy or content ones- Continually train
everyone: Front end two times a week, Þ xed end
once a week- Put in controls. Move over aged inventory in
new, used and parts- Forge a deep
relationship with your manufacturer to help get
correct inventory, ß oor line and capital- Praise every
improvement in sales goals, certiÞ cations, etc.
out in public
Kevin RootVP & GM, Dealer
Advisory Service, The Cobalt Group
Case Study: Processes the top 20 dealerships
use to convert more leads to sales
You will learn:- Use the top three
key success drivers to convert leads to sales- Avoid the three most
common mistakes that kill sales
- Maximize your lead volume
- Respond to leads- Drive for appointments
- Focus on processes that deliver results
Darren Haygood
Director of CRM & Internet Sales, Lokey
Automotive
Case Study: Lokey Automotive Group
triples Internet sales - by spending less!
You will learn:- DeÞ ne your dealership�s
CRM strategy. BDC vs. dedicated personnel
- Maximize your ROI, ignore the hype and start
realizing real results- Achieve higher gross than with your walk-in
customers- Achieve 20 percent
Closing ratio & 20 percent retail mix
- Turn leads into phone ups - phone ups into
appointments
Keith LatmanCEO & Co-Founder,
iCarMagic
Case Study: How to avoid the smoke
and mirrors and use technology to increase
your bottom line
You will learn:- How to use software
tools to merge the Internet & Showroom into
a cohesive opportunity- How to manage lead
providers and Web site trafÞ c to bring on real
ROI & not just hype- When technology can
help you and where it can hurt you
- E-mail prospecting pitfalls, how too much
of a free thing can hurt your store
Scott JosephPresident & CEO,
J&L Marketing, Inc.
Case Study: Johnson City Honda: Sells 65
extra cars a month and grosses increased
$1,300 per car
You will learn:- How to add 33% to
your bottom line and not increase ad budget- How to grow your
customer base- How to increase your average gross per unit
- How to increase purchase frequency plus customer residual value
Randy BaroneVice President of
Sales, American Auto Exchange Inc.
10 Must Haves for Today's Used Vehicle
Department
You will learn:- Sales people, the
right number and the right type
- How to achieve a 50 percent closing trade-in
ratio- What to list online for
maximum results- How to eliminate
wholesale loss- What to stock (80
percent of inventory turning in 22 days
or less)- Best practices of some
of the largest dealers and dealer groups in the
country
Call today to register. toll free 866.317.7914 web www.autosuccess.biz
IIISUMMITBEST PRACTICES
LEADERSHIP � INTERNET � CRM � MARKETING � BDC � SALES
INSI
DE
AutoSuccess Magazine is published monthly at 3411 Pinnacle Gardens Drive, Louisville, Kentucky, 40245; 502.588.3155, fax 502.588.3170. Direct all subscription and customer service inquiries to 877.818.6620 [email protected]. Subscription rate is $75 per year. AutoSuccess welcomes unsolicited editorials and graphics (not responsible for their return). All submitted editorials and graphics are subject to editing for grammar, content, and page length. AutoSuccess provides its contributing writers latitude in expressing advice and solutions; views expressed are not necessarily those of AutoSuccess and by no means reflect any guarantees. Always confer with legal counsel before implementing changes in procedures.© All contents copyrighted by AutoSuccess Magazine, a Division of Systems Marketing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited without express written consent from AutoSuccess. AutoSuccess may occasionally make readers’ names available to other companies whose products and/or services may be of interest; readers may request that names be removed by calling 877.818.6620. Printed in the USA.Postmaster: Send address changes to AutoSuccess Magazine, 3411 Pinnacle Gardens Drive, Louisville, Kentucky 40245.
3411 Pinnacle Gardens Drive Louisville, Kentucky 40245 ! Toll Free: 877.818.6620 " Facsimile: 502.588.3170
Patrick Luck, Editor & Publisher• [email protected]
Susan Givens, Vice President• [email protected]
Courtney Hill-Paris, Sales-improvement Strategist• [email protected]
Brian Ankney, Sales-improvement Strategist• [email protected]
Thomas Williams, Creative Director• [email protected]
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BrianTracy
To Price or Not to Price PaulAccinno
Stop Being a Victim AnthonyHall
ChrisAlfordCreating the Championship Mentality
SeanWolfi ngtonCleats and a Helmet
MichaelYorkThe BIG Lie of Selling
Three Powerful Words to Sell More Effectively
BrianBenstockWhat Does it Take to Sell an Extra 100 Units per Month
TonyDupaquierEveryone Wants to be a Champion
RandyBaroneDealer and Lenders Experience Leading-Edge Advantages With New Software
JimAdamsYour Daily Check List
CarolMartin-Ardell
Why Create a Follow-Up System
MarkTewartThe Five Keys to Success
TomGegaxHire Quality People by Asking Quality Questions
Managing Your Lead Sources for Optimal Quality DaivdKain
God Bless America
Administrative Personnel are Important, Too
ChrisHanson
MarkStrongCRM Keeps Getting Better, Faster and More Powerful
Fake Smiles vs. Real Smiles PattiWood
Exodus 34:2“Be ready in the morning, and then come up.”
Isaiah 41:13“For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fearnot; I will help thee.”
ScottJosephQuotations to Think About
8
Three Powerful Wordsto Sell More Effectively
BrianTracy
There are three powerful words that you can use as you proceed through the sales conversation in order to have the most
successful results.
The fi rst is “feel.” For example, “How do you feel about that?” is a very easy question to answer. It is almost impossible not to express a feeling when asked for one. A few other questions to gain an emotional response from your prospect are, “How do you feel about shopping for a new vehicle?”
or “How do you feel about leasing?”
The second, and even more signifi cant word, is “think.” When you ask, “Do you think this would be better than what you’re currently driving?” you are asking the person to take a much more defi nite stand. People are sometimes a bit more hesitant to answer a “think” question but they are much fi rmer in defending their position once they have.
The third expression is in your opinion. The word feel is soft, the word think is harder, and the words in your opinion are the most defi nite and specifi c of all. When you ask, “In your opinion, is this the best choice of vehicle for what you want?” you are asking the prospect to take a defi nite stand.
Once a person has stated his or her opinion on a subject, they are locked into it. The person almost always will defend and justify their decision rather than change it. Carefully phrased questions are powerful tools in every part of the sales process. The more of them you have and the better you use them, the more competent you will appear and feel, and the more sales you will make.
Use feel during the early part of your sales conversation. Focus on getting good information rather than trying to sell. Second, move to asking questions using the words think and opinion later in the conversation when you want a defi nite answer or you are moving to close the sale.
Brian Tracy is the chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International. He can be contacted at 866.300.9881, or by e-mail at [email protected].
Carefully phrased questions are powerful tools in every part of the sales process.
9september 2005
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Cleats and a Helmet
SeanWolfi ngton
“I’ve got the cleats and a helmet, coach … take me to the Super Bowl!” Yes, it’s true that you need a pair of
cleats to play, and if you want to reduce your chances of getting hurt on game day you’d better wear a helmet and some pads. But, are cleats and a helmet enough to take you to the Super Bowl? No way.
The most successful eDealers in the nation have fi gured out that cleats and a helmet may get you off the sidelines and into the game, but equipment alone will not take you to the Super Bowl. A winning team is like a successful dealership: The owner defi nes his or her strategy, recruits the right coach and players, equips them with the right gear and follows a playbook to carry the ball over the line. Let’s see how the football analogy plays out:
Strategy
• Defi ne your Internet marketing strategy and budget to attract traffi c to your site and your showroom.
• Defi ne the staffi ng model and the most effective pay plans to drive results.
• Create a detailed eCRM business plan with clearly defi ned actions and timelines.
• Ensure healthy gross profi ts by clearly defi ning your pricing philosophy and strategy.
• Use e-mail marketing to promote your dealership.
• Leverage search engines and online relationships with regional sites so customers can easily fi nd you.
• Leverage your traditional media to promote your Web address.
People: Build the Team
• Determine the right number of people to staff the Internet Department or Customer Relationship Center (CRC).
• Document and implement your process for recruiting, hiring and training.
• Defi ne the skills and talents you’re looking for and remember that it’s easier to teach technology to a great sales person than it is to teach sales
skills to a technology whiz.• Create a profi le and clearly defi ned job
description for each position within the department.
• When lead volume increases (or when a player gets benched) be prepared to bring on additional staff.
• Rely on a digital marketing system that automates much of the process - handle more leads with fewer people.
Web site & CRM Tool: Equipping the
Team with the Best Gear • Post the content customers want.• Design it so it’s easy to use.• Keep customers online with highly
interactive functionality.• Use compressed multi-media animation
so the site is fast, even when viewed at 56k.
• Focus on results: A lead and a sale!• Measure your conversion rate. Average
sites convert 2 percent of visitors - aim for 10 percent to 25 percent.
• Save time with technology that automatically updates data.
Process: Create, Practice and Master a
Winning Playbook
• Defi ne a process that incorporates proven best practices.
• Train your team on the skills needed to set appointments and sell cars.
• Make them practice until they puke!• Save time and increase effi ciency with
customer management tools that can automate parts of your process and free your people to sell more cars.
• Use the reports to identify problems and opportunities to continuously improve the process and the results.
You wouldn’t try to get to game day with nothing but cleats and a helmet, so don’t kid yourself into thinking that your Web site alone is all you need to compete in the car business.
Sean WolÞ ngton is the owner of BZResults.com. He can be contacted at 866.802.5753, or by e-mail atswolÞ [email protected].
10
Why Create a Follow-Up System
ChrisHanson
Most people, when asked why they purchased their car, said they did so because they liked
the sales person. Not the dealership, the sales person. So why is it that 82 percent of customers couldn’t even remember their sales person’s name a year after the sale? What happens from the day they buy their new car and then a year later? Don’t you think that if they liked the sales person that they would like to purchase their next car from them as well? Let's take a look at what happens and what we can do to keep our customers coming back because it takes more than just a phone call and a thank you card.
New Sales people
If you’re new in the business, the number one reason to create a follow-up system is to build a successful business because you don’t want to live on “ups”. And don’t look over at Mr. 20-Year-Veteran, Joe Sells-a-ton-of-cars, and think, “I can’t wait until I’ve been selling for 10 to 20 years.” You don’t have to wait. If fact, many of those sales people are losing business everyday because they don’t follow up correctly. How do I know? Because I receive e-mails and phone calls every month from them. Times have changed; there are tons of choices out there. Makes, models and other sales people going above and beyond to wow their customers.
Veterans
Many veterans have called or e-mailed me and told me that the car business just isn’t the same anymore and it’s affecting their business. Even people that have been in the business for 20 years. They are asking me for
details on how to follow up with customers. They said their customers tend to shop around more. They tell me that in the past you could just expect them to come back in but now they really need to stay in touch with their customers and create a follow-up system.
You just can’t leave your follow-up to hit and miss, you need a system. One that is the same with every customer no matter what.
A Sold Customer Follow Up System and
an Unsold Follow Up System.
Let's look at some other reasons we should have a follow-up system:
Fresh Ups
Can you say work? When you take an up that you have never dealt with before, what’s that like? You need to work hard on building rapport and trust. Sometimes it’s a grind and downright tough. And where’s the money?
Repeat and Referrals
Now let's look at a repeat customer. What are
they like? They have bought from you before and they like you. And if a year hasn’t gone by they even remember your name. You can concentrate on fi nding the right vehicle and having fun, and you even made some money. And they like you so much that they send you referrals, and those of you who deal with referrals know how easy they are to deal with.
How Often?
I contact my sold customers every 45 days. Unsold customers are much more time-sensitive in the beginning and then every 45 days after that. I have a sequence of thank you notes, video e-mails, phone calls, a quarterly newsletter I send in the mail, a monthly e-mail newsletter, a personal Web site they can visit and I send them different unique notes. I have a very exact system that I follow, one for sold customers and one for unsold customers. Because of this my customers never forget my name but how could they? And do I get referrals? You bet!
If you develop a follow-up system and use it with every customer you will sell more cars, have more fun, make more money and start to take less ups.
If you need help in developing a system or would like to fi nd out more details, please contact me and I’ll help you get started so you can scrap your job and start your career!
Chris Hanson with Hibbing Chrysler can be contacted at 800.901.2862, or bye-mail at [email protected].
“I look forward to each edition of AutoSuccess because it has many interesting and informative articles about every phase of the automotive industry. I have been able to extract many ideas that I have been able to use in sales meetings and even implement in my Lincoln-Mercury store. It is by far, my favorite automobile magazine.”
I have a sequence of thank you notes, video e-mails, phone calls, a quarterly newsletter I send in the mail, a monthly e-mail newsletter, a personal Web site they can visit and I send them different unique notes.
David Camposano, G.M. Germain Lincoln Mercury, Naples, FL
12
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Stop Being a Victim
AnthonyHall
We live in a time where relentless and pervasive change is no longer news to anyone. There is one important implication of this
situation that continues to be a challenge: That we need to continually change our behavior to adapt to the world around us.
Developing more effective sales organizations always involves making changes in the company. And sooner or later, that means that some of the sales people and managers must make signifi cant changes in the way they think about and do their jobs.
What is it that empowers some people to change smoothly and effortlessly, while getting others to modify their behavior seems like moving a mountain? What is the fundamental building block for individuals
that more than anything else equips them to successfully implement change?
It is something that is becoming increasingly rare — a motivating sense of personal responsibility. That is, a deep and abiding belief that one is responsible for one’s own behavior, as well as the consequences of that behavior.
That seems so basic and common, yet few people actually exhibit it. Over and over in my work in developing sales people and their managers, I’m struck by how many people fail to accept responsibility for their own success or lack of it.
It’s far more popular to be a victim. We have all shaken our heads sadly over some newspaper account of someone who commits some act of irresponsibility then successfully sues someone else. In our
litigious world, being a victim often pays. That is an unfortunate consequence of an unhealthy belief.
As long as we view ourselves as victims, we’re unable to change ourselves or our circumstances and achieve better results. It is not our fault that we’re not doing better, we tell ourselves. Someone else caused it. And because it’s someone else’s doing, the power to fi x it and make it better is with someone else. We’re powerless to fi x it.
While few people admit it or even realize it consciously, this “victim attitude,” the direct opposite of personal responsibility, is very common and embraced to some degree by most of us. This is especially true of sales people, who could always do better if only something were different — something that someone else controls. If only we had lower prices, better advertising, an understanding manager, stronger F&I. You know the litany because you’ve chanted it.
Once you realize that most of the time the problem is yourself and your attitude, change for the good will come. Realize you’re responsible for your own behavior, your own thoughts and attitude. Once you accept personal responsibility, you have the power to change your success. Once again, the lesson is clear: When there is no acceptance of personal responsibility, there is little hope for positive change. Where there is personal responsibility, the future holds unlimited potential.
Your struggle to bring about signifi cant change in your success will depend on the depth to which you embrace your responsibility to make personal changes. Your efforts to improve the productivity of your sales effort will ultimately depend on the degree to which you accept personal responsibility to make changes in behavior that will improve your results.
Anthony Hall is a training consultant at Ziegler Supersystems. He can be contacted at 800.610.9047, or by e-mail at [email protected].
13september 2005
www.worlddealer.nete-mail: [email protected]
866.429.6826
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Dealers and Lenders ExperienceLeading-Edge Advantages
With New Software
RandyBarone
Relationships that automotive dealers have with key lending institutions have a tremendous impact on dealership success in
any given market. That’s why new lending-related software has become a “must have” tool in the industry. Dealers who have the most up-to-date software available to help facilitate the lending process have a strong competitive edge. Now, more than ever, it is important for dealers to provide the right tools and information lending institutions need to make fast, accurate and profi table loan decisions. Innovative new software programs do just that.
Enhancing the Appraisal Process on Pre-Owned VehiclesThe benefi t of new software systems begins right at the appraisal stage, when a pre-owned vehicle is brought to a dealer as a possible trade-in. The new software provides dealerships with valuation and reveals how much lending companies are willing to fi nance a particular vehicle. Knowing upfront that a particular vehicle can be fi nanced, and at what loan amount, enables dealership personnel to make better inventory management decisions. Vehicles that have potential glitches in obtaining fi nancing can be immediately recognized and avoided, while more profi table vehicles can be identifi ed and added to inventory to help dealers turn their inventory faster.
The software also helps establish the credit score that a potential customer needs to obtain a loan. This vital inside information helps facilitate the purchase once a customer decides to buy the vehicle. These tools also identify credit-challenged customers sooner.
Improving Inventory ManagementIn terms of current inventory, contemporary programs enable dealers to identify which cars and trucks on their lot are priced below the value that lenders will fi nance. This way, they know exactly which vehicles need to move, so they can get on with the business of maximizing profi t. Also, dealers can obtain a water report with just the click of a mouse. Ensuring that the price for a vehicle aligns with book list value is a surefi re way
to help bolster a dealership’s credibility among customers.
Boosting Dealer ProÞ tability � and Saving Lenders Time and EffortAnother tremendous advantage the auto-lending industry and dealerships enjoy with new dealer software is the instantly generated inventory book difference report. The report allows an F&I manager, or one who works with pre-owned vehicles, to instantly view inventory at any percent of book loan or trade value (i.e. inventory cost against 110 percent of Black Book trade-in). From a dealer’s perspective, the software factors in the need for making a profi t on the transaction. It also identifi es the exact inventory that you can sell to consumers to absorb their current loan defi cit, ensuring an acceptable profi t. This saves customers time in that they aren’t looking at vehicles they can’t purchase. From a lender’s perspective, the process saves tremendous effort because time isn’t wasted trying to arrange a loan for which a customer won’t qualify. These tools also save fi nance personnel from working on deals that should have never made it to their offi ce.
One of the benefi ts most often cited by lenders who’ve experienced these software systems is that they provide dealers with an accurate, streamlined process for storage and delivery of book information. Book out sheets are created by the system and inserted into deal jackets to document a vehicle’s valuation at the time of trade.
The adage “time is money” is especially true in the automotive industry. With new software programs on the market, now there’s more opportunity than ever for dealers to use their time wisely – especially regarding appraisal and purchasing processes. Now they can be faster and easier. The result? More effi cient and fi nancially benefi cial transactions for the customer, dealer and lender.
Randy Barone is the vice president of sales at American Auto Exchange Inc., a subsidiary of JM Family Enterprises. He can be contacted at 800.901.3017, or by e-mail at [email protected].
14
The BIG Lie of Selling
MichaelYork
It’s been talked about for 100 years: closing the sale! Sales trainers have made buckets of money teaching it to sales people who
couldn’t make much money with it, but made lots of prospects angry doing it. It’s closing. How do you feel when you get “closed”? The alternative-of-choice close. The sharp-angled close. The impending-event close. The “about-how-much-too-much” close. Close early and close often, they’d say. Do whatever you have to do. Say whatever you have to say. Do that “hoodoo” that you do so well. Just bring back a signed contract!
It’s not about closing (if it ever was). In “the show” it’s all about opening! Opening doors and opening relationships and opening minds to change.
Become known as an opener. A professional interviewer looking for permission to proceed. It will separate you as uncommon, not like all the other plastic pretenders who are only interested in “what will it take to get your business today?” Pulleeezzze … .
How long will you have it even if you get it? Believe me when I tell you someone will be asking the “what will it take” question as soon as you leave or your prospect does. Get better or get used to getting beaten by better questions and better performers.
Prospective buyers will nod and appear to be listening while you deliver another
boring blah, blah, blah … that they will, of course, need to think about. How can you stand out in a marketplace today of sales-sameness? How do you establish yourself as a professional selling performer? How skilled are you at asking questions that set you apart? How well do you listen? How do you create real value for the customer? How can you position yourself as a resource to them and to the organization? Welcome to “The Now Economy.” Where no one cares about how good you used to be. What customers are asking now is “How good will you be next week?”
This marketplace is all about thinking and performing differently when it comes to selling. Selling is all about “revenue generation” and revenue generation is more than just selling. Confused? Don’t be. When you think like an owner you will know that profi ts are better than wages. Profi ts are better than sales! That means when you sell something, you should know how you, and the organization, will profi t. What’s the gross profi t? Is it good business for the company (and you) or is it just a sale?
After taking over a sales operation at a media company a number of years ago, I met with a group of experienced selling professionals who had not made a sales goal in 18 months. When I asked them why, they had a great list of reasons. Which soon began to sound like a list of excuses, and at the top of that list? “Our goals are unrealistic!” And what do you base that on?” I asked. “Simple. We haven’t made goals in a year-and-a-half!” Oh. So that’s how it works. The inmates rationalizing the asylum.
My job was to create understanding that the goal is the target and what was unrealistic was “the how.” How they were doing it was not only not going to get us to goal, moreover it was killing profi ts when they did sell something.
For 27 days or so each month they struggled to sell advertising, usually what could be sold by default. In other words, it was a specifi c issue or time of the year when the advertiser or agency had already decided to be in the magazine no matter who the sales person was. Then the last three days of the month became a mad scramble to sell the space left over, or what’s called “remnant” space. How
do you suppose remnant space is priced? Bargain basement. Close-out. Fire-sale. No profi t. And this staff had conditioned lots of advertisers to wait for this remnant sale every issue. Not only did the advertisers buy the space at deep discounts, but by waiting until the close of the issue it created a chaotic condition for production to fi nish the magazine, turn out proofs, etc. In three days each month they were selling any profi ts that had been created the fi rst 27 days of the month and conditioning the market to resist the published rates in the knowledge that the fi re-sale would soon arrive … again.
No profi ts. No making goals. But lots of sales were made in those fi nal few days. Sound like an employee discount sale? One day soon it has to end. Then what? Selling Lesson: All sales are not revenue generation for the company. Over the next 12 months, we set nine of the top 10 advertising records in the 20-year history of the organization.
That’s why I say it’s not about sale training! It’s about understanding and creating revenue generation company-wide. Not only did we have to change the mind and actions of the sales team, but I had to win back credibility and trust from editorial and production and management and other departments who saw what sales had become.
Any sales trainer could have come in there and taught them how to sell more, and without changing some of the infrastructure they would have sold themselves into oblivion and continued to lose trust all over the building and the marketplace.
Think profi ts. Think better questions. Think opening not closing … think! Opening the show is a big part of closing any transaction and making sure the customer experiences value and a great feeling about his or her decision to buy.
For my short list of other selling myths and more selling truth, e-mail me. To your uncommon success.
Michael York is an author and professional speaker. He can be contacted at 800.668.5015, or by e-mail [email protected], or visit www.MichaelYork.com.
Prospective buyers � will nod and appear to be listening while you deliver another boring blah, blah, blah � that they will, of course, need to think about.
16
Creating theChampionship Mentality
ChrisAlford
“If you don’t control your mind, someone else will.”- John Allston
It’s simple. The secret to success balances between two circles. Filled with unseen power, these circles wield their might as sure as the universal law of gravity or the cycles of nature. Each circle functions independently, and each circle creates its own outcome. Nature decrees that you can’t occupy both circles simultaneously, but you must be in one at all times. Call these circles BYC and IYC.
The BYC circle holds everything that is Beyond Your Control. The IYC circle contains the things In Your Control. Neither circle discriminates against anyone, but the variables inside can either create or destroy a championship mindset.
Understanding BYCInside the circle of things BYC, there are thousands of things: weather, taxes, factory programs, interest rates, co-workers, hot-headed customers, governmental policies - you name it.
There is nothing championship about standing in the circle of things Beyond Your Control. By its very nature, the circle of things Beyond Your Control blocks creativity and diverts success by wasting focused energy. In addition to gossiping, griping and complaining, people operating in this circle worry about things over which they have no power. Worry splits teams, breaks relationships, clouds your decision-
making, gives you irritable bowel syndrome and makes you eat Rolaids. Before you realize it, systems break down, short cuts abound and mediocrity establishes itself as a lifestyle.
It is impossible to grow or succeed when you operate in the circle of things Beyond Your Control. Unfortunately, this is where most people spend the bulk of their time. BYC is less demanding. It allows us to try to get things done without actually producing results. Here, we can safely wish that things would change and that outcomes were better. Champions know it. Wishing is easier than working.
Understanding IYCThe championship mentality lies solely in the circle of things In Your Control. While BYC holds thousands of things, IYC consists of only three things:
The way you think.The way you talk.The way you act.
The secret to this circle is its simplicity. Frank Outlaw demonstrated his understanding of IYC’s power when he said, “Watch your thoughts; they become your words. Watch your words; they become your actions. Watch your actions; they become your habits. Watch your habits; they become your character. Watch your character for it will become your destiny.” Focusing on the way you think, talk and act means goal completion and successful results!
Cultivating IYCStep One: READ with IntentReaders are leaders. Reading stimulates thought, and thought dictates action. If you want to improve your leadership skills, read how great leaders improved theirs. If fear has you paralyzed, read a book on how to overcome it. Perhaps the skillful use of body language will help you to put your clients at ease. Find out how to do it in a book. Reading plants the knowledge of the ages in your head. Champions make time to study their craft. Reading is preferable; however, if time is short, grab a motivational CD or a book on tape and listen to it during drive time. How you do it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you do it.
Step Two: TALK with DeterminationTalk follows thought and determines action.
The way we talk determines our level of success.
When we say, “I’ll try to study more,” or “I’ll try to work on my technique,” or “I’ll try to sell one today,” chances are we will fail. Why? The word “try” is an open door that always offers the user an out. For example, if a client says, “I’ll try to come back Thursday,” we know from experience it is not going to happen. True Champions don’t “try” to study; they study. Winners don’t “try” to work on their technique; they work on it. Power’s mantle rests on the shoulders of those who replace “I’ll try” with “I will.” Say it like you mean it. Be determined to achieve your goals.
Step Three: ACT with PurposeActions speak louder than words. Execute a hand-written, activity-based action plan at the start of each day. Include professional objectives as well as personal goals. Be specifi c. If your goal is to improve customer delight, be careful of vague, hand-written goals like, “I will send out some thank you notes this week.” Let your actions speak! Hand-write a list of specifi c things you will do and make that goal a reality. “Today I will write 10 thank you notes to customers I talked to, but did not sell.” Writing out your goals does take time, but the process of writing them creates momentum. Donald Trump says, “Written goals increase your chances of success by 99 percent.” Like a welder’s torch cutting metal, the simple act of writing down your goals in specifi c language focuses your energy into purpose-fi lled activity.
It’s your choice: BYC or IYC. You can allow people and events Beyond Your Control to dictate a life of inaction, frustration and regret, or you can command your own destiny in the circle In Your Control. Harness your thoughts, and keep them moving in the right direction. Feed your mind the highest quality information you can fi nd. Fill your speech with words refl ecting your level of determination, and act out your plan. Think like a champion. It’s just that simple.
Chris Alford is the president of Motivate America and Chris Alford Concepts. He can be contacted at 866.881.9315, or bye-mail at [email protected].
Nature decrees that you can�t occupy both circles simultaneously, but you must be in one at all times. Call these circles BYC and IYC.
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18
MarkStrongfs feature solution
CRM Keeps Getting Better, Faster and More Powerful
For those not familiar with CRM systems, these computerized programs help dealers maintain ongoing relationships with their customers by providing automated reminders, customer follow-ups, appointment scheduling and so on. The most capable of these programs are tightly integrated, easily managed, Web-based systems that unite customer relations, inventory, fi xed operations such as service and parts, and sales management into a comprehensive package of extremely cost-effective, user-friendly tools that can be used not just at the dealership, but practically anywhere in the world.
Speed is #1The fi rst thing most users should notice is the quantum increase in speed of operations in some modern Web-based CRM systems. Thanks to major improvements using the .net programming language CRM systems can now move up to fi ve times faster. Along with this increase in speed, systems can be made signifi cantly more powerful, offering capabilities and dealership-wide, in-depth integration never before seen in the industry.
A good CRM program should include signifi cant improvements such as:
• Improved user interfaces.• Enhanced fl exibility of operations.• Increased adaptability to the
individual needs of the dealership.• Fully integrated dealer database
management.• Real-time tracking of sales and
customer history.• Easier-to-use customer contact,
follow-up and scheduling procedures.
• Exceptional brand development capabilities.
• Integration with value-added partnerships.
As a result, an effective CRM system can be a vastly more powerful profi tability tool
in today’s highly competitive automotive retailing environment. The goal should be to integrate the operations of all a dealership’s departments in such a way as to turn virtually every department at a dealership into a profi t center. There are three major operational areas in CRM: campaign marketing, customer profi ling and service integration.
Campaign marketingBy accessing the in-depth information in its customer profi le database, a modern CRM system should assist a dealership in performing campaign marketing based on a virtually limitless combination of characteristics. For instance, a dealer may have acquired a number of specially equipped SUVs to be offered at a promotional price. Using a modern CRM system, the dealership can select from its customer database all customers who purchased an SUV two or more years ago and put together a campaign addressing each customer personally, informing him or her of this special offer.
The campaign may consist of: personalized letters to each customer, automatically printed out and ready to be signed by the sales person who assisted the customer in his or her original purchase; personal phone calls from that sales person to his customers, asking them to consider taking advantage of the sale; automatically printed follow-up postcards sent as reminders of the promotion; and personalized e-mails directed to those customers who have Web access. It is important that a CRM system allow the dealership to select customers based on custom criteria so that any market situation can be exploited to create additional sales.
The selectivity of any campaign is limited only by the depth of information in the customer profi le database.
Customer proÞ lingThe more a dealership knows about its customers – especially repeat customers – the easier it is to serve each customer’s
needs and sell that customer a vehicle. In essence, that is what customer profi ling is all about: creating an exceptionally detailed history of each customer. It must be within the dealership’s ability to access the details in its customer profi le database that enables the dealership to put together effective campaign marketing or deal with a customer with all the tools that in-depth knowledge of his or her background supplies.
For example, a customer’s profi le may include the fact that the family has a daughter who is the right age to graduate from high school and perhaps head off to college. Armed with this information at the right time, the sales person can contact that customer and suggest that there are a number of vehicles at the dealership that are the right type for a young adult starting life on her own and available at very reasonable prices. Tracking customer history allows you to market your products to customers based on vehicle age, out-of-warranty status, miles and many other tracking elements, as well as to understand the true overall lifetime value of the customer to your dealership.
Service integrationA modern CRM system needs to recognize the value of fi xed operations, not just for their potential as profi t-producers, but also as the driver of a variety of marketing campaigns and sales efforts.
CRM Integration with service and parts provides many advantages. Individual customer profi les are used to automatically notify customers of service intervals and schedule service appointments. Customers are automatically contacted when special order parts arrive. But that’s just the beginning. Customers can be sent personalized recall notices, letters detailing service specials related to his or her individual vehicle, or any of hundreds of service- or parts-related promotions. By integrating the customer profi le data throughout the dealership’s system, service
19
records and parts orders can also be used as the basis for special sales promotions on vehicles. For example, for vehicles about to go out of warranty based on mileage, special promotional mailings can go out reminding customers that they can purchase extended service contracts or step up to a new vehicle. When making the tuff decision to cover or not to cover work that is not paid for under warranty in order to save a valuable customer, a single of view of sales and service history is invaluable. Regulatory compliance and partnerships are importantA modern CRM system should develop value-added partnerships. By joining forces with other technology companies, a modern CRM system can offer a broad spectrum of ancillary services. e-PULSETrak is partnered with SecureTrak, a system that helps ensure that auto dealerships achieve and maintain compliance under regulations based on the Graham, Leach, Bliley Act, among others. It is also necessary that a CRM system be integrated with the national No-Call list to help the dealer stay in compliance with national regulations.
Secure, Web-based operationsRather than being limited to designated computers at the participating dealership, usually on the dealer’s local area network, a Web-based system offers greater fl exibility. That means an individual with an approved login name and password can access it from any Internet-connected computer. This not only allows 24-hour-a-day access from virtually anywhere, but also eliminates the need to set up and maintain a computer network, greatly reducing the hardware, networking and personnel costs.
A Web-based CRM offers a number of advantages over a customer relations system run on a local area network.
• Lower cost – There’s no need to set up a costly network, because the system exists on the Web and
not on local computers. There’s no costly network cabling to install or expensive servers to set up and run.
• Virtually 100 percent capture of showroom, service and parts department phone and Internet traffi c – Because a Web-based system can be so tightly integrated, capturing and tracking customer information is easier, faster, and more reliable. Follow-through operations are completely automated, including phone, e-mail, and mailed material. Leads can even be directed to Web-access phones and handheld PCs, for even greater fl exibility and faster response.
• Effi cient data mining – Captured customer information is one of the most valuable assets of a modern CRM system. Using this data, dealers can profi le customers and direct marketing specifi cally to their individual needs. It’s not only more effective, it is a lot less expensive to target customers and prospects in this manner.
Customer training/education and customizationThe best technology in the world, if not supported by training/education, consulting and process development, will eventually be rendered useless. Training is as important as the technology itself. Training should cover when and why to do things, not just how it’s done.
Trainers should have dealership experience and should understand the business. There are several departments that can be enhanced with a Modern CRM system and training is often required in areas such as business development centers, sales, service and process development.
Security comparable to a bankSecurity is a prime concern for any CRM system. For this reason logging in should
require a password. And screens should be secured by state-of-the-art, 128-bit encryption – the same extreme security that some banks use to protect their Web sites. E-mail and internal messaging addresses for all users Every individual user should be assigned e-mail and an internal messaging address, enabling group and individual internal communications, as well as full-featured e-mail capabilities across the Internet.
Automatic upgradesWith a Web-based CRM system dealers need never be concerned about their system being out-of-date. These systems should provide regular, no-cost upgrades automatically, making sure that it delivers maximum performance and reliability.
Designed to boost achievementAny dealer knows what an industry achievement award can mean for the dealership. A modern CRM system should be designed specifi cally to help dealers earn manufacturers’ awards. A good system will make it far easier to meet award-winning customer service standards and maintain those standards year after year.
Most important an effi cient and effective system will provide street-smart business management that is integrated with the most technologically advanced, Web-based customer relations. It will be smart. It will be comprehensive. It will be easy to use.
Above all, a Modern CRM system will give automotive dealerships the advanced tools needed to successfully meet the demands of today’s highly competitive market.
Mark A. Strong, is the vice president and COO of e-PULSETrak.com. He can be contacted at 866.885.9751, or by e-mail at [email protected].
What Does it Take to Sellan Extra 100 Units per Month
BrianBenstock
Paragon Honda has generated more than 106 additional sales a month by changing its marketing and sales strategy. We decided
to adjust our marketing strategy to target customers on the Internet because nearly 90 percent of our buyers begin their shopping online. More of our customers look to the Web when they’re researching their next car purchase than TV, radio or print, and we want to be where the majority of our customers are. Within two months of launching our new marketing system, we established a dominant presence on the Web and set up a complete Customer Relationship Center to ensure that all of the Internet and phone leads were handled effectively.
The end result was an extra 106 sold vehicles the fi rst month we were up and running. Not only did the volume of leads increase, we increased our closing ratio from seven percent to 25 percent. How did Paragon do it?
We switched Web site providers. We needed a new system that was capable of getting the results we wanted. Our new partners gave us not only the tools, but the training we needed to build our skills and implement best practices from around the nation. They’ve even helped us set up a full-blown CRC department. After the fi rst month we had a brand new Web site that generated more leads than we had anticipated. So our closing ratio was only 13.8 percent but we have
since geared up to improve our closing ratio, and last quarter it was 25 percent, according to Honda’s Internet Report. We are very pleased because we have increased our traffi c to our showroom, phone and Internet department while reducing our cost per sale.
Once we included our Web address on all of our traditional advertising, we were ready to take our marketing strategy to the next level. We now collect e-mail addresses from all our customers by offering them free things they want. For example, every prospect that calls or visits our dealership is offered a “Free Virtual Test Drive” on the vehicle that interests them. Most customers are curious about a virtual test drive, so they’re willing to give their e-mail address to get one. As a result, we get the majority of our customer’s e-mail addresses, whether they call, click or come into our dealership. We now have thousands of e-mail addresses that we use to conduct marketing campaigns. We have hundreds of pre-packaged, multi-media buzzmail campaigns that we can send to customers with a few clicks. We have campaigns for every month of the year, every season and a number of different themes, including inventory reduction, clearance, holiday events, special fi nance and more. Customers are blown away by these campaigns, and we get a lot of people who respond just to say how cool these buzzmails are.
We’ve recently been very aggressive in gathering e-mail addresses in the sales and
service departments. We offer customers in the service departments free personal Web sites, and the cashier has a poster that advertises this along with small sign-up cards for customers to give their e-mail addresses. We recently gathered thousands of e-mails at an auto show in New York by offering customers free virtual test drives on the vehicles that interested them. We know that e-mail marketing is the future, and we have decided to make it a big part of our marketing strategy. The best part is that I know that if I can gather the e-mail addresses, I already have the pre-packaged campaigns, and they cost me absolutely nothing to send.
To handle the response to all this aggressive marketing, we set up a Customer Relationship Center to ensure that the only people taking inbound phone calls are people with exceptional phone skills. I don’t know about you, but if you listen to the average sales person’s ability to take an inbound phone up, it can be scary. Our sales people are able to do what they do best: sell cars. And our CRC staff is able to do what it does best: ensure customer satisfaction and sell appointments. Sounds simple, but the key lies in building a team of trained specialists who can take all of the incoming calls and respond to all of the Internet leads. Find the right people and train them to become ninjas on the phone, and you’re set. Using this model, we’ve lowered our cost per sale and sold an additional 106 units a month after learning to use our new Web site and online marketing strategy as a phenomenal lead generator.
The Bottom Line.• Paragon Honda used its new digital
marketing strategy to increase its sales by 106 units in one month.
• Paragon Honda increased its closing ratio from seven percent to 25 percent.
• Paragon uses a digital marketing system built to help grow its business.
• Creative marketing online and offl ine has created more showroom, phone and Internet traffi c.
Brian Benstock is the dealer principal of Paragon Honda and Acura. He can be contacted at 800.601.3214, or by e-mail at [email protected].
20
“Our sales went from 20 to 214 after rebuilding www.Paragoncars.com”- Brian Benstock, Dealer Principal of Paragon Honda and Acura
Hire Quality Peopleby Asking Quality Questions
TomGegax
What do the hiring process, a romantic dinner and walking a tightrope have in common? A rush job produces dire
consequences. Hiring after one quick interview is like hopping a red-eye to Vegas to get married after one date. It’s impulsive and expensive, and your chances of long-term harmony are abysmal.
Interviewing a job candidate is like asking your teenager how school was that day. You won’t fi nd out what’s worth knowing until you ask just the right questions in just the right way. When hiring, it’s crucial to arm yourself with probing, open-ended questions. Why? Most job seekers know the drill inside and out. They’re skilled at telling you what they think you want to hear and, more important, suppressing details they don’t want you to hear. But that is exactly the information you need to know.
Before launching into a friendly grilling, level the playing fi eld a bit and ease into the conversation. I’d thank a prospect for considering us and acknowledge that they were interviewing us as much as we were interviewing them. I’d emphasize that we’d each benefi t from total candor, noting that important details that didn’t surface could come back to haunt us later. I’d promise not to oversell my offer and ask him or her to return the favor.
After stating our company’s mission, vision and values, I’d pepper them with thought-provoking questions arranged under eight themes. I’d do my best to come across as both caring and curious, probing but not prosecutorial.
The interview checklist:
1. Job history.Start with the basics and add a twist. To understand a prospect’s experience, ask
about their last three jobs.
• What was your job description, and what did you actually do?• What did you love about the job, and what did you hate?• How would you rate your boss, and why?• Did you leave the job or did the job leave you? What exactly happened?
Don’t ask what their last supervisor thought about the quality of his or her work. Instead, ask, what will your supervisor say about you when I call? Odds are you’ll get a more honest, revealing answer because their probably thinking, uh-oh, I'd better come clean.
2. Hard work and initiative.These questions determine a job seeker’s capacity to work hard and smart.
• Walk me through a typical day at your most recent job (or the one most relevant to the position under discussion). How did you feel about each element? • What were your biggest contributions to your last employer?• What are some on-the-job examples of your going beyond the call of duty?• Tell me about the times you underperformed. What did you do about it?• What is your understanding of what this job requires?• How many hours did you work at your last job, and how many do you expect to work at this job?
3. Integrity.Don’t pass up the opportunity to stress your zero tolerance for unethical behavior. Why? People with integrity defi cits assume that everyone else shares their twisted concept of right and wrong. That’s how they rationalize ethical shortcuts. Weed out the bad apples with these questions:
• Everyone has bent or broken a rule at one time or another. What was one of your recent transgressions, and what did you learn from it?• Are all rules valid? • If you felt a rule was unfair, what would you do about it?• Have you ever broken a rule to satisfy a customer? If so, how?• Which is more important: customer service or making a profi t? Why?
4. Judgment.These four questions help you judge the
22
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maturity of a candidate’s thought processes and the quality of his decision making.
• Tell me about a few good decisions you made recently.• What was the toughest work-related decision you’ve made? • Describe the biggest calculated risk you’ve ever taken.• Why would this be a good place for you to work?
5. Ambition.My eyebrows raise when a prospect makes even a modest attempt to defi ne their career dreams. It makes me more confi dent that their selective about the job they wants. Suddenly, an image of a hardworking, productive employee snaps into focus. These questions help you glimpse a candidate’s career vision.
• What are your short-term and long-term career goals, and why?• How are you going to accomplish them?• What alternative careers are you pondering, and why?• Why did you apply for this position?• How does this job help you meet your career goals?
6. Personality.My hiring philosophy is simple - avoid surprises. With the interview now more than halfway through, remind them that the more you know about each other the better. Agreement secured, ask a series of tough, unorthodox questions to gauge their emotional and psychological maturity.
• What’s the happiest you’ve ever been, and why?• What makes you sad?• What scares you? • What makes you laugh?• What really made you mad at your last job?• What did you do about it?• Describe a poorly handled encounter with a colleague. What would you do differently today?• How would you react if a colleague or customer yelled at you?• How well do you work under pressure and deadlines? • When do you fi nd you are not a team player?• What is your greatest accomplishment?• Tell me about your most spectacular failure.• Tell me about three big changes you’ve made in your life and what you learned from each.
7. Self-analysis.You need clarity about a candidate’s strengths and vulnerabilities to know if he or she is a magical match. Generic, open-ended questions like “What are your greatest strengths” yield only marginally useful information. Instead, list a dozen or so topics
- organizational skills, computer profi ciency, time management, customer service, reaction to change, work ethic, teamwork - relevant to the open position. Begin with the fi rst subject and ask them to rate their skill from one to 10. Follow up with, “what will it take to get you to a 10?”
8. Compensation.With two questions, you’ll zero in on a salary with which you’ll both be comfortable. First, ask, What would you like to make? After he or she gives a fi gure, ask, what’s the minimum you’d feel good about? It’s a question rarely
continued
23september 2005
asked. They will hesitate. Be patient while they runs through a quick analysis in his or her head: If the number’s too low, I’ll cheat myself. If it’s too high, he’ll lose interest in me. I call this the “Goldilocks Strategy” because people feel compelled to shoot you a number that’s juuust right.
Tom Gegax served as the chairman and CEO of Tires Plus and is the founder of Gegax Management Systems. He can be contacted at 866.210.2832, or by e-mail at [email protected].
24
To Price or Not to Price
PaulAccinno
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IIISUMMITBEST PRACTICES
LEADERSHIP � INTERNET � CRM � MARKETING � BDC � SALES
You've got a hot product in an afß uent market, and everyone wants one ... you might get by without pricing your inventory.
See pages 4 & 5 for more information.
Ever since dealers began putting vehicles on the Internet, they have been asking the question “Should I
price my inventory or not?” For the average dealer the answer is “Yes”, but there are always exceptions.
Domestic brands in a metro area
The domestic brands like Chevy, Ford and Dodge, seem to be one on every street corner. Popular imports also experience this situation to a slightly lesser extent. If you’re the only dealership out there without prices, chances are the customer will just move on to the other 20 sites that have prices. Research shows that most customers visit your Web site to check your inventory and get an idea of pricing. For used cars obviously multiple pictures and mileage are also key.
If you have spent substantial advertising dollars both offl ine and online establishing a brand, telling customers “We have the largest inventory in the tri-state area at unbeatable prices ... guaranteed, no exceptions. Just visit www.pricebusters.com to get your free price quote.” You can drive traffi c to you Web site, have customers view your inventory and then call you for a price. In order for that to work though, you have to be the best guy in town doing it and doing more than anyone else and have a well-trained Internet
department. If this isn’t the case, you had better stick to what’s proven to work and that’s putting prices on your inventory.
Rural Dealers ... or hot brand/hot market
If you’re in a rural area and everyone knows you and you know everyone, you might get away with not pricing your inventory. “Just call Bob for an Internet price quote” (who is probably the Chief of the volunteer fi re department, as well). These deals are done more on trust and positive customer experience than on price. The other exception is you are the only Porsche dealer in Vail. You’ve got a hot product in an affl uent market, and everyone wants one. With these two examples, you might get by without pricing your inventory. But you had better be diligent. As soon as conditions change (competition, market, economy) be ready to change your strategy.
What message are you sending the
customer?
Another thing to consider is, what message are you sending the customer if you don’t include pricing? It appears that you have something to hide. The customer feels as though if they can’t get a price on the Internet, what’s it going to be like when they get to the store?
What price do I show?
Again, there are options. Most dealers list MSRP and disclaim that they are for comparison only. “Send us a price quote request to get our Internet price.” Some dealers show two prices, MSRP and an Internet price and adjust the Internet price based on competition and availability. Others will show MSRP and invoice price and ask the customer to submit a bid that usually ends up being between MSRP and Invoice (but usually closer to invoice). The later two methods are usually more effective.
Unless you have a unique situation or have a well thought-out Internet marketing strategy, the average dealer needs to put prices on the Web.
Paul Accinno is the president and CEO of WorldDealer, Inc. He can be contacted at 866.319.6284, or by e-mail [email protected].
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26
Your Daily Check List
JimAdams
Nothing in sales is more important than being organized. If you are walking around with a shirt pocket full of business
cards with customers’ names and telephone numbers on them you are probably missing fi ve deals a month. Let’s take a look at the daily activities that professional sales people must accomplish to maximize their success. 1. Follow up all unsold prospects.Your best prospect is the one that just left your dealership without purchasing. Remember 78 percent of the people that come to your dealership to look at vehicles will buy. One hundred percent follow-up is the key. You must have the prospect’s name, address, home number and cell number. Use good scripts, and do not skip names. Countless unit sales and commissions are lost every month by playing, “guess who’s the buyer.” The fact is 33 percent of your
opportunities will come back with good follow, and we will close 67 percent of them. Follow up until they buy, or tell you to quit calling.
2. Check your wish list.Keep good records because you will always have a list of people looking for a car for a teenage son, a dually for the farm or little car to get back and forth to work. Stock-walk your pre-owned and new-car inventory daily to match your customers with your inventory. Dealer trades expend so much time and energy when most customers will buy a vehicle from stock if we use a little salesmanship. Call your wish-list customers periodically even if you do not have a unit for them right now. They need to know that you are still working for them, and they need to understand that it is to their benefi t that they purchase from you.
3. Owner follow-up.Ninety-nine percent of the people that buy vehicles will buy more vehicles. Eighty-two percent of the people that buy vehicles cannot remember the sales person that sold them their vehicle after one year. We have to follow up with our owner base. Every single owner must be followed up at least once a quarter. Owner follow-up begins with a same day follow-up call, a next day follow-up call, a one week follow-up call, a one month follow-up call and a quarterly follow-up call forever. Professional sales people must know how many vehicles are in the household and how many drivers. We need to keep great notes on each customer to ensure that we know when the customer will be in the market for each vehicle in his or her household. Remember, the average closing ratio on a repeat owner is more than 50 percent. Advertising works through repetition. Owner follow-up helps you develop a relationship with your customer, (who will buy more cars).
4. New business prospecting.One of the most important daily activities is to keep new names pouring into your base of customers and contacts. Introduce yourself to three new people a day. Take a look at your circle of infl uence. These are the people that you come into contact with every week. The girl at the bank, the guy at the car wash, your insurance agent or the kid’s ball coach. I am not asking you to hound everyone you know to buy a car. I am asking
you to let everyone you know, know what you do for a living. If you add three names every day to your new business fi le you will have more than 1,000 new names a year. One thousand names of people with whom you have shaken hands. One thousand new names of people that know what you do for a living. One thousand new names of people to whom you can send mail. One thousand more opportunities than the sales person sitting beside you right now. Now that is the power of professionalism.
5. Take time to train.Product and skills training is a must. When you hear an old-timer say he has forgotten more about the car business than you’ll ever know, he is right. He forgot it. Vehicles change all the time. New options and new models require us to stay on top of our ever-changing inventory. You’re the expert. Know what you sell and know the competitive advantages of your product over the competition. Selling skills training is just as important. Role play walk-around presentations and bypassing objections. Practice desking deals and securing a commitment in writing from the customer. The more you learn, the more you’ll earn.
6. Be up.Be mentally and physically prepared to take your fresh up. We cannot get so busy with daily activity to forget that the most important objective of the day is to put yourself in front of opportunity.
7. Work the mail and e-mail.Every opportunity that leaves the dealership gets a thank you card or an e-mail. Every new owner gets a thank you card or an e-mail. Everyone you come in contact with professionally gets a reinforcement mail piece that serves as a reminder of who you are. Your daily goal is to generate the number of opportunities that you need to accomplish your individual goal (see step one). Stay focused on generating opportunity today and every day, and you will accomplish great things.
Jim Adams is the general manager at Roper Kia in Joplin, MO. He can be contacted at 800.905.0627, or by e-mail at [email protected].
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27september 2005
Administrative Personnelare Important, Too
CarolMartin-Ardell
Do you know how to bring out the best in your administrative staff ?
The pace of your administrative worker must also mesh with your environment and meet your expectations. Bookkeepers, for example, need to be perseverant enough to sift through spreadsheets and spot errors, inconsistencies or omissions. These methodical individuals usually like to take their time, though, and they can become shaken in a busy, hectic environment. If your dealership is fast-paced, or you, as a manager, expect subordinates to be hurried and multi-tasking, your slow-but-steady bookkeeper could unnerve you. To ease mutual frustration, always provide unhurried types with plenty of notice regarding deadlines – and be patient.
Avoid springing last minute surprises on someone who is clearly bound by predictability and routine.
Most inside administrator personalities like to be given clear guidelines and rules. Unlike their more assertive managers, they do not want to be left to fi ll in their own blanks when problems or unusual situations develop. Keep this in mind the next time an emergency arises and your inside worker seems overly cautious, helpless or virtually incapable of making an independent decision. Try to clarify instructions, offer advice and be on hand to help. If that’s impossible, fi nd someone else (a seasoned peer or a team leader) who is willing, able and readily available to act as a resource in your absence.
While sales-oriented people must be ready to assume some risks and push the limits, inside support personalities can be more conservative. They like the security and safety of a salaried paycheck, not one that’s based on commissions or tied to their performance on the job. Although your assistants might say they would welcome the chance to receive bonuses, it’s more likely that very few of them would actually push themselves hard enough to earn them. Most offi ce workers have modest goals; they see no reason to compete with anyone and prefer
to maintain harmony and a feeling of “team” within their departments.
A simple thank you from you may be all they really need to feel rewarded, appreciated and good about themselves.
It’s much easier (and far less time-consuming) to hire people who already possess the traits you need for a specifi c job. For example, if your ideal assistant is someone multi-tasking, detail attentive, personable and self-starting, fi nd a pool of applicants who are all of those things. Resumes, references, behavioral assessments and background checks can all do their part to help ensure that the person you ultimately bring aboard will be suited to the job and able to assimilate into your specifi c work environment.
Knowing the kinds of personalities you have on your administrative payroll allows you to understand employee shortcomings and work quickly to correct them. A strong sense of team spirit is also gained and typically translates into greater productivity and increased feelings of partnership between an employer and an employee. Recognizing compatibility or incompatibility with a job or specifi c work environment now is sure to save money, time and frustration later.
Carol Martin-Ardell is a senior consultant with the Omnia Group. She can be contacted at 800.601.3216, or by e-mail at [email protected].
A strong sense of team spirit is also gained and typically translates into greater productivity and increased feelings of partnership between an employer and an employee.
28
Quotations to Think About
ScottJoseph
“The signifi cant problems we face today cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we
were at when we created them.” Albert Einstein
If you were asked what is your single biggest challenge selling cars today most of you would say “traffi c” or “fi nding good sales people.”
I’m curious; if you were to bring in more traffi c, what type of effect would that have on your sales recruitment efforts? Would you retain a higher percentage of your sales reps because they are selling more cars and making more money? Word usually travels fast, doesn’t it? Imagine a world in which traffi c is not a problem and your dealership is the place to sell cars and make the most money, how much easier would it be to recruit the top talent in your market?
The bottom line is your business world and the problems in it will never change if you continue to do the same things over and over again hoping for different results. Most people change their advertising messages quite often, hoping to fi nd something that works better than the prior ad. The reason the results rarely change is because the ads change but not the strategy.
What percentage of your advertising budget goes toward institutional advertising? What percentage is invested in direct response ads? Most institutional advertising tells you how great the dealership paying for the ad is, or how old and stable it is, or some other non-persuasive message.
Institutional advertising, as practiced by most advertisers, is wasteful. It doesn’t convey any compelling reason for the customer or prospect to favor your dealership over another. It doesn’t make a case for the product or service you’re trying to sell.
Institutional advertising doesn’t direct the
reader, listener or viewer to any intelligent action or buying decision.
Direct-response advertising is self-explanatory. It is designed to evoke an immediate response, action, visit, call or purchasing decision from the viewer, listener or reader.
Direct-response advertising presents factual reasons your dealership, product, service or offer is superior to all others. Direct-response advertising directs people to action. It compels readers, viewers or listeners to visit your dealership, call you, pay you or drive their car down to trade it in on a new model. At its best it literally compels people to call, visit and buy. And you can analyze the value, profi tability and performance of your advertising.
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” Peter Drucker
What does your future look like? What are your goals and how do you plan to get there? Start by creating a marketing strategy that focuses on growth. Marketing is not just advertising, it also includes your corporate identity and sales processes. Maximize the potential of your marketing plan by working backward – starting from sales. I strongly believe for any marketing plan to work the advertising element must align with the way a dealership sells cars. The class war between marketing and sales is a primary reason for program failure.
To improve your productivity and profi tability many times over, make sure your growth strategy invests a higher percentage of your ad budget to direct-response advertising compared with institutional advertising.
Direct-response advertising is much more effective than institutional advertising because your prospect doesn’t care one iota about you or your motivations. All the prospect cares about is what benefi t your product or service renders to him or her. How will your product improve the
prospect’s situation and save him or her effort, time and money? How will your product or service improve the prospect’s life, and why?
Give your prospects the answers to these kinds of questions and you’ll crush the competition - pure and simple.
Effective growth strategies have specifi c goals and objectives designed to grow your dealership the only three ways it can, by:
1. Increasing your number of active customers.2. Increasing your gross average.3. Increasing your frequency of repurchase – get more residual value out of each customer.
“You are searching for the magic key that will unlock the door to the source of power; and yet you have the key in your own hands, and you may use it the moment you learn to control your thoughts.” Napoleon Hill
In order for any strategy or plan to be effective you have to be 100 percent committed to it. One hundred percent committed means making sure your sales team is completely prepared by having the right skills. Your sales processes must align with the advertising, and management must make sure that the sales staff does what it has been taught.
The business of sales is about opportunities. The more opportunities we have the more cars we sell - if each opportunity is worked the right way.
“The system works … if you work the system.” Macrae Ross
Scott Joseph is the president of J&L Marketing Inc. He can be contacted at 866.429.6846, or by e-mail at [email protected].
30
The Five Keys to Success
MarkTewart
Do you want to be more successful? You can achieve greater success if you begin to follow certain secrets
that blow open the doors that are closed for you now. I am comfortable in saying that all people have some closed doors that limit their achievement. What are the doors that I am talking about and how can you open them?
The doors are a metaphor for the gateways to successful achievement. The keys are the secrets that unlock them and allow you move forward faster and with less confl ict toward your dreams than ever before.
Key #1 � Energy
Everyone needs physical, mental, emotional and spiritual energy to propel them toward their goals. It’s often been said that “fatigue
makes cowards of us all.” What do you do that gives or robs you of energy? Make a list of 10 common actions in your day. Next to each, put a plus or a minus according to whether it gives or depletes energy. The mind, body and spirit go hand in hand. If one source is constantly drawing energy, it will affect the energy in the other area. Do you ever feel so depleted mentally that physically you are just going through the motions?
Create an action plan to eliminate or greatly reduce all things that deplete your energy. Decide what your tolerance is. Successful and satisfi ed people create levels of tolerance for themselves and others who come in contact with them.
Key #2 � Enthusiasm Ethos loosely translated means, “The Breath of God.” This means enthusiasm is contagious. It’s hard to get others excited unless you are excited. Nobody is excited all the time. We all have our ups and downs. What anchor do you have that will immediately connect you to the enthusiasm that you need to achieve the successful level of living that you want? Just by having a built-in and pre-arranged fi lter that detects when you are not at your peak level of enthusiasm will enable you to make corrections quickly. Without the fi lters you can become a zombie simply going through the motions until you or someone else makes you aware of your lack of enthusiasm.
Key #3 � Emotion
Do you live with emotion? You don’t have to be a drama queen to live emotionally. Emotions are about feelings. Successful people tend to live in the moment. Stress, fatigue and worry detract from the joy of living in the moment. “Worry is paying interest on a debt not yet due.” Everyone experiences levels of depleting emotions that create a false and overwhelming sense of reality. How many times have you heard of people with near death experiences who now live with a greater sense of awareness and emotion?
Colors become brighter, jokes become funnier and experiences become richer. Your
level of attainment in emotional living will increase your connection to others. To enrich your chances of success, you have to enrich others.
Key #4 � Humor
Nothing can bond people quicker than humor. Nothing can change your attitude, emotions, enthusiasm and outlook more than humor. Humor releases endorphins in the brain and creates a feeling of euphoria. Humor is an instant-on switch for changing your actions and outlook toward everything you face in your day. Experiencing humor is powerful. Being a conduit of humor for others is power multiplied exponentially.
Key #5 � Persistence
Persistent = consistent. Persistence is perhaps the most common denominator of successful living. Successful people keep moving when others quit. It’s been said that most of success is just showing up. Persistence is the key to showing up when other have quit. History is full of examples and testimonials to the power of persistence. Failure only occurs at the time when you quit. Those who live successfully know the power of persistent pursuit.
Persistent pursuit of goals and dreams creates a powerful sense of living unmatched by anything else. Persistence becomes a life force that creates self confi dence for those who execute the power of persistence on a daily basis. In a world where the strong survive, persistence equals the playing fi eld and gives the edge to those who apply its power.
Combining all the keys to success will create a sense of urgency needed for success. Examine the current level of each of the fi ve keys to success in your life and create a personal game plan for successful living.
Mark Tewart is the president of Tewart Enterprises. He can be contacted at 866.429.6844, or by e-mail at [email protected].
Automotive Careers, Inc.
Your organization will be no more successful than your weakest manager. Automotive Careers, Inc. has been assisting dealers identify, hire and retain the best available candidates to fi t their dealership’s needs and culture since 1989.
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Everyone Wantsto be a Champion
TonyDupaquier
What does it take to become a superstar business manager? The answer is simple: acquire new skills and practice.
Steven Covey wrote a book, everyone should read, called “The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People.” A sales manager gave me the book 15 years ago, and to this day, I still go back and reference it. One of the habits Covey writes of is the importance of continuing education. The analogy he uses for this is “sharpening the saw.” Covey illustrates the point with the idea that taking the extra time to sharpen a saw allows a lumberjack to cut more trees. Spend some time sharpening your skills in the business offi ce. The end result is that you will be more productive and profi table.
If you are content with your current penetrations and income level, you may be replaced with a more proactive person in the near future. If you are not happy with your current level, it is time to do something about it - sharpen your skills now.
Where can you sharpen your skills? School. It is time to learn some new skills, and chances are, you will not learn many of them sitting at your desk. That desk is one of the reasons it is diffi cult to learn anything new. It is the same desk you have been going to for years, and you just go into the same old routine when a customer walks into your offi ce. Get out from behind that desk. Take a few days away from the dealership and go learn some new ways to sell more products and make more money.
The dealership environment may seem to discourage employees from taking off any time. You must make the time, and your dealer should insist on you doing so. You will make more money in the long run attending an F&I school or seminar for a few days.
How much time is needed? That depends on your situation. If you have not attended an F&I school in the past three years, you should look into a full F&I class. These classes last about fi ve days, and not only will they give you a new outlook on your position they will also give you the skills needed to
work with today’s customers. A class should also give you additional product knowledge and possibly show you a newer process that can shorten your time with each customer.
If you have attended an F&I school in the past three years, look into an advanced F&I class to brush up on current issues and to learn new solutions for old and new objections.
If you are still using the old-fashioned step sell or waiver-closing method, you should look into a menu selling class, if not a full F&I class.
The automotive industry has more educated customers today; these customers are learning how to deal with the sales department and what to say to you, the business manager. Customers are continually educating themselves. Have you updated with the customer, or is the customer more prepared for you than you are for him or her?
Sharpening your skills may actually save you from breaking the law. What we must do in the business offi ce to be legally compliant is constantly changing. Many of the tools we were given in the past are now illegal. With today’s growing legal threat toward the auto industry, it would be in your best interest to know what is right and what is wrong.
Take a vested interest in yourself and go learn some new and better ways to sharpen your talents. The new skills acquired will pay you more.
Tony Dupaquier is the director of F&I training for American Financial & Automotive Services Inc. He can be contacted at 866.856.6754, or by e-mail at [email protected].
31september 2005
If you have not attended an F&I school in the past three years, you should look into a full F&I class.
32
Managing Your LeadSources for Optimal Quality
DavidKain
Lead quality is one of the key factors in achieving a high closing rate. How leads are handled is equally important to
a dealership’s Internet success but for this article we will zero in on lead quality.
What is a quality lead?Some would answer that any lead with a good or deliverable e-mail address is a quality lead. If a customer makes a typo when submitting an e-mail address and provides a phone number that works then it is still a good lead. Under normal circumstances you will receive many leads that have a combination of good and bad elements. Any lead that is actionable should be considered a good lead, and any lead that is not actionable should be considered a bad lead. Actionable means you can communicate with the customer in one way or another to elicit a response by e-mail, telephone or even postal mail.
Increasing your volume of the best quality leads.We would all prefer to receive leads that have complete and accurate data from a prospect that has excellent credit and has selected a vehicle you have readily available and is willing to pay your asking price. There are ways to increase the chances of this happening more and more.
Let’s review the primary lead sources and consider the methods available to improve lead quality.
Dealership Web site leads.Dealers indicate by a large margin that the leads they receive from their own Web sites are the best possible leads. Here’s why. The customer has selected your Web site as a shopping tool and has, in most cases, had an opportunity to do a virtual walk-through of your inventory. If the customer has then selected a specifi c vehicle, reviewed the options and decided to request a quote, he or she is more likely closer to the purchase than someone who has casually visited an automotive information site and simply clicked on request a quote without a specifi c vehicle identifi ed. Couple the customer’s vehicle-specifi c request with the Internet sales persons’ higher energy level when they see the customer has selected a specifi c
vehicle and you have a perfect combination in place to achieve a sale.
How can you make your Dealer Web site leads even better quality?
• Keep your inventory of new and used vehicles complete and up to date.
• Provide multiple photos, intriguing descriptions and on-the-market pricing for your used vehicles.
• Create Web site specials for new and used cars and allow customers to submit inquiries on these vehicles. The close rate on specials is especially high since the customer knows your best price, and dealership management is anxious to move the vehicle.
• Provide differentiated submission fi elds so you can tell the customers intentions immediately – request a quote, schedule a test drive, make an offer, request more information, just curious, etc. The submission path your customer selects tells you a great deal about the customer’s true intentions.
Third Party Provider/Aggregator LeadsIf you want to grow your Internet business you will fi nd it benefi cial to purchase leads from a third party. Research has shown that these companies provide more than half of the leads to dealers today and their quality can be excellent depending on the provider and where they source their leads.
A key method to get the best quality lead from your provider or aggregator is to fi rst select the best available third party sources.
For example:• Where do they obtain leads?• Do they have quality mechanisms in
place to scrub and fi lter leads?• What do they do about duplicate
leads?• What is the average dealership close
rate of their current customers?• What remedies are available to me if I
don’t have a similar close rate?• Do they send the same lead to multiple
dealerships?
By asking these questions up front you will fi nd out quickly which providers are concerned about your results.
How can you make your third party provider/aggregator leads even better quality?
• Select the right radius or market for your brand. Some providers allow you to select up to four different radii so you can target specifi c populations and demographics.
• Adjust the lead fl ow so you only receive leads for vehicles you have ready access to. Close the valve on leads for vehicles that are not available, that will only frustrate your Internet sales staff
• Adjust the lead volume to an amount that your staff can effectively manage. A good rule of thumb is to plan for 80-100 leads for each Internet sales person if they work the deal from lead inception to the delivery. With appointment setting arrangements and BDC formats you can essentially double this volume.
• Balance the fl ow of leads through the month so you get a manageable volume throughout the course of the month and not too many early or late.
By applying these methods you will fi nd your lead quality will go up appreciably, your Internet team will be more motivated due to the better lead quality and your dealership will get a higher close rate and will generate more sales and profi ts.
David Kain is the automotive Internet training specialist at Kain Automotive Inc. He can be contacted at 800.385.0095, or by e-mail at [email protected], or visit www.kainautomotive.com.
By applying these methods you will Þ nd your lead quality will go up appreciably, your Internet team will be more motivated due to the better lead quality and your dealership will get a higher close rate and will generate more sales and proÞ ts.
Fake Smiles vs. Real Smiles
PattiWood
When you are a business owner, a service provider, boss, a coworker or sales person and you
see the same people over and over. They’re your neighbor, your sister’s boyfriend, your second cousin. Having a true warm emotion toward them and smiling is easy. But that’s not the way our business world works anymore. Now we are smiling at strangers; strangers we probably never see again, and the emotional drain can take a toll.
It requires managing our feelings to create the socially expected facial and body language. Basically making nice, or what business researchers call using “emotional labor.” Because this emotional labor requires effort to create expression or to
change our feelings to meet employer or job expectations it can alienate workers from their true feelings and make them feel fake. Think of the fl ight attendant giving the fake hello and good-bye smile to hundreds of stressed-out travelers. Think that smiling labor is easy? No way. Her forced smile of politeness and hospitality even has a name in the encyclopedia: The Pan American Smile.
With so many workers forced to give the Pan American Smile, it’s no wonder the newest research on emotional labor says the energy spent making nice and faking emotions can lead to job stress, dissatisfaction and burnout. Research shows that inhibition of emotion or bottling up overworks the cardiovascular and nervous systems and weakens the immune system. In fact, the inability to express negative emotion is one
of the strongest predictors of cancer.
So what does this mean to you?
If you’re an employer, realize that asking for emotional labor without a structure of organizational support is shown to create more absenteeism and job turnover. More bad news: Faking it leads to lower ratings on customer service.
Do:
1. Create support by creating an environment in which true smiles are easy. 2. Don’t just use the old Ricardo Montalban order on “Fantasy island” and say, “Smiles everyone” That was fantasy Island! 3. Create a workplace in which workers
34
can be true friends and customers come back year after year.
4. Support and understand employees’ pain. Don’t brush over it with platitudes. Talk to them. Guide them to reframe bad interactions by saying the customer was having a bad day.
5. Give them control. Research says when employees are given rights to shut down abusive and manipulate customers the employees’ stress level is signifi cantly lower.
6. Give them training to deal with abusive customers and diffi cult coworkers. This can give them choices in their reponses and increase their feelings of control. Again, this is shown to reduce their stress.
7. Give them lots of stress-reliving options. Let them take a walk outside. Sit somewhere and do deep breathing. Create a distress room with calming colors, music and toys. Hold yoga or tai chi classes on site. Bring in a chair massage worker on a regular basis.
8. Know the gender differences. Women smile more than men in a formal setting by an overwhelming 77 percent to 35 percent margin. Emotional labor research says women have to work even harder because as a gender we are expected to be even nicer. Women respond to stress differently. All that fl ight-fi ght response research you’ve heard was done on men. New research shows that women like to chat and bond with other
women under stress, so allow them stress visiting time.
If you create environments in which there are sincere smiles, there is good news. Just look at the answers to following questions.
Why do we feel better when we smile?
There is a two-way street between pleasure centers in the brain and facial muscles. We feel good and we smile but we can also put our faces into the smile positive and the positioning signals the brain that you feel good, so, it sends “feel good” chemicals into your bloodstream.
Does our impression of the world change
when we smile?
Yes, even when we are asked to smile we have more favorable impressions of the people we are with, and we think funny things are funnier.
Why do we smile when others smile?
There is actually circuitry in the brain that is set up to respond positively to a smile. And there is the facial feedback loop. We mimic the facial expressions of people we like and want to empathize with to feel what they are feeling. When they are smiling and we mimic it, we feel great.
Can we smile through our tears?
Research shows that faking laughter and smiles doesn’t help pain tolerance. But the people who really smile (showing the true smiles around the eyes we talked about last month) did have higher pain tolerance. That means when they were truly happy and truly smiling that they were able to produce an analgesic effect. The pain tolerance with a true smile has been shown to last 20 or 30 minutes. In some cases it has doubled the subject’s pain tolerance, according to Dr. Pierre Rainville, expert in pain university of Montreal.
So create a place were true smiles are easy.
Patti Wood is the president of Communication Dynamics. She can be contacted at 800.849.3651, or by e-mail at [email protected].
continued
35september 2005
Kids with Juvenile
Diabetes need you
to be their hero
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Create a workplace were workers can be true friends and customerscome back year after year.
You may have received discharged papers from
UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT
RE:BANKRUPTCY DISCHARGE
RATES VALID:
BEFORE AUG 30, 2005
CONTINGENT REGISTRANT:
ISSUING AGENCY:
CALL CAPITOL CHEVROLET
AT: 800-595-8251
AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE
Please Be Careful Not To Discard Or Lose This Capitol Chevrolet Opportunity Notice
The matter of:
You have been pre-selected for participation in our new bankruptcy discharge plan, a special test market finance plan.
This plan is set up with Diane Ladd and Angie McCants at Capitol Chevrolet, who are working with federally secured
banks and lending institutions to enable you to purchase a new or used vehicle of your choice.
You are also pre-selected for an auto loan up to $22,500 (see reverse side for terms and conditions). The exact amount of
the loan may vary, and for security reasons that amount is not listed. Just call 800-595-8251, with your personal partici-
pant code listed below, to find out your exact pre-approval amount.
Your financial representatives, Diane Ladd and Angie McCants, have a full understanding of the apprehension, uncertainty,
and sometimes even embarrassment of the financial situations in purchasing a vehicle. Knowing this, you can be confident
that you will be treated with respect in all your dealings with this organization.
Your selected loan package is valid at Capitol Chevrolet (see below), who has agreed to make available their entire new and
used car inventory to keep within guidelines of this unique offer for a limited time only!
ZERO CASH DOWN PAYMENT WITH TRADE: We can usually do no money down with a trade.
This is a unique offer and we want you to take advantage of your selected auto loan, but you must come in on or before the
dates listed, as this offer will expire. Come early for best selection on over 300 new and used vehicles.
SPECIAL BONUS:Complimentary 141-piece tool set or Cooler with our thanks,
for stopping by. (while supplies last)
TO DETERMINE YOUR APPROVAL AMOUNT ON A VEHICLE LOAN:
1. From a touch-tone phone, call Diane Ladd or Angie McCants at: 800-595-8251.
2. Provide your personal Participant Code # (listed on below).
3. Your identity will be verified and your pre-approval amount will be given. Write down your pre-
approval amount in the space provided below.
4. Present this letter upon entering the dealership listed below. (Note: Be prepared to accept immediate
delivery of your new or used vehicle.)
Event Location:
Capitol Chevrolet
111 Newland Road, Columbia, SC 29229
I-20 @ Clemson Road - Under The Giant American Flag
800-595-8251Ask for Diane Ladd or Angie McCants
All Roads Lead To The Capitol... The All New
CHEVROLET
Offer Valid before
August 30, 2005
PERSONAL PARTICIPANT CODE #
1589254
Authorized Autoproval Dealer:
Capitol ChevroletApproval Amount:
(Enter your approval amount here)
Financial Accounting Division
Cashier Department
CALL NOW FOR IMMEDIATE APPROVAL!
ISSUEDMade Out To:
Diane LaddCredit
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$11,999$11,999$13,995$13,995$13,995$13,999$15,995$15,995$15,995$16,995
2005 HYUNDAI
ELANTRA
$12,995ALL POWER, LOADED!
SAVE!
2005 HYUNDAI
ACCENT
$9995ALL POWER, LOADED!
SAVE!
2005 HYUNDAI
TIBURON
$15,995ALL POWER, LOADED!
SAVE!
2006 HYUNDAI
SONATA
$15,995ALL POWER, LOADED!
SAVE!
2005 HYUNDAI
SANTE FE
$17,995ALL POWER, LOADED!
SAVE!
2005 HYUNDAI
TUCSON
$15,995ALL POWER, LOADED!
SAVE!
2005 HYUNDAI
XG350
$22,995ALL POWER, LOADED!
SAVE!
M E D I A G R O U PM E D I A G R O U PM E D I A G R O U PM E D I A G R O U PIn Your ShowroomThis Weekend!
$500
WECANPUT
WITH EVERY ORDER*!
GIFT CARD
ALL PACKAGESINCLUDE:• PREMIUM LIST
• US POSTAL RECIEPT• MANIFEST
• 800 TRACKINGNUMBER • PREMIUM
GIFTS INCLUDED• FIRST CLASS POSTAGE
AND GET A
Integrity… Reliability…Dependability!
WE CAN DROP IN 3 DAYS!CALL FORCE MEDIA GROUP NOW AND INCREASE YOUR TRAFFIC
877-565-8240Force Media Group Is America’s Fastest Growing
Full-service Automotive Marketing Company ProvidingTelevision, Radio, Print, Direct Mail, Media Planning,
Staffed Events And Data Management.Call Jim Fitzpatrick, President,
To Schedule A PresentationAt Your Dealership.
*WITH EVERY ORDEROF 10,000 OR MORE
PIECES.
Can Be Used for Discount or Incentive
www.forcemediagroup.com
TOP 10 REASONS NOT TO USE PRORESPONSETaken from the home offi ce in Phoenix, Arizona, here’s the following top ten reasons automotive
dealerships give for not using ProResponse’s services.
10. I’d rather buy expensive computer systems and do it myself.
9. My salespeople are computer gurus. We love buying CRM software and reading those cool technical manuals.
8. I really enjoy spending a small fortune on ineffective advertising. I need the write-off.
7. My salespeople are great at follow-up! I’m sure they’re taking care of my customers.
6. I don’t mind losing my customers to the competition.
5. Closing ratios, ad sourcing and accurate reports? My managers can give me those numbers right off the top of their heads.
4. I don’t want my customers to remember me after they leave the dealership.
3. I have goals. Had ‘em for years. What would I do if I reached them?
2. I don’t like being the #1 dealer in my market. Who needs all that attention?
1. I’m already selling enough cars and making so much money, the guilt is killing me!
AND . . .THE NUMBER ONE REASON NOT TO USE PRORESPONSE . . .
DAVE�S TOP 10 LIST
HouseofCourtesy.comRedMcCombs.comSheehy.com Schomp.com
Tasca.com DickHannah.comParagonCars.com
Call (877) 298.6657 For a FREE eCRM Biz Plan
HerbChambers.com
SuccessSuccessStoryStory
