By: Kimberly Roselle
Simple fact: I take care of my cars. In the 17 years I have been driving, I have only had three cars. I am currently driving a 2005 Chevy Cobalt. I bought the first run of this car during Employee Pricing. Despite some issues with the fit and finish I have no serious complaints. But now after seven years and 120 thousand plus miles there are some issues. I can no longer ignore the fact that it’s time for a new car, and therefore the hunt has begun.
This weekend I test-drove three cars: The Chevrolet Cruze, The Ford Focus, and The Honda Civic. My experience at each dealership was as varied as the cars.
Lets start with Chevy Cruze. My husband and I drove onto the lot and quickly found the Cruze. We walked through and peeked in at a few. Then the salesman arrived. I will call him Junior Joe. He was full of energy and knowledge and was very excited; he actually reminded me of a puppy. I went for a test drive and I was honest that I was not looking to buy today. Today was all about test drives and gathering info. Junior Joe never pushed me, and before I left he gave me a brochure and his business card.
At the next dealership, we drove around and did not see a single Focus, so we decided to walk around and look at Fusions. While we were perusing, no one came over, so we walked next door to the Honda dealership. We barely stopped at the Civic when salesman Safari Sam approached. He was not overly knowledgeable about the car and barely knew any incentives. Before I left Safari Sam gave me a brochure and his business card.
While at the final dealership of the day, we found one Focus. We hadn’t even gotten out of the car when the salesman came over. I’ll call him Mafia Max. He kept pushing me to drive it and then during the test drive tried to insist that we stop so my husband could also drive it. This was problematic to me because I had made it very clear to Mafia Max that this was to be my car. We got back to the dealership and he tried to push for the sale but I stood my ground informing him yet again, that I am only researching. Before I left he gave me a brochure and his card.
We arrived at home and that’s when the true comparisons began. Of the three brochures. Ford was the worst, containing no specs and no details. Chevy and Honda were both comparable. As I was looking at the brochures I realized the Honda wasn’t for me and I quickly crossed the Civic off my list. Now it’s a duel between the Chevy and Ford.
As of now I have yet to make up my mind, but there are various factors to weigh before making my decision. Obviously this includes the features available for each of the vehicles, including fuel economy and safety. But, I have found myself also analyzing my decision based on the salesmen themselves and the experience they provided me while I was at their dealership. I have many factors to consider, but after reading this I’m wondering, which dealership would you choose?
By: Kimberly Roselle
Simple fact: I take care of my cars. In the 17 years I have been driving, I have only had three cars. I am currently driving a 2005 Chevy Cobalt. I bought the first run of this car during Employee Pricing. Despite some issues with the fit and finish I have no serious complaints. But now after seven years and 120 thousand plus miles there are some issues. I can no longer ignore the fact that it’s time for a new car, and therefore the hunt has begun.
This weekend I test-drove three cars: The Chevrolet Cruze, The Ford Focus, and The Honda Civic. My experience at each dealership was as varied as the cars.
Lets start with Chevy Cruze. My husband and I drove onto the lot and quickly found the Cruze. We walked through and peeked in at a few. Then the salesman arrived. I will call him Junior Joe. He was full of energy and knowledge and was very excited; he actually reminded me of a puppy. I went for a test drive and I was honest that I was not looking to buy today. Today was all about test drives and gathering info. Junior Joe never pushed me, and before I left he gave me a brochure and his business card.
At the next dealership, we drove around and did not see a single Focus, so we decided to walk around and look at Fusions. While we were perusing, no one came over, so we walked next door to the Honda dealership. We barely stopped at the Civic when salesman Safari Sam approached. He was not overly knowledgeable about the car and barely knew any incentives. Before I left Safari Sam gave me a brochure and his business card.
While at the final dealership of the day, we found one Focus. We hadn’t even gotten out of the car when the salesman came over. I’ll call him Mafia Max. He kept pushing me to drive it and then during the test drive tried to insist that we stop so my husband could also drive it. This was problematic to me because I had made it very clear to Mafia Max that this was to be my car. We got back to the dealership and he tried to push for the sale but I stood my ground informing him yet again, that I am only researching. Before I left he gave me a brochure and his card.
We arrived at home and that’s when the true comparisons began. Of the three brochures. Ford was the worst, containing no specs and no details. Chevy and Honda were both comparable. As I was looking at the brochures I realized the Honda wasn’t for me and I quickly crossed the Civic off my list. Now it’s a duel between the Chevy and Ford.
As of now I have yet to make up my mind, but there are various factors to weigh before making my decision. Obviously this includes the features available for each of the vehicles, including fuel economy and safety. But, I have found myself also analyzing my decision based on the salesmen themselves and the experience they provided me while I was at their dealership. I have many factors to consider, but after reading this I’m wondering, which dealership would you choose?
By: Kimberly Roselle
Simple fact: I take care of my cars. In the 17 years I have been driving, I have only had three cars. I am currently driving a 2005 Chevy Cobalt. I bought the first run of this car during Employee Pricing. Despite some issues with the fit and finish I have no serious complaints. But now after seven years and 120 thousand plus miles there are some issues. I can no longer ignore the fact that it’s time for a new car, and therefore the hunt has begun.
This weekend I test-drove three cars: The Chevrolet Cruze, The Ford Focus, and The Honda Civic. My experience at each dealership was as varied as the cars.
Lets start with Chevy Cruze. My husband and I drove onto the lot and quickly found the Cruze. We walked through and peeked in at a few. Then the salesman arrived. I will call him Junior Joe. He was full of energy and knowledge and was very excited; he actually reminded me of a puppy. I went for a test drive and I was honest that I was not looking to buy today. Today was all about test drives and gathering info. Junior Joe never pushed me, and before I left he gave me a brochure and his business card.
At the next dealership, we drove around and did not see a single Focus, so we decided to walk around and look at Fusions. While we were perusing, no one came over, so we walked next door to the Honda dealership. We barely stopped at the Civic when salesman Safari Sam approached. He was not overly knowledgeable about the car and barely knew any incentives. Before I left Safari Sam gave me a brochure and his business card.
While at the final dealership of the day, we found one Focus. We hadn’t even gotten out of the car when the salesman came over. I’ll call him Mafia Max. He kept pushing me to drive it and then during the test drive tried to insist that we stop so my husband could also drive it. This was problematic to me because I had made it very clear to Mafia Max that this was to be my car. We got back to the dealership and he tried to push for the sale but I stood my ground informing him yet again, that I am only researching. Before I left he gave me a brochure and his card.
We arrived at home and that’s when the true comparisons began. Of the three brochures. Ford was the worst, containing no specs and no details. Chevy and Honda were both comparable. As I was looking at the brochures I realized the Honda wasn’t for me and I quickly crossed the Civic off my list. Now it’s a duel between the Chevy and Ford.
As of now I have yet to make up my mind, but there are various factors to weigh before making my decision. Obviously this includes the features available for each of the vehicles, including fuel economy and safety. But, I have found myself also analyzing my decision based on the salesmen themselves and the experience they provided me while I was at their dealership. I have many factors to consider, but after reading this I’m wondering, which dealership would you choose?
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Honda has recently adopted a new advertising tactic. Well-known and well-liked music has taken a front sesat in their commercials. This makes them memorable and effectively grasps the attention of potential consumers. According to Honda, the reason behind this is to ‘conjure up the rush consumers experience when they first drive off the lot in a new vehicle’.
It seems to me that Honda is on to something. Music is a great advertising technique for any business, but it’s particularly practical for car dealerships. Of course, the songs being used in Honda commercials come at a high price,, but there are still opportunities for dealerships to include catchy theme music to help draw a consumer in.
Why is music a sensible element in a car commercial? Think about it this way: what is one of the first things you do upon entering your car? You turn on the radio. In my opinion, cars and music go hand and hand. Personally, I don’t drive anywhere without my music on. So why not take advantage of putting a catchy musical undertone to your commercials? As Honda says, driving and music go hand in hand, and having music in your commercial can help the audience relate to the car driving experience more realistically. Contact us now to see how we can help you make your commercials more memorable, and invoke that ‘rush’ for your potential consumer.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Honda has recently adopted a new advertising tactic. Well-known and well-liked music has taken a front sesat in their commercials. This makes them memorable and effectively grasps the attention of potential consumers. According to Honda, the reason behind this is to ‘conjure up the rush consumers experience when they first drive off the lot in a new vehicle’.
It seems to me that Honda is on to something. Music is a great advertising technique for any business, but it’s particularly practical for car dealerships. Of course, the songs being used in Honda commercials come at a high price,, but there are still opportunities for dealerships to include catchy theme music to help draw a consumer in.
Why is music a sensible element in a car commercial? Think about it this way: what is one of the first things you do upon entering your car? You turn on the radio. In my opinion, cars and music go hand and hand. Personally, I don’t drive anywhere without my music on. So why not take advantage of putting a catchy musical undertone to your commercials? As Honda says, driving and music go hand in hand, and having music in your commercial can help the audience relate to the car driving experience more realistically. Contact us now to see how we can help you make your commercials more memorable, and invoke that ‘rush’ for your potential consumer.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Honda has recently adopted a new advertising tactic. Well-known and well-liked music has taken a front sesat in their commercials. This makes them memorable and effectively grasps the attention of potential consumers. According to Honda, the reason behind this is to ‘conjure up the rush consumers experience when they first drive off the lot in a new vehicle’.
It seems to me that Honda is on to something. Music is a great advertising technique for any business, but it’s particularly practical for car dealerships. Of course, the songs being used in Honda commercials come at a high price,, but there are still opportunities for dealerships to include catchy theme music to help draw a consumer in.
Why is music a sensible element in a car commercial? Think about it this way: what is one of the first things you do upon entering your car? You turn on the radio. In my opinion, cars and music go hand and hand. Personally, I don’t drive anywhere without my music on. So why not take advantage of putting a catchy musical undertone to your commercials? As Honda says, driving and music go hand in hand, and having music in your commercial can help the audience relate to the car driving experience more realistically. Contact us now to see how we can help you make your commercials more memorable, and invoke that ‘rush’ for your potential consumer.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Honda has recently adopted a new advertising tactic. Well-known and well-liked music has taken a front sesat in their commercials. This makes them memorable and effectively grasps the attention of potential consumers. According to Honda, the reason behind this is to ‘conjure up the rush consumers experience when they first drive off the lot in a new vehicle’.
It seems to me that Honda is on to something. Music is a great advertising technique for any business, but it’s particularly practical for car dealerships. Of course, the songs being used in Honda commercials come at a high price,, but there are still opportunities for dealerships to include catchy theme music to help draw a consumer in.
Why is music a sensible element in a car commercial? Think about it this way: what is one of the first things you do upon entering your car? You turn on the radio. In my opinion, cars and music go hand and hand. Personally, I don’t drive anywhere without my music on. So why not take advantage of putting a catchy musical undertone to your commercials? As Honda says, driving and music go hand in hand, and having music in your commercial can help the audience relate to the car driving experience more realistically. Contact us now to see how we can help you make your commercials more memorable, and invoke that ‘rush’ for your potential consumer.
By: Kimberly Roselle
The human body is capable of so many incredible things. Recently I watched a TV show called Lie to Me. It reminded me of how I used to try and watch actors on stage to see if their “true selves” could be seen or if they could fully embody the character. Most people are capable of lying with their words, but not with their body language. So, what does this have to do with sales?
Without realizing, your body language might be sending the wrong signals. You might be communicating mistrust or offending your potential customers without meaning to. If you know how to use body language, you will be able to avoid sales pitfalls and convey body signals that make your customers say “yes!”
I recently found this fascinating infographic: http://dailyinfographic.com/improve-attractiveness-with-body-language-infographic
Some important take aways from this infographic are:
- Words account for only 7% of our overall effective communication
- Body language accounts for 55%
How can you apply this information to your sales technique? When a customer comes onto the lot, don’t rush out to them. First, read their body language and take your cues from them. Do they have a closed posture or are they open? Are they keeping their head down and moving quickly or are they looking about and lingering over vehicles? Understanding your customers’ unspoken signs can go a long way to helping you build trust and a positive relationship with them.
In the first four seconds, people will make judgments about you and will subconsciously decide:
- I will (or will not) buy from this person.
- I will (or will not) like this person.
- I find this person kind (or not).
- I find this person intelligent (or not).
As you approach your customer they are also unconsciously reading your body language. Are you standing tall? Do you look them in the eye? Is your smile genuine? Be aware of yourself. While you can’t lie with your body, you can project the confidence and friendliness the majority of customers are looking for while shopping.
Do What You Say!
Sounds simple enough right? You’d think so, but unfortunately a lot people lack the ability to follow through on their promises. Car sales are just that – a sale. How are you going to make that sale if you don’t keep good on your word? Who will trust you? Who is going to make the conscious decision to purchase a car from someone who isn’t honest with them? If you aren’t keeping your word, then the potential customer is going to automatically wonder, “If they lie about that, what else are they lying about?”
The important thing to remember is “don’t make promises you can’t keep.” This means you shouldn’t say your going to do something if you can’t actually do it. We all know how busy a dealership can be, but make the time, because in the long run it will help you establish yourself with a customer, and that’s what’s important.
Make Sure You Follow Through
Make the phone call you said you would make. Locate the specific vehicle the customer is interested in and provide incentives and current offerings so they are well informed. Keep in mind that this is a serious investment for most customers. If you value their time and investment as much as they do, they will be much more inclined to sign the papers for the sale.
Do you know how to make your sales staff stand out and go beyond what is expected? We can help get you there. Call us now to find out how.
By: Jenn Mayer
Previously, Google Places was always on the “SEO checklist” for dealerships and other businesses that were interested in climbing to the top of the search results page. Creating a Google Places page for your business was fairly simple and required little attention afterwards from the business owner.
All that has changed. Google recently announced its new platform for businesses, called Google+ Local. Those businesses with Google Places pages will automatically be merged to the new platform, but the time-frame for this to happen is not certain. Now, your Google presence is not just a vertical listing, but also a social media page. Google+ Local is a necessity for SEO value, but it also enhances your social media presence. However, with this new development, businesses looking to stay ahead of the competition can no longer “set it and forget it” as they could before.
Google+ Local Pages will give businesses a method to communicate with users in much the same way businesses can use Twitter and Facebook, and therefore needs to be maintained in order to keep pace with the competition. The new layout is part of Google’s mission to expand it’s own social platform, Google+. Google+ users will be able to see local businesses on their sidebar, and you must have a Google + account to review a local business. Google hopes that this will prompt people who have previously avoided Google+ to create an account and become more active users.
Google+ Local Pages will be much more visible than its predecessor. Google+ Local Pages will get precedent when a user makes a Google search for a place. So, if you have a Google+ Local Page, you will automatically get an advantage over the competition. In addition to being integrated into search, Google+ Local pages will also appear in Google Maps, the mobile version of Google and as a new tab in the Google+ sidebar. In essence, it’s crucial to build and grow your page as quickly as possible in order to appear at the top of the search results and above your competition.
A new and integral feature of Google+ Local pages is the scoring system. Since Google bought Zagat last year, they have integrated their famous reviews and scoring system into all Google+ Local pages. Because Google+ users can now leave reviews that are seen on your page and affect your score, it is essential that you are constantly monitoring your page and its content.
Another intriguing thing about Google+ Local is that Google has actually scarified a large part of its ad revenue in order to promote these pages. Now, there is only one paid aid showing up on these local searches. Now, the top organic, or unpaid, listings are even more valuable – and completely free!
Your Google+ Local page is now a vital part of both your social media and SEO efforts, and it is indispensable in placing you on the first page of the Google search results. Google uses an extremely complicated algorithm that takes hundreds of factors into account. While you can’t control all these factors, the number one driver of ranking results is a strong presence on Facebook and other social media accounts. Effectively, search is now social. If you want to be successful in search, you have to be successful in social media.
Does this new platform seem like a lot of work? Let us manage your social media presence. Contact us today!
