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Phil Sura, VP of the Automotive Division of UnityWorks Media is a regular contributor to Digital Dealer Magazine. Below is his article from the current issue:
 Are You a Creator, or Just a Bad Prophet?
by : Phil Sura
The world has always been full of visionaries. Some are better than others at making predictions. Here are some examples of famous quotes that didn’t hit the mark. Source »
“I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” – Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.
“But what...is it good for?” – Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.
“There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” – Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977.
“With over 50 foreign cars already on sale here, the Japanese auto industry isn’t likely to carve out a big slice of the U.S. market.” – Business Week, August 2, 1968.
We could also come up with a list of famous bad predictions and statements from dealers and managers within auto dealerships. The list could include some of the following that I have personally heard over the last six months:
“I don’t want the Internet team to control the entire dealership.”
“Every dealer will be getting involved with video so why would I embrace video?”
“Staying with three photos of my inventory is good enough.”
“I fired the entire Internet team because they were too expensive to keep.”
“Gross averages will always be hurt by the Internet department.”
“Giving a customer a competitive price online simply gives that customer a shopping price to go to the competition.”
“Print advertising will always give us our strongest results since most dealers have pulled out.”
“I don’t have a CRM, we have a good location and we can rely on our drive by traffic.”
On the other end of the spectrum, I work with a number of managers and dealers constantly testing new concepts to stay ahead of the curve with online initiatives. We are in a period where ideas must be tested. Status quo is not acceptable. Here are some ideas that dealers are testing or using:
http://www.addthis.com/ – This is a great way to add pages or listings. The web site allows you to link content into a web site, blogs, Word Press and My Space. You can then convert the content into 50 different languages. This is a great way to connect quickly and easily to a larger consumer base.
http://www.radleychevrolet.com/ou/fredericksburg-chevrolet/?make=chevrolet – Check out the link for current incentives on the lower right side. This provides customers the most current incentives for any new car by region. It is consistent with the teaching that a more transparent online approach is perceived as a major positive by the consumer.
http://www.tischerbmw.net/ – Check out the use of video on the home page. Please note that the homepage showcases specials, aged used units, new car content, and a dealer spotlight video explaining why a customer should visit this specific dealership. Video drives time on the site, which leads to an increase in conversion (phone ups plus e-mail leads against unique visitor count).
http://www.worldhyundaireviews.com/# – This is a concept for linking consumer reviews to multiple areas including the web site and linking the reviews for organic searches. Two options for dealer driven reviews include: http://www.prestoreviews.com/ and http://www.dealerrater.com/ If possible, link the reviews to the Google map. In addition to reviews on the Google map, make certain that you have pictures and an overview of the dealership on this page.
http://compete.com/ – Use this site to determine how your dealership ranks with unique visitors and time on site with other dealers in the area or dealers across the country. These are key measurements that many dealers are still not focused on. The concept is simple. If the average time on site with your dealership is two minutes and the dealer site across the street is 13 minutes, you have a problem.
Create a YouTube channel. Link videos into the channel.
I respect the dealers who refuse to surrender to the pressures of the market. As one Saturn dealer put it, going out of business is not an option. If you are going to survive today, you had better love this industry. How do the progressive dealers find out about new concepts and opportunities? How can a dealer reinvent himself to become more progressive with online initiatives?
- Create an atmosphere where your employees are bringing up ideas to drive online initiatives. Be bold and willing to test ideas. Facilitate meetings with SEO and SEM consultants and your management team to discuss ideas.
- Listen to the 20-year-old kids. They have insight beyond the understanding of those over the age of 40.
- Attend several conferences focused on the Internet. The Digital Dealer Conferences are great starting points. They are held twice a year.
- If you are the general manager, get involved. Don’t simply delegate and don’t be intimidated by those who are ahead of you from a knowledge perspective.
- Master, define and measure the key metrics. You will improve by simply measuring results.
- Tie bonuses to results with the metrics with the appropriate members.
- Don’t allow negative thinking with the old guard salespeople or sales managers. Teams that are divided will never make it.
So what type of dealer, GM or Internet manager are you? Do you fall into the list of dealers recognized for their creativity or do you fall into the category of those making bad predictions about your future? It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy either way.
Phil Sura is a VP of the Automotive Division of UnityWorks Media.
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