http://carpeoplemarketing.com/index.php en jhays@carpeoplemarketing.com Copyright 2010 2010-09-08T12:42:08+00:00 http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/service_tip_23_-_stop_sending_customers_away/ http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/service_tip_23_-_stop_sending_customers_away/#When:12:42:08Z Everywhere I go I hear Service Advisors telling customers- without thinking- to take their business to the competition. Let me explain - a customer says, "I would like a whatever" and the Advisor says, "Oh no, you don't want that! It's very expensive!" I have even heard Advisors directly send customers elsewhere to try and save the customer money. This makes no sense to me! Maybe one reason customers think dealers are too expensive is because we tell them we are. Why not talk about quality or warranty, or getting it fixed right the first time, or factory-certified technicians, or state-of-the-art, factory-approved diagnostic equipment instead of just price? Everyone has heard the old line "you get what you pay for," and customers already know dealers are the best- so let's keep up the positives and eliminate the negatives. If you don't believe in your dealership then why should your customers? Try it! You'll like it! 2010-09-08T12:42:08+00:00 http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/on_the_spot_with_christopher_campbell/ http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/on_the_spot_with_christopher_campbell/#When:12:02:43Z In this weeks episode of On The Spot, we interview Christopher Campbell, Rewards Customer Service Specialist of Car People Marketing. 2010-09-03T12:02:43+00:00 http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/service_tip_19_-_put_some_enthusiasm_in_your_service_drive/ http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/service_tip_19_-_put_some_enthusiasm_in_your_service_drive/#When:13:45:27Z Get your service salespeople to welcome customers when they arrive. Make sure they look up, briskly walk to the vehicle, smile and say- "Welcome to our dealership- how can I help you today?" Start the situation off right and you will sell more, have higher CSI scores and keep customers forever. Constantly remind all service personnel that customers are guests that pay and that without them they wouldn't have jobs. Try it! You'll like it! 2010-09-01T13:45:27+00:00 http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/6_ways_to_beat_declining_car_park/ http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/6_ways_to_beat_declining_car_park/#When:13:18:48Z For those of you that don’t know what “Car Park” is…it is the term a lot of factory guys use for the amount of cars parked in a dealers primary market area -  in other words, market penetration. With the decline of car sales over the past few years, the Car Park is down for obvious reasons – but the part I want to focus on is the effect car sales has on service traffic, sales and profits. Now I am not a negative guy…in fact, I am a very positive guy about almost everything I have to deal with. I believe everything happens for a good reason; even when it is bad – so with that being said, don’t think I am talking in circles with this next statement. Car sales drives service traffic and since car sales have been off, service traffic will eventually go down…it has to, unless you do something to avert the disaster. I mean think about it…if there are less cars sold and parked in your area, less cars need service and that results in less traffic, less sales and less profit. But there is a way to avoid it and it really isn’t that difficult – or as I like to say, “It isn’t rocket science.” Start by taking control of your business and getting a grip on the fact that you have to do something different or your business will go down. A phrase I like to use is – and this is for all of those service managers out there, “Run your store like you own it!” Come on guys, I am as dedicated as the next guy, but when it comes to managing a store versus owning it,  there is a difference if you actually feel like you own it…you just put some extra effort into making the deal work. You know, you focus a little bit more, you watch your people a little closer and you don’t complain about longer hours or other issues that come up. Because when you feel like you own it you can’t quit. So, now that you “own it” let’s talk about a few ways you can insulate your store against the decline in service traffic that is heading your way, OK? Be open more, not less. You should be open all day Saturday and open some simple easy to remember hours like 7 to 7 thru the week. You have to be open to make it easier for customers to say yes and hard to say no. Don’t take so long. Guys, 2 hours is too long to do an oil change, you know that. You wouldn’t take your car somewhere that took that long would you? Get a process in place that gets oil changes done quickly but also includes a good multi point inspection and suggested service up sell plan – the goal is to take care of the customer, advise them of what they need, and sell suggested services all as fast as possible. Some people get confused and just rush the cars thru a quick lane…not the goal. Make sure you are really competitive. Don’t get sidetracked here and think that if your price is the same as the independents or other dealers that you have done all you need to do. Remember, customers think you charge too much already…you have to give them some real incentives to come to your store. You probably aren’t the most convenient (Wal-Mart has a whole store attached to their service department) and customers already perceive you as inconvenient…you have to prove you are a great place to do business. Advertise more – don’t be the best kept secret in town. In the sales department when they need traffic they advertise – so why wouldn’t you. Look, you probably average over 70% gross in service – you can afford to spend some money to get traffic in your store - and besides, how much do you make if the customers go somewhere else, nothing right? But I am not saying to just throw money at it – I am saying advertise smart. Target your lost customers first, be consistent and build brand equity, always advertise well known services like oil changes and tire rotations and make sure they are great deals. People already think you charge too much – don’t waste your money proving them right.Answer the Phone and Think Like a Sales Manager. Yeah, yeah, you heard me…think like a sales manager. Now before any of you old thinkers get all bowed up about being called a sales manager, think about this. Not all sales guys are bad…in fact most are good. A few bad apples shouldn’t make you stereotype all of them and put them in the bad basket. You have to get in the game guys and gals…you have to create and maximize every single opportunity you can. So start thinking like a sales manager with sales goals and realize that if you want to avoid the disaster of fewer cars being sold you have to think a little different. The biggest thing I can tell you to do here is to get out of your office and spend a lot more time on your “service showroom floor” otherwise known as the service drive. You will be able to do some real damage out there by making sure your people answer the phone, greet customers quickly and courteously and follow the procedures you have put in place. Make sure every time your advisors answer the phone they get the customer’s name, talk about the features, benefits and advantages of doing business with you and most importantly, make sure they try to set up an appointment every single time – I call it an invite and most of the time they just don’t do it. You can increase your service traffic immediately if you just answer the phone the right way. And when customers do arrive, make sure they get sold what they need – be a sales manager, negotiate, close deals and let everyone know that you are pushing and out there with them to reach everyone’s goals. You need to help them sell and make more money for themselves and you – so get out of the friggin’ office…offices were made for times when there are no customers – in other words when you are closed. Take a lesson from the restaurant business…you don’t see the manager in his office during the rush hours do you – no he / she is out there running the show – and you should be too!Give customers real reasons to never go anywhere else. This is an easy one. You have changed your thinking about running your store. You are now more convenient, more competitive and more convincing. You have started to advertise smart and committed to spending a lot of time on the drive to get the job done. You have created and maximized every opportunity – now put a system in place to make sure the customers only use your store for future service and vehicle needs with a simple rewards club. Almost every business today has one, so why not you? You need to make a big deal out of it…talk about it every day to every customer and make sure your people know that it is important to the future of the store and to their longevity. Rewards clubs make customers feel special, they make them feel appreciated and they raise the awareness of your store so they don’t forget and go somewhere else. But the key to any rewards club’s success is to keep it simple and understandable for everyone and to make it for the most part automatic. Rewards clubs work,  you probably have one in your wallet right now – so why not have one for your store, for your customers? 2010-08-31T13:18:48+00:00 http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/on_the_spot_with_marc_larabel_production_manager/ http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/on_the_spot_with_marc_larabel_production_manager/#When:18:02:28Z In this weeks episode of On The Spot, we interview Marc Larabel, Production Manager of Car People Marketing. 2010-08-27T18:02:28+00:00 http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/service_tip_62_stop_no-shows/ http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/service_tip_62_stop_no-shows/#When:13:59:23Z Here is an easy tip to make sure customers show up after setting an appointment... Simply restate your name and give them a confirmation number. The number is always the same – your employee ID or Service Advisor ID number. This commits customers to show up and makes it easy to identify who scheduled the appointment. Try it! You’ll like it! 2010-08-26T13:59:23+00:00 http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/service_tip_27_sell_wiper_blades/ http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/service_tip_27_sell_wiper_blades/#When:16:48:08Z You won't get rich selling wiper blades but you will build a better relationship with customers and make a few bucks at it. When customers arrive for service, after determining their prime request always ask when the last time they had their wipers replaced. Their response will be one of three statements: "Last time I was in", "I can't remember"; or "Thank goodness you reminded me, I was in a storm last week and could hardly see!" Both 2 and 3 result in a sale and all you had to do was ask. When they say they can't remember simply respond with "You know what they say; if you can't remember when you had them replaced it's time to do it today... and they are on sale!" Try it! You'll like it! 2010-08-18T16:48:08+00:00 http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/service_tip_36_tires_-_20_low_price_guarantee/ http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/service_tip_36_tires_-_20_low_price_guarantee/#When:13:43:47Z Instead of offering a price match for tires and sending customers out to shop for the best deal- try this. Tell customers they can buy tires at your store now with confidence. You have a 20% low price guarantee- that means if they buy from you right now and within 60 days find the same tire for less you will give them back the difference plus 20%. This closes the deal and keeps the customer from shopping and maybe running into a salesperson that knows how to tell. The fact is, most consumers don’t go shopping for something after they buy it- and if they do actually find a better deal, you offer to give them the difference plus the 20% - usually $10 or less per tire add in the $2 20% so you owe them a total of $12 per tire- and they can apply that towards a service purchase if they want! Try it! You'll like it! 2010-08-11T13:43:47+00:00 http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/check_out_our_new_booth/ http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/check_out_our_new_booth/#When:14:55:22Z Just for fun - here is a quick look at the new Car People Marketing, Inc. booth that we introduced at the recent Denver Chrysler Super Guild. Enjoy! 2010-08-04T14:55:22+00:00 http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/service_you_cant_win_if_you_dont_play/ http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/service_you_cant_win_if_you_dont_play/#When:12:17:55Z Ever just want to smack somebody? It happened to me the other day, and it has probably happened to you at least once in your life.  Here’s the deal, I am meeting with this pretty smart service manager and fixed operations manager at a store in – well I won’t tell you where – but it was a domestic store that has been struggling for a while. We were talking about increasing customer retention and service traffic and how important both of those things are to the future. Then the general manager comes in to the office and asked if he could join the meeting – and of course we invited him in. He seemed like a nice enough guy at first – well dressed and all of that and I admit I usually love it when dealers or general managers are interested in spending some time to talk about growing their service business – but not this time as you will see. So anyway, this guy sits down and immediately decided he wanted to take over the meeting – you didn’t see that coming did you? He pretty much looked down at us ol’ service bumpkins and decided he would give us an education about advertising and marketing and selling – since he was the general manager and knew everything about everything – you know what I mean. He begins by saying that all of this talk about improving customer retention and advertising in service is nonsense – since, according to him, he has 3 good reasons to prove that service marketing is a bad investment.  Funny, he really made this look like he had actually thought it out. First, this guru points out to us that cars are so complicated now that customers can’t go anywhere else to get them fixed. Dealers have no competition he says. And then he adds that since warranties are so much longer - why advertise – cars are all covered under warranty anyway. Hmmm – now, there’s a thought to ponder on – no, not really. Then he continues his educational process for us morons in the service business, by stating that spending money on direct mail for service reminders or specials is a total waste of time, because – customers come in when they are due, not when you tell them to – besides, you don’t make any money “back there in service” anyway. So why advertise? It’s just silly – he tells us. And last – and this is the one that made me change my mind from just wanting to smack this moron to landing a few good punches and maybe a 2x4 to the head. He says that the third reason we shouldn’t advertise or send out coupons in service is because  “customers today don’t clip coupons anymore– that went out with the 8-track” the genius tells us. Now there’s a news flash – right? Well unfortunately, he had to cut his little service training class short because he got a page that called him to the sales tower – (Dammit), so we graciously thanked him for his valuable insight and vast knowledge of the ins and outs of the service business and promised to keep his comments under advisement. Then we all agreed that he is an idiot and should just be ignored totally. Service advertising obviously makes sense – and I like the line that applies to a lot of things in life – You Cant Win if You Don’t Play – so you have to advertise to keep customers from going somewhere else – that is just simple, common sense. So, even though it’s pretty obvious, let’s take a look at just how wrong the service genius we had with us really is. First, the cars are too complicated  / warranty issue. OK, cars are more complicated today, I’ll give him that one - but there are a lot of high-tech independent garages out there that can fix anything you can. The longer warranty terms we have today are a bi-product of better-built cars and look at your total warranty business – I bet it is down from several years ago, right? Cars just don’t break as much as they used to – so really retaining customers for maintenance and wear and tear items is about all we have left.  Fact is, if you don’t sell customer pay service today you wont be in business for long - (maybe a BMW store is sort of an exception, but I have found that 75% of BMW owners stop going to the dealer when the free maintenance runs out) go figure?  So how good was that for service retention really? And since customers are keeping their cars longer – you run the same risk of losing the customer for their next vehicle purchase at a BMW store as any other store. So – anyway – again, he’s an idiot. Next, the Service Guru tells us that direct mail is a total waste and you don’t make money in service anyway. I wonder what rock this guy is living under? Maybe he just got into the car business and didn’t experience the past 2 years of “service and parts departments paying the bills for the entire dealership” or maybe – he is just a moron! Yeh, Yeh – that’s it I think. You know this - direct mail is still the best way to advertise for service – think about it – customers have on average 4 email addresses and 3 phone numbers, but they only have 1 mailbox and it sits right in front of their house and they check it everyday.  Email or phone call reminders make great supplements – but they will not do the job alone – they just don’t work well enough alone to drive your service traffic where it needs to be. You need to put an offer in their hand – a mailer. And think about this. With direct mail you need to go after your lost customers first to get them to come back. You know who the customers are, where they live, what kind of car they own, when they were in for service last and what they need - and if you do it right, you can get them to come back to your store for service and spend money – which is much easier than trying to get strangers in your store. Remember, even though cars don’t break or need maintained as much as they used to – they do still need stuff sometime and you need to be their choice.  And for the record - average gross profit on customer pay labor is about 75% and 45% on parts sales on repair orders – so, there is a lot of money “back there” and again, he’s an idiot. So, last we come to the ‘customers don’t use coupons anymore’ statement.  Are you kidding me? In today’s economy, consumers are even more tuned in to coupons, good deals and rewards club that thank them for their loyalty. They have to.  But, to get the most bang for the buck, make sure when you advertise your service department, you follow a few common sense principals of service advertising: Mail to the right people, be consistent, make sure the offers make sense, entice them in with a hook and measure your success and ROI. Not rocket science – just common sense. The Bottom Line: Here it is again, – the one liner that puts it all in perspective and is the title of this article: You Cant Win if You Don’t Play. If you don’t advertise you will have less service traffic – just like in sales. If you don’t advertise you are totally dependent on warranty and car sales – and we all know where both of those have lead us the past few years. If you don’t advertise – you don’t grow, you don’t sell and you don’t survive – it’s really that simple. Get the word out – don’t be the best kept secret in town – advertise service, do it the right way and you won’t just survive – you’ll succeed. 2010-06-25T12:17:55+00:00 http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/customer_bought_because_of_rewards/ http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/customer_bought_because_of_rewards/#When:18:34:33Z Our Rewards Program Manager received this letter from Bob Fahey of Lannan Chevrolet on May 25, 2010. Are your customers seeking a rewards program and buying from your competition? Make the decision to contact us today.   2010-06-02T18:34:33+00:00 http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/2010_chrysler_denver_superguild/ http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/2010_chrysler_denver_superguild/#When:12:42:00Z Car People Marketing, Inc. will attend the 2010 Chrysler Denver SuperGuild being held in Denver, CO. Randy Johnson, President of Car People Marketing, will act as a key-note speaker and we will have a booth at the vendor trade show.Event will be held on Monday, July 26, 2010Confirm your attendance on our Facebook page here. We look forward to seeing you there! 2010-05-11T12:42:00+00:00 http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/service_you_cant_go_back_to_business_as_usual/ http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/service_you_cant_go_back_to_business_as_usual/#When:12:32:39Z The other day I was talking to a dealer friend of mine about the past, the present and the future of his business. He talked about how tough the past 2 years were – with cut backs, lay-offs and low car sales. He talked about how much he had learned about the service business and how selling service is really the same as selling cars in a lot of ways. And he talked about how much better financial shape his dealership is in today because of his focus on expense control and service.He went on and admitted that the downturn made him a much smarter businessman.  And then, right in the middle of the conversation – he said something that really concerned me – it just sort of popped out of his mouth without thinking, I think, and that is what really got me thinking.He said that since car sales are starting to turn around he can ‘get back to business as usual.’  Business as usual? Business as usual? “What does that mean – business as usual?” I asked. He said, now get this – “Well, you know – now I can go back up front and focus on selling cars like I used to instead of worrying about all of this service stuff.” Service stuff? – I wanted to punch him. That “service stuff” is what kept his business alive during the past few years – and now he just wants to go back to “business as usual”? All I could think of was that he didn’t actually learn anything about the car business at all. Now, I know I am somewhat passionate – ok, a lot passionate and a little obsessive about customer retention and selling service – I know that – but, go back to business as usual? I don’t think so – not without a fight!It was like he felt he had done his time – served his prison sentence and now that he was out of jail he could go back and start selling cars again. I really thought that he had figured out that his service and parts departments were vitally important profit centers that deserved as much attention and focus as the sales department and that customer retention and service traffic and cool stuff like effective labor rates, dollars per repair order and productivity were as important as selling cars – but, as the blue collar comedian, Ron White would say – I was wrong.So, this article is for him – you know who you are and it is for anyone else out there that thinks their work is done in service and it is time to go back to the sexy world of selling cars (wasn’t so sexy the past few years now was it?)  This is just to remind you of what you probably learned. It is meant to remind you that the gross from about 11 repair orders is equal to the gross from one car sale. It is to remind you that the average tech generates about $10,000 in labor gross alone in a month (not counting parts) and that is about what the average car salesman generates in gross each month. And it is to remind you that a lot of car dealers are not in business today because they depended totally on selling cars and had no interest in service – and this is for the dealer I spoke with a few years ago that told me he doesn’t see any reason to advertise or spend money in service because his customers love him and would never go anywhere else – he isn’t in business today, by the way. So here goes.DON’T BE STUPID - BE COMPETITIVE & ADVERTISE: Just like in the sales department, if you don’t advertise, you don’t have traffic or ups in your service drive. Nothing happens until a customer calls or comes into your store and advertising is what makes that happen. First, make sure you are advertising to the right people – go after the customers in your database that have been there for service and haven’t come back – you have a much better response rate with those folks than you will ever get prospecting outside your database. Next, make sure you advertise the right way – direct mail is still the most effective form of advertising for service since you know who the customer is, what kind of car they drive and how long its been since they were in for service.  Direct mail teamed up with email and phone call reminders are more effective and more affordable than newspaper, TV and radio combined. And last, but not least, make sure you advertise the right stuff. A competitive priced oil change is the best offer or hook you can use. Every car needs an oil change and customers have a good idea about what an oil change is worth – so let them know that you are priced as low or lower than everyone else. Customers have lots of places they can go for service these days. You have to make sure your prices are competitive, make sure you are open evenings and Saturdays and make sure you provide substitute transportation if you want to win the war against the competition.FOR GOD’S SAKE - ANSWER THE PHONE: 85% of all service customers call first.  They picked your name out of the phone book – they want to do business with you – answer the phone! Make sure your service team answers the phone quickly and courteously. Make sure they ask the customer’s name, give him features, benefits and advantages that entice the customer to come in and make sure they ask for the appointment on every single phone call. And don’t stop by just talking about it – check on them – call your store – one of my previous bosses always said – a good manager is a good checker.BE NICE & WELCOME CUSTOMERS TO YOUR STORE: Nothing is worse than having a nice facility, competitive prices, spending money on advertising and answering the phone the right way to entice customers in only to ignore them when they arrive.  Enact a 6 ft rule – if any employee comes within 6 ft of a customer they need to speak – ask if they need assistance – say Hi – ask how they are doing – something…just don’t let them walk past like a friggin’ robot. This just burns me up to see people that are obviously paid on commission treat customers like that. Reminds me of the obnoxious waitress – I like to ask her what she was doing before she cut her tip in half! Make sure your team knows that the customer in front of them is your very special guest and that they had hundreds of other places they could go for service – but they chose you. Make sure they know that things like smiling, being nice, listening and caring about customers are all a part of a condition of employment – not an option. Let everyone know that they work at Disney World and they need to act like it every single minute of the day.CLEAN AND PROFIT BOTH GO HAND IN HAND: You don’t have to build a new building to have a clean building. Make sure your store looks like it is successful and it will be. Clean restrooms and a nice comfortable lounge makes customers want to return to your store to do business.  Provide free Wi-Fi and work areas for busy business people and you will see a few more waiters instead of drop-offs. And remember, a clean organized shop, service drive and service write up desks instills the confidence customers need when they visit your store – and it shows you care. Make sure your service staff (techs included) are all clean and in good uniforms and make sure everyone wears a nametag. Lastly, paint, paint, and paint. Paint is the cheapest thing you can buy to update and freshen up your store. Make your store look professional.DON’T STOP LOOKING - KEEP AN EYE ON THE NUMBERS: Don’t go up front and forget about what you learned in service. There is a ton of money to be made in the back and good, loyal service customers are much more likely to buy their next car where they have that one serviced – so you make more now and get the first shot at selling a car later. When you were back there you also learned about some good guide numbers – so keep an eye on your effective labor rate, gross percentages and dollars per RO. Monitor technician hours and productivity to stay profitable and continue growth. Make sure you have enough service salespeople and techs to get the job done – remember, on the right pay plans these folks don’t cost you money – they make you money, just like car salespeople do.BE SMART - STAY FOCUSED ON CUSTOMER RETENTION: Just because things are starting to turn around you are not finished with customer retention, in fact, you are never really finished building customer retention – it is an ongoing project. Make sure you put some kind of loyalty program in place that rewards customers for doing business with you. Almost every business today has a rewards club because they have found that loyal customers spend more and visit more than non-club members. Keep it simple but make sure it is a true rewards program (not some punch card that looks like something an ice cream shop would offer). Remember, you are the Ritz Carlton of the car business - make sure your rewards program reflects that – people compare you to the airlines, hotels and other large purchase businesses – so make sure you walk the walk.  And stay in touch with your customers each month – email them a rewards statement or newsletter - otherwise, customers will forget about it and you.LAST – NEGOTIATE DEALS IN THE DRIVE: This is short and sweet – make sure your service team understands that half of a loaf is better than no loaf at all. A skinny deal is better than no deal and that if a customer leaves and doesn’t buy – you will probably never see them again. This is so important and you general managers, sales managers and dealer principals really have the key to success here. Teach your service team how to negotiate and close deals. Don’t let any customer walk – and remember this little annoying question- how much do you make when they go somewhere else and buy? 2010-05-06T12:32:39+00:00 http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/why_the_factory_programs_dont_work/ http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/why_the_factory_programs_dont_work/#When:12:16:06Z Well, it’s been a while since I bashed anyone, so I figured it was time to stir things up a little. Today, I’d like to focus on something that is just about common knowledge in the auto dealership world. Every service manager, parts manager, general manager and dealer I have ever spoke with agrees on at least this one thing… factory marketing programs just don’t work, they never have and probably never will. Now, before I go any further and start to get death threats from the manufacturers, let me set the ground rules for this topic. I am not singling any one manufacturer out and I am not being mean or ugly – I am just reporting the things that I hear on a daily basis from dealers across the nation. I am not writing this like I am on witch hunt and I am not trying to be self serving – there are a lot of service reminder & direct mail companies out there that do a great job (and yes, mine is one of them). But the more important thing here is to learn from the mistakes the manufacturer programs make so we don’t make the same ones. REASON #1 - THEY ARE BORING That’s right, I said it – they are boring. Light grey, tiny fonts with very universal corporate images that someone somewhere thinks has a professional look. Next time you get a chance, take a really good look at the factory mailer you are sending to your customers – would it entice you into your store? Is your logo buried somewhere in a small boring font that makes the mail piece look like what it is, a generic mailer with your dealer name and address ink-jetted on it and smudged? Does it brand your store or does it brand the factory? Does it entice customers to visit your store, or any store that carries that brand? Does it stick out in the mail and get noticed or does it have to be opened up in an envelope or fold over that is just too much trouble to fool with? And here is the one I think I hear the most –it just doesn’t project what my store is about – it is all about the factory. REASON #2 - THE BRANDING IS WRONG GM advertises Goodwrench, yet most people don’t drive a 2007 Goodwrench, they drive a Chevy or a Cadillac or a Buick. When you are looking for a car to buy you buy that brand, not Goodwrench or GM – and the advertisements cater to that specific brand. Why then, do the factory’s service mailers say Goodwrench instead of Cadillac or Chevy or Buick? Brand equity, anyone will tell you is worth millions – so why not pay attention to that and target customers with offers and logos that make sense to them? REASON #3 - THEY HAVE BAD OFFERS I got a mailer the other day – a corporate, dull, unexciting one from my dealer (which took me a few minutes to find the dealer information, by the way) and the offer was – get this – 10% off Wiper Blades! Wow, I just had to rush right down there to take advantage of that powerful hook. What was the dealer or the factory thinking – I mean my gosh – all consumers know is that they need an oil change and they have a pretty good idea of what a good deal is for an oil change, so why not advertise an oil change to get the customer in the store? Then you can really hit a home run on those wiper blades that cost $17! I have also seen offers on the factory mailers like $39.95 for a tire rotation and an oil change. I am not saying that isn’t a good deal, but all customers see when they look at the mailer is $39.95 for an oil change – and let’s face it folks, that isn’t a good deal. Think about this guys and girls, if you want to get customers to choose your store over the competition, you need strong, enticing offers that appeal to what they need at prices they see as great deals. This isn’t rocket science. REASON #4 - THEY DON’T REACH THE RIGHT PEOPLE It really doesn’t matter how good the offers are if you don’t reach the right people. So many factory programs try to get high-tech. They think they can predict the mileage on vehicles – which would allow them to hit the customer at just the right time – in an effort to increase effectiveness and save money. Doesn’t work like that folks, no one really knows the customer’s future plans on driving habits. Maybe he isn’t quite due for an oil change yet, but he is planning a summer trip – so he comes in early. Maybe his car is due for service, but he just broke his hip and will be out of commission for several months. The only thing we do know is how long it’s been since the customer came in to the dealership for service. We also know that it makes sense to constantly stay in touch with customers so when they do need or decide to get their car serviced, they will choose your store. That just makes sense…advertising is not an exact science and when people think it is, the effectiveness goes down big time.  REASON #5 - EMAIL IS A SUPPLEMENT, NOT A REPLACEMENT Hey, I know we are in a fast moving, techy, email world – I get that. But the fact is there is still no better media to attract customers into your store than direct mail. Most Americans have 4 email addresses and 3 phone numbers, but they have only one mailbox and its right in front of their house and they check it every day. You have to get your name in that mailbox. Email is a great supplement to help increase response rates, (my company even has an inexpensive email marketing program you can use), but it will not replace direct mail – at least not for a long, long, time – we as a society just aren’t there yet. I have met with a ton of dealers that tried to cut direct mail and go total email marketing – it didn’t work. Their service drive traffic suffered because of it and they lost a lot of customers forever because they went elsewhere and started a new service relationship with someone else. Dealers always go back to the old standby – direct mail, to increase repair order counts – it just works better. Ok, so one last bash and then I am through. I don’t understand why the factory doesn’t stick to building cars and let the dealers do what they do best – sell cars, sell parts and sell service. Most dealers are entrepreneurs that are very good business men, deeply rooted in their community and much better equipped to judge what their local market needs and wants when it comes to service. There are a lot of very good professional marketing companies out there that can help dealers get good results, good response rates and good return on investment – if they had the opportunity to work with the dealers. But, the factories are constantly requiring dealers to use their program, jump through a bunch of hoops, and reach certain levels of performance while at the same time, tying their hands and making them use their programs; that by the way, never worked in the past, never are consistent, are too complicated and usually go away after about 6 months or less. If the manufacturers would just build the cars better and focus on helping dealers reach their sales and service goals without forcing generic, short lived, ineffective marketing programs down their throats – we would all be better off. 2010-04-25T12:16:06+00:00 http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/2010_chrysler_northeast_business_conference/ http://carpeoplemarketing.com/news-and-events/archive/2010_chrysler_northeast_business_conference/#When:13:30:00Z Car People Marketing, Inc. will attend the 2010 Chrysler Northeast Business Conference being held at the Mohegan Sun Resort in Uncasville, CT. Randy Johnson, President of Car People Marketing, will act as a key-note speaker and we will have a booth at the vendor trade show.Wednesday, April 14, 2010 thru Friday, April 16, 2010Confirm your attendance on our Facebook page here. We look forward to seeing you there! 2010-04-06T13:30:00+00:00