Chuck McGraw -- Senior Vice President of Professional Services; Co-Author

In a high-energy and competitive sales environment, it can be difficult to recognize when it is necessary to strengthen your sales force strategy. It doesn’t have to be that way. It is crucial for sales-driven companies to understand the challenges that can sneak up on their team and how to combat them. Training a team, much like exercising, must be a continuous tactic for strengthening a team and determining the success of their sales force.

Tips for a Strong Sales Team

Sales training is a crucial component of empowerment. To that end, identifying weaknesses in your sales team and arming your team with tools and concepts they can use to improve are important in helping to ensure success. Here are five things that you can do to help strengthen your sales force.

Do you know your sales team?

Stephen Roennau -- Vice President, Training; Co-Author.

◦ Do you ever feel like you are speaking to a brick wall when trying to groom a salesperson into what you want him or her to be? You’ve tried several ways to explain the “right” way to do something, only to find that he or she doesn’t succeed, even with coaching. The problem might lie in hiring the right person, but for the wrong job.

◦ Team profiling helps you understand who the top performers are, what roles they should be in, and where you need to optimize existing strengths.
Stop wasting time and precious resources trying to fit a square peg where it doesn’t fit.

Are you communicating the “right” information?

◦ Have you ever said to your sales or service team: “We need to increase sales by 30 percent this month”? What does that mean to the team, and to each individual?

◦ Establish specific goals for your sales team. Whether long-term or short-term goals, document and define the desired goals for your team and outline how those goals should be achieved. Don’t write the goals on the wall and walk away; revisit them regularly to ensure everyone is working toward the same set of goals at all times.

Is your approach the problem?

◦ Is it a drag to come into work every day because you know you’re going to spend your day correcting everyone’s mistakes? Perhaps you’re taking the wrong approach—spinning your wheels on an approach that simply isn’t working.

◦ Motivation matters. Any general manager, sales manager or service manager who is knowledgeable, motivating, and engaging can make the difference between seeing a vast improvement in sales and witnessing dissension among the ranks. Create an environment filled with positivity and energy. That environment starts with you. People are motivated in different ways; experiment and find what works best for your team.

Is your training strategy a “once-a-quarter” event?

◦ EFG knows training—we are the experts and we are the first step in getting your team on the right track. We can show up and train your sales force, but what really matters is you ensuring that training doesn’t stop there.

◦ Training is an everyday activity. Concentrate on those who need it most, but don’t neglect reinforcing the lesson to top performers as well. Be brilliant at the basics, make sure lower-performing sales reps do the basic steps “right” every time.

“Build value in the product.” “Slow the customer down.” We’re sure you’ve said something like this. But did you tell the salesperson HOW?

◦ Be specific in your feedback. Don’t just say, “Don’t do that” without also explaining how to do something correctly. Teach your team about the products and services you offer, and also teach them why those products and services are valuable to customers. Show them by doing.

Learn more about tools you can use to strengthen your sales force strategy by contacting EFG Companies today. Visit our website, call us at 877-884-6661, or join our social communities for more information.

Special thanks to Steve Klees, our Senior Vice President of Specialty Channels, and Chuck McGraw, our Senior Vice President of Professional Services, for co-authoring this blog.

While some may view this as a challenge to auto dealers seeking to use tax season to leverage sales, this is a great time to educate your consumers about the value of a new automobile as a smart investment in themselves or their family.

Tax Refund Marketing: Is It Enough?

Auto dealers understand that cars fall into the “smart investment” category. They also understand that tax season may be the only time of year when consumers will have access to a substantially large chunk of cash that can be spent on a vehicle.

However, with one out of five Americans suffering from poor credit, those consumers aren’t willing to take the risk of buying a car with their tax refund and still accruing a large monthly payment as a result of that purchase. As a result, many dealers are finding out that it’s simply not enough to market the use of the tax refund as a viable purchasing option to potential buyers.

Trade-ins AND Refunds Go Hand–in-Hand

The key for auto dealers is to educate consumers about the value of investing in a new car using both their tax refund AND a trade-in. A marketing strategy that helps the consumer understand their smart investing options will pave the way for willing buyers to take the plunge and make that new car their investment.

How then, does the dealership market to the potential tax refund car buyer who is looking for a wise investment and who needs a new vehicle, but is hesitant about trading in? Here are some points to consider when constructing an effective auto dealership marketing campaign and conveying the message to potential buyers:

• The buyer’s trade-in will never be worth more than what it is today. The longer a customer has their vehicle, the older is gets and the more miles they’re putting on it. So the longer they wait to trade-in a vehicle, the less they will get from it.
• There is a lack of used cars being traded-in for new cars these days, so there is a good chance that the dealership will accept the trade-in.
• The more a buyer puts down toward the purchase of a new car, the lower their payments will be, so adding a trade-in to their tax refund as a down payment will greatly lower their monthly rates. This is especially important for buyers with bad or no credit to know, because their main concern is most likely the high payments that may come from purchasing a new car.
• Now is the time to take advantage of low interest rates. As the economy recovers from a difficult recession period, interest rates on auto loans begin to climb. All car buyers, even those whose credit has taken a beating in recent years, who have a good down payment and a trade-in are at an advantage now to purchase a new vehicle with low-interest financing.
• Tax season can be a time for auto dealerships to leverage sales, provided that the right sales strategy is used to reach out to consumers looking to make a smart investment with their tax return.

Learn more about auto dealership marketing strategies to leverage sales during tax season. Please contact us today or join our social communities for more information.

One of the biggest threats to dealers and lenders during an economic recovery isn’t necessarily the customer’s inability to take on payments here and now — it’s the uncertainty of whether today’s income will be there tomorrow. People are saving their money, delaying major purchases, and avoiding taking on new debt. But with the WALKAWAY vehicle return protection program, dealerships and lenders can offer customers a proven safety net that gives them the confidence to purchase or lease a new or used vehicle.

For more information about EFG Companies, please feel free to contact us or join our social networks.

 What is Gamification?

 Gamification engages customers by using game-like structures to make an activity more interactive.  Previously, marketers used sweepstakes or prizes to encourage customers to review a product or visit a dealership. With gamification, as the consumer plays the game, they reach higher “levels” and accrue points or rewards.  Used by other industries for some time, gamification is a relatively new concept for auto dealership marketing.

 Individual Dealership Uses to Increase Service and Sales

Gamification works well in the auto retail environment. With statistics indicating that 25% of all Facebook users play games on their Facebook pages, using gamification in auto dealership marketing makes sense, and be used as a way to encourage users to learn more about your company and inventory.  Gamification gives users an additional opportunity and reason to engage with the dealership and spend time on their social sites.

Game techniques could teach consumers about specific customer service benefits offered by a dealership, such as convenient online service scheduling or free loaner cars during the service appointment.  Games could encourage customers to make payments online while earning loyalty points that are redeemable for discounts on service or other incentives. They could also serve to educate the customer about new inventory. Users that play the dealership’s game have a first look at “what’s next” for the dealership, including upcoming events and sales.

Grapevine Ford and Lincoln, based in Grapevine, Texas, uses gamification on Facebook with their “Bouncing Balls” application. Players engage with the game in an attempt to win a free iPad 2. The application includes a daily “Leaderboard” which displays the top players and their scores. Grapevine Ford launched this application in order to increase their Facebook fans to over 3,000 members. By promoting the “Bouncing Balls” game, Grapevine Ford will not only engage their audience, but they will increase their overall Facebook community.

An engaged online community of more than 3,000 members means that this dealership possesses a unique opportunity to reach new customers. Users will remember Grapevine Ford and Lincoln as the dealership that innovates online and offers great prizes for loyal customers. And when it comes time for a user to purchase a new vehicle, Grapevine Ford and Lincoln will be at the top of the list!

With online gaming increasing daily, incorporating gamification into an auto dealership marketing campaign enables the customer to have fun while learning about the dealership and while earning incentives or creating a loyalty account.  For more information on how you can use digital media to enhance your car dealership’s online presence, please visit our website or contact us.

Online lead generation consists of a few key elements:

• Making your website easy to find through SEO
• Having current inventory, specials and incentives available through only a few clicks
• Strategically developing relationships with potential customers online
• Making it as easy as possible for potential customers connect with you and  ask your sales department questions about inventory or pricing.

We’ve given you tips on SEO, and chances are your website already gives the customer easy access to your inventory. But as you know, customer service is a crucial part of running a successful auto dealership. Consumers have more options than ever to source a potential car purchase, and it’s important to not lose leads through an undeveloped online strategy.

What do you currently do if you see a negative review or other unflattering content about your dealership? First, if you found the review on a personal blog or social media site, you should contact the reviewer directly. If it was a customer review site or news article, consider putting out a public response through your own website and social media sites. Some online review sites will allow the business owner – you – to respond directly.

Do your research about the issue, then formulate a response. Give them a direct number to call to rectify the situation. Consider a customer stumbling on a bad review with absolutely no response from the dealer. Now consider that customer reading the bad review and seeing that the GM personally responded to the issue and offered his phone number to rectify it. We’ve seen it happen and we’ve seen this type of response have an impact.

It’s also important for auto dealerships to have a standard response policy for all customer review sites and social media channels. For example, let’s say a user writes “I love the new Chevy Volt” on your dealership’s Facebook page. This person isn’t necessarily shopping for a car, but that doesn’t mean you and your sales staff can’t turn this situation into a lead. Consider responding with interest and provide some value. A good response could include, “We love the Volt, too. Have you seen the model in cobalt blue? Take a look at our newest photo album to see it!”

Working a lead online takes more effort than emailing potential customers pricing deals or specials. At EFG Companies, we recommend providing value and interesting content to keep online users engaged.

 Designate a Section of Your Dealership’s Website as a “Lead Funnel”

 Once you’ve established a conversation with a potential lead online, it’s important to take the conversation to the next level. Consider our Facebook Chevy Volt conversation from earlier. After the user looks at your photo album, they may ask another question or make a comment on it. We recommend thanking the user for their comment and then directing them to take another action. For example, “Thanks for liking the photo! Are you interested in finding out more about the new Volt? Feel free to contact us directly here.” Then incude a link to your dealership’s “Contact Us” page.

To go one step further, we’ve found that while you’re interacting in the social realm, staying there has the most impact. For example, direct them to a page on your website where actual customers have provided testimonials about the Volt, or to your video library where you’ve featured very excited new Volt owners.

Working online leads is an art form, not a science. Rest assured that it may take time for your sales staff to respond accordingly to online feedback and convert leads into sales.

Have questions about researching how your appears dealership online? We’d be glad to help.

Please feel free to contact us or join our social communities for more information.

Part One of this series will suggest steps to take to determine how your dealership looks online and what potential customers are saying about you and your industry. Part Two will detail methods to turn reviewers or commenters into a solid online sales lead.

Let’s start by exploring where your dealership currently stands in search engine results and customer review sites. Gauging the temperature of what potential customers see when they search your dealership is the first step in determining if you are primed for online leads.

Leverage the Power of Search Engines

 What do the search engine results tell your potential buyer when they Google your dealership or the kinds of vehicles you sell? Have you Googled yourself lately?

If you’re not ranking well in the search results you need to make SEO a priority in your monthly marketing spend. EFG has found that even the smallest efforts on behalf of our clients have a big impact in SEO. We took one client from non-existent in search results to appearing on the first page, and for some keywords, in the number one search return, just by updating content, meta information and navigation. Remember, 64% of customers used a search engine to research the cars they bought last year, before ever setting foot in a dealership.  If your website isn’t easy to find, you’ll lose the business to someone whose website has the right SEO strategy in place.

Utilize New Techniques in Social Media Monitoring

 Do you remember when YouTube used to be a place where people stored their personal videos? And now it’s the second largest search engine? Your online customer is creative with how they search for information and it goes beyond Google. EFG has helped clients understand the importance of video and how little effort it takes to build an online video library. Do you perform walkarounds with your sales team? Why not video them? Have you ever captured a first time car buyer’s excitement about their new car? You don’t have to purchase a light kit and professional video equipment – the iPhone you might be holding in your hand is sufficient, or a small flip camera.

Both Facebook and Twitter have released more sophisticated search capabilities in 2011 that make it easier for users to more readily track customer feedback.

Facebook recently updated its search options to include filters, allowing users to search public status updates of personal profiles. If someone’s talking about you on Facebook and they’ve got a public status update – your potential customer can find it there.

Twitter also enables users to search public tweets in the same way a search is conducted on Google. Visit search.twitter.com and type in your dealership’s name. If a user has mentioned you, their tweet will appear in the results below. Twitter Search is also a great way to locate potential sales leads. Consider searching for phrases such as “I need a new car” to find users who are actively online and Tweeting about their car search.

So why is social media monitoring important? Again, consider the customer’s perspective. If a person is pricing out Chevy cars in Phoenix and sees mulitple users complaining about your dealership, they may choose to go with another option. A bad online presence means lost leads.

Have questions about researching how your appears dealership online? We’d be glad to help.

Please feel free to contact us or join our social communities for more information.  And stay tuned for Part 2 of this series, where we’ll cover tactics car dealers can use to improve and better capture online leads.