My question today for all you managers out there is this; “What is it that you want to become, or the business to become – What is it”?
Maybe you want to create exceptional experiences with Customers or you want to be more creative or marketing savvy. Maybe you want to be a better team builder or team leader or you want to learn something new today. Possibly you have some new ideas to help grow the business!
It really doesn't matter WHAT your "WHAT" is! The secret to success depends on repetition to improve and change, as well as the stick-to-itiveness ideology and a passion to grow. No matter what your idea, the formula remains a constant.
Step 1 - DECIDE
Step 2 - DO
Step 3 - KEEP DOING IT
Step 4 - KEEP DOING MORE OF IT
If you know “WHAT” your “WHAT” is! You need to take STEP 1 and decide to do it!
Now is the time for your own call to action to cause a positive reaction! Remember to succeed you always need to ignite the passion!
This success formula is simple and timeless. It's time to take action and decide to do and then keep doing more of it, when you think you’re done do it again!
David.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
Enhancing Your Dealership with Social Media
For business owners that are not savvy with the internet, using social media as a medium to keep your business name in front of your customers as a marketing tool may seem like a daunting task. You may ask what does the word social have to do with my business marketing anyway. In today’s online plugged in world – everything!
Actually most dealerships and service facilities are already using BDC or internet sales marketing to compliment their marketing strategies, therefore using social media will take your marketing to an entirely new level. Check within your facility especially within your internet sales or BDC and find out WHO on your team knows how to set up your social media to showcase your dealership or service facility.
For example;
You can use Flickr to showcase your new and used vehicles, or display photographs of your service facility and its amenities to your existing and potential customers.
YouTube gives the benefit of showcasing your products such as performing a walk around on each model that you sell, videos show the benefit and value in each model. Videos are a powerful tool as a video creates excitement, especially when the presentation exudes passion and excellent delivery of product knowledge.
Writing a company Blog and having a weekly or monthly posting creates transparency for your business, transparency can go a long way to create and generate interest in your facility. You can create links on your blog to the causes your company supports, recounting special fundraising events you have held. You can post special sales events, servicing events and new product launch dates. A blog can be created to showcase your employees or the employee of the month or it can be used to post the name and picture of your latest addition to your staff. You can post service stories or customer testimonials on your blog. The best part is that writing a blog and keeping a blog site in most cases is free, the only items you need to bring to the table are your ideas.
Twitter can be set up with your personalized background and be ready for your first tweet in less than one hour.
Twitter also allows you to quickly and easily post updates from your phone using SMS text messages. Twitter can be used to tweet when you;
- Expanded your service department
- Hired a new employee
- Have a service special
- Have openings for service appointment that day
- Have a sales special
- Have a service or sales event
- Are looking to hire new employees
- Announcing a service campaign
- Want to convey a message to your customers
Facebook allows you to create a business page free! This is an HUGE benefit to your business for several reasons.
1. A few days after you’ve added a Facebook business page you will probably see your Facebook page right underneath (or sometimes above) your actual business website when you Google your business name. Creating a Facebook business page will instantly give your search rankings a boost which helps direct more traffic to your business.
2. Customers can become fans of your Facebook page. This allows you to send updates to all of your fans, (customers) and instantly send out updates to everyone including potential customers without spending a penny on marketing or advertising.
3. Every fan you have is like a little ad on the Facebook page. Each customer that becomes a fan of your Facebook business page has a link back to your page on their profile, this ends up being hundreds or even thousands of link ads throughout Facebook advertising your company for FREE.
4. The marketing idea is to keep your Facebook fans constantly thinking about your business, when they need your particular brand product or service, you are the first business they think of.
5. The best part of Facebook is that all of this service is FREE and drives more traffic to your business! Who wouldn’t want that, right?
It is imperative to make sure that people are thinking of your business when they are looking for a brand, product or service that you offer. Social Networking allows your business to keep in touch with your existing customers at the touch of a button and build new relationships with very little effort and it’s FREE!
To watch an exceptional dealership promotional video click here Video
To hear a podcast of twitter for business click here Twitter
Get busy socializing and get more customers in your door!
David
Actually most dealerships and service facilities are already using BDC or internet sales marketing to compliment their marketing strategies, therefore using social media will take your marketing to an entirely new level. Check within your facility especially within your internet sales or BDC and find out WHO on your team knows how to set up your social media to showcase your dealership or service facility.
For example;
You can use Flickr to showcase your new and used vehicles, or display photographs of your service facility and its amenities to your existing and potential customers.
YouTube gives the benefit of showcasing your products such as performing a walk around on each model that you sell, videos show the benefit and value in each model. Videos are a powerful tool as a video creates excitement, especially when the presentation exudes passion and excellent delivery of product knowledge.
Writing a company Blog and having a weekly or monthly posting creates transparency for your business, transparency can go a long way to create and generate interest in your facility. You can create links on your blog to the causes your company supports, recounting special fundraising events you have held. You can post special sales events, servicing events and new product launch dates. A blog can be created to showcase your employees or the employee of the month or it can be used to post the name and picture of your latest addition to your staff. You can post service stories or customer testimonials on your blog. The best part is that writing a blog and keeping a blog site in most cases is free, the only items you need to bring to the table are your ideas.
Twitter can be set up with your personalized background and be ready for your first tweet in less than one hour.
Twitter also allows you to quickly and easily post updates from your phone using SMS text messages. Twitter can be used to tweet when you;
- Expanded your service department
- Hired a new employee
- Have a service special
- Have openings for service appointment that day
- Have a sales special
- Have a service or sales event
- Are looking to hire new employees
- Announcing a service campaign
- Want to convey a message to your customers
Facebook allows you to create a business page free! This is an HUGE benefit to your business for several reasons.
1. A few days after you’ve added a Facebook business page you will probably see your Facebook page right underneath (or sometimes above) your actual business website when you Google your business name. Creating a Facebook business page will instantly give your search rankings a boost which helps direct more traffic to your business.
2. Customers can become fans of your Facebook page. This allows you to send updates to all of your fans, (customers) and instantly send out updates to everyone including potential customers without spending a penny on marketing or advertising.
3. Every fan you have is like a little ad on the Facebook page. Each customer that becomes a fan of your Facebook business page has a link back to your page on their profile, this ends up being hundreds or even thousands of link ads throughout Facebook advertising your company for FREE.
4. The marketing idea is to keep your Facebook fans constantly thinking about your business, when they need your particular brand product or service, you are the first business they think of.
5. The best part of Facebook is that all of this service is FREE and drives more traffic to your business! Who wouldn’t want that, right?
It is imperative to make sure that people are thinking of your business when they are looking for a brand, product or service that you offer. Social Networking allows your business to keep in touch with your existing customers at the touch of a button and build new relationships with very little effort and it’s FREE!
To watch an exceptional dealership promotional video click here Video
To hear a podcast of twitter for business click here Twitter
Get busy socializing and get more customers in your door!
David
Coax Your Employee's Talents
Understand the fact that you cannot change your employees. You can only coax them to bring their talents to the surface. Do your employees know what you expect of them each and every day? Do your employees have the tools or materials required to effectively perform their duties or responsibilities? Do you as an owner or manager genuinely care about your employees? Do your employees see that you do care and are interested in them as valuable members of your team? Would your employees say that in the last week or two, you have given a thank you or some form of positive reinforcement for a job well done? Do you regularly encourage them in their professional and private lives? Have you made the investment of the time required, to actually know the people who ultimately represent you, and your business aspirations or visions?
You have to be willing to trust that your employees are acting in good faith, and in accordance with company policy, until such time as one of them has proved you wrong, then you can deal with situations on a case by case basis. If you penalize the entire staff for the fault of one individual, you could breed negativity into your organization which can lead to poor customer service, and poor productivity or performance.
You need to start thinking that a good customer service plan encompasses a good employee relations plan as well. A very wise older man once told me that you can achieve great customer service, simply by achieving organizational goals, structured around good employee relations combined with proper policies and procedures.
This is true, as long as the goals include customers and employees. You cannot have one without the other, as there is a certain synchronicity or correlation between the two. You cannot have one without the other. Therefore you need to take care of both aspects of good employee relations leading to good customer service.
“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often”
Winston Churchill – Prime Minister of England
David
You have to be willing to trust that your employees are acting in good faith, and in accordance with company policy, until such time as one of them has proved you wrong, then you can deal with situations on a case by case basis. If you penalize the entire staff for the fault of one individual, you could breed negativity into your organization which can lead to poor customer service, and poor productivity or performance.
You need to start thinking that a good customer service plan encompasses a good employee relations plan as well. A very wise older man once told me that you can achieve great customer service, simply by achieving organizational goals, structured around good employee relations combined with proper policies and procedures.
This is true, as long as the goals include customers and employees. You cannot have one without the other, as there is a certain synchronicity or correlation between the two. You cannot have one without the other. Therefore you need to take care of both aspects of good employee relations leading to good customer service.
“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often”
Winston Churchill – Prime Minister of England
David
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