LotTalk Tuesday Tune-up 10.23.18: What Are We Learning ... ?

This week’s Tuesday Tune-up is a little shift. John Schomburg usually brings a topic from LotTalk consulting Dealer experiences … mini case studies, if you will … always applicable to the greater benefit of all dealers. Bill Schomburg is going to take a stab at a broader look. The benefit will remain to be seen … thanks for investing your time with us.

After a little over a year working with automotive, dealers, other consultants, 3rd party vendors, OEM reps, the vision is clear … automotive is a Great industry … with issues no different than any other industry today. Some obstacles in the vision are exacerbated unnecessarily, just like other industries.

LotTalk consulting focuses on Digital Marketing impacts of individual store’s. Because each rooftop, whether single or part of a group, is an island. Each island has its own culture. Everything the island accomplishes or requires is determined and affected by its unique culture. Rooftop or group, small, medium or large, the concept applies.

The only action impacting islands collectively is produced by Mother Nature ... flood, hurricane, blizzard … all other influences are self-inflicted, usually by the inhabitants of the island.

For arguments sake, government could be applied, but the impact is decided by the inhabitants. Will we abide by the rules and regulations? Will we make our own rules and regulations?

Stay with me a little longer, the point will be self-explanatory.

The island must be self-sufficient, even self-sustaining for the good of the inhabitants. 

What skills or tools are lacking for your island to be self-sustaining?

Positive, insightful, thoughtful leadership is required from the inhabitants willing and chosen as leaders. Leaders are made, IMO, not born.

Some islands overlap regions of commerce, creating competition for goods for sale.

For success, determined by measurable, sustainable results, island inhabitants must work everyday on productive, healthy relationships with each other if there is any hope of a healthy lifestyle.

The whole rundown is unnecessary, the picture is clear.

What may not be clear is the impact of tools used on the island, ostensibly to sustain and enhance opportunities for growth in sales.

Small detour here but helpful for clarity of the vision.  When opportunity knocks, not every tool is scalable for the good of the island or islands … or even a large majority. The beneficiary of the particular tool is the vendor, not always the client. Another example is the move by OEM's to make cars more difficult for the consumer to work on … different configurations to drive business to the service lane. 

Back to the island … with Digital Marketing tools, the evolution is simple to see … more choice does not equal more benefit. When the tools consisted of newspaper and radio, direct mail, etc. the playing field and costs were fairly level. The size of the island, product offering and region covered were the variables.

With the advent of the Internet, the playing field appeared to change … but what really changed?

IMO, the change was a shift in perception instead of reality.

My reasons are multiple but the main reason is the simplest of all … $$$.

#doh #momoney

Remember this rule … the more islands a technology is designed to serve, the less unique the service can be. Why is Facebook, Twitter or Amazon able to cover so many islands and inhabitants with apparent efficiencies but glaring holes? If you can’t see the holes, read no further.

Still with me … I’ll wrap up with this … as for Digital Marketing expense and results, the future is bleak if your invested in the idea technology is a solution. If you’ve bought into the hands-off, set-it/forget-it perspective or Big data/AI solutions, the future is no less bleak.

A quick note for clarity … without a Digital Marketing Coach … you’re only getting what you or your account rep know. In the multiple years of work experience John Schomburg has in Digital Marketing consulting, no island has ever experienced less than 100% increase in virtual visitors AND a measurable lift in sales … NOT ONE, no matter the starting number. Without a measurable lift in sales, increasing virtual visits is wasted effort AND money.

The past is an indicator of the future and results or lack thereof … ESPECIALLY in automotive.

I’ve seen 1 tool in the past year that might have legs … the future is wide-open and bright. My experience teaches the odds are in favor of vendors charging more money, producing less benefit, for the island.

Use Digital Marketing for the benefit of the island … as designed … the hype of “bigger is better” has removed value to the detriment of the island.

#getaDMcoach

Two points to wrap up … 1) Most successful islands use a coach working 1-on-1 with employees to improve their performance. The island needs a DM coach!

2) Want current proof of an island radically improving results using an experienced DM coach? Practical Dealer result: two months into utilizing LotTalk as a DM coach, dealer experiences nearly 100% increase in virtual visits … we go back to John and a client for those details in next week’s TT installment. LotTalk is not the only DM coaching service available, just one of the best!

#lottalk #teachat51