Marketing / Advertising

[RPMGeorge]

In your Company who is in charge of Marketing? Do you have some influence on what needs to be addresed?
I am trying to get our Owner to gear the Ad campaigns, which are done by an outside firm, more to our needs.
What could we change to get a better response?


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George Schmitz

[WVMSTEVE]

I AM THE GM/DEALER OPERATOR OF AN EIGHT FRANCHISE/ 3 LOCATION DEALERSHIP. THE ONLY WAY I'LL CHANGE OUR MARKETING APPROACH IS WHEN I SEE PROOF IT'S NOT WORKING. YOU HAVE TO MEASURE THE NUMBER OF UPS THAT COME IN, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY MEASURE YOUR PHONE UP TRAFFIC AFTER ANY AD HAS RUN. THE KEY TO ADVERTISING IS BRINGING CUSTOMERS IN. IT IS THE UP TO YOUR SALES TEAM TO SELL THEM.
ARE YOUR NEEDS TO MOVE OLD STOCK OR JUST INCREASE TRAFFIC? IT IS USUALLY BEST TO ADVERTISE WHAT BRINGS PEOPLE IN. SPIFF YOUR SALESPEOPLE TO MOTIVATE THEM TO SELL WHAT YOU NEED.
DON'T LISTEN TO GRIPES FROM SALESPEOPLE THAT CHALLENGE YOUR APPROACH BECAUSE IT'S TOO HARD TO UPSELL FROM THE AD CAR. IF YOU HAVE TO PUT A DOWN PAYMENT TO HIT YOUR TARGET LEASE NUMBER, SO BE IT. MOST CUSTOMERS DON'T READ OR UNDERSTAND THE DISCLAIMER, ALL THEY SEE IS THE $199 A MONTH PAYMENT. ONCE THEY ARE HEAR IT IS UP TO THE SALES CONSULTANT TO ADVISE THEM ON WHICH OPTION IS THE MOST SUITABLE FOR THEM. I'M NOT SAYING TO MISLEAD PEOPLE WITH YOUR ADS, ON THE CONTRARY, YOU MUST HAVE MORE THAN ONE AT THE SALE PRICE AND IDEALLY ONE SHOULD BE ON THE SHOWROOM. BUT, IF YOU ADVERTISE THE MORE POPULAR UPSCALE MODEL WITH NO DOWN MONEY AS YOUR SALESMAN MAY LIKE, AT $329 A MONTH, THEY MAY BE EASIER TO CLOSE BUT YOU'LL HAVE A LOT LESS PROSPECTS TO DEAL WITH.
ALSO, MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT AD EVERY PROSPECT IS RESPONDING TO. WHEN DID IT RUN, WHERE, AND WHAT TIME (TV & RADIO).

[charlie]

I am the marketing director for a dealer group. As such I work directly with our general managers and outside vendors to strategize and execute our programs. I thoroughly agree with the GM/Dealer Operator that the message/campaign should not be changed as long as it's working. At the same time, flexibility is crucial. As market conditions change -- e.g., factory programs, competitors actions, level of business activity -- dealers need to respond appropriately and turn on a dime on doing so. Meanwhile, what's probably most wrong with car dealer advertising is that everybody does the same thing: newspaper ads look alike; radio commercials sound the same; the same direct mailers go in to the same homes from different dealers...and so on. The trick, where possible, is to be distinctive and remain effective.