The recently released J.D. Power 2014 U.S. Customer Service Index Study produced some interesting, and very promising, results.

The report concluded that customer satisfaction with dealer service has increased across the board with overall CSI increasing from an average score of 846 to 855 in luxury brands, and from 789 to 797 in mass-market brands.

The study noted some especially impactful trends when it came to customers that have complimentary or prepaid maintenance programs.

In mass-market brands, where complimentary maintenance programs are less common, the study found that buyers of…

By Brian Pasch

The responsibilities of an Automotive Digital Marketing Manager will vary from dealership to dealership. Regardless of the size of your company you work for, your future employer must outline the responsibilities of your job so that a clear job description is created.

Without a clear job description, it will be difficult for you to actively participate in your annual performance review.

If a detailed job description is not presented, offer to create one based on the questions provided below.

15 Questions To Ask Before Accepting The…

Welcome to Women’s Wednesday!

Dealers who “get it” know that the key distinction in optimizing sales to women is having exceptional sales advisors who offer exceptional service. But what does that really look like?

Women tell us directly through our car dealer review platform what works for them when interacting with a sales agent.  Below are their top 5 reasons for buying a car from them: 

1. Trust  52.3%
2. Being Respectful  52.1%
3. Likeable  47.8%
4. Knowledgeable…

With any new product and marketplace there’s a learning curve and we’ve recently gained more knowledge about what it takes to manage the “art” of posting to eBay classifieds. We want to share the Top 5 Best Practices we’ve learned over the last few weeks with you:

1.)  New eBay accounts require some “Seasoning” similar to the historical craigslist landscape.

      a.)  It’s best to start posting with 5 ads a day and work up to 25 or you may risk burning

            your account.

2.)  Dealers with similar inventory need to ensure there is a sufficient vehicle description with enough unique content to differentiate each ad from anther. We’ve found some issues with dealers who have very similar inventory and unfortunately, our system can’t always trick eBay into thinking the ads are unique so they may…

Do you have multiple streams of income? On this week's Think Tank Tuesday: learn how to uncover revenue opportunities you already have, build a long term strategy that is sustainable and create financial peace for your family. 

WAAOL - All Automotive Advertising All The Time

Automotive advertising agencies have learned to manipulate the changing algorithms that search engines like Google and Bing use to drive organic search.  SEO is a fluid science that must now include social media. 

Automotive advertising agencies are dealing with recent changes on Facebook that limit organic search to power messages posted in their social networking community.  In today's Lunch With Phil show I discussed old school best practices that delivered consistent creative across multiple media and channels to increase the reach, frequency and…

One of the best things about traveling is experiencing how other people run their businesses. 

It also allows you to have many different Sales presentations from many different people. This story is about how one motivated, knowledgeable and especially friendly Salesperson made a banana into a bbq pork sandwich.

I was training at a dealership in Ohio and one of my favorite things to do is to ask the people who live there “Where is the best place to eat?” I have had many memorable meals in great places from asking this simple question.

On this particular day I asked an even simpler question “Where is the closest place I can buy a little fresh fruit like a banana for lunch?”

The service…

Would you write a review for a hairstylist while he or she was cutting your hair?



It's not enough to be against something; one must offer an alternative. 

 

I am known to be against in-store reviews. I believe they create a feeling of pressure to the customer regardless of your actual actions. Once you have created a great buying experience where the customer feels he or she has…

Automotive Advertising agencies recognize the value of consumer generated content to extend the reach and frequency of their messages.  The challenge is how to deliver it in such a way that their customers will read it and hopefully forward it to a friend.

Customers prefer audio and video over the written word so one solution is to provide the content through podcasts or webinars.  These platforms apply to both B2C and B2B social marketing initiatives.

I used my blog talk radio platform - WAAOL, All Automotive Advertising News All The Time - to represent an example of a B2B venue that has…

Last month, I wrote an article on how Jimmy Fallon announced during “The Tonight Show” that he was in the market for a truck. Manufacturers immediately took to social media in attempts to convince the popular talk-show host that he should choose them, including Ford, Dodge, Chevrolet and Nissan. Fallon announced last week that he had chosen to purchase a 2015 Ford F-150 King Ranch. He then further announced that, while he had chosen the truck, he had not decided who he was going to buy it from. A cooperative effort between Ford and “The Tonight Show” conjured up a contest they named “Fingers on a 4x4,” in which 10 salespeople from around the country would participate for the opportunity to sell Mr. Fallon a truck, by putting their hands on a Ford F-150 located on the aircraft carrier…