Declining car sales and impact on RO data
Words like Covid, pandemic or no chips trigger a gut reaction in many. However, they remain essential topics of discussion for hospital surgical professionals. The last few years have had a lasting impact on the service movement in the United States. Car sales dropped sharply in the first few months of the pandemic and are slowly recovering. Overall car sales are still below pre-pandemic levels. This slow trend continues to significantly affect the company's operations, especially the number of repair orders. High Prices and Rising Interest Rates High prices are one of the most important factors affecting declining auto sales. Car prices have been rising for years and the pandemic has only exacerbated the problem. Chip shortages have caused supply chain disruptions, leading to lower inventory levels at dealerships and higher vehicle prices. As a result, many consumers cannot buy a new car or truck. Another factor contributing to the drop in car sales is rising interest rates. The Federal Reserve has been gradually raising interest rates over the past few years, and this is expected to continue. Higher interest rates make it more expensive for consumers to finance a new car, which can dissuade them from buying one. Implications for permanent operations managers. These factors have combined to create a challenging environment for the automotive industry, especially for permanent operations managers. With fewer cars sold, there are fewer opportunities to take those cars in for repair and maintenance. The slowdown leads to lower RO values and lower earnings for the retailer. A recent article by J.P. Morgan predicts a reduction in the average transaction price of a new vehicle "by approximately 2.5% to 5% year-over-year in 2023." While it remains higher than it was before the pandemic, it should spur slow but steady growth in car sales. However, this growth will take time to have a positive impact on the number of repair orders coming through dealership service departments. Strategies to Increase RO So what's a service or operations manager to do when organic business isn't flowing? Many retailers have innovated in recent years for sheer survival. The same innovative thinking will be critical to continuing steady growth in slower-than-normal times. Customer retention in an era of declining car sales One possible solution to this problem is to focus on increasing customer retention. Providing exceptional service and building lasting relationships will encourage customers to return to the dealer for future repairs and maintenance. That could help offset the impact of the drop in car sales. Strong customer relationships begin when dealers focus on providing personalized service that meets each customer's unique needs. Service departments must offer flexible scheduling options and transparent pricing to keep customers coming back. Facilities such as shuttles or car hire should also be considered. Retailers must also use technology to improve the customer experience. Online appointment scheduling, SMS updates and mobile payments make doing business easier and more convenient. Reduce loose ends Dealer managers can also explore ways to reduce costs and increase efficiency in the service department. This can include investing in new technologies and tools, streamlining processes and optimizing staffing levels. Retailers can maximize their revenue by operating efficiently to help maintain profitability in a complex environment. Diversifying the Service Offering to Increase Revenues Another potential solution is to diversify the services offered by the service department. For example, some dealers now offer aftermarket accessories and upgrades such as performance parts, custom wheels, and interior upgrades. By expanding the range of services, retailers can attract more customers and generate additional revenue. Meaningful Marketing Strategies The question is, how does the lack of sales affect the service department? The answer is simple: buying a car is the customer's gateway to the dealership's service department. Without looking for and purchasing a new car, customers would not know that car repair and maintenance options exist at the dealership. The display, messages and offers they receive when buying a vehicle keep everyone coming back to the site. The next question is why not reach new customers with the mentioned strategies? The service department needs to reach out and find the right customer. Retailers must focus on attracting new customers. Just relying on the sales team to drive them to service is not enough. Finding that customer might seem difficult, but applying the right marketing strategies makes the process effective and efficient. The question is who lives near the dealership and has a car of the same brand, but has never been to a service center. Once retailers find these customers, the right message needs to land in their mailboxes, inboxes and social channels. Ideally, the message reaches them just before the next oil change or other service is required. A marketing company with permanent operations like TVI MarketPro3 knows how to find and attract just such customers. Contact us to learn how to increase your RO despite declining car sales.
May 22, 2023 r | 4 minutes of reading
Personnel problems in permanent operations - part 1
What staffing issues are you facing? Staffing shortages are nothing new for station managers, but the past few years have brought unique challenges for dealer service departments. We spoke with some of our reseller partners to find out what challenges they face. Hear from the pros: Michaela Reardon - Director of Permanent Operations: We've had staffing issues, thankfully not on the technician side, but on the side of our service team. Our group of dealers had some staffing issues in our call center, which as the first point of contact with the customer is critical to filling these vacancies. As an organization, we have 70% retention – that would be company-wide across all roles. Now, entry-level jobs change more often than, say, technician. Chad Blair - Director of Permanent Operations: We've definitely lost some express technicians, mainly because they've had a lot of training here and they've been offered technical positions elsewhere, which I understand. But the challenge is that I'm still looking for more technicians. Maribel Martinez - Service Manager: I've definitely had some staffing issues on the front line, more so than in my store. It was much more difficult for me to find someone for my business development center and I had a hard time finding service consultants. We look forward to finding another one to complete our team. But I'd rather have a full team than try to run with two or three copywriters on duty, it's awfully difficult. We did it for a short while because unfortunately some people were sick, COVID and so on, but it was probably one of the hardest weeks we've had here. Tom Miller - Director of Parts and Service: So we're dealing with a shortage and pretty much all of the positions are permanent service technicians, cashiers, doormen, service consultants, aftermarket parts salespeople and so on. We need more. It's double. I think part of it is because of our height, and part of the problem is simply the environment we live in now. Chris Seaver - Director of Parts and Service: Technician. This is what we lack the most. I mean, service authors, we have no problem with that. This means that we rarely have turnover there. The last rotation we had was for one of my guys to get promoted in the group. I don't see... many young people coming to the field now, less than before. So when they go to the field, they want to get paid right away, which is what veterans do, and they don't know anything. Everyone seems to want to go to college and not get into those areas anymore for one reason or another. And I think it's electrical, hydraulic, hydraulic, mechanical. So we are lucky to have 16 technicians, but we can always use more. Matthew Stradone - Director of Parts and Service: It really affected everything from assistants, janitors, technicians, consultants to all functions of the support team. Our parts workers are everywhere. The shortage of technicians has lasted for years. We were very lucky compared to others in the technical field. Finding new technicians is always very difficult and takes a long time. But today's technology and cars, we need people, we need new people. We need people who want to learn, who understand electrical, all these things, this technology gap where we have our senior technicians who are the most experienced guys working on cars in the last 35 years. Are approaching retirement age or retirement age. And then you have a gap where not a lot of people are interested in the role. Rusty Gold - Service Manager: The staff is always a problem. Technicians are hard to come by, and good ones are a problem. I'm not trying to hire poison, so I'm trying to hire good people. And usually good people are good where they are, so it doesn't seem like that. Therefore, you need to keep in touch. Andrew Nevling – Fixed Operations Manager: During COVID-19, many people were afraid to come to work and fewer people traveled. Obviously, our workload has dropped a bit here. But now we see everyone going back to work. Two years are coming and we are definitely bringing the team back to where they were a few years ago. Chris Shillinger - Services Director: Lubrication technologies are my biggest challenge right now. I have a great pool of technicians, you know, I have great consultants, but lubrication technology is an issue right now, you know, not many of them. Wendy Capri - General Manager: All areas. Mainly mechanics and body shop Ralph Wilson - Dealer President: We couldn't find trained technicians. Sellers are still hard to get and keep. Our duty doormen, party doormen, telephone receptionists are very hard to find. Don Shaffer - Director of Permanent Operations: Mainly technicians. You don't see a lot of -- right now -- you don't see a lot of more experienced coaches coming in, at least not in our field, and certainly trying to bring in junior staff. You don't see that many enrollments in a lot of tech schools and the like. So it's harder to catch these people. Bryan Anders - Director of Services: I hope to hire more technicians, but the technicians are not there. So what we finally find is that we're looking for technicians, and what's coming in isn't quality; they are just people. The flip side of that coin is that everyone is looking for techies, so the grass is always greener where you are. So they go for a walk and the next thing you know they're sitting in their office and that strategy has changed. In 2019, would you say to that person, "Go try it." In 2022, you cannot lose this person. So now you've screwed up because that technician always works 60 hours a week and you don't want him to leave. And there is no compensation. Don't worry! No, that's all. Watch the second part of the Grow Your RO series on workforce shortages, where our established professionals discuss practical solutions and how to attract valuable team members. Visit TVI MarketPro3 for marketing solutions for fixed operators.
April 20, 2023 | 5 minutes of reading
Customer feedback and service and parts management
Undoubtedly, online reviews contribute significantly to the success of a business, but managing these reviews, especially the negative ones, can be a stressful full-time job. Whether they're positive or make you want to find a secluded corner of the sales floor to hide, all reviews demand your attention. Glorious Reviews For the sake of optimism, let's take a look at some good points. Each seller has a wide range of reviews across multiple platforms. Here are some from the DealerRater website for a Toyota dealership: 5 STARS - "Always great! I would never take my car anywhere else if it weren't for [Try Toyota]! I absolutely love them. the best!!!! Always great job and prices.” 5 STARS - "[Sample Service Advisor] at [Sample Toyota] was very professional, knowledgeable, punctual, courteous and had a great attitude. I took extra time to discuss details, procedures and costs” 5 STARS - “I had a great experience at the Service Center [Toyota Sample]! My experience at the Service Center [Example Toyota] was great. I was welcomed from the moment I walked in and received exceptional care from Ms. [Trial Service Advisor] throughout the process. I would definitely recommend this service to family and friends.” Few positive reviews Does not do its job. Unfortunately, this Toyota dealer's service center averages only 2.5 stars. How can these reviews be? Makes you want to shout from the rooftops: "Just do more of this here! Now let's see if we can take the negative reviews from the same service center "Toyota Sample": 2.5 STARS - "Check carefully what they do. Well I'll go again! The last two times I delivered the truck to assistance and it is under warranty, the tires have not been changed or washed. And this last time I'm sure the tires weren't bent, because I scored one of them and it was still in the same place. So I wonder after 2 and a half hours by appointment what else is not done that they say was done on the invoice. So be aware if everything seems to be done on your vehicle while in the service department there's a chance it isn't." 1 STAR - "I was just looking for ways to raise the rate. I took my 2011 Toyota Tundra in for an oil change and had it checked, when the truck is cold it starts right away but when it's hot it stutters like it's not filling up like it's about to stop. So it works and it works well. The attendant didn't go over it and they came back and told me the battery was bad plus $135.00. Then he told me everything was fine, I took it and continued with the same problem. When I called, I was told I needed another $135.00 analytics fee, which seems to be the magic number. Then they can search and see if they can find it. Then they can tell me again that they can't find it. This will be an additional $135.00. I think I paid for a battery I didn't need so I'm going to make a second trip and find another Toyota dealership, advise avoiding the service department. 1 STAR - "I will never go to this dealer again for anything. My daughter took her car to this dealership for an oil change for $60. They said she still didn't need it, but they paid $93 for a visual inspection of the car's floor mat. driver's side (yes, a floor mat, listed on the invoice) and a visual inspection of the brakes. I strongly advise against this dealer." 1 STAR - "I had a service appointment today at 10am. Unfortunately it took 3 hours to complete. Wasting my time. I know changing the oil in a car takes no more than 45 minutes. I wonder why they mark it appointments take 3 hours. If they don't have enough staff they shouldn't give out contracts. This has happened several times. Really disappointed." Maintenance isn't just for CarsLook, we all know bad reviews can't be avoided. How you react to these reviews will affect how they are perceived by a potential customer. The average consumer doesn't expect perfection, but they do expect action, quick response and correction. How can a dealer service manager swing the pendulum of bad reviews in the other direction? Regularly maintaining various customer review sites. There are several steps you need to take to deal with negative reviews: - Respond quickly. - Solve the problem. - Use feedback to improve. - Encourage positive reviews. - Monitor all reviews online. online retailer's reputation, but be sure to capitalize on those positive reviews. Positive customer reviews can help build trust and credibility with potential customers and also demonstrate the quality of service provided by the dealer's parts and service departments. As a permanent operations manager, you can benefit from positive reviews in several ways: - Share them on your website and social media channels. - Use them in your marketing materials. - Share positive reviews with your employees and use them as a teachable moment. - Use them to set performance goals. The most important thing you can do is respond to reviewers. They finally took the time to praise their services. At least you can leave a review reply to say "thanks" and "you appreciate your business". No time? No problem. Leveraging positive reviews strengthens your dealer's reputation, increases customer loyalty, and attracts new customers. If you feel you don't have time to monitor customer reviews, take the time to check out the review management software that will take care of reviews for you: BirdEye: BirdEye is an all-in-one reputation management software that helps businesses monitor reviews online, social media management and customer experience improvement.-Reputation.com: Reputation.com is a cloud-based platform that helps businesses manage their online reputation across a variety of channels including review sites, social media and search engines. -ReviewTrackers: ReviewTrackers is review software for reputation monitoring and management that helps businesses track online reviews across multiple sites including Google, Yelp, and Facebook.-Yotpo: Yotpo is a customer-facing content marketing platform that helps businesses collect and manage reviews, ratings, and other user-generated content. -Podium: Podium is a messaging platform that helps businesses manage customer interactions across multiple channels, including notifications, ratings, and comments. Reputation management tools help dealer service departments monitor and manage their online reputation. These programs also improve customer service and attract new business, making them a viable option for many permanent COOs. Visit TVI MarketPro3 for more information on permanent trades.
April 19, 2023 | 5 minutes of reading
Customer relationship management for ongoing operations
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is essential for a dealer service department that wants to build and maintain strong customer relationships. CRM systems can collect feedback from customers after their service contracts. The feedback can be structured to see if there are any recurring issues that need to be addressed. While there are several types of CRM systems, they all serve a similar purpose beyond collecting contact information. Proper use of this organizational tool helps increase customer loyalty and repeat business. Let's take a look at some of the benefits your CRM offers. Customer retention Good CRM practices help retailers retain customers by ensuring they are satisfied with the services they receive. This can lead to increased loyalty and repeat business. The system allows for personalized communication, allowing dealers to stay in touch with customers based on their vehicle's individual needs. Targeted email marketing campaigns and personalized offers help retailers engage with customers. Service history tracking helps dealers distribute accurate service reminders to every customer and every vehicle. Timely reminders make it easy to keep track of vehicle maintenance. Many CRM systems also offer loyalty program features to encourage the customer to return for future service needs. Customer satisfaction is an important aspect of maintenance. Service managers can use customer feedback to resolve specific issues and make general improvements throughout the service process. Better Customer Experience Customer data collected by CRM must be analyzed so that retailers can gain insight into customer preferences and needs. The information allows the store operations management team to customize their services, leading to a better overall customer experience. mobile. They also allow customers to receive automatic service reminders. Both features increase the likelihood that customers will arrive on time, improving the experience for everyone involved. When the vehicle is being repaired or serviced, the CRM can also provide real-time vehicle status updates. Increased Revenue Again, satisfied customers are more likely to return to the dealer for future service. Returning customers obviously lead to increased revenue for the retailer, but it's not just about satisfaction. This culmination of the aforementioned benefits keeps the cars (and money) flowing into the service. More Efficient Operations When used correctly, CRM platforms help the dealer manage customer information, service records and appointment scheduling more efficiently. These best practices lead to streamlined operations and better customer service. CRM marketing and communication systems can help retailers stay in touch with customers more effectively. Provide timely updates on service offerings, promotions and other important information. However, it also helps to automate the retailer's marketing when the data is up to date and accurate. TVI MarketPro3 uses the seller's CRM to identify types of customers. We segment vehicles based on their last showroom visit. Then use a targeted marketing approach to target specific customers for personalized services. Suffice it to say, if the CRM information is inaccurate, the marketing strategy will be less effective. Summary CRM is essential for any dealer service department to build strong customer relationships. It helps build a long-term business if used consistently and correctly. Come to TVI MarketPro3 for more information about the automotive industry.
15 mark 2023 | 3 minutes of reading
Automotive market trends in stationary operations in 2023
The automotive industry is constantly changing and requires frequent rotations of showroom managers, including sales managers and permanent COOs. In recent years, unprecedented challenges have emerged that have transformed the industry and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. What are the automotive market trends in 2023 for stationary operations? Stationary departments are an essential part of any dealership and play a key role in a dealership's success. Many retailers aim for 100% solid absorption, but what are the predictions for the new year? How will brick-and-mortar professionals change to meet the needs of their customers, employees and dealers? The slow supply chain swings in 2022 have challenged the global automotive industry, including major brands such as Toyota Motors and General Motors. Supply chain issues have caused car production to slow significantly, making it difficult to produce enough inventory to meet consumer demand. As the outage eases, CNBC reports that dealers should see an increase in the number of cars on the lots. Impact of Permanent Operations While dealership sales departments saw a decline in car sales, most service departments saw an increase in repair orders. More people chose to keep their current vehicles and spent more money on maintenance and repairs. However, over the past few years, service and parts departments have continued to face unique challenges, some of which may not be going away anytime soon. Job Challenges As service departments across the United States struggle to build and maintain a full staff, many dealer leaders say this was a pre-pandemic challenge, compounded by stay-at-home orders and other pandemic measures. Now retailers are struggling to fill roles including shippers, business development and customer service representatives. But the employees who seem to be the hardest to find and retain are the heart of any service department: the technicians. Supply Chain Obstacles Operations Corrected Supply chain problems are not just computer chips. Parts managers and directors are constantly scrambling to get the parts they need for repairs, maintenance and recalls. Pending game flows to the service department and prevents tasks from being completed on time. While supply chain hurdles were significant in 2022, Ken Pletcher of TVI MarketPro says industry leaders were no strangers to these types of struggles. Throughout its regular operating career, Pletcher has had to be innovative in finding the parts needed for the repair. He even went so far as to check foreign dealers' stocks in case they had something the manufacturer didn't. Pletcher also resorted to using aftermarket parts, "even when rebuilding or sealing a specific part", rather than replacing it. Experts say that while the supply chain looks to improve in 2023, a number of factors could hold back new car purchases and auto repairs. Burns. The rise of telecommuting has made people less reliant on their vehicles to get to and from work, and rising gas prices compound the problem as drivers drive far fewer miles in their cars. Higher interest rates mean consumers get less per dollar, which increases spending vulnerability. The EV Effect As some states push to phase out gasoline-powered motor vehicles, electric and hybrid vehicles are becoming a bigger factor in stable operations. Some industry leaders predict that electric vehicles will disrupt dealership service departments, but stationary operations expert David Boyle says that while electric vehicles will change businesses, not all changes will be negative. In a 2022 CBT News article, Boyle points out that "Electric powered vehicles will continue to require rubber tires, brakes, wiper blades and other wear parts." So, just as dealerships changed in 2020 due to the pandemic, they will be able to do the same with EV swaps. Marketing Solutions Service drive systems aren't the only area where stationary operations departments will have to change in the coming years. As the automotive repair industry changes, marketing strategies must evolve accordingly. Consistent customer engagement through traditional and digital media is the only way to stay in the center of attention of service-ready customers. Dealers also need to educate customers about their services and why they do the best job. Drivers may not even consider that electric car services and repairs are available at dealerships. Incorporating this information into your marketing messages will further help with EV changes. Targeted data driven marketing is the most effective way to get your message across to your intended customer. TVI MarketPro ensures that all marketing activities are targeted at customers with specific vehicles and locations. TVI goes further by identifying the last time each driver visited the service station or if he was new to the showroom. Targeting optimal targets saves you from wasting money on marketing. Summary The automotive industry has evolved steadily since its inception and will continue to evolve as there will be unique challenges and changes in the coming years. Dealer leaders who adapt wisely to these challenges will not only survive, but likely thrive by meeting their customers' needs. Make the most of your wireline marketing in 2023 with TVISources:Abraham, Tom. Best practices for optimizing service availability and profitability for USC Consulting Group resellers. A Look Under the Hood: What's in Store for the Automotive Industry in 2023Boyle, David. How electric vehicles can impact the stationary operations department
January 20, 2023 | 4 minutes of reading
Email Marketing for Physical Retailers in 2023
Dealership email marketing is essential for selling cars, but if you want to increase gross profit and improve service, parts and service availability, you must have effective email campaigns as well. Sometimes deciding which types of emails to send and what to include in each email can be a challenge. However, an effective email marketing strategy can bring more contacts to your email list and more cars to your service department. Target number of email lists? If you could paint the perfect customer, it would probably focus on where they live, what kind of car they drive, and how long it's been since their last service visit. You will be especially interested in meeting those who drive your dealership brand vehicles who live nearby but have never been serviced. You want to reach these specific clients via email and attract them to your salon for your service. A high-value contact list prevents fraudulent emails such as low open and click rates. You'll also keep your cancellation and bounce rates to a minimum. Avoiding these problems ensures that more contacts open and read your emails. Great Deals When your customers receive an email, they're looking for great deals and competitive pricing to keep you getting valuable real estate in their inbox. Experience as a result of your email will also determine whether they will unsubscribe from your contact list. Back up your offerings with excellent, fast service. Check inventory for discounted products so you don't offer hard-to-find products. You also need to have enough staff for the service you're promoting so the customer can come and go quickly and efficiently. If your emails are misleading or result in poor service, you will lose your customers' trust and the privilege of reaching them through digital marketing; therefore, be prepared to support any offer you may offer through your email campaigns. Your email says: You're screwed if you don't include clear and specific calls to action (CTAs). CTAs should bring the customer closer to your email's purpose of accepting extended offers, so the words you choose for your CTA should be relevant to the content on the linked page. For example, if your offer includes a free multi-point inspection, the call to action should be something like "schedule an inspection" or "make an appointment". Simple, directional CTAs tell customers what to do. Some people might find it fun to be cute with CTAs. Such wording can be effective if the email recipient knows what you are asking them to do. Don't make sassy slogans difficult to decipher. Once you've convinced a potential customer to click on your call-to-action link, the goal is to get them using your service with as few obstacles as possible. Every page you have to click to access your calendar or make a call is an obstacle. Your link should take the potential customer directly to the page described in the CTA if you want to see more repair orders that the customer has to pay. Connect to the dealer's website When emails encourage clicks to the dealer's website, they improve search engine optimization (SEO). While search engines don't crawl or index emails from sellers the way websites do, effective email marketing can increase traffic and SEO rankings. Done right, email marketing is a powerful tool for driving traffic to your service and website. Topic Why do we discuss the topic at the end when it's the first thing customers see? In short, the subject should be related to the body of the email. We return to the trust component in email marketing. If you convince your recipients to open an email with a tempting subject but the email is unrelated, you won't get the results you want. Instead, you'll get declines and appeals from customers who think you've ripped them off and wasted their time. Yes, your subject line should be compelling, but that's because the details in the email should be something the customer needs or wants. If you have the right offers, teasing them in the subject line will encourage more email opens and give your readers exactly what they want. A/B testing is a great way to see what types of topics work best for your reseller contacts. You create two separate subject lines and send each to a subset of recipients. Thread testing helps determine the pitch needed to get the most openings. Let TVI MarketPro3 plan your next email marketing campaign.
December 22, 2022 | 4 minutes of reading
Automotive e-commerce for spare parts and services
The events of 2020 have all industries moving towards more online customer service. Restaurants like Chick-fil-A tried to design a system that was as efficient as the current system. Department stores have created ways for customers to order online and come to the store the same day for pickup. Despite the current pandemic, many companies continue with online service processes. However, dealerships do not always provide the most technologically advanced solutions, especially for parts and service departments. And let's face it, even the most technologically challenged people are starting to expect these conveniences online. So how can the automotive industry, particularly dealerships, offer online sales of auto parts and repairs? Imagine the Possibilities Let's start with the parts. Imagine your potential customers are just a few miles away looking online for a rear wheel bearing for a 2006 Honda Accord. Does your dealer even come to the consumer's mind as an option to buy auto parts online? Will they see your dealer's name on the search results page when they look for parts? The truth is that auto parts stores and Amazon have taken over this online market and use several pages of first search results. When we finally see a retailer, the site rarely compares to the competition's online options. Most of them require the consumer to fill out a contact form and wait for a call. Now imagine searching for the same part, but your dealer runs a solid paid search campaign and shows up as an ad at the top of the page. The customer goes to your website where they can easily search for the specific part they need. Your stock is included in this search so that the customer can see the quantity of available parts. Additionally, these parts can be ordered and picked up the same day if they are in stock. Marketing Wins In this scenario, you've earned four marketing wins. The customer: knows you exist, is aware that you sell auto parts online, visits your business to experience five-star customer service, considers returning for service or repair in the future. And you can hit the jackpot by convincing the customer to let your service department replace the part they bought back. Enabling customers to buy auto parts online is more than just selling parts, and your e-commerce site does most of the work for you. Selling Services Online Automotive parts aren't the only things automakers allow customers to buy online. Repairs and services can also be ordered and paid for via the mobile app or website. The entire process, including updates, recommendations and service termination, can be communicated online. Companies like U-Haul have managed to allow the customer to take control of the entire rental process, which used to require the presence of employees. Now the tenant can book a truck and other moving materials, pick them up and drop them off without human contact. It's not the face-to-face contact that most customers dislike. On the contrary, saving valuable time motivates people to use mobile options. The added flexibility of when the customer can drop off and pick up the vehicle is also a big motivator. What's stopping dealers from selling parts and repairs online Nick Shaffer of TVI MarketPro3 has extensive experience in physical operations and spends a lot of time with TVI partner dealers discussing deals. He says there are four main reasons a retailer might object to adding these programs online. Disclaimer #1 Lack of Proper Staffing and Procedures Getting online is no easy feat. To make that transition, you need the right people and the right procedures. After implementing these systems, you still need the right staff to continue the best practices of these programs. Dealers often struggle to find reliable employees, so adding new systems isn't a priority compared to talent acquisition and training. Disclaimer #2 Cost of Acquiring and Implementing Programs These technologies don't come cheap, and converting a personal system to an online option often involves additional fees for developer support and training. It can be difficult for retailers to see the return on such an investment. Disclaimer #3 Low Margins Traditionally, web part retailers sell their products at lower margins and focus on a volume-based business model. Retailers who are not familiar with this business model and how to scale it are often put off by the gross margin compared to their typical retail expectations. Disclaimer #4 Integration Headaches Shaffer says, “Until recently, only third-party companies had tools like this, and each specialized in one aspect of the process. Thus, the concessionaire will have a provider for online scheduling, another for electronic MPI and another for SMS communication with the customer.” Each vendor is charged a fee to access the seller's DMS, which they then pass on to the seller, and these charges can add up. Shaffer points out that some DMS systems are “extremely difficult to integrate, resulting in frequent IT issues and downtime. Summary All of these objections are compelling reasons for dealers to keep things as they are. However, online shopping is now the preferred way of shopping for most consumers. Dealer parts and service departments must enter the automotive e-commerce market and change their business models to attract customers online. This will expand their customer base and help them stand out among local repair shops and independent auto parts stores. Check out TVI MarketPro3 for more information on the automotive industry.
October 31, 2022 | 4 minutes of reading
Automotive website anatomy
Websites are an essential part of success in the automotive industry. Whether your goal is to get online traffic to sell cars or increase parts sales and RO numbers, your website is the first impression a potential customer gets when looking for your products or services. If your website is not well structured, this may be the only impression your dealer will make online. Let's take a look at the general anatomy of an automotive website and how each part contributes to the effectiveness of your digital marketing efforts. A banner with purpose A user's ability to find what they need starts the moment they enter the site. The banner image is the first and probably the most important part of a website. There are many different banner sizes and types to choose from, such as half page banner image, medium banner, full page header or main image. Determining the best fit for your business website starts with what you want the customer to see, feel, and do immediately upon accessing your website. Don't Stop PopSumo.com analyzed data from nearly two billion pop-ups and found that "the top 10% of pop-ups had an average conversion rate of 9.28%. annoying little mosquitoes that need to be swatted away, they contain a powerful little sting. Take a load of patience is no longer a big supply. when it comes to the Internet, staring at a hole in the screen while waiting for a page to load can be frustrating. Increase loading speed by compressing and optimizing your website images and minimizing the number of redirects on your website A web developer should be able to help you with this and other more technical solutions to speed up loading times Make way for your customers online they need to be able to easily find what they need. Whether they're looking for a specific vehicle or a car repair, your navigation menus and CTAs should show them the most efficient way to get there. Your online representatives should be available to answer questions via chat. Less is more. There are numerous resources to choose from when creating a website. Be aware of the features you want to add to your site. If they don't help your customer journey, eliminate them. Many features look cool but can distract from your message and increase load time, so be sure to test them out before publishing your site. Target conversion dealer websites are more than just automotive candy. The goal is to convert by getting the customer to the service desk or the online retailer's inbox as quickly as possible. Make sure your website is mobile friendly and uses search engine optimization (SEO). You should also regularly test your features to avoid broken links and outdated contact forms. Don't forget the footer As the name suggests, the footer is the place at the bottom of the page that contains valuable content and is the same on every page. A properly designed footer will support conversion as some of its features improve SEO and some are links that the user will often scroll directly to instead of navigating the site. The footer is usually for copyright notice, privacy policy link, sitemap, logo, seller contact information, social media icons and link to contact form. Learn more about TVI MarketPro3 digital solutions.
October 26, 2022 | 3 minutes of reading
Automotive service conversion rate optimization
Websites are an important tool for attracting and expanding your customer base. Done well, they make a good first impression, grab potential customers' attention, and drive them to action. On the other hand, a poorly designed website can cause internet users to leave your business before they even click or scroll to another part of the website. In general, car dealers often miss the mark when it comes to creating a website that people will come to and stay at. More importantly, these sites often fail to convert the user into a paying customer. That's right: they fail to convert. There are many areas that automotive industry leaders can simply modify or in some cases change completely to achieve their intended effect and optimize their site's conversion rate. These changes can take time, but they are worth the effort when they bring results. In the automotive industry, conversion rate optimization (CRO) is when a website is designed to effectively increase the frequency of a lead converting to a car sales or repair order. For all businesses (including the automotive industry), an e-commerce website will be one of the first, if not all, interactions with potential customers. The retailer must assume that the entire customer journey will be online. This virtual experience should feel just as good as if they walked into a sales area or parked in a service garage. While optimizing your website can seem like a daunting task, it boils down to three basic goals: Acquire Customers Retain Them Convince Them To Take Action Acquire Customers. Increasing website traffic requires a multi-pronged approach that starts with a strong digital marketing strategy. Digital marketing starts with meeting your prospects where they are, through email marketing or social media, and driving them to your website. This can also be achieved through a strong paid search engine campaign, as well as ensuring your website is search engine optimized. So many people order auto parts online, which makes auto parts marketing the perfect way to drive consumers to your website. Keep Them There When people visit your website, you want to make sure they stay there long enough to learn about your business and, more importantly, take action that brings them closer to becoming a customer. There are many factors that can make your site more inviting.TVI MarketPro3 Paid search engine pro Ian Favre says preventing leaks is a priority. Favre points out that dealers spend a lot of money directing people to their websites and often provide links to other websites such as tire stores, parts stores or original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Favre says retailers "spend all this money to get people to the site, just to give them a link to leave right away." Retailers need to keep people on their website. To do this, your website needs to be clean, clear and easy to navigate. It must be directly related to the search that attracted the user in the first place. If customers have to work really hard to get what they want, they will quickly leave your site and look for a faster solution to their problem. Convince them to act Favre recommends that you make customer expectations clear on your website: “What can a customer expect? Who will contact? How long will the monitoring take?” By answering these questions clearly and concisely up front, your customer is more likely to respond to the CTAs on your website. If your CTAs are effective, you have a much better chance of converting. It's all about the user experience (UX). Undoubtedly, websites need good, high-quality content, but you need to keep that content in check to make your website simple and user-friendly. Therefore, landing pages are often used for specific services. This allows you to get exactly what you're looking for without being distracted from the rest of the site. Customizing individual contact forms on dealer websites is effective but very rare. Often, dealer sites just use a standard form. Resellers should set expectations guiding users when they fill out the form This is an opportunity to convey a "why buy" message to explain why they should buy here Why should you fill out the form? It is imperative that all the company's profit centers are represented and create an identity or impression with the consumer. Here are some key factors Favre believes retailers should keep in mind to optimize conversion rates: Find out which specific service topics are driving search traffic to your site and create content/landing pages to support them. Make sure your content pages include clear CTAs and multiple ways to communicate with your lead. Leads can include a phone number, form or chat. Make sure your website amenities are easy to find. Provide high quality photos and videos to show different areas of the salon, such as the waiting room. Include a service menu with prices. Price transparency is important to the consumer. Please ensure Service Offerings are valid and up to date on the Site. Customize the content for the seller. Most sellers just use the standard content that comes with the site. Share Google reviews and other positive testimonials on your website. Measuring Your Conversion Rate To be successful, you need to be able to measure your conversion rate. Google Analytics is the place to start. Conversion rates are calculated by dividing the number of conversions by the total number of ad interactions. Interactions must be tracked for conversions within the same time period to be counted. According to Google, a good conversion rate is between 2 and 5 percent. Ruler Analytics found that the automotive industry has an average conversion rate of 2%. Needless to say, there is room for improvement.
July 18, 2022 | 5 minutes of reading
Does your used car last the renewal period?
Auto dealers are facing unprecedented demand for vehicles that is transforming the automotive industry for at least the foreseeable future. Business Insider reports that a catastrophic shortage of microchips is slowing car production around the world. The lack of new models causes prices to rise. These high prices for new cars have created a strong demand for used vehicles. This demand has forced retailers to change in some areas and improve efficiency in others. One area that dealers are working on is the time it takes to prepare a used car for resale. How long does it take to overhaul a used car? A senior operations manager asked this question on LinkedIn, eliciting mixed responses from other industry professionals. The general consensus is that it usually takes three days to recognize a used car. However, some permanent operations managers said it could take a little longer by a few months depending on the circumstances. Others said the response time is 24 hours or less. No doubt more responses means there must be more ways to recognize a car. There are many variables that affect a dealer's ability to prepare a used vehicle for launch. Challenges Preventing Quick Repairs One of the obstacles to completing renovations on time is getting the parts you need. Undoubtedly, labor shortages have affected most industries, and the automotive industry is no exception. Finding good technologies is an ongoing challenge for service managers, but it has been even greater since the pandemic. Additionally, manufacturers outsource repairs to dealers, often resulting in backups in service departments in addition to daily repairs. Backups can cause recovery services to stop. Theft causes tension between managers of permanent operations and managers of variable operations. In any company, communication is essential for the successful conduction of processes. Many dealership managers say that inefficient systems and lack of communication between departments are major obstacles to vehicle repair. The Effect of Long Recovery Periods The proverb says that "time is money". The longer the renovation lasts, the more customers will leave the lot without taking a test drive of the vehicle. As you can imagine, this really requires an analysis of the seller's income potential. Dealer decision makers must implement systems that help sales and service teams run the refinishing process smoothly. Fast used car processing benefits sales and service departments Solutions to speed up the process Some dealers combine restoration work with customer payments and warranty work, while others have teams or individuals dedicated to car restoration. On-going operations specialist Nick Shaffer says, “It would be wise not to renew the team members who look after customer cars. Their compensation plan is likely to focus on CSI or Sales Payable by Customer, which discourages them from prioritizing used cars.” Shaffer also points out that "sometimes the biggest bottleneck in a used car is the parts department." He recommends encouraging all team members who touch used cars to time a used car lap, including the parts counter. Visit TVI MarketPro3 for more articles and insights on the automotive industry.
May 4, 2022 r | 3 minutes of reading
ECONOMY 2022 AND PERMANENT OPERATIONS PT 4 - RAILWAY EFFECT
We end our series by looking at the decline in car sales and its impact on operations over the past two years. Eric Hawkes from TVI MarketPro3 shares his thoughts. QUESTION: What was the state of new car sales in 2021-2022? ANSWER: Two important and somewhat related factors, but the Covid pandemic has resulted in a loss of manpower in manufacturing, whether in Japan or the US, which has weakened the pace of car production. another item is chip, chip crisis, no chip. The cars are 3/4 done on the assembly line, but they need to finish the chip, so they have to park them on the side, and I don't think we'll see a difference in 2022. I'm not an expert on the pandemic, but it looks like it's with us for some time, maybe other segments maybe not as strong, but anyway it's going to disrupt the workforce the same as construction, service business, restaurants, hotels. And then you have a chip shortage, so what happened is there were no sales, but any cars available, whether used or new, have a very high premium. Ironically, dealers actually make more money off of this craze. They make more money from the car they sell, whether it's new or used, and people avoid buying because there's no inventory and the cost factor goes up. People avoid buying new and used cars, which end up in the service sector. Sell quality over quantity. Does this reduce the number of sellers? I do not think. I think if that happens, it could be natural wear and tear. But keep in mind that merchants in the service world and the sales world are often paid on commission, so having more employees or the same number of employees as before, except for hourly employees, does not cost a lot of money. butlers. The office might not need as many people to support it because there might not be as many car deals, so there might be a little hit there. QUESTION: How does the current state of the economy affect these issues? ANSWER: The automotive industry is a good economic indicator, as is buying a home for the first time, as are other indicators. Car groups and manufacturers are not immune to inflation. Parts are growing because materials are more expensive. Labor increases because there are fewer people, which increases the cost and increases the amount you'll pay for the car at the end of the day. QUESTION: Name some events in 2021-2022 and their causal relationship with problems in car sales ANSWER: I think you saw again that used car prices increased by an average of 35% compared to previous years. New cars, I think it's around 16% to 18% for the same vehicle. Inflation and the economy contributed to this. On the other hand, ironically, it helped groups of dealers and dealer owners increase their profitability. On the other hand, it makes many customers who in the third, fourth or fifth year thinking about their car, upgrade and buy another car, or maybe not. Let's get those brakes, let's get those tires, let's reset our car. Yes, it could be a thousand or two thousand dollars, but now I have this car. Look at the price increases and look at the value of what they have changed a lot. You know, three years ago leasing was very popular, you just need to lease a car for three years, buy a car every three years, buy a new car. It was almost a self-sustaining business, and there's a problem with that, but again, the irony is, you make a lot of money. Returning to the end of the service, many customers choose to keep the cars and put money into them. On the one hand, if I sell a used car, I can make quite a bit of money off of it, but what do they do with shipping? QUESTION: Have you encountered similar problems in your time as pictures? ANSWER: No, not like that, but there were some serious consequences. Let's go back to the 1970s, when I was little, we had pipelines. There was a weird day when you could buy gas with a license plate that ended in an odd number so you could drive. If it's still there, you should go on other days. As you would expect, there were queues of half a kilometer, a kilometer. Some ran out of gas and waited in line at the pump for their turn. Well, it was a big change to go from big country cars to trying to make them economical. And then, when that happened, Japan intervened as it tried to gain access to the United States. Toyota, Honda, Nissan, they had cars with 25-35 miles to the gallon. Unparalleled American V8, we'll get you there with power and speed. It certainly changed the dynamics of the automotive world. Go back a little further, World War II. There was so much scarcity of natural resources such as rubber and metal that were not available for car production, and people who were available for production were more likely to produce planes, engines, tanks and equipment needed for war. So it's good to look at the big picture and see some disruptions in the automotive world's business cycle. QUESTION: What impact did these sales issues have on ongoing operating conditions? ANSWER: Initially when Covid hit everything stopped but car dealerships were still open because it was deemed a necessity. I'm not sure, because if you can't work and you can't go anywhere, then what was the need? Looking back and thinking when Covid really hit in late March/early April it was a disaster. Everyone just stopped what they were doing and said I don't do that. I'm not going to work. I don't touch anyone. I don't see anyone. But most states considered auto dealerships, especially service departments, essential. They stayed open anyway, but permanent operations, parts and service was definitely a hit because even though the dealerships were open, people didn't want to go in there. And so it was more or less the end of March, April and May. Not that the pandemic is going to change or improve, but June and July saw what I consider Covid's revenge. People have had enough. They had to leave the house. They wanted to fix their cars. Repetitions had to be done. They needed brakes. They needed an oil change so they flooded the market. So in the next year and a half there will be people who won't buy new cars and people who won't buy used cars. They service their cars, so we're seeing a lot of dealership service departments thriving right now during the pandemic, which is sometimes counterintuitive. You wouldn't think this would happen but it does and again it's good for dealers to maintain their strength and we need that. We need restaurants, car dealerships and construction workers to work and earn money because when our technicians get their check, they can go out to dinner with their families. But when Covid first hit, they didn't have to go out to buy A food - because of Covid & B - because they didn't have money. They had to figure it out. There have been a lot of issues stemming from the fear of Covid and getting around the pent up need for service and take out that comes up. Again, the lack of chips only reduces new car sales, but fortunately, knocking on wood, dealers can cash in on the profit side. QUESTION: What are the other non-revenue challenges due to the boom in fixed-line services right now? There seems to be a dearth of people in line who want to do this as a profession. What will they do? Cybersecurity, computers, I don't know. But if there was a big problem that we now face in permanent operations, it is the lack of manpower. Technicians, spare parts accountants, service consultants. It's hard work. These are long hours. It's a lot like working in the restaurant industry, hospitality, long hours at work, a lot of people nervous and angry because they have Covid or their family has Covid and their government tells them what to do or how to do it. All these repressed frustrations are often poured out on people who try to help them in the service sector, in the restaurant, and a lot of people say "I'm not going to do that". some dealers are creative in finding technicians, taking people from the HVAC world, taking electricians and trying to get them into car dealerships. It goes back to the almighty dollar. There are a lot of drug dealers who are rushing this and they say we're going to pay, I think, astronomical wages, but they're in a tough position and they say we've got to do this, we've got to go and we're going to push ourselves and try to find each other. It's like the NBA and the NFL, where there's a bidding war for this type of workforce that's driving up costs for everyone. QUESTION: What suggestions would you give to the permanent operations manager trying to overcome and/or exploit these issues? ANSWER: Always remember that we do customer service and we work with cars. We're dealing with someone whose pet may have died before arriving, or whose child just graduated from MIT, and they are the happiest people in the world. You never know what's going on with your customers, so even though we're car experts, we can't assume that's the case and we have to respect their peace, their place, respect the fact that they come and try to give us money. So take a step back every now and then out of respect for homeowners who are at risk of going bankrupt every day, especially when Covid has just hit. Customers coming in and you're doing a paycheck. You earn good money. I think it's hugely significant for what we have not just in our industry, but in every industry. We just take a step back and appreciate what we have. Related Partners: 2022 economy and impact on fast operations (part 1) - 2022 supply shortage economy and impact on fast operations (part 2) - labor economics 2020 OPS (part 3) - INVENTORY ISSUES 2022 ECONOMY AND IMPACT ON OPERATIONS FAST OPERATIONS (PART 4) - IMPACT OF THE FALL IN CAR SALES ON FAST OPERATIONS
April 22, 2022 | 9 minutes of reading
ECONOMIA 2022 AND PERMANENT OPERATIONS PT 3 - INVENTORY
We continue our series with Robert Morris, a TVI MarketPro3 agent who has been in the automotive industry for over three decades. Morris was the main Morris Cadillac Buick GMC dealer before joining TVI. Inventory issues affect the entire service department. Morris explains how some of them have positively and negatively impacted ongoing operations. He check out what Morris had to say about it. QUESTION: What are the main inventory problems that the managers of permanent operations have faced in the last two years? as well as entire retailers, all due to out-of-stock. And the stockout creates a ripple effect in the service department, and by that I mean, of course, there are far fewer new vehicles in the lot. That means fewer vehicles coming in, which means fewer vehicles to do the pre-delivery inspection or PDI. This has a negative impact on turnover in the service department. As fewer and fewer new cars appear and become available, there are fewer exchanges. So the second-hand sector is also suffering, and this is reflected in service, because there are fewer cars to repair. And finally, it's actually more tangentially related, but there are no service cars. Therefore, compared to a service department that has no service cars or rental cars to serve customers, this compounds the problem and results in many unhappy customers. It's true that some customers obviously understand the situation, but other customers have a legitimate problem trying to get work done on their car when they can't use someone else's services in the meantime. QUESTION: How does the current state of the economy affect these issues? ANSWER: Well, inventory problems naturally occur due to the economy. And the economy is hot right now. I'm not an economist, it's not up to me to say why it's so hot, but deep down it is. Customers are demanding more and more new vehicles, and when they can't find them, they buy high-end used cars. So there is a ripple effect on prices. New cars are getting more and more expensive with smaller manufacturer discounts. This, in turn, drives up used car prices, so as long as consumer demand remains so high, manufacturers will struggle to keep up. So what's going on, a dealer can have 40 cars on the floor when they normally would have 200. They get another 50 cars, so they sell 90 a month and still have 40 cars in stock when the month is up. So that's the challenge. Without the rising stock on the lot it will be the same for a while. QUESTION: Name some events in 2022 and their causal relationship with inventory levels ANSWER: All current inventory problems are created by the pandemic. In the early days of the pandemic, with cities and economies and businesses shutting down, so to speak, and everyone working from home, there was a demand for things like personal computers, new cell phones, all the tech items that people were bringing home. the last year and a half. At the same time, automakers limited chip orders to their production, not knowing what would happen as everyone was locked in their homes. Today's vehicles require more than one computer chip to keep everything up to date with the latest vehicle technology. Thus, when the manufacturer reduced its orders and canceled them, other sectors such as computers, cell phones, televisions, whatever the case, increased their orders, generating a shortage of chips for automakers. And it affected other industries as well. But in the past 12 months, the auto industry has felt the pinch. Until production catches up with demand, it will stay that way and the problem got worse because I think there was a factory in Asia that burned and burned some of its production capacity in terms of chip production capacity, so that's a nice one-two punch. QUESTION: Have you encountered similar problems in your time as pictures? ANSWER: I have been in the automotive industry for over 30 years. I've seen manufacturer strikes, GM strikes. I survived producer failures. I thought I had seen it all until the last year and a half. I know that when we had car production strikes, we ran out of stock and we continued to distribute cars. Instead of putting all the cars in a row, we would put 10-15 cars apart. But when you only have 10 or 20 new vehicles in stock right now, you can't put them 100 feet between each car and have the cart look crowded. There's no way you can do that. So no, I haven't seen anything like this in over 30 years in the automotive industry. It's absolutely crazy! QUESTION: Are dealers making more money now than before the stockout? ANSWER: Oh yes! They make a lot of money. QUESTION: Do you think they would be happy to go back to a time when there was more inventory? ANSWER: No, not personally. Dealer profits over the last year and a half are record highs because margins are so good now. When you have a new vehicle that is selling for $5-$10 above list price, compared to a previous sale for $3, $4, or $5 below list price. Sales of one car now outnumber sales of 4 or 5 cars under the old dynamic. Dealers won't want to go back to that. The real question will be at what point do manufacturers adjust their production capacity, because currently manufacturers are quite happy with that. Its incentive spending has dropped dramatically. I guarantee you now that the manufacturers are trying to find a balance between having more cars than they have now, but also not having the stock problems that we had in the past where it was a sell-off under pressure of stock, which gives more distance and everyone is very aggressive with their pricing. QUESTION: What is the direct impact of inventory issues on ongoing operations? ANSWER: All these inventory issues and it's not inventory pressure in the historical sense where there are simply too many cars on the floor. Now there aren't enough cars on site, so the dealership's service department loses PDI (pre-delivery inspection) revenue, and when a new vehicle arrives from the manufacturer, it goes through the service to ensure it's ready for sale before it's put on the market. batch. Now there are much fewer of them, and used car sales have fallen in a negative way. So now with limited stock as there are so few new cars available and they are worth their weight in gold and the high end used models are almost as expensive as they were when they were new (which I have never seen before, many of the customers choose to have their car fixed, so this creates a great opportunity for service departments, whilst a customer has an older car that needs a gearbox or engine, or needs a significant amount of work, often now when a customer chooses to have the job done because they don't have the car they would like to buy, or the price of a new car is so much more expensive that it makes sense to fix the old one now. This presents a great opportunity, but again, directors and services permanent operations managers now must seize every opportunity that arises in this service traffic whether it be headcount or hours per RO There are less built-in revenue streams from the service department in the form of PDI and used car recognition they have to reach the consumers and not miss any occasion or bats that appear in the field. And that's where TVI MarketPro3 comes in, because we bring slaughterhouses and customers you've never seen before. IMPACT ON PERMANENT OPERATIONS (PART 2) - LABOR ISSUES 2022 ECONOMY AND IMPACT ON PERMANENT OPERATIONS (PART 3) - ECONOMIC PROBLEMS 2022 AND IMPACT ON FAST OPERATIONS (PART 4) - DECLINE IN CAR SALES
April 22, 2022 | 7 minutes of reading
2022 ECONOMY AND RAPID OPERATIONS PT 2 - LAB
Moving on to part two, we'll take a closer look at another area that has been severely impacted by the 2022 economy, and that is the ability (or lack thereof) to find technicians for service departments. Nick Shaffer of TVI MarketPro3 has nearly twenty years in permanent operations and has worked in a variety of management roles. Here's his take on the workforce issues facing retailers today. QUESTION: How does the state of the current economy affect labor issues in permanent operations? ANSWER: Unemployment benefits offered during COVID have driven entry-level workers out of work. Every recruiting manager I've spoken with over the past 18 months has reported a high rate of interview no-shows. Their premise was that applicants would do whatever was necessary to look like they were looking for a job in order to maintain their unemployment benefits. These benefits are being phased out, but there is no immediate increase in the number of unemployed people returning to the job market. Perhaps due to high fuel prices? QUESTION: Are retailers innovating to attract new team members? ANSWER: For stores that are having trouble getting their employees back to work, they were employees, yes. But when we're talking about someone trying to hire a new candidate, there's no other real equivalent than big signing bonuses. And I have a lot of resellers who offer signing bonuses, and few of them say it gives them the incentive they're looking for. The resellers I've talked to who are successful at hiring new candidates really focus more on benefits than signing bonuses or salaries. So they focus on things like PTO offered on day one instead of ninety days, health benefits offered on day one instead of ninety days, three-day workweek instead of five-day workweek, eight hour days instead of ten hour days. So my resellers who really focus on offering a good work-life balance and benefits seem to be more successful in hiring people than my resellers who don't offer that but focus on big signing bonuses and big earnings. QUESTION: What are some of the top employee issues faced by permanent operations managers over the past two years? ANSWER: There are few entry-level employees. COVID has taken the country's technician shortage from bad to worse. The benefit has encouraged many novice technicians to stay home. To keep up with business demands, many dealers give raises to their technicians to encourage them to stay. This is a double whammy for the dealer's cost of doing business, as the techs that stay get raises and the core tech staff are burnt out. Many service departments are very busy in the store. To maintain gross profit, dealerships raise wages and increased operating costs are passed on to the customer. Every service manager in this situation is constantly trying to get hired, but I haven't spoken to anyone yet who has found a surefire way to hire entry-level techs at will. Permanent operations managers also face parts supply issues, which in some cases are a labor issue. There is a shortage of drivers, dock workers, employees of spare parts distribution centers, which contributes to delays in the availability of spare parts. QUESTION: Name some events in 2021-2022 and how they relate to the labor shortage ANSWER: The demand for automotive services, and therefore for technicians, has changed a lot in the last two years. I already talked about scarcity, now I want to talk about demand. Throughout 2020, many office workers were given the opportunity to work from home. At various stages, they have largely returned to the office and resumed a somewhat normal driving style, creating a huge, pent-up demand for light maintenance work in the summer of 2021. Employed dealers set records, while dealers who were not properly employed very promised and not delivered, creating a long-term ripple effect of customers leaving. Meanwhile, the workers never broke through. There is no ZOOM for mason or landscaper. Indeed, the demand for its skilled workforce has increased. As reported by some local officials, they were more motivated to work on home improvement projects that they had previously neglected. This caused a stir in business for all types of artists. In turn, the demand for servicing their domestic trucks has increased. Well-equipped Ford, GM and CDJR dealers are taking advantage of the deal. The low supply of new cars makes new and used cars more expensive than we are used to. As a result, people are keeping their current cars longer and investing in them. What a great customer payment option for sellers! Every dealer should consider how they can best sell vintage cars in their market. Quick note: During the recent surge in service contracts in December 2021 and January 2022, dealers are reporting a much higher than average no-show rate for service appointments. QUESTION: As a permanent operations manager, have you encountered similar issues? ANSWER: When I was a manager, there was a lack of technical staff. There were very few novice technicians on the market. Tech masters worth hiring were well looked after by their current employer, so most tech masters entered the workforce with bad habits and negative attitudes. These conditions I encountered are a problem to this day. The difference is that we now have additional conditions that encourage low-income workers to stay home. QUESTION: Are internships effective? out of a hundred, if not more, would raise their hand and say, "I run an apprenticeship program." But this is very subjective. thing. The learning program will mean something different to each service manager. For many service managers, the internship program is nothing more sophisticated than, "I'm hiring new techs. I give them online courses to complete and hold them accountable. And somewhere we have a roving foreman to help them out. them and train them if they raise their hand and say they need help, and I don't think it's a true learning program. A true learning program requires ongoing training, both virtual and hands-on. I've seen dealers succeed with systems of teams where each dealer has several technical teams and these technical teams are generally made up of 4, 5 or 6 technicians, two primary, two secondary and a master and this master is responsible for continuous training to all those who are in the This shows beginner technicians not just the hands-on learning they need, but it also shows that there is a career.It's not that there are forty technicians in the shop with one foreman, but five teams in the shop. Each team has a foreman and there are a few levels I can work on here and there. So, for there to be a true internship, there must be continuous face-to-face teaching, continuous virtual, continuous practical and career plan. QUESTION: What suggestions would you give to a permanent operations manager trying to build his team and avoid rotation? ANSWER: You are aware that this pandemic has given some employees the opportunity to stay home for a while. This happens over and over again if someone is exposed or starts showing symptoms. If you've ever heard the saying that a rolling stone doesn't pick up moss, you'll understand that it's perfectly normal for someone to go back to work with a reduced energy level. They sit there for a week or two and do nothing. a lot, and it affects most people's energy and focus. Consider making it a big deal when someone goes back to work. Celebrate your comeback with the band. If they're in an executive role, consider a "fast start" bonus to encourage them to return to 100% normal performance once they're out of the gate. This will help them feel welcome and reorient themselves. Keep track of how much your competitors are paying and be ready to compete. Don't wait for your employees to ask for a raise or worse, give yourself notice to make a better deal. If you find that the market salary is higher than your staff salary, give your employees a raise. Find a way to do this while rewarding job performance and seniority. Raise prices to pay if you have to. Shop with competitors to see how much they charge for regular services, and make sure you don't get ahead of the market. Most manufacturers allow you to claim an increase in your warranty labor rate each year. Participate in the process and understand how to maximize the result. Employee retention is more than good pay. Engage your team in regular singles matches. Your employees want to be guided. They want to know if they are doing a good job or not. They want to know they are fighting for something. They want to know that you care. They want to be part of the team, so regularly organize team building activities and publicly reward team members who perform well. Recognize work birthdays and anniversaries. Keep track of what career benefits your competitors are offering; many companies now offer PTO from day one. Other common benefits include health benefits after 30 days, which used to be 90 4-day work weeks. Unlimited free time. When hiring staff, realize that the demand for staff is greater than the supply. So think of ways to stand out. Compensation, hours, benefits and culture are important. Consider building deep and meaningful relationships with local business schools. Volunteer to serve on the board and contribute to curriculum development. Agree to interview your group of students on a schedule - at least once a quarter. Attend their job fairs, or better yet, offer to host their job fairs at your store. When retiring equipment like a brake vise or tire balancer, don't accept the commercial value of the Hunter. Give it to the school instead. RELATED ARTICLES: 2022 ECONOMY AND IMPACT IN FAST OPS (PART 1) - SHOCK ISSUES 2022 ECONOMY AND IMPACT IN FAST OPS (PART 2) - 2022 ECONOMY AND IMPACT IN FAST OPS INVENTORY AND IMPACT FOR FAST OPERATIONS (PART 4) - THE EFFECT OF CAR SALES FOR OPERATIONAL CONSTANTS
April 22, 2022 | 8 minutes of reading
ECONOMIA 2022 AND PERMANENT OPERATIONS PT 1 - FORSYNINGSMANGEL
Power failure has a direct and indirect impact on continuous operation. From vehicle inventory to supply chain issues, COOs tackle the service department like never before. Ken Pletcher, TVI MarketPro3 agent and longtime corporate operations specialist, explains his observations and experiences with current and past supply shortages. QUESTION: What are some of the supply shortage issues in 2021-2022 ANSWER: There have been a number of different issues over time. There were wirings that were not accessible to vehicles and the various plastic, glass, windshield parts were a real challenge. But probably the biggest thing that affected us was the microchip, and again, new car sales are affected, but service departments will be affected as well. QUESTION: How does the current state of the economy affect these issues? ANSWER: It is certainly possible to increase prices on new and used cars due to low inventory levels. This resulted in a backlog in the parts and service departments, which resulted in many challenges in conducting the dealership's day-to-day business. QUESTION: List some events in 2021-2022 and their causal relationship to supply shortage issues ANSWER: Delays in repair work... parts can be a problem. Manufacturers are missing some parts. You may have to go to a replacement parts supplier or even a junkyard to find a repair part. QUESTION: Have you encountered similar problems in your time as pictures? ANSWER: Yes, definitely. I had to be resourceful to find parts, and we even went so far as to check inventory at other out-of-state dealers to see if they might have something, a unique part that the manufacturer didn't have. And then we cooperate with this seller to ship it. As I mentioned, possible aftermarket parts, maybe even a rebuild or sealing of a specific part. It could be the power steering pump, which has a bad seal. Typically, you would replace the entire pump. It may not be available, so the stamp may be available. And as I mentioned, maybe going to the junkyard to buy a swingarm or something that also needs replacing. These issues have appeared before, but not as strongly as they did in the 2021-2020 time horizon. QUESTION: What suggestions would you give the permanent operations manager for trying to overcome these issues? ANSWER: Think outside the box when a repair part is needed. If not available as new, can it be rebuilt? Spare parts or contact scrap yards or other dealers in the area. What else can you do? It could even be something like saying to a guest, "Hey, there's no part available right now. This isn't a security issue. We can call you when the part arrives. Did the customer come back? constant operational? ANSWER: In 2021, due to the shortage of chips, the availability of new vehicles was very low, so although most dealerships were doing very well, the numbers were not close to what they had to do, and it was still more in the second half of 2021. In January 2022, sales are down 9.8% compared to January 21, so you can see that the trend is still down. This means for us that there will be fewer cars in our showrooms in the US. next few years because of the drop in sales. It's really important right now that dealers really work on maintenance and work with VIN numbers that didn't exist before in your store because if they can, if you start buying them now, when things start to deteriorate, it will help your company become a stronger model in a year or two. Color. At this point the service department will not know that the vehicle can be serviced in your area because you purchased it outside of PMA, so it is very important to get vehicles that were not in your workshop as they may have been purchased outside due to availability. I know people are driving less because of the pandemic, so their driving habits have changed a lot over the last couple of years. It drags on and at this point you have the chance of someone leaving a dealer who may have been loyal just because of the deadline and showroom service is not their main focus. IMPACT ON PERMANENT OPERATIONS (PART 1) - BASELINE DISABILITY ISSUES 2022 ECONOMY AND IMPACT ON PERMANENT OPERATIONS (PART 2) - LABOR ISSUES 2022 ECONOMY AND IMPACT ON PERMANENT OPERATIONS (PART 3) - PERMANENT OPERATIONS (PART 3) - ACTIONS FIXED OPERATIONS 20 4 ) - DOWN CAR SALES EFFECT FOR FAST OPERATION
April 22, 2022 | 4 minutes of reading
New year boost for stationary marketing
Many retailers have already spent their 2022 marketing budgets, but are their permanent operations marketing strategies necessary to kick off the new year? It's easy for retailers to take a broad approach to promoting the entire company as a whole. But you can't stop there because resellers are basically two companies under one umbrella that includes brand reputation. The umbrella can confirm that customers will receive the highest professionalism and first-class service from everything under it, but each part of the dealer needs its own identity. Service marketing should include multiple marketing options including digital and traditional marketing to make the most of your marketing dollars. Use as many platforms as possible to reach consumers in the new year Email Marketing Customers have entrusted their emails to you, so handle them with care. Targeted emails are a great way to reach existing customers, but every email should be valuable to the recipient. Sending generic happy new year emails is a good email to keep your brand in front of the public, but no. don't demand anything from them other than enjoying the feeling. However, generic emails flooding your inbox will have the opposite effect and will likely do more harm than good. Your customers hit the unsubscribe button before you say "change oil". But there's a balance, and when you pick a specific year, make and model of a customer's vehicle, and the services they might need, you'll have a more willing participant on the recipient side of that email. Social Media Be active on social media starting with welcoming the new year across all your platforms. Yes, you must use various social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Your brand must be the same on each of these platforms, but your message must be tailored to each of them. In other words, find ways to style your posts accordingly. Facebook provides more space for detailed story posts and includes images. Instagram starts with images as the main storyteller, but leaves little room for comments to complement a photo or video. Social media is also a great way to educate customers about video marketing and maintenance and service deadlines. You don't need professionally shot videos to get a professional result. However, they must be visually appealing and contain valuable content. Paid Search When searching for auto parts and repair services online, customers enter a specific set of keywords. Paid search allows you to use these keywords in your online advertisements to place your dealership at the top of search results pages. While this requires a professional who knows how to execute this type of marketing, it is the tool you need to expand your marketing reach. Traditional Marketing While digital marketing is often the preferred marketing option, don't forget to take a traditional approach. Sending a small happy new year postcard with coupons for irresistible discounts on parts and service is a great way to make a good impression. After all, many people postpone much-needed services for the New Year holidays and promise themselves that they will serve them again in the new year. What better way to remind you than a postcard or a letter in the mail? Mailings can include discount coupons for parts like tires and blades, or they can remind people to launch new services. Either way, a little note might be just the reminder you need to draw them in for a tour of service. Website Optimization All marketing efforts, whether digital or traditional, should link back to your website. Your landing pages should represent your service department as well as your sales department. You also want to improve SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to improve your organic search results. Encourage customers to voice their opinions Ask current site customers to leave reviews about your salon on social media and Google. Customer-based reviews instill confidence when a consumer tries to narrow down their service options. They want to know that the seller has reliable products and excellent service before closing the deal. Summary When planning service department marketing, use all available ways to reach customers. If you put all your efforts into one platform or channel, you will miss your target audience. More importantly, you'll leave a big gap for your competitors. You can achieve this yourself, but it never hurts to see how a marketing partner like TVI MarketPro3 can help.
December 29, 2021 | 4 minutes of reading
Automotive Marketing Company: Choosing the Right One
Let's face it, marketing in its most successful form is a full-time job. Business leaders must determine their preferred marketing solutions and then find the best way to implement them. With so much competition in the automotive industry, how do dealer managers reach current and potential customers when showroom customer service is their full-time job? So what is the solution? Each retailer should have a designated internal marketing team. Or better yet, they should hire an outside partner that focuses on acquiring new customers and retaining existing ones. But even interviewing and working with an advertising agency or marketing firm can be a daunting task in itself. Let's break it down into a step-by-step process that will allow you to better focus on this daunting task. STEP 1 Create a Basic Marketing Strategy Creating basic marketing strategies starts with defining your objectives. Are you trying to attract new business customers or are you focusing more on expanding your service department? Maybe your service path is supported by the company, but you need a good retention plan to keep your current customers both active and inactive using your services. Once you've defined your goals, you need to decide which marketing tools you want to use. These options seem endless, but you can narrow them down by thinking about your target customer. Digital Marketing for Cars Digital marketing is essential these days due to the amount of time people spend looking at their phones and reading social media. Email marketing and other digital marketing platforms are the fastest and most cost-effective ways to get started. Digital and social media marketing should be the main focus of any digital marketing strategy in the automotive or service industries. Your salon needs to have a visually appealing social media presence that includes clean, professional photography and high-quality video production. Web Design Maybe you want to improve your online presence in general. After all, your website is one of your most valuable marketing tools. If that's the goal, you need a company that has a professional team of graphic designers and web designers. Expect to see a portfolio of websites and graphics the company has designed and developed in the past. When viewing the work, put yourself in the customer's shoes and ask yourself the following questions: Are UX and UI on par? In other words, is the site pleasing to the eye (UI - User Interface) and easy to navigate (UX - User Experience)? Is the brand clean and transparent? Are the images of high quality? Do pages load quickly and answer questions correctly? Search Engine Optimization It doesn't matter how sophisticated your website design and graphics are if nobody sees them. So, when looking through an internet marketing agency's portfolio, ask about search engine optimization or SEO services. Customers won't come to your site based on its appearance alone. Using keywords and other content that Google considers valuable causes your site to appear at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs). There are SEO companies that only focus on achieving this goal. These companies will use organic SEO and PPC (Pay Per Click) strategies. If you plan on using a web design marketing company, they should also have an SEO specialist to ensure your website appears in Google's search results. Traditional Marketing Note: Don't underestimate the power of traditional marketing such as radio, TV, and print ads. Direct mail, if done right, is still a very effective way to reach your customers. Marketers must target a specific customer to get the most out of the retailer's marketing dollars. TVI MarketPro3 implements what we call Intelligent Direct Mail. We use the database to identify customers at all stages of vehicle ownership and service intervals. We then ensure they receive the right service offering at the right time. STEP 2 Determine Your Agency Type Now that you have a better idea of your strategy and the different marketing tools you want to use, it's time to find the right marketing company. Use clearly defined goals to narrow down your options. You need to determine if it's a full-service agency. In the Loop notes that "a full-service agency can collect data and use it across all of your company's online marketing departments, whether it's content or design." You can even partner with a full-service digital marketing company if it fits your digital strategies better. Some companies focus on niche industries like automotive marketing agencies. These companies have a better understanding of the industry and can better represent your brand. In the Loop addresses this point by saying, "The niche agency knows how to collect data in their field and will apply it to online marketing to help in a specific area." Whichever direction you decide to go, narrow it down. up to 3 or 4 options and let their presentation help you make your final choice. STEP 3 Take a look at the company's history Every time you make a B2B engagement, you want to learn as much as possible about the company's history. Are you a data-driven company that does thorough market research? Your presentation should make this very clear and they should do a thorough search of your salon before entering your salon. The company must demonstrate strategic marketing and have a good track record as a marketing and branding agency. Candidates must provide frequent reporting and feedback and be willing to put their money where it is. You should be wary of long-term contracts that lock you in for an unreasonable amount of time. A company that is confident in its performance should not feel the need to bind the dealer to a contract for more than six months to a year. STEP 4 Apply If you have carefully followed the detailed selection process described above, it is likely that whichever company you choose, you will get a good return on your investment. Whichever company you choose, it's your job to hold the company accountable. Don't let your new marketing partner slip up on follow-up reports, but give them some time. While some marketing efforts magically deliver results within a month, the long game usually wins. As long as you see consistent results in a positive direction, you will eventually see even better results.
December 9, 2021 | 5 minutes of reading
Setting up reseller PPC advertising
Advertisers spend millions of dollars every day to compete for consumer attention. Television, billboard, and radio advertisements are examples of attempts to attract consumers' attention. After seeing all these ads, consumers turn to Google to make a decision. Want to be seen as consumers working to narrow their choices? PPC advertising or Pay Per Click advertising gives you the extra light your merchant needs to rank in Google search. We explained this form of advertising in a previous article called Automotive PPC Advertising for Your Marketing Arsenal. This would be a great resource if you're still scratching your head to understand PPC advertising. Once you better understand what PPC advertising is and what benefits it can bring, it's time to focus on creating your campaigns. Things to consider for automotive PPC campaigns. Ian Favre is Director of Digital Marketing at TVI MarketPro3. Does it specify how this paid search campaign will help the reseller before physically creating the reseller ads? TVI MarketPro3 starts with an initial phone call, where our team digs deeper to find out more about your dealer service department's specific goals and concerns. The dealer may have difficulty moving people through express lanes or may need more traffic to sell tires. The more precisely we can target the customer, the more likely we are to be successful for them. Everyone wants more leads, but what specific issues related to your service can we help with that make an immediate impact for you?Budgeting for PPC AdsTVI MarketPro3 Salespeople design all paid search campaigns with an overall budget for ongoing operations. So we create groups with ads on a specific topic. For example, we may have oil changes, brakes or other categories that meet specific dealer goals. Once we have a budget and each group is created, we allocate that budget to all groups. We tell Google that all these groups are equally important, so use these searches. At TVI, we don't allocate “individual budgets to spend so much money on brakes, so much money on oil changes. This tells Google that you have X amounts to spend each day, say $50, $75, $100, whatever your investment... spend your money where the searches are,” says Favre. Plan your patience When auto dealers develop a PPC strategy, they need to realize that peak performance takes time. Once you have your data in Google Ad Words and Google Analytics, you can start fine-tuning your campaign for best performance. Pay-per-click ads require constant monitoring and daily adjustments. Every business or digital marketer hopes to create a "set it and forget it" paid search campaign. will not achieve the desired success. Keyword Research for PPC Keyword research is a cornerstone of paid search success. At TVI MarketPro3, we use several third-party tools in our keyword research. Programs like SEMrush and Google's Keyword Planner provide great information on valuable keywords. We also have DMS integration with dealers so we can include all customer feedback on repair orders. We then remove any keywords that could come from these customer reviews. Negative Keywords The use of negative keyword lists in Google Ads helps advertisers avoid or generate clicks on their ads for non-commercial keywords. These negative keyword lists can vary by retailer, but the name of the retailer can create the need for these negative terms. Negative keywords are words you don't want to bid on. Many of these will be word associations with elements of your business. For example, imagine a dealership called Broom Stick Chevrolet. Using negative keywords will prevent your ad from appearing on searches related to brooms or sticks that are not relevant to your business. High-quality traffic is the lifeblood of paid search, and digital marketers need to strike a balance between generating clicks and leads for retailers and ensuring they are high-quality clicks and leads. Do it yourself or hire a professional? Can all that paid search work be done by someone on the team? Perhaps an internet manager or BDC? Yes, it is perfectly possible and many dealerships have chosen this path. But ask yourself this question; Has your internet manager been managing paid car search campaigns for over 15 years? Does your BDC manager have all Google certifications? Dealers therefore have the option of hiring someone and bringing everything in locally. However, it will likely be more profitable with a more qualified person at the agency who does it professionally for hundreds of car dealerships. For more information about the TVI MarketPro3 Paid Survey Program, please visit our website.
September 29, 2021 | 4 minutes of reading
BDC car dealer for sale and service
It can be difficult for a service manager or sales manager to give every customer their undivided attention. When you're closing a sale or dealing with daily challenges in the service department, it's easy to miss important calls. Unfortunately, these connections can even be lost due to being on hold for too long. Reaching out to customers by phone or email can also be a challenge. After all, these professionals also seek to do all the other tasks that their work requires. That's why every retailer should have a customer communications team. Business Development Center (BDC) is a dedicated team Purpose of Automotive Dealership Business Development Center BDC or Business Development Center ensures customer search and acquisition both in terms of sales and service. Many believe that the main purpose of the BDC team is to schedule meetings, but it is more than that. Modern technology has allowed robots to book appointments over the phone, and people can easily book appointments online. It's about positive interactions and being at the forefront of customer needs. Whether a customer calls or sends an email, first impressions matter most. Treating this moment with the care it deserves will move the customer away from their phone or computer and into their living room. When your prospects make their first phone and online contact, what will their first experience be like? Dealers need to stay current with Google and the possibility of customer access to an independent repair shop. BDC teams answer incoming calls and place outbound calls to your dealer, making you the first point of contact for customers. BDCT Sales, your BDC team is an extension of your automotive sales team. Must strive to obtain sales contracts. The team should go beyond asking for availability and inviting the customer for a test drive. A phone call or email is the initial part of the sales process. Therefore, your BDC reps need to complement excellent customer service with proper sales techniques. Sales managers must work closely with the BDC manager to ensure objectives are aligned. The customer experience must be seamless, from the phone call to the purchase and subsequent phone calls. BDC Service Service departments should have a BDC section dedicated to bringing new and existing customers into the service. Or the same amount of BDC power should be used in both the service department and the sales department. Service directors and managers are busy dealing with the daily flow of customers and vehicles. These people still need to form strong customer relationships. However, balancing the needs of a face-to-face customer and a phone or email customer can be difficult. For this reason, BDC representatives must focus on handling incoming calls and setting up meetings. They must also make calls and emails that provide first-class customer service. Reseller BDC agents have more time to close the deal because they don't handle inbound traffic. Service consultants often ignore this, busy taking care of their customers' current needs. And it may be that the next service is too far away for the customer to consider at this point. The BDC team can contact you in a timely manner to offer you an offer. Having a team dedicated to bringing customers closer to the service they need relieves the service consultant. It allows the customer to feel served rather than sold when interacting with the salesperson, leading to greater customer satisfaction. And meetings closer to the date are less likely to not take place. Does your dealer need a BDC? The costs may seem high, but a well-run BDC can provide a solid return for the retailer. The key phrase here is well managed. A strong BDC leader will know how to build systems of accountability and professionalism to ensure every customer interaction is excellent. Motivation, proper training and performance-based compensation plans can make the BDC team a great addition to any dealership. See more automotive insights on TVI MarketPro3.
August 11, 2021 | 3 minutes of reading
How to develop the customer service department
Have you recently taken over the service department, or has the number of repair orders been stagnant for longer than you'd like to admit? Either way, take a step back and look at the big picture to ensure you're addressing the areas that have the biggest impact on growing your service: marketing, customer service, and quality of work. Checking your team's performance in these areas can give you the jump start you need. Marketing It's a simple idea; Reach your ideal customer and encourage them to visit your site for maintenance or repair. But without an effective strategy and a marketing team that knows how to bring that idea to life, it often remains just an idea. You need to know your customers, reach them, and work to keep them. Define Your Customer TVI MarketPro3 has four differences when it comes to defining your customer. Active customers, inactive customers, lost customers and new VINS. Each of these types of customers requires a unique marketing strategy. Active Customers Active customers are current customers who did business with you in the last year. These customers need a solid retention marketing strategy. Customer retention is key to building your business foundation. Inactive Customers Inactive Customers It has been about 13-24 months since the last visit. They know your support but need an offer to get them into your unit and get them back to active status. Lost Customers Lost customers haven't visited you for 25-42 months. You need to get back on their radar if you want them to come back to your service. New VIN Customers New VIN customers live in your area but have never set foot in your showroom. You read that right! They are in your backyard. They service your dealer's brand and yet they haven't brought your vehicle to you for repair. You don't want to miss this development opportunity. New customers allow you to build the customer base you've worked so hard to build. Reach the customer Gear up your marketing to attract more customers through multiple platforms including email, social media and direct mail. Data from multiple sources (DMS, change of address and cancellation databases) allow you to segment customers according to their status and customer type. Make sure you send emails and direct mail at the right time so they think of your services at the right time. Customer retention Customer retention is essential if you want to grow, so even if you need to acquire new customers, your goal should be to keep them coming back until they're ready to buy another car. Be clear about how you measure your retention rate and set monthly goals to ensure you're on track. Strive to provide five-star customer service to keep customers coming back, and include existing customers in your marketing strategies. Don't assume that because they came to you for a service once (even if it was exceptional service) that you'll remember them for the next service. Customer service When you attract customers, the challenge is to retain them, and the customer experience is an important factor in whether or not a customer will return. You can have a state-of-the-art facility with all the trimmings, but if your staff can't connect with customers, they likely won't come back. Do it in person, but keep it professional. See your customers primarily as people, not just another vehicle. Be empathetic to their situation, as expensive car repairs can be life-changing events on the financial front for most. However, you must remain professional at all times Eric Hawkes of TVI MarketPro3 covers this topic in the Grow Your RO video series. “The professional has to pass on relevant information to the car. It's up to the customer to decide what they can pay and how they can pay,” says Hawkes. Finding a balance between empathy and professionalism will go a long way to building trust in the customer relationship Gain the customer's trust When a customer leaves their car with you, they want to know they are in good hands A thorough customer visit is one way to win their trust Listen to his concerns and discuss them with him before he leaves. You also have to keep your promise that you will. If you say you'll call them at a certain time, do it even if you don't have all the information for them. Communication is the key to building trust and a friendly goodbye In the Grow Your RO video series, Nick Shaffer of TVI MarketPro3 addresses the need to guide a customer to their car and answer any questions they may have during vehicle delivery. “[The transaction] should not end at your desk. This must not result in a service execution. It should not end in the living room. It should end up in their car when you open the door for them and thank them for their cooperation,” insists Shaffer. Unique experience Make sure your customers are satisfied with their experience with your dealership. Everything from transition to delivery should inspire trust and run as smoothly as possible Customer satisfaction is essential to the long-term success of the service manager Quality of work No matter how effective your marketing is and how committed you are with customers, you must do your job right the first time. No one wants to pay for a car repair and no one wants to go through the hassle of not having a car for days. Therefore, service teams must have checks and balances to ensure that repairs are carried out effectively and Qualified technicians must have the knowledge to quickly identify the problem and make necessary repairs. Assign appropriate services and repairs to technicians according to their capabilities. you will pay a high repair fee for a low price. The service staff must be well trained for the work assigned to them. Get it right the first time Proper checks and balances ensure the job is done right the first time. Customers don't have the patience to bring the car back many times when the technicians didn't do it right or did the repair wrong; a big reason not to trust the auto repair industry in general. Summary Consistently monitoring all of these areas and holding staff accountable for meeting these standards is the path to expected growth in the service department. As Shaffer says, "It's all about people and process." Learn more about how partnering with TVI MarketPro3 can help you grow your services business.
June 15, 2021 | 5 minutes of reading
Increase profits in the service department
The Fixed Operations department has a significant impact on dealer success. Across the automotive industry, dealers rely on these areas to drive profits across the entire business. Vehicle service and aftermarket parts sales are two of the dealer's most important segments in terms of ongoing business. Therefore, studying how to increase profits in these areas will help determine what adjustments need to be made in the search for services. Understanding the Company's Financial Statements Financial statements usually show gross profit at the top. Gross profit is the income the company gets after paying all direct expenses (costs of sales) associated with producing the product or costs associated with providing services. Scroll down to the "bottom line" of your statement, also known as net income. After deducting all other expenses, the dealer can keep whatever is left over. These expenses are divided into three categories: variable, semi-fixed and fixed. Variable costs are commissions, manager salary, and policy expenses. Semi-fixed expenses include uniforms, computers and IT support. Rent, insurance, and depreciation of tools, lifts, and fixtures are included in fixed expenses. Fixed expenses remain more or less constant over time. Profit margin is a percentage based on the difference between profit and revenue. Net income is an indicator of the company's overall success. Gross margin indicates how well a department maximizes revenue while minimizing selling costs. In general, service and parts departments must monitor and manage both for the best overall result. Financial statements are like the scoreboard in a football game. Coaches make decisions and define the game based on the score. Undoubtedly, service managers can use their accounts to create similar game plans. Change price, not service quality To increase profit, raise price or reduce cost of sales. But do it without sacrificing service quality. Focus on increasing the number of repair orders and reducing costs wherever possible. See how you can lower your break-even point. The break-even point is the total cost of running a business for one month. TVI MarketPro3 agent Nick Shaffer has many years of experience in physical operations. When discussing break-even, he gave us an example of when he took Acura out of Pleasanton. "My nut was $200,000, so I knew I had to make $200,000 in gross profit to break even." Shaffer goes on to say, "Knowing the break-even point, working to reduce total costs, and always knowing how gross profit is doing in a given month relative to the 'nut' are all good stats for a manager to keep an eye on drugs.on ." Metric Monitoring Labor costs and labor sales are always easy to overlook, but this is a mistake if you want to increase your profit margin. Tenants should regularly calculate the effective manpower of their premises. Then they must consider how they can improve the situation. Also, consider submitting repair requests to match the required skill level with the technician's skill level. Make sure you don't pay an unnecessarily high salary for a specific repair. Increase the number of dollars coming in. We've explored some areas of cost savings, but the other half of the profit equation is revenue growth. See how to maximize hours and parts sold on every repair job. Increasing revenue starts with increasing lead generation, followed by effective lead conversion methods. Therefore, increase your revenue by increasing the number of transactions or repair orders. Customer acquisition and retention should be at the top of the list when discussing increasing revenue. Create referral programs to make it easier for happy customers to spread the word, as customer satisfaction is critical to customer retention. If you can't keep getting repeat customers, you're going to be pivoting around trying to maintain full-service facilities and avoid losing revenue. See more information about permanent operations.
June 7, 2021 | 3 minutes of reading
Social media for automotive service departments
The year 2020 has undoubtedly highlighted people's reliance on social media for news, information, shopping and more. Car dealers have been forced to step up their digital marketing game to reach and attract car buyers, but where are dealers when it comes to their service-based social media game? A strong social media strategy is a must for the service department. But dealers often don't notice their service department's presence on social media. Uptake Targets The challenge is that dealers are asking the service department to achieve a high uptake rate. A dealer with a high absorption rate is better able to handle falling car sales. You would think that with that lofty goal in mind, a retailer's social media marketing strategy would be on par. But when we look at the Facebook pages of various retailers, it appears that they are all sending the same message. Sales is the bright and exciting part of our showroom, while the service department may or may not feature on the dealer's social media platforms. set priorities? Choosing the best social media platform can be an overwhelming task, but research shows that Facebook is the most popular social media platform for retail marketing. So we started by looking at five different Facebook dealer pages. We have included resellers of different brands in different parts of the country. We do not use dealer names because our goal is not to single out specific dealers, but to highlight the impression each dealer makes on their followers. Marketing must be consistent with the dealer's objectives. If a solid pit lane is one of those goals, the strategy should fit. Unfortunately, it turned out that this is not common practice in Facebook Auto Strategies Overview of 5 different Facebook Dealership Pages: Ford Dealer (Springfield, Illinois) Oct 2020 Posts 48 Total Posts - 28 Sales | 4 Service | 16 General Interest8.33% Posts on Services, September 2020 Posts55 Total Posts - 34 Sale | 4 Service | 17 General Interest7.27% Service StationsTotal Service Stations% in two months7.77%Toyota Dealership (Houston, TX)Stations October 202070 Total Stations - 55 Sale | 5 Service | 10 General Interest7.14% Service JobsSeptember 2020 Jobs25 Total Jobs - 21 Sales | 2 Service | 2 General Interest8.00% Website PostsAll Website Posts% In Two Months7.37%Chevrolet Dealership (New York, New York)October 2020 Posts31 Total Posts - 23 Sales | 0 Service | 8 Overall Participation 0.00% Service Stations September 2020 Stations 20 Total Stations - 20 Sale | 0 Service | 0 General Interest0.00% Service StationsTotal Service Stations% in two months0.00%Honda Dealership (San Jose, CA)October 2020 Stations12 Total Stations - 9 Sales | 3 Service | 0 Overall Participation25% Service Stations September 2020 Stations9 Total Stations - 6 Sale | 2 Service | 1 General Interest22% Total Service Stations % Service Stations in Two Months23.81%Volkswagen Dealer (Jacksonville, Florida)October 2020 Stations30 Total Stations - 25 Sale | 1 Service | 4 Total Participation3.33% Service Stations September 2020 Service Stations22 Total Service Stations - 19 Sales | 1 Service | 2 General interest 4.55% Service station Total Service station % bimonthly 3.85% Each of these traders varies in the number of positions held by month, week and day. Some looked very consistent and methodical in their master posting schedule, while others looked sporadic and chaotic. Some had dozens of posts featuring customers and their new vehicles, while others appeared to have no human element at all. But one thing each of these resellers had in common was that the sales department feasted on the Facebook table while the service department got social media leftovers. Together, these five dealerships received an average of 8.56% of posts indicating their service department. Why inspection? Dealers can often be more focused on sales, thus influencing the dealer's marketing focus. The result is a Facebook page that targets and attracts car buyers only. It should be noted that service customers are not necessarily the same as car buyers. The ideal service customer has an older vehicle that needs more complex maintenance or repairs. Many people are not interested in buying a car, and even if they are, they still need to take care of the car they drive. Marketing to these two different types of customers requires planning and management. The right marketing team will understand the role the service department plays in a dealership's bottom line. They will also understand that the service department is acquiring customers, which potentially leads to future sales. Increased brand awareness for potential service customers? Let's take Facebook's advice for business and adapt it specifically for the dealership service department. Video Recording The quickest and easiest way to make a statement is to take a quick photo or make a short slideshow or video. Build trust by showcasing your service team and showing them in action. Ask a team member what they're working on and how they're solving a customer problem. Show off your new service application or your beautiful waiting room. These visuals help illustrate the customer's experience when using your services. Engage your audience in a vehicle maintenance quiz with a prize for the winner. For example: "What mileage do you need to wash the gearbox? Get the closest answer without having to go through it and get $10 off your next oil change." Time for a Story Another great way to attract followers is to tell a story. The service department has many exceptional clients, each with a unique story. And when they're in your service department, you're part of their story. Make a short post telling the story of a mother who had two children with her when she came to her salon. Explain how glad you were that you rented her a car and she didn't have to spend half the day arguing with the young children in your lobby. Or tell the story of the gentleman who came to change his oil and his staff noticed that his tires looked worn. After discussing the matter with the customer, his team fitted a new set of tires and quickly got to work. You know what your stories are and you know how your team's service changes your customers' lives. Take a moment to share these stories. Pro tip Remember that not all posts need to be about your business. You can also provide useful, helpful and interesting content unrelated to your support department. For example, share a road connection during morning rush hour. People will scroll down to see it, and by the way, they'll see your logo. From time to time, you can add a call to action with a post like this, for example: "Stay out of traffic! Drink a cup of coffee instead and change the oil while you wait for the plugs to be cleaned. Get the word out You should also encourage happy customers to go to Facebook and submit a review online Make it easy for them by sending a link in a follow-up email Make sure you've done what you can to keep the customer happy before sending this review e- Complementary mail There's nothing worse than asking for a review when you're not happy with your services The blog you distribute Share your blog posts, but make sure they're high quality and interesting to the audience you attract. be written to provide useful information to the reader and highlight your dealer as an expert in the industry. Add an ad Facebook ads are another way to market your services. Facebook will guide you through the process and help you reach the right customer. Increase your social media reach without exceeding your marketing budget. Bonus: Facebook is not fix-it-and-forget-it marketing. The goal is to get people involved. If your content is successful, hopefully someone will be there to answer the questions and keep the conversation going. The service department cannot achieve a social media presence while remaining in the shadow of the sales department. It must have its own digital marketing strategy, which is not necessarily independent from the sales department. Instead, it should complement the sales department and create the marketing magic to attract commercial and service customers to the dealership. Visit TVI MarketPro3 for more automotive marketing tips.
24th house 2021 | 6 minutes of reading
Successful transfer of sales to website process
To be successful, a car dealership needs to sell more than just vehicles. He has to sell the whole hall. After all, car sales alone don't keep a dealer afloat. Mastering the sales-to-service transfer process is critical to a dealership's success. Other departments play an important role in the retailer's financial security. This is especially true in times of slumping car sales. The service department takes a leading role in this area and is a real profit generator for the dealership. That's why dealers shouldn't ignore a service unit in the process of buying and selling a car. When buying a car, the seller must see his client as a future customer of the service. The customer must feel that the sales and service teams are one and the same, working together as a unified customer success team. To achieve this objective in the short time the customer is in the showroom, the service and sales teams need to be a well-oiled machine (pardon the pun) when it comes to making a good delivery. Process #1 Plan, Coordinate, Educate Customer success doesn't come without a well-coordinated plan. This plan must be detailed and presented in the sales and service manuals. Every member on either side of the team must know the expectations for interacting with and acquiring new customers. Customer success managers and other leaders must convince their team why this process is so important to the salesperson and that each team member is critical to their success. #2 Practice being the center of attention A successful transfer won't happen if it feels like work or extortion. Your team literally needs to rehearse the entire process; script and all. The dealer is your stage and your team members are the performers. Practice running the entire process with a team member as a customer. The more times your employees go through this process, the more comfortable they will be working with real customers. #3 The sales team solves the problem. The sales process sets the tone for the entire onboarding process. If the customer's experience is not positive from the moment they step out of the car, it will be difficult to convince them to take the rest of the trip. Sales and service teams must maintain a symbiotic relationship. The dealer must focus on selling the vehicle, but must also convince the customer of how the dealer can better serve them in the future. The thought process shouldn't be, "What's the best way to sell to a customer?" Instead, it should be "What's the best way to serve the customer?" This approach often sells itself and sets the rest of the team up for success in the delivery process. #4 Give a 5-star trip As with any travel guide, sellers must be enthusiastic and passionate. They must educate the customer on what the dealer offers across all its departments and facilities. As the journey progresses, all team members should do their best to ensure a fun and friendly experience. This is where dealer culture comes into play. This may encourage or discourage the customer to return for service and repair #5 Meet the service team This is a big time! Customers may come back to buy a car in the future, but this time will help them decide if they want to come back to get their vehicle fixed. Present them to the service team leader. This team leader must be prepared to accept this introduction. Remember that the customer's time and attention is limited, so the meeting should be short but not feel rushed. #6 Why Sell As we've discussed in other posts, consumers have 3 main objections to using dealerships for car services. Dealer services are very expensive. Dealers are not close enough to their homes or offices. Had a bad dealer experience before. Take the opportunity to address these objections and sell them using reseller services instead of aftermarket options #7 Plan Your First Business Make an easy return decision. Offer to make an appointment before escorting the customer out of the service department. Follow up with a reminder call or, better yet, an app that automates maintenance scheduling and reminders. If your company offers such an application, take the time to walk the customer through the process of downloading and using it. This will increase the chances that they will use it in the future. Summary Long-term reseller success depends on the coordinated efforts of all sales and service team members in the handover process. The process is made easier with planning and practice. However, once this process is complete, there is still much to be done. Every time a customer walks into your service line, the experience should be like the day they first walked in. It keeps them coming back to them. That's what makes your dealership the most important thing for a customer's next car purchase. For more information and marketing resources for the automotive industry, visit TVI MarketPro3.
May 10, 2021r | 4 minutes of reading
Dealer Service KPI Guide
Measuring success is essential for any business. And in any company, individual parts or departments need to know what their definition of success is in order to achieve success. These metrics and definitions are KPIs or key performance indicators for the dealer service department. The questions that automotive service consultants must answer are: What is a KPI? What are the dealer service KPIs? How often should they be measured? What should you do when you find them? By consistently working to answer each of these questions, you can use them as a roadmap for setting and achieving your company's goals. What is a KPI The Balanced Scorecard Institute, a strategy management group, sponsors KPI.org; online resource for KPI practitioners. The website defines KPIs as critical (key) indicators of progress towards an intended outcome. KPIs ensure focus on strategic and operational improvement and create an analytical basis for decision making. They also help you focus your attention on what matters most. What are the dealer service KPIs? We will discuss additional KPIs in an article titled "Defining Automotive Service Division KPIs". Here, we look at how effective working conditions or hours sold on a repair job are the most commonly used KPIs. Customer payment types are important indicators. Speaking of the store, the biggest KPI would be the efficiency and skills of the store. Highly skilled service technicians with the right skills for the repairs they perform make a big impact on overall labor sales. Dealers also focus on customer compensation, number of repairs, total repair orders and retention rates. The spare parts department is a critical part of normal operation. The parts department would track gross profit percentage, in and out rates, and lead times for inventory. The Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) reflects customer retention and is the most important KPI for service departments. Each manufacturer calls CSI differently. We call them CFCs or OLPs. They are all different acronyms for the same thing. We Provide a Pleasant Customer Experience Retention is Key Retention is also a dealer service KPI. New customers are key to any business, but keeping existing customers is the foundation for your business growth. Retailers are losing 80% of their customers to independents. Think about what is keeping them from coming back. Did they have excellent customer service? Measure that by the number of 5-star organic reviews you've received. Are the prices too high for the customer? Thanks to price transparency, the customer must be informed that independents are, in many cases, more expensive. Is the service team involved in selling the car? Are they meeting with a new business customer and working to turn them into a services customer? Provide the best customer service. The entire transaction must be smooth and seamless for the customer. The service manager must also recognize the value of the technician and work to maintain good technology. You do this by treating them like real team members and recruiting technicians who add value to your team. How often should they be measured? Service consultants must portray their team's success. Just as they need a clear roadmap to success, so does the rest of your team. Everyone from technicians to customer service people needs to know the department's vision of success. Goal setting is essential for your team to be successful. Break your goals down into timeframes such as monthly, weekly, and daily. Do this for both the individual and the entire team. Make sure each person knows their individual production goals and the steps needed to reach them. Measure your goals within the timeframe you set when creating your goals. Set daily goals daily, weekly goals weekly, and so on. What should you do when knowing the dealer service KPI? And now the fun part. Knowing a dealer's service KPI is a great achievement that deserves to be celebrated. When a service team meets its own KPI, there should be some recognition and congratulations. Motivate them to pursue the next KPI with enthusiasm and passion. Visit TVI MarketPro3 for more tips and resources.
April 26, 2021 | 3 minutes of reading
Best practices for round-the-clock phone operations
Customer acquisition is essential for every business, as is customer retention. The automotive industry is no exception, so service managers need to know best practices they can implement in their department. Best practices for ongoing operations start with the first customer interaction. This interaction is often done over the phone. But many service departments don't answer customers when it comes to their phones. The phone experience in the sales department is generally great. The customer service representative immediately connects the customer with the sales agent. And right from the start, the agent works the magic of the sale. That's how sellers live. They work hard to find what the customer needs as quickly and efficiently as possible because their livelihood depends on it. They also work really hard to get the customer into the building as there is a better chance of a sale if the customer can see it, smell it and orient it. Flash News...Service Sells! Jerry Thibeau is the CEO and Founder of Phone Ninjas, Recon Ninjas and Talk Options. In 2017, he hosted a webinar titled "How to Fix Your Permanent Operations". Here he notes that service departments sell more often than sales departments. Phone support in the service department should reflect this. Customers are often sent from the first call to the service department to the parts department to stop and then go again. They must be reluctant to repeat the problem over and over again. Too many conversations go by without an attempt to answer the question or get the customer to the needed service or repair. The customer can get frustrated and this can create a negative impression. No phone equals dealer loss. Here's an overview of what a retailer loses by not making the most of incoming calls. First, they forfeit the repair order to the customer's payment. A small repair may not result in a major dent. But if you look further, it's much more than a fix. Service teams miss an opportunity to provide customers with the excellent service they provide. They also don't have the ability to show the customer how amazing an installation can be. Every time you have an RO, there's an opportunity to land a client. They will be able to try your service and you will be able to make special offers for future services. If the experience is positive, they are likely to return for future services. And the chain reaction continues. These customers can become loyal customers or even die-hard fans. They tell their friends about their experiences or write good reviews about their services. This run-off effect leads to successful service operations. A thriving service department leads to successful car sales, and the sense of honesty and transparency in the service department that customers feel is reflected throughout the showroom. On the contrary, you lose a service customer and you lose a possible future car sale. Create a fault-tolerant system Establishing standard phone practices across all departments is critical to winning new customers. However, dealer service departments often overlook this element. Incoming calls are a simple and inexpensive way to generate leads. Developing accurate phone call systems helps those who answer the phone to be skilled and efficient. Here are five areas resellers can improve when helping the customer over the phone #1 Write a script Write a script. Publish the script. Learn the script. Not everyone on your team is a gifted chatterbox, so having a script to follow when answering the phone is crucial. We are not talking about Shakespeare here. It's simply the standard way of answering the phone that your customers have come to expect and appreciate. And anyone who can answer the phone is expected to remember it, recite it, and say it with a smile. The script does not end with a greeting. You need to extend it to train your team members to recognize the problem. Then provide specific instructions to follow based on the customer's situation.#2 Solve the problem Every phone call has a specific problem. It's your job to do what you can to resolve the issue, but make sure the customer knows what's going on. Waiting a long time looking for parts or answers can be frustrating, especially if the customer is in the dark. Form a team by responding like this: "I'd love to help with (insert problem). Give me a minute and I'll check that part out." Now the customer knows you are serving him while he waits. If the waiting time is long, you need to pick up the phone and contact the customer. Tell them why it's taking a little longer than expected. Full communication with a telephone customer builds trust. This shows the customer that he is the main focus of your attention. #3 Create an experience Every call you receive is an opportunity to illustrate the customer experience in the service department. Ask him how the day went before he left for the solution, a simple way to drop a nugget. Let them know they are talking to a caring human being, not a robot #4 Make a Deal Follow up is key to successful phone practice. Your customer doesn't always need the service when they call. However, your goal should always be to make an appointment. Thibeau emphasized this during his webinar. He would make mystery calls to dealers and review the strengths and weaknesses of each call. He emphasized the importance of obtaining this consent. The obvious way to do this is to make an appointment to resolve the issue they are calling out to. Even if they don't require a visit, you should still offer another service in the books. To relax! We are not talking about selling under pressure. Instead, you offer something they might need and just haven't had time to plan. You must use all incoming calls. And if you've handled the connection correctly before this point, it's likely to be helpful rather than a nuisance. #5 Continued If you need to call the customer back, specify a specific time and call them at that time. Even if you don't have an answer, give them a call and let them know you're still working on it. Product in practice control phones after repair. This conversation enhances what we hope was a positive experience in your search for service. It shows you care and makes you more likely to return for future services. This conversation is also a good time to discuss future needs and offers. Conclusion Permanent Operations best practices begin with a successful call-in process for the Permanent Operations team. Planning, training, and practice can help you achieve this goal. As a service manager, you can make some mystery calls yourself to test your service team. Make it a priority for you and your team and keep the phones and customer service busy. Subscribe to the TVI MarketPro3 blog today for more articles on best practices for physical trading.
April 12, 2021 | 5 minutes of reading
PERMANENT TRANSPARENCY OF OPERATING PRICES
Pricing transparency in physical operations is a hurdle that dealers must overcome to increase repair orders. Getting around customer objections is important, and one of them will almost always be price. When buying or selling a vehicle, consumers turn to the Kelley Blue Book (KBB) for an appraisal. KBB's website attracts approximately 20 million visitors per month. All these guys are looking for the value of the vehicle. But what about those customers who aren't in the market to buy or sell a car? They own a car and want an easy way to price maintenance and repair services.KBB Upgrade KBB now has a new feature for car owners to help increase consumer awareness of service and repair costs. Car owners will now have a whole new orientation when planning service visits to dealership service departments. It's called Kelley Blue Book Car Repair Pricing, and it's making great strides in making fixed maintenance prices transparent. This easy-to-use resource easily answers four basic questions: What do I need? When should I do it? Who is qualified for this. What break should I pay? To top it off, the user can easily schedule a service visit at one of the recommended car repair centres. The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) introduced this new feature in 2020 in Las Vegas. It was highlighted that retailers have an awareness problem in marketing services. There is also an issue of reliability in ongoing operations, with 4 out of 5 customers attributing these issues to the price of servicing their vehicle. They believe that dealer service centers are more expensive, but this is not necessarily true. This is where KBB Bilreparation pricing helps build a bridge between trust and transparency. How it works: Visit KBB's service and repair price list. Prices for recall, maintenance and repair. The consumer will enter all of their vehicle details in the drop-down menus at the top of the page. Details include year, make, model, style and mileage. They must enter a valid zip code to receive prices for their market. After entering vehicle information, they select the required repair from a drop-down menu with dozens of repairs to choose from. The pricing machine then immediately presents a range of prices based on 200 million dealer repair orders. KBB collected and analyzed this actual sales data across the country to calculate the exact price range for a specific market. This gives the consumer the knowledge and confidence they need to make informed decisions about the vehicle. It also encourages the dealer to repair by informing the customer of the specialized training that the dealer's mechanics receive. KBB verifies the dealership's car rental policy, as well as its expertise in accident repairs. The car repair pricing tool highlights the high quality provided by dealer service departments. Building Trust and Pricing Transparency KBB's new feature helped overcome many consumer objections to using a reseller. However, retailers still need to make further progress on permanent operations. They must build trust by ensuring a positive customer experience throughout the repair process. While KBB's Auto Repair Pricing feature helps with pricing transparency, dealers need to do their part. Dealers should ensure that their prices are competitive in the market and list as many repair prices as possible on the website. This lets the customer know what to expect before receiving a quote. Service consultants must be aware of the prices published on the website in order to adhere to these prices. There should also be an effective system for updating the website in case of price changes. According to autoalert.com, "transparency is the basis of a good company-consumer relationship". While they apply here to car sales, the same applies to the service department. Infomedia.com supports this claim and extends it with a Multipoint Inspection (MPI) presentation. Many dealers are switching from paper to digital customer presentations to increase transparency in the vehicle inspection process. In this way, they can add photos and/or videos that have had a significant impact on the sale of services. Price Transparency in Online Physical Transactions Consumers today prefer the visual aspect of online shopping. They immediately go online to see the product. They can compare prices and even do more research on your product or service. This is the modern consumer. And the auto service industry should no longer require customers to pay for something they've never seen. An educated customer is more confident about an expensive repair. If a retailer can overcome price transparency in its business, it will gain customers' trust. More customers will visit the dealer for maintenance. This makes them more likely to purchase another vehicle from the same dealer. This hurdle is huge for creating a top-notch service department. Visit TVI MarketPro3 for more resources
29. mark 2021 | 4 minutes of reading
Automotive dealership and service marketing
When brainstorming automotive service marketing, there are many options to choose from. Traders can choose from multiple platforms and multiple strategies. All companies navigate this marketing mountain, and auto repair shops are no exception. At a car dealership, car sales are visual superstars. So they usually focus on marketing. But since auto parts and service are the lifeblood of the dealership, they should assume a more prominent position in the dealership's core marketing plan. The first step in creating a marketing plan is to determine which methods and platforms to use. The goal is to introduce the company's brand and message to potential customers, and many marketing strategies achieve this. Traditional Marketing Methods in Marketing Automotive Services We live in a digital world. But that doesn't mean the proven marketing approaches of the past no longer have a place on the table. Phone calls, press marketing, and paid media advertising are still effective marketing methods. Phone Calls Reach out and call the customer. Phone calls with current and potential customers don't have to be forced or inconvenient. The goal is not to accelerate sales. This should just be a friendly reminder and good business sharing with the service department. Phone calls should include courtesies and the latest offers. This type of contact has a personal touch that will remind the customer that you are there and ready to help. Print There are several options when it comes to print marketing. You can advertise in newspapers and magazines. The price of these ads usually depends on the location of the publication and the size of the print run. The size and color choice of the ad itself also affects the cost. Black and white ads are cheaper than color ads. These ads must be local and relevant to your market. Services offered in colder regions may not apply to warmer southern parts of the country. Therefore, placing a winter packaging ad in a national publication may not appeal to the majority of the publication's recipients. For more individual coverage, you can send direct mail coupon letters or offers in the mail. Even if those deals end up in the trash, there's a good chance someone will see them right away. At least it increases overall brand awareness. However, existing customers as well as potential customers may need the services offered. Paid Media Advertising We see and hear car sales ads almost every time we turn on the TV or radio. The dealer can use these ads to showcase the dealer's service department, but more often they are used to promote the sales department. Radio and TV spots can cast a slightly wider net compared to direct marketing. Radio and television stations cover a large area, so a large proportion of the audience who might hear or see a dealer's advertisement live too far away to travel to the dealer's services. Point-of-Purchase (POP) Marketing It's always worth checking out an example of point-of-purchase (POP) marketing at the supermarket. Great marketers have placed tempting products at five-year-old eye level. They expect their baby to whine and beg for fun products with colorful packaging. Service managers can take a similar approach (without the 5-year-old crying). Car sales customers are on point with their current vehicle and possibly a new vehicle in mind. Reach these shoppers with an oil change discount coupon or other offer that will drive them to Digital Marketing for Automotive Service Marketing There are also many digital marketing tools to choose from. Internet marketing combines Internet advertising and emails. All these tools are powerful tools to drive sales for the service department. An online presence can be an effective lead generation method. The goal here is to capture contact information wherever possible, allowing for future marketing emails and other digital marketing efforts. Use the web and email alongside the traditional ad formats listed above. You can accomplish this by sending monthly email newsletters and periodically sending service offers. However, keep in mind that not every email has to be a marketing email. Send a few emails to support customer relationships and show appreciation Social Media Whether it's Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, social media marketing is a cost-effective way to increase your brand's reach. With paid advertising on social networks, your services reach a very specific audience, and contact with your followers significantly contributes to building a positive presence on social networks Interaction with the website Website developers can integrate chat functions on the company's website. They allow service teams to reach the customer in real time as they browse the site. However, a staff member should constantly monitor this feature if you decide to implement it. Google Presence There are many ways to increase your website's search engine optimization (SEO). SEO ensures that browsers like Google allow potential customers to find your website. The website must contain SEO-rich content. Google analytics and Google maps also help websites get the best search results. Word of mouth has a lot of influence when people decide which company to hire for a service. Businesses rely heavily on Google reviews to improve SEO. Local SEO is also important because people use the phrase "mechanic near me" when looking for a car service. Remind them that your dealer provides this service by making sure you appear on this search results page and on Google Maps. Auto Service Marketing Plan You can choose from dozens of auto service marketing methods to promote your dealership. The automotive service department should take these methods into account when creating a service marketing master plan. Use a spreadsheet or other marketing checklist to plan and schedule your marketing efforts. Your plan should answer the following questions: WHAT methods you will use, WHEN you will use them, HOW you will use them, HOW OFTEN you will use them Plan all forms of marketing well in advance. provide consistent content to your audience to increase brand awareness. Visit TVI MarketPro3 for more resources
March 15, 2021r | 5 minutes of reading
Automotive industry absorption rate and lost customers
You thought you did everything right; you have first-class customer service, great technicians, and a beautiful installation. But you still have customers switching to aftermarket options for vehicle maintenance and repair. The car industry's take-up rate has a huge impact on dealer bottom lines, but that's hard to achieve if the service department can't keep customers coming back. Who is a lost customer in the automotive industry? A lost or expired customer is someone who has not used a particular service department for more than twelve months or another period specified by the manufacturer. It is important to identify why and how this affects your results. Here are three contributing factors: There is a perception that dealer service prices are too high. Independent automotive service companies are often more conveniently located than dealerships. The customer had a negative experience with the dealer in the service department or car sales. Pricing resellers have done a lot over the past decade to make competitive pricing transparent. But they still need to focus on communication and education. Dealers have an advantage over after-sales service providers, but customers just don't realize it. Dealers should educate their customers on the value of OE (Original Equipment) versus aftermarket options. Service personnel should also become familiar with the benefits of the knowledge and experience of certified technicians. Convenience of location How does the dealer achieve fast service? Make sure that when clients come to your salon, the day can continue with as few interruptions as possible. Provide your customers with amenities like a fresh cup of coffee and free Wi-Fi and get them out in no time. For major repairs, many dealerships have resorted to the pick-up and drop-off option with a leased vehicle. This is a huge advantage that many after-sales service centers cannot offer. Negative Experiences It's hard for any company to overcome bad customer experiences. But this is especially true for expensive services like car repair. However, the customer is forgiving when the problem is faced with sincerity and the urgency to find a solution. The Impact of Losing Customers on the Automotive Industry Absorption Rate The National Association of Automobile Dealers (NADA) provides a formula for calculating the absorption rate. Gross Profit (Parts + Service + Workshop) ÷ Adjusted Dealer Costs = Absorption Rate NADA research shows that with a customer retention level of 70%, you can expect a company absorption of 90% or more. This underscores the need to keep the customers you have and win back the customers you lose. Win Back Strategy They are there. Customers have left but are waiting for another oil or tire change. The question is, will they think of you and your dealer when it comes time to schedule that service? Customer loyalty is the key to success in parts and service. Lost customers are not lost because they no longer need the service. They just don't see the benefits of the company's products or services. Or they didn't have good customer service. Retailers need to reach these customers through strategic marketing. Dealing with recalls is a cost-effective way to attract potential customers to your maintenance service. The number of recalls has increased significantly over the past decade. When these customers come in for repairs, they can experience your dealer's excellent service team. They may want to take the opportunity to do other work, which obviously adds to the steady increase in operating profit. By focusing on these areas, service managers can move ever closer to the desired absorption rate for the automotive industry. Check out TVI MarketPro3 for more marketing information.
March 1, 2021 | 3 minutes of reading
Best practices for face-to-face operations emerged in 2020
Covid19 brought many challenges to the automotive industry. This is especially true of dealer service departments. Like many other business leaders, service managers have changed to meet these challenges. In this way, we were able to observe some of the best future practices for permanent operations. While we are keen to move away from some of the pandemic practices, there are some that will change the way regular operations will work in the future. Digital systems will certainly be one of them. And while digital solutions have many advantages, the next challenge will be finding a balance in the future. Digital Solutions Digital marketing and social media are already powerful tools for selling vehicles and driving traffic to the gas station. These tools made it easier to target special offers and calls to action to the right customers. Automotive news sources report an increase in the use of digital tools. These tools create a hands-free experience in service and parts departments. A New Challenge While digital solutions often improve the customer experience, they eliminate the interaction of face-to-face transactions. This makes it difficult to build relationships with customers. Good business leaders know that relationships are the key to a successful service department. How do landline managers align these two important parts of their business, digital and face-to-face, to landline best practices in 2021? New processes Processes such as online appointment scheduling and check-in/check-out systems have been automated. Vehicle inspection processes or registration cards were also scanned. This ensures more efficient processes and a positive impact on your bottom line. It can even provide a more positive customer experience like many other automated services. But if all service departments move to these processes, how will they be different from each other? Some of us aren't mature enough to remember full-service gas stations, but it's easy to imagine why a customer would return to one of these facilities over and over again. They liked the person who greeted them, gave them gas, and went out of their way to clean the windshield. Today, the two main reasons for choosing a refueling location are price and location. Rarely does the store cashier decide where we are going to get the gas from. Out of sight. Of mind. We will reflect this in our dealer service departments as we begin to rely more on our new digital tools. How does the dealer remain the service customer's first choice if he doesn't have a personal relationship with us? The big question is why does it have to be one or the other? Feedback from Local Managers We reached out to some of our reseller partners to see what solutions they've implemented since Covid19. All retailers had several physical solutions in common, including masks, gloves and plexiglass in customer interaction. Service departments disinfect vehicles before and after service. They usually complement this practice with plastic interior trim for the vehicle. Dealers have also found a way to implement a delivery service where they pick up and deliver the repaired vehicle. It's safe to say that we've been a bit spoiled by the new services that have been introduced during the shutdown. Not only vehicles are cleaned and disinfected. Office cleaning and daytime cleaning have also become a high priority. And retailers are providing systems that take into account social distancing in waiting rooms. Digital tools also facilitate social distancing. Online appointment scheduling and automatic appointment reminders allow dealers to work simultaneously with fewer employees. Digital repair quotes protect customers and service team members from face-to-face contact. And at checkout, customers now have the option to pay online or use SMS-to-pay. Looking Ahead Local managers say dealers are likely to continue all of these practices. Retailers will continue to offer concierge services and digital customer communications. Some even mentioned increasing the use of video to assist with repair queries. This will give the customer a picture of the service being performed, which will give them confidence in the service provider. All of our partners interviewed agree that consistent and ongoing customer communication is critical to achieving best practices in business operations. Regardless of digital processes or contactless solutions, nothing can replace customer contact. This interaction will come to the fore when the customer decides where to go for the next service, and people always have the ability to influence that decision. Sign up today to receive valuable Fixed Operations content in your inbox.
February 15, 2021 | 4 minutes of reading
Dealer uptake rate and 2021 repair order target
Dealers are setting targets for 2021 in hopes that every car sold will turn a profit right away. As you probably already know, just selling cars isn't enough to make that dealer happy. This goal of 100% dealer uptake is achievable, but only with a strong parts and service department. What is your reseller's absorption rate? First, you need to define your target indicator. You need this rate to define the magic number that paints a picture for your team. Follow this up by creating appropriate goals for each team member. Here is an absorption rate calculation from the National Automobile Dealers Association. It's time to split bills and calculator. Determine the total gross profit from fixed operations (parts + service + workshop). Check your total fixed costs (dealer expenses - new and used selling variable costs). To calculate the rate, simply divide gross profit by fixed costs. You have your fee, now what? The stake looks like a mythical unicorn floating in the sky that nobody knows what to do with. The absorption rate is important, but it can be difficult to set specific targets based on a percentage. DealerPro CEO Don Reed presented at the 2017 Massachusetts Automobile Dealers Association Profit Builders Workshop. Notes that you should look at the dollar amount. When you have less than 100% absorption, you subtract gross profit from expenses. This shows how many dollars are left to reach that goal. Divide that number by the number of months in the account to determine the monthly deficit. And your number! That's the dollar amount you need to spend each month in your service department to achieve that big, beautiful 100% uptake rate. Be a numbers enthusiast. What are you doing with that magic number? Send it in smoke signals. Get a plane to fly on a banner above the dealer. Give your team the donuts in the form of a number. Do everything you can to help your team remember this number in their daily activities. Plan for success How different would each day be in your service department if you shared that number with your team? Where would you be in 2022 if each member knew what their individual goal was to reach that monthly number? Also, what if they knew what tasks (big or small) they could complete to reach their individual goals? The annual dollar amount needed, or even the monthly number, can be too much to digest. Develop a detailed customer service plan for the customer service, retention, and acquisition department. As the year progresses, you will see a steady increase in the absorption rate. Don't forget to celebrate the small victories. Your team now knows their number, and each team member now knows their personal goals for helping the team reach that number. Service managers should continually review these goals. Give it a high five and congratulations on reaching your goals. Or better yet, give your team a real incentive to achieve those smaller goals. Keep everyone motivated by rewarding smaller achievements NADA formula for calculating service absorption rate: Gross profit (parts + service + workshop) ÷ Dealer-adjusted overhead = absorption rate Check TVI MarketPro3 for more information on automotive marketing.
February 1, 2021 | 3 minutes of reading
Ideas for marketing automotive services to dealerships
As a dealership manager, you'll likely be scratching your head for automotive service marketing ideas to increase your RO. Dealers have numerous options when it comes to getting potential customers to visit their auto service department. Auto body shop marketing strategies can be as simple as getting word of mouth recommendations. Or it could be more involved digital and print marketing campaigns. Your dealer may not have a dedicated in-house automotive service marketing team. If you have internal marketing, it's probably primarily focused on the sales department. This makes the service department look a bit like the middle child. As a service manager, you may wonder how you can focus on services. How to do this if you have little or no marketing experience? Do not sell short. You have the ability to spread information and gain new customers. With a targeted marketing plan, these can be simple tasks that you'll incorporate into your daily, weekly, and monthly routine. Let's take a look at 5 Basic and Affordable Auto Service Marketing Ideas That Work for Any Business, Including Auto Service #1 Word of Mouth Existing customers are the most valuable form of marketing. People love to talk about their wonderful experiences. Ken Blanchard discusses this in his book Raving Fans. The book argues that turning customers into die-hard fans is a competitive advantage today. We all have friends who do. They are passionate about selling you a product or service they love without even knowing they are selling it. So how do we make our current customers work for us? First, you must give them something they like. Make sure their experience is unique and that they leave your service feeling that they were treated fairly and with respect. Pay attention to your Facebook feed the next time someone asks for a recommendation. People are coming out of the woodwork to throw their favorite companies into the comment mix. If their experience with your support team is excellent, there's no reason why they shouldn't throw your name in the hat when they ask a question. Second, ask them to spread the word. When you find a satisfied customer, ask them to tell all their friends. Ask them to submit a review on Google or Facebook. You can give them a referral card that gives them service credit for each referral. Bear in mind that enthusiastic fans often do this without being asked. They want to brag about the great service they've just received, but if they don't think so, they'll have to ask.#2 A Winning Website What do potential customers see when they visit your website? Is it just selling cars with the service department well hidden in the navigation menu? Are there clear messages about the service department? Does the website contain a clear call-to-action that encourages users to come to the service page? These are the questions you should be asking web developers. You should also ensure that the website is optimized for the service department's search engines. Too often, dealership websites focus on sales and completely miss the point of attracting customers who google their next oil change. #3 Google Maps Take a moment and do a Google search for 'oil change near me'. Chances are you'll see every quick or independent repair shop within a 10-mile radius. It's very unlikely that you'll see a dealer in the mix. An oil change may not bring much profit, but this is not the oil change business itself. It's another long game. David Boyle wrote an article on oil changes and tire sales in the September/October issue of Fixed Ops Magazine. He explains that dealers price an oil change very competitively, perhaps at a loss with the bigger picture in mind. The aim is to gain the customer's trust. This is also to encourage them to return for future services. If getting a customer an oil change is worth losing some profit, why don't dealers show up on Google oil change maps near me? Prioritize this as this is cruise control marketing once it launches Email Newsletter #4 Email is an essential part of automotive dealer service marketing. When collecting customer contact information, you can ask them to sign up for email newsletters. Make sure they know what this means to them, other than another email going to their junk folder. Explain what offers they will receive when the newsletter hits their inbox. Discounts on oil changes and free washes on some services are always a good reason to click through and open an email. Once they trust you with their precious email address, it's worth it. Not only should you include the promised great deals, but other content in your newsletter should also capture their interest. Include maintenance items and always focus on one team member. Thanks to this, your recipients will get to know your team better. Don't forget to write an attractive theme. Why would they open your email? How will the click benefit them? Here's what the thread should answer. It could be as simple as "$20 off coupon inside". If they know there's a $20 discount there, you can bet it's worth opening it #5 Social Media Marketing Ideas There are so many social media platforms out there, so which one is best for car repair marketing? automobiles? The simple answer is: what are you using. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter… the list goes on. To get started with social media marketing and stay consistent with it, you need to find the one you are most comfortable with and learn to use it well. Create compelling content for your followers. Of course, you need to send them offers and invite them every now and then, but the most important thing is to get them involved. When they're involved, you need to interact. If they comment on a car maintenance post you shared, respond to that comment without going straight to the question. Answer the questions about the vehicle, if it has one, and summarize the chat with "we'd be happy to arrange an oil change or (fill in the blank) service" for you. It's also worth looking at paid advertising on social media. You can set your budget, choose your target audience and focus on a specific area. Summary Auto parts and service departments must sell independently of auto sales to be effective. Create a routine that puts simple steps into practice so that your service unit gets the same (or more) traffic as your sales lot. Connect to TVI MarketPro3 for more information on automotive marketing.
January 18, 2021 | 5 minutes of reading
5 ways to increase your share of the fixed operations market
Every successful reseller must strive to continually grow market share for ongoing operations. Here are some processes you can implement that won't break the bank but help you reach your goal of having your own backyard. Stay Informed The best way to increase your market share and keep the competition at bay is to ensure you're up to date on how to keep up with your ever-changing customers. The struggle to consistently find new ways to engage existing or potential customers is REAL. Cell phones, email, social media and text messaging allow retailers to communicate with customers quickly and efficiently. Make sure you don't get lost in the shuffle and that messaging your customers will help maintain a positive relationship. Responding to Customers Until a few years ago, customers would call dealers and get an answering machine saying they would call back within 24 hours. This practice was acceptable. NOT NOW! Customers today expect immediate responses. You have to be quick with your answers, otherwise they will go to your competitor. Buyers are increasingly loyal to a company that can fix their problem right away. Shop your competition and see how long it takes them to respond and make sure you are faster. Get customer feedback on reviews According to a post by Bright Local, 86% of consumers browse online reviews of local businesses. 95% of 18-34 year olds will check your reviews. To maintain and ultimately gain market share, make sure all of your review sites are up to date and that your customers are actively leaving 5-star reviews. Offer Incentive Coupons Think coupons are a thing of the past? Think again. The recent Inmar Shopper Behavior Survey 2018 found that 90% of consumers use coupons, and 83% say these types of incentives are driving changes in shopping behavior. A successful coupon strategy is the best way to stay ahead of existing customers when targeting your competitors. Be flexible In the ever-changing and busy society we live in, car dealerships, especially service departments, need to be flexible. For example, most courses close between 5pm and 6pm on weekdays. This can make it difficult for people who work full time to visit. Think of one or two days a week when the unit will be open later. This can set you apart from the competition while showing customers that you are flexible. The quest to increase market share of stationary operations is an ongoing process. You can never stop trying to get new customers. After all, your competitors are probably trying to woo your customers right now. Visit TVI MarketPro3 for marketing tips and resources
February 4, 2020 | 2 minutes of reading
Urban legends about dealer service departments
Customers get a better deal on high speed lubricants. The "contract" itself is open to interpretation. You get what you pay for, right? Regular oil changes are essential to maintaining the life of your vehicle, so why miss out on dealership service departments? Why would you put your valuable asset in the hands of people who are NOT guaranteed experience in the automotive industry? Is it worth saving a few zlotys? I say "hopefully" to save a few dollars because that's a misnomer. Most of the time, dealers offer great deals on oil changes. Or even price match your customers to keep them coming back. To learn more about these types of special offers, visit the retailer's website. Check your email regularly for the coupons that support sends out each month. You can also visit the Kelley Blue Book and click on Car Repair Prices to get a good idea of repair prices at dealerships in your area. It takes longer to get to the dealer than the quick lube store. years. Now they realize their customers are busy. Customers don't have time to wait for their car to be fixed. To accommodate their customers' busy lives, most dealerships now offer car rentals, shuttle services, and even valet services. The best way to ensure you're not wasting time in the showroom is to make an appointment in advance and ask about a rental or valet service. Dealers will try to sell me something I don't need. Not all dealer service consultants are ethical. Dealers demand a much higher standard from their consultants than the quick lube center. Generally, manufacturers train service consultants. These professional dealers spent time and money training vehicles and the types of maintenance needed to keep them running. These automotive professionals are accountable to their customers, but also to CEOs, dealership owners, and the manufacturer. Your reward comes from providing exceptional customer service. Quick Lube Advisors do not need to be trained on specific vehicles. Therefore, most often they recommend spare parts and unnecessary service. Some fast distribution networks had to pay fines for referring customers to unnecessary services. Summary So we uncovered some misconceptions about dealer service departments. The basis is trust. If you trust the dealer to sell you the vehicle, it's safe to say you should trust the same people to keep it running. Visit TVI MarketPro3 for dealer marketing information.
January 29, 2020 | 2 minutes of reading
Coupons distinguish retailers and incentivize consumers
All business owners, especially in the automotive industry, are constantly trying to find new and innovative ways to attract and retain customers. This is critical to the success of any business. However, it is sometimes very difficult to determine which marketing plan will reach the largest audience and generate the best results. While you may be concerned that discounts on your products or services will negatively affect your bottom line, the right incentives can help you increase sales while building a loyal customer base. In fact, a recent Valassis study found that 90% of consumers use coupons. And 83% say coupons are driving changes in buying behavior. If you're looking for ways to advertise and grow your business, an effective coupon strategy would be beneficial. As with any other business marketing plan, the key is to make sure your offers resonate with your audience. We recently spoke with James Ayers, national director of sales and marketing at TVI-MarketPro3. Read the transcript below to find out what type of coupon works best for the stationary operations department. What's the best deal for a printable service coupon? I would say that the coupons that attract customers are the ones that offer something of value for free. For example, customers love free tire changes. This service does not take much time for technicians. But it's a great value for the consumer. What will take the customer from home to your service route? You must ensure that the offer is desirable and not misleading. Offer services that everyone can understand, regardless of demographics. Oil changes and tire rotation are good options to include in your offerings. And don't forget to replace the wipers and wash the car for free. These are all important factors for dealer service departments. Which coupon is the most searched for by digital search engines? Consumers looking for digital coupons are not much different from those using print. Everyone wants free oil changes, tires and loan offers. What kind of service offerings would you suggest dealers avoid? Physical operations departments should avoid coupons that customers cannot identify with. An example of this is the cooling system, the brake system or the power steering. The typical customer can't tell if they need a coolant flush, so avoid complex maintenance agreements. What is the best service package a reseller should advertise? It really depends on the make and model of the vehicle. Bundles are a tough sell to consumers because one size doesn't fit all when it comes to car maintenance. If the quote is for a truck that has driven 70,000 miles, it could include an oil change, tire change, power steering cleaning, and front and rear differential fluid change. And not all trucks use conventional oil. Some trucks require more oil than others. Some trucks have directional tires that are more difficult to turn, and not all vehicles require differential operation. This shows that combining services can sometimes be a difficult challenge TVI MarketPro3 Campaign Success Story I work with retailers across the country. I once visited a store in Florida that had just arrived. Two customers arrived while I was talking to the sales team. Everyone had coupons in their hands and asked for assistance. These types of interactions make me love doing what I do every day. You have at your disposal many sources of advertising that will successfully contribute to the development of your business. Coupons are often an effective way to attract new customers and grow your customer base. But you should weigh the pros and cons and consider all of your options before deciding on the best approach. Find out how TVI-MarketPro3 can help your department with regular operations. Book your visit today.
October 29, 2019 | 3 minutes of reading
Are you a SELLER or PARTNER?
Have your customers ever called you a supplier? Do you feel a little surprised because you think you deserve a much better title? This is a problem that plagues most merchants or account managers who take a consultative approach to customer acquisition. The term "salesman" has negative connotations for those who think they go the extra mile. They provide customers with the best product and/or the best service, so it's kind of a double-edged sword. A retailer promotes a product or service that customers need to grow their business. But they also have a financial interest in making sure they buy from them and not their competitors. It's hard to bridge the gap between selling something and being a consultant who provides much more than just product knowledge. Be more than just a salesperson. Sellers who work to secure a solid profit for their customers consider themselves partners. If a company wants to be successful, it must seek out these types of salespeople and use their knowledge to gain even greater insight into a given industry. It's naive to think of yourself as a partner if you only tell customers about your products and services. A true partner provides customers with a wealth of industry knowledge. They keep them informed about the competition and the market and demonstrate exceptional customer service beyond sales. Go beyond sales A partner will not only provide information to customers, but will also develop an equal trading status with their customers. Building that kind of relationship can take months or even years. This is a trusted working relationship that has many layers. If you want to be more than just a "vendor" for your customers, you need to spend time researching. To get the same business status, you need product and industry knowledge. Building Relationships To build lasting and impressive relationships, be sure to attend industry events locally and nationally. Find out about the competition. Find out what sets them apart from the competition and communicate effectively with your customers. Perfect knowledge of your product or service will make you an essential part of your customer's success. They will no longer consider you a vendor. Connect with TVI-MarketPro3 to learn more about our partnership.
October 7, 2019 | 2 minutes of reading
Sport prepares children for business
Whether it's soccer, volleyball, baseball or any other sport, parents believe that participating in organized sports helps to get the family out of the house, exercise and socialize. Let's not forget that sport also prepares children for business. Sport in general has many positive effects on children. Organized team games provide them with skills that will help them in all aspects of adult life. Let's talk about how sport prepares children for business. Teamwork No team has ever succeeded without cooperation, collaboration and working together to achieve a goal. Each member must overcome some of the strengths they have or overcome strong personalities to improve the team. It can be difficult for children, but learning to deal with it early ensures success as adults. Being a team player in the business world requires employees to learn to cooperate and compromise with their colleagues. These people probably don't share the same personality types. Although it can be difficult at times, they learn that cooperation and compromise lead to team success. Healthy competition A child is not going to win every competition or be the best athlete on the team. However, by experiencing losses and exposure to other top athletes, your child will develop a healthy competitive approach. Conflict ResolutionPhys.org researched two women's soccer teams. They found that girls' participation in soccer developed conflict resolution skills that they had not experienced before. The girls learned how to deal with problems with other players effectively and how to distract from situations. Professor Holt said: “It's about encouraging girls to deal with conflicts when they arise because it's a developmental experience. These things go beyond sports because that's what you have to do when you start working.” Confidence TheCDChas reports that physical activity alone increases self-esteem. We are physical beings who were not meant to sit for hours in front of a video game. If you are a physically active adult, feel fulfilled after beating your last performance at the gym. Children feel the same when they learn new skills and succeed as a team while playing. Having high self-esteem and self-confidence is extremely important when entering the workforce. Self-discipline In life, it is important to learn to train yourself to know your limits and goals.So you need to develop the self-discipline to dedicate the time needed to achieve those goals.Several studies show that children who play sports develop self-discipline that translates into class. If a child learns to set and achieve goals, the transition into the business world will be smooth. There are countless other ways that team sports teach kids business skills. Hard work, determination, team unity and even acceptance of failure, to name a few. The next time you're on the sidelines watching your child, remember what the game teaches about life.
September 20, 2019 | 3 minutes of reading
Testimonials from a member of the TVI-MarketPro3 team
Nick Shaffer, TVI MarketPro3 West Sales Director It's time for another edition of the wishes of a member of the TVI-MarketPro3 team. With job growth across the country, small businesses need to measure employee engagement correctly to retain employees who are hard working, motivated and positive. TVI-MarketPro3 is committed to creating a positive working environment for all team members. At the same time, TVI provides our partners with the best minds in the industry. Today we would like to introduce you to our Regional Director of Sales, Nick Shaffer. What motivates you to come to work every day I come to work every day not only to support my family, but also because I'm lucky enough to love what I do, who I do it with, and who I work for. What do you in your free time? I love spending my free time mountain biking, cooking, exercising and playing golf. What's your favorite movie? Order? Musician? And the superhero? I love the movie Avenger's Endgame, the book A Farewell to Arms, Metallica and Captain America. Who is your role model and why? My role model is my future self in 10 years. I regularly try to imagine exactly what I want to be in 10 years as a husband, father, professionally and individually. Whenever I can, I try to "step away" from my everyday micro-image and make sure I work on becoming that person. What is your favorite part of working at TVI MarketPro3? Everyone likes the feeling of doing something they're good at. In fact, Gallup research shows it's a major factor in job satisfaction. The feeling of genuine value for the work done is in the background. TVI-MarketPro3 largely meets these two factors. What are your personal future goals? Play an important role for TVI to surpass 10 million. revenue benchmark in 2020. Personally, I want to enable my wife to achieve her goals, train my children to continue their soccer successes, and develop the fitness level needed to compete in mountain bike racing. How do you consider yourself different from your peers? Don't worry, I have OCD. What do you spend the most time on every day and do you enjoy it? I spend 50% of my time analyzing the growth performance of the brick-and-mortar retailers I serve personally to ensure they get the best ROI through our unique marketing strategies. I often learn or develop an idea or strategy that I think might move the needle. It doesn't matter to me whether he moves the needle by 0.1% or 10%, I pursue him with equal determination. The other 50% of my time is spent taking my teammates with me so they can play at a level that surpasses mine. I try to surround myself with very talented, compassionate and driven people who want to take over my role one day. Teaching them is rewarding and motivating for me to constantly improve. Nick Shaffer is a well-respected fixed-trade trader with a track record of continued success in the industry. Follow us now to continue receiving testimonials from a member of the TVI-MarketPro3 team TVI Marketpro3 is an exciting and ever-changing company focused on teamwork and delivering the best marketing plans for ongoing operations for our partners.
September 17, 2019 | 3 minutes of reading
FAQs
What should I write in an employee performance evaluation? ›
Employee performance reviews should cover communication, collaboration, reliability, work quality, problem-solving, and timeliness. Give regular, informal feedback consistently. In formal reviews, be honest, hold face-to-face conversations, give relevant examples, and end on a positive note.
What should I write for areas of improvement on a performance review? ›- 1) Time management. Time management is crucial to your business's success. ...
- 2) Organization. Organization can make time management much easier. ...
- 3) Interpersonal communication. ...
- 4) Customer service. ...
- 5) Cooperation. ...
- 6) Conflict resolution. ...
- 7) Listening. ...
- 8) Written communication.
_________] Dear [Mr./Ms. Last Name]: This letter shall serve as a formal written reprimand and is to confirm in writing our discussion of [date] concerning your unacceptable [performance and/or conduct] and to establish my expectations which I have outlined in a Corrective Action Plan to be commenced immediately.
How do I write an employee corrective action plan? ›Explain clearly why the behavior or performance is a concern, including how it is impacting operations and other employees. Use direct and descriptive examples. Explain clearly the expected performance or behavior. Describe what will happen next if the performance is not corrected.
How do you write a negative performance review in a positive way example? ›During the review
For example, say, “I want your work to improve so that you can become a top performer.” Criticize constructively by explaining precisely what the employee must do to improve in nonjudgmental terms. For example, don't say, “You have poor time management” and leave it at that.
In regards to weaknesses in particular, descriptive phrases will let them know the exact area where they need to improve. For example, if your evaluation includes the phrase, “failed to meet project deadlines”, they will know they need to work on their time management skills in the future.
What is the best answer for areas of improvement? ›You can provide an answer that's easy to understand by describing particular skills you plan to develop or knowledge you want to gain. For example, rather than saying you want to become a better manager, you could say you want to improve your ability to delegate tasks.
What are your top 3 areas of improvements? ›- willingness to take risks.
- confidence.
- ability to ask for help.
- proactivity.
- thoroughness.
- prioritization.
- complex problem-solving.
- leadership.
- Limit distractions. ...
- Set milestones. ...
- Set clear and achievable goals. ...
- Avoid multitasking. ...
- Improve your time management. ...
- Do important tasks first. ...
- Delegate tasks whenever possible. ...
- Clear your workspace.
I just wanted to take a minute to apologize for my poor performance at work lately. I know that I have been coming in late and not completing my best work while on the clock. For this I am truly sorry and I take full responsibility.
What is an example sentence for poor performance? ›
Examples of poor performance
The result for some children may be poor performance at school or disturbed and delinquent behaviour. In such cases, the use of the standard gradient descent method will result in poor performance.
- deficient.
- disappointing.
- distressing.
- mediocre.
- regrettable.
- unacceptable.
- unsuitable.
- amiss.
This can include a range of things, such as employee training, disciplinary action and safety inspections. These actions can be part of a larger strategy or they may be standalone actions that have been developed in response to an incident.
What are the five areas for corrective action? ›- Step 1: Determine if the situation calls for it.
- Step 2: Conduct root-cause analysis (if applicable).
- Step 3: Work on the plan as a team.
- Step 4: Communicate and implement it.
- Step 5: Conduct follow-ups to ensure effectiveness.
Corrective action is a process of communicating with the employee to improve behavior or performance after other methods such as coaching and performance appraisal have not been successful. All employees are expected to meet performance standards and behave appropriately in the workplace.
How do you write a performance review for an employee with a bad attitude? ›- Make sure they know in advance that attitude is something you evaluate. ...
- Discuss how their approach affects results. ...
- Focus on the positive. ...
- Listen to their point of view. ...
- Begin sentences with “we” and “I,” not “you.”
- “Consistently meets sales goals”
- “Assists coworkers and helps them achieve their own goals”
- “Completes all tasks on time”
- “Works well with all members of their team”
- “Follows directions for all assigned tasks”
- “Displays effective leadership on a daily basis”
- Have an excellent work ethic and an engaging personality.
- Display a professional demeanor even when under pressure.
- Welcome challenges and work on them diligently.
- Our customers regularly ask to speak to this person by name.
- Strive for excellence in everything they do.
- Self-criticism.
- Shyness.
- Lack of knowledge of particular software.
- Public speaking.
- Taking criticism.
- Lack of experience.
- Inability to delegate.
- Lack of confidence.
- Self-criticism. I can be quite critical of myself, which can lead to negative self-talk and eventual burnout. ...
- Fear of public speaking. I am a naturally shy person. ...
- Procrastination. ...
- Issues with delegating tasks. ...
- Lack of experience with skill or software.
What is a good answer for greatest weakness? ›
Example: “My greatest weakness is that I sometimes have a hard time letting go of a project. I'm the biggest critic of my work. I can always find something that needs to be improved or changed. To help myself improve in this area, I give myself deadlines for revisions.
How to answer what are your weak points and areas for improvement? ›Answer “what is your greatest weakness” by choosing a skill that is not essential to the job you're applying to and by stressing exactly how you're practically addressing your weakness. Some skills that you can use as weaknesses include impatience, multitasking, self-criticism, and procrastination.
What action could be taken to improve your performance? ›Spend your time wisely on tasks that align with goals and prioritize tasks by impact. Organize your notes, email inbox, and workspaces for increased focus, motivation and time management. Take breaks throughout the day and practice a healthy work/life balance to avoid burnout.
What are your 3 strengths? ›- Enthusiasm.
- Trustworthiness.
- Creativity.
- Discipline.
- Patience.
- Respectfulness.
- Determination.
- Dedication.
- Schedule a meeting. When you decide you need to speak to an employee about their performance, you can schedule an informal, one-on-one meeting. ...
- Ask how they're doing. ...
- Explain missed expectations. ...
- Set clear goals and metrics. ...
- Offer to support them. ...
- Schedule a follow-up meeting.
- Be an active listener. Being a good listener is more important than being a good speaker. ...
- Incorporate feedback. ...
- Improve interpersonal skills. ...
- Use critical thinking. ...
- Adapt to situations. ...
- Practise endurance. ...
- Build leadership skills. ...
- Delegate tasks.
- Be Honest With Yourself. The key to answering “What areas need improvement?” well is to be honest with yourself. ...
- Give an Example. ...
- Show What You're Doing to Improve in Those Areas. ...
- Stay Positive. ...
- Keep Your Answer Short and Sweet.
- Clarify expectations of good performance. ...
- Explain consequences of poor performance. ...
- Monitor performance and provide specific feedback. ...
- Provide advice for improvement. ...
- Give them time to improve. ...
- Follow through on your consequences.
A PIP should include information on acceptable performance levels, specific and measurable objectives that are achievable, relevant, and time-bound, guidance on what management will do to assist the employee, details on progress meetings, and consequences for not meeting the objectives of the plan.
How do you tell an employee their performance is poor? ›- Create a safe space. ...
- Don't put it off. ...
- Recognise the problem, research the problem. ...
- Document and make clear what is happening. ...
- Don't ask why, find out why. ...
- Set/Re-Set Expectations.
What is a good sentence for the word performance? ›
The hall is usually used for orchestra performances. The critics loved her performance as the villain. A supervisor will evaluate each employee's performance.
What is low employee performance? ›Poor performance or underperformance often shows up as: Failure to do the duties of the role or meet the standard required. Non-compliance with workplace policies, rules or procedures. Unacceptable behaviour at work. Disruptive or negative behaviour that affects co-workers.
Is poor work performance a fault situation? ›Poor Work Performance falls under the broad heading of Incapacity. Poor work performance or failure by the employee to reach and maintain the employer's work performance standards in terms of quantity and quality of output is an ever increasing problem.
How do you discuss employee performance issues? ›- Let the employee know your concern. ...
- Share what you have observed. ...
- Explain how their behavior impacts the team. ...
- Tell them the expected behavior. ...
- Solicit solutions from the employee on how to fix the situation. ...
- Convey the consequences. ...
- Agree upon a follow-up date.
What should a self-performance review include? A self-performance review allows you to evaluate your work and overall job performance at an organization. It usually includes sections on your strengths, weaknesses, accomplishments, goals and feedback.
What comments should I write after a performance review? ›To thank your reviewer in your response, you might begin by writing something like, "thank you for the positive review" or "I am very grateful for your kind words." This is a simple way to show that you're thankful for the good feedback and for the time your reviewer spent evaluating your performance.
What is an example of a performance assessment? ›Examples of performance assessments include composing a few sentences in an open-ended short response, developing a thorough analysis in an essay, conducting a laboratory investigation, curating a portfolio of student work, and completing an original research paper.
What should I write in my self evaluation? ›- Goals (personal or assigned)
- Areas of accomplishment since last review.
- Insights on productivity.
- Areas of improvement since last review.
- Growth plan or professional development plan.
- Company values/personal values.
Make sure you reference your accomplishments in your review and highlight what you did well. For areas that need improvement, provide additional context for any questions you think your manager might ask, and share any details about how you approached a project or situation that shed light on its outcome.
How do you write an employee performance summary? ›- Review the employee's job description. Get a current copy of each person's job description and review the requirements. ...
- Highlight areas of improvement. ...
- Compare strengths and weaknesses. ...
- Recommend actionable goals. ...
- Provide constructive feedback. ...
- Welcome employee input.
How do you answer a performance assessment? ›
- Use natural responses. ...
- Review yourself first. ...
- Know your achievements. ...
- Take a moment. ...
- Have solutions ready. ...
- Ask your own questions. ...
- Request a review summary. ...
- What is your proudest accomplishment from the past year?
Performance assessment: This assessment measures how well students apply their knowledge, skills, and abilities to authentic problems. The key feature is that it requires the student to produce something, such as a report, experiment, or performance, which is scored against specific criteria.
What are performance tasks examples? ›While any performance by a learner might be considered a performance task (e.g., tying a shoe or drawing a picture), it is useful to distinguish between the application of specific and discrete skills (e.g., dribbling a basketball) from genuine performance in context (e.g., playing the game of basketball in which ...