It had originally been intended as a one-off event, yet according to Scott Neil, Managing Director, Autos and Housing at Kijiji, the inaugural DealerTalk conference was so well received in 2013 that the team quickly got to work planning a second event.
Canadian auto dealer Publisher Niel Hiscox, served as Emcee, and introduced the ever energetic and engaging Paul Potratz, who was the first featured speaker of the day.
ALL ABOUT PROCESS
In his address entitled Digital Marketing: You Could be Wasting Thousands, Potratz talked about process. Many dealerships struggle with their digital marketing strategy, and it is often due to a lack of proper process in place. He also said that the buck stops with management. “If your sales are down, if your conversions are down and your website traffic, it is because of you.”
Potratz noted that when it comes to digital marketing, many dealer websites suffer from being a “laundry list,” emphasizing vehicle specs and price. “Bounce rates are 18.2 per cent, because most websites simply don’t have content.”
Potratz said that while it’s impossible to control human behaviour, adding quality content to dealership websites is still a surefire way to boost traffic, conversions and ultimately closing rates. “Your website needs to become research. You need to have this mindset. Consumers have tunnel vision and the Internet is called the Information Super Highway. So why are you making it so hard for them to do business with you?”
Potratz said that both advertising and marketing go hand-in-hand and that it was important for dealers to understand the need to build relationships with consumers and to keep search topics relevant to the audience.
THINKING DIFFERENTLY
Part of what made DealerTalk a hit last year was the chance for dealers in the audience to hear from a fellow dealer about their own experiences. This year, Jason Craine, President and dealer principal from Mills Motors Buick GMC in Oshawa, Ont. took to the stage and discussed the Top 10 Things to Implement in 2014.
Craine’s story is quite remarkable in itself.
Coming from outside the industry he was able to bring fresh ideas to the table and helped turn Mills Motors into one of the most active and successful stores in Canada when it comes to digital marketing.
He talked about Moneyball Metrics, referring to Billy Beane’s theory of management and what mattered most — getting a player to first base.
Craine said that in reference to digital marketing, Mills Motors doesn’t approach it like a dealership but more like a media network such as Fox or HBO. “We have to have a skill set in-house to write, produce, add graphics and create videos. At Mills, content is a core product that comes in the form of entertainment and intelligence. We pack it up and distribute it through all the channels that are available to us.”
Theo Fleury (left) and Scott Neil, Managing Director, Autos and Housing, Kijiji
DON’T QUIT BEFORE THE MIRACLE
During the lunch break, attendees got a chance to not only nibble and network but also hear from a very special guest speaker, NHL superstar and Stanley Cup winner Theo Fleury. Despite his gritty determination and tremendous success and fame, for much of his life Fleury was dogged by dark clouds, having suffered abuse at the hand of one of his mentors when he was young.
Fleury released his book Playing with Fire in 2009 and it struck a chord with hundreds of thousands of people across the country. “The greatest gift I have been given is the gift of forgiveness,” he said. Today, Fleury devotes considerable time and energy to helping others that have suffered from abuse and said that no matter how far you might fall down the ladder you can always find a way back up. “Don’t quit before the miracle,” he said as the crowd gave Fleury a standing ovation.
THE LONG GAME
After lunch, attendees were eager to hear Keynote Speaker Jay Baer, marketing strategist and best-selling New York Times author, who discussed the idea of “Utility Marketing.”
“This is marketing so useful,” said Baer, “that people will pay for it.” He cited an example of Hilton hotels helping a young graduate find a job and that by doing so, when that person decides to travel and look for a place to stay, Hilton is likely the first hotel chain to come to mind.
He said that Utility Marketing doesn’t require a lot to execute but it’s important to understand what is relevant to your customers, that way you’ll win in the end. He referred to it as playing the “Long Game” — understanding that while there might be no initial reward for implementing such useful marketing, the long-term benefits can be huge.
“If you teach better, you will sell more, in every brand, in every line throughout the world,” he said. Baer also noted that trust is the “prism through which all business success must pass” and the best way to gain trust is to be “radically honest.”
GROUP FOCUS
Following Baer’s speech and a networking break, the day’s featured speakers got together for a panel discussion, moderated by Canadian auto dealer Publisher Niel Hiscox. Audience participation was lively and the panelists talked about some of the key issues facing dealers when it comes to promoting and marketing their business.
Paul Potratz said that “marketing was like dating” and that dealers really need to focus on building meaningful relationships.
Jason Craine — citing his dealership’s blog, said that by creating good content, the impact on actual business and the bottom line can be huge. “We posted 85 blogs about winter tires,” he said. “We talked about just about every kind of winter tire we stocked.” When the first snowfall of the year came, Craine said that website traffic went through the roof and that the parts department was struggling to keep up with demand.
Jay Baer said that for dealers, persuasive marketing can be created not via cars themselves but things related to them, such as providing free window ice scrapers, gas cards or coffee mugs. “Your role is to make yours a better dealership. The brand you represent is secondary to what you deliver, which is service, value and being part of the community.”
