Sell F&I on Facebook? Dealers make it work

Jamie LaReau
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Automotive News | January 11, 2012 – 12:01 am EST

Using Twitter or Facebook to sell vehicles is daunting enough. But using them to boost F&I may seem like a herculean chore. Nevertheless, some dealerships are doing just that. The key is to post finance deals and aftermarket products right alongside vehicle photos and, most important, customer testimonials on social media sites, say dealers and social media experts.

Mike Milian says he can sell just about anything through social media, including F&I. He owns Corvette Mike New England in Plymouth, Mass. Milian says he sells 400 used sports cars, mostly Corvettes, a year. On Nov. 29, he bought a 2007 Chevrolet Corvette convertible at auction. He immediately snapped a picture of it, then posted the photo, a description and some special finance rates for the car on his Facebook and Twitter pages. Within 48 hours of posting the 2007 Corvette and the finance deal on Facebook, a customer called and financed it through a lender Milian found. Then, the customer bought chrome wheels and a service contract when he took delivery. “I made money on the front end and the back end,” Milian says. “The guy never would have seen that car if he wasn’t Facebooking.”

Leverage the testimonial:

At Courtesy Chevrolet in Phoenix, building a rapport with customers often equates to an ability to pitch anything, including F&I, says Jason Church, Courtesy’s Internet and business development director. Courtesy sells about 2,800 new and used vehicles annually. Church promotes some finance deals through social media, and he eventually hopes to pitch aftermarket goods that way as well through customer’s testimonials. “There is a huge opportunity there. We do it a little bit, but there’s more to be had,” Church says. “The way to do it is with testimonials and video testimonials about aftermarket accessories.” For example, if a person buys a Chevrolet Camaro and orders a custom paint job, then tweets a photo and talks about how good the Camaro looks, Church says that sort of testimonial will get other potential customers enthused. “If someone goes onto a public site and writes about their experience, I can leverage that experience,” Church says. “I can cut and paste it on my Facebook page and post: ‘Here’s so and so raving about their experience and this product.’” Church has done some of that using free tools such as Google Alerts that indicates each time his store is mentioned online. He tracks those postings. “In the old world, the customer would leave the dealership and I’d never see them again,” Church says. “Now we can manage feedback.”

Pulling conversations:

Getting a glowing customer testimonial is more than just a case of good luck, says Walter Osterman, owner of social media marketing agency Social Mavens in New York. “You have to pull the conversations out of people by posting on your Facebook or Twitter: ‘If you have a good experience, please talk about it.’ Or Post: ‘Have you bought chrome wheels recently? What did you think?’” Osterman says. He even recommends asking: “What don’t you like about your car?” The answers could prompt a social media dialogue where the dealership can suggest aftermarket products to improve whatever the customer does not like about their vehicle. Osterman also has his client, Courtesy Chevrolet, videotape all customers after they buy a vehicle and post the positive customer reviews on YouTube, Osterman says. If a dealer tapes 100 video testimonials, a few are bound to be good enough to post on YouTube. Then the dealer can Facebook post the video testimonials, tweet about them, build a page on the dealership Web site for them and tag it so if someone searches the dealership or other key words, the videos come up. “And that’s small money spent to help the F&I manager,” Osterman says. “That’s just one more tool to try.”

Google to change how websites market themselves!

This was such an interesting article about how Google will be changing the search engine parameters, in 2012, I wanted to reprint it. I found it on LinkedIn

Chevrolet’s Early Dealers

In the early 1900′s, most Chevrolet dealers did not just sell cars. In addition to cars, these dealers were also shopkeepers who sold hardware, harnesses, wagons, bicycles and tires. Other dealers blacksmiths, electricians and locksmiths. Cars were delivered by train, six to a car. The cars were shipped in pieces so when the cars were taken off the train, they were towed to the shop where the dealers had to install the windshields, steering wheels, tops and bumpers.

Today, Chevrolet cars are sold in over 100 countries via thousands of dedicated dealers. Expected 2012 global sales could top 14 million vehicles. Chevrolet is currently celebrating it’s 100 year anniversary!

Soap Box Derby

In 1933 Myron Scott, a photographer for a Dayton, Ohio newspaper, put together an impromptu race for 19 boys. There was so much interest that Scott arranged a bigger race, with prize money. An amazing crowd of 362 kids showed up with homemade cars built of orange crates, sheet tin, wagon and baby-buggy wheels. The following year, the first All-American race was held on August 19. The national winner was Robert Turner of Muncie, IN, who made his car from the wood of a saloon bar. Robert Turner received a $500 scholarship from Chevrolet for his win – a great deal of money during the depression. An accident in 1935 captured the public’s interest, and boosted the event’s profile. A car went off the track and struck NBC’s top commentator and sportscaster Graham McNamee while he was broadcasting live on the air. Despite a concussion and other injuries (which would necessitate a two-week hospital stay), McNamee described the collision to his listeners and finished his broadcast.

In 1971, girls were allowed to compete. Today, celebrities attend the event which now has 6 divisions to accommodate different age classes. Hundreds of cars and tens of thousands of spectators are now in attendance. The event has grown so large that AKA Media gets creative and provides an AASBD race week landing page featuring all the Soap Box Derby Social Media outlets.

Our Wounded Veterans also need Jobs

In our current economy jobs are very difficult to find and there are so many Americans looking. My heart goes out to them. Now imagine being more than 30 percent disabled from an injury suffered in Iraq or Afghanistan. The Defense Department is trying to help. It’s calling on federal employers and those in the private sector to find jobs for the veterans who have been wounded during military service. In addition to the federal government, we should all try to remember our disabled veterans. There are many resources for the veterans to chose from and we as business owners can keep them in mind. After all, there will be some brilliant, hard working, dedicated, respectful men and women applying.

If you are not in a position to hire, then we can donate our time. As you can imagine, there is an amazing amount of adaptive athletes on the rise. Organizations like Disabled Sports USA dedicates themselves to hosting and running events. Of course, there are so many more.

Networking Success

In my opinion, the real goal of networking is to help the other person. A long time ago, I read a book by Harvey Mackay titled “Dig Your Well Before You Are Thirsty.” Harvey reiterates this message over and over. If you just kept doing favors and remembering your colleagues, then when it is time to ask for a favor, they will be more then happy to help you. Another good tip is “not to expect anything from anybody.” It is actually a good feeling to help another person. Why not think that way in business? If you help others that you meet, not expecting anything in return… you will be pleasantly surprised. Finally, meet as many people as you can. Breakfasts, lunches, cups of coffee or just walking to a meeting with them, talk to as many people as you can.

You Can Run But Cannot Hide

A Corvette dealer in Plymouth,MA bought a 1978 Corvette that was left in a barn for 33 years! Did I tell you that the car was the Indy Pace car that year and still to this day, only has 13 miles on it. Corvette Mike New England told the owner “do not touch the dust, it adds value.”  The car is in pristine condition from headlights to taillights, despite a thick blanket of dust that has built up over 33 years.  The 1978 Indy Pace Car Corvette sitting in the showroom of Corvette Mike New England was uncovered last month from a barn in Detroit, MI.  She’s not been driven in 33 years and has logged only 13 miles.  The interior still has that ‘new car’ smell and the plastic from the factory still covers the bucket seats and steering wheel.  Everything is original, right down to the dealer’s key ring.  It is a brand new 1978 Corvette.

The previous owner bought the car in 1978 as an investment and never drove it.  In 1995 he sold his house and moved into a high rise apartment and had no place to put the car, so he put it in a barn.  He then locked the door and walked away from it, never looking at it for 16 years.      About a month ago he decided to get rid of the car because he could use the money.  The collectable was buried under boxes and has never been covered.  However, the car was undamaged.  So they pumped up the original tires, pulled it out of the building and brought it to Plymouth, MA.  Even the half a tank of the 33 year old gas didn’t even hurt the car.  In fact the only thing that had to be changed was a dead battery.  The car started right up!

Adaptive Sports & Social Media

People with disabilites may have been born with their specific disability or unfortunately acquired their disability through an accident or event. Of the people who were not born with their disability, many were (and still are), very competitive athletes. Adaptive sports enables individuals to move pass their physical limitations and experience the thrill of competing, racing, falling, to name a few. There are many techniques and equipment available to create opportunities for people with amputations, paraplegia, quadriplegia, birth defects, cerebral palsy, head injury, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, stroke, visual impairment and more.

There are a wide range of sports that have been adapted to be played by people with varying types of disability, as well as several that are unique to disabled sports. Within each movement, different sports are practised at different levels.

Social Mavens not only has a passion for adaptive sports, we work with experts in adaptive ski, adaptive snowboarding, adaptive water skiing and surfing, and more. Please let us know of any ideas that you may have to fuel our enthusiasm through the use of social media. Email us at buzz@socialmavens.com

MLB Playoffs on “The Wall”

Back in early September, no baseball fan anywhere would have predicted that both the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves would need to win their final games of the season in order to make the playoffs. After all, the Red Sox held a commanding nine game lead in the American League wild card standings over their division rival Tampa Bay Rays, while the Braves held a similar eight and a half game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals. But after suffering unthinkable September swoons, the Sox and Braves headed into the final game of the season tied with the Rays and Cards respectively, and in jeopardy of owning the two worst collapses in baseball history. The ensuing action resulted in arguably the greatest night of baseball ever played. Despite leading most of the game, Boston succumbed to a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles after Baltimore staged a dramatic comeback in the bottom of the ninth inning. Mere minutes after walking off the field at Camden Yards, the Sox learned that the Rays overcame a seemingly insurmountable seven run deficit against the New York Yankees in extraordinary fashion with a walk-off home run in extra innings. Meanwhile, the Braves battled with the heavily favored Philadelphia Phillies into extra innings before falling 4-3 in the thirteenth frame, thus surrendering their wild card berth to St. Louis.

Will baseball’s postseason (which begins tonight) provide fans with as much drama and excitement as the conclusion of its regular season did? The answer to this question is as unpredictable as the historic collapses of the Sox and Braves. But no matter what happens as baseball’s eight best teams battle for supremacy over the next month, you will be able to follow all of the action in more ways than ever before through “The Wall,” a brand new blog on www.mlb.com. “The Wall” features daily blog reports, pictures and poll questions detailing all of the action leading up to the Fall Classic. Additionally, “The Wall” provides fans with up-to-the-minute Twitter updates from the @MLB Twitter account, as well as a link to the MLB Facebook page, which connects baseball fans all over the globe. Are you interested in following the MLB playoffs through social media? Let Social Mavens help you experience by joining the millions of people on Twitter and Facebook worldwide and enhance your enjoyment of the Fall Classic today.

Social Media & NBA Players

Usually around this time of year, basketball fans nationwide are filled with anticipation as their favorite NBA teams gather for training camp and prepare for the upcoming season. This year is much different, however, as fans are instead anticipating the season being canceled entirely. Due to an impending lockout following the expiration of the league’s collective bargaining agreement, all NBA activity has been brought to a complete halt. And even after extensive labor negotiations between the league’s Players’ Association and team owners, neither side is budging, and no progress has been made. With the upcoming season in serious jeopardy, several NBA players are considering other options. More than 50 NBA players have signed or are in the process of signing contracts with basketball teams overseas, and over 100 others have publicly shown interest in the idea of playing abroad. Additionally, at least 60 NBA players have made plans to form an alternate league of NBA players in Las Vegas.

Although NBA activity has been permanently suspended until further notice, social media activity surrounding the NBA and its players remain rampant. Amid the ongoing lockout, several players have resorted to Twitter as a way of reaching out to fans and keeping them updated. Some have used Twitter in order to announce their plans to play overseas or in Las Vegas. Others have utilized Twitter as a venue to thank fans for their patience and to state their intentions to proceed with their offseason training regime with the expectation of the season beginning on time. Perhaps the player with the most intriguing Twitter page during the lockout is NBA Players’ Association president Derek Fisher, who is the first to receive news from labor negotiations, and has the responsibility of voicing the concerns of the players. Recently, Fisher relied on his Twitter page as a way of speaking on behalf of the players when he tweeted “We want to go back to work.” Are you interested in following the activity of NBA players on Twitter? The NBA’s season may be stuck in a standstill, but news about the league and its players continue to circulate on social media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook and blog sites.