Part 2…Selling Cars with Social Media

Side Note: No Snake Oil here just a rapid change in how we market today….well not really that rapid since we have been selling cars the same way for over 50+ years. Facebook is the third most visited site in the United States as of this post and growing quickly. YouTube is 4th and MySpace is 5th. Source: www.alexa.com

The snow has melted, the sun is shining and your feeling like it is a brand new year and you are not going to allow the negative Nancy’s to hold you back since all they are trying to do is sell some newspapers or increase 5 and 10pm news ratings while in fact they are chasing their once loyal audience away with all the doom, gloom and negativity!

The Fact Is…People want to be happy and worry free oh and they are still buying cars since buying a new car is a happy time so put a smile on your face and give the people what they want…a shiny new car!

So let’s get started,

The big difference is shoppers are not going to the newspaper like they use to months and years past but shoppers are going online and they are actually spending more time online than with newspapers, radio, TV, and magazines combined. I am not saying traditional media is a waste, quite the contrary it is still a viable source and needed but with Social Media YOU as an individual sales person can do something TODAY and EVERYDAY that will increase your income this month, next month and next year. I can also promise you put the effort in you will be part of the 80/20 rule. 20% of the people make 80% of the money!

Let’s say Joe “future” Carbuyer decides it’s time to get a new Ford F150 so what could have inspired him to think it’s time to shop?

A friend or neighbor is driving a new car
There is a need e.g. for work or play
Repair bills are climbing
Just an impulse
Cool TV commercial
Etc.

The point I want to make is people start the buying process by talking about their want or need with friends and at times with complete strangers at a gas station, water cooler chat or Social Impulse. People like to talk and you have the opportunity to part of the conversation or should I say you have the opportunity to build your Word of Mouth sales force with Social Media.

So let’s say you were (Ricky the car salesman) that sold Sally “past” Carbuyer an F150 two months ago and she pulls into a gas station and Joe “future” Carbuyer is admiring Sally’s F150 so they start talking since he wants a new F150 BAD!.

Would Sally feel connected to you and be able to say oh call my friend Ricky or actually would Sally even remember your name or were you just a sales guy that sat in the back seat as she took the test drive with a smile on her face?

She would feel loyal if you connected with her on a personal level on a friend level and again this is why I feel and seen a tool like Facebook is a powerful tool every salesperson should make part of their daily habits!

Facebook is a powerful database that could make the difference of 3-5 cars per month or 25-35 cars per month depending on how you work it and your dedication.

So let’s continue from my last post of how you can become a Facebook Pro = Top Performing Ricky the car salesman!

You should now have your Facebook page set-up, pictures of you, your friends, your family, and have all information complete e.g. YOUR PHONE NUMBER, EMAIL ADDRESS, YOUR DEALERSHIP…anywhere in the facebook profile it asks for information complete it and please don’t do it all in CAPS since this is NOT REY REY and all CAPS means your YELLING. Use correct grammar and spell check since it is the impression that counts.

Some things not to do:
Write anything your Mom would be embarrassed about
Play Mafia Wars during the workday…You Know Who You Are
Partake in any groups/pages that could be questionable or offend
Don’t be passing drinks
Don’t be doing pokes or super pokes
Don’t pester people with numerous request

Now some things you should do…

Do share and be part of the conversation be an asset to the Facebook community.

Below your actual profile picture is a box you can edit and add some information to…use this box as your elevator pitch. If you don’t have an elevator pitch then it’s time to come up with one. Note: If you don’t have an actual profile picture you are wasting your time so get some real pictures on that profile and leave the cheese head picture out of the profile section pictures be professional but not stuffy. (You will be using this same picture on all of your profiles which we will talk about in more detail later on in future post since there is more than Facebook). Make sure the picture represents you in the best light since again this is the first impression at times.

In the top right corner of your facebook page you will see the “Search” box and this is where I want you to Search for local groups and pages to become part of. So for example if I was selling cars I would enter “Schenectady” in the search box and join local groups and pages that make sense having to do with Schenectady, hence these are locals that I want to connect with.

Now that you have joined some groups/pages it’s time to partake in the conversation and I don’t mean with post like “Hi I am Ricky the Car Salesman so Call me I have Cars for Sale” I mean become social and partake in the topics.

Let’s pretend again I am selling cars in Schenectady, NY and just joined the page “Downtown Schenectady” so to partake in the conversation I would review previous wall post and comment on post that I could actually comment on and not sound like I am just trying to highjack the wall post. To take this further let’s assume on the Downtown Schenectady Facebook page there was talk about a new restaurant opening called Bombers Burritos and I went there for lunch. I could shoot some pictures on my iPhone and post it to the Downtown Schenectady Facebook Page/Group talking about how great my lunch was…this will drive conversation and allow you to stand out and connect.

You are thinking this has nothing to do with selling cars? You are right and you are wrong since it is a numbers game and FRIENDS BUY FROM FRIENDS AND FRIENDS RECOMMEND FRIENDS! I AM YELLING HERE…THE MORE PEOPLE YOU KNOW AND THE MORE PEOPLE KNOW WHAT YOU DO… THE MORE CARS YOU WILL SELL! Again it’s a numbers game!!!

Now that you have joined some groups/pages and our partaking in the conversation let’s move over to adding more friends, friends are good if you sell cars or widgets.\

Click on the Friends tab across the top blue Facebook bar and select add friends then you will see “Suggestions” and this is where I want you to add these people since they are connected to you in some way. Don’t be Shy? ADD THEM but don’t go crazy since Facebook does watch this so only add 10 or so every few days. You do want to sell them a car? Don’t you? So add these people.

Ok on this same page you will see ‘Find People You Email” and this is where that Gmail account is going to come in handy from the last post. Enter your information and whooosh it will pull the contacts in you have automatically and if they are on Facebook they will receive your friend request and if they are not they will receive a request asking them to join.

Again on this same page “Search for People” so let’s say you have some post it notes, business cards, and napkins with past customers and leads names and email address so this is where you want to search for them. I want you to invite everyone…AGAIN EVERYONE. Do not pre qualify anyone since every person you know has a car and will need another car in the short term! They also know many people that will be purchasing a car soon so the question is will they know who Ricky the car salesperson is and how to contact him quickly? They will if he is on the best Contact Management System in the World AKA Facebook! This is your chance to become part of the gas station, water cooler talk or social talk.

Add the cars.com rep, autotrader.com rep, newspaper rep, radio rep, TV rep, bathroom supplies rep, past customers, past ups that bought else where, ADD EVERYONE…even add your own Mother!!! Add your competition but don’t spam their wall with who you are that is not cool but it is cool to watch what they are doing and learn from their success and not so successful attempts.

NOW FOR SOME TASKS…

Go to Wal-Mart and invest in a Flip Video 30 minutes for $49.00 yes a video camera for $49.00…I love technology :). Don’t make excuses of why you can’t get one it is so cool and uploads to Facebook, and YouTube among others with ease!

So you have a camera in your cell phone and I want you to use this whenever possible but I want you to use the Flip Video many times per day….I love my HD Flip!

Let’s say you have a delivery today….Then flip video the customer saying how excited they are and how YOU Ricky the Car Sales Guru is the better than Barry White and a bottle of Chilled Wine on a First Date with their High School Sweetheart…or just maybe how you made the car buying process a blast.

Now upload that video to your facebook profile and tell the customer what you are doing with the video so they can be sure to be your friend on facebook and they will tell their friends and family to check it out! This means “WORD OF MOUTH MARKETING FOR YOU” It also means that customer approves of you and you are not just another sales person but someone they trust! You are RICKY the Sales Dude! Did I mention these people can now also become your “Social Friends on Facebook” which means they can come to know your charm and wit so when it’s time to recommend or buy you will be the one on their short list.

If you are not excited about the possibilities at this point then hold a mirror to your nose to make sure you are breathing…you have never had this many opportunities before that will guarantee a substantial increase of your income!

In addition to the video be sure to shoot a picture of the delivery that you will also be uploading to facebook and tag the people in the photos “in other words Friend your customers and tag them in the photos” when you do this the pictures will show up on their profile page for all of their friends and family to see it came from you.

Let’s use the Flip Video and Facebook for getting new leads now. Say you just received a new Hybrid Fusion Sport then shoot some video of the car and talk about it then using the pre-installed software on the Flip add your name, dealership, email address and phone number to the titles and overlays then upload it to Facebook. If you are thinking wow this sounds to difficult then find a 10 year old to help you seriously little people are growing up with these tools and it comes natural as where is seems the older population (35+) seem to fight it, instead of having fun with it. You can’t break anything I promise.

Also Post a video of you talking about your referral program “Bird Dog” e.g. send a customer to me and I will pay you XX?

Post a video of what is special about your dealership that is unique e.g. Free Car Washes, Free Service Pickup and Return, $300 worth dry cleaning coupons with purchase, Tires for Life, etc.

Does your dealership have a softball team or bowling league then shoot everyone having fun.

Dealership cookouts, St Jude Events, Child Safety Seat Checks shoot video to show you are not a bad person just wanting their hard earned income. Also use your page to promote these events to your Facebook friends.

Do you have a monthly newsletter than grab some content and share but please talk about more than just sales….BE SOCIAL!

Title these videos accordingly and tell them it is an exclusive offer but don’t get caught up in the Sunday, Sunday, Sunday all cars must go CHEESE. This is the long term and the numbers will grow.

Another feature to add:

On the bottom left…the very bottom you will see small type that says “Applications” click there and do a search for MyCalendar then click “add to my page” you can use this or one of the others to keep up with special dates such as past and future customers birthdays so you can wish them a Happy Birthday and Send an Ecard. When was the last time you sent a Birthday card to a past or future customer? This is usually only done my Maverick Sales People that live in the big house on the lake and don’t take ups and only schedule appointments 3 days per week. You say that is not possible in today’s doom and gloom and I say you are wrong since I do know some of these Mavericks and yes while all the negative press has affected their numbers, they are still doing extremely well.

Invest in the tools and your success will only be limited by you willingness to partake in the conversation.

I will close this post by saying “To Be Continued since next Post has tools that will make you smile when you deposit your next comm check.

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