Digital Dealer - June 2018 - 27

of mine titled "Tell Your
Story," which can be
found here: digitaldealer.
com/tell-your-story/.
One of the dealerships I've been associated with for more than 25
years, Galpin Motors in
Los Angeles, has had an
employee referral program in place for many
years, often selling more
vehicles from employee
referrals than the average new car dealer sells
in a year! The Boeckmann family has always
considered every team
member a part of their
extended family, and it
shows in the enormous
brand recognition, trust
and 'earned media' they
have garnered in one of
the most competitive environments in America.

IDEAS FOR
POWERING-UP
THE MARKETING
POTENTIAL OF THE
ENTIRE TEAM:

 MAKE IT
PERSONAL! Every

employee has an email
address. Ask permission
to include them on all
team email notifications
for special events and
occasions. Include a
link that allows them
to opt out. At least four
times a year, share
business highlights
and milestones via
email, on a printed
piece included with an
employee's paycheck,
or even better, share
these updates during a
'gather-round' meeting

at the dealership staged
in shifts.
 SHARE THE LOVE.
Recognize team members for events important
to them personally (i.e.
birthdays, the birth of children, special milestones).
 SHARE THE CAKE.
Once a month put out a
cake...or maybe a few
pans of cupcakes recognizing the birthdays that
occurred that month!
 SHARE THE
SANDWICHES. It's
amazing what you can
learn from, and how you
can endear yourself to
groups of team members
at a picnic table, break
room, etc.
 SHARE THE FUN.
At least once a year, even
better if it's twice a year,
do something fun with
the entire team and even
their families. You could
host a team day at a
local amusement park, a
holiday party, or sporting
event. Make it casual!
Get ideas from team
members on what they
would like to do!
 TAKE THE TIME
TO WALK THE TALK!

The bigger your organization, the more powerful
a thank-you-in-public is
when delivered by the
dealer and/or GM. Offer
a thank you not just for
sales but for every meaningful contribution to the
team's success.
 ASK FOR INPUT.
Often the best ideas on
productivity come from a
team member who sees

challenges and opportunities up close on a daily
basis. An occasional,
informal survey on an operational issue can offer
great insight.
 EXPLAIN THE
BUSINESS TO
EVERYONE! Every team

member should be aware
of what the business is
all about, including how
the revenue is derived,
what the expenses are,
and what the competitive
challenges are.
 ASK FOR HELP IN

INCREASING REVENUE
AND CONTROLLING
EXPENSES! Consider an

employee referral/friend
and family program with
recognition and gifts for
top performers in every
department! Offer rewards for ideas that could
be implemented to control
expenses.
Over the past year, I've
written several articles
on recognizing the
importance of dealership
employees as the most
crucial factor in building
brand trust. With every
passing day, that factor increases in value.
Customers are savvier
than ever, with more
than 80% of shoppers
doing research before
visiting a dealership. The
good news is, customers
are doing less legwork,
shopping fewer dealerships. Closing rates at the
final flange of the funnel
are potentially higher if a
shopper's expectations
are met and exceeded,

and the key to that happening is team members
who act like owners on
every level of contact.
No matter how small
the dealership, the
owner can't be expected to have a constant
front-line interface with
shoppers. No matter
how large, the owner can't afford to hire
enough executive-level
managers to monitor
the contact of every
customer. It all comes
down to the actions and
response of every single
team member. Every lot
person, every service
writer, every technician,
every receptionist,
every single associate,
must understand what
the dealership brand
represents, and how important it is to treat every
visitor the way they want
to be treated.
Lastly, here are two
articles you might find
helpful:
 "Platinum Rule
Marketing" (digitaldealer.
com/platinum-rule-marketing/)
 "Your People ARE
Your Brand" (digitaldealer.com/your-people-areyour-brand/)
JIM BOLDEBOOK is

Founder of CBC Automotive
Marketing, an advertising/
marketing agency working
with some of America's most
successful dealerships. He
has been in the broadcasting,
advertising and marketing
fields for almost 50 years.
EMAIL: jim@cbcads.com

D I G I TA L D E A L E R . C O M

JUNE 2018

27
http://digitaldealer.com/platinum-rule-marketing/ http://digitaldealer.com/platinum-rule-marketing/ http://digitaldealer.com/platinum-rule-marketing/ http://www.digitaldealer.com/your-people-are-your-brand http://www.digitaldealer.com/your-people-are-your-brand http://www.digitaldealer.com/your-people-are-your-brand http://www.DIGITALDEALER.COM
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Digital Dealer - June 2018
