By Kristen Judd
If I had a dollar for every time a dealer told me that he or she was “visual,” I’d have enough money to buy a few of their cars. Still, there is a reason why infographics are popular and presentations with less copy are generally more effective. Many people are visual learners. When data and information is visualized well it becomes more accessible and lends itself to strategic thinking and longer-term planning. Going one step further, when this data is connected to a powerful marketing engine and a content library chock full of high-quality assets, it becomes immediately actionable. After all, as a very wise operator once told me, the data that matters the most to a dealer is data he or she can market on and/or train on. We’ve never forgotten this and return to it again and again when we develop our reporting and analytics products.
Marketing should not operate in a vacuum. Marketing and sales need to work hand-in-hand in order to make the most of the opportunities being developed through the marketing efforts and truly maximize the investment, but this does not always happen. All too often the marketing and sales are both operating without proper visibility into the other and without coordination. Should the marketing end and the dealership’s good sales process take over? If so, when? When a conversion to a lead happens? When the phone rings or a chat takes place? When the consumer walks into the dealership? Should there be a handoff? Should your marketing strategy include continuing to progress even the lowest funnel leads and opportunities? Is there a point at which the typical sales process should yield to an ongoing marketing and communication strategy for leads that are not pacing the typical in-market cycle? What are the resources and processes followed by the dealership related to lead management and e-commerce? How should the interest, intent, and opportunities developed through marketing activities best be pursued by dealership staff in a manner that provides a quality consumer experience?
Of course, these questions and the efforts to coordinate become more complicated when more partners, vendors, and products are added to the equation. Instead of working like a beautifully choreographed dance, it’s more like a crowded sidewalk with everyone walking quickly while looking down at their phones and texting. At best, each person is completely unaware of what the other is doing, but at worst, people are crashing into each other and getting hurt.
We like to know about our clients’ in-store processes and resources as well as other partners so that we can combine efforts to extend reach and maximize the return. Our new Blue Sky Dashboards™ provide data visualizations that unlock dealership data, make it actionable and enable the quarterbacking of team members and partners. Wouldn’t that be a relief?
Learn how you can fly into your Blue Sky with 3 Birds. Schedule a strategy session today.