IS20G New York Scott Pechstein Day 2 Text Me Maybe

Text me Maybe - Text and Engage with Today’s Changing Consumer

• Scott Pechstein

• Why text?

• How to text correctly (compliance)

• Utilize text to engage with visitors on your dealership’s websites

• Best practices to engage consumers

Overview

Texting Is Growing as Mobile Has Grown

Call Volume Versus Text Volume

21 to 1 12 to 1 7 to 1 5 to 1 3 to 1

Call Volume Versus Text Volume

Text adoption is growing 98 percent of text messages are read (versus 22 percent emails, 29 percent

tweets and 12 percent Facebook posts). (Frost & Sullivan 2010, Slick Text) 

Character limits lead to conversation

Consultative approach leads to conversions Two-way dialogue

Ability to respond to consumers on the lot Your lot and others

49 percent of automotive smartphone users made a purchase related to that interaction (The xAd/Telmetrics Mobile Path to Purchase Study)

Get Ready to Text

• 59 percent use a smartphone to research dealerships and/or vehicles prior to visiting a dealership*

• 25 percent used only their smartphone to conduct research prior to visiting a dealership*

• 63 percent used their mobile device to research and shop while at a dealership*

• 52 percent visited an additional dealership as a direct result** Placed, Inc. and Cars.com Mobile Device use at the Dealership, January 2014

Text and Automotive Research

Mobile Actions While on Dealer Lot

Call, E-mail and Text

Recent Text-Message Cases = Multi-Million $$$ Settlements:

•Lithia Motors - $2.5 million class-action settlement

•Twentieth Century Fox - $16 million class-action settlement

•Simon & Schuster - $10 million class-action settlement

•Timberland Company - $7 million class-action settlement

Tough TCPA Regulations

$1,500

$1,500

$1,500

$1,500

$1,500

What if this happened?

Communication should be logged and saved

Hierarchy rules in place to hide phone numbers

Opt-in consents and opt-out STOPS must be managed and stored

Should load easily into CRM

Text Gateway (LMS for Text)

• Ability to communicate more effectively during the shopping/research period

• 42 percent of car shoppers are currently influenced by dealership websites – text (SMS) can improve that number

• Hook those consumers “showrooming” from another competitive dealership

Texting for Sales

Texting From the Service Drive

• Service advisor explains benefit for texting service updates

• Service advisor gets signed consent from customer

• Dialogue is logged just like a sales engagement

• Ability to take a picture of necessary repairs or concerns

• Customer satisfaction improves• Repeat service visits• 62 percent of vehicle owners said customer service

could influence future purchases

Texting for Service

Texting Should Not Be Limited to Mobile

Texting from Desktop

Text-Message Marketing

Ability to include “Call or Text” everywhere the dealer’s phone numbers are promoted, whether on the website, in print, on TV or on radio…

say “Call or Text 1-800 XXX-XXXX”

Text Marketing – What’s New

Not Far From the Truth

• How to text efficiently

• Acronyms

• Professionalism

Text Best Practices

• Respond quickly• Consumers are not expecting an immediate

response but the quicker the better – even if an automated message

• But if a dialog has begun, consumers do expect a quick reply or acknowledgement

• Character limitations• Don’t panic• Send a second message

How to Text Efficiently

• LOL• Laughing Out Load

• BRB• Be Right Back

• TTYL• Talk To You Later

• LMAO• Laughing My A** Off

AVOID ACRONYMS

Acronym IQ

• BCNU• Be Seeing You

• BTW• By the Way

• FYI• For Your Information

• OMG• Oh My God

• THX• Thanks

More Acronyms to Avoid

• DO NOT Use Emoticons

• Use whole words – avoid U=you R=are• Identify yourself and your dealership• Answer their question or ask for clarification• Same proper sales consultation applies

• Who is car for? • How will you be using it?• What features are important to you?

Professionalism

• Make sure no one in the dealership is using their personal phone to exchange texts with a customer.

• Implement a texting process that captures opt-in and opt-out information for consumers, and one that will allow for tracking and follow-up.

• Leverage your current marketing spend by utilizing text-message marketing and text2landline. This really doesn’t cost anything, it creates customer engagement, and it helps measure the effectiveness of your advertising. You are already spending the $$ on advertising.

Do This as Soon as You Get Home

Race to the relationship:

•Give consumers tools, information, and the ability to communicate in the manner they prefer.

•To eliminate resistance, start and evolve the sales process online to increase satisfaction, and win the customer over.

•Be Professional

Conclusion

Contact Info

Full Name:

Company:

Job Title :

Email:

Text:

Scott Pechstein

Autobytel Inc.

Vice President, Sales

scottp@autobytel.com

(949) 278-8618