Driving a Winning Online Reputation

Turning Satisfied Customers into Advocates for your Brand

Jack Simmons• Dealer Training Manager,

Cars.com• Over 35 years of automotive

retail experience

Connect with Me: dealers.cars.com/facebook dealers.cars.com/twitter jasimmons@cars.com

About Me

What We’ll Cover1. How reviews have changed the game –

completely

2. Identifying your fans and getting them talking on your behalf

3. Integrating reviews throughout your operations to build volume and differentiate your brand

4. Establishing a response process, including how to turn detractors into promoters

5. Measuring your success and driving even better performance

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Source: Dave Carroll, YouTube

Q. Was the money they saved on a new guitar worth 16.7M views of this video on YouTube?

“United Breaks Guitars”

“You deserved better – a lot

better – from us last week, and we

let you down. Nothing is more important than regaining your

trust.”– David G. Neeleman, founder and chief executive of

JetBlue, in response to 2006 flight issues that left some passengers stranded on a runway for as long as 8 hours

How JetBlue Made it Better

Source: Javelin Strategy & Research

Tweet Volume

Banks Listen to Avoid Disaster

Tip: Yelp is a great place to find a restaurant – are you focusing your efforts on where

consumers shop for a car?

What they found:

+1Increase in revenue of 5-9%for independent restaurants=

Why:• Power given to the

consumer, not the brand

• No preferential treatment for bigger brands means a level playing field

• Quality of content correlates with ability to influence others’ behavior

HBS: Reviews Level the Playing Field

Visitors to Cars.com are 5x more likely to contact a

dealer with reviews. That factor jumps to 7x when that shopper is considering buying a new vehicle.

Consumers who read reviews on Cars.com are more engaged: they spend twice as much time on site and view twice as many pages.2x

5x

Source: Cars.com Internal Reporting, Cars.com/Synovate Online New Car Shopper Study, 2010

About

1 in 3Price isn’t everything – about 1 in 3 new-car shoppers believe that dealer reviews are “absolutely essential” on vehicle websites.

Reviews are Good for You!

Source: Cars.com Internal Reporting; DriverSide/Kelton Research Study, April 2011

Tip: Don’t forget service!

91% of new-car shoppers say they

want to read service reviews prior to

selecting a dealership.

Which Dealer Would You Choose?

Monitor

Listen to feedback across

the Internet

Share feedback across the dealership

Respond

Acknowledge and reply to

feedback

Correct any underlying

issues at the store

AskDeliver a positive

customer experience

Ask satisfied customers to

write a positive review

Promote

Share positive reviews with

prospects

Reward sales, service staff for

success

Turn Your Fans into Advocates

Start With a Good Experience

• Make a top-down commitment

• Create a transparent, service-driven culture

• Hire professionals with a record of service excellence

• Create customer service experience at every touch point

The best way to manage risk is to start with an exceptional experience at your store.

• Free tools• Cars.com DealerCenter• Google alerts• Notify.me• TweetBeep

• Paid tools• Trackur.com• Reputation Defender• BrandsEye• Radian6

Monitor What’s Being Said

Have a Response Plan Know which sites allow a store

response◦ Cars.com Dealer Reviews◦ DealerRater.com◦ Google Places◦ Yelp.com

If it is not you, assign someone to monitor and respond to reviews

Ensure you’re alerted to new reviews and can access the review sites

Respond to Positive Feedback

Credible

Reviews

The Number

of Reviews

The Website

Itself

Balanced: Pros

and Cons

An Educate

d Review

What to do if you get a negative review:• Drive review volume to

outweigh the negative

• Take honest feedback to heart and improve

• Respond in a way that shows other consumers you’re committed to making things right

Tip: a few negative reviews make you more credible.

Keep Negative Reviews in Context

• Directly address concerns

• Take the conversation offline

• Discuss “the facts” when you speak privately to avoid a public debate

• Remember that how you respond influences other shoppers

I’m sorry you had a bad experience here

at Simmons Automotive, and I’d like to try to make things right. Please

contact me to discuss at any time via e-mail

at jasimmons@cars.com, or call 312-601-5000.

Take Control of Comments

It had rained the night before, and apparently they left the windows open in the

rain all night.

I emailed twice about a car and got no response. When I called and asked about the car, he

said, "oh we sold it," and

didn't suggest another car or see how else he could

help me. First, the salesman tried to get me to sign a blank

loan form...Instead of telling me it was broken, they duct-taped it

back on and put the new tire on over it!

Identify Areas for Improvement

Use customer feedback to adjust process• Take ownership of what

went wrong• Correct staff issues• Improve service quality• Address policy issues

Commit to Change

Don’t “buy” reviews Be wary of companies

who promise to “clean up” your reputation

Avoid having staff, friends and family contribute reviews

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You’ll get caught, and it only makes it harder to recover.

Don’t Try to Fake It

Question:How do you get customers to

review your dealership?

Mine your CRM database for review prospects◦ Repeat buyers◦ Loyal service customers

Target happy customers at the point of sale

Create collateral◦ Website banners and buttons◦ E-mail templates◦ QR codes on in-store signage

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Tip: Some sites that have reviews, including Cars.com, have

electronic and printed materials available to you at no cost.

You Just Have to Ask

Dealer Spotlight:Greenway Dodge Chrysler & Jeep

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Reviews Metrics

Cars.com: 4.7 stars/225+ (since February 2011)

DealerRater: 4.7 stars/ 550+ reviews

Google Places: 4.6 stars/180+

Greenway Dodge Chrysler & Jeep9051 E. Colonial Dr.Orlando, FL 32817

A Reviews Success Story

Buy-in from top management Integrated into recruiting and training

programs Tied to performance metrics and compensation Process implementation in every department

It’s Part of The Culture

How Greenway Rewards: Bonus pay dependent

upon review acquisition Spiff programs Recognition internally

and externally Show staff how reviews

help them build their personal brand

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Offering the Right Staff Incentives

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Tools that Help Drive Volume

Campaign materials:

▸ Reviews landing page at ilovegreenwaydodge.com

▸ Cars.com Dealer Reviews form framed up on dealer website for a more consistent experience

▸ Point-of-sale cards

▸ E-mail template with links to review pages

▸ Strong social media presence

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In his videos, Ricky includes: ▸ Thank-you for recent purchase▸ Reminder to leave feedback▸ Directions for accessing his

review pages▸ His contact information

Ricky also records reminders for upcoming sales and service appointments, all for free via EyeJot.com.

Ricky Lopez, Internet Sales Director

Making it Personal with Video

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“We don't mind if we get a bad review. Nobody's 100% – if they are, people worry you're writing them yourself."

"We call the customer to see if we can make it right – they may either take it off or amend their review."

How one negative review paid off:▸ Vehicle sold during F&I delay

▸ Greenway reached out to try to make things right; put him in a better model at a discount for his trouble

▸ Customer’s sister was so impressed that she bought a new vehicle from Greenway herself!

On Negative Reviews

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RO bonuses dependent upon review acquisition. Service Managers see it as building their own personal brand.

Greenway prevents bad online reviews by checking in with customers while they’re in F&I – before they leave the store.

Service

F & I

Bottom line: “If a dealer doesn’t think reviews are part of their business, they’d better save

their money. They’re going to need it when they go bankrupt.” – Ricky Lopez, ISD,

Greenway Dodge

Reviews Beyond the Sales Floor

Since incorporating Dealer Reviews into their sales and service processes early last year, Greenway now closes 3x as many Cars.com-attributed leads.

Internet vehicle sales have increased 1,000% over the past three years. The dealership attributes much of this success to its reputation management efforts.10x

3x

Source: Greenway Dodge

90 Minutes

Some customers drive as far as 90 minutes to work with specific Greenway sales and service professionals based on reviews in which they’re mentioned by name.

By the Numbers

Q & AThank You!