Posted on Wed, May 16, 2012 @ 01:33 PM
Featured Automotive Accessory: Window Tint
Window tint has always been a popular car accessory not just for the look that it adds to the car but also for vehicle value protection and health and comfort of passengers. Here is a word track to point out the benefits of adding window tint to your customers.
“To protect their interior many of our customers add window tint. It blocks harmful UV rays preventing damage to your dashboard and leather/cloth interior. Plus it will keep the temperature inside of your car much cooler. Also, if your window were to be broken for any reason our metalized tint will prevent the glass from shattering into the vehicle. The glass will remain stuck to the sheets of tint."
As another way to show our commitment to help you make more by selling accessories Insignia Group provides easy to use word track examples. If you've read our previous post, you may recall that some of our dealerships customers have experienced as much as 90% penetration using this method. Word tracks can help you verbally transition from the car sell to selling accessories.
Insignia Group, the leading provider of accessories sales systems and training has helped dealers maximize profits for over 10 years. Supporting 20+ brands and dealerships nationwide, we help our customers establish and grow their Accessories Profit Center. Call 888-579-4458 to learn more or schedule a demo.
Posted on Tue, May 08, 2012 @ 12:26 PM
If you “Follow” us on Twitter, “Like” us on Facebook, or Subscribe on YouTube, you will see that we have a new look! As we provide information on dealerships and accessory sales, news, updates, and new releases Insignia wants to make sure we are easy find and recognizable. If you haven’t already, go check us out on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and the Automotive Accessories Network on LinkedIn.
How's the new look, like it? Then, “Like” Us!
Insignia Group, the leading provider of accessories sales systems and training has helped dealers maximize profits for over 10 years. Supporting 20+ brands and dealerships nationwide, we help our customers establish and grow their Accessories Profit Center. Call 888-579-4458 to learn more or schedule a demo.
Posted on Tue, May 08, 2012 @ 09:43 AM
As another way to show our commitment to help you make more by selling accessories Insignia Group provides easy to use word track examples. If you've read our previous post, you may recall that some of our dealerships customers have experienced as much as 90% penetration using this method. Word tracks can help you verbally transition from the car sell to selling accessories.
Featured Auto Accessory: Performance Shifters
Courtesy of Robert Gerena, Data Specialist at Insignia Group
Although the economy has caused a reemergence, manual transmission vehicles are typically popular among car and racing enthusiast that simply love to drive! Here’s a quick and effective word track to help you illustrate the benefits of a performance shifters to your customer.
“I know you are going to have a lot of fun driving your manual (Insert Make Model). All owners do. To increase your driving performance and experience we offer performance shifters that shorten the throw of each shift. This allows you to change gears quickly with more control and precision. Our performance shifters are durable and will last the lifetime of the car.”
Insignia Group, the leading provider of accessories sales systems and training has helped dealers maximize profits for over 10 years. Supporting 20+ brands and dealerships nationwide, we help our customers establish and grow their Accessories Profit Center. Call 888-579-4458 to learn more or schedule a demo.
Posted on Wed, May 02, 2012 @ 08:13 AM
Courtesy of Insignia’s Guest Blogger: Author Jason Lancaster is an SEO consultant at Spork Marketing as well as the editor of TundraHeadquarters.com, a popular Toyota Tundra enthusiast website.
1. Decide which customer(s) you want to learn about by focusing on a specific model. When we do this kind of research, we start by focusing on a specific make and model. If we're working with a Toyota dealer, we'll focus first on Toyota Tundra owners, then Toyota Tacoma owners, then FJ owners, etc. until we've gathered info on every model in the line-up. You may want to be even more specific, focusing instead on 2007 Toyota Tundra owners.
2. Figure out what questions you want to answer. Before we gather any data, we come up with a list of questions we want to try and answer. For example:
- Are dual or single exhaust systems more popular?
- Are trailer hitches more or less popular than bed liners?
- Are mufflers more popular than cat-back systems?
By focusing on some specific questions, we give ourselves a good starting point to gather data.
3. Make a list of all the types of accessories you would consider trying. Finally, before you jump into the data, make a list of the accessories you would consider stocking and/or selling. If your dealership might consider selling after-market air intakes, tonneau covers, and power programmers, put them on your list.
However, don't put a specific type of accessory on your list unless you really have an interest in selling them, as you may need to do quite a bit of research for each item on your list and you don't want to spin your wheels.
4. Visit the Google AdWords Keyword Tool. The AdWords tool is free, but it does require you to have a Google account to log in. Once you're logged in, you can start entering in keywords to research. Start by typing in your make and model followed by your part category, i.e.
- Toyota Tundra exhaust system
- Toyota Tundra air intake
- Toyota Tundra muffler
etc.
Once you've got a few keywords typed in (I'd recommend researching 5 at a time), hit the “search” button to start seeing how popular each keyword is relative to the others. I've created the video below to show you how to do this step-by-step.
[youtube video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBckjuE9Co4
NOTE: Be sure to select the [exact] match type to get the most useful data.
5. How to analyze the data. Google's tool will give you quite a bit of data, but for the purpose of this research, you're really only interested in two things:
- the “additional keyword ideas” - a list of as many as 800 search terms that your customers might be using
- the “local monthly search volume” information, where “local” refers to searches in the United States
Start by reviewing the additional keyword ideas and looking for keywords that describe the part or accessory you're interested in. If you find a keyword idea that basically describes the same thing that you searched for up top, check that keyword's check box.
Next, download the keywords you've checked by clicking the 'download' button and then choosing the 'selected' option in the drop-down menu. Your computer will then download a spreadsheet. You can compile this spreadsheet with any others you download into one master spreadsheet, and then sort the data by the volume to see which accessories your customers are most interested in.
6. Remember, the data needs interpretation. You may find that, after your analysis is complete, there are a lot of searches for specialty performance accessories like superchargers, nitrous oxide systems, massive lift kits, etc. While it may be that consumers are clamoring for these big ticket items, what's more likely is that many of the people searching Google for these types of accessories are essentially “window shopping,” trying to learn about an accessory. Therefore, you'll need to exercise good judgment when reviewing the data you gather.
Insignia Group, the leading provider of accessories sales systems and training has helped dealers maximize profits for over 10 years. Supporting 20+ brands and dealerships nationwide, we help our customers establish and grow their Accessories Profit Center. Call 888-579-4458 to learn more or schedule a demo.
Posted on Wed, Apr 25, 2012 @ 11:26 AM
Courtesy of Insignia’s Guest Blogger: Author Jason Lancaster is an SEO consultant at Spork Marketing as well as the editor of TundraHeadquarters.com, a popular Toyota Tundra enthusiast website.
In the days before Google, when you wanted to find out what kind of auto accessories people might be interested in purchasing from your shop, you could:
All of these methods have value – especially testing – but the fact is that Google offers some excellent and free tools for figuring out what kinds of accessories your customer might want to buy. While I'll describe the tools in detail in my next post, lets start with some data.
Based on numbers from March 2012, the 5 most searched types of auto accessories in the United States are probably:
-
Interior accessories including floor mats and seat covers – There were nearly 50,000 searches for the term “car seat covers” last month.
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Racks and carriers, such as roof racks, cargo carriers, bike racks, ski/snowboard racks, etc.
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Performance parts, such as programmers and chips, air intakes, and exhaust systems, with exhaust systems being very popular.
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License plate frames – There were more than 22,000 searches for this exact term in March, not including more specific searches for exact types of license plate frames
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Custom wheels
Now I say that these are “probably” the 5 most searched types of auto accessories because different customers search for different accessories depending on what they drive. A compact car owner is more likely to search for cargo racks than a full-size truck owner, while a full-size truck owner is more likely to search for an exhaust system than a compact car owner.
Put another way, I say “probably” because this kind of search data doesn't really mean much until you can apply it to your customers. Fortunately, it's pretty simple to gather this kind of data on your own. To find out what accessories you can sell based on what people are searching for be sure to read Part II of this article next week!
Insignia Group, the leading provider of accessories sales systems and training has helped dealers maximize profits for over 10 years. Supporting 20+ brands and dealerships nationwide, we help our customers establish and grow their Accessories Profit Center. Call 888-579-4458 to learn more or schedule a demo.
Posted on Tue, Apr 17, 2012 @ 10:26 AM
Courtesy of Insignia’s guest blogger: Kurtis Smith of the K-method Group
Back in my home country of Jamaica, at certain times of the year the caterpillars would go through the evolution process where they would conceal themselves in cocoons to be transformed into beautiful butterflies. During the final stage of this process, they would break the tip of the cocoon and squeeze themselves through a tiny hole and fly away. One year my friends and I found some dead on the ground because they were not able to pull themselves out of their shells. So, in our misguided attempt to help those we saw struggling, we made the holes larger to make it easier for them to get out. What we did not realize is that by squeezing themselves through the tiny hole, it removes fluid from their wings, which is the critical last step in their development process and necessary for them to fly. By us intervening, we condemned all those that we helped by stopping their development and they became food for the ants.
With that being said, many dealership professionals and business owners today are no different and will continue to suffer a similar fate as the butterfly, because they were released from the development process way too soon. They never learned how to hunt and gather business; they erroneously see themselves as victors and victims during good and bad economic times which are external factors of which they have no control. They have not evolved from the sit-and-wait mentality and approach to doing business, so they still believe that their success or failure is directly linked to the amount prospects walking through the door on a monthly basis. They fail to see their role as an impact player capable of building, maintaining and managing their own book of business, so they wait.
As professionals, sooner or later we all arrive at that fork in the road where we have to either stop kidding ourselves regarding the results that we are getting and how we are getting them in order to move on to the next level or accept the fact that we are done growing and this is as good as it gets! The facts are these; we are either winning or losing. We are either advancing or in a constant state of retreat. This type of acknowledgement or internal discussion only takes place when we can finally arrive at the ‘do not kid myself day’. If you have not had this discussion as of yet, don’t worry, it is on its way and your day is coming. Which brings me to the question that we all must answer when we arrive at that unforgettable day; are you willing to change in order to become the person you are meant to be or are you going to remain professionally incomplete? Are you satisfied knowing that there is another level of excellence and competence that continues to elude you or are you willing to commit to ‘CANI -Constant And Never Ending Improvement’ to become who you are meant to be?
The good news is that this question has no wrong or right answer because the answer only matters to you. The industry or the company you work for may have released you too soon from your personal developmental process but unlike a butterfly, you can reenter your cocoon at any time and complete the transformation process. The information is out there to teach you whatever it is that you need to learn in order to take your game to the next level so there is absolutely no excuse to live a life less than you deserve except by choice.
To learn more about the Core Competencies and how your business can benefit from a structured approach to personnel development lets connect on:
www.kmethod.com
K-Method blog
Insignia Group, the leading provider of accessories sales systems and training has helped dealers maximize profits for over 10 years. Supporting 20+ brands and dealerships nationwide, we help our customers establish and grow their Accessories Profit Center. Call 888-579-4458 to learn more or schedule a demo.
Posted on Wed, Apr 11, 2012 @ 08:14 AM
If you are a dealership selling wheel and tire accessories you know they are the driving force of the personalization business. Just like the fashion industry, car and truck personalization trends change fast and often. It’s the best way for a customer to get a look different from every other factory model. Accordy to USAtoday.com, Ryan Friedlinghaus, founder of West Coast Customs, a Corona, Calif., customizing operation says, "wheels is always the first question" for customers looking to personalize vehicles, even if they lack the cash for a complete rebuild.
OFF ROAD WHEEL TRENDS
- Steel Wheels: They are strong but light weight (17 in) lighter wheels are more budget friendly and steel wheels are strong enough to carry speed off-road.
- Carbon Fiber: These tend to be strong and light weight for better fuel efficiency.
PASSENGER CAR AND TRUCK WHEEL ACCESSORY TRENDS
- Painted Wheels with window designs: Customers can get creative with their favorite colors.
- Flat and mono Black machined faced Wheels: For customers that desire a cleaner sleeker look.
- Forged rotary and Forged Spin Wheels: extremely strong but lightweight alloy. Fits well with Hondas, Chevrolet Camaros, Ford Mustangs and more.
- PVD Wheels: Physical vapor deposit or vacuum chrome are favorites among customers who endure salty winters because they hold up better than chrome under those conditions.
- Hellaflush Wheels: These are popular among the street racing fans.
TIRE ACCESSORY TRENDS
- Eco Tires:The cost of all natural rubber has decreased. And orange oil tires have increased grip and reduced roll resistance. This is a great option for those looking to reduce their carbon footprint.
- LRR tires: Low roll resistance tires are great for better fuel efficiency. They also fit well on the smaller SUVs and CUVs that more people are purchasing.
- Wheel / Tire Packages: More retailers are offering the wheel/tire kits as a convenience to customers. When a customer chooses the wheel accessory the proper tire is automatically selected to come with it.
Insignia Group, the leading provider of accessories sales systems and training has helped dealers maximize profits for over 10 years. Supporting 20+ brands and dealerships nationwide, we help our customers establish and grow their Accessories Profit Center. Call 888-579-4458 to learn more or schedule a demo.
Posted on Mon, Apr 09, 2012 @ 12:26 PM
Did you know that Insignia’s technology used to sell accessories in dealerships works on the iPad and tablet technologies. As many of our dealership customers move to provide more mobile sales tools to their staff, Insignia supports this by providing our automotive accessories sales tools on multiple platforms. Insignia understands current technology as well as how dealerships sell automotive accessories. Through the iPad and tablet your sales team is provided with the management of automotive accessories sales allowing them to sell accessories online without sitting down at a desktop computer. Check out this quick video to see how Insignia's technology provides easy automotive accessories sales on the iPad!
Insignia Group, the leading provider of accessories sales systems and training has helped dealers maximize profits for over 10 years. Supporting 20+ brands and dealerships nationwide, we help our customers establish and grow their Accessories Profit Center. Call 888-579-4458 to learn more or schedule a demo.
Posted on Tue, Mar 27, 2012 @ 10:24 AM
Microsoft and West Coast Customs know what people fantasize about, how about your dealership?
Today’s car enthusiast get excited about three things; cars, technology, and customization via accessories. Combine all three and you get Project Detroit. Project Detroit is a fantasy 2012 Ford Mustang retro fitted with a 67’ Mustang Fastback body. (One of the most popular Mustangs manufactured) The car is loaded with Microsoft technology like the Xbox 360, Windows Phone and a Viper SmartStart app that can start the car using the phone. It’s not just a Gen yers dream but the body style appeals to an older generation as well!
Why would these companies go through the trouble of creating such an extreme vehicle? Easy, because it plants the seed of possibility and desire in the hearts and minds of the consumer. This leads to a stronger demand in your market place. Now the question is when a customer walks in your dealership wanting remote start, back up assist cameras, iPod related accessories and interior LED lights on their new car, are you prepared to not only ask...but also deliver?
Insignia Group, the leading provider of accessories sales systems and training has helped dealers maximize profits for over 10 years. Supporting 20+ brands and dealerships nationwide, we help our customers establish and grow their Accessories Profit Center. Call 888-579-4458 to learn more or schedule a demo.
Posted on Tue, Mar 20, 2012 @ 08:02 AM
Courtesy of Insignia guest blogger Delia Passi, CEO of WomenCertified Inc., home to the Women’s Choice Award.To learn more about how you can get women to recommend your dealership, email Delia at dpassi@medelia.com.
A popular quote often attributed to George M. Cohan (and others) is “I don't care what the newspapers say about me, as long as they spell my name right.” It’s an interesting perspective but it is definitely not my advice, especially in this information age. What is said about you in the global forum of the Internet is very critical to your success.
A recent study by Cone Trend Tracker (Aug. ’11) found that “80% of consumers have changed their minds about purchasing a recommended product or service based solely on negative information they found online.” This figure is a significant increase from the prior year’s 67%.
It is becoming increasingly easy to find online reviews, comments, complaints (and praise), and blog entries about most products and services, and the companies that deliver them. That is why you need to do all you can to make sure that your happy customers have opportunities and encouragement to praise your great products and services.
Women are even more likely than men to turn to online sources to reaffirm their purchase decisions before they make them. And they’re also quite likely to turn to the web and other sources to offer their opinion of their buying experience after the experience, so make it great.
Your job is to incorporate feedback opportunities into your interactions with your customers, and to make that feedback available to prospective customers. Your website should have be a forum for customers to comment, hopefully positively. (If you get negative feedback then address it immediately. An unhappy customer has many places to complain online other than your website or Facebook page.)
Don’t plant glowing feedback to counter that of unhappy customers. If it is uncovered, the repercussions can be more trouble than the complaint.
Do what you can to let customers both on and offline know that you are doing wonderful things to keep them coming back. That’s the WomenCertified® Way!
Insignia Group, the leading provider of accessories sales systems and training has helped dealers maximize profits for over 10 years. Supporting 20+ brands and dealerships nationwide, we help our customers establish and grow their Accessories Profit Center. Call 888-579-4458 to learn more or schedule a demo.