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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.

A couple of years ago, Chicago was riddled with potholes through a long winter.  After seeing customer after customer come in with blown tires and bent wheels we saw an opportunity-- and not just for the parts and service department. We saw an opportunity to better serve our customers.

Pinterest represents a great way to share photographs and collections of interesting objects online. Bookmarked pins and collections can be assembled through the social network, which can also be used as an app on iPads and iPhones. Many businesses use this platform as a way to allow customers to do some virtual window shopping. It’s also used as a way to spread ideas about how their products can be used by the buyer, and it’s a free form of advertising.

In the Insignia blog, we've discussed the growing automotive accessories market and the 4 main advantages of offering accessories. Now, we'll take a closer look at each of these advantages. Today--the financing advantage. 

In the first two posts of our three-part series, we discussed best practices around SEO and PPC Advertising.  In today's final installment, we'll take a look at email marketing and social media.

It’s that time again. We’ve started thinking about our resolutions for the upcoming year and the challenge is about to  begin. Maybe they’re personal, or perhaps professional.  Regardless of your role in the company it is important to always set career related goals. To start the year off with some fun and perhaps a little help, the Insignia team pooled some ideas on a list of 2013 New Year’s Resolutions for dealerships. I know what you're thinking-people are not very good at keeping their New Year’s resolutions. Four in five Americans fail to attain their New Year’s resolution, with a third giving up before the end of January. Well we just didn’t offer resolutions. We also left some tips on how to keep them obtainable.

In my last post, I discussed the benefits of SEO. Today, I want to take a closer look at Pay-Per-Click, (PPC) advertising. The key lesson here is that PPC advertising can be profitable…but it’s not simple.  Here are some tips that will help simply the process.

There are two ways to scale your online auto accessories business: reaching new customers, and retaining old ones. Find the sweet spot between these strategies, and you'll create a positive feedback loop that puts you on a continuous path toward success. In this post, we’ll take a closer look at SEO.

When Carl Moyer of Karl Chevrolet decided to take on the tire store across the street, he and his team planned for success. But, they could have never predicted they would have made GM history by being the first dealership to sell $ 1 million dollars worth of tires in one year. Their success continued in the following years as they increased their tire sales from $1 million in 2009 to $3 million in 2011.  Not only does Karl Chevrolet present their customers with tire options, but they also offer tire and wheel accessories.  The dealership displays about 50 ready-to-sell accessorized vehicles and uses Insignia’s accessories system for selling accessories. 

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 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!

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.