What Not

Today I had the privilege of selling a used Volvo to my parents. Dad was needing a second vehicle and had seen a 1998 Volvo V70 Cross Country on our website. So, he and mom drove up this afternoon to check it out. After a thorough walk-around, test drive, look at the underside, and a talk with one of our Volvo mechanics, dad bought the car for a fair price. It’s a nice car with a 190 hp turbo I-5 and the versatility of a wagon. With proper care, it should last for a long time. Thanks, mom & dad!

1998 Volvo V70 XC AWD

I’ve been thinking about the emails we send out through our CRM for a while. We have communicated well, but I had the feeling that dressing up the emails with some graphics could set us apart from the other dealerships in the area. I didn’t want something that would look overwhelming, but knew that plain emails look … well … plain! So, in an attempt to dress up our online communications, I developed an email header that is simple but informative.

What do you think? Does it accomplish enough? Need more? less? Start over again? Let me know your thoughts!

This week, I had the opportunity to have an outside source evaluate the way we do things here at the dealership. My interest was how we handle the leads we receive every day. Having a vested interest in the success of the business, I wanted to know how we can improve our procedure. The conversation was very helpful. The trainer was able to pinpoint several areas in which we could improve.

In the advertising category, we worked on a list of items that could point people to our website. Something as easy as placing the URL on repair orders, buyer’s orders, parts tickets, showroom windows, waiting room walls, (maybe the bathroom wall would be a good idea, too?), service loaners, etc. You get the idea. And while I was thinking about that, I thought about my own office. How was I, the internet manager, advertising the website?

My glass office door has been my bulletin board for a number of articles, NCAA tournament brackets, cartoons, and etc.  So, why not use that prime real estate to advertise our website for people who visit the Buick showroom?  As a trial, I’ve used one of my favorite photographs from last fall and added text to it. It’s now proudly adorning my doorway.

Last year I had a business card magnet made to replace my normal business card. I had it made for the Cleveland Auto Show thinking that people might put the magnet on their refrigerator and think of me first when looking for their next car. But after a year of using those, I ran out rather quickly. And some people asked for a normal business card instead so it would fit in their wallet.

2010 Business Card

This year, I decided to make a full-color business card. After looking at various creative business card examples on the internet, I decided that a driver’s license look-a-like would be the way to go. Thankfully, a talented friend was willing to do the artwork for me at a good price. I smiled for twenty minutes after seeing his excellent work! I still have a few edits to make (such as adding my email address!) but it should be done this week and sent to the printer hopefully in time for the Auto Show at the end of the month.

I’ve not tinkered with AndyRupert.com for some time due to my new responsibilities at the dealership.  However, Leikin Motor Companies is currently running full-page advertisements in two local papers and I thought it would be good to post those somewhere online for our customers to peruse.  Hence the new Specials tab at AndyRupert.com.

Looking for the best opportunity before you purchase a new car?  December is your best bet.  But don’t take my word for it.  Read the front page of the Business section of today’s Plain Dealer.

2009 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG

In a recent article, Robert Schoenberger reports that car prices are going up!   What automotive analysts have found is that “inventory is down, incentives are down, demand is up.”  However, as the article points out, it is a good time to look for an end-of-the-year bargain on a new 2009 model.

“This year’s models are scarce, but several dealers still have some 2009 vehicles.  Most remaining 2009s have cash rebates on them.”  And “with demand for used vehicles high, you may be able to negotiate a better price for your old vehicle.”

That sounds pretty good.  But are any 2009 models still available?  Leikin Motor Companies has a number of 2009 models left, including a few Buick Lucernes, a Mercedes-Benz ML63, a Volvo C30, and a  couple Volvo S80s. But as the article mentioned, if you are looking for a specific color, you’ll have to decide between savings and getting exactly what you wanted in a 2010 model.

I’ve been working for Leikin Volvo as a salesman for the past 1½ years. It has been a good job but full of ups and downs as you would expect in this economy. To help boost my presence on the internet, I designed a website to showcase the cars that I was able to sell. That was an enjoyable project and has proven helpful to me and my customers. Later, when I began distributing a magnet business card with Andy Rupert.com emblazoned across the top, my co-workers started calling me, “Andy Rupert dot com.” (They even page me over the intercom as Andy Rupert.com now!) Even so, that all came in handy recently when the internet manager position became vacant. After several discussions with my manager and some of the others, I was interviewed and offered the job!

I started my new position Wednesday and have been very busy trying to get a handle on my new responsibilities. They involve maintaining the old and future websites as well as managing internet leads given to the salesman in the three showrooms at our dealership. It’s a good job but let me tell you that it takes lots of time. There was, however, time this morning for me to record a video of Trenton singing about my new job. I think you will agree that it was time well spent.