Digital Dealer - April 2019 - 20

Road Trip to DD26 | April 9-11, 2019 | Orlando

Cover Story (Continued from pg. 19)

knowledge on all the technology their
vehicle has to oﬀer.
Although the Connection Center
has been an additional cost to
the dealership, it's been very well
received. We'll even help that newcar customer who bought a Cadillac
down the street. Anybody who wants
to learn more about the technology
that comes with their vehicles,
including the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth,
pairing their phone, Apple-Car-Play,
On-Star, whatever, we'll help them
out. It leads our customer into a
positive place about our dealership,
improving our referrals and customer
relations. People love it!
DEALER MAGAZINE: When it
comes to marketing these days,
everything is pretty much digital. Is
that true for Apple Chevrolet?
JOHN: Yes. Everything is digital
for us; everything, 100 percent. We're
not in newspapers, but we're still on
radio. But even with radio, we try to
push consumers to our website or
ﬁnd us online in their search eﬀorts.
I think the most important
component is having a BDC that
can respond very quickly to leads,
not so much in a phone call, but
just in making a connection. I think
videos are one of the most important
things we can do today. It's a
nonthreatening tool to communicate
your message with today customers.
Years ago, customers would have
to come in to see a car; now we can
ﬁlm the car and show, for example,
how spacious the back seat is, or
present dashboard features and
new technology if they're interested.
Digital car-buying awareness is more
than just important, it's essential.
DEALER MAGAZINE: The
millennial generation is the largest
in U.S. history and has enormous
buying power. What are you doing to
target this key demographic?
JOHN: From my perspective, I
think Apple Chevrolet has a leg up
in our community with millennials.
20

APRIL 2019

We have always supported the
community kids. One example is
a sports television show that we
sponsored and produced right on
our showroom ﬂoor. Part of this
show was honoring both girl and boy
athletes of the week and inviting their
teams to the dealership to be on-air
and receive trophies and community
recognition.
They remember that, yet, more
importantly we actually provide
to all our customers what is most
important to millennials today:
transparency throughout our entire
business practice. A new focus on
high quality quick videos, creative
advertising in their world, such as
the "gamers." Gaming, which is very
popular among millennials, is our
next media to capture or get "Liked."
We think the art of networking
their followers will be the key to
successfully reaching millennials.
We are just on the early threshold
of connecting with followers and
inﬂuencers in their world, so stay
tuned.
DEALER MAGAZINE: In what
other ways are you using social
media to generate business?
JOHN: Video demonstrations,
such as 'how-to' homemade videos
that showcase features and beneﬁts
customers may not be aware of.
Another big play for us at Apple
Chevrolet is within our service
department. Seeing is believing. If
there's an upsell, in my opinion,
there's no better way to show a
customer that their brakes are worn
or that the water pump is faulty than
showing them a video with their own
car in real video time.
We're ﬁnding out that we get 60
to 70 percent on a close ratio versus
25 to 30 percent closing ratio when
trying to sell it over the phone.
In my opinion, video is a great
technology and is well received by
our customers.
DEALER MAGAZINE: What one

D I G I TA L D E A L E R . C O M

word or expression best captures
your philosophy of running a
dealership?
JOHN: I believe in transparency.
In the long run, it makes all the
diﬀerence in the world, with your
reputation and your reviews. It's
how all of us want to be treated. I
preach to our sales team that each
customer should be treated with
"unpretentious integrity." By that
I mean, treat every customer the
way you would want to be treated.
Long before transparency became
an industry buzz word, Apple
Chevrolet practiced the true meaning
of openness, which contributed to
our success and, hopefully, future
growth.
DEALER MAGAZINE: Could you
cite an example of unpretentious
integrity in action?
JOHN: Be glad to. A great example
is the way we greet and treat each
customer from the minute they walk
into the showroom or visit us online.
Also, our pricing is always the same
and spelled out line by line. Nothing
is hidden, and we do not believe in
adding fees to bump for proﬁt. And
through our customer reviews, we
continually hear how well-respected
we make them feel.
DEALER MAGAZINE: How can
dealerships add more value to the
customer experience?
JOHN: I think what's really
important is recognizing the value
of people's time. We ask our sales
team to stick to a process and keep
in mind the value of "time." If a
customer is picking up a new vehicle,
for example, or dropping one oﬀ
for service, we want to recognize
the value of their time and get them
in and out as quickly as possible -
without missing any steps in the
process.
The only way to achieve that goal
is with well-thought-out processes
that are convenient to the customer.
I should add, this eﬀort never goes
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Digital Dealer - April 2019

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