MTS - Industry Insight

Facebook and Twitter Marketing

2010-03-11T15:07:00.005Z

Facebook and Twitter Management
Facebook and Twitter Marketing
Social Networking Service
Automotive Social Networking
Social Media Virtual Assistant
Motor Trade Social Media

motortradesolutions.net specialises in social advertising, social marketing and social website management for UK Motor Industry. Social advertising and networking is growing fast and is a very cost effective marketing strategy. Creating a Facebook page or Twitter account is the first step to starting a social network that can benefit your business needs.

A Facebook page is a great way of getting a product or entity published to thousands of potential clients and is a great way to gain conquest business. This gives you the opportunity of reaching hundreds if not thousands of new clientele which will increase with proper management.

Let motortradesolutions.net do the job for you while you reap the benefits and focus on running your business. We have various packages and forms of car dealer marketing that can provide powerful social networking support that will benefit your business. motortradesolutions.net specialises in auto dealer social media and we are able to accommodate and provide marketing for any motor trader website.

Interested? For more details of what we provide please visit the Motor Trade Solutions dedicated Car Dealer Social Media page featuring Blogger, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter here>>> Or call us on 0845 658 6880

You can view our Twitter backgrounds by following this link>>>

To keep in touch with new products or developments at motortradesolutions.net you can subscribe to our news blog, become a fan on Facebook or even follow us on Twitter (MTS808).

motortradesolutions.net is a part of Studio808

Do you Profit from Parts?

2010-03-09T13:24:00.008Z

Do you Profit from Parts Sales
Online Parts and Accessories Shop
Obsolete Parts Stock
Parts Turnover Bonus
Car Parts and Accessories Market
eCommerce Online Parts Shop

Today MotorTrader.com reported on the announcement from the Lookers Group that its "Parts Arm helps Lookers double profits in 2009".

The article reports that the Independent Parts Division saw a 34% increase in pre-tax profit to £11.2m. Whilst this is a fantastic result it highlights again that whilst there is a lot of focus on vehicle sales, the entrepreneurial motor dealer owner or dealership manager can still realise strong profits by looking at all aspects of their business.

At a dealership level there is still massive opportunity to be exploited in the sale of parts and genuine accessories, but even in today's purpose built showcase dealerships the parts department is often hidden away out the back or display space is very limited. It is even difficult to get the vehicle sales teams enthused about selling accessories.

The shame of it is that the Car Parts and Accessories Market is huge and the main dealers are (for the most part) missing out. Particularly when it comes to achieving parts volume bonuses and targets.

Which is why at motortradesolutions.net we have developed the Online Dealer Parts and Accessories shop.

The online Parts and Accessories shop is set up by motortradesolutions.net to meet with manufacturer corporate identity standards and completely web based allowing you to market your stock. You can also highlight special offers and push obsolete parts stock.

The package includes:

Full e-Commerce automation and we even help you set up your merchant account.
motortradesolutions.net provide full training on how to content manage (CMS) your website.
Individual products are Google indexed and so are searchable on the search engines.

All you have to do is post the items (or arrange collection) as they get sold and paid for. View more details about the Motor Trade Solutions Online Parts and Accessory Shop here>>>

To keep in touch with new products or developments at motortradesolutions.net you can subscribe to our news blog, become a fan on Facebook or even follow us on Twitter (MTS808).

If you would like to read the full article from MotorTrader.com please click here>>>

World Car of the Year Awards

2010-03-08T21:22:00.003Z

World Car of the Year Awards Announcement
Mercedes Benz E Class
Volkswagen Polo
Toyota Prius
New York Auto Show 2010

More important than the Oscars, the 3 finalists for World Car of the Year Award has been announced. From a list of 30 cars around the world, the WCOTY committee has created a shortlist of three vehicles – the Mercedes Benz E Class, Toyota Prius and Volkswagen Polo.

The awards ceremony will take place on the 1st April in time for the opening of the 2010 New York Auto Show.

In addition to the announcement of the last three cars vying for the World Car of the Year Award, the other finalists from different categories, including one for performance vehicle and another for design, were also announced.

The Green finalists include the aforementioned Toyota Prius, the Honda Insight and the Volkswagen`s BlueMotion diesel range.

The Audi R8 V10, the Porsche 911 GT3 and the Ferrari California will compete for the performance vehicle category while the Citroen C3 Picasso, the Kia Soul and the Chevrolet Camaro are finalists for the design category.

View the Motor Trade Solutions dealer website portfolio here>>>

To keep in touch with new products or developments at motortradesolutions.net you can subscribe to our news blog, become a fan on Facebook or even follow us on Twitter (MTS808).

motortradesolutions.net is a part of Studio808

Salesforce Lead Management

2010-03-08T13:47:00.008Z

Salesforce Lead Management
Internet Enquiry Management
Customer Relationship Management
Enquiry Management
Lead Management
Dealer Sales Development
Test Drive Request
Internet Sales Training
Email Marketing
Social Media Networking
Sales Training
Performance Coaching

The article today in AMOnline by Daniel Attwood further reinforces the evidence that we are find in the franchised dealer network today.

If you have not read the article yet it summarises a Europe wide survey of enquirers to motor dealerships for test drives via the manufacturer website. The article reports on the startling results where even the best brand could only produce a 57% response rate to a test drive request.

Normally we would greet this news with shock or surprise, but not anymore. The nature of our business means that team here at motortradesolutions.net are regularly in car, van and motorcycle dealerships across the UK for meetings, training, presentations etc. When we get together we all remark on how hard it is to get a member of staff to make eye contact, let alone say hello and attempt to give us any sort of greeting.

We also see the enquiries that our marketing produces and see the opportunities missed by poor sales process or even just the way that enquiry is handled.

Our business is all about generating enquiries for our clients whether this be through a website we have built and designed for them or to compliment their existing activity through email marketing or social media networking. The job of 'selling' the car is the responsibility of the dealership and we cannot influence that. Until now...

Having recognised that there is a need to see this process all the way through, motortradesolutions.net now have developed a suite of innovative packages that can help dealers ensure that they are maximising every enquiry that they get. This can be in the form of on site sales training and performance coaching right through to Customer Relationship Management (CRM) electronic back-up systems and industry leading mystery shopping (video, telephone and email).

One-on-one performance coaching for both sales people and management is very powerful and because it is tailored to the needs of the individual it has brought rapid results without the need for off-site training facilities or hotel expenses.

Motor Trade Solutions have a range of options that can be tailored to your needs and budget, meaning that we can provide expertise in marketing to provide enquiries right through to managing those leads and making the sale. For an initial discussion to find out more and see if we can help please call us on 0845 658 6880 or email us here>>>

To keep in touch with new products or developments at motortradesolutions.net you can subscribe to our news blog, become a fan on Facebook or even follow us on Twitter (MTS808).

motortradesolutions.net is a part of Studio808

The article in AM Online can be be seen here>>>

Geneva Motor Show Top 10

2010-03-06T08:18:00.003Z

Geneva Motor Show Top 10
Porsche 918 Spyder
Sbarro Autobau Concept

The Geneva Motor Show appears to showcase a more confident motor industry this year with a massive amount of new models and innovations. All the manufacturers seem to be showcasing their eco cars, electric cars and low emission vehicles.

There was still time for the weird and wonderful and we think that the Sbarro Autobau Concept wins that prize.

Jerry Garrett in the New York Times has created his own Top 10, does it match yours?
Follow this link to read his article>>>

To keep up to date with motor industry news, stories and MTS latest projects you can follow MotorTradeSolutions.net on Twitter: MTS808 http://twitter.com/MTS808

Or become a fan on our Facebook page: motortradesolutions.net

Motor Trade Solutions is a part of Studio808.co.uk

People Carriers Ford and Mazda

2010-03-05T12:12:00.005Z

Geneva Motor Show: Volkswagen and Mazda People Carriers (MPV)
Telegraph Motoring 5th March 2010
New Volkswagen Sharan
New Mazda 5

Amongst all the glitz and glamour that was afforded to electric cars, eco cars etc that were being showcased the 80th Geneva Motor Show there was also new entrants from that seemingly forgotten niche the people carrier.

New entrants from Volkswagen and Mazda were showing off their credentials. For more on this read Andrew English's article here>>>

Geneva Motor Show BMW

2010-03-04T17:39:00.004Z

BMW at the 80th International Geneva Motor Show

A thoroughly updated and upgraded range of models combining unique driving pleasure with outstanding efficiency – this is what premium car maker BMW is proudly presenting at the 80th Geneva Motor Show 2010. New models in numerous segments, an even wider range of power units combining outstanding performance with enhanced efficiency, plus fascinating concepts for the powertrain of the future clearly prove the unique innovative power of the brand....

For more on this and a great video of the BMW stand follow this link>>>

To keep up to date with motor industry news, stories and MTS latest projects you can follow MotorTradeSolutions.net on Twitter: MTS808 http://twitter.com/MTS808

Or become a fan on our Facebook page: motortradesolutions.net

Motor Trade Solutions is a part of Studio808.co.uk

The BMW Italian Job

2010-03-04T14:17:00.006Z

Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este

BMW’s Italian Job
Jaguar XKC 120, 1952
Talbot-Lago, T150 C SS Goutte d’Eau, 1938
BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster Series 1, 1937
Alfa Romeo Giulia 1600 Sport Pininfarina, 1965

Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2010: the place to be for perfection and elegance

For anyone with a fondness for spring and an appreciation of the Italian way of life, Lake Como in April has always been hard to beat. And the world-famous Grand Hotel Villa d’Este is the perfect base for those looking to revel in the lakeside ambience rather than merely bed down for the night. Should the same people also share a love of fine cars, the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este will deliver the perfect weekend. All of which means that the dates 23 – 25 April are likely to have been among the first in any auto enthusiast’s diary.

The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2010
The weekend of 23 – 25 April 2010 will see the fabulous grounds of the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este and Villa Erba in Cernobbio once again offering an exquisite stage for the most alluring classics of the past and the boldest concept cars of the present. The first Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este was held here on the banks of Lake Como in 1929, and today no other event of its kind can match its heritage and tradition.

For more on this story please follow this link>>>

Learn more about MotorTradeSolutions.net automotive e-Commerce Parts and Accessories Website Package here>>>

To keep up to date with motor industry news, stories and MTS latest projects you can follow MotorTradeSolutions.net on Twitter: MTS808 http://twitter.com/MTS808

Or become a fan on our Facebook page: motortradesolutions.net

Motor Trade Solutions is a part of Studio808.co.uk

Good news for Toyota in UK

2010-03-04T12:56:00.013Z

Good news for Toyota in UK

New car sales accelerated ahead again last month, rising 26.4% on the February 2009 total, it was announced today. But the February 2010 total of new registrations was 1.3% below 2008's figure and 12.2% below the 10-year average for February.

Sales of new Toyota cars in the UK last month held up reasonably well despite the fact that the Japanese motor giant has had to recall around 8m vehicles worldwide due to a number of problems.

Read more>>>

To find out more about motortradesolutions.net please give us a call on 0845 658 6880 or email us here>>>

View examples and learn more about MotorTradeSolutions.net Social Media Services for the Motor Industry here>>

To keep up to date with motor industry news, stories and MTS latest projects you can follow MotorTradeSolutions.net on Twitter: MTS808 http://twitter.com/MTS808

Or become a fan on our Facebook page: motortradesolutions.net

Motor Trade Solutions is a part of Studio808.co.uk

Article from Guardian.co.uk

Honda announce CRZ Prices

2010-03-03T19:45:00.004Z

Honda CR-Z Prices

Barretts Honda announce CR-Z prices

Honda CR-Z Hybrid Coupe prices released

Barretts Honda are delighted to announce the impressive specification and highly competitive pricing for the all new CR-Z hybrid coupe.

The CR-Z is the world’s first sporty hybrid coupe; a great looking car that’s exciting to drive and has all the benefits of advanced, low emission hybrid technology. As well as our petrol-electric IMA system, the car features three driving modes, which allows the driver to adapt the settings of the car to suit their needs –to maximise economy or to dash in and out of traffic, for example.

For more on this story and full pricing details follow this link>>>

To find out more about motortradesolutions.net please give us a call on 0845 658 6880 or send us a message to receive more information here>>>

View examples and learn more about MotorTradeSolutions.net Email Marketing Services for the Motor Industry here>>

To keep up to date with motor industry news, stories and MTS latest projects you can follow MotorTradeSolutions.net on Twitter: MTS808 http://twitter.com/MTS808

Guerilla Marketing in Geneva

2010-03-03T17:39:00.005Z

MINI brings Hollywood to Geneva

MINI brings Hollywood to Geneva for the world premiere of the new MINI Countryman.

MINI brings Hollywood to Geneva. The launch of the new star of the MINI family – the MINI Countryman – at the 80th Salon International de l’Auto provides reason enough for an unconventional marketing campaign: The city built on Lake Geneva is being renamed “MINIWOOD” by way of a huge projected image, creating a rival to the Hollywood dream factory in Los Angeles. The gigantic projection of the “MINIWOOD” sign onto Mont Salève on French soil is one of the largest projections of its kind.

Read more and see the video here>>>

To find out more about motortradesolutions.net please give us a call on 0845 658 6880 or send us a message to receive more information here>>>

Learn more about MotorTradeSolutions.net Marketing Services for the Motor Industry here>>

To keep up to date with motor industry news, stories and MTS latest projects you can follow MotorTradeSolutions.net on Twitter: MTS808 http://twitter.com/MTS808

Geneva Motor Show MINI

2010-03-03T07:31:00.000Z

MINI Geneva Motor Show
MINI at the 80th Geneva Motor Show 2010

At a glance:

World debut: MINI Countryman.
The MINI model family is growing once again, with the MINI Countryman making its first appearance at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. Read more here>>>

World debut: MINI One Convertible.Open-air driving pleasure in that unique MINI style is now becoming even more economical, with the new MINI One Convertible entering the market powered by the latest generation of MINI’s four-cylinder petrol engine. Read more here>>>

World debut: MINI One MINIMALIST.New petrol engines for the MINI, the MINI Clubman and the MINI Convertible ensure even greater agility – and, thanks to MINIMALISM – even lower CO2 ratings. A further important point is that the MINI Cooper S, the MINI Cooper, the MINI One, and the MINI John Cooper Works all fulfil the EU5 emission standard. The MINI One MINIMALIST, in turn, offers maximum all-round economy... Read more here>>>

For the rest of this entire article follow this link>>>

To find out more about motortradesolutions.net please give us a call on 0845 658 6880 or send us a message to receive more information here>>>

The MotorTradeSolutions.net stock listing database with Google indexing can be seen here>>>

To keep up to date with motor industry news, stories and MTS latest projects you can follow MotorTradeSolutions.net on Twitter: MTS808 http://twitter.com/MTS808

Volkswagen Geneva Motor Show

2010-03-02T20:22:00.002Z

Volkswagen Displays Confidence at Geneva Motor Show
Volkswagen parties while Toyota grovels
BBC News Tuesday 2nd March 2010

Europe's largest carmaker went to town on Tuesday night with a multi-model extravaganza that put rival carmakers to shame.

In a vast hall along lake Geneva's shores Volkswagen Group wheeled out model after model from its subsidiary companies, including an all-electric Seat concept car to, Volkswagens first pickup truck, a Lamborghini that it said could do 0-60mph in 3.4 seconds and a petrol-electric Porsche sportscar concept that group executive Martin Winterkorn, insisted "points the way forward for super-sportscars".

With more than half a dozen new models on display, it was a clear sign that the German carmaker accounts for more than its fair share of the more than 30 global premieres the world's carmakers are unveiling at this year's motor show in Geneva.

For the rest of this article follow this link>>>

To find out more about motortradesolutions.net please give us a call on 0845 658 6880 or send us a message to receive more information here>>>

The MotorTradeSolutions.net motor dealer social media services can be seen here>>>

To keep up to date with motor industry news, stories and MTS latest projects you can follow MotorTradeSolutions.net on Twitter: MTS808 http://twitter.com/MTS808

Opel Vauxhall Funding Package

2010-03-02T19:00:00.005Z

Opel Vauxhall Funding Package
General Motors to increase its commitment to Opel Vauxhall
Motor Trader 2nd March 2010

General Motors will contribute a €1.9bn funding package to its Opel/Vauxhall operations as part of its commitment to the European viability plan, more than tripling its previous investment pledge of €600m.

Unveiling the increased funding package, Nick Reilly, CEO of Opel/Vauxhall, said the GM contribution would be made in the form of both equity and loans.

For more on this story go to MotorTrader.com 2nd March 2010 link>>>

To find out more about motortradesolutions.net please give us a call on 0845 658 6880 or send us a message to receive more information here>>>

The MotorTradeSolutions.net motor dealer website design portfolio can be seen here>>>

To keep up to date with motor industry news, stories and MTS latest projects you can follow MotorTradeSolutions.net on Twitter: MTS808 http://twitter.com/MTS808

Motor Trade FSA Compliance by motortradesolutions.net

2010-02-03T08:58:00.007Z

Are you confident about your FSA processes, documentation and systems?

motortradesolutions.net can assist your automotive business with many levels of assistance when it comes to FSA Compliance in the motor industry.

Our approach is not one-size-fits-all, we fit around your business and the needs of your team. This can range from:

An FSA Healthcheck - to see where your business is today and provide peace of mind.
FSA Consultancy - where we help you to operate by implementing systems and processes.
Finance and Insurance Training - once again this is tailored to the needs of your business. We can train your Business Managers, Sales Managers or Car Sales Executives through classroom training or one-to-one coaching which leads to increased performance and revenue.

Our training is held on-site to minimise the impact on your motor business in terms of staff coverage, travel expenses etc.

Working closely with our clients we have seen their businesses run leaner and leaner in the past 12-18 months. This has lead to some primary functions not getting the attention they need, so this has lead to the creation of our outsourced 'pay as you go' services to help you and reduce the need for increasing headcount or overheads.

Our team of professionals all come from a motor trade background and have a proven track record. Their motor industry background also means that they take a pragmatic approach to FSA Compliance and avoid wherever possible in bogging you down in unnecessary processes.

If you are interested in knowing more then please call us for an preliminary chat to see if we can help you on 0845 658 6880 or use our contact us page to request further information.

To learn more about outsourced services from motortradesolutions.net please follow this link>>>

For interesting news, stories and events please follow us on Twitter:

motortradesolutions.net = MTS808 http://twitter.com/MTS808
Studio808 = studio808ltd http://twitter.com/studio808ltd

Don’t bury your head in the sand - marketing via social media is here.

2009-12-07T10:44:00.005Z

Like it or not, marketing via social media is here. Whilst you might not engage in it yourself, your customers are.

Social media is not just about posting adverts or stock inventory. A growing number of consumers want to engage with the people they do business with. This is leading forward thinking dealerships and motor dealer groups to rethink their website design and strategy, as it is not just an interactive brochure anymore.

Automotive dealer websites up until now have been about catching the consumer who is about to change their car. So previously the most important involvement by the management was to ensure the continuous update of new/used stock inventory, photographs and refreshing the quarterly new car campaigns.

Unfortunately this means that your customer has no need to return to your website for 2/3 years because it serves no other purpose to them.

This is where the biggest shift in thinking needs to happen. You need to make your customers “fans” of your business and give them the opportunity to comment and suggest improvements. They also need to hear other news than offers, sales, finance deals etc

Running your web presence in a way that has your customers (and potential customers) returning time and again requires a lot of effort and social media marketing requires time. If you think posting short messages on Twitter and sharing daily photographs are easy to do, think again. If you have a specific goal and you implement a social media plan, using social media could be easier but it would still require a lot of time.

You could choose not to focus on social media marketing, but that means you also will not get the maximum impact from using the free social networks. You need to make a decision about how you want to take advantage of this shift in internet marketing and decide how you are going to implement it in your business. For many companies, it is not always possible to spend time on creating content and building strong networks in social media. As I have said before motor dealerships run leaner than ever and more often or not the responsibility for online communication to customers is handed to the wrong people.

I cannot stress this point enough – and if you relate it to your own buying experiences you’ll know this to be true – so here goes:

Would you agree that today your website is the main way that you are communicating to your potential customers?

Would you also agree that the decision whether to make first contact often rides on your communication through this channel?

Of course we all know the answers to the above, but our research has shown that although business owners and senior dealer management know how important their communication is with customers, they often give the job to the wrong people – and worst of all it is not vetted before being published. We know this because when they are made to look at it for themselves, they are shocked and embarrassed at what they see.

Now that social media has come into the equation, the possibilities for devaluing your business or brand become even more prevalent if not handled properly. It is often given to the lowest paid staff member. We have seen dealerships using the sales trainee and even students on work experience placements to updating motor dealer websites.

Motor dealers call in experts for many things to help with their business, but are reluctant to make a relatively small investment in using experts for communication for their online presence. Get this right and customer retention levels grow, which as we know is cheaper than chasing conquest business.

For companies that do not have the time to make social marketing work, there are other options.

Motor dealers can really gain full advantage of using social media by outsourcing the tasks to specialists like motortradesolutions.net (MTS.net). Outsourced Marketing is actually very effective and affordable for companies. When motor dealers outsource, they are getting the expertise on a pay-as-you-go basis without spending money beyond the contract price for the project. With MTS.net you can set a budget or use our menu pricing system for your social media marketing.

Outsourcing your marketing means there is no need to invest in salary packages, bonuses, pensions, national insurance or company cars. Equally you do not have to provide valuable office space, computers or equipment. Outsourcing can work for all types of motor dealers - big or small.

The MTS.net team can work on creating contents for your website and your other social media accounts. Our experts are from the motor trade and can also work on getting your account more followers by following the right people and connect with them for your business.

If you would like to know more please call us on 0845 658 6880 for an initial discussion to see how we can best help you.

You can follow our news and articles on Twitter: MTS808

Don't let your poorly managed database stop you email marketing.

2009-10-19T07:43:00.011+01:00

Don't let your database get you down, help is at hand and it costs a lot less than you think...

We take several enquiries here at motortradesolutions.net from businesses that want to embark on email marketing or some other form of targeted prospecting activity.

They've heard about the succes it can bring if done properly and they like the fact that it is less expensive than direct mail campaigns.

Though the problem they face after they make the enquiry is usually one of these two scenarios:

They don’t have email addresses for their existing client base (or enough to make it worthwhile).
They do not have confidence in the accuracy of information in their database – and unfortunately they are usually right.

The good news is that at motortradesolutions.net we have been able to help our clients to not only to cleanse their database, but also introduce systems that collect relevant email data for future marketing activities too.

So this is a message to all those out there who feel that they have a hopeless cause because they have one or both of the problems we have listed above. And so never enquire or enjoy the benefits that using something like email marketing can bring.

And lastly let me dispel another myth for you. We are often told (with great confidence) that email is only used by young people, because they are the only ones who use computers on a regular basis. Interestingly we are usually told this by the ones with the poorest database management, and suddenly they are experts on their customer profile?

53% of iphone users are over 35
The fastest growth of Facebook users are 45 and over
20% of Twitter users are 55+

Pre-judge your client base at your peril. The internet is not the domain of geeky kids. You’ll be amazed at how many people of all ages judge your business by your online activity. Your potential dream client may be passing you by because your website gives the wrong impression of your business. And because web traffic is anonymous you’ll never know.

Don’t let your shabby database stop you. Help is at hand. Give us a call; we have cost-effective methods that can quickly and inexpensively straighten your database out and gain those all important email addresses. Best of all it usually generates some sales leads in the process so any investment you do make is often covered by the sales you gain.

We all know that it’s cheaper to keep the customers we’ve got than go out and win new business. No matter how messy your database is there’s business to be done in there with people who have dealt with you before so let motortradesolutions.net hep you uncover it.

You can use this form or call us on 0845 658 6880 to find out more and let motortradesolutions.net take the problem away.

Follow us on Twitter: MTS808

Worried about Hand Arm Vibration or Whole Body Vibration?

2009-08-30T15:05:00.008+01:00

Are you worried about Hand Arm Vibration or Whole Body Vibration??

If so the HSE have recently updated there website with some great advice and tips on managing the risk to your employees who use hand powered tools or drive vehicles for long durations. The advice giving is straight forward and practical and further advice can be obtained from motortradesolutions.net on systems to ensure you manage the risks to staff if vibration is a key hazard you need to manage in your workshop.

motortradesolutions.net can provide help and advice on health and safety issues that are related to the motor trade. Our team of specialists are there to help you, not to be obstructive to your business. If you are unsure or would like to discuss a healthcheck the please call 0845 658 6880 or email us.

Being Struck by something is a major issue in the Motor Trade.

2009-08-09T12:12:00.005+01:00

Being Struck by something is a major issue in the Motor Trade - it accounts for around 20% of injuries in the Motor Vehicle Industry.

Typical types of incidents are- struck by vehicles falling off inspection lifts, materials falling from elevated storage areas or the raised forks on fork lift trucks, by tools and materials ejected from plant and equipment and by movement of vehicles under repair.

To this end the HSE have produced some excellent guidance on the subject, some of which is downloadable and other information can be purchased from them or seek further advice from the specialist team at motortradesolutions.net which is appropriate to your own style of business.

For now here are some useful links for further information:

motortradesolutions.net can provide help and advice on health and safety issues that are related to the motor trade. Our team of specialists are there to help you, not to be obstructive to your business. If you are unsure or would like to discuss a healthcheck the please call 0845 658 6880 or email us.

Why use email marketing?

2009-07-12T08:41:00.007+01:00

Why use email marketing?

The ability to distribute information to a wide range of specific, potential customers at a relatively low cost.
Compared to other media investments such as direct mail or printed material, e-mail is much less expensive.
An exact Return on Investment (ROI) can be tracked ("track to basket") and has proven to be high when done properly.
The delivery time for an e-mail message is short (in seconds or minutes) as compared to a mailed advertisement (one or more days).
An advertiser is able to "push" the message to its audience, as opposed to website-based advertising, which relies on a customer to visit that website. Although email marketing can be used to attract traffic to your website.
E-mail messages are easy to track. As an advertiser you can track users via autoresponders, open stats, link stats, bounce stats, forwarding stats and click-throughs. Advertisers can generate repeat business affordably and automatically.
Advertisers can reach substantial numbers of e-mail subscribers who have opted in and consented to receive e-mail communications on subjects of interest to them.
Over half of Internet users check or send e-mail on a typical day.
E-mail marketing is paper-free and is seen as a "green" initiative by your business.
Tracking and response metrics enables tuning and optimisation of the E-mail marketing channel by a process of testing different variants and calculation of statistically significant results.

As experienced motor trade email marketers, Motor Trade Solutions bring an objective view to your email campaigns, ensuring that every communication works hard to towards meeting your objectives and maintaining the integrity of your Corporate Identity.

We can handle any aspect of your email campaign, from strategy and targeting, to creative development, campaign delivery and response handling. We can even source the right data for the job.

When you choose our fully managed email service we will become your virtual marketing team. We can deliver as much or as little of your email marketing strategy as you want us to, working with your marketing agency if necessary to ensure that your email communications are delivered efficiently, are read by your audience and drive response.

We take the pain out of producing excellent email marketing, whilst still giving you complete control and visibility of the process. All our clients have access to our easy to use online reporting and analytics tool, allowing you to monitor delivery and initial response. We also carry out detailed campaign analysis and provide recommendations for future testing and roll-out.

Our systems can import your complete client lists, targeted, purchased, or if you require, access to our B2B database of 1.8 million business emails.

So why use Motor Trade Solutions for your email marketing campaign?

Established track record of success with motor dealers and dealer groups, see this article as an example.
Hassle Free - We help our clients to harness the power of email to deliver feature rich, high quality marketing campaigns that engage customers. Our understanding of the motor industry means that we talk your language and can take your marketing idea forward expertly. MTS make email marketing simple, producing maximum returns with the minimum of hassle.
View your campaign statistics – the Motor Trade Solutions email marketing machine will let you see your open stats, link stats, bounce stats, forwarding stats and even your unsubscribe stats. This information can be narrowed down on an individual email-by-email basis if you prefer.
Measure your Return on Investment – Unlike direct mail by post or press advertising we can tell you if your target prospect has read the email. We can also tell if they clicked through to your website.
Managed Mailing Lists – we will update your list if recipients choose to unsubscribe and ensure that they do not receive unwanted emails again.
Find out what interest your customers – the Motor Trade Solutions email marketing machine allows you to see what part of your email interested your prospects most by tracking which subject header or image they clicked on.
We are a responsible email marketing company meaning that any email data that we provide is collected legitimately meaning that the message is getting to those who want to receive it and does not damage your reputation.
We can react fast. Press or Direct Mail can typically take one or two weeks to produce and be seen by your prospects. However if you have a message that you want to get out to your customers fast or need to quickly raise enquiry levels we can achieve a quick turnaround for design and the Motor Trade Solutions advanced mailing software will get your message out fast and into inboxes.

Motor Trade Solutions are able to help any size of business from independent retailers and traders to large dealer groups and Plc operations. For further information visit our email marketing webpage or to discuss your requirements about our email marketing services please contact us or just call our team for an initial discussion on 0845 658 6880 and start making an impact on your business.

A Daunting Task??

2009-07-05T20:07:00.016+01:00

Marketing for the September Registrations.
A daunting task???

It's early July and Sales Managers up and down the country have just been informed of the manufacturer's new marketing campaign for the September market.

They know about the finance offers, registration bonuses, deposit contributions, free insurance scrappage deals. They see their quarter 3 target stretching ahead of them and their dealer principal is putting them under pressure to overachieve!

While they are contemplating all of this they've just looked at the holiday calendar and noticed that they do not have a full complement of sales staff between now and the end of August.

But for now you have got to take off your Sales Manager's hat and become the marketing whizz-kid to get the message out there to your customers.

My question to you is should something so important be left to chance?

I've attended several dealerships in the last several weeks where the topic of dealer marketing has come up.

Car Sales Managers are having to quickly learn how to get a lot accomplished on a very small budget. They need to determine what they can do themselves, and what they should outsource. One of the best lessons dealer management should learn early is to surround themselves with others that know more than they do, in areas that are not their core areas of expertise. They need to know when to ask for help.

This principle applies to many aspects of business management - finance/FSA compliance, sales training, health & safety and definitely marketing. A manager (or business) can not be an expert in everything. It is not desirable to be a jack of all trades, and a master of none.

The goal should not be to achieve mediocrity in many things. The goal should be to achieve excellence and superiority in a few inter-related areas, and leave the other competencies to the experts in those specific fields.

For example, you are an expert in managing your department or business. You know your financials, you know how to best look after your customers, the franchise has its own demands and your head office wants reports and forecasts completed on time. This is why you are in the position you are. You are in control.

In the middle of all this how easy is it to develop and innovate a strong marketing plan that's going to ensure that you are going to get the results you need and that all important return on investment.

In the last several months, I have heard many dealer managers say that they don't need any help with their marketing. I believe they are drawing this conclusion because of two reasons:

They have a very tight cash flow, and are trying to identify their needs versus wants. They are determining what they need to purchase or outsource, and what they can forgo. A very necessary and wise strategy.
They really don't understand what marketing is. They don't understand that money invested with a marketing expert can translate into profit down the road. Strategic marketing is an investment.

Marketing is a complex, multi-disciplinary business function. There are many moving parts in marketing, all that must be intelligently integrated to ultimately deliver a message and brand that thoughtfully articulates your value proposition, resonates with your customer, and converts into a desired end-result. That end result may be profit (purchase my product), a change in behavior (don't drink and drive), or a call to action (join the Army).

To achieve desired results, you need to not only know yourself well, you need to know your target market even better.

Anyone sending out a marketing message needs to know who they need to reach, how those audiences like to receive their messaging, what the best mediums are for reaching them (online, print, in-person), and what the short-term, medium-term, and long-term messages should be.

This advice applies to anyone putting out a message for anything.

Successful dealer marketing campaigns don't just happen. They are the result of strategically focused, research-based initiatives that begin with a solid understanding of who you need to reach and how, and they culminate with a message that attracts, informs, and changes behavior.

If you are a motor business owner or manager, I encourage you to spend some time studying some of the successful brands around you. Think about their messaging. They are much more than name and a logo. Why do they appeal to you? How do you connect with them? A lot of strategy and thought went into their positioning.

All business owners, on any budget, can find marketing coaches to help them. Your marketing strategy is the primary business function to successfully articulate your value, tell your story, and convince your customer to trust you with their business.

By undermining the value of a strong marketing strategy, you are undermining your own value. The investment in a solid marketing strategy up front will pay great dividends down the road. Marketing, after all, is not all about you. Ultimately, it is about the customer.

At Motor Trade Solutions our team of creative designers and innovative thinkers have a track record of developing and implementing clever marketing strategies or tools that deliver tangible results. They understand the pressures you face day-to-day and talk your language.

Using our outsourced marketing services to take your business marketing strategy to a higher level, they will generate new and innovative solutions to your problems. They will also plan ahead and allow your business to be pro-active rather than reactive to the market place and can even plan and organise your quarterly campaigns, new vehicle launch, used car events etc.

For some businesses we are their ‘think tank’, for others we are strategic consultants and to many we are the agency that handles their entire marketing, either working with an existing in-house team, existing agency or as an outsourced marketing function.

For an initial discussion or more information please call Motor Trade Solutions on 0845 658 6880 or contact us and start making an impact in your sales department.

Managing your F & I Department

2009-06-22T09:11:00.005+01:00

Successfully Managing your F & I Department.

A few questions:

Are you happy with the referrals your Business Manager receives from your sales team?
Do all of your sales force make a professional introduction when bringing a customer to the Business Manager’s office? Every time without fail??
Are you 100% satisfied with your finance penetration, insurance product sales penetration, and your income per retail unit? Is your owner??
Are you 100% confident about your processes around FSA Compliance? If the FSA told you that they had mystery-shopped your dealership, would you feel comfortable about this??

If your answer to all of the above questions is a definite YES, congratulations! You have done a great job in managing your F&I Department, selling your products and training the sales force.

If your answer to any of the above questions is NO (or I am not sure), the next question is “What are you doing to improve these areas?” If your Business Manager is sitting in his/her office complaining about the sales team and making excuses about the state of the market, these areas will not improve.

Are you ready to make some changes and start getting dynamic results?

We all need to keep in mind, what happens in our business is our responsibility. Remember you are the MANAGER. This means you must take control of your F&I Department. Let's look at some strategies to make your F&I department the most productive it can be.

In order to make changes in our department, we have to make it happen ourselves.

Start by getting your Business Manager out of his/her office and being visible on the sales floor.

The Business Manager must interact with the salespeople by coaching and communicating the way they want them to refer customers and handle F&I questions that come up during the sale.
Get the Business Manager involved in the sales process early, so you can improve cash conversions and bank conversions.
The Business Manager is an integral part of the sales process and should be seen to helping close sales for the team. This will earn the respect of the sales force and develop a better relationship between the Business Manager and the Sales force.
By attending and participating in sales/training meetings the Business Manager can coach your sales force on improving conversions, handling questions about rate, payments and insurance products. You'll make them more effective and create better opportunities for F&I. This also makes our job less stressful and more rewarding.

Take charge of your F&I department today. Start making changes. Keep in mind most problems didn't happen overnight and probably won't be changed overnight. Get started by making a list of things that need improvement. Next, prioritize your list and then start making the necessary adjustments immediately. As each step is accomplished, mark it off your list. You will be amazed at the results if you tackle one problem at a time and stick with it with determination until you improve the process. A great F & I Department doesn't just happen – you have to put in a lot of hard work.

So when you are asked – “Are you and your owner 100% satisfied with your finance penetration, product sale percentages, insurance sales and your income per retail unit?” Your answer will be a resounding “YES”

Forward thinking businesses understand the importance of a strong F&I department for long-term success. The creation of a finance portfolio – particularly with a high percentage of PCP products – is money in the bank for renewals if managed properly.

The team at Motor Trade Solutions have enjoyed amazing results in helping businesses develop their F&I Departments by

Coaching and Mentoring the Business Manager(s).
Developing Training Programmes and Marketing Initiatives.
Ensuring that FSA Compliance and Processes are kept up to date and adhered to.
Incentive and Commission programmes that rewards the right kind of performance and inspires your team to achieve more.
Training the sales team on sales process and motivating them to success.

In essence we have changed the culture in many sales departments to create a sales force that is focused on the F&I business for the long-term goals of the business as much as the selling of cars, motorcycles, vans or trucks.

The investment is worth it, our experience shows that (if sold properly) finance customers are 4 times more likely to renew at the same dealership than cash customers. And we know that 70% of PCP customers (if handled properly) will renew at the same dealership.

Planning and building a finance book by looking at the long-term rather than the quick-fix today will mean that you already have a core community of customers ready to change in 2, 3 and 4 years time. By staying focused on this and continuously training and improving you can even set your future budgets and business plans around this with confidence.

Our service to you can be tailored to your specific needs whether it be to just to look at your FSA processes and administration or to provide our package to help you build your finance book. We work with small independents and start-ups to large dealer groups and plc operations.

For an initial discussion or more information please call Motor Trade Solutions on 0845 658 6880 or contact us by clicking here and start making an impact in your business.

Senior Managers need help

2009-06-18T20:27:00.001+01:00

Senior Managers need help, their job roles have changed immeasurably.

This article first apppeared on the Automotive Management website on Tuesday 16th June. It is interesting to see that research by an industry leading company like Castrol Professional is mirroring what Motor Trade Solutions (MTS) are hearing from their clients.

Read On…

Dealer Principals increase micro management.
Dealer principals are micro managing their businesses more in reaction to the volatile market, according to research by Castrol Professional.

Castrol Professional carried out 40 face-to-face interviews with a panel of dealer principals working at a variety of franchised sites, from solus operations to super group outlets, to gain a better understanding of life at the UK motor trade.

The findings show that many senior management figures are now micro-managing key areas of their business, for example by placing all invoices, no matter how small, under the microscope.

In response to the slump in new car sales, the vast majority of dealer principals have also shifted much more of their focus to the aftersales department as a means of maintaining or driving revenues.

According to the interviews, many dealers now have an intimate awareness of aftersales KPI data, such as workshop hours sold, efficiency and average invoice value, which dealer principals admitted were not previously regarded as such important indicators for the health of the business.”

Recent reductions in headcount, which were reported by many of the people interviewed on the panel, have also had an impact on dealership management structures.

Many lower- and medium-level managers now fulfil dual or expanded roles, for example having combined new and used sales, or service and parts management responsibility.

While redundancies are inevitably undesirable, some DPs report that the resulting management changes have helped them accelerate a move away from conventional compartmentalised business structures, thereby facilitating improvements in operational efficiency.

Adrian Brabazon, Castrol franchised workshop and OEM marketing Manager for UK & Ireland, said: “It is clear that the uncertain economic climate has led to a shift in emphasis from new car sales to aftersales.

“The need for franchised dealers to retain customers and fight for each and every piece of business has meant that many dealer principals are placing renewed focus on the resourcing of the service reception. More of them are evaluating whether service reception staff have the right skills to effectively sell work to the customer and employing new processes and systems to enable staff to follow up on deferred work.”

Brabazon said that even through dealers were focusing on running the business in “survival mode” many are already preparing for when the upturn comes.
He said: “For instance, some have been investing in new initiatives to safeguard service income, such as launching a new mobile technician service to diagnose faults on customer cars before they come into the dealership, to maximise workshop efficiency.
“The focus on improving aftersales processes, upsell and customer service training has also been reflected in significant sign up to Castrol Professional’s market leading programme solutions in recent months.”

In other words the role of a senior manager in a motor dealership or group has changed immeasurably.

The question is: What were these Dealer Principals doing before?

Well in short the relative buoyancy of the UK Retail Motor Industry allowed for more support staff to be employed to cover specialised roles. In management speak this was called delegation, which meant that the senior management were able to develop the business and ‘strategise’.

Recent turbulent economic times have meant that these people are a luxury that the business cannot afford, but equally the need for the business to have a leader and a director are more important than ever before. The Dealer Principal and the rest of the senior management team have had to take these roles back into their job description and by spinning many plates are struggling to think beyond the day-to-day running of the business.

Proof of this is the ever expanding client base of dealers and motor dealer groups who are employing Motor Trade Solutions on an outsourced basis to cover time consuming and specialist roles such as marketing, health & safety, FSA compliance, updating the website, training & development etc.

MTS clients can budget their costs effectively and do not have to unnecessarily add to headcount or paying for benefits packages. The benefit being that they only pay for what they need and they get industry leading expertise.

If you would like to know more, then please see our web page on 'Outsourced Services' or call 0845 658 6880 for an initial chat about how Motor Trade Solutions can help your company to succeed.

Dealers to adapt to downturn

2009-05-26T20:36:00.001+01:00

Vertu boss warns dealers to adapt to downturn

Motortrader.com 15th May 2009

Dealers who have not reviewed their processes since the downturn of the car market face an uncertain future, warned Robert Forrester, chief executive of Vertu Motors.

The warning was addressed to leading dealer finance managers at the recent Finance Conference co-hosted by Motor Trader and ASE, the business management specialist.

As the chief executive of Vertu Motors, a listed group which sold its first car on 27 March 2007 and now has a turnover of £750m, Robert Forrester had some sound advice on how to not just whether the storm but identify growth opportunities.

Having launched as an acquisitive group the business reviewed its business model last year to reflect the changing economic climate.

Forrester's team launched a four step programme which he said has placed the business on a sound footing. Areas addressed included cost reductions, a thorough review of the stock policy, a transformation of under-performing sites and encouraging momentum through people and processes.

"We're not at the bottom of this thing yet. You might see 25 per cent fewer customers so you need to sell 25 per cent more cars.
"There are still hundreds of thousands of people thinking of buying cars. I just want to make sure they buy from us," he said.

This is an interesting article, as it reinforces the feedback that Motor Trade Solutions have received from their own clients and is a reflection of the products and services that MTS offers.

Forward thinking businesses are grasping the opportunities that are still there in the Retail UK Motor Industry and are also keen to develop a different approach or alternative business model not just to survive, but to excel.

In trying times cost control is more important than ever and the profits are not available to pay for the countless number of new roles that appeared in dealers and dealer groups during the 90’s and early 21st century. This included Health & Safety Manager, Group Business Manager, Marketing Manager, Internet Manager, FSA Compliance, IT Manager, Training Manager, the list goes on…

The alternative is to employ similar people who demand less salary or perks, but as we all know you get what you pay for. The candidate is either too inexperienced to produce the results that you are after or worse – if they are experienced but willing to accept selling themselves more cheaply – not actually suitable.

Some businesses try to get existing staff or management to take on these roles as part of their existing position and often this works very well at first. Inevitably cracks appear and the demands of their own position produce a ‘jack of all trades’ scenario and puts pressure and stress on the individual. Something has to give.

Motor Trade Solutions are dedicated to helping the UK Motor Industry and for this part have gathered together leading people which your company can employ on an on-demand outsourced basis. This means to you that you get industry leading knowledge and techniques, but on a fixed cost basis. It fits your budget and is a lot less than an annual salary/benefits package.

It also means that your existing team can get on with what they are best at - running your business.

If you would like to know more please visit the Motor Trade Solutions website or call us for an informal initial discussion on 0845 658 6880.

NADA Convention

2009-05-22T14:45:00.005+01:00

NADA Convention, New Orleans.

The theme of this year's NADA Convention in New Orleans proved to revolve around three key elements to help automotive dealers thrive in a market while others are fighting to merely survive.

• Consolidation: When revenue begins to diminish experienced business professionals know that it is time to cut expenses. At first any expenditure that is not considered a necessity for a dealership's financial survival is subject to elimination. Additionally as time passes and economic conditions persist the belt must be increasingly tightened to accommodate the shrinking budget. However in a lot of cases the elimination of certain resources can ultimately spell failure for a dealership and forces creative consolidation and outsourcing to maximize the effectiveness of their assets.

• Retention: For the last decade or longer dealers have focused on growing and developing their businesses by expanding their market share and building a strong clientele. As a result many dealers have neglected their most valuable asset, their previous customers. This is not to say that dealers have completely ignored their current customer base however many dealers have not made a focused, concentrated effort to retain their previous customers and have missed the opportunity to harvest the fruits of their previous labour.

• Innovation: Changing markets require innovative business methods to ensure success during uncertain times. A dealership cannot keep doing the same things that they have been doing over and over again and expect a different result. Furthermore this is no time for a dealer to lie down and wait to see what happens next. As a result the dealer that pioneers the next great strategy in his or her market will enjoy the rewards of his forward thinking.

It is safe to say that by now every automotive dealership out there has begun to incorporate at least one, if not all of the aforementioned practices in to their business to get or keep their financial statements out of the red.

Knowing that motor dealers are always looking for new ways to accomplish these feats it is easy to understand why the newest solution for automotive dealerships by motortradesolutions.net is creating such an overwhelming amount of excitement. Our newest outsourced marketing service and sales coaching/development creation provides dealerships with an innovative tool that allows dealers to effectively advertise their new and used vehicle stocks in conjunction with industry leading training that ensures that maximum results are delivered in an affordable format.

By investing in any outsourced dealer services from motortradesolutions.net we work with you in partnership and endeavour to take away the day-to-day time consuming problems that dealership management face.

To learn more and for an initial discussion please call us on 0845 658 6880 or email us direct info@motortradesolutions.net

As experienced motor trade people we at motortradesolutions.net understand that the UK Dealer Network is under increasing pressure,

1. To keep costs low
2. To generate more profit and a greater return on investment

More often than not this is a very difficult balancing act. Motor Trade Solutions is dedicated to helping you achieve this with innovative answers to your problems and challenges.

National Automobile Dealers Association http://www.nada.org/
NADA Convention 2010 http://www.nada.org/TrainingEvents/Convention/