Social Networking VS Selling ???

Have you ever been to a car dealership and felt like you were treated unfairly? If yes then you sould stop by park auto mall and see David Ingold



Here is a familiar story to anyone who has purchased a used car.

I was down in florida on vacation on the beach I couldn’t help but notice how clean and un-weathered the cars and trucks seemed to be looking…….and even though I happened to be on vacation…….I was still in the market for a NICE good used truck.

I live back home in the dead center of Kansas, over 100 miles from the closest Walmart. If I turn west when I get to the main road a mile from my house, I hit one stop sign in the first 200 miles. I drag posts, haul hay, and pull a 24 foot horse trailer. what I really needed was a truck In fact, I need a 3/4 ton flatbed truck with a tow package on it. Montana is hard on trucks, and I am hard on them, so I
don’t need a new one. I needed it for work not show

Here is my experience buying one.

At the first dealership, on a street lined with dealership after dealership called US 19 I was met by a group of 11 salesmen standing outside, right at the curb. I didn’t even get clear into the lot before they were at both sides of my vehicle, trying to be the ONE who got to sell me the SPECIAL VEHICLE OF THE DAY. I didn’t even get out of my vehicle. I just rolled the window down a bit and said I was only turning around.

At the second dealership, there were multiple sales people on the lot, but I was greeted by only one. I told him what I wanted, and he promptly took me on a long walk to the back of the lot, where he stopped at a brand new $50,000 truck.When I repeated what I wanted, “since you obviously misunderstood,” he told me that they didn’t have one of those, but he could get me a really good deal on this one. I said thanks anyway, and returned to my rental car, with him finally trying to get my name so he could call me when he got one. I declined.

I felt like I had not been heard…… and decided I should start to make my way back towards the hotel I was staying at, out at the beach on the beautiful Gulf of Mexico. Hence, I headed west on a road called Park Boulevard.

This is what brought me to the third dealership, I was welcomed to the dealership by a young lady who introduced herself, and asked my name. She asked me if I had ever purchased a certified used vehicle from them before and was I looking for anything in particular, or just generally looking. I told her what I wanted. She thought for a few seconds, and then said something seemed kind of odd…..She asked me if I would like a cup of coffee or maybe a bottle of water. I felt like a cup of coffee was in order so I said sure, she said come with me, and I followed. She said they might not have anything like that at the time, but if I had a minute she would speak to a friend of hers who dealt in trucks like that.

I went inside with her expecting her to show me another brand new truck. To my surprise, she went in an office and called someone on the phone and explained what I was looking for. She paused for a second, and then asked, “What year is it?” She continued to ask pertinent questions until she ended with the sentence, “I don’t know if it will work for my client, but if it does, he’s in your office.” Long story short, it was what I was looking for. I went out back to see it, and ended up buying it.

So, what’s the point? Too many people on the Internet and in sales treat me like the first two used car salesmen.

I get pitched on products and/or companies that don’t even remotely fit what I am doing, by people who haven’t taken the time to GET TO KNOW me.

When I respond that I’m not interested, I get another persistant person talking to me…… as if I obviously don’t get it, because if I did, I would BUY RIGHT NOW.

I leave, and don’t listen to any more from them.

And here’s my question. Which of these categories do you fit into?

Do you get to know them……… or just keep talking?

Some local businesses have taken to social networks for marketing, and one local car dealership said the move is working well.

Mr David Ingold the Internet Director at Park Auto Mall said he got the idea to use social networking as part of his marketing after selling a car in March.

"The next day, when I came to work, I got an e-mail from her inviting me to become her friend on Facebook," he said.

He realized the social tools were better for more then just hanging out and so he decided to do business using them.

Getting set up meant spending several hours on the computer. Now, every time he receives a car in inventory, it automatically shows up on the Twitter feed. He also lets potential customers know about offers.

"My latest message is, dosn't matter if its worth somthing hell put it in as a trade in.

Ingold said the work has paid off by driving people to the dealership Web site.

"I had about 1,850 visits, 1,850 on Saturday, which resulted in 11, 12 cars sold," he said.

Ingold estimates that about 20 percent of the cars sold since March have been because of Facebook and Twitter.