3 key practices every car dealer should apply to their operations today – Frank Lopes

As we near the end of one of the most unpredictable years in recent memory, many dealers are wondering what they should be doing right now to prepare for success in the final quarter and the beginning of the new year. In the second part of our conversation with Frank Lopes, vice president of Forrest & Blake Digital, host of Live with Lopes, and author of The Seven Minute Setup, we discuss three key practices that every car dealer should be doing right now, including:

1. Triple down on your dealership’s Facebook marketing

According to Lopes, Facebook is where the majority of consumers’ attention, time, and energy is spent. This means car dealers need to devote three times the amount of money and content to their Facebook marketing strategy. However, Lopes points out that the content has to be valuable to consumers. This strategy is also not limited to the dealerships. Salespeople and manager should be revamping their Facebook presence as well.

2. Consumers need to have multiple touchpoints

Limiting the calls to action on your dealership’s website or social media platforms is the same as physically closing the doors to your showroom. Consumers can no longer be funneled through the same channel. The car buying experience needs to have a variety of different paths so that customers can shop in the manner they desire.

3. Less is more for a car dealer

This timeless strategy still holds true today according to Lopes. It starts with writing shorter emails. Lopes frequently secret shops with his car dealer clients and their competitors and starts by asking simple questions. Does this car have heated seats? More often than not, he receives a lengthy email in response that doesn’t even have the answer. Lopes says that dealers are so worried about communicating to their customers that they have a seamless, frictionless car buying process. The ‘average Joe’ doesn’t understand, or is not interested in semantics. They want answers.

Be sure to watch our full interview above to hear more great insight and advice from Frank Lopes.

Did you enjoy this interview with Frank Lopes? Please share your thoughts, comments, or questions regarding this topic with host Jim Fitzpatrick at jfitzpatrick@cbtnews.com.