Beyond The First Pencil

We stirred up some things with last week’s episode about building a community rather than an audience…and we loved it. This week, we invited our friend and amazing car guy, Bill Playford to pick up the conversation where we left off!  The invincible strength in relationships within communities leads to higher sales. Bill shares examples of how, when he was working at dealerships, this powerful too...

We’ve all seen them. “Influencers” who have lots of followers, likes and comments on social media. Some do “live videos,” look super successful but in truth, only a small fraction of influencers actually earn a living. If you’re in car sales, or any sales really, it’s easy to get caught up in the hype. But at the end of the day, what exactly do you have except a lot of noise? In this week’s episod...

You’re in for a treat. This week’s guest is Brent Wees. Brent is a wicked awesome speaker, coach and digital marketing strategist. He’s also been a friend of ours for over ten years. If you’ve ever seen him speak, you’ll never forget it. Brent’s energy is infectious and he’s here with us to share some of his tips on how to get chosen for a session speaker slot at the automotive conferences...and s...

We’ve been thinking a lot about the state of automotive social media. Both of us have witnessed so many years of salespeople and dealerships either ignoring the value of social or not taking action because of old limiting beliefs. In this episode, we share some real-life examples of successful social media and some simple tactics that could help you get started…or get better! Link to the Post.news...

Did you know that Google has renamed Data Studio? (wait till you hear what they changed it to!). This on the heels of sunsetting our beloved GMB app and changing the oft-loved name - Google My Business - to Google Business Profiles. Kathi and Mike talk about the value in brands that we love and what happens when they change.  PS: Remember the Ford Taurus? In our music segment: Snippet of Howard St...

Those of us in the car biz, who’ve worked ding to dong, helping the public buy the vehicle of their dreams, can be a tad cynical. Retail can do that to you, but it’s not something we try to be, and it happens over time through experiences. What is “Modern Retail?” This is a term we’ve heard lately that defies logic. It’s a great word - Modern - but it seems more like a marketing term. We’re really...

The topsy-turvy world that is social media right now is causing a lot of people to review each platform’s privacy and data collection policies. TikTok has been singled out as a unique concern so we decided to look at some of the reasons to pause before you jump. Kathi and Mike also talk about the precarious position some vehicle customers will be in during the coming months/years and how close att...

Our guest today is Mike Fitzpatrick, Founder of SmartTarget. Kathi and Mike have known Mike F. for over a decade. We all came from the car biz and found ourselves in the scary vendor world all at the same time.  And speaking of scary (it was Halloween just a few days ago), Google Analytics 4 has launched and we’d like to calm your fears. Mike F. is our Google Yoda and he explains what GA4 is all a...

This week, Mike shares the very disturbing update to Google Business Profile management that makes it even harder to manage multiple accounts. Oh, and where did the uber-important Photos metric go? Kathi gives a short synopsis of Facebook’s Q3 earnings and the resulting 25% one-day drop in their stock price (which is a good indicator of how the world views Facebook’s future).  Kathi also shares th...

Social media is not a broadcast channel. It’s a two-way communication tool, which means you should be listening as much as you’re talking. Kathi and Mike discuss strategies for social listening and why it should be part of your overall marketing process. But first, Kathi shares another update on her Facebook short-form video testing. She also provides some up-to-the-minute insights on the state of...

Mike has been at a few conferences this week, spending time with car peeps and soaking up the latest trends…or maybe wanna be trends? YouTube announced Handles a few weeks ago and they’re rolling them out now. Kathi provides another update on the Facebook short-form video testing she’s been doing with the Hanaeleh Facebook and Instagram profiles. (click links to check out the profiles) Music segme...

Those of us that have been in social media for awhile remember when Facebook Ads were introduced. We didn’t like it as users, but wow, it was pretty awesome for marketing. Coupled with how the algorithms were back then, and how your followers could regularly see your content, it was a combo that couldn’t be beat. Fast forward to today and while Facebook still rocks for building an army of fans for...

This week, Kathi and Mike discuss what automotive social selling really is (hint: it’s not what some “auto influencers” are claiming). Using social media to establish yourself as an expert is key and you do this by building rapport with your followers. We’ll share some tactics we use to help you carve out your own network and sell more cars. Kathi provides another update on the short-form video co...

Are you outsourcing your social media? You’ll want to listen to Kathi and Mike spell out the pitfalls (yikes!) when you don’t pay close attention to what’s being posted in your name. We’ll also share some best practices so you don’t find yourself in the middle of a social media crisis. Kathi provides another data/insights update on her Facebook page video content test. If you’re a creator or a bus...

We’ve seen a disturbing trend happening and as car people, we feel we must try to stop the insanity. Remember: just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should. Think before you TikTok. It’s not just because your audience isn’t likely there but also because there are disturbing facts about how they capture your data. Click HERE to read Casey Newton’s reporting that we discuss. Kathi shar...

So many changes. Kathi provides an update on her Facebook video content testing. While the numbers continue to climb on her page’s posts, there is also more effort (ie: time) required to keep bad actors from commenting and messaging.  Mike revisits Google My Business Google Business Profiles and the recent changes he’s been seeing. Hint: somehow Google isn’t including photo metrics in their report...

There was a certain dealership-produced viral video this week that showed the exact reason why, if you don’t know how to be funny, don’t try to be.  Kathi wrote about this debacle on her blog and there’s a link to the video in her post. Check it out HERE. Earlier in the episode, Kathi and Mike discuss online reviews and why it's important to not just ask for them, but give them too! Then, we...

A few weeks ago in their earnings call, Facebook/Meta announced that they were changing the newsfeed to show about 30% more “discoverable” content. That means ads and content from people/pages you don’t already follow.  They also mentioned that video content will be given higher preference in the newsfeed. That got Kathi thinking about how to test it...and we have some results. In this week’s epis...

According to a new Manheim Index report, used car market prices are down 3.6% in just the first half of August. New car inventory is still scarce and Jack Hollis, head of sales for Toyota Motor North America, says dealership inventory levels won't be able to grow at all until perhaps the third quarter of 2023, and are unlikely to ever return to their pre-pandemic levels. What do you do with m...

There seems to be a lot of “auto influencers” on social media right now. While getting attention is good, you always want to gain the right attention.  Kathi and Mike discuss the state of online automotive celebrities and what a regular car person can do to make a name for themselves, often with a small network, that blows “celebrity” out of the water. Get in touch with us! Kathi: kathi@krusecontr...

Two BIG topics this week: 1. What happens when the manufacturer requires a new dealer agreement for specific products and what you agreed to is coming back to bite you? In the past few years, due to many factors, the relationships between dealers and manufacturers have changed.  Kathi and Mike discuss a situation that’s happening in Australia, but dealers in the U.S. and Canada should be keeping a...

This week, we welcome our long-time friend Josh Friedman as our guest. Josh is the New Car Sales Manager at CMA’s Colonial Chevrolet in Chester, VA.  Not only is Josh an amazing manager who’s truly doing cutting edge moves at his store and with his team…but he’s also a music fan like we are. Josh shares some of his great stories about punk in Washington DC back in the day (a long way from Kathi an...

The car business labor market is very fluid right now and the age-old complaint about staffing - “You can’t find good people” - is about to really hit home for you (if it hasn’t already). With the workforce developing different reasons for work, and very different motivators, smart dealership managers are adapting by implementing new hiring practices and paying close attention to company culture....

Kathi and Mike welcome Tim “FordVideoGuy” Bartz to the show. Tim is the Internet Manager at Long McArthur Ford Lincoln in Salina KS. Both of us consider Tim a pioneer in today’s automotive retailing. He’s creating unique ways to deliver extreme value to customers and blazing a trail for others who know that social selling is the future of the car business. You won’t want to miss Tim’s tips on how...

If you’ve got a Facebook Business Page, it’s likely changes are afoot again. We noticed some changes this week and we’d love to tell you about them. We also share ways to get more page visibility in unique ways. Kathi and Mike then talk about the challenges of managing used car inventory today. Prices are in flux, moving very fast, and if you don’t pay close attention, you can find yourself underw...