Used Car Prices Up

Used Car Prices Up - Except Recalled Toyotas'
March 15, 2010

Used car prices are up about 2 percent from last month, but the prices
of used Toyotas affected by the recalls are down about 2.5 percent,
according to Edmunds.com.

"Many used car buyers are turned off by the negative publicity
surrounding the Toyota recall, so prices of those vehicles are pacing at
about 4.5 percent below the market," said Edmunds.com Analyst Joe Spina.

Spina added: "Also contributing to the decline in values is the fact
that a fair number of Toyota Camry and Toyota Corolla models were
recently returned by rental fleets, making it somewhat of a buyers'
market for those vehicles."

Compared with this time last year, the average three-year-old midsize
sedan increased 6.6 percent in value, while the average three-year-old
Camry price is flat. Compared with January, before the Toyota recalls
came to light, prices for used Camry models are down almost 4.5 percent.
By comparison, Mazda 6 and Chevrolet Malibu have risen about 1.5
percent.

"Certainly there are bargains to be had because of Toyota's issues,"
noted Edmunds.com Senior Consumer Advice Editor Philip Reed.
"Car-shoppers are in a great position to negotiate, and once they pick
up a Toyota - or any used car -- they should immediately get their
contact information into the automaker's owner database to be kept up to
date on recalls and other alerts."

Listen Carefully To The Customer...

Listen Carefully To The Customer...

The best sales technique for selling customers any product involves a sequence of logical events occurring. A salesperson must understand what the customer wants, qualify that the customer can afford to purchase what they seek, and make an organized presentation that will result in a sale.

Listen Carefully To The Customer...

By listening carefully, a good car salesperson does not waste valuable time trying to sell something that will not interest their customer. Most car shoppers have a good idea of what they want before visiting any automobile agencies. Establishing the type of car being sought is essential to beginning a good sales presentation.

In the event that a customer is non-specific as to what they want, key questions should be asked to help them determine a logical type of vehicle to begin the selection process with. They will surely define if they need a family car, want a sports car for fun, or must find something that will maximize mileage for heavy use.

Qualify The Customer...

Many customers are less than realistic about what they want and what they can afford. The best sales technique in the world cannot be successful if your customer cannot afford the car that they want to buy. The process of qualifying a customer is simple, and involves asking them what their budget for a car purchase is. Without the parameters of what is possible financially, it is foolish to proceed with a sales presentation.

Show The Product, Eliminate The Obstacles...

Once a car salesperson knows what a customer wants/needs, and understands their financial ability to pay for a vehicle, the rest is actually quite easy. By having listened carefully, the salesperson can proceed to show their customer several possibilities. By the process of elimination, a logical choice can usually be found for a "test drive".

It is likely that a customer will present their potential reason for not buying a specific car during the selection process or test drive. Any reason for not buying represents an obstacle that a good salesperson should attempt to remove. As the reasons for not buying are removed, the sale is essentially accomplished.

Of course, asking for the sale is the final phase to any successful selling situation. One essential component for any sale is closing the deal. It does not have to be a high-pressure situation for a salesperson to ask their customer if they would like to see how easy it would be for them to take this car home with them today.

Conclusion...

Since all sales professionals are individuals, there is no one-size-fits-all formula for sales techniques guaranteed to work for everyone. A pleasant personality, willingness to be helpful, and strong product knowledge are the basic ingredients to successful selling. Beyond that, individual sales people should build upon their individual strengths to find a selling style that works for them. If customers sense that you are smart, helpful, and not bullying them to buy what you want to sell; they will likely become your faithful customer for years of repeat and referral business.


Thank you,
Thomas Ieracitano
Thomas@Ieracitano.com
www.DigitalCarGuy.com
(229) 251-2462
P.S. Are you 'Advertising' or 'Marketing' ?
Ask me the Difference?

Monitor Your Competition With Free Online Tools

Monitor Your Competition With Free Online Tools

June 29, 2010 in Management, Tips & Advice by marijana

In today's competitive business environment, no company should remain ignorant of their competitors and how they operate and market their business. Obtaining information on the businesses you compete with allows you to always be a step ahead of them. You will be able to determine their strengths and weaknesses and use this knowledge to your advantage.

Monitoring your competition is essential for developing business strategies which will allow you to achieve the competitive edge, and fortunately, there are many online tools available to do competitor espionage through some simple and most importantly, legal techniques.

There are tools that you can use to learn about, for example, traffic volume of your competitor's website, details about their domain, mentions on social media sites, or receive alerts when they are mentioned in the press. Although this information may seem trivial to some, every little detail on your competition counts as it allows you to compare your performance with theirs. Many of these tools are available for free, so you'll only have to invest some time.

Here are some of the best free tools available online for tracking and monitoring your competition:

Yahoo! Site Explorer - Site Explorer allows you to explore all the web pages indexed by Yahoo! Search. View the most popular pages from any site including your competitors, dive into a comprehensive site map, and find pages that link to that site or any page.

Compete Search Analytics -Enter a site or a category to receive a list of keywords that refer  traffic to it, or enter a keyword to get a list of sites it refers traffic to.

Statbrain - Using different sources, Statbrain's algorithm estimates how many visitors a website attracts based on offsite factors  such as backlinks, Alexa Rank etc. Statbrain does not have access to log files or any counter information. The number of visits that Statbrain estimates gives you an idea of the number of visits that a website has, so you can compare your results with those of your competitors.

FeedCompare - If you use Feedburner to track your RSS subscribers you can compare the size of your feed to your competitors.

Xinu Returns - This is a great tool that gives statistics on website SEO, so you can learn how well your competitors' sites are doing in major search engines such as Google and Yahoo, social bookmarking sites, backlinks, etc. You can use this information to create strategy to outperform your competitors.

Google Trends For Websites - Google Trends for Websites gives you insights into the traffic and geographic visitation patterns of your website. You can compare your data with up to four of your competitors' websites and view related sites and top searches for each one.

Websitegrader -You can use this tool to measure the marketing effectiveness of your website. When grading a website, this tool looks at parameters such as website traffic, SEO, social popularity, website performance, and so forth. Websitegrader has a feature that allows you to compare your site with other websites, and see how you perform compared to the competition.

Google Alerts - You can use Google Alerts to set up searches for your compatitors company name and receive email notification on the latest mentions in Google search results. You can set up to 1,000 alerts per account, which allows you to monitor all your keywords and competitors.

SocialMention - SocialMention allows you to easily track and measure what people are saying about your competitors and your company across different social media sites and blogs in real-time. It will tell you how many times a keyword you enter was mentioned and you can subscribe to recieve a free daily email alerts of your company or your competitors.

Thank you,
Thomas Ieracitano
Thomas@Ieracitano.com
www.DigitalCarGuy.com
(229) 251-2462

P.S. Are you 'Advertising' or 'Marketing' ?

Ask me the Difference?

10 Blogs to Boost Your Social Network Savvy

Here's a roster of experts who regularly offer tips and observations about networking to greatest effect.

Kristin Burnham

Sunday, July 04, 2010 09:09 AM PDT

Keeping tabs on the evolving world of social media isn't easy. Facebook, as we've seen, has endured several privacy fiascos and consequent criticisms. LinkedIn has made impressive progress in making the site more social by rolling out important updates to its site. Meanwhile, Twitter continues to struggle with simply handling its increasing traffic.

To better understand the changing landscape -- and to discover how it can help you and your business -- you need expert help. I've compiled a list of my 10 favorite blogs (in no particular order) from practitioners, experts and thinkers. Follow these blogs for the latest news, tips, insights and case studies that will keep you at the top of your social media game.

Chris Brogan
What you'll find: Chris Brogan, president of New Marketing Labs shares video book reviews, thoughts on and tips for maximizing the value of social media, and puts into greater context what the news means for you.
Sample posts: "LinkedIn Recommendation Tips;" "Beyond Project Management;" "Automate the Easy Stuff."

All Facebook
What you'll find: coverage of new Facebook applications, general news and analysis about the future of Facebook. The blog also features statistics on the top Facebook Apps and Pages.
Sample posts: "Facebook Driving More Users to Make Facebook.com Their Homepage;" "Facebook's New Permissions Dialogue Goes Live on All Applications;" "Facebook Clarifies Policy on Site Scrapers as Robots.Txt Gets Updated."

Carol Rozwell
What you'll find: Carol Rozwell, Gartner VP and a member of Gartner's Social Software and Collaboration team, writes on the dynamics of collaborating in social networks and communities, and innovation. Expect advice and practical use-cases.
Sample posts: "Social Networking Redo: Fixing a Broken Implementation Program;" "Social Media Stumbles-E-Business Redux;" "Social Media Panelists Share Experiences at PCC."

SmartBlog on Social Media
What you'll find: SmartBlog picks the most relevant social media news on the Web, summarizes it and links to the original source if you want to read the article in full. Check in here for poll analysis, news, tips and case studies.
Sample posts: "How LEGO Supports Their Growing Network of Fans;" "Getting a Handle on Twitter Followers;" "Gov 2.0: How to Engage Your Hispanic Fans."

Stowe Boyd
What you'll find: Stowe Boyd, director at 301works.org and president at Microsyntax.org focuses on social tools and their impact on media, business and society. Boyd recently moved his blog; for all old entries, go here.
Sample posts: "ACLU Fact Checks Facebook's Response to Open Letter;" "Twitter Taps Into Facebook and LinkedIn Networks;" "Sliderocket: The Last Stage of Jettisoning Desktop Office Apps."

Social Media B2B
What you'll find: News and discussions on social media's impact on B2B companies and social media adoption within B2B companies.
Sample posts: "Unclutter You B2B Social Media Sources;" "B2B Case Study: Supply Chain Firm Drives Traffic With Online Community;" "Social Media Monitoring and Developing B2B Thought Leadership."

Socialnomics-Social Media Blog
What you'll find: Socialnomics covers the latest trends in social media, focusing on news and what it means for users and businesses. It's known for its irreverent viewpoints of a popular topic. This blog complement's Erik Qualman's book of the same title.
Sample posts: "Steve Jobs=Social Media King;" "What BP Should Be Doing With Social Media;" "Facebook Statistics & History in Picture Form."

Andrew McAfee's Blog
What you'll find: McAfee, a principal research scientist at MIT's Center for Digital Business, coined the phrase "Enterprise 2.0." He writes on the ways that IT affects businesses.
Sample posts: "Why Some Geeks Hate the iPad So Much;" "In the Age of the Smart Machine, What Are WE Good For?;" "Memes to Watch Out For."

SocialMedia.Biz
What you'll find: advice on social media strategy, news, trends, tools and resources.
Sample posts: "Everything You Need to Know About SEO;" "Mark Zuckerberg Makes the Big Time;" "Successful Techniques for Building Your Industry Voice With Social Media."

Scobleizer
What you'll find: Robert Scoble, managing director at Rackspace, is best known for his views on the social media landscape. You'll find video interviews with upstarts, product reviews and analysis on the latest and greatest in the Web 2.0 world.
Sample posts: "Meet the team that knows who is REALLY influential on Twitter (Klout);" " First look video: Toshiba "touch" netbook prototype shows how Japanese might fight back against iPad (oh, and a cool 3D laptop, too);" " Two location companies that are more important than Foursquare, MyTown, Loopt, Gowalla, or Whrrl."

Staff Writer Kristin Burnham covers consumer Web and social technologies for CIO.com. She writes frequently on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google. You can follow her on Twitter: @kmburnham.

Thank you,
Thomas Ieracitano
Thomas@Ieracitano.com
www.DigitalCarGuy.com
(229) 251-2462

P.S. Are you 'Advertising' or 'Marketing' ?

Ask me the Difference?

10 Blogs to Boost Your Social Network Savvy

Here's a roster of experts who regularly offer tips and observations about networking to greatest effect.

Kristin Burnham

Sunday, July 04, 2010 09:09 AM PDT

Keeping tabs on the evolving world of social media isn't easy. Facebook, as we've seen, has endured several privacy fiascos and consequent criticisms. LinkedIn has made impressive progress in making the site more social by rolling out important updates to its site. Meanwhile, Twitter continues to struggle with simply handling its increasing traffic.

To better understand the changing landscape -- and to discover how it can help you and your business -- you need expert help. I've compiled a list of my 10 favorite blogs (in no particular order) from practitioners, experts and thinkers. Follow these blogs for the latest news, tips, insights and case studies that will keep you at the top of your social media game.

Chris Brogan
What you'll find: Chris Brogan, president of New Marketing Labs shares video book reviews, thoughts on and tips for maximizing the value of social media, and puts into greater context what the news means for you.
Sample posts: "LinkedIn Recommendation Tips;" "Beyond Project Management;" "Automate the Easy Stuff."

All Facebook
What you'll find: coverage of new Facebook applications, general news and analysis about the future of Facebook. The blog also features statistics on the top Facebook Apps and Pages.
Sample posts: "Facebook Driving More Users to Make Facebook.com Their Homepage;" "Facebook's New Permissions Dialogue Goes Live on All Applications;" "Facebook Clarifies Policy on Site Scrapers as Robots.Txt Gets Updated."

Carol Rozwell
What you'll find: Carol Rozwell, Gartner VP and a member of Gartner's Social Software and Collaboration team, writes on the dynamics of collaborating in social networks and communities, and innovation. Expect advice and practical use-cases.
Sample posts: "Social Networking Redo: Fixing a Broken Implementation Program;" "Social Media Stumbles-E-Business Redux;" "Social Media Panelists Share Experiences at PCC."

SmartBlog on Social Media
What you'll find: SmartBlog picks the most relevant social media news on the Web, summarizes it and links to the original source if you want to read the article in full. Check in here for poll analysis, news, tips and case studies.
Sample posts: "How LEGO Supports Their Growing Network of Fans;" "Getting a Handle on Twitter Followers;" "Gov 2.0: How to Engage Your Hispanic Fans."

Stowe Boyd
What you'll find: Stowe Boyd, director at 301works.org and president at Microsyntax.org focuses on social tools and their impact on media, business and society. Boyd recently moved his blog; for all old entries, go here.
Sample posts: "ACLU Fact Checks Facebook's Response to Open Letter;" "Twitter Taps Into Facebook and LinkedIn Networks;" "Sliderocket: The Last Stage of Jettisoning Desktop Office Apps."

Social Media B2B
What you'll find: News and discussions on social media's impact on B2B companies and social media adoption within B2B companies.
Sample posts: "Unclutter You B2B Social Media Sources;" "B2B Case Study: Supply Chain Firm Drives Traffic With Online Community;" "Social Media Monitoring and Developing B2B Thought Leadership."

Socialnomics-Social Media Blog
What you'll find: Socialnomics covers the latest trends in social media, focusing on news and what it means for users and businesses. It's known for its irreverent viewpoints of a popular topic. This blog complement's Erik Qualman's book of the same title.
Sample posts: "Steve Jobs=Social Media King;" "What BP Should Be Doing With Social Media;" "Facebook Statistics & History in Picture Form."

Andrew McAfee's Blog
What you'll find: McAfee, a principal research scientist at MIT's Center for Digital Business, coined the phrase "Enterprise 2.0." He writes on the ways that IT affects businesses.
Sample posts: "Why Some Geeks Hate the iPad So Much;" "In the Age of the Smart Machine, What Are WE Good For?;" "Memes to Watch Out For."

SocialMedia.Biz
What you'll find: advice on social media strategy, news, trends, tools and resources.
Sample posts: "Everything You Need to Know About SEO;" "Mark Zuckerberg Makes the Big Time;" "Successful Techniques for Building Your Industry Voice With Social Media."

Scobleizer
What you'll find: Robert Scoble, managing director at Rackspace, is best known for his views on the social media landscape. You'll find video interviews with upstarts, product reviews and analysis on the latest and greatest in the Web 2.0 world.
Sample posts: "Meet the team that knows who is REALLY influential on Twitter (Klout);" " First look video: Toshiba "touch" netbook prototype shows how Japanese might fight back against iPad (oh, and a cool 3D laptop, too);" " Two location companies that are more important than Foursquare, MyTown, Loopt, Gowalla, or Whrrl."

Staff Writer Kristin Burnham covers consumer Web and social technologies for CIO.com. She writes frequently on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google. You can follow her on Twitter: @kmburnham.

Thank you,
Thomas Ieracitano
Thomas@Ieracitano.com
www.DigitalCarGuy.com
(229) 251-2462

P.S. Are you 'Advertising' or 'Marketing' ?

Ask me the Difference?