ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -

Put aside, for a minute, the fact that Bozard Ford Lincoln has generated more than 1,300 reviews since implementing an online reputation management program three years ago.

Consider how far monthly used-vehicle sales have climbed for the St. Augustine, Fla., dealership during this time.

They have nearly quadrupled, climbing from 35 used vehicles sold each month to 135. That’s according to a case study on Bozard Ford Lincoln provided to Auto Remarketing last month by DealerRater.

The study examines how the dealership’s online reputation management program has driven sales, including  all the intricate parts of how it has made the system work.

One point the case study drives home is the connection that online reviews have with increased sales and service, as illustrated by the store’s general manager and vice president Jeff King.

“Car buyers today do most of their shopping online. They no longer visit multiple dealer lots. And that is why my focus is to get behind the Internet and be as transparent as we can be,” King said in the study.

“Online buyers check us out, and superior online reviews help put us ahead of the competition,” he added. “Every week people drive or fly in from significant distances to buy vehicles. They would not be coming if they hadn’t first read our reviews online.”

In fact, they have flown from as far away as Saskatchewan, King says.

While new-vehicle sales have similarly skyrocketed in this time frame (climbing from less than 100 per month to 317 per month), the used-car side, King said, is where the store finds the most improvement.

“With new vehicles you pretty much know what you’re getting. With used inventory, the biggest consumer fear is that they’re going to end up with a different product,” he said. “Our reviews enable the car shopper to research and see that they will get what they came for. We sell cars every week to shoppers that give us money, sight unseen.”

Auto Remarketing caught up with King to talk in more detail about what he had to share in DealerRater’s study.

Interestingly enough, he emphasized that for his dealership, it’s not so much about managing reputation, but more about managing customers and their concerns.

That’s reflected when any issues arise, say for example, in the form of a negative online comment. It’s about helping that particular customer and working to solve their individual issue.

“We don’t work on fixing our reputation; we work on fixing the customer,” King told Auto Remarketing. “And I think that shows through on our surveys.”

And even if the review is positive, but has just a smidge of concern or an issue, the dealership immediately calls the customer.

So where did this strategy all begin?

According to the case study, it began the online reputation management program with DealerRater back in 2010 and has since been named the site’s top-ranked Ford Lincoln dealer for two straight years (based on customer reviews).

When it first started, the reviews were slow to come in, but King challenged the Internet sales manager to take it up a notch. And that certainly has happened for the entire store — hence, the 1,300-plus reviews in three years.

DealerRater indicated that the dealership also started reading reviews out loud to staff during meetings. When a particularly strong review came in, it was shared via email with other employees. The dealership will even post a positive review in the newspaper.

It’s about “celebrating the successes.” And this carries over into marketing, as the dealership gives its reviews a presence in all of its marketing endeavors.

The case study indicates that the dealership has made the No. 1 Ford ranking on DealerRater.com the center of its marketing and advertising.

“We broadly promote this status on our website, in banner ads, on billboards, in radio and TV ads, as well as in print,” King said.

There are also 15 video monitors throughout the store’s sales and service areas that display video of their online reviews prominently to customers.

That carries over to employees, as well, which King called “key to the reputation management process.”

“Just about everyone has a bio and photo and their own reviews on DealerRater. When their name is Googled and someone wants to check up on them, a third-party entity — DealerRater — appears under their name that shows a high star rating,” he said.

“Our customers talk about how well we treat them, and that really helps. People feel comfortable spending money with businesses that treat them well.”

But again, the key to the whole process goes back to what King mentioned about making sure you’re taking care of the customer, not just looking out for your own reputation.

“Do what you say you’re going to do. You cannot use those review sites if you are not doing the right things in the first place,” he said. “And conversely, if you are doing the right things and do not use these review sites — then you are a fool and are missing out big time.”

Editor's Note: This article is part of the Oct. 1-14 print edition of Auto Remarketing exploring  Digital Trends, Tools & Strategies. For more best practices — including tips on online advertising, connecting with service customers with social media and the latest in wholesale technological innovation — see our full coverage in the print and digital editions of this publication.

 

Joe Overby can be reached at joverby@autoremarketing.com. Continue the conversation with Auto Remarketing on both LinkedIn and Twitter.