
If you ain’t first, you’re last.
GET IN TOUCH If you ain’t first, you’re last. “I wake up in the morning and p!ss excellence.” – Ricky Bobby First place. Winner. Champion. The Best. No...
Imagine you’re buying a brand new dealership and in your mind you are thinking, “Maybe I’ll be profitable by the end of this year.” or “I hope to make my investment back in two to three years.”
Then, in your very first month after buying that dealership, you end up hitting your expected pro forma that you were planning to hit over a year from now.
In your first full month at your dealership, you have had the BEST month ever in the trackable history of that dealership.
Seems pretty crazy right?
Well, that’s exactly what happened for GM and owner, Josh Wischnewsky of Wischnewsky Dodge.
Since Fountain Forward helped Josh hit first place in his PMA for his other dealership, Winnie Dodge, Josh hired us immediately for his next dealership for consulting, advertising, and branding.
Prior to becoming Wischnewsky Dodge, the dealership was formerly known as Team Dodge, located in Huntsville, TX.
Team Dodge moved 58 total units per month on average for the last five years.
The old dealership, Team Dodge, sat in the marketplace as a car dealer. The dealership got lost in the noise of being a car dealership. They sold the minimum because they were the minimum.
They had inventory, they had a solid sales team, and they advertised a bit with no real plan or strategy.
There is nothing wrong with that, it just won’t grow your dealership. You won’t be an outlier.
Fountain Forward helped Wischnewsky Dodge do a market analysis, launch the new dealership, and change the narrative in the marketplace. As soon as we looked at the market data, we knew there was opportunity to grow.
We analyzed the cost to advertise in that market AND the advertising channels available.
We realized that Team Dodge’s digital strategy was virtually non-existent, and Wischnewsky Dodge was a great candidate for our proprietary Facebook ads strategy.
Immediately upon launching the new dealership, Fountain Forward was able to come in and exploit channels that the dealership and their nearest competitors weren’t even touching.
Instead of putting Wischnewsky’s advertising dollars in saturated and competitive channels, we went “all in” on digital – specifically Facebook – and bet on digital being the best catalyst for growth.
At the end of the first month, it was clear that our bet paid off.
The comprehensive digital marketing strategy Fountain Forward created for Wischnewsky Dodge aimed to bring in-market consumers to consider Wischnewsky Dodge when buying a car.
This new strategy increased website users by 150%, which increased leads that resulted in more sales. The graphs below show a direct link between the KPIs.
First, Wischnewsky’s new digital strategy brought a large increase of high quality users to the dealership’s website.
Second, these high quality users converted on the site and increased the number of total internet leads.
Lastly, Wischnewsky Dodge effectively closed these leads and increased sales.
With the help of Fountain Forward, Wischnewsky Dodge, formerly Team Dodge, was able to transform and sell a record amount of vehicles and make a record amount of profit in the first full month with the dealership.
In addition, we immediately noticed a discrepancy when we analyzed their inventory mix and the sales records for their four nearest competitors. Roughly 50% of their lot consisted of new inventory that sat twice as long compared to other inventory which turned quicker, and more profitably.
Although advertising had a large impact on the increase in sales, it is not a cure all. Wischnewsky Dodge executed on key fundamentals that were needed in order to make the advertising strategy succeed.
Every dealership is doing what we’ve mentioned below, but how these work in unison is where money is won and lost. Every month, you must build your strategy with the below five criteria in unison. If not, you are wasting money. It may be $10,000, or it may be $200,000, but you’re wasting money, that’s for sure.
Team Dodge had the criteria. They checked the boxes. But merely checking them will not max out your profits. It’s not possible. You have to have them all in unison.
That is why, the fundamentals are where the money is. The secret sauce is spending the time to make sure they’re lined up. If you don’t, don’t expect the profits.
Advertising is not a one off. Successful advertising relies on the right inventory, prices, the sales force, sales process, and the messaging in order to produce results.
A great litmus test to see if you’re shaking things up… Are the sales guys at the other dealerships knocking at your door? Well, even the Toyota guys in town are hitting us up.
Fountain Forward was patient and took the time to listen to what the market place desired, and then we created that with Wischnewsky Dodge. This is in unison with an operator that staffed up to 14 sales people IMMEDIATELY. You must have all the criteria in unison.
Below are a few tactical items to showcase why it’s working specifically for Wischnewsky Dodge.
Wischnewsky Dodge now has a comprehensive marketing strategy that gets in-market buyers to consider Wischnewsky Dodge.
After that, we rely on the right inventory, prices, messaging and let the talented Wischnewsky Dodge team take over.
NOTE: % increases are based off an 18 month average prior to becoming Wischnewsky Dodge
As a GM, owner, GSM, or Sales Manager you can do ALL OF THESE things with your current vendors completely on your own. Or, you can hire someone to do it for you.
I understand the relationship between marketing and sales in the automotive industry as I’ve worked with nearly 100 dealerships.
The money is there, and that’s why I’ve recently become a partner in a dealership myself.
Stay tuned to see how I do!
October 1, 2021 / 8 minutes of reading
GET IN TOUCH If you ain’t first, you’re last. “I wake up in the morning and p!ss excellence.” – Ricky Bobby First place. Winner. Champion. The Best. No...
GET IN TOUCH Guide To Improve Website Speed How to Increase Website Speed Website speed is crucial, so it’s important to find and implement website optimization techniques to improve...
GET IN TOUCH Analytics Edge: Bridging Marketing & Sales Making Dealership’s MILLIONS Today’s market conditions of pinched sales volume and record setting grosses are making dealerships get comfortable. ...
GET IN TOUCH Dealerships Are Printing Money, So Why Would You Change Anything? This little write up expands on our recent “mention” in Adweek thanks to the Head of...
GET IN TOUCH Buying Used Cars Off The Street Is Easier Than You Think! Dealerships across the country have never had this much difficulty maintaining inventory levels than they...
GET IN TOUCH How To Take Over a New Dealership and Double Sales in Under 60 Days Imagine you’re buying a brand new dealership and in your mind you...
GET IN TOUCH How Wischnewsky CDJR Grew From 58 TO 196 Units Sold Per Month In The Last 12 Months Dealers are making some CRAZY MONEY right now, but...
GET IN TOUCH How Winnie Dodge Used Facebook To Increase Used Inventory by 30% in One Month Could you imagine your dealership was able to start a campaign to...
GET IN TOUCH Swope Mitsubishi: Our Facebook Strategy nearly beat a Toyota store Imagine increasing grosses at your dealership by over 50% next month (32% year over year) without...
GET IN TOUCH How to Become the Top Dealer in Your Sales Region in Two Months Picture this: You just finished another monthly meeting Zoom call with your marketing...
GET IN TOUCH How Bayside Mitsubishi’s New Marketing Mix Helped The Dealership Become The Number One Mitsubishi Dealer In Houston Texas Imagine you’re a Mitsubishi dealer averaging 33 new...
GET IN TOUCH Dealership Marketing Giants Are NOT What You Think They Are Imagine you’re a dealership selling 50-150 units per month and you don’t have the time or resources...
GET IN TOUCH How Scaffidi Sold 90 Additional Cars In 6 Months While Saving $5k Per Month Imagine sitting there as the month comes to a close. It’s another...
In case you haven’t heard, social media is a pretty important place for marketing your brand. So important in fact, that is has around 3.48 BILLION users which is...
GET IN TOUCH Fountain Forward Automotive Edge Makes Dealership $605,477 in the First 3 Months After Enrolling! Superior Subaru was one of many dealerships we have seen that believed...
GET IN TOUCH Third Party Leads Are Ruining Your Sales People Dealerships around the country have a fear they won’t have enough leads. Their sales staff isn’t busy enough...
GET IN TOUCH Dealership Ad Budgets That Make The Most Money The automotive advertising budgets that make the most money are the budgets that are created using objective, data...
GET IN TOUCH Dealership lowers advertising budget 21% and nets an extra $1.56 Million in 12 months! Pacing an ADDITIONAL $1.2 Million in 2020! PSA: I CARE A LOT...
GET IN TOUCH TV and Radio Ads are Burning a Hole in Your Marketing Budget TV for most dealers isn’t an efficient use of advertising dollars anymore and it...
GET IN TOUCH 7 Mistakes Car Dealers Make That Cost Them MILLIONS In Profits! Introduction: This blog came from a question asked during our LIVE YouTube show in which...
GET IN TOUCH Your Website Is More Valuable Than Ever RIGHT NOW Your dealership’s website is more valuable now than ever. Internet & phone leads are more valuable than...
GET IN TOUCH How to Market Your Podcast We live in an era where the future of entertainment is reliant on streaming. The direction in which we approach our...
GET IN TOUCH How to work on brand sustainability Businesses today are never just about selling products anymore. If you want your business to survive and thrive, you’re going...
GET IN TOUCH Why SEO is important for entrepreneurs like you If you’re serious about making your brand leave an impact on the internet, then there’s a high chance...
GET IN TOUCH Creative Ways To Market Your Business During Covid-19 Context is a crucial determiner in everything we do as agencies and brands. Aside from making sure...
GET IN TOUCH You Have a New Logo—Now What? You’ve just created a fancy new logo with a fresh, clean look for your business. Now, what do you do...
GET IN TOUCH The Power of Branding Your brand is the heart and soul behind your corporate image. It’s what consumers can relate to and what turns them into...
GET IN TOUCH Branding, Identity, Logo Design—WTF Is the Difference? Branding, identity, and logo design all drive the success of your business. While these three elements work together to...
GET IN TOUCH WHAT Is a Brand Guide and WHY Do You Need One? If you want your company to connect with consumers, you need to increase your brand...
GET IN TOUCH Does Content Marketing Really Work for Small Businesses? The short answer is yes—content marketing does work for small businesses. Year after year, the companies that invest...
GET IN TOUCH Common Google My Business Mistakes And How To Avoid Them 1. Not Claiming Your Listing The most significant oversight is not to claim a Google My...
GET IN TOUCH 8 Benefits Of Content Marketing 8 Reasons Every Small Business Should Utilize Content Marketing The question is not whether content marketing works, but, “What are the...
GET IN TOUCH Google My Business Optimization Checklist The first step of Google My Business optimization checklist is to claim or verify the business in question. This single step can boost...
GET IN TOUCH Is Website Speed Important? Is Website Speed Really Important? It is challenging to overstate the importance of website speed to your user and customer experience. It...
Are you considering marketing your brand on TikTok? If so, you’re not the only one. While TikTok may still be in its infancy, it’s getting enough attention that marketers...
GET IN TOUCH What Is Content Marketing and How Can Your Business Use It to Sell? What Is Content Marketing? Content is king. The maxim is truer than ever...
GET IN TOUCH How to Retarget Website Visitors + Adwords Setup Guide What Is Retargeting And How Does It Work? Let’s say you visit a website and check out...
GET IN TOUCH Is Your Google My Business Optimized? What Is Google My Business? Google My Business is an online directory of businesses that helps customers find and compare...
GET IN TOUCH What Is Inbound Marketing? What Is Inbound Marketing? And Why Should I Care? The odds are it has happened to you. In fact, we would bet...
GET IN TOUCH Five Reasons Why You Need a Marketing Agency on Your Team – Today! Let’s get one thing out front right away – while I run a...
GET IN TOUCH How Custom Closet’s of Houston New Messaging Helped Grow Revenue by 111% in 4 months From this messaging framework, we were able to better target prospects, raise...
GET IN TOUCH How Home Remedy Increased Revenue by $1.5 Million Dollars without Spending More Money on Advertising “74% of all of their leads came from Angie’s List. They...
© 2021 All Rights Reserved