The first time I met John Marazzi

The first time I met John Marazzi had to be in late 2005 or most likely 2006. I was a "young car guy" LOL (not as young now as when I started this blog, har-har) and a vender friend had offered to take one of my favorite car guys Ross Bauer (our then GM at Toyota of Tampa Bay) and myself to Fort Myers Toyota to meet what we already knew was one heck of an operation.

I was low on sleep in my then role as a Floor Manager at Toyota of Tampa Bay but lucky for me Ross drove all the way down. Operationally John had some things going on I'd never seen before. The bottom line was that each step he found a way to maximize efficiency and get his most capable people in front of the customer every time. He was finding ways (and still is) of getting to what he felt consumers wanted and at the same time breaking sales volume records left and right (with happy customers too).

While my colleague ventured around the store I found myself alone with John in his office. He opened a long file drawer in his desk and asked me to come around to look. "Do you see that Brett," he said with a small trace of his New Jersey roots, "these are all the people who would love to come to work for me here in Fort Myers." As I looked down I saw, neatly organized, near a thousand filed job applications locked away below his desk. I believed John. Anyone with the drive, charisma, excitement and competitive spirit of a John Marazzi doesn't have to tell tales. He's going to just show you sooner than later.

Fast forward to 2014 and John has been partners with my father and I for nearly 2 + years. Everyday I learn from John Marazzi and I still see the very same instincts and energy I found in John some 8 years ago. Is he confident? Sure. Does he run in a million different directions each day? Sure, many successful business leaders do (He's a tough man to keep up with sure). He tries things others in his industry are unwilling to try. Is he perfect? Heck no, John can be fickle and change directions so quickly if he thinks something isn't working, sometimes maybe too quickly but hey, he's impatient. AGAIN --- many great people are. So when you meet John, do me one favor, just don't ever tell him NOT to do something. He'll just work all the harder to prove you wrong.

Brandon Honda is a place today unlike it has ever been. I'm proud to call John my partner and I am proud of what we are able to do as a team. John Marazzi's team is one I'd send my application to any day of the week.

-Brett

John Marazzi continues a trend of success with Morgan Auto Group at Brandon Honda

While it seems like yesterday in 2011 that John Marazzi joined Morgan Auto Group, in a short amount of time the successful General Manager (and now our partner) has done quite a bit. He's shattered store records in regards to Service, New Car Sales and Pre-Owned Sales all the while focusing on his online reputation and customer satisfaction.

Just in 2014 alone Brandon Honda has been acknowledged and recognized by three separate awards. The best news? One is the prestigious American Honda "President's Award" and the other two are based on online consumer ratings.

Brandon Honda is now the winner of the American Honda President's Award, was the 2013 Dealer of the Year for DealerRater.com and also an Edmunds.com "5 Star Dealer."

We look forward to following John’s success here in Tampa after an award winning career in Naples and Fort Myers (Ft. Myers, FL). Keep it going John! I remember the day I met him at while he was at the helm of Ft. Myers Toyota and still recall that first impression of a deeply motivated, very personal and hands on leader! 

Tags: John Marazzi, Tampa, Tampa Honda, Honda Dealerships, Brandon Honda, Sam Raabe, Reviews, Awards, Honda Awards, Customer Service, Brett Morgan, Morgan Auto Group

Congratulations to our Brandon Honda General Sales Manager Sam Raabe!

I just wanted to take a minute and pass a deserved nod and a wink (hats off) to our GSM extraordinaire at our Brandon Honda store, Sam Raabe, for receiving 40 Under 40 designation. As a past recipient I understand the scope and impact you have to make professionally to receive this kind of recognition from Automotive News. Sam's impact on the day to day business of Brandon Honda has been nothing short of Herculean. We are surely proud of you Sam!

If you would like take two minutes and read the article below (or click here to read the original).

Taken from the July 14, 2014 issue of Automotive News: 

Sam Raabe was sick of working nights as a bartender, with no direction to his career. So he started selling cars at Kendall Kia in Miami. It was a way for a guy without a college degree to get a good-paying job and advance quickly.

Within a few years, Raabe (pronounced “Robbie”) had risen to finance manager at Honda of Ocala. Now, he’s general sales manager at Brandon Honda, a President’s Award-winning Tampa dealership.

Raabe’s sales tactics require managers to get involved early, “roaming the floor, not sitting at their desks,” greeting customers early in the process. After a test drive, that same manager will handle any price negotiations after the first exchange of numbers. That speeds the deal process greatly, Raabe said.

“When the boss comes out, you know you are near the end of the deal, plus it gives credibility to the deal,” Raabe said. “It’s always the same guy as before the test drive, not some scary new guy.”

Raabe also likes hiring sales staff who have never sold cars before. At his store, 70 percent of the staff is new to car retailing.

“They don’t have bad habits. They only know our process and don’t take shortcuts,” Raabe said. That process includes daily inspections of recent trade-ins and inventory older than 60 days, as well as a daily one-hour training session by a manager to teach employees all facets of the business.

The tactics are working. In the six months of 2012 before Raabe took the general sales manager job,Brandon Honda sold an average of 174 new and 110 used cars a month. In 2013, that soared to 242 new and 151 used sales a month. Profits rose 42 percent.

Brandon Honda also is the top-rated Honda dealer in Florida on DealerRater, scoring a 4.9 out of 5 from more than 1,200 customer reviews, in a cut-throat metro market. There are nine Honda dealers within a 45 minute drive of Brandon Honda and four within 30 minutes.

Raabe is not satisfied. His target is 350 new and 250 used sales a month in 2015, with profits up 25 percent this year and 15 percent next year.

Raabe thanks Brandon managing partner John Marazzi for his mentoring and “never give up” attitude. Marazzi’s best lesson, says Raabe: “No matter how tough it’s going, you can never be afraid of taking risks. You need to take as many risks as possible.”

– Mark Rechtin (taken from Automotive News) 

TAGS: Morgan Auto Group, Sam Raabe, Brandon Honda, Honda in Tampa, FL, John Marazzi, Honda of Brandon, Tampa Honda, 40 Under 40, Automotive News, Dealership, Honda Dealerships, Florida 

Rick Scott visits the Morgan Auto Group's Brandon Honda store on January 8, 2014

4 quick takeaways from my brief visit with Florida Governor Rick Scott

Florida Governor Rick Scott stopped by our Brandon Honda store near Tampa this past Wednesday to reinforce a major proposal that could amount to $400 million in tax savings for Florida drivers. The tax break would reverse some of the legislation we saw in 2009 that sent tag renewals to record highs. As a dealership employee we often electronically administer this work for customers so naturally we heard the negative response in a major way. In my opinion this move is also a symbolic break from much tougher days...both for our state and car dealers.

Brett Morgan, Larry Morgan, Florida Governor Rick Scott & John Marazzi

#1) He's more personal than people give him credit for.

Like my father, Governor Scott is a mid-western boy by birth and college education. Also like my father he came from humble beginnings in life. He had done his research on my father and while that's what a good politician should do - it was a neat conversation to watch. Say what you will say about them both - but a self made man is exactly that in many respects. Success was neither given nor destined for either. In fact I would also throw our partner John Marazzi into that same breath. These are men who have succeeded in life through hard work, determination in spite of what others were able to provide them in life. Their lives have been more about what they have been able to provide to others in the way of opportunity, growth and success. Don't feel that way about the Governor? That's fine but I'd read this human interest piece and take a break from the politics for a minute.

The Governor also made light of his friendly competition with Texas Governor Perry and a small bet he had with the Alabama Governor over the recent BCS National Championship between Auburn and FSU.

#2) He looks like Peter Garrett, the lead singer from Midnight Oil. 

Ironic maybe that Garrett, is now an Australian politician. Wait? As I was creating this graphic below I googled both names hoping someone already did my work for me. They hadn't, but I did realize Jon Stewart from Comedy Central had already made this joke. So not cool. Jon went to my rival college (College of William and Mary) as I am a Richmond Spider. I no longer like my own joke. At least if you know of Midnight Oil we know you have good taste in music. Moving on...I digress...

#3) The local Media is HARD on Rick Scott...

"They should be!" Stop muttering under your breath...I can hear you. Seriously, yesterday's announcement was a very positive thing. But since he had alluded to it previously at a Tampa press conference some 30 days ago this was most certainly overkill! I didn't feel that at all. This time he decided to return to an appropriate venue (locally owned car dealership), on a slow news day, and talk about the savings and this time with more specificity. I figured he'd gotten it right. Every piece of media written though basically waxed the same... 

"Clearly interested in publicity in the politically crucial Tampa area about a tax cut, Gov. Rick Scott made a second appearance in Tampa in less than a month Wednesday to talk about his proposed cut in vehicle registration fees."

Wow even the Tampa Tribune is worn out by two local visits in a 30 day period! Like you've never written virtually the same article before? Ha! 

#4) People don't see the big picture anymore in politics. They remember only issues (and moments) the media magnifies. And they speak with a venom that makes me sad for my generation. 

People don't look at the big picture, the small victories or potential future gains in politics. My guess is that between the "he's not personable" perception of Rick Scott and issues like the proposed drug testing of welfare recipients that he's gained some enemies. My opinion is that these things sort of become "Red Herring" issues in the sense that they aren't within the top 10 opportunities and challenges facing our state, but all the same they become defining. I would argue the same on the other side of the isle for what happened to former Governor Crist. His brief embrace with Barack Obama lead to his eventual political cross-over. The sad part is as state residents (specifically younger people) we hang our hats on these moments. We close our ears to Scott's vision of a state with a greater draw of large employers. We stop listening when he uses the example of cities like Austin, Texas as a creative and growing city he'd like to see replicated in Florida. We stop peeling the onion and driving towards the core of what could make a better Florida. We roll our eyes and say, "there goes the idiot who wants welfare recipients to be drug free to receive our benefits." When Governor Scott talked about us taking a greater, deeper pride in our state...I was moved. Those are the kinds of beliefs that can bring people from all walks of life together. We grasp at the negatives far too easily...

Don't believe me? Within moments of posting on our Facebook page about the Governor's visit we received the following comments: 

"Great you got to meet the Governor. Just sorry it was THAT one." 

"Ask him how much money he plans to make drug testing all of florida? He voted for drug testing for welfare and state employees because he owns the largest drug testing provider in Florida. Hes an asshat" 

"I couldn't agree with you more. Hes one of the worst thing thats happened to florida."

Truth is we probably always spoke this way, save maybe the "asshat" remark. It's Social Media that has now given every one a voice into a stranger's living room and that's both exciting and terrifying to me. Freedom of Speech is important but I'm probably not wrong if I am assuming that these are opinions being formed on a few basic factoids. I'm trying to be more balanced in my approach in life. Am I saying that the Governor deserves your respect just because he is the Governor? No. What I am saying is that if a large majority don't we probably aren't moving anywhere as progressing people. In walking the room that evening and speaking with many of my business associates we all agreed we wouldn't have the stomach for politics. CAR DEALERS not being able to stomach something? Yes. That's what I said.

When Governor Scott first got out of the car yesterday he first asked about the healthy of our business. It's funny, growing up with an entrepreneurial father you notice some things. One of my greatest takeaways is watching the personal growth opportunities a business leader can provide to so many. The Governor was pleased to hear our business was growing in the post-recession and eluded to a Florida's fiscal health and the success of "smaller government" and a solid foundation moving forward. This philosophy right here is at the core of what drives entrepreneurial America. I am a huge believer in the impact we've made in our communities as entrepreneurs. Bigger more inefficient governments can drain of our own tax revenues while stunting the growth of many whose success paves the road of opportunity for others. That's a BIG PICTURE issue that is effecting our state here and now.

I just hope the next time the Governor (or another politician you consider an asshat) sincerely speaks up, you listen - and don't get lost in the sound-bytes and "red herrings." You might just learn something. 

Larry Morgan Sits Down with Automotive News

Larry Morgan recently spoke to Automotive News. This article has been re-printed without their permission. 

THE DEALER SPEAKS: LARRY MORGAN, CEO, MORGAN AUTO GROUP

Larry Morgan built Tires Plus, now builds a dealership empire

Diana T. Kurylko
Automotive News -- June 18, 2012 - 12:01 am ET

Read more: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120618/OEM02/306189993/1179#ixzz2OrVAtg2C 

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Larry Morgan, CEO of Morgan Auto Group in Tampa, Fla., became a car dealer seven years ago after selling his 600-store tire and auto-service business.

He is building an automotive empire in Florida and grooming his 32-year-old son, Brett, to take over the business.

Morgan's operation ranks No. 102 on the Automotive News list of the top 125 U.S. dealership groups, with retail sales at 10 stores in 2011 of 6,749 new vehicles and 5,160 used. After adding an 11th store, he targets sales of 12,000 new and 10,000 used vehicles in 2012. He wants to buy more dealerships but they have to be within driving distance of his current stores.

Morgan, 68, was interviewed by Staff Reporter Diana T. Kurylko.

Q. You got into the automotive business after running a successful tire business, right?

A. I built a company called Tires Plus from 35 tire centers to 600 all around the United States. We did $1 billion in sales annually, had 8,500 employees. I was Bridgestone's largest customer in North America, and they bought my business in 2000. I got bored being retired so I got into the car business with my son.

Why did you decide to become a car dealer?

I had planned to be a silent partner in a Honda-Volkswagen store in Tampa. One morning I decided to drop in on a sales meeting, and I was not very impressed with what I saw and heard. I thought maybe this was just a bad day for the management team. I went back a couple weeks later and saw the same thing. Not having direct hands-on knowledge about the sales process and vehicles and things of that nature, I realized that I might not be able to deal with all the nitty-gritty things, but I certainly had enough common sense and general knowledge of business to know that there was a better way. That is how I got smitten into the car business.

When was this? Did you buy the Honda-VW store?

This was in 2004. To make a long story short, my son worked for a big national company out of college for a couple of years. He and I had always planned to be in business together. The plan was he would join the tire and auto center business, but we sold it. He came and started selling cars, and consequently we went out on our own. I sold my 50 percent interest in the Honda and Volkswagen store. We bought a Toyota store and have been building our network ever since.

Where was your first Toyota store, and how is it doing?

In 2005 we bought Precision Toyota in Tampa and changed the name immediately to Toyota Tampa Bay. Business was rocking for several years -- we were selling 450 to 550 new Toyotas a month and 250 used cars. When the recession hit, we took a hit -- as well as in 2009, 2010 and 2011. The store has always done very well, and it has a good market.

What is your formula for success?

In the tire business going from 30 stores to 600, I certainly had experience in growing a business, and I found a lot of similarities between the tire and the car business. I am not a hands-on car guy that has a lot of practical day-to-day knowledge about selling cars. I have always been involved in the people side and getting people around me that know what they are doing and have good business practices. We have a very strong organization with very little turnover. We have more people standing in line to work for our company than we have places.

How is your son, Brett, involved?

He went through every chair that you can in a dealership. He has worked in the fixed side. He sold cars. He was an F&I manager. We were very disciplined and agreed that he had to stay in those positions long enough to truly know what he was doing and be good at it, not just a short-term tenure.

How old is your son? Are you grooming him to take over the business?

He is 32 and absolutely. He is very mature for his age, so we have that part behind us. He has a reputation in our company that he just didn't inherit the position; he earned it. He works well with all of the people in our company. I still do the acquisitions and the new-store development and oversee most of the financial aspects. But he is participating and growing and is part of every decision we make. He brings a lot to the table that we don't have elsewhere in the company.

For instance?

A big thing is the Internet and social media and all of those new ways of marketing and doing business. He is light-years ahead of all the rest of us. He brings that ingredient to our company along with all the more traditional abilities that go with running a car store. He loves the business, and he understands how important people are -- our customers and employees. He is obsessed with building a business for the long term and doing things the right way. He works very hard. He is a 24/7 guy and takes great pride in our organization. I am very proud of him.

Is there a long-term plan for turning over the business?

Yes, there is. I have several nonautomotive businesses. I am not the retiring type. I love to get up in the morning and go to work. I look forward to the day where I can spend less time working and more time relaxing. We do not have a definite date. We are constantly moving things from my plate to his.

How did you decide what stores you were going to buy? You have Toyota, BMW and Mini -- some very profitable brands.

It was a plan of attack. It didn't accidentally happen. Not being an automotive or a car guy, I spent a lot of time analyzing brands that I thought were not only good brands but had a good life to them. I paid a very fair price for a number of those stores.

What are your weakest franchises?

Buick, GMC and Mitsubishi in Gainesville. My Buick-GMC store is in a fairly small market, and Buick and GMC have somewhat limited market share. I do not want to give the impression that it is a bad store. The other stores are very high-performing. We sell a lot of cars, and we do a lot of fixed business, and we make a lot of money.

How many Buick and GMC vehicles do you sell annually?

About 450 between the two brands.

Are you shopping for new stores?

I get that question a lot, and my answer is always the same. I have done the airplane thing. I had stores from California to North Dakota to New Jersey and Florida. For many years I was a road warrior visiting my stores and at this stage in my life, I am not prepared to do that. My philosophy is: If I can drive to it, I am interested. My son and I have kept to that philosophy.

Larry Morgan

Age: 68
Company: Morgan Auto Group
Dealer since: 2005
Dealerships: 11 (Buick-GMC, BMW, Ford, Honda, Lamborghini, Mini, Mitsubishi, Toyota) in Florida
Annual total sales: 6,749 new and 5,160 used in 2011
Quote: "I spent a lifetime trying to figure out how to draw customers from car service departments to my Tires Plus stores. Now I'm trying to figure out how to get service customers out of those independent repair facilities back to my car stores."

Read more: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120618/OEM02/306189993/1179#ixzz2OrUvxuyD 
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Morgan Auto Group 2nd Biggest Mover in this year Automotive News Top 125 Dealership Groups

March 18, 2013 

For Immediate Release: 

"Morgan Auto Group 2nd Biggest Mover in 2012 Top 125 Dealership Groups"

[Automotive News March 2013] 

Automotive News's Annual Top 125

The Morgan Auto Group out of Tampa, FL has moved from #102 to #78 in the latest Automotive News Top 125 Dealer Group Survey of the United States. This placed MAG as the second biggest mover in the survey. Morgan Auto Group is a franchised new car dealership group representing over 10 different brands in the Gulf Coast and Central regions of Florida: Honda, Toyota, Scion, Lamborghini, BMW, Buick, GMC, Mitsubishi, MINI and Ford. The group posted new car sales of 9,854 units 7,074 used units respectively with a total of $554 Million Dollars in total dealership revenue.  

The group is relatively new the the Automotive landscape. Larry Morgan purchased his first store Toyota of Tampa Bay in 2005 and has brought the same rate of growth that made him an industry name as the former owner and CEO of Tires Plus. The group's most recent acquisition of volume dealership Brandon Honda and the opening of their open point MINI of Wesley Chapel store aided in their "mover" status for 2012. 

You can read more about Larry Morgan here in the Automotive News article "Larry Morgan built Tires Plus, now builds a dealership empire." 

In order of acquisition (or opening) since 2004: 

Toyota & Scion of Tampa Bay 

Honda of Ocala 

BMW of Sarasota 

Gainesville Buick GMC 

Honda of Gainesville 

Lamborghini Sarasota 

Ford of Port Richey 

Port Richey Mitsubishi 

Gainesville Mitsubishi 

Brandon Honda 

MINI of Wesley Chapel 

You can check out the complete list inside of the Top 125 here: 

Sam Raabe promoted to general sales manager at Brandon Honda

Sam Raabe promoted to general sales manager at Brandon Honda

Tampa, FL – July 19, 2012 – Sam Raabe has been promoted to general sales manager at Brandon Honda. Mr. Raabe is originally from Ocala and was formerly employed at Morgan Auto Group’s Honda of Ocala in sales and finance for eight years before joining their Brandon Honda dealership earlier this year as its business manager.

In his new role, Mr. Raabe oversees the day-to-day new and pre-owned vehicle sales operations of the dealership. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to clearly focus the dealership on the art of true customer service,” said Mr. Raabe. “All too often, managers get caught up in managing the bottom line, rather than focusing on their customer relationships. I’ve always found that if you just put the customer first, success will always follow.”

“Sam embraces the unique Brandon Honda brand of customer centric services that we want every sales representative to provide every customer, every day,” said owner John Marazzi. “He and his team are boldly moving us forward in a way that distinguishes us from other area automobile dealerships.”   

Brandon Honda was acquired by Morgan Auto Group and John Marazzi in August 2011 and is located at 9209 E. Adamo Drive in Tampa, FL 33619, one mile west of I-75 on Route 60. Their exclusive eight-point Brandon Honda Promise includes a free lifetime and extended warranties, breakdown coverage, and price protection for buyer peace of mind. For more information, call 813-664-1234 or visit http://www.BrandonHonda.com/.

5th Annual Morgan Auto Group Charity Basketball Tournament - Success!

On July 15th 2012 the Morgan Auto Group hosted their 5th Annual Charity Basketball Tournament to benefit the Helping Hand Fund (an employee emergency relief fund).

The tournament boasted ten teams from our car stores and affiliated companies: Highway Safety Devices, Brandon Honda, Honda of Ocala, Honda of Gainesville, Wade Raulerson Buick GMC, Ford of Port Richey, Creative Sign Designs, BMW of Sarasota/MINI of Wesley Chapel, Toyota of Tampa Bay and Moore & Scarry Advertising.

Highway Safety Devices overcame a 1st half deficit of 15 points to take the championship, overcoming a very strong Brandon Honda team that had blown past Ford of Port Richey and Honda of Ocala.

Honda of Gainesville fell in the other semi-final game to Highway Safety Devices.

Authorized Free Agent Tanner Boyle was acquired by Ford of Port Richey for a $1000 dollar donation but then sold to Highway Safety Devices (who were playing with only five men) for another $500 dollar donation.

The tournament for the first time was moved from Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Clearwater, FL to the Long Center where three games could be played simultaneously. Each team was guaranteed at least two games (win or lose) and many teams (those who had play in games) ended up going 3 games.

Award Winners:

Tournament Winner - Highway Safety Devices

Consolation Bracket Winner - Toyota of Tampa Bay

Philanthropy Award (Money Raised) - Toyota of Tampa Bay

"HORSE" Award - John Marazzi (BH) defeated John Gliem (TOTB)

Three Point Competition - Tony Suares (Moore & Scarry)

Tournament Highlights: 


Authorized Free Agent: Tanner Boyle in the "Decision" 

Tournament Highlights: 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r15o1spry8&feature=plcp

Honda Announces Segway competitor! That you can steer with your butt!

Innovation at Honda continues! Honda has built a Segway competitor. Except that you can steer it with your butt! Who wants one? I know I do.

I always said when I was selling Honda's that Honda power trains had a great reputation whether we were talking Indy Cars or Pressure Washers; now we can add personal mobility to the list!


http://tinyurl.com/segway-from-Honda

Walking in the Land of Search and Social

Dope Indeed. 

The phone in my pocket buzzed. I was receiving a text or an “SMS” (if you are talking to a software engineer in Palo Alto). 

“So did u check in AT Facebook ON Facebook? Cuz that’d be pretty dope!”

Google's HQ in Mountain View

I glanced up from the conference room table at Facebook’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California and smiled. My buddy Ryan was being sarcastic --- but he had to know that I was secretly geeking out. I’ve known for quite a while that social media was not a fad. In my college days I was an early adopter of the social site Friendster. Post college I remember sitting at my ABC radio office in Richmond and receiving my first e-vite to try Myspace. I also can still recall the first night that I attempted to login onto Facebook. It might have even still been entitled “THE” Facebook and I do recall that because my University was not associated with the site --- I could not login. 

Facebook has taken over the old Sun-Microsystems Campus

Fast Forward to 2012. In May Facebook reported 901 Million active monthly users. They have changed the course of how we interact, communicate and network with the people we meet. Facebook to me is no longer an efficient way to keep up with old college buddies its a platform that binds the majority of Americans. For me having the opportunity to visit both Facebook and Google felt like a long overdue pilgrimage to Palo Alto. I was a guest of Haystak Digital Marketing who had brought a group of dealership personnel, factory representatives, digital marketing professionals, advertising executives and guest speakers for a two day Digital Summit on the campus of Google. 

Google for many internet users is a diving board to all things web related when consumers search for information on cars they wish to purchase. At the dealership level it's easy to concentrate solely on late game marketing that creates traceable actions related to the sale of a car. What we often don't realize is that our paid search efforts and organic search content are already vying for the opportunity to become a given consumer's dealership of choice --- even long before they have decided which car they are going to purchase. 

In 2011 the Automotive industry meant nearly 2 billion in sales revenue to Google or about 5% of their total revenue. 96% of Google’s revenue comes from paid search revenue such as sponsored links and display. What does that mean? Well it means that Automotive outpaces nearly ever industry outside of travel, general retail and finance and insurance. We are important to Google and Google is becoming more important to our customers and the ways they discover information when they shop. Research has shown that Americans research nearly 18 different sources before they purchase a car --- that’s more than consumers shopping for a new computer or an elective medical procedure. Search drives a great deal of our customers fact finding and we are finding creative ways to talk back. 

E-mail and usage of general web portals are down. Use of search and social networking are up. It’s the next phase of the internet evolution. The goal is arriving there before our competition.  

5 Quick Take Aways from the Google “Digital Summit at Mountain View” for YOUR DEALERSHIP TODAY: 

1. Mobile usage is growing and many dealership websites lack in their mobile capability.
2. The ability to research online is shortening the shopping window. 81% of consumers purchase within 3 months.
3. Customers utilize video in the early shopping stages to decide which vehicle to select.
4. Customers who “like” your dealership on Facebook typically have a higher level of trust with your store and brand.
5. % of Consumers utilizing dealership websites is increasing. Website usage peaks within 30 days from purchase.