Disqus - Latest Comments for philipzelinger

Re: Ford's head of digital media communications departs

philipzelinger — Tue, 20 May 2014 17:32:47 -0000

Scott Monty practiced what he preached and his personal "brand" in social media as well as the auto industry will live on; as will the one he helped build for Ford. The shared visions he brought to reality with Ford was a perfect example of the importance of people over product and price and both he and Ford are better for their shared history.

Re: AutoNation stepping away from third-party leads

philipzelinger — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 09:29:41 -0000

AutoNation has the data and experienced staff necessary to properly analyze their R.O.I. on every level of operations. Abandoning third party leads in favor of self generated sales and service opportunities was inevitable.

Given the efficiencies of technology driven sales and service processes at their disposal it was just a matter of time before they turned their focus inward to develop new business sourced from their exisiting customer base and iconic identity in the marketplace. I can only assume that they will be increasing their direct marketing efforts targeting their exisiting customer base and leveraging their coventional and digital advertising exposure with an increased presence in social media. After all, what are friends for!

Re: Ford social strategy: Listen more, push less

philipzelinger — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 09:02:07 -0000

Scott Monty was there in the beginning of today's technology driven social media. His wisdoms are sourced from the foundation of social marketing and networking which is human nature and relationship based selling. Scott lives what he teaches and it is reflected in his willingness to share his experience and best practices. But then again, that is what friends are for and social marketing is all about.

Re: U.S. car sales slowdown triggers discount war

philipzelinger — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 19:58:03 -0000

This lesson has been learned before! This trend should be considered not only when placing your new vehicle orders but when appraising trades that will have to compete with the discounts on your used car lot.

Re: How to Streamline Your Social Media Marketing Efforts in Four Steps

philipzelinger — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 13:44:53 -0000

Managing expectations is the surest way to exceed them! This is a good start.

Re: Obama Turning America Into Detroit

philipzelinger — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 15:42:49 -0000

This is the change that we voted for in 2008. Now all we have is hope for real change in 2012. After all. elections matter!

Re: Digital Dealer Launches Virtual Exposition

philipzelinger — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 13:38:26 -0000

Obviously great minds think alike as I have already shared my vision with all who would listen that the next generation of the auto industry conferences should be to extend their real world platform online to service the International market as well as budget conscious dealers torn by which conference they should attend. Digital Dealer created an iconoc brand with their real world venue and once again they are first to market with a technology driven best practice that will expand their platform in a more scalable and efficient manner to accomodate the demand of dealers hungry for information and industry experts and vendors anxious to share.

I trust that their first digital enhancemet will be a game changer but I am even more excited by the potential of their new online platform. I envision reality TV like after hour parties with social networking messages on Face Book and Twitter combining pleasure with business. I see live interviews on the floor with attendees picking winners and losers in real time as they visit the booths and the various sessions. I see internationally based industry experts and OEM insiders offering virtual sessions because their schedules couldn't accomodate a trip to the US for a conventional conference with its limited audience, I see cash starved start up technology based vendors being able to afford exposure at the newly badged "Digital Dealer Squared" or perhaps "Digital-Digital Dealer" or even "Digital Dealer PLUS" venue accelerating their time to market with induistry insiders able to monitor and support their entrance to the market in real time.

There has been a concern over the dilution of the various venues competing for attendees and vendors that has just been answered by the entrepreneurial vison of Mike Roscoe and his Digital Dealer team that warrants a shout out.

Congratulations Mike - you have done it again!

Re: Why is Glenn not on air today?

philipzelinger — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:58:33 -0000

Given our concern for Glenn's health and welfare you might want to have a scroll on the bottom of the show explaining his absence. We spent some tense moments trying to find out if he was OK before we turned to The Blaze. Just a suggestion.

Re: The Art of Social Media Conversations (an Interview with Jason Falls)

philipzelinger — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 14:00:18 -0000

The shared wisdoms of this post reflect the obvious, which unfortunately is not as "obvious" as it should be to many companies trying to capitalize on the new social media that it discusses. Simply put, human nature has survived in the virtual world of the Internet and people will always drive processes vs. processes driving people.

The ability to monetize relationships has always been a challenge for the business world, as is evidenced by the reputation of insurance salespeople as someone to avoid at a party or risk being cornered into a sales pitch on whole life vs. term insurance. The point is that businesses that push themselves into social networking communities are seen as party crashers. Old school methods of B2C marketing are giving way to the more acceptable C2C messages delivered by conversations amongst friends.

I, for example, have born the burden of being a "car salesman" for most of my adult life but I have learned to do business with friends in both the real and the virtual world and I let them do the "selling" for me. Everyone wants a friend in the car business and the efficiencies and leverage provided by new technologies on the WWW have taken networking to a new level. Auto industry marketing platforms like the consumer centric http://ronsmap.com, for example, provide Word Of Mouth Optimazation, WOMO, by allowing car shoppers to dicuss their experiences before, during and after the sale with online friends in face book and other social networking communities to solicit opinions about the vehicle and/or the dealer during their online car shopping trips. Applications like this provide efficienct and politically correct access to social networking sites by marketing from the inside out vs. from the outside in. After all, what are friends for!

The wisdoms of yesterday are fueling the opportunites of tomorrow with human nature remaining the constant and technology providing the element of change.

Re: The Art of Social Media Conversations (an Interview with Jason Falls)

philipzelinger — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 13:48:45 -0000

The wisdoms of yesterday are fueling the opportunites of tomorrow with human nature remaining the constant and technology providing the element of change.

Re: How Social Engagement is Changing

philipzelinger — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:24:56 -0000

I find it interesting that people are shocked to discover that human nature has survived on the World Wide Web? People are social animals and the social interaction made possible through newly developing Internet applications are fueling the growth of "chats" vs. "content" in a very predictable manner.

The social networking communities referenced in this article are the vessels for the conversations, but the methods being developed to provide efficiencies that can be applied to monetize these online dialogues by marketers are extremely relevant for anyone seeking to commercialize this evolving media. Crashing the party with old school B2C methods won't work for the same reason that blatantly handing out your business cards at a party will lose you friends vs. gaining them. C2C methods are being matured by markleting platforms like ronsmap.com in the retail auto industry -- for example -- that infuse their messages in conversation with friends as an invited guest since everyone would like to have a friend in the car business.

After all, what are friends for!

Re: Tactically Speaking

philipzelinger — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 11:46:29 -0000

The basic theory and value of networking includes introducing and connecting friends, so - I plan to connect my current networking friends by linking our individual existing online networks to one big shared online networking / resource community.

Of course the people that interact will still do so on a "one to one" basis but the "many to many" initial introduction and credibility already earned by the shared friends in each group should extend our online families faster, further and to a more diverse group.

The end result of meeting and making as many friends as possible will be the same as we each could mature over time, but I anticipate that the diversity of interests and speed of growing our now shared "spheres of influence" will provide all with a wider resource of people and shared information.

Basically, wholesale networking still limited to a pool of shared friends.

After all, what are friends for!

Re: Social Media for the Entrepreneur

philipzelinger — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:10:23 -0000

Scott,

I always respect someone who practices what they preach and your answer evidences that you are one of those valued individuals that does. Rather than pontificating on your own ideas and answers to this question you directed the readers of this site to several credible sources that served to further network your relationships with both the reader and the directed source. The true power of networking lies in that practice which extends the solution to other solutions - and people - that lie within the resources that you linked this question to.

I live to leverage and extended resources - such as those that you referenced - serve to not only enhance your knowledge base but your network of friends as well. By investing in relationships across multiple social networks - and the verticals within them - you extend the reach of your online community beyond those people that only have common interests with you to include those that have common interests with the people that you meet.

The exponential growth enjoyed by viral marketing and true social networking is a geometric progression of people similar to that demonstrated by numbers. Take 2 x's 2 and then that answer x's 2 and do it ten ten times and see what you get.

Now, do the same with the people that you meet and apply that practice to develop relationships that will source your website for solutions and you will find the answer to this discussion.

Re: Social Media Predictions 2009

philipzelinger — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:11:52 -0000

The one constant that survives in both the real and the virtual world is human nature. A fast talking salesperson with a self serving agenda is shunned in the real world so it can and should be expected that he will be just as unwelcomed in the virtual one.

Social networking is already being "monetized" by those that understand the indirect nature of doing business with "friends." Most Internet applications have an advantage over conventional media in that they have superior analytics that confirm R.O.I. in real time with quantifiable results ranging from direct sales statistics to improved bounce and conversion rates with a projected eventuality of a sale as site visitors move down the buying funnel.

Social networking focuses on the people part the process at the top of the funnel which may not be as easily sourced, but that doesn't diminish the fact that it was the catalyst for the sales that it developed. Everyone likes to do business with people that they like and someone has to go first in developing a relationship. Monetizing the Internet is not as elusive as some claim - it just takes time to count your chips and to quote Kenny - the game aint over until the dealing is done!

Re: Young and (Un)Impressionable

philipzelinger — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 13:35:37 -0000

Hi Scott,

I envy you the ground floor opportunity that you have with Ford to bring them onto the World Wide Web through blogging and social networking sites. I agree 100% with everything that you said and do, but I have a dilemma that might be shared by some other "car guys" that have followed us both onto the Internet Superhighway.

I usually practice what I preach, and I have often preached your wisdom that social settings - in the real and the virtual world - are a place to make friends not deals. The deals should follow naturally afterwards as it is also an accepted wisdom that people would prefer to do business with friends and people that they like rather than strangers and/or self serving salespeople.

Why then, have I "abused" social networking sites like Twitter - who I share your respect for - and even my own automotive advertising networking site - http://adagencyonline.net - by only talking business? Frankly, I have come to accept that I am a "work-a-holic" who actually enjoys working and I tend to attract other passionate "car guys" who only talk about buisiness. I am not suggesting that I don't love my wife of 30 years - but I think that we survived to almost reaching 31 years, ( January 21st is the target date), by her understanding that for me - taliking business is being social!

Again, I accept, agree and even suggest your point to my clients not to mix business with pleasure on social networking sites, but it has worked for me on many levels. First, I have attracted "friends" who share my single minded focus on our beloved auto industry who like to keep up with the new ventures and shared opportunities that I post online and second - people who get to know me will eventually figure out that I don't know squat about baseball or football but ask me about the future of automotive advertising using digital technology and marketng tools and we will talk for hours - just like friends do.

Anyway, I have a meeting in Detroit with FordDirect.Com at your offices this Tuesday morning, December 16th, and I would love to shake your real hand to congratulate you on your virtual persona. Just Tweet me if your schedule permits - after all, what are friends for!