Most auto dealers in the U.S. are staring out at empty showrooms and lots right now, due to the spending paralysis that has hit the public. I guess it gives you more time to read this magazine, but it is a giant pain to anyone in any part of the auto industry.

At the same time we are going to press on this issue, the Big Three are scheduled to come back to Washington D.C. in an attempt to talk lawmakers into some bailout help. Whether this happens or not, it won’t change the public’s spending paralysis. While you are in survival mode, it is a good time to reorganize for lower overhead and more efficient systems in your store.
Although you may be reluctant to buy a plane ticket and attend NADA in New Orleans, this might be a great time to really search out new ways to market and new revenue streams at the yearly auto dealer event. This may be the year that most of the vendors attending will concentrate their efforts on helping dealers find better, less expensive ways to market their dealerships. Internet oriented marketing like banner advertising, search marketing, search engine optimization, email marketing, and other online marketing techniques may just save dealerships that can no longer afford more expensive marketing vehicles like television and direct mail. Certainly, with search engine marketing you know that the people who search your keywords are actually looking to buy soon. Perhaps you should concentrate on them.
The good news is that people need cars to live in our society. While they may be working harder to stick with the vehicle they already have, eventually they will need a new one (even if the “new” one they buy is a used one). We may see the car buyers trickle back over the next few months or we may see them let loose and flood dealerships when they feel safer. Either way, they will buy cars again. We just need to fortify our dealerships to weather the storm.
If you are attending NADA this year, please drop by the Dealer Marketing Magazine booth and say hello. We would be very interested in any stories about how your dealership is coping with the downturn. If you have any great ideas or experiences that have helped the situation, let us know and we will put them in a future article. Good luck and see you in New Orleans.