Buy the Car, Don’t Just Test Drive It: How to Almost Guarantee You’ll Lose Business on Facebook

It irks me when businesses and organizations jump into social media without a strategy–or a commitment. While I admire that these folks recognize the potential value in these mediums and created accounts, I am shocked by how many pages I encounter that fell to the wayside.

Last night, I was hit with a perfect case study of a social media effort that ran out of gas.

The New Car Saga

I’d already need an oil change if newer cars still followed the 3,000 miles or three month rule (you can tell I drove clunkers!). That’s right. Three months ago I bought my first brand new car. Ever. I always had a decade old car. When my 1998 Dodge Neon kicked the bucket on the way home from the airport after 10 days in the Pacific Northwest, I was torn. Get it fixed or get a new car. When the estimate came back at over $2,000 it was clear it was not worth salvaging what became known as “The Purple Paycheck Eater.” I had a few things I was concerned with regarding loans, so I figured I’d ask a few questions before going to lots in person.

I found a local car dealer’s Facebook page. I was eager to interact with a salesperson who could quickly answer a question or two. This message even said I was ready to buy. And, it was nearing the end of the month–a time when all sales people are waiting for a last deal or two. It was the perfect storm for the car lot captain.

Check out the screen capture of my Messages tab:

I've blurred out my personal question here, but check out the dates I've highlighted. Three months. 90 days.

I never bothered to follow up with this car dealership — I checked my inbox a few times for a reply. Good thing I didn’t wait. As you can see above, they didn’t reply for months. The day after I wrote the original message, eager to buy, I went to Hondru Cheverolet in Elizabethtown, Pa. to just see what they had to offer. I sincerely planned to shop around, but started there since it’s just a mile or two from my house. I test drove a 2011 Cruze. I signed the paperwork that night. The salesperson was hungry for a sale and I was hungry for a car that worked.I ended up getting a new car, when I was in the market for a used one.

I'm a proud new car owner. I bought the Chevy Cruze from the first dealership I got service from. I was an easy sale.

A Look Under the Hood

After thinking about this message and this fatal social media mistake, I came up with some observations on how the situation was handled.

I would have died if I waited for service in the lot THAT long – only THEN would vultures come
What if I would have went to that dealership in person? What if no one noticed me? For three months! What if I had $20,000 in my pocket and no one even cared to ask what I was interested in? I used to work for a national retail chain and the corporate policy for floor salespeople at the time was the ten-feet-ten-seconds rule. If a customer came within ten feet of me, I had to greet them within ten seconds. Used car salesmen have been likened to vultures. Someone sets foot on a car lot and they pop out of nowhere. If a car dealership expects to extend the showroom floor or lot to social media, it better staff some virtual vultures.

Don’t test drive social media if you aren’t ready to ‘buy’
The dealership on Facebook clearly failed to use its business page properly. If they had no intention of engaging with customers (potential and current), why did they bother to create a Facebook page? It’s absolutely counter-productive to create a page and then let it go. Auto dealers, if you ask me, are the type of business that thrives when relationships are solidified. Flat-out ignoring a potential customer is no way to cultivate a relationship, let alone grow one. I am sure car salespeople don’t appreciate those customers that test drive a new ride with no intention to buy it. It’s a waste of time.

Refuel the tank, detail the car, shine and wax….
It was bad enough that this dealer wrote me back nearly three months later, but he/she gave no apology, gave no explanation of the delay and, in fact, SHOUTED AT ME IN ALL CAPS. I had already purchased a new car and was in the process of looking at car waxes to choose from, but this person did not yet know that. If I was still looking for a car, perhaps I’d given them a chance if this reply had been warm and friendly. It should have admitted fault. It should have invited me in to meet with a specialist and maybe listed a deal or two. If you made a social media boo-boo, do what you can to make up for it. People can be won over again. There was a chance at redemption here, but it was a bigger slap in the face to get a quick, unapologetic reply.

Share the road
Social media may be a free (usually) mode of promotion/communication, but that doesn’t mean it should be taken lightly. If one person is too busy to handle the efforts alone, share the responsibilities. A car dealership has many areas – sales, finance, customer service and service. A team approach is a perfect solution for a business like a car dealership. Make multiple people ‘drivers’ in this vehicle.

License to drive
Technically, anyone can use social media. But for businesses to effectively use social media they need to understand the best practices of these mediums. Read books and blogs, attend seminars, check out successful businesses’ use of social media. Don’t just jump in blind. Big mistake. Driving a car without a license results in fines. Attempting to drive a social media campaign also has its financial pitfalls. In this case, someone lost a commission check.

Break the speed limit
Heavy social media users like me demand instant gratification. When I want something, I want it now. I am one of those people that doesn’t make hair appointments; I go to a walk-in place. When you are catering to the social media audience, you had better be quick. A day is forgivable. Months? Forget it.

Final thoughts

This out-of-nowhere response really shows that many still have a lot to learn about using social media effectively for businesses. After receiving this message, I also visited the dealership’s page to see if maybe my message fell through the cracks and were otherwise up to social media speed. However, my assumptions were right: there was zero activity from late October until yesterday. I wonder how many other messages were waiting. How many other sales lost.

I am not sure if I did the right thing, but I DID reply to this person with a few tips. I gracefully explained why they lost my business and said I’d even be happy to help them. This example was too good not to share on my blog, but I respectfully removed the name of the dealership and the person’s name.

Any thoughts? If you were the dealer, what would you have replied with? Or, if you were me, what would you have done?