Fraud Alert-Area Codes...Do Not Delete

New Area Codes...Do Not Delete

Snopes and AT&T verified. See bottom of this e-mail.
This sounds like a serious warning.

809 Area Code
We actually received a call last
week from the 809 area code. The woman said 'Hey,
this is Karen .. Sorry I missed you--get back to us
quickly. I have something important to tell you..' Then
she repeated a phone number beginning with 809 We did not respond.
Then this week, we received the following e-mail:

Do Not DIAL AREA CODE
809, 284, AND 876

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION
PROVIDED TO US BY AT&T. DON'T EVER DIAL AREA CODE 809

This one is being distributed all over the US ... This is
pretty scary, especially given the way they try to get
you to call.

Be sure you read this and pass it on.

They get you to call by telling you that it is information about a family member who has been ill or to tell you someone has been arrested, died, or to let you know you have won a wonderful prize, etc..
In each case, you are told to call the 809 number right away. Since there are so many new area codes these days, people unknowingly return these calls.

If you call from the U.S. , you will apparently be
charged $2,425 per-minute.

Or, you'll get a long recorded message... The point is, they will try to keep you on the phone as long as possible to increase the charges.
WHY IT WORKS:

The 809 area code is located in the Dominican Republic ..
The charges afterward can become a real
nightmare. That's because you did actually make the call. If you complain, both your local phone company and your long distance carrier will not want to get involved and will most likely tell you that they are simply providing the billing for the foreign company. You'll
end up dealing with a foreign company that argues they have done nothing wrong.

Please forward this entire message to your friends, family and colleagues to help them become aware of this scam.

AT&T VERIFIES IT'S TRUE :

http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=6045

SNOPES VERIFIES IT'S TRUE:
http://www.snopes.com/fraud/telephone/809.asp

Consumers Have Changed The Game.

Consumers Have Changed The Game Popular social sites like Facebook, Twitter and Myspace have allowed consumers to change the game in the automotive industry. Dealers across the country are scrambling to set up social sites that potentially connect them to their customers. I have begun to notice a trend that automotive dealers have placed their focus on selling and not connecting. Dealers are traveling in the right direction, yet they are all on the long wrong to success. Consumers actually like the ideal that they have the ability to connect with their local car dealer on Facebook, yet dealers have failed to establish a real relationship with their buyers.  We as dealers have a tradition of trying to recreate the wheel, social networking became popular long before the automotive industry decided to jump on the band wagon. Pushing the needle to increase sales is the long road to success for dealers; we have failed to recognize the processes and procedures that these social sites have already implemented to reach their success today. Consumers Have Changed The Rules, and local car dealers have not yet decided to play the buyers game. It appears that dealers and manufacturers have come up with their own game plan to change the face of Social networking, implementing annotated methods that in the past have made the auto industry successful. Whenever there is a Paradigm Shift, everything changes...including the rules and dealer's have refused to operate under the new rules. The way I see it, and keep in mind this is just one man's opinion "Dealers Who Don't Do It, Won't Get It Consumers spend more time on social sites Right Now than they do anywhere else on the web, yet we are not speaking their language on these sites!  In order to capture and maintain friends or fans, as they are called on Facebook, content, connections and links must be fresh and appeal to your fans.  Most of these sites give you a breakdown of your visitors; the analytics of your pages along with demographics, what else would you need to manage the behavior of your fans?  Automation and technology can be good, yet without the human element, it will be a longgggg time before Car Dealers will see a measurable ROI for any type of investment made through social media.  Consumers are yearning for Online Negotiations, Online Trade Appraisals, and Online Real-Time Communications....these services are being offered across the board, yet we have only taken a small road to achieve this goal.  "One place to do all you need to do, before you buy".... is what one guy told me in a recent online poll I launched. We in the automotive industry operate a lot like Big Businesses in other industries, We Out Source!!  We have learned to depend on outside services to speak to our guest, after we were the ones to establish the relationship, spent the two-three hours selling them a vehicle. Think about this, would you allow someone else to come into your marriage, to help keep it together, after you have established the relationship? lol!!  Well that is exactly what car dealers do, strangers talk to our customers, do the follow-up calls, email our friends and family................. The Rules have Changed, why not us?  There is a lot more to this Automotive Social Networking thing than we want to recognize! Additional questions, comments Thomas Ieracitano Thomas@Ieracitano.com www.DigitalCarGuy.com (229) 251-2462

Pre-Sell Customers Before the Service Lane

Pre-Sell Customers Before the Service Lane

Proactive marketing of factory-recommended services as well as dealership recommendations prior to the customer arriving in the drive not only pre-sells your service business, but displays your expertise at keeping their vehicle in top performance.

To accomplish this, you will need a plan of action and some automation to make such pre-selling practical, largely hands-off, and effective. Your audience must include new and used vehicle customers, current service customers, those you haven't serviced in a while, and those which declined some of your recommended services. Today, most dealers attempt to do this with a "blast" direct mail or email offering one-time service specials like a lube oil filter or brake special hoping customers will see a coupon that is applicable to the service they feel their vehicles need. Although this plan does result in a spike in service, it is only temporary.

A more assertive, retention-building approach practiced by many of today's successful dealers is to proactively inform customers of their vehicle's service needs, based on service intervals, previously declined services, and other factors, before they arrive on the service lane. This strategy builds their service business using a planned, continuous program designed to pre-sell customers on using their dealership for these services.

Technology available today makes this straightforward by automatically creating messages and offers specific to the customer's vehicle make, model, mileage, and individual needs. Each communication is then delivered to the customer in their desired format (e.g. phone, text, email, etc.) with an appropriate link to details about the recommended services.

Here are the basics for getting started:

Put into place an automated service reminder program that sends service-due notification based on the vehicle's service history within the dealer management system (DMS) and factory/dealer recommendations.

Link each communication (i.e. email) to a recommended service menu, based on vehicle make, model, and mileage.

Include a link into an automated service appointment system. Some systems will automatically log the customer into your appointment system with preloaded customer and vehicle information. The customer then simply needs to confirm the date and time. The idea is to make it easy for your customer to do business with you.

Communicate periodically other recommendations based on vehicle history within your DMS, such as previously declined services, recall notifications, seasonal services, etc.· Review recommended services at write up if the customer did not respond to your proactive recommendations. Consider placing a video terminal in the customer lounge so customers can again review the recommended services and "why" explanations.

Thank you,

Thomas Ieracitano

Thomas@Ieracitano.com

www.DigitalCarGuy.com

(229) 251-2462

Four Catholic men and a Catholic woman were having coffee.

Four Catholic men and a Catholic woman were having coffee.


The first Catholic man tells his friends, "My son is a priest, when he

walks into a room, everyone calls him 'Father'."

The second Catholic man chirps, "My son is a Bishop. When he walks

into a room people call him 'Your Grace'."


The third Catholic gent says, "My son is a Cardinal. When he enters a

room everyone says 'Your Eminence'."


The fourth Catholic man then says, "My son is the Pope. When he

walks into a room people call him 'Your Holiness'."


Since the lone Catholic woman was sipping her coffee in silence,

the four men give her a subtle, "Well....?"




She proudly replies, "I have a daughter,


Slim,


Tall,


38D breast,


24" waist and


34" hips.


When she walks into a room, people say, "Oh My God."

Tech Tips of the week

Once in a while I will come across a few items to make our busy lives a little less heck-tic.

http://www.idrivelite.com - this is a Free Service to back your phone contacts on your BlackBerry, iPhone or iTouch wireless with just a touch of a button.

iDrive also can backup your computer files remotely and securely!

https://www.idrive.com/p=digitalcarguycom

I am sure like me to do not have the occasion to send a fax but now and then it is the only method so........ how about a Free Service

http://www.gotfreefax.com/

That's all for now and be productive, be a good person, do the right thing!

Thank you,
Thomas Ieracitano
Thomas@Ieracitano.com
www.DigitalCarGuy.com
(229) 251-2462

Tech Tips of the week

Once in a while I will come across a few items to make our busy lives a little less heck-tic.

http://www.idrivelite.com - this is a Free Service to back your phone contacts on your BlackBerry, iPhone or iTouch wireless with just a touch of a button.

iDrive also can backup your computer files remotely and securely!

https://www.idrive.com/p=digitalcarguycom

I am sure like me to do not have the occasion to send a fax but now and then it is the only method so........ how about a Free Service

http://www.gotfreefax.com/

That's all for now and be productive, be a good person, do the right thing!

Thank you,
Thomas Ieracitano
Thomas@Ieracitano.com
www.DigitalCarGuy.com
(229) 251-2462

During the recent Detroit Auto Show ...

How is it that Chrysler is basically dead, GM is struggling to survive and Ford is not only surviving - but actually doing great and competing with the Asian and European competition?  Simply put; quality and innovation.

During the recent Detroit Auto Show, Ford just took top honors by winning both the 'Car of the Year Award' with its new Fusion Hybrid model as well as the 'Truck Of The Year Award' with it's new Transit Connect compact van.  This marks the first time in 17 years that an automaker won both major awards.  Add that together with the recently released December 09 sales figures showing a 33% sales increase for Ford, and they've got to be hopeful for their future.  Go USA!

Thank you,
Thomas Ieracitano
Thomas@Ieracitano.com
www.DigitalCarGuy.com
(229) 251-2462