99 Monkeys

At any given moment there are 1000 ideas racing through my head fighting for acknowledgement and realization. Which reminds me of  the 99 monkeys.
There was a group of monkeys who gathered around a banana tree every day and take turns climbing the tree and to get a banana. They did this for many years. So long that no one ever questioned it. Everyday the monkeys with gather around and talk about events from the day before as they waited their turn to go up the tree and get their banana.  Then 1 day, 1 of the monkeys said, "is there a better way to get the bananas down for everyone to eat?".

The group went silent. Then the rumbleing started and 1 monkey stood up and said "this is just how we've always done it". 

"Well that's ridiculous" said the monkey "surely there's a way we can all have a banana and not have to wait for everyone to climb a tree 1 at a time".

The silver back stood up and said
"be quiet, you think you're smarter than me you think you can lead the tribe, you must challenge for leadership".

Knowing that he was no match for the big silver back, the 100th monkey quietly sat down, the story doesn't end there. He continued to ponder on a better way to get the bananas down from the tree.
Then 1 day while sitting on the beach he noticed that the wind was swinging the trees from 1 side to the other and it came to him.  So the next day he went down and waited his turn. While he was waiting he put his plan into action. He stood up and said,

"surely there's a better way to get the bananas down out of the tree so we don't have to wait to get a banana"

The silver back stood up and yelled

"sit down, be quiet, and wait your turn! This is how we've always done it and this is how it will always be done"

So the 100th monkey quietly waited for his turn to climb the banana tree.  When his turn finally came,  the silver back stood up and said,

"do you agree that this is how its always been done?".
The 100th monkey said, "yes I agree this is the way it has always been done".

The silver back allowed him access to the tree and  he started to climb.   As he began to climb, fear began to grab and he started to wonder if everyone would accept the new way.    He started to question himself and the doubt set in.   What if this doesn't work?  What if I fail?  I will be the laughing stock of the tribe.  Then he remembered what is Mother told him
"become the change son! And she punched him in the face!"
So he began to shake the tree. He shook, and shook, and shook some more.  He began to scream and shake wildly until the bananas begin to fall to the floor.  The monkeys all started to run around, grabbing up the bananas and cheering him on and everyone spent the rest of the day eating bananas and talking about the new way.

It's the 100th Monkey that changes the world!

Automotive Social Media Marketing 101

Automotive Social Media Marketing is very simple if you understand two principles.
Either you are interesting, or, you share interesting ideas.
If you're able to create your very own interesting content that aligns with your brand, then by all means do it.
The alternative, is to find interesting content and share   They are both equally effective if used correctly
The big mistake most businesses make with social media is, advertise their product by posting discount prices and expecting client or customer to pick up the phone and call.
Social media marketing is content marketing designed to draw your customer in with interesting ideas that are in alignment with your brand. If you want to use social media as a marketing tool then you have to understand that it is a long term investment. I see hundreds of pages that have been abandoned on facebook, twitter, and YouTube, with limited postings and a clear message that says we don't think this works, or, we have tried it, and never sold anything.
social media marketing is about content, but more importantly, it is content that is interesting that will separate you from the pack.
Some people do not like what I do
and that's okay. Some people love what I do and those are the ones that I want to reach because, they are more like me, and their friends are more like them, and they are my market.
Your message, your brand, your customer.  If you can share your message in an interesting way, others will share it as well.

Why Foursquare?

If you are in sales, marketing, advertising or any form of branding, fourqsquare is a must!
What if you could reach thousands of potential followers/customers every single day?  What if you could place a giant sign right next to the blockbuster of the week that said, "My name is Used Car Ricky and I think buying a car should be fun!" And you could do it for free!!!???
What if you could have your own marketing team on standby waiting to throw up the next billboard every time a new business went up???

Alamo Drafthouse is a theater/restraunt/bar that is a very high traffic business with tons of promise for free advertising. I was checking foursquare one day and noticed that Alamo Drafthouse had been added to my list of places nearby. So I checked in. It said congratulations you are the mayor. I didn't think anything of it, until, I got a message that said, you have just been overthrown as the mayor of Alamo Drafthouse. So I imediately logged on to see who I had to kill. Right then it struck me!!!

What does everyone playing foursquare do when they check in somewhere?
That's right!!!
Looks to see who the mayor is!!!  So if you want exposure, if you want to make connections, if you want to be local, then get on foursquare, find a business that resonates with your type of client and become the mayor.
The ROI on social media gets better and better everytime you become the mayor.
Thank you and good night!!!

Who wants to be a loser: Not me

If you ask most people if they are living their dream, they would probably say no!  Why?  At what point did I start to compromise? At what age did I give in to the pressure of becoming part of the endless forest of trees and hand over my right to live free. Free from others perception. Free from ideology. Free from debt. Free from my fears of the future. What happened to me! 
I've never been able to objectively look at these questions. I've discovered that the only problem with accomplishing anything you want to accomplish is the time which is required to learn how to accomplish it. In lamens terms, if you could know everything, you could do anything, instantly. Thank You and Good Night.

The Waiting.....

If you spend any time in the car business, you learn very quicky that alot of time is spent staring at a row of cars that are begging you to find them a home.
So I ask you, is it easier to sell a car or is it easier to find a customer who is looking for the car you have?

The first, requires patience and discipline. Of which I have neither.
The second, requires much more.

If you have patience and discipline you can kill it where ever you decide to sell cars.

If you are like me, you will struggle every day trying to figure out what to do while you are watching the lot!  I can call customers send emails unlock cars and grab Starbucks all before 9:30 am.

So I went to management and said "teach me something, I want to learn the car business".

I'm still waiting. So I decided to learn  marketing. I figure if I can learn how to market one car, then my success is solely my own, and I never have to wait for another customer ever again.

Welcome to Used Car Ricky City

How much is a ticket to Disney?

What do you get in return?

How much is a Car?

What do you get in return…….Really?



Yesterday I spoke to a customer who was thinking about buying a mini-van because she was having a baby. Her husband chimed in immediately and said, "what's the best deal you can give me on this?"

So I grabbed his gorgeous wife, kissed her passionately, turned around and said, "what was that?"

The point here, is that he had a knee jerk reaction to being on a parking lot with a car salesman.

Why?

Look at your floor and tell me who works there. Chances are you have a couple of Houdini's, one Rooster Cogburn, and a bunch of Mr. Furleys

Houdini = make magic happen

Cogburn = direct and by the numbers

Mr. Furley = Always trying to score

Who do you want? Why did you hire them? Why would you think you could change them?

The car business is full of people who are trying to just make money. What you want is a dealership full of people who want to just be better at what ever they are good at doing. What they want is a place to be, instead of a place to go. The guys who are really making an impact are the ones who facilitate the pursuit of excellence.

Units are a reflection of the culture. People excel in an environment that allows them to excel at what ever they are passionate about. That equals units. Which equals profits. Which equals excellence. Which equals a culture that encourages people to be the best.

Would you want to work at a place like that?

Is there a store like that? Could there be a store that was in the people business instead of the business where your value as a human is solely based on your units as of yesterday?

Used Car Ricky City - A race track for test drives, A stunt driving school, A driving range, A skydiving school, A nail salon, A real coffee shop, A giant play pin where moms and dads can play with their kids while they wait for finance, FUCK!! I just thought of that. And ooooooooh yeah..........You can also buy a car. I got a one problem.......TIME!

What do you think?