This month's newsletter includes our hero report and death of a salesman.

1. In this issue:
1 Death of a Salesman
2.1 Tips and Tricks: CSI
2.2 Employee Spotlight: Alistair Jeff
3.1 Secrets of Success: Stourbridge VW
3.2 CitNOW of the Month: Mike Gill, BMW
4.1 Please Welcome to CitNOW
4.2 Your Coffee Cartoon
October 2014
Death of a Salesman
Did you read the recent stories in AM about showrooms being
launched without sales staff!
Hyundai is opening a shopping centre store in Bluewater, and
Colin Appleyard said it was opening an unmanned store (read no
sales execs) in Yorkshire, comparing the process to Argos and
appealing to clued up motorists.
What I found interesting was the largely negative
comments that followed underneath the Appleyard article.
An impractical solution; reinforces the bad reputation that
dealers have for employing ‘dodgy salesmen’; customers
always want to negotiate - when does that ever happen
at Argos?
Older news, but still on the same page; BMW have now
rolled out their Product Geniuses - a non-commissioned
expert, there to spend as long as it takes to help educate
a car shopper. Interestingly, their best candidates have
come from outside the industry with the ratio of geniuses
to sales execs set to grow.
What does the customer think?
Auto Trader found that the average car shopper spends
more than 11 hours online researching their new vehicle
and only 3.5 hours at the dealership. Inbound enquiries
… continued on page 2

2. Tips and Tricks Workshop:
Improving CSI
When was the last time you sent an ‘All Green’ CitNOW to your customer? Even
when there is no additional work needed, there is still a great opportunity for you to
improve your customer relationship and your business. A Green CitNOW is simple
to do and creates a big impact in return for a little time investment.
Green is Good
With their vehicle in the workshop, the customer typically isn’t looking forward to a
phone call from you. Make their day. Send a green CitNOW with nothing to report.
This can help secure your relationship with the customer and provide a lasting
experience for your service team to pick up on when they next contact the customer.
Take your Time
Take more time. Don’t send a 20 second CitNOW to the customer. It gives the
wrong impression and leaves the customer feeling that the whole process is a bit of
a chore. One minute is all it takes, your CitNOW won’t take much time, but it speaks
volumes to your customer.
The Devil is in the Detail
Follow these steps: Introduce yourself and the good news. Build rapport and go on
a quick tour of the vehicle, show tyre depths, undercarriage and comment on the
discs, pads and suspension. Remember the technician is the trusted authority, so
share his authority with the customer.
To view our Top Tips Cartoon go to:
http://www.citnow.com/workshop-top10
Employee Spotlight
Alistair Jeff
Commercial Director
Alistair, a recently new addition to the CitNOW team is responsible for 3rd
party integrations, contracts and our global partnerships. He comes from
AutoTrader where he was responsible for trade-to-trade products including
Autotrade-mail & 2ndByte. He has 20+ years automotive experience
including time with Manheim Group, GM UK and general dealership
management.
video.citnow.com/vpourteam10
…continued
from phone, email and ‘live chat’ have been
keeping most sales execs busier than walk-ins
for some time now.
Given how integrated ‘search’ has become to
the customer buying process, it’s not surprising
that manufacturers such as BMW, Volkswagen
and Audi are reacting to this by making the
sales process more transparent and ‘joined
up’ between the online and offline experience.
Have a look at this short video that Matt, one
of Account Director’s took at a visit to a new
concept store, video.citnow.com/vvshowroom1
Is this the death knell for the traditional
salesman?
Behaviour and data shows that more and more
customers are educating themselves before
engaging with a dealership. Online marketing
tools, resources and reviews empower the
customer to make more informed decisions
than ever before. Put simply they come well
armed, capitalising on the vast amounts of
information available at their fingertips.
Why would they ever need you?
Because people still buy from people of course!
The rules of engagement might have changed
but sales execs still have a bright future if
they adapt to the digital tools available at their
disposal. This is about timing, content and
discipline to affect the right outcome.
At CitNOW, we’ve seen more than 30 uses
for CitNOW from enquiry to post-purchase
follow-up. It’s amazing how creative some
sales execs have become - long may it reign.
This is a voyage of discovery with massive
potential for the effective use of personal video
presentation, and interacting with every step of
your customer’s life cycle.
Interested in seeing more uses for CitNOW?
Check our top 10 lists for Sales and Aftersales:
www.CitNOW.com/top10videos
2 Dealer Principles | October 2014

3. 3
Secrets of Success
Simon Volans, Brand Manager: Stourbridge
Volkswagen
In September Stourbridge
Volkswagen produced
414 videos, making it
one of CitNOW’s most
productive sales sites in
the UK and in just their
first full month with the
technology.
How did the Stourbridge team hit the ground
running? What do they use CitNOW for?
What benefits have they seen from their
extensive usage? CitNOW caught up with
Brand Manager, Simon Volans to explore
Stourbridge’s impressive start.
How have the team become so engaged
with Volkswagen Video?
We prepared the team prior to us getting the
technology. We briefed them, let them know
what was coming, and got them enthusiastic
about the potential of CitNOW. When it
arrived they leapt on it. For some of our more
experienced staff, this came as a bigger
change. However, once they witnessed the
effect it had on customers they were won over.
What do you use Volkswagen Video for?
Everything, it is a great way to engage
the customer and the more you use it the
easier it becomes. We use it from the very
beginning for appointment confirmation.
We’ve found that sending a CitNOW prior
to an appointment actually increases the
percentage turning up at the dealership.
We also use it for car enquiries, thank you
Hero Report
The Oscar:
CitNOW of the Month
Mike Gill
Dick Lovett BMW Bristol
Why it works:
Suit the car to the setting
By using a stylish and impressive
environment Mike has optimised
the customer’s perception of the
car and associated characteristics.
Much more impressive than the
average forecourt!
Mike ensures his CitNOW
matches that car to
that customer
Tailor the script to your customer’s
personal concerns. Mike shows
how this car covers the needs of
his customer, from boot space,
through financing and finishing on
easy parking. Mike could not do
more to ensure that his CitNOW
Make it flawless
Mike demonstrates that he knows
the product inside out, both the
7 series and what makes a good
CitNOW. He begins and finishes
recording himself, is informative,
knows which features intrigue
customers and covers them as
part of a seamless tour in just over
2 minutes.
Take a look yourself at:
video.citnow.com/vvoscar0010
CitNOWs (thanking the customer for coming
into the dealership), when the car is delivered to
us on the transporter and also for handovers,
when the car is valeted and ready to go to its
new home. The reaction from our customers
has been great. They love their videos and
several of them, once they’ve bought a car
from us, have even asked if they could record
their own!
Has CitNOW impacted your business?
The biggest positive has been the reaction of
our customers and the improvement in their
experience. It’s enabled our team to improve
communication and more enthusiastic and
thoughtful about the customer experience.
Our rolling 6 month CEM score has improved
substantially and moved us into the top
quartile. Additionally to that, we’re pulling in
business from further afield. Some customers
have said that they bought the car because of
the better view they got in their video. Without
that detail, we might not have seen those
customers in our dealership.
What advice would you have for others
looking at introducing CitNOW.
I would tell them not to! Joking aside I
don’t want anyone else using it; it’s giving
me the edge against my competition. In all
seriousness, it’s a no brainer. The return on
our investment has been great and more than
paid for itself (within the first month), the cost
is really a drop in the ocean compared to
business costs today.
To watch the whole interview go to:
video.citnow.com/vvfeedback2
The top 5 users for CitNOW Sales and CitNOW Workshop
Sales Amount Workshop Amount
Robert Foster, Hailsham MINI 94 Daron Bland, Bournemouth BMW 174
Ian Kramer, Stockport Volkwagen 89 Adam Hooper, Salisbury BMW 142
Eddie Allan, Menzies BMW 87 Terry Murray, Wessex Cardiff 128
Keith Montgomery, Belfast Volkswagen 81 Jake Hartley, Wessex Cardiff 128
Alan Whitehead, Premium Trade Cars 80 Graeme Kelly, Basildon Nissan 116

4. 4
Please welcome to CitNOW
October 2014
Alexanders Prestige, Ripon
Barnards, Stowmarket
Blade, Gloucester
Bristol Street, Ilkeston
Bristol Street, Bradford
Bristol Street, Altrincham
Bristol Street, Darlington
Chartwell, Derby
Colin Appleyard, Keighley
Corkills, Southport
Desira, Norwich
Desira, Great Yarmouth
Drayton, Stafford
Drayton, Wolverhampton
Drayton, Worcester
Drayton, Walsall
Drayton, Shrewsbury
Drayton, Stourbridge
Guy Salmon, Northampton
Hartwell, Scunthorpe
Harvey Cooper Cars, Ripon
Ingram, Ayr
Kia, High Wycombe
Lancaster, Milton Keynes
Lawries Garage, St Boswells
Lookers, Park Royal
Lookers, Colchester
Lookers, Blackpool
Marshall, Taunton
Murray, Plymouth
Northgate, Bury St Edmunds
Pebley Beach, Swindon
Ridgeway Select, Oxford
Sinclair, Bridgend
Sinclair, Swansea
Sinclair, Cardiff
Spire, Ruislip
Spire, Highgate
Sytner, Nottingham
Taggarts, Glasgow South
9 Millars Brook, Molly Millars
Lane, Wokingham, Berkshire,
RG41 2PQ
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