Joe Chura

Most dealer inventory pages still aren’t optimized for intent. We see this all the time. For example, we recently pulled up a high-traffic inventory results page. The H1 was basically just the model name. No “for sale.” No location, and no real description explaining what the page is about. Just a list of vehicles. So we tightened it up by updating the header to… “New Silverado 2500 HD for sale” We also added the larger metro area, not just the small pocket the store sits in. Then added a real description underneath — what the trucks are, where the dealer is located, and why the page exists. Then we checked Google Search Console. Within a week, impressions started climbing on those inventory pages. Small hinge. Big door. If your dealership foundation is weak, the organic side stays weak too.

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𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 "𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁" 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻. Conflict implies people behaving badly. Misdesign means the system was broken from the start. Here's the difference. 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁 Dealers and direct teams compete for the same customer, with overlapping rules, pricing, and incentives. Example (industrial): • Same SKU sold direct and through dealers • Different pricing or promo timing • Reps, dealers, and ecommerce all chasing the same PO That's real conflict. It's visible. And it's rare. 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 Channels are given unclear or incompatible jobs. Example (pro/contractor categories): • Ecommerce launches "for lead gen" • Then adds checkout "to capture small orders" • Then leadership asks why it's not driving revenue Now ecommerce is: • Stealing some dealer demand • Not good enough to replace dealers • Blamed for underperformance it was designed into No one broke the rules. The rules never made sense. 𝗔𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 (𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹): Dealers are expected to "own the relationship." But the manufacturer owns: • Pricing signals • Promotions • Customer data • Product education Dealers aren't conflicted. They're boxed out. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁: • Endless debates about attribution • Dealers saying "we're confused, not angry" • Ecommerce metrics that look fine but feel wrong • Leadership asking, "Why isn't this working?" without changing the model 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘅 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲. Define: • What each channel is for • What it will never do • Who wins when tradeoffs appear Until then, you'll keep calling it "channel conflict" when it's really a systems problem. If you're operating in dealer-led or pro categories, you've probably seen this firsthand.

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Your ad vendor says the campaign is working. Your GM says otherwise. Who’s right? This plays out in dealerships every week. The vendor shows high click-throughs and a strong lead volume. But your GM looks at the sales board and sees no lift. Both feel frustrated. Both think they’re right. And without the right metric, there’s no way to prove either side. According to 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀.𝗰𝗼𝗺 (April 2025), “Cost Per Vehicle Sold (CPVS) is the only number that aligns the sales floor with the marketing budget.” ✅ Cost. ✅ Per. ✅ Vehicle. ✅ Sold. If you're not tracking how much it costs to sell the car (not generate a lead), but actually close the deal, then you’re flying blind. It’s not about trusting the vendor or the GM. It’s about trusting the number tied to the outcome. ✅ Use CPVS to track campaign impact in real time ✅ Don’t wait for end-of-month “performance decks” ✅ Sales-first metrics bring everyone into alignment P.S. So who usually “wins” this debate in your store?

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One of the most common things I hear from automotive performance brand owners: "We probably would have gotten those sales anyway." It's an understandable reaction when you're looking at strong numbers. But it's also one of the most dangerous beliefs in performance marketing. Here's what's actually happening behind those results: Your competitors are actively bidding on your brand name. New entrants are entering your market every single day. The algorithm resets daily — past performance means nothing to it. Every sale is earned. Someone has to be in the trenches, matching your product to the right buyer at the right moment. The moment that stops, your competitors don't pause. They accelerate. The real question to ask your agency isn't "what were our numbers?" It's "why did we get those numbers, and what are we doing to defend them tomorrow?" If they can't answer that clearly - that's worth paying attention to. Happy to connect with brand owners in automotive, powersports, or marine who want to understand what's actually driving their results. DM me.

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WHAT 500+ DEALERSHIP REPUTATION AUDITS TAUGHT ME Last week, I was reviewing consumer behavior data and realized something profound:  The reputation game has completely changed, and most dealers missed the memo. Here's what the data reveals about consumer behavior in 2025: Old Thinking: "We need 100+ five-star reviews"   New Reality: Consumers are more willing to visit businesses with fewer reviews IF those reviews tell authentic stories Old Thinking: "Recent reviews matter most"   New Reality: 20% of consumers now consider reviews up to 6-12 months old as impactful (up from previous years) Old Thinking: "Negative reviews hurt us"   New Reality: Consumers read both positive AND negative reviews to form objective opinions The shift? Consumers want to make their own informed decisions. They're not looking for perfection; they're looking for authenticity and transparency. This changes everything about how we should approach reputation management. Stop trying to hide from reality. Start showcasing authenticity. What's the biggest reputation myth you believed that turned out to be wrong? #ReputationReality #CustomerBehavior #TrustMarketing 

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Consider the direct impact that often goes unmeasured with AI in your dealership: Speed of operations increases dramatically - processes that once took hours happen in seconds. Consistency improves across all customer touchpoints - every interaction meets quality standards that were previously only possible with your best performers. Errors decrease substantially - systems catch issues that humans might miss in their busy day-to-day activities. These direct impacts are just the beginning. The indirect effects that ripple through your organization create even more value that traditional metrics won't capture. Your team's focus shifts naturally to higher-value activities. Customer experiences transform in ways that standard satisfaction scores can't fully reflect. Resource allocation becomes dramatically more effective, but in ways that aren't obvious in standard expense reports. But the most powerful impact - and the hardest to measure with traditional metrics - comes from the compound effect that builds over time. This is where AI creates truly transformative value. Learning accumulates with every interaction. Your systems don't just execute - they improve continuously. Every customer engagement, every transaction, every communication makes them more effective. This compounding intelligence creates an accelerating advantage that traditional point-in-time measurements simply can't capture. The value you can't measure might be the most valuable of all. AI's compound effects create advantages that accelerate over time. 📈 "The 30-Day AI Protocol: Transform Your Dealership and Unlock Unstoppable Growth" (link in comments) reveals how to capture not just the direct impacts of speed and consistency, but the indirect and compound effects that transform your entire operation. While competitors focus on metrics they can measure today, you'll be building compound intelligence that gets stronger with every interaction, every transaction, every customer engagement. The most powerful AI advantage isn't what happens immediately—it's what compounds continuously. 👇 Get the blueprint for building compound intelligence that creates accelerating advantages your competitors can't catch today. #AIImpact #UnmeasuredValue #TransformativeAI #CompoundIntelligence #AIAdvantage #AutoDealership #AutomotiveSales #DealershipManagement #CarSales #AutomotiveIndustry

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Ohio dealers: March 1 is a "Big Day." On March 1, 2026, Ohio’s Registration & Titling Service Fee rule takes effect. It allows dealerships to charge up to $50 per transaction for qualifying dealer-provided registration services and/or dealer-paid third-party electronic titling services. But here’s what most dealerships will miss: This rule change doesn’t magically create margin. It creates margin only if your workflow, systems, and disclosures are aligned. A few guardrails that will trip stores up: The fee is optional (it can’t be treated like automatic add-on revenue). Only one service fee is allowed per transaction. It must be separately itemized (not bundled into generic “BMV fees”). And if you’re using Ohio BMV’s free electronic titling tools, the titling service fee isn’t allowed. Eligibility depends on execution, not intent. That means the next move isn’t “raising fees.” It’s mapping your real workflow and tightening documentation before March 1. I wrote a clean breakdown of what’s changing and what dealerships should do now: https://lnkd.in/g4qxv2mu

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Want to know the real secret to driving service business at your dealership? It starts with Paid Search that's how you immediately capture customers with high intent. But to truly dominate, you can't stop there. The game-changer is using Display and Demand Gen to surgically target shoppers who have already shown interest in your competitors' service offers. This isn't just advertising; it's a strategic move to steal market share. #JandLMarketing #AutomotiveIndustry #DealershipMarketing #ServiceDepartment

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Most dealers are still ordering for a buyer who doesn’t exist. Your CRM knows your ZIP code, the factory doesn’t. National allocation sheets don’t reflect how people in your backyard actually buy. Especially now, with payments at all time highs, every ZIP code has its own version of value. Still, most stores order based on factory pushes… not what their real customers are actually financing. And then wonder why inventory sits 90+ days. The city's telling you what to stock, your CRM is quietly showing you what actually sells.   Every order based on national trends is a bet against your own sales data. → Pull your last 30 days → Which trims moved fastest? → Which price points closed easiest? That’s your order guide. When your inventory mirrors local buyer behavior, everything moves faster: leads, sales, and turn. Don’t ignore the factory. Just stop pretending they know your buyer better than you do. Your data already told you what to stock, so use it. #MettaDealers #CarDealers #Automotive #AutomotiveIndustry #SalesStrategy

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Dealers / GM’s / GSM’s and Automotive Executives - If business is down, or you’re missing goals don’t complain and don’t give up. ***There are plenty of records being broken right now and if you’re crushing it, this may not be for you. This is for the managers that are struggling to compete and get back on a record breaking track. Find the reason, dig until you do find it and fix it. There is always a way. Sometimes it’s not easy to see, sometimes it’s way outside the box of your normal thinking, sometimes it’s painful. Sometimes the mirror doesn’t look back at you the way you want it too. Sometimes you have to ask for help. Sometimes you have to work a little harder than you’d like. But the answer is there - somewhere, the answer is always there. Here’s a few places to look. It could be marketing - and driving opportunities. Too many people are chasing the shiny linear paths that are not converting. - Think holistcally. It could be staffing and not having the right people in place. - Make the tough decisions and make hiring top talent a top priority. It could be process and the right people need to be trained better. - Invest (heavily) in good people. It could be inventory volumes and mix - Bad momentum at the OEM level? Pivot to used and or grind like never before on new volume and market accordingly and take the smaller margins. - Stop complaining and do something about it. It’s could be leadership and culture. - that mirror tells the truth. - Be better to your internal customers (Employees) that always pays off. It could be a limiting belief mindset. If you think you can or if you think you can’t, you’re normally right. - Manifest your way there. It could be energy levels. - See all of the above as this one affects everything. I find the best mentally and physically fit dealers out perform those that are not as “able”. It’s a harsh fact, but it is a fact. “You can have succcess or excuses, but you can’t have both.” - Choose wisely.

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