Mike Conley
Chief Marketing OfficerSunset Auto FamilySince 2012, Mike Conley has been serving as the CMO for the Sunset Auto Family (Sunset Chevrolet, Sunset Ford, Sunset Kia, and Sunset Mitsubishi) in Washington State. Sunset Chevrolet is Washington State’s #1 volume Chevrolet dealer…month after month…year after year. In addition, Sunset is nearly always in the top 5 in Pre-Owned registrations in Washington State. It is Mike’s unique career experience both in advertising and the auto industry that is the “not-so-secret” secret to the continuing success of his clients.
Mike Conley is nearly a 50-year veteran of the auto and advertising business. That was not a typo…. Five decades!
You see, Mike grew up in the car business. His mother was a pioneer for women in this industry and was a GM herself way back in the 1970’s. This pretty much had Mike growing up as a dealer’s kid might…. washing cars, doing physical parts inventory, and eventually selling cars even before he graduated from Washington State University with a BS degree in Communications (Advertising) in 1980.
Upon graduation, Mike accepted a position with an NBC TV Affiliate becoming (according to TvB at the time) the youngest AE working for a network affiliate in the United States. Conley then became a Local Sales Manager at KNDU-TV in early 1982.
Later that same year, Mike opened an advertising agency (Conley & Associates, Inc.), a firm he still owns and operates today. Mike is perhaps best known for developing and executing the largest auto off site sales in the country. Producing events like: “The Big Ol Used Car Sale”, “The Garage Sale” and “The Main Event” (featuring Michael Buffer of “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble” fame) all over the Western United States…over 700 events over a 25-year span. An estimated 250,000 vehicles have been sold and delivered at these off-site events since 1986.
The Problem With Your Advertising Is That Your Advertising Is NOT Your Problem!
In this session, attendees will learn why in this post pandemic period, attempting to "win the race to the bottom" on price is a losing proposition. W
…In this session, attendees will learn why in this post pandemic period, attempting to "win the race to the bottom" on price is a losing proposition. With customer ownership cycles growing to nearly nine years on average and the challenges that extend
…In this session, attendees will learn why in this post pandemic period, attempting to "win the race to the bottom" on price is a losing proposition. With customer ownership cycles growing to nearly nine years on average and the challenges that extended term financing since the pandemic years as created (negative equity, shortage of late model /low mile used vehicles, redcued lead counts, walk-ins, phone ups, and units sales), dealers must rethink
…In this session, attendees will learn why in this post pandemic period, attempting to "win the race to the bottom" on price is a losing proposition. With customer ownership cycles growing to nearly nine years on average and the challenges that extended term financing since the pandemic years as created (negative equity, shortage of late model /low mile used vehicles, redcued lead counts, walk-ins, phone ups, and units sales), dealers must rethink how they compete. The dealers that will survive and do well over the next few years will be the ones with a great culture, a place where the consumner will find the envornment they expect from the advertising, and it will be less about what a customer pays and more about what they get for their money.
In this session, learn how there is no real competitive advantage between dealers - all pay the same from their manufacturers and use the same evaluation tools for determining the value, and thus the cost and price of used vehicles - the difference will be determined by what the customer gets beyond the vehicle, price and payment. USPs (Unique Selling Propositions) or Value Props will be much more important than discounting price. This will lead to higher customer retention (both sales and service), employee retention, and higher gross profits. This will be key during a period when most dealers' unit sales will be down.
Key Takeaways:
- Understand the importance of the consumer finding the environment they expected to find from the advertising at every customer touchpoint (word tracks, collateral, POP, etc.), and the importance of culture
- Recognize that there is no winning the race to the bottom regarding price
- Learn why what the consumer "gets" is and will be far more important than what they "paid" - the essence of value over price
