Protecting Your Dealership and Yourself
As we dealers use the latest tracking software to better target our customers’ habits and preferences, we’re fast approaching a potential train wreck on this virtual pipeline of personal information gathering. Dealers need to ask themselves, while I’m doing everything I can to collect data on my walk-ins, web traffic and off-site leads, am I also protecting my dealership from the risk of legal retaliation from customer push back?
In this trade-off between knowing our customers’ purchase habits, purchase decisions and needs, it is important to remain transparent about what personal information we’re getting from them. Today’s customer may not be aware of what, exactly, your dealership knows about them, or how you got it. But if the customer does discover the treasure trove of personal data you’ve gleaned to help guide your marketing, he may push back — and not just by resisting your attempts to sell him. There could very well be legal ramifications that could, as industry expert Kevin Frye says, lead to lawsuits and at the very least, bad press.
Understanding how privacy is clashing with big data and modern technology is key to protecting your dealership from potentially-damaging consumer push back, says Frye.
So it’s extremely important to arm your dealership with the facts of what is legally-obtainable, and how to react to consumer questions about your data gathering.
And, Frye warns, while your first priority is protecting your customer’s identity, you also need to protect your dealership from any downsides of this data collection, be it legally or by damage to your reputation.
Frye leads a new and exclusive session on these very important privacy concerns at the 16th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition, May 6-8 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
“This may be the most important discussion during the entire event,” smiles Frye, only half joking.
“Dealers will be surprised to learn how much even our business behavior is being tracked by retailers and our government, and I will show them how to best protect their personal and dealership privacy online, using their smartphone and their social media.”
During his Digital Dealer session, Frye will focus on how to to ensure reliable and accurate personal data and to interpret it appropriately. “We’ll discuss creative strategies using transparency to address these very real privacy concerns,” adds Frye.
Frye says he’ll offer creative and leading approaches on how to use transparency to address privacy with retargeting, website tracking, social media strategies, CRM and more.
“As a fellow dealer in the trenches, I invite you to join me as I mix real life examples with video & fun giveaways in an entertaining format that will keep you engaged as well as help you become a better digital dealer when you return to your dealership.”
Kevin Frye is the e-Commerce Director of the Jeff Wyler Automotive Family, one of the top 50 dealerships in the United States. He has been a leader in the industry with the use of video, social media, mobile, website design and online reputation management. Before his work with Jeff Wyler, Kevin was an independent business owner who pioneered selling cars online for both dealerships and individual consumers, selling over 500 cars on eBay in one year alone. Kevin was a Naval aviator for eight years, with extensive flight hours in Desert Shield and Operation Southern Watch, and has more than 200 combat hours in Desert Storm.
