April 17th, 2020 Email From Harley-Davidson: "THE LIST"
On April 17th, Harley-Davidson sent emails to a few dealers and posted information on HDNet about something called the "Digital Marketing Platform." This has caused some confusion with our customers since HyperDrive CRM was "not on the list."
So, we wanted to clarify a few a things. First, this was just the result of a clerical mistake. We have since spoken to Jill Schultz at H-D, who manages the approved vendor list. Apparently, there was a document that needed to be signed that did not get signed, and that prevented HyperDrive CRM from appearing on the list.
Jill is making some updates ASAP, and she said dealers will be able to view us on the "approved vendor list" in few days, as the paperwork has already been completed. If you have any questions, you can call her directly; she will tell you it was just clerical error.
Nothing Changes With Your Service
- Nothing changes with your Rider Rewards program or dealer system integration, including all text, social, and email systems.
- Nothing changes with your CRM or its dealer system integration.
- HyperDrive CRM from MTR is still an approved CRM vendor and the DLA app will continue to push leads into HyperDrive. In fact, on April 17th, H-D added "Sales People Syncing" to the DLA App, which pushes information to HyperDrive CRM. You can read about this update when you log into HDNet.
What Is The New "H-D Digital Marketing Platform" In Simple Terms?
- Google & Other Adwords - If you're not actively doing "pay-per-click" adwords or other Internet ads, H-D is removing the guesswork for you. They consolidate each dealer's bulk internet ads so they measure responses as one unit.
- Capturing Your Lead Data From Website/Internet Ads - H-D would be acting somewhat as a "middle man" in distributing your leads so they can measure your online advertising ROI.
- Reputation Management This can be difficult to explain since the Internet is an open system which cannot truly be managed. So, we'll give some more details about this topic later in this article.
Why Is This Important?
We believe H-D wants to not only close the loop on sales originating from the Internet, but also educate and guide dealers who are not familiar with these topics. More sales and marketing data allows their global organization to make more informed marketing decisions about the H-D brand.
As you know, they already have access to your sales information though Talon, although, by adding these additional components listed above, H-D will have a direct connection to your online ad budget and be able to make adjustments on your behalf.
For example, they can determine which Google ads result in the most sales; then, they can accurately apply their budget according to success rates.
How "Online Reputation Management" Works
Here is one example: A customer purchases something at your dealer, then they receive an email asking them to rate their experience by clicking a "good" or "bad" link. If their answer was "good," they will get forwarded to Google to write a review. Remember, Google WILL NOT post reviews from any third-party system. If any company tells you they can push good reviews directly to Google, it's not true. All they can do is have a pop-up window linked to Google encouraging the customer to "click here and write a review."
If a customer clicks "bad," the system asks them to write a review — but it is just a review for your information, and it's not linked to Google. The strategy is that the bad reviews will be "trapped in a honeypot" that Google never sees, but you'll have a chance to remedy the customer's situation. If a customer still decides to go to directly to Google to post their review, there will already be so many good reviews that a one bad review will not drastically affect your overall score.
That's basically the magic of "reputation management."
Two years ago we stopped offering this type of product to dealers because we discovered customers were aware of these tactics. Many customers who had unresolved issues would go directly to Google post their bad review anyway, or they would "troll" the dealership for attention.
Therefore, we focused more on helping dealers provide great customer service because the best way to have a great online reputation is to have happy customers! There is no magic software that can replace great face-to-face experiences.
Will These Updates Change Anything With Any More Than Rewards Services?
Simply Put: Absolutely Nothing Changes.
Like we mentioned above, H-D is rolling out this new program to generate more leads and lead data. We want to stress that this will not change anything regarding Rider Rewards, HyperDrive CRM, Text Marketing, eMarketing, or any future products. In fact, this new lead data will be pushed directly into the MTR systems automatically!
Your customer data will continue to transmit from your DMS to HyperDrive CRM and/or your Rider Rewards system. (It works this way if you're a current customer. If you aren't on board yet, call us to sign up!)
We’ve Got You Covered!
You will NOT need to change any settings or worry about anything changing at your dealership.
If you don't yet have a CRM, you should check out our HyperDrive CRM. It starts at $50/mo. and syncs with all dealer systems.
You can even install the "Sales Buddy" mobile app for FREE!
Watch For New Updates
Not only are we working on some amazing product updates, but we have some brand-new tricks, as well!
- In the next 30 days, watch for a new and improved eMarketing sending tool. This upgrade will make your newsletter send at the speed of light!
- Also in eMarketing, we’re working on a new drag-and-drop text editor. Watch for the ability to save multiple drag-and-drop templates so you can return to them later.
- In the upcoming weeks, prepare for a new Live Lead capture system! You’ll be able to capture new leads through text marketing and artificial intelligence.
- Send information on the new LiveWire electric bike straight through text, and schedule a meeting directly through text.
- Your service department will get in on the action as well, as they'll have the ability to schedule and confirm service appointments via text.
- Customers will also have the ability to track their Rider Rewards point balance and much more.
Questions, Comments, or Concerns?
Our Customer Service Team is ready to help you.
- Call us: 414-326-4100
- Email: support@morethanrewards.com
- Live Chat: https://intranet.morethanrewards.com