Connecting to the Community

A great way to show appreciation to the local community that has sustained your dealership's existence, and at the same time create positive buzz for yourself, is to reach out in a way that directly effects and involves those that live in your area. Plan something major. Something that will invite the local residents to be a part of and the area media won't be able to overlook. Something that community leaders and politicians are likely to attend. Make it a local spectacle. Doing so may be easier than you believe. The following are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

Don't just give a prize away to a random drawing. Go deeper into the community. Replace chance with human interest. Offer a large gift, such as a $2000 gas card or a free 1 year lease on a select vehicle. But allow the community to decide who the recipient will be. Allow people to nominate a family dealing with an extraordinary hardship such as medical bills. Upon selecting the winner, hold a gift giving ceremony and offer free grill food and drink to those who come out.

Work with a local High School to create a scholarship fund for a local deserving student. Make the entire process from start to finish newsworthy. Keep the community involved and updated every step of the way. Make it an annual event, and gain extra coverage and buzz from it by continuing to keep tabs on the recipient(s) and documenting it on your website so the community can stay in touch and informed.

Make a sizeable donation to a local nonprofit organization. One that has deep roots within your local community. Orchestrate a press conference and present the chosen foundation with a oversized check. Every community has different foundations but a few ideas might be: American Veterans, Boys and Girls Club, Boy Scouts of America, and Girl Scouts of America.

Bottom line is do something positive and do it big. The goodwill created may help people forget about the constant rise of gas prices, even if just for a moment or two.

$0.66 Gas Special at Terry Thompson Chevrolet

Josh Bean of the Press Register reports that Terry Thompson Chevrolet, located in Daphne Alabama, will be running a cheap gas promotion on July 28th. Beginning at 7 a.m. in the morning the Terry Thompson crew will be offering 15 gallons of gasoline to each customer at $0.66 per gallon. 5000 gallons in all, enough for 330 customers, will be sold with each customer spending $9.90.

"There's so much talk locally and nationally about the price of gas", Thompson said. "We wanted to let our customers know how appreciative we are for being good to us throughout the years. This gives us a chance to show that appreciation."

In addition to saving each of the 330 customers around $50.00 on gas, all proceeds from the days promotion will be donated to three local education organizations; Fairhope Educational Enrichment Foundation, Supporting Educational Enrichment in Daphne Schools and Spanish Fort Educational Enrichment Foundation. Each foundation will receive $1500, $3300 of which will be generated from the gas sale, and the other $1200 coming directly from the dealership.

With gas prices hovering around the $4.00 per gallon range nationally, I would suggest to all that live in or near Daphne to circle July 28 on the calendar, and take a stop down to see the folks at Terry Thompson Chevrolet. The dealership is located at 1402 Highway 98.

Auto News Tidbits

"They're unhappy and we're losing money", said Ford Chief Executive Alan Mulally in response to Ford's efforts to reduce custom variations that prevent dealerships from having the customer's desired vehicle in stock.

California lowers auto emissions rule that will lower the number of electric and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles that automakers sell in California to 7,500 by 2014, a 70 percent reduction from the 2003 target.

Sales incentives offered on new vehicles are up 4% from previous year, with Toyota spending the least on average.

In January, India's Tata Group unveiled The World's Cheapest Car; meet the ten foot long, twenty five hundred dollar Nano.

Ford sells Land Rover and Jaguar to Tata Group for half of original purchase price. (3/27/08)

Can a longtime Toyota exec fix Chrysler? “We need to be focusing more on the substance and less on sizzle,” says Chrysler’s vice chairman, James E. Press. “Instead of being remembered for cattle, you’d like the Ram truck to be remembered for winning the showdown with the Ford F-150.” (3/13/08)

The Car Care Council lists a few ways to help reduce the financial impact at the pump, as gas prices continue to rise.

Mike Jackson, CEO of AutoNation says of the industries 2008 forecast, "We are at the bottom of this downturn, and we just have to ride it out." (3/20/08)

According to Autodata, sales of the cheapest and most fuel efficient cars are booming as overall industry sales are falling. (3/20/08)

Fight back against icy and wintry road conditions James Bonds style with a new snow tire by Q Tires.

Introducing Pontiac's latest performance sedan, the G8. (3/29/08)

Customer feedback helped shaped the Ford F-150 redesign. "Before we started working on the new truck, we continued the conversation with people who use these trucks every day for work and play," said Matt O'Leary, chief engineer of the 2009 F-150.

A lengthy strike by auto parts manufacturers threatens to force GM to shut down more plants. (3/28/08)

Car insurance rates to increase in some highly populated states, due in part to rising prices for new vehicles and expenses for labor and replacement parts. (2/9/08)

Chrysler hopes its history of successful springs, 40% of Chrysler's minivan sales have traditionally occurred in the spring months, when families are preparing for summer vacations, help revive minivan sales. (3/28/2008)

New trucks to be unveiled at Dallas Auto Show. "Dealers are real excited about the arrival of the new trucks because both have loyal followings, and you have to remember this is the largest light-duty truck market in the country," said Drew Campbell, president of the New Car Dealers Association of Metropolitan Dallas. (3/31/08)

With a score of 77 percent in the Consumers Union safety category, Volvo is first in consumers' minds when it comes to safety, reports Consumers Union. (3/28/08)