Am I too salesy?

When I made the decision to go “all in” with social media four months ago I had two goals in mind: education and discussion.  Along the way, it has been brought to my attention that my goals may not be coming across in my posts.  I would like to take a step back and discuss this for a moment.

Each week, when I decide what to write about, I look at issues that have come up in our dealerships.  My thought process is that if one person is facing this issue, there must be more out there.  I attempt to write blog posts that will let people know why that issue arises and how to address it.  I also attempt to ask questions relevant to that issue in order to find out other people’s opinions.  I feel that feedback allows me to be better at my job and serve my customers better.

While following this plan, several people have expressed that my posts and questions come off as being “salesy.”  To me, this is a big problem because that is the last thing that I want to portray.  However, as I review my posts, I have trouble seeing where those people are coming from.  I have also reviewed other postings in forums and they appear to come across as much more sales focused than mine.  I wonder if the negative response is due to my actual posts, or some people’s negative connotation of the auto industry.

I do want to say, though, that not all responses have been negative.  As a matter of fact, the majority of the social media world has been very open and embraced my initiative.  I brought this topic to the surface in order to make my position clear, and encourage dialogue as to how to constantly improve how I help my social media connections.  I want to ensure my posts are educational and create discussion but I do not feel that I should have to avoid talking about my place of work, as it is key to my insight.

And so with one caveat, I will open up the discussion.  I request that all responses do not attempt to personally attach me or air grievances about the auto industry that I cannot control.  I honestly look forward to everyone’s constructive feedback!

2 Responses to “Am I too salesy?”

  1. Rick Ornberg Says:

    February 2nd, 2010 at 3:06 pm

    Interesting question, and responses will obviously be slanted based on the experience of those responding. That said, I think there’s a place for informative and educational blog posts, especially when offered by someone with inside knowledge or expertise of some kind. I’ve wrestled with the same question for some time with my own blog, so I appreciate you opening the discussion. My only deviation from the model is the occasional opinionated entry that may have little or no connection to my business or industry. That’s because — in addition to being knowledgeable or expert in my field — I’m also at times an opinionated sonova-gun and if I don’t share it I’ll explode! Keep up the good work, and don’t feel you have to be all things to all people.

  2. Larry Bain Says:

    February 2nd, 2010 at 3:41 pm

    Cortney,

    I am not in either camp (thinking you are salesy) but I have 2 thoughts on it.

    1. I believe you attempt to give us the best deal possible by being our friend in the car business. If I need a car, who would I go see? Cortney.

    2. If you never sold another car and by that happening, it forced you out of business, who would I go see? I have no clue. I don’t feel like I would get treated as well because I don’t know them or trust them.

    So in order for you to be there when I need a car, and give me the trusted best deal, I also need you to be salesy enough to keep the cars moving through the showroom. You have to do what you have to do.

    Every couple weeks we get an article from you about the business side. Someone told me once that if you have an audience, the audience came to see you. They want to be your friend. They want to know more about you. I especially liked “A Day in My Life.”

    If I find out about a virus threat, I do not report it until it has been confirmed. Once confirmed, I send it out as a discussion.

    I read on a Microsoft site once about the easy ways to speed up your PC. I get paid to do such work but I thought it would make me look good if I gave away the information. It was free, posted on the internet, and did not cost me a penny. I hope it made me look good but I haven’t been told that yet.

    Stick with what you are doing, stay in business, be my friend, and you can count on me as a customer.

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