Is Frank Davis the Only GM Dealer that Complains about the Cobalt Website Program? - ...

Page 1 of 10

Ralph Paglia

z
z

Search

Welcome Car Dealers, Internet, Sales and BDC Managers, Web Solutions Providers!
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z

z
z
z
z
z

Main
Invite
My Page
Members
Events
Forum
Groups
Notes
Photos
Videos
Manage
My Page
My Friends
My Blog
Invite Friends
Add New Blog Post

Is Frank Davis the Only GM Dealer that Complains about the Cobalt Website
Program?
Posted by Ralph Paglia on July 21, 2008 at 9:30am
Previous Post | Next Post View Blog Posts

Admin Options
z
z
z
z
z

Stop Featuring
Edit Post
Edit Your Tags
Delete Post
Manage Blog

A Message Posted on Frank Davis' Cobalt Website ADM Discussion Forum:

I can personally assure you that YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY GM DEALER COMPLAINING ABOUT THE GM DEALER
WEBSITE PROGRAM SUPPLIED BY THE COBALT GROUP! I have the privilege of getting invited to speak at various
dealer 20 groups, conferences, seminars and other dealer focused events around the country... In fact, I am headed to an NCM 20
Group in San Diego in a couple hours. Every time I deliver presentations that focus on various aspects of Automotive Digital
Marketing, if there are any GM dealers in the room, they invariably bring up some aspect of the Cobalt website supplier situation

http://www.automotivedigitalmarketing.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1970539%3ABlogPos... 8/11/2008

Is Frank Davis the Only GM Dealer that Complains about the Cobalt Website Program? - ... Page 2 of 10

and the way that GM has set it up as a major obstacle or distraction from what they would like to do. So, I believe that you have
plenty of fellow GM dealers that feel similar to what you have expressed in this discussion.
The solution is actually not as difficult as GM, or Cobalt seems to want to make it... Here's a couple of changes that if GM believes
are too difficult, they can just sign a contract with ADP and we will do it for them:
1. Allow dealers to choose from at least 2 suppliers: ADP Digital Marketing would be my first preference and we certainly have the
syndication and distribution technology to provide GM with same or better markting asset management resources that Cobalt does.
2. Set up a Search Advertising Enrollment page for Dealers: This would be a setup section in GM DealerWorld, similar to the
current lead routing setup application. Dealer would be allowed to add either positive or negative keywords that Cobalt is required
to implement in any paid search advertising campaigns that use sponsored links that point to a dealer's GM Powershift website (from
either Cobalt or ADP!).
3. Dealership Alternate URL Registration: Again, this would be a section within the GM DealerWorld Sales Workbench that would
allow dealers to notify GM and relevant digital marketing suppliers that a dealer is actively driving traffic from however many
different campaigns to the listed URL domains. This would set up a "no fly zone" that GM would recognize as dealership domains
that are not subjected to competing or interfering digital marketing activities. And, GM would now have a compiled database
showing which dealers are truly engaged in Digital marketing beyond the GM Powershift website program!
The Positive/Negative Keyword registration process would allow advanced dealers such as yourself to get Cobalt "out of the way"
so you can pursue your online marketing and advertising strategies without interference or bidding against your suppplier
(GM/Cobalt). Simply adding your dealership's "pronoun" name would effectively eliminate any Cobalt search advertising from
appearing when a consumer searches for your dealership. Of course, the GM brand and model names would be rejected as negative
keywords, since if GM wants to advertisie their products in your market and point consumers to yourGM Powershift website, they
should have that right.
Michael Devereux is the GM digital marketing leader that could implement the above recommendations for little or no expense to
GM... I believe that my company, ADP, would be willing to build interfaces and deploy a lot of expensive technology on GM's
behalf simply for the right to be a GM Powershift website supplier. On a daily basis I get calls from our sales team asking what to
do about a dealer who says that "GM" is twisting their arm to either cancel their existing ADP or BZ Results website and "Go with
the Cobalt website"... Almost 100% of the time when I investigate I discover that the so-called GM arm-twisting is nothing more
than a Cobalt salesperson who is saying whatever he or she can to get a dealer to participate. The fact is that dealers can and should
have more than one website that each serve various targeted customer bases and subject matters. The days of a one size fits all
dealer website are long gone and dealership business models actually act more like a consortium of affiliated businesses than a
single store front. Personally, and this is just my opinion, I believe a dealership should have seperate websites that reflect the
dealership's autonomous department structure... A Service website, a Parts website, a Sales website, a Commercial and Fleet
website... maybe even a used car website all make a lot of sense. Of course, they would all have descriptive text based links to each
other so that a network has been created... Hey, I have an idea! We could call it the "Inter-Net" or something like that!!!
Tags: about, cobalt, complains, davis, dealer, frank, gm, is, only, program?
Share

6 Comments

Comment by Frank Davis on July 22, 2008 at 4:28am

Delete Comment Ralph
You are a true professional, everything you say makes perfect sense and I wish we had more dealers posting here on ADM as
that is what it will take to get GM to change. Thank you for the post it is an awesome piece of work.

Comment by Ralph Paglia on July 22, 2008 at 7:12am

Delete Comment In 2006 I was successful in getting GM Planworks to incorporate each of our LMG's dealership names as
negative keywords so that the dealers were not bidding against GM for their own name when local customers were searching
for the dealership. Bill Gruwell was the president of the Phoenix LMG at the time and he might be able to give you some
additional offline guidance. I believe he is still the new "LMA" president for Phoenix.

http://www.automotivedigitalmarketing.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1970539%3ABlogPos... 8/11/2008

Is Frank Davis the Only GM Dealer that Complains about the Cobalt Website Program? - ... Page 3 of 10

Comment by Rob Melone on July 22, 2008 at 7:48am

Delete Comment Right on Ralph! WOW...That was some great information about this subject since Frank brought it up. Since
GM's main objective is to "sell" more cars then why not do a PPC campaign to go after "Tulsa Ford Dealers", Tulsa Chrysler
Dealers", "Tulsa Toyota Dealers", Tulsa Honda Dealers", or "Tulsa Nissan Dealers" not to mention Kia, Hyundai, Suzuki and
the others. Why dont they go after our REAL competitors? It's bad enough we Chevy Dealers beat up on each other in our
own market, why would GM want to stir up the pot more? If GM really wants to sell cars then let's go after who is the most
vulnerable. I have to agree with a lot of what Ralph said. There are some dealers out here who do know what they are doing
and have spent a lot of time in developing their own sites and have them positioned very well. GM needs to allow those
dealers some latitude and allow such dealers to pursue their own campaign with no interference.
Now I must qualify this post as I work for Frank in our Internet Department but have been keeping up with this subject. While
I may not understand all of this, I feel I have a basic understanding and have been trying to learn as much as I can about this
as well as other important subjects. I am an Internet Sales Manager here at Jim Glover Chevrolet that feels GM may be taking
food off of my table. It was interesting to see the post by the Cobalt V.P. who said we are the only dealership complaining
about this. I find that very hard to believe that there arent some more Internet Directors who have seen the light. While
Cobalt may want to blame GM and GM wants to blame Cobalt, dont we really know who the 800 lb gorilla really is and who
has the power?

Comment by Ralph Paglia on July 28, 2008 at 8:14am

Delete Comment Rob,
I agree with you... The primary targets for any GM online ad campaigns should be other brand car shoppers that may consider
a GM product if given a compelling reason. Some of my greatest success while working at Courtesy Chevrolet 2005-2007
was when we targeted other brands.

Comment by Doug Blankenship on July 28, 2008 at 8:57am

Delete Comment I hear complaints about the GM program as well, but they are mostly about Cobalt. They say that cobalt is
slow to make changes. They don't like being nickeled and dimed to death with every change. When there is an issue, they take
too long to fix the problem. These are the kinds of critisism I hear.
They complain, but then they shrug their shoulders and say that it is what it is. I think many GM dealers just deal with it,
rather than voice their opinions to GM. Its a shame, because this kind of thing could be so good for dealers. It reminds me of
when Ford started supplying Salepoint and Dealer Connection to their dealers. That program recieved the same kind of
critisism and mistrust from many of their dealers.
But what better? These products might not be perfect and might upset dealers, but some dealers, who weren't, will start paying
more attention to the internet when they perceive they are being negatively effected by these programs. They might start doing
more to get their own image more dominance.
It is important that GM sees what dealers want or don't want. And they have to understand that 80/20 rule. Out of all the
people who are unhappy with something, 20% will come froward and complain, the other 80% won't say anything, so don't
dismiss these critisisims as being a vast minority of opinions. They might be bigger issues than we think.
At any rate, it is up to many of us to help dealers focus on what will make them money. We can positively impact a dealer's
bottom line by properly using the tools at hand. If there is anything dealers can use right now, it is positive energy.

Comment by Ralph Paglia on August 4, 2008 at 9:22pm

Delete Comment Well said, Doug... I will probably be printing these comments when I meet with GM executives next week
in Detroit.

Add a Comment

http://www.automotivedigitalmarketing.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1970539%3ABlogPos... 8/11/2008

Is Frank Davis the Only GM Dealer that Complains about the Cobalt Website Program? - ... Page 4 of 10

Add Comment

RSS
Stop Following Don't email me when people reply

Hello, Ralph Paglia!

Sign Out
z
z
z

My Friends Invite More

Inbox
My Settings

Quick Add

About Automotive Digital Marketing Professional Community

Ralph Paglia created this social network on Ning.

Automotive Digital Marketing serves Car Dealers, Internet Sales, BDC and OEM Managers, Advertising, Web Site,
CRM and Technology Suppliers as an online exchange for strategy, tactics, best practices, resources and contacts within
the auto industry.

Automotive Digital Marketing Professional Community Badge

Spread the word. Get your own Automotive Digital Marketing Professional Community badge for your website or MySpace page.
(Get Code)
Get More Badges

http://www.automotivedigitalmarketing.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1970539%3ABlogPos... 8/11/2008

Is Frank Davis the Only GM Dealer that Complains about the Cobalt Website Program? - ... Page 5 of 10

Free SEO Analysis!

Edit

http://www.automotivedigitalmarketing.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1970539%3ABlogPos... 8/11/2008

Is Frank Davis the Only GM Dealer that Complains about the Cobalt Website Program? - ... Page 6 of 10

http://www.automotivedigitalmarketing.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1970539%3ABlogPos... 8/11/2008

Is Frank Davis the Only GM Dealer that Complains about the Cobalt Website Program? - ... Page 7 of 10

DMS Integration DMSi

ADP Reynolds Integration
MSFT GOLD Certified
Partner RyanTech
www.DmsIntegration.com

CRM Best Practices

Best practices for CRM
selection and
implementation - Learn
More!
www.crowechizek.com

Automotive Compliance
Assess Your Dealership's
Compliance Today. You
May be at Risk-Free
Demo
www.Compli.com

Free CRM Comparison

Guide
Which CRM Makes
Sense For Your
Business? Request Our
Free Guide!
VendorGuru.com/CRM

FREE F&I Menu

Software
F&I/Desking, OFAC/ID
verification Reynolds
Certified, ADP integration
www.smartdealerproducts.com

Consulting Services
Edit

Ralph Paglia can be booked through ADP for a variety of services:

Speaking sessions at industry conferences, dealer association meetings and automotive related gatherings.
Powerful workshops where dealership managers leave with definitive action plans and the knowledge needed to get them done.
Car Company consulting services that ensure your measurable program objectives are met within the budget and time specified.
In-Dealership Onsite Consulting and guidance including Ralph's assessment of your current eBusiness and CRM operations,
practices and organizational structure.
Complete Marketing Strategy review and subsequent management consulting sessions where a new, more effective marketing
investment budget is crafted and an action plan built to implement tactics and techniques to better leverage every dollar spent by a

http://www.automotivedigitalmarketing.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1970539%3ABlogPos... 8/11/2008

Is Frank Davis the Only GM Dealer that Complains about the Cobalt Website Program? - ... Page 8 of 10

dealer or dealer group.

Contact Ralph Paglia at:
cell: 1-505-301-6369
Email: RPaglia@gmail.com

Free SEO Report

Edit

Auto

Automotive Website Design

marketing

people

preowned Professionals

SEO

B2B car buying guide chevrolet configurator dealer.com dms ebusiness internet leadmachine
sites used car prices used car pricing used cars

Grab this swicki from eurekster.com

You can check out Philip Zellinger's AdAgencyOnline.net in a new browser window by clicking the logo below:

http://www.automotivedigitalmarketing.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1970539%3ABlogPos... 8/11/2008

Is Frank Davis the Only GM Dealer that Complains about the Cobalt Website Program? - ... Page 9 of 10

*****************************************

Digital Marketing Links

Edit
We will display links in this section that may be of interest or could be put to good use by our members. Please send links and
site descriptions to Ralph Paglia using the message system at the top of the page.
SEM Dealer SEMdealer.com allows you to enter your site's URL and receive a search engine ranking analysis on Google, Yahoo
and MSN sent to you in a useful matrix format that uses keywords generated from your dealership name and location.
Social Media Optimization A blog focused on using social media networks to improve search engine rankings.
i-Lead Control Many dealers make the mistake of paying for duplicate leads every month. i-Lead Control is a system designed to
automate the tracking of duplicate leads so ISM's can focus more time on selling cars, and less time on tracking duplicate leads.
BZ Results You've heard the raving fans, and the raving critics! But until you investigate this group of car guys and their unique
holistic system approach to Digital Marketing, you'll never understand why so many big Internet Volume dealers use BZ Results
Digital Marketing Systems.
Automotive Internet Resource iSMToday is a blog that brings news of interest to internet sales managers.
AI Dealer Brian Hoecht's cutting edge technology converts site visitors into online car buying customers using an innovative
shopping cart approach.
Ford National eBusiness Weekly This is a powerful online tool for Ford and Lincoln Mercury ISM's and BDC Managers which
provides multiple tools, resources and guidance on how to manage Internet Sales operations.
FordSEM.com is an online enrollment form for Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers to enter the URL they want to check and then
receive a report that Ford pays for showing the organic ranking of their dealership web site in the 3 major search engines when key
words are used that combine FLM makes and models with the names of communities near the dealership's location. This is a nice
gift from your partners at Ford's Digital Marketing Team in Dearborn.
BZ Results Dealers and User Community This is an online community set up as an exchange o best practices and ideas relevant to

http://www.automotivedigitalmarketing.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1970539%3ABlogPos... 8/11/2008

Is Frank Davis the Only GM Dealer that Complains about the Cobalt Website Program... Page 10 of 10

Internet Sales Professionals working in dealership where a BZ Results Digital Marketing System has been installed.

2008 Created by Ralph Paglia

Report an Issue | Feedback | Privacy | Terms of Service

http://www.automotivedigitalmarketing.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1970539%3ABlogPos... 8/11/2008