Great dealership marketers rely on great agility and resourcefulness, much like a quarterback.

A few years ago, there was a famous quarterback named Peyton Manning.

Manning was known for calling audibles at the line of scrimmage so that his team could have more success. And they did.

The difference between Manning and other quarterbacks is that his audibles worked. He and his receivers could read the defense like a book, which allowed them to change strategies before and after the snap.

Great Dealership Marketing Managers Are Like Great Quarterbacks

Making his standout performance even more remarkable is the fact that Manning couldn’t run well. In fact, he had terrible ankles that required hours of stretching and taping before every game.

But in addition to calling effective audibles, Manning also knew how to use his resources: his receivers. Because of his talented receivers, he could stand confidently in the pocket and throw the ball exactly where it needed to go.

To translate this concept to marketing: Manning was an expert in direction and delegation.

His teams literally changed their playbooks to rely on Manning’s astute skill of managing his teammates on the field. He had a reliable connection with every one of his receivers, and it took them all to Super Bowls.

Manning also had great coaches (managers) who looked past his limitations and trusted his expertise and his unique ability to do the right thing in high-pressure situations.

The Dealership Marketing Business Is an Agile Business

With so many vendors, incentives, new models, and market fluctuations, the automotive marketing game is a tough one to win.

Much like Manning, dealership marketing managers should be equipped with the essentials to be true competitors:

• Great resources (staff, agencies, and vendors)
• An accommodating playbook for marketing activities
• An understanding of budget and talent limitations
• A willingness to call audibles
• Feet on the field (or in this case: in the store)

Our agency has worked with dozens of car dealers throughout North America. It’s always refreshing to work with dealerships who empower their marketing managers to make decisions, approve content, and just do what’s right.

And what is right is directly related to who is right. In addition to hiring and empowering the best marketing manager, dealerships also have to vet their vendors and agencies.

Just like Manning, marketing managers have to adapt. They have to be ready to call audibles and to rely on the strengths of their teammates.

Those strengths come in many forms. The automotive industry is packed with marketing vendors and agencies. Dealerships can hire a business to perform virtually any marketing task. How well that marketing task is performed depends on how well it integrates with others, and how well it is understood (with data).

Dealership marketing managers have the time to research and partner with these vendors. They advocate. They coordinate. They win.

Learn. Adapt. Win.

If you’re reading this, you’ve found the right path to become the next Peyton Manning, Lisa Leslie, Michael Jordan, or Simone Biles.

You can win.

Forming strategies in monthly meetings, gathering incentives, approving drafts, posting on Instagram, setting up automated workflows, and answering emails all fall under the purview of automotive marketing managers.

9 Clouds understands all of these activities. We care about the success of our dealership partners. We form dedicated teams to work directly with each dealership, and we rely on transparent data to prove our impact.

Dealership marketing managers also need to prove their impact. That’s why our agency goes to great lengths to provide educational resources just for auto dealers. We share our expertise on purpose. When you win, we win.

If you’re interested in learning more about our services, please sign up for a free marketing assessment today.

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