I don’t know where to begin. But I need to say something, so here goes…
Let me start with this: car dealers are the most creative, entrepreneurial, and community-minded group of people I have ever met.
The situation we face will challenge all of us. I know that dealers from coast to coast will meet that challenge with ideas and energies that will support their communities in the short-term, and that will drive this entire industry forward in the mid- and longer-term.
This virus will serve to push us further down paths we were already on. Things like online sales, remote pick up and delivery, an increasingly cashless society, all will be driven forward as a result of this virus. I don’t believe these trends will ease back once we see the other side of the pandemic.
But that is a discussion for another day. For now, I would like to focus on another aspect of this crisis.
As we come together as an automotive community we need to grow the conversation. We must not go quiet. There is too much critical information that needs to be communicated, best practices to be shared among peers, rapidly changing metrics that need to be understood, and inspirational stories to help through the tough spots. Access to information will help all industry stakeholders navigate this crisis. And here is where Canadian auto dealer may be able to help, at least a bit.
I know that dealers from coast to coast will meet that challenge with ideas and energies that will support their communities in the short-term, and that will drive this entire industry forward in the mid- and longer-term.
We are immediately increasing our digital frequency. Look for Canadian auto dealer and Affaires automobiles to increase from one enewsletter a week to five. Given how fast things are changing, we want to be sure we’re keeping the industry informed.
Three of the new deployments each week will be our new Canadian auto dealer and Affaires automobiles News Alert service. This media monitoring service will bring you summaries of key news stories from across the country and the world, to help keep you on top of key developments. Look for the News Alert service to arrive Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
We’ll be increasing the use of video as a means of sharing the ideas from key industry stakeholders. We’ve tested a few platforms that will allow us to produce interview videos remotely so we don’t need to bring people together, ensuring we can bring the industry to you while embracing social distancing and stay-in-place restrictions.
Starting immediately, we are creating an editorial section that will go out in both our print and digital channels highlighting the special offers that are being made available to dealers by their vendors and industry suppliers.
We’ve seen a tremendous response from industry suppliers who want to help dealers manage through this. We want to be sure their efforts are communicated so dealers are fully able to take advantage of the assistance being offered. This isn’t about selling. Quite the contrary. The industry is digging deep with a simple message: we’re all here to help.
To our industry partners: we’ll be reaching out to you to understand all that you’re doing to help dealers through this period so we can help spread the word. But don’t wait. Contact us and let us know.
That’s it for now. But the conversation continues.
Stay safe, everyone.
