I was onsite training a few days ago with a very seasoned group of car salespeople. Most had been in the business for more than ten years, most at the same dealership for the entire duration. They’re the kind of car people we’ve grown to know and love. As I was visiting one of the stores in the group to do some coaching, I got to hear my favorite statement: the Internet killed the car business.
The video did indeed kill the radio star. Then the Internet killed everything else. The Internet killed the music business, movie business, TV business, phone business, financial management business, travel business…small business, and everything in between. Yet, we still listen to music, watch TV and movies, talk on the phone, manage our portfolios, take trips, and support our favorite local stores. If we went back in time to ensure the Internet did not impact the car business, we’d likely miss out on Amazon, iTunes, Netflix, Facebook, and many other services we’ve come to rely upon these past few decades. The Internet has not killed anything. It has just made our current reality different.
So I will ask again, what are you going to do about it? Quit? Move someplace without the Internet? Deal exclusively with customers who think the Internet is the Devil? Are you going to be the best VCR in a streaming world? Or, will you embrace the Internet and leverage it as a tool to make you even more successful? The choice is yours.
