“It’s a people driven economy, stupid.”
It’s the catch-phrase of social media marketing celebrity, Erik Qualman (@equalman), who has headed up social media initiatives for Cadillac & Pontiac, AT&T, Yahoo!, EarthLink, Travelzoo, and many more companies. Many of you may know him as the author of Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business, which topped Amazon’s #1 Best Selling List for the US, UK, Canada, and Germany.
And 3 Birds has some great news…. 
Tags: 11th Digital Dealer Conference, 3 Birds Marketing, Booth 1209, Erik Qualman, social media revolution, Socialnomics | In People & Relations, Social Media |

Sarah Carter is heading to the 11th Digital Dealer Conference feeling inspired and energetic
It hardly seems possible, but show season is upon us again. My team and I will be heading to the 11th Digital Dealer Conference in Las Vegas in a day or two. Digital Dealer is the original event in the automotive conference circuit devoted to technology for dealerships. Digital Dealer paved the way for the many automotive conferences and educational events for automobile dealers that exist today.
With the event approaching so quickly, I can barely contain my excitement and anticipation. Exchanging concepts and strategies are at the top of my “to do” list, along with telling dealers about all that we have to offer, of course. I am also looking forward to seeing other exhibitors and solutions. If I can find a time to untether myself from our booth (#1209), I will attend some of the presentation, including that of our very own President and Co-Founder, Kristen Judd.
I’ve been to many Digital Dealer Conferences during my years in the automotive industry, but somehow I feel different going into this one. I feel like the sky is the limit. It is exhilarating to be a part of such a progressive organization and I look forward to being with my associates in what is sure to be a bustling and vibrant environment. Each and every individual in our group is dedicated and passionate about his or her respective role in building our company and, when we come together, the energy is amazing! It will be an ideal opportunity to get to know each other better and help grow our relationships both internally and with our clients. 
Tags: Automobile Dealers, automotive industry, car dealers, Digital Dealer, Digital Dealer Conference, internet technology, Sarah Carter, veteran, working mom | In Automobile Dealers |

While this won't be my first time at a convention hall, it is my first Digital Dealer
I’m Shannon Cavender, account manager extraordinaire (Kristen insisted I add that because I’m not really one to toot my own horn) and I am employee number 12 at 3 Birds. Even though I’ve been here from the earliest days of our company, this is going to be my first time attending Digital Dealer. After listening to all of the stories and following the #DD hashtag on Twitter during the last two shows, I am so excited to finally be jumping into the fray instead of watching from the cheap seats.
Here are a few reasons why I’m looking forward to my first Digital Dealer Conference:
• Showing off the goods. Being one of the 3 Birds veterans, it’s so exciting to see the progression of our solutions, technology and platform. We have tons of exciting new features to show off that will make our clients’ drool. With version 1.6 (did I mention that we released version 1.0 just a year ago?), there is more functionality, a cleaner look and it’s even more user-friendly. 
Tags: #DD11, 3 Birds Marketing, account manageemnt, auto dealers, Automobile Dealers, car dealers, Digital Dealer Conference, Las Vegas, software, technology | In Automobile Dealers, Entrepreneurship & Startup Life, People & Relations, Sales & Marketing |

Sure, getting ready for Digital Dealer takes long hours and hard work, but we're planning to have fun at the show
These are busy days at 3 Birds Marketing. With the 11th Digital Dealer Conference just one week away, our office is flush with excitement and productivity. We are putting the finishing touches on new product releases, which we will be revealing at the show; marketing and promoting our presence as exhibitors; and planning the logistics of getting our team and equipment to the event. All this in addition to supporting our customers in the attentive style to which they are accustomed and while getting several new staff members up to speed. It is no small undertaking, but we are equal to the task.
At our booth this time (and that is Booth 1209, by the way), you will see many of the usual suspects, as well as some fresh faces. We are bringing a great mixture of Digital Dealer veterans and first timers. As we all prepare to head out west, we will be introducing the members of the 3 Birds traveling circus through this blog. Each person will offer their take on what they are most looking forward to about this leading industry event. For those who don’t know, Digital Dealer covers the latest technology and education on all things digital for automobile dealership personnel–including dealer principals, general managers, sales managers, internet directors, BDC/CRM managers, fixed operations directors, and everyone in between. This conference is particularly important to those interested in understanding and harnessing the most sophisticated technology and leading practices to maximize opportunities at their dealership.
I’m kicking things off with the top 10 reasons I’m looking forward to the Digital Dealer Conference next week.
10. Long hours on the show floor followed by as many parties and concerts as we can fit in will seem like a veritable vacation after our push to get ready for the event. We may be running on pure adrenalin, coffee and IV drips of Full Throttle, but it’s show time! 
Tags: 11th Digital Dealer Conference, @cristinagarner, @lauren_mcgaha, @MetaCarter, @shan_cavender, auto dealers, automobile dealerships, Booth 1209, car dealers, dealer principal, Digital Dealer, digital marketing, e-commerce director, Erik Qualman, fixed operations director, general manager, general sales manager, integrated marketing platform, internet director, Las Vegas, service director, The Mirage | In Automobile Dealers, Entrepreneurship & Startup Life, Management and Leadership, Sales & Marketing |
The weeks and days leading up to Labor Day weekend were a hectic time for us at 3 Birds. We were working with our clients to put together powerhouse email campaigns to drive consumers into our clients’ dealerships.
Even after the campaigns were sent, I still wasn’t able to completely relax. More than a few times over the course of the long weekend I tracked the campaign performance statistics and the website traffic generated by the emails and found myself wondering how the traffic was to our clients’ dealerships. Maybe we care too much, but we genuinely want our clients to do well and feel for them when they are confronted with challenges.
This is why it is particularly gratifying when it all comes together for our clients. Just take a look at the photograph above. This is ALL of the new car inventory left on the lot for one of our clients after quite a successful Labor Day weekend sales event.
Maybe we don’t know our own strength. Which of course, leads us to a new challenge we need to address…anyone have a pre-owned car they would like to sell?
In Automobile Dealers |
“We wear a lot of hats around here.” This is a statement that is probably uttered in every single startup company from time to time. Some days it seems like I wear more hats than the guests at Kate Middleton and Prince William’s wedding!
One of those hats involves hiring and firing employees. Finding the right people who hold themselves to higher standards than anyone else ever will, understand our vision, want to be involved in making it a reality and complement the company culture we are creating, is a tall order. I am getting better at it, but I will openly admit that I have gotten it wrong more times than I would like. These are hard-learned lessons. 
In Uncategorized |
This past week has been a week of milestones, changes and transitions for us professionally and personally. We’ve had an anniversary, a bittersweet goodbye, a move, lots and lots of interviews and a photo shoot. To say that it has been a hectic time for us would be an understatement. What has come out of it for me has been the realization that Chapel Hill is now really our home as a company and as a family.
Early last week, Jeff Harrison, our database architect, approached me as I was about to bound up the stairs to my office and reminded me that we were rapidly approaching the one year anniversary of 3 Birds’ arrival in Chapel Hill. One year in Chapel Hill, it feels both like a lifetime and the blink of an eye.
Our company has accomplished so much but there is so much more we are pushing to add to our offerings. Somehow I suspect that that will always be the case. We have already completed five releases of our platform and added hundreds of features to make our interface as intuitive and easy to use as possible. We add new items to our developmental roadmap daily and we have a never-ending list of ideas for ways to extend our platform to add new solutions.

Building out our office space was a long road, but ultimately worthwhile
We completed a major construction initiative with our office space that, had we known going in what it was going to involve, we might have reconsidered before jumping in with both feet. On the plus side, Layton now knows much more about pouring concrete, concrete floors and staining concrete than anyone outside of the concrete business should. Now that we are comfortably settled in our new space though, we would not want to be anywhere else.
We have blossomed from a staff of five or six in a temporary office to a team twenty members strong in a fantastic permanent loft-style office a hop, skip and a jump away from UNC. We’re still growing too. I have been interviewing and tweeting non-stop for weeks to fill three positions in our Marketing Department. Andretti Brown, our Creative Director, has also been on a hunt to find graphic designers who possess the rare combination of strong design skills, our unique aesthetic sensibility and coding abilities. Our CTO, Chad Smith, is always looking out for developers to add to our team. Throughout our company, attitude and initiative are every bit as vital as education and experience. Providing our customers with quality, high performing solutions and unparalleled customer support are the cornerstones of our business and we take care to select new team members who share our commitment in these areas. Fortunately, the Research Triangle supplies us with a strong pool of talent. 
Tags: 3 Birds Marketing, Anniversary, Chamber of Commerce, Chapel Hill, Goodbye, growth, hiring, home town, Journalism School, milestones, Research Triangle, start-up, Transition, UNC, University of North Carolina | In Entrepreneurship & Startup Life |

So you graduated. What's next? The first step on your career path.
These are exciting times here at 3 Birds Marketing. We’re still a young company, but we’re also hitting our stride. We have a number of very exciting opportunities in front of us. As a result, we’re in growth mode as some of you may have noticed from all of the recent tweets about the positions we are currently looking to fill. I’ve been doing quite a bit of interviewing lately for everything from director level positions to ground floor opportunities. I am becoming rather adept at reviewing a resume quickly to determine whether a candidate possesses the requisite skills and experience.
For me, if the core qualifications are met, the cover letter determines whether or not I’ll schedule an interview. It goes without saying that your resume and cover letter should be free of spelling and grammatical errors (how can I possibly expect you to sweat the details in the work you do for us if you don’t even get them right when you’re trying to make a good first impression?). I want the cover letter to grab me and make me want to meet you. I want the cover letter to demonstrate that you’ve done some research and that you “get” my company as much as can be expected from the outside looking in. I want for your cover letter to give me a glimpse into your personality beyond your pedigree. 
In Uncategorized |

Being right across the street from UNC certainly helps attract top notch interns
Ah, the beginning of a new year and a new semester. Apart from the excitement of a brand new year in front of us, nothing makes the end of the holiday season more bearable than the realization that soon our interns will be returning to us and new interns will be joining their ranks. We feel fortunate to have so many bright students from the University of North Carolina, Duke and other nearby schools interested in internship opportunities with us. We appreciate the energy, enthusiasm and fresh approach our interns bring to our company and the way they approach their assignments. 
Tags: Duke, educational enrichment, employment opportunities, expectation setting, Hannah Watts, intern's perspective, Interns, internships, Lily Brock, Melissa Cahoon, mentoring, University of North Carolina | In Uncategorized |
During that week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, I thought about New Year’s Resolutions like many other people did and I thought about writing a blog post on the subject. While I think that there is some value to the exercise and I have certainly set resolutions for myself many times, writing about this topic seemed trite. I thought about how I might be able to craft a post that was about setting goals for the new year with a different spin or a take that didn’t sound like 90% of the other posts like it. But as the end of the first week of January approached and I had nothing innovative to say, I began to think that my window of opportunity for this type of a post was closing. My mind didn’t stop marinating on the subject though and it morphed into something bigger. So here goes… 
Tags: analysis, blame, character, New Years, New Years resolutions, process, resilience, Resiliency, resolutions, self-doubt | In Automobile Dealers, Business Practices, Entrepreneurship & Startup Life, People & Relations |