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It’s late in the evening as I write this – it’s been three full days with Brian Pasch and our #DCDW events. The events in Antwerp and Almere are attracting more and more visitors, and with that, the pressure these days bring is also increasing. What needs to change? What can be improved? What is already good?

You know what it is? Some things never change. As soon as sales and marketing have to work together, it’s like trying to win two championships at once—but everyone’s playing on their own field. Sales shouts that marketing delivers bad leads; marketing shouts that sales can’t close. And in the meantime, more mud gets slung than opportunities are seized.

Of course, everyone wants to pay less if you’re a dealer or car company, especially on marketing and portals in particular. Actually, that’s strange. In many countries, we see movements emerging where people find it ‘horrible’ that the ‘power’—if you can even call it that—lies with a number of car portals, and that the prices there, like everything else, only keep rising.

Since the beginning of #DCDW, we’ve been highlighting the most abused lead of them all: the phone lead. Often originating from portals like Marktplaats or Autotrack, this lead has the highest conversion rate to appointments and sales. Yet it is mishandled in two major ways.

People sometimes ask me: “Paul, why do you keep inviting Brian Pasch to the #DCDW Event?”
My answer is simple: because every single time, he’s worth it. And this year, perhaps more than ever.

Brian isn’t just coming to the Netherlands and Belgium for the fun — he’s bringing the very latest insights straight from his own Digital Marketing Strategies Conference in the US. What’s discussed there usually takes months to reach Europe. But at #DCDW, you’ll be the first to know.

In Doesburg, at a place where mobility and entrepreneurship come together, we’re building something special: two unique stores at the front — each with its own character and potential — and a strong foundation behind the scenes.

Two stores

On one side, we have the Ligier Store Doesburg, the Experience Center for Ligier Citycars in the Benelux. It’s all about experience, new mobility, and the freedom these vehicles offer to young people. On the other side is the Experience Store Doesburg, currently operating as a sort of Lynk & Co Outlet Center. Here too, we’re constantly exploring what the next step could and should be.

Yesterday was the moment: the announcement of the Used Car of the Year. The winner is the Lynk & Co 01. I’ve known this for a while, as I’ve been on the jury for several years and had a vote in the selection. I was in the room during the Remarketing Event when the winner was announced. A silence fell the moment the name was spoken.

Maybe that wasn’t so surprising. Among the finalists were former winners like the Volvo XC40, the Toyota Yaris and Aygo, and the VW Polo. All models that any dealer would love to sell as a used car—unlike a semi-Swedish, partly Chinese copy of the Volvo XC40 with a slightly larger battery.

The answer is simple: no! Nothing beats a face-to-face conversation, and if that’s not possible, a phone call comes next. Data from Walcu at Ligier Store Doesburg – Experience Center shows that spontaneous showroom visitors convert the best. Next is a phone appointment, then WhatsApp. Then comes a long gap, followed by email and SMS.

Still, you can’t do without WhatsApp in the mix for online lead follow-up and store accessibility. It offers a lot of value, as I recently discovered.

I couldn’t believe my eyes this week… Trump and Musk, side by side in a Tesla at the White House. Trump, a first-class EV-hater, buying a Tesla for show from his new best friend Musk. And of course, Trump couldn’t resist voicing his complaints: falling Tesla sales, protests at the showrooms, and the plummeting stock price – all “unfair” to his buddy Elon.