By now I’m sure you are acquainted with Reality TV sensation Susan Boyle and her Brittan’s Got Talent performance that captured 51,505,616 views and over 230,000 comments in just some months on YouTube.

If you haven’t watched this video that includes the frumpy Forty something woman who literally hits it out the park her 1st time performing on the program, go online now and give it a look.

There are some influential lessons you can learn from this viral success that can effortlessly be put into action in your car dealership.

Of course, we always encourage our readers and training students to look beyond large successes in the media or in business and see how you can mimic those results in your own store.

Success leaves clues, whether it’s a viral video, a quote or an off-handed remark about what’s working for someone else in a completely unrelated business. Asking better questions and digging for gold nuggets is the dirty work we do everyday… it’s what we live for.

Thus back to our case study on Susan Boyle.

This YouTube Video heard around the globe was initially posted on April Eleventh, 2009. In four days, the video had over Nine MILLION views and had been commented on by over 50,000 people. In fact the figures are still ridiculous and off the chart-but the big query is... why did this video get so much activity in such a short amount of time?

What makes one video, one idea or one message spread around like wildfire and other messages (like your dealership’s marketing messages) go utterly ignored in the marketplace?

Well we’ve identified Two underlying reasons this….and for the speedy success of Susan Boyle’s video. Both that are simply duplicable and prepared to use immediately when marketing your local store.

The Video Creates Burning Anticipation

If you’ve ever studied an exceedingly successful viral campaign similar to this one, you’d see a video’s capability to make and maintain expectation is one among the key common denominators behind its success.

In this particular video, the anticipation builds deeply before Susan ever steps foot on stage. We hear her back story as we’re introduced to a frumpy and rather odd looking woman who evidently stands out from the other contestants in the race.

She’s then brought before the judges and you’re on the edge of your seat waiting to find out what’s going to happen. Are the panel of judges going to laugh her off the stage? Can the viewers love it or hate it? Is she going to be terrible? Could she probably be any good? You’ll find out after these messages.

There’s a powerful headline bright marketers have used for decades. It goes one thing like, "All of them laughed when I did ________ (i.e. stepped up on stage, sat down at the piano, got behind the wheel), until I _________ (insert the amazing thing the person just did). It’s a headline that gets read every time… and it’s the identical anticipatory force at work in this video.

Then again, it’s vital to keep in mind that anticipation is a form of desire. Yearning is one thing we all want our prospects and clients to have for our messages, our vehicles and our dealership. It’s really easier said than done, but anticipation is a very real form of desire you'll be able to use to the advantage of your store.

Unfortunately, most dealers think they’re doing a nice job creating "desire" and "anticipation" because every year the manufacturer sends them a new model and a few fresh banners to show off. What might be more thrilling…right?

Well friends, I hate to break it to you, but your new banners and poster boards showing off this year’s hottest minivan isn’t all that exciting to your customers. And used car dealers- you don’t even have the lavishness of receiving these marketing "tools’.

Thus instead, a more dependable and successful way to create expectation would be to give your audience something they really anticipate to. Though it sounds pathetically simple, it truely is. The secret's to get within the mind of your prospects, work out what they really, really want and tie it to a powerful promotion that builds anticipation on what they’ll get by shopping at your store.