Am I better than the rest?

We get a lot of questions from dealers wanting to know how their online performance stacks up with similar businesses, asking us for "Average" monthly stats on other dealers’ sales through put, number of enquiries etc. However, there is no ‘norm’. Variants like price, stock, lead management, marketing, promotions and social media all contribute to sales and leads which means you would be comparing apples to oranges. 

While we will never publish a NBR style rich list, the top performers would be no surprise as these businesses standout by showing excellence in all areas - not just in their online marketing.  Before getting into facts and figures, those at the top have a number of common traits worth exploring. 

·    They understand their market segment and customise their listings and marketing  approach to suit.

·    They have a tight lead management process.

·    If the customers they are seeking come from a niche base and vehicles are the type that forms a following or community, the driver is to get them back to their own dealership website or Facebook page. From this point it is easy for them to keep an on-going engaging conversation alive.

There are number of motor dealers who do this very well. Those chasing the mass-market concentrate on higher listing visibility and first in category style features, generally supported by finance options and customer testimonials.

When comparing performance, the easiest place to start is the vehicle online daily views. Can you get access to this information from your online provider? Trending and tracking can be achieved by just running your eye over the data, or if you wish with limited excel knowledge it is easily graphed. If your vehicle views are low, the vehicle listed should  be addressed.  

A common reason for low vehicle views (despite poor use of images and little detail) is a lack of keywords within the description or not placing a model name variation within the text. If the listing is a Mazda CX-7Land Cruiser make sure you use the words CX7 or Landcruiser within the comments. Searching for your own listings is a great way of bench marking performance. Most vehicle browsers search for a keyword - hence the requirement to have relevant and high value keywords within a listing. One of the most popular key words is ‘Manual’ transmission. The quality and number of images have a large bearing on views and those listings with over 11 images attached attract more attention than those will less. And avoid place holder images if possible. or

Avoid placeholders where possible

Buying higher profile and larger real estate online works just like print advertising. Utilise any features of packages that your online provider offers to give your listings more exposure. If your goal is to also drive customers to your own dealership website, state in your listings that there is more information available to the customer if they go to your website. Some online providers offer hyperlinks directly through to your website from your listings. This additional information can be anything of value to the customer ranging from YouTube clips, finance options or other customer testimonials.

In summary, online media is accountable, with accessible performance. Time does need to be taken to track trends however the information is readily at hand and the payoff is immediate. Getting it right is what counts.


*For more information on Vehicle View Reporting and tools, please email us here.

Smartphones - worth the hype?

There has been a lot of publicity about Smartphones over the past few years. Smartphones are expected to overtake PCs as the most commonly used web-access devices worldwide by 2013. Consumers of all ages are increasingly using their smart phones to find directions, check the latest news, sports scores & fixtures, weather and sports, order food, research products and compare prices while shopping using their instant mobile access. Many of our customers including Dealer Principals, Marketing Managers and Salespeople are now using Smartphone – it’s like having a mini computer in your pocket. Several of us at AutoBase have iPhones and they have quickly become indispensable business resources. Following are the main benefits we have found with having a Smartphone (iPhone):

Email, Diary and Calendars

Synch your work email and calendars to your iPhones in order to check emails and meeting schedules and reminders when out of the office, without the need to pull out a lap top or phone into the office to check.

Contacts

You can synch all of your personal and business contacts to your iPhone. Every time you add a contact to your Outlook Calendar at work, the contact’s details will synch to your iPhone so that your contacts are always captured, and up to date.

Internet

Access the internet whilst mobile to look at your company website, Twitter, Facebook, competitor’s websites and product reviews, videos or comparisons. Also access WIFI spots via your iPhone. Many companies also have ‘mobile websites’ - websites which are ‘shrunk’ to fit to portable and wireless devices like Smartphones, for better visibility and usability.

Lead Management

When Salespeople and Account Managers are on the yard or out on the road, they use their iPhones to check and respond to emails efficiently without missing a message or leaving a prospect hanging. The last thing you want is a prospect going to a competitor who may provide them with the information they want faster. Also add customer contact details such as email address and phone numbers straight into your iPhone directory, and book in a meeting or follow-up call straight into your calendar so that you don’t lose that lead or let it fall through the cracks.

Social Media

Access and manage your company Facebook and Twitter accounts while mobile, keeping your customers up to date with your latest news, share latest photos and videos of your vehicles and promote specials offers and services.

Google Maps and GPS

Access to maps, directions and GPS make it easier for your staff to get to their meetings on time. Look up best routes by car, foot or bus with an estimate of the time it will take to travel.

iPhone Applications (aka Apps)

iPhone Applications (aka Apps) are 3rd party software programs specifically designed for iPhones which are downloaded directly to your iPhone and are generally free or less than $US2. There are 1,000s of iPhone Apps available ranging from Apps for checking the weather or looking for local movie sessions to checking into your Air NZ flight or games. There are many iPhone Apps now designed for car buyers, car enthusiasts, vehicle owners, car dealers and automotive industry professionals. We use an App for our company CRM system which enables Account and Sales Managers to update their leads and opportunities while out visiting our customers. For car buyers, Trade Me have an App enabling people to search inventory on their iPhone, satisfying the public’s ever growing need for instant gratification –search for what you want, when you want it. Unlike mobile websites custom made iPhone Apps are fast and provides more functionality over a mobile site by utilizing the features such as Location Services, Maps, Local & Push Notifications and rich graphics.

In America individual dealers are going further by getting iPhone Apps built specifically for their dealerships, where they can load their inventory for customers to access real-time information easily, and quickly search, scan, upload, send and share their listings. The Chrysler Group has new Smartphone Apps that provide vehicle operation, maintenance and warranty information, product feature video demos, connections with fellow owners via their Twitter and Facebook sites, access to customer care and 24-hour road-side assistance. Toyota built an App that lets car buyers window shop its makes and models of vehicles with more than 130 color options, take pictures of a vehicle identification number or VIN to get specific information about a car, and the ability to find the nearest Toyota dealership. There are also Apps for dealers to get instant information for their wholesale buyers, both in-house and when traveling. They can quickly appraise vehicles and determine retail market values in real-time. The opportunities are endless!

Access Podcasts

All iPhones have iTunes, which is a free music directory which organises and plays your digital music and video on your Mac or PC computer, iPod or iPhone and also purchase music, iPhone Apps, videos or live podcasts. Podcasts are a method if streaming audio, video or other media over the internet. You can access or subscribe to podcasts covering a huge variety of media from Sky Sport and local radio to the BBC’s coverage of Formula One.

To stay competitive stay on top of the tools your customers are using, and use any tools available to you to make running your business easier and more efficient. Our experience is with iPhones, but there are many other great Smartphones available on the market such as Androids, Blackberries or Windows. It’s something worth looking into.

Internet to Inventory

We know that one of the key issues facing dealers at the moment is how to best manage their internet presence – in terms of resources, budget and time. Following we have compiled some of the most common questions we receive from dealers, and our views on them.

How do I maximize my online presence in line with my budget and resources?

Put your stock where the most people are looking. It makes sense to choose a provider who gets the most traffic – Trade Me runs auctions and classifieds and they put a great deal of money and effort into optimizing their search results in Google, so you don’t have to! We suggest following this plan. Put 60% of your marketing spend into online classifieds, 30% into promoting those listings so they stand out, and 10% managing leads and your staff to make sure those leads are being followed up.

How do I encourage people to look at and buy from my online listings? 

Once your inventory is online, use any upgrade features that your provider offers as ‘arrows’ to drive viewers to your listings. Feature your listings so they are highlighted and pushed to the top of searches. If you have a website add a hyperlink to your listings. This will drive traffic into your website. Showcase your vehicles all together with your company branding, logo and promotional text. The more arrows pointing to your stock = more views = more enquiries.

How do I create a point of difference within my online advertising and differentiate my dealership from others who advertise in the same place?

Once you get your stock online, you need to drive traffic to it.

• Make sure your main photo for each listing is fantastic, showing the vehicle at its best.
• Make sure there is as much information as possible about your stock and dealership. Tell a story about each vehicle. Include as many descriptive keywords, features and unique selling
  points as you can 
• Promote your dealership’s services – what extra services do you offer? Focusing on service attracts.
  more leads.
• Entice viewers by running a campaign or special deal. Do you have any specials coming up for the Christmas period? Are you running any competitions? Are you giving anything away with purchase? People love a bargain, so promote any services, competitions or deals in all your listings as well as your website.

How do I bridge the gap between online and offline sales? 

Develop a solid marketing and sales plan:

• Work the 60/30/10 plan and use your classifieds website and all it provides to its capacity.
• Put the same effort into selling your car online as you do into selling your car offline on your yard.
• Ensure your staff following up on all enquiries and provide easy directions to your dealership.
• Provide a rapid connection with the customer.

How do I promote my website and get more traffic to it? 

You can pay for Search Engine Optimisation to drive more traffic to your site, but why not utilise a classified website already available and working successfully? Promote your website by adding the address to all of your business cards, email signatures, signage, stationery and brochures. Even better, get a hyperlink to your website from all of your online listings. When someone is already sitting at their computer there is much more chance of them clicking into your website rather than trying to remember the address. The more arrows that point viewers to your website, the better.

How do I get better qualified leads and drive a higher conversion rate from those leads? 

To give online viewers the confidence to make an enquiry, ensure that you have quality listings with good photos and lots of information about your business and services. This is essential. Make sure that you have a tight follow up process for your staff to help bridge the gap between conversions and sales. It is vital that your staff are following up on all internet enquiries quickly and effectively. Speed is extremely important to consumers. Invest in a smartphone so you can reply to emails immediately. No matter how odd every enquiry should be followed up. We know that enquiries that are answered promptly are significantly more likely to convert to sales.

What are the tools required to convert internet leads to sales? 

• Reply to email leads immediately 
• and appropriately (get a smartphone). Give prospects confidence that you know what you are talking about, and be happy with the customer service they are receiving. Ensure that your replies include:
• Knowledge – Answers are thorough and informative to create creditability with the customer
• Proposition – What is your point of difference? Are you running any deals? Do you offer any special finance packages? Do you have similar vehicles?
• Offer – Have a call to action. Offer other vehicles within their budget, a test drive, or a chat over a coffee or beer (if it’s Friday of course!) to discuss your vehicles and proposition further.

Other than using online classifieds, what should I be doing regarding advertising, such as a banner ad on Trade Me? 

Look at the plan – put your money into the place that will get you the most sales. Most large sites have banner advertising starting at around $10,000 per week, which is often shared with other advertisers. Go back to the 60/30/10 plan and distribute your budget accordingly - where you are getting the most exposure and the most bang for your buck?

Try this - pull out a piece of paper and draft up a 60/30/10 plan using the budget you spent last month. Try some of these suggestions, utilize others strengths, follow up every enquiry and make sure you take great photos and use the maximum allowance. Every little bit helps to make a difference once you have these things in place. And once you do, work on fine tuning them and enhancing them. As Dale Carnegie said: “Don’t be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.”