Help me build a better online conversion rate

[nickb]

I can't likely solve your problem overnight, but I do have a few notes from previous experiences that may or may not be helpful.

1. Showing a "Was" price on every vehicle takes all the trust out of that price and makes it look like you have room to negotiate on every vehicle
2. Showing the KBB price on only some vehicles makes it seem like you're hiding it on the rest because you're not priced right
3. Your primary CTA on the VDP is "Apply for a Loan" - should this be the most eye-catching CTA on the page?
4. There's nowhere I can see to actually ask a question - your lead form just says "I have general questions". This could deter people from submitting the form.
5. When I viewed a 3rd VDP a "Bad Credit? No credit?" popup appears. It's incorrectly sized for the modal it's in, but my concern was that my whole perception of your site changed from "Ultimate Rides" to "Sub Prime Rides" as soon as that popped up. I don't know your customer base, but to me it was a big turnoff.

Hi @craigh thanks for the reply.

1. I took your advice and removed all other pricing and kbb values.

2. I thought educating the customer would work in our favor, but when it comes to a custom vehicle like our wranglers there is no book value. So I can understand why it would give a skewed perception on our pricing.

3. I have this CTA only happen on vehicles priced 10k and under. Because we use sub prime lenders, with instant approval (down payment depending). The reason I put that CTA on those vehicles is to generate more loan apps. Because most people assume they can not get approved on a vehicle and not aware of sub prime lenders.

4. I need to work on changing this what would you recommend.

5. That pop up is not incorrectly sized, if you click that you can fill the app right there in pop up(i thought same at first). My customer base is a bit hard to determine and never consistent. I would say 40% cash. 25% sub prime. 35% prime. We get people who travel to buy vehicles cash, on the other hand we get 3-4 turn down sub primes a week due to lack of down payment.

My goal is to cater to prime and cash buyers purchasing 10k and up vehicles. But at the end of the day I do not think there is enough income locally to support that. Majority of our sales are 10k and under. I have the jeeps and high dollar units to help build a presence of reliable trust worthy vehicles. The way I look at it is if you have ten vehicles priced at 3k and one vehicle priced at 10k, it will be that much harder to sell that 10k vehicle because of what surrounds it. But when people walk around looking at cool jeeps they cant afford, it puts them at ease buying a cheaper vehicle knowing we take pride and also cater to customers with different needs. We sell a few wranglers a month with minimal profit, because we have to compete with new car stores. Also we rarely get customers with enough disposable income to buy a 30k plus vehicle. I hope one day we will be there, for now we will keep selling 10k and under.

Thanks Nick

 

[nickb]

Are you targeting sub prime?

Because, when I look at this site and the first thing I see is an expensive truck and the search box tells me to search "for example Ford Raptor" that can be a confusing message for your customers.

Even, if you're not targeting those shoppers - this site is gorgeous, and a bit overwhelming.

I'm a used car shopper. Get me to the VDP, ASAP.

(and, @craigh offered some great insight as well )

Hi @JessicaRuth thanks for the reply.

You think the ford raptor is too much for someone looking for a cheaper vehicle?

Right below that is 4 links that direct you right to a SRP then VDP.

What vehicle do you think should go there?

Thanks Nick

 

[Jeff Kershner]

Hi @craigh thanks for the reply.

1. I took your advice and removed all other pricing and kbb values.

2. I thought educating the customer would work in our favor, but when it comes to a custom vehicle like our wranglers there is no book value. So I can understand why it would give a skewed perception on our pricing.

3. I have this CTA only happen on vehicles priced 10k and under. Because we use sub prime lenders, with instant approval (down payment depending). The reason I put that CTA on those vehicles is to generate more loan apps. Because most people assume they can not get approved on a vehicle and not aware of sub prime lenders.

4. I need to work on changing this what would you recommend.

5. That pop up is not incorrectly sized, if you click that you can fill the app right there in pop up(i thought same at first). My customer base is a bit hard to determine and never consistent. I would say 40% cash. 25% sub prime. 35% prime. We get people who travel to buy vehicles cash, on the other hand we get 3-4 turn down sub primes a week due to lack of down payment.

My goal is to cater to prime and cash buyers purchasing 10k and up vehicles. But at the end of the day I do not think there is enough income locally to support that. Majority of our sales are 10k and under. I have the jeeps and high dollar units to help build a presence of reliable trust worthy vehicles. The way I look at it is if you have ten vehicles priced at 3k and one vehicle priced at 10k, it will be that much harder to sell that 10k vehicle because of what surrounds it. But when people walk around looking at cool jeeps they cant afford, it puts them at ease buying a cheaper vehicle knowing we take pride and also cater to customers with different needs. We sell a few wranglers a month with minimal profit, because we have to compete with new car stores. Also we rarely get customers with enough disposable income to buy a 30k plus vehicle. I hope one day we will be there, for now we will keep selling 10k and under.

Thanks Nick

Nothing wrong with helping to educate the consumer but I've found that at times it seems possible to "over educate" the consumer. The consumer is going down their intended path but something gets in the way and places some level of doubt on the path. This usually comes about when questionable pricing and values are introduced.

I'm on a Mac using Chrome and every VDP I visit. I'm being hit with the Apply for Financing pop-up. Every. Single. Time.

 

[JessicaRuth]

@nickb I highly suggest switching it out to something you either sell a lot of, have a lot of or do some market research and the market sells a lot of...

I'm not saying throw an 8-10 year old Civic up there...But, scale it down a bit to show you appeal to all shoppers. Not just those who can afford the best of the best. What about all those shoppers you're trying to lure in with that pop up that
@Jeff Kershner loves so much

 

[craigh]

Hi @craigh thanks for the reply.

1. I took your advice and removed all other pricing and kbb values.

2. I thought educating the customer would work in our favor, but when it comes to a custom vehicle like our wranglers there is no book value. So I can understand why it would give a skewed perception on our pricing.

Give this a shot and track the changes.. see if you see any changes.

3. I have this CTA only happen on vehicles priced 10k and under. Because we use sub prime lenders, with instant approval (down payment depending). The reason I put that CTA on those vehicles is to generate more loan apps. Because most people assume they can not get approved on a vehicle and not aware of sub prime lenders.

That makes sense, I should have clicked around more. This balance is why many of the clients I work with end up having a separate sub-prime site so they can target those people with different messaging and vehicles.

5. That pop up is not incorrectly sized, if you click that you can fill the app right there in pop up(i thought same at first). My customer base is a bit hard to determine and never consistent. I would say 40% cash. 25% sub prime. 35% prime. We get people who travel to buy vehicles cash, on the other hand we get 3-4 turn down sub primes a week due to lack of down payment.

Maybe the background could be made black then? It looks bad when it first pops up because it looks like it's only half the box filled. Just show the form right away and save the click.

My goal is to cater to prime and cash buyers purchasing 10k and up vehicles. But at the end of the day I do not think there is enough income locally to support that. Majority of our sales are 10k and under. I have the jeeps and high dollar units to help build a presence of reliable trust worthy vehicles. The way I look at it is if you have ten vehicles priced at 3k and one vehicle priced at 10k, it will be that much harder to sell that 10k vehicle because of what surrounds it. But when people walk around looking at cool jeeps they cant afford, it puts them at ease buying a cheaper vehicle knowing we take pride and also cater to customers with different needs. We sell a few wranglers a month with minimal profit, because we have to compete with new car stores. Also we rarely get customers with enough disposable income to buy a 30k plus vehicle. I hope one day we will be there, for now we will keep selling 10k and under.

It's an interesting strategy and it certainly could work - I'm not an expert in the customer process for subprime.
I've done lots of work with a 250 car dealership in a town of 7000 people where the nearest big town was 45 minutes away - it's a very different business strategy from the dealers that are in the city, but it's not always easy to do. Their biggest benefit was selection, so your differentiation will be different.

 

[Jeff Kershner]

Hi @craigh

3. I have this CTA only happen on vehicles priced 10k and under. Because we use sub prime lenders, with instant approval (down payment depending). The reason I put that CTA on those vehicles is to generate more loan apps. Because most people assume they can not get approved on a vehicle and not aware of sub prime lenders.

At first I thought you were a new Jeep Dealership.

You have some badass Jeeps on the lot. Becoming the best at ONE thing, finding your niche and exploiting it, often pays off large. Anyone else within the 3-4 hour radius "specialize" in Jeeps? How are your Jeep sales?

Jeep customers are often looking for the "Jeep Experience". What does it mean to buy a customized Jeep from Ultimate Rides? Because this page is lacking a story - http://www.ultimaterides.com/clp-custom-jeep-wrangler-unlimited-joliet-il

What is Ultimate Rides? Why do business with you guys? You a few teasers on maybe why I should consider buying from Ultimate Rides but it's not enough. Not enough to hit the next level you're looking for.

We get so focused on Conversion Points - CTA, button placement, colors and such that we often forget about Conversion Influencers. Why Buy From Me message. Every page should be viewed as a conversion influencer. What can I include on this page that tells a story, separates us from the crowd and could potentially influence conversion?

What could be working against us? This may seem trivial but why have employee placeholders on your team page? Can't keep your employees happy?

 

[Jeff Kershner]

@nickb - love conversations like this one.

We always say our people are our best asset in this industry, yet it's rare to find a dealer that showcases and/or leverages their people. Dealers typically shy away from this due to the revolving sales door. Though I believe the door wouldn't open as much IF they did leverage their people more often.

Ultimate Rides has some nice rides. Great photo of your Jeeps and Trucks. You can tell someone takes pride in their photography. These photos and descriptions carry over to your facebook page very nicely. You have some content flowing through your blog. But there's something missing...

You and your people!

You're a smaller operation and you're an independent. Let's have some fun with that. Other than your Our Team page, there's NO PEOPLE Not even on your Facebook page. Who's behind Ultimate Rides? Who makes buying a vehicle from Ultimate Rides fun and exciting? Who's buying your vehicles? You have your testimonial page but Who are the people leaving the testimonials?

Where's your dog? All Jeep owners have a dog. Why isn't he made part of the team? Get your people on your VDP. This is where the action happens anyways. And if a shopper happens to come through the back door (direct to VDP), let's show them who they're potentially working with.

VIDEO. You should leverage video. It's easy and effective. Video of your people and your inventory - at the same time. Let's remove some of the robotic atmosphere from the Ultimate Rides website and facebook and showcase who you are.

Friendly faces convert!

 

[ed.brooks]

http://www.ridehomehappy.com/

@nickb - love conversations like this one.

We always say our people are our best asset in this industry, yet it's rare to find a dealer that showcases and/or leverages their people. Dealers typically shy away from this due to the revolving sales door. Though I believe the door wouldn't open as much IF they did leverage their people more often.

Ultimate Rides has some nice rides. Great photo of your Jeeps and Trucks. You can tell someone takes pride in their photography. These photos and descriptions carry over to your facebook page very nicely. You have some content flowing through your blog. But there's something missing...

You and your people!

You're a smaller operation and you're an independent. Let's have some fun with that. Other than your Our Team page, there's NO PEOPLE Not even on your Facebook page. Who's behind Ultimate Rides? Who makes buying a vehicle from Ultimate Rides fun and exciting? Who's buying your vehicles? You have your testimonial page but Who are the people leaving the testimonials?

Where's your dog? All Jeep owners have a dog. Why isn't he made part of the team? Get your people on your VDP. This is where the action happens anyways. And if a shopper happens to come through the back door (direct to VDP), let's show them who they're potentially working with.

VIDEO. You should leverage video. It's easy and effective. Video of your people and your inventory - at the same time. Let's remove some of the robotic atmosphere from the Ultimate Rides website and facebook and showcase who you are.

Friendly faces convert!

View attachment 2548

One of my favorite dealer websites is http://www.ridehomehappy.com/ , the Subaru of Wichita site. Love the video of the staff, instead of more cars, on the homepage. Great job @tomwhitejr and @Aaron Wirtz !

 

[nickb]

At first I thought you were a new Jeep Dealership.

You have some badass Jeeps on the lot. Becoming the best at ONE thing, finding your niche and exploiting it, often pays off large. Anyone else within the 3-4 hour radius "specialize" in Jeeps? How are your Jeep sales?

Jeep customers are often looking for the "Jeep Experience". What does it mean to buy a customized Jeep from Ultimate Rides? Because this page is lacking a story - http://www.ultimaterides.com/clp-custom-jeep-wrangler-unlimited-joliet-il

What is Ultimate Rides? Why do business with you guys? You a few teasers on maybe why I should consider buying from Ultimate Rides but it's not enough. Not enough to hit the next level you're looking for.

We get so focused on Conversion Points - CTA, button placement, colors and such that we often forget about Conversion Influencers. Why Buy From Me message. Every page should be viewed as a conversion influencer. What can I include on this page that tells a story, separates us from the crowd and could potentially influence conversion?

What could be working against us? This may seem trivial but why have employee placeholders on your team page? Can't keep your employees happy?

View attachment 2547

@Jeff Kershner I love conversations like this also!!

I put a lot of effort into locating these jeeps still under factory warranty, spending money to lift them, buy wheels, and color match paint. After all that hard work, the jeeps do not turn as fast as I like. I would say on average 2 a month. I had one guy walk in and buy a stock one for 30k and we had two customers buy lifted ones at 34k in last 3 months. We try to price higher at first and shoot for the stars, but at the end of the day we are moving units at these prices. I tried to gather a large selection to bring people to my dealer. The local jeep dealer in our small town has half the amount of wranglers, all stock and not priced right. You drive 25 miles and you have a large jeep dealer who stocks 40 plus wranglers. I think I am in direct competition with a new dealers and its a tough battle. I have 13's and 14's with low miles but not new. Which is why I brought in SEO to target this town 25 miles away with a heavy population (110k). Build a ton of content to target Jeep Wranglers, and the business we would like to be in. I would love to sell more of them if we can turn them faster. That CLP you see there is something that the SEO writer created, I had no idea that page existed. Now that winter is coming, I plan to scale back because I do not want to carry the heavy jeeps if they will not move. I just do not know if I should keep building my SEO content or give up after 4 months. Turn my focus on basic content like used cars, trucks etc.

As for the empty spots, I had those set up for my mechanic and detail guy. I never got around to taking pictures for them. But I can understand why that may look bad. I plan to redo photos and stories for that page. We do include a small story on our VDP that we include on every VDP. We have an about us, but it is generic and we need to update it.

 

[craigh]

http://www.ridehomehappy.com/
One of my favorite dealer websites is http://www.ridehomehappy.com/ , the Subaru of Wichita site. Love the video of the staff, instead of more cars, on the homepage. Great job @tomwhitejr and @Aaron Wirtz !

This is a great site - as far as Wordpress-based dealer sites goes they don't get much better than this.
I do love their homepage and general direction as well. I like the Priced Under 10k option because that page can be themed and targeted very differently based on the fact that the consumer made a conscious decision to visit that page.