Companies That Take On-Lot Photos? Not Happy With Ours.

[kcar]

Seeing as this is location based, where should I look or who can you recommend? I'm not sure really what's out there.. The problem I have now is the photo quality isn't the best, and they aren't adding warranties info to all the cars when their uploaded..

Your thoughts? ps. how much $ per car too..

 

[ddavis]

There is no way I'm going to rely on a photographer to add the warranties to my cars. Actually, I'm not happy having them put in standard equipment. If the car is missing mats, cargo covers and the like, you are asking for trouble.

I've used Dealer Specialties in the past and have been happy with them. Pricing depends on the number of pictures. I wanted 10 for new and 40 for used. They have a good back end tool and have a service to put your vehicles on Craigslist. They shoot your cars today and you will see them up in the morning. If you use Reynolds, they have direct access.

 

[ryan.leslie]

Seeing as this is location based, where should I look or who can you recommend? I'm not sure really what's out there.. The problem I have now is the photo quality isn't the best, and they aren't adding warranties info to all the cars when their uploaded..

Your thoughts? ps. how much $ per car too..

kcar,

40 per used! Can't believe how much this has changed since I started in this industry. I was shooting 4 and stitching them together when I was a lot tech for sites that only accepted 1 photo. "Pictures of new cars, are you crazy? That's what stock photos are for." Heard that from quite a few GM's

This may seem oversimplified, but have you talked with your current provider about your concerns yet? I know there is very little loyalty when a service is viewed as a commodity, but you may find it to be a lot easier to get what you need long-term out of your existing vendor if you have a "come-to-Jesus" meeting and give them a chance to work with you to meet your expectations rather than changing vendors every time you feel the service level has dropped. They'll get the message and be thankful for the opportunity to keep your business.

 

[SeanWoodruff]

We also use Dealer Specialties. We've been with them for a while and they do a good job. The trick is getting a rep/photographer who cares, wants to do a good job, and has attention to detail. We complained a lot and went through several photographers until D.S. hired our current guy. The trick with these companies is to be demanding, expect perfection, hold them accountable when its not, and really stay on them until you get the results you want. Because if it comes down to them losing your business..... they're going to eventually give you what you want.

 

[Todd Caputo]

I would suggest you invest in building your own photo booth and taking the pics your self. Money spent for a photo booth is the best money any dealer could spend.

 

[yagoparamo]

I've been doing photos since 2000, so let me give you a few pointers.

Ryan is correct, dealers look at this like a commodity. The systems, are for the most part commodities, the people servicing the systems are not. We have guys in the team with 10 years of experience in data collection, photos, feeds, DMS issues, photo locations, etc and we even notice a difference between them and the guys that have 3 years of experience. Finding and keeping good people, whether is a vendor or in-house, is not a commodity.

The biggest difference between vendor and in-house; with the vendor you pay a little bit more and in-house you are responsible for tech support, hiring, training, retraining, supplies, equipment, sick days, vacation days, insurance, taxes, etc.

If you have a problem you must resolve it by talking to the people that can fix it. There is no difference whether you pay them via payroll or mail a check.

For those that think that if you take you save tons of money... That seems to be the case with lots of businesses when you look at them from the outside, right? My photo business, with 300+ dealers in one state, doesn't have any better profit margins than any other "service industry" business.