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Define A BETTER Dealership website...

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#11
LINGsCARS said:
...the answer to the question is that a website should MAKE MONEY.

Hope that helps.

Ling.
Click to expand...


Ling always makes me smile. Ling has "the final answer". All other ideas are there to support her answer.

"website should produce leads for all profit centers"---why?----> TO MAKE MONEY
"I love staff pages" ---why?----> TO MAKE MONEY
"Testimonial videos at every level possible"---why?----> TO MAKE MONEY
"Why Buy From Us messaging"---why?----> TO MAKE MONEY
"website also needs to think outside of the box"---why?----> TO MAKE MONEY
"Establish trust with the consumers:"---why?----> TO MAKE MONEY

Without question, every single idea you have must map up to HOW ITS GOING TO MAKE MORE MONEY.

Beware!!! Car shopping in the United States is a catalog shopping experience. There is no shopping cart. This means you have almost ZERO insight into what works and what does not work. In 2014, the only way to tell if your idea is going TO MAKE MONEY is to have an intimate understanding of the needs and workflow of our invisible car shoppers.




 
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#12
Example: Are those damn chat boxes MAKING YOU MONEY, or COSTING YOU MONEY?

There's been no formal study, yet I see the focus groups and field tests, SHOPPERS TOTALLY HATE THEM. How is it that we (as an industry) don't know this?

Think about this... No, really think about this.




 
#13
It's because "Leads are easy to connect to a sale, analytics are not". Yet, the MAJORITY of YOUR MONEY comes from silent shoppers. This creates low ROI conclusions like "website should produce leads for all profit centers".

Sorry all. JK asked us to "not over think it", but, under-thinking the root cause of our boring, stuck in the mud websites.
 
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#14
Not sure if I've seen these mentioned, but:

1) Landing pages that convert. If the shoppers are being directed from an ad, all they should see is a pic of a car, a 2-line form and # to call
2) About Us pages that don't have the boring, generic text that can get your website penalized by Google
3) A build and price configurator, so shoppers can build any virtual vehicle they'd like, like this: Build & Price New Vehicles Lakewood NJ - Jim Curley Buick GMC
 
#15
Dominion DMS
#16
I guess there are lots of ways to make money (with cars) on the web.

There are also lots of ways NOT to make money (with cars) on the web.

Why do so many dealerships actively choose NOT to make money (with cars) on the web?

I think it may just be a fear response, especially with the amount of investment made in non-web stuff (buildings, stock, franchise etc). It's almost as if many dealers are trying to prove the web WON'T make money for them. It's almost that they are happy/relieved when they achieve that truth ("YAAAAY! IT DOESN'T WORK VERY WELL, THANK GOD"), and their web-site becomes just another cost, another necessary but unwanted concrete block around their necks, supported by their profit-centres (off line "real-life" sales/service/parts/finance).

Weird.

Ling
 
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#17
LINGsCARS said:
...Why do so many dealerships actively choose NOT to make money (with cars) on the web?
I think it may just be a fear response, especially with the amount of investment made in non-web stuff (buildings, stock, franchise etc).

Weird.

Ling
Click to expand...

Yup. US FRANCHISE LAW which influences everything.

The USA is very different than the UK. Franchise laws for Car dealers in the USA have created a very structured marketplace. Car dealer owners/managers are business operators, not entrepreneurs, and, entrepreneurs are NOT WELCOME. Ling is a super salesperson that does not belong to a franchise. she makes her own ups and uses a brokerage resellers network to re-sell cars to buyers. Ling is an entrepreneur and there is no structure to allow entrepreneurs to operate in the USA (sounds very communist to me! ;-)

ling-viz.gif
 
#18
Ling,
Let's compare a UK Ford dealer vs a US Ford Dealer.


US Dealer: Quirk Ford, Boston MA
950 New Fords in stock
New Ford Car Truck SUV for sale in MA | Quirk Ford Boston Area Ford Dealer


UK Dealer: Think Ford*, Farnborough UK
ZERO New Fords in stock?
New Cars - Search Listing




Huh? I just spent an hour in the UK trying shop like an American car shopper. WHERE ARE THE CARS FOR SALE?? Official Ford.co.uk website - Find your nearest Ford Dealer - Ford UK


Ling, in the USA, a small car dealer has 100 new cars in stock for sale. This leads me to my very own Ling FAQ:
demo3-optimised.gif

Question #1: Do dealers sell from their stock, or, do they order them?
Question #2: How many cars does a typical dealer have in stock, ready for sale?
Question #3: Do shoppers want to see the car they're going to buy before they buy that car?
Question #4: How do shoppers in the UK dispose of their old car?
Question #5: Can you describe the brokerage network that allows you to sell any car (this concept is foreign to us)

thnx
Joe

*Recently acquired by Group1
 
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#19
JoePistell said:
A perfect thesis test. Adam presents a cool car builder conf tool, the shoppers workflow ends with a lead gen form.

--Is that a win?
--If so, for whom?
--Are there un-intended consequences?

This is not about the product Adam's presented, it's about WHAT MAKES MONEY.
Click to expand...

--Is that a win?
It can be, depending on how the dealer handles the inquiry. It is predicated on the store sending an automated price is emailed within minutes, 24/7, with lease, cash and finance options incorporated directly into the email. This takes the buyer further down the purchase funnel than they were before, setting up the appointment and engendering positive feelings about the dealership's willingness to quote prices up-front.
--If so, for whom?
Both the dealership and the customer, if the tools are implemented properly
--Are there un-intended consequences?
Potentially, but 9 out of 10 times or more the customer's primary question (what will I pay for that car if I buy it from you) is answered within minutes, and trust has been built by the dealership just by emailing pricing details.

Email marketing is still one of the most effective platforms. In order to get shoppers' email addresses, dealers still need lead capture in order to executed successful email marketing. Opt-in, permission-based email marketing has a much higher open and conversion rate than a blast email to a list.

Thanks for reading my reply, Joe, but what happened to my 2 other ideas? Also, I don't see my comment posted. It wasn't trying to be pitchy - it's what I genuinely believe should be on a dealership's website.

Landing Pages designed to convert leads
About Us Pages with more than the generic text provided by the website designer
 
#20
Adam Ross said:
-...what happened to my 2 other ideas? Also, I don't see my comment posted. It wasn't trying to be pitchy - it's what I genuinely believe should be on a dealership's website.

Landing Pages designed to convert leads
About Us Pages with more than the generic text provided by the website designer
Click to expand...


No idea Adam. It happens occasionally to me too. I curse up a storm and re-create the post.
 
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Dominion DMS
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