Probably got moderated. It's happened to me a few times that made no sense at all.
Welcome to toeing the vendor line on DR.
Define A BETTER Dealership website...
- Thread starter Jeff Kershner
- Start date
Probably got moderated. It's happened to me a few times that made no sense at all.
Welcome to toeing the vendor line on DR.
Now I see it there - from yesterday around 6:30pm... Thanks for sharing it, moderators!
A better website is one that gets results. Results is defined from the perspective of who's looking at numbers. I want visitors and leads. My partner wants leads and appointments, our sales managers want appointments and solds. We can all agree if the process isn't entirely broken if you get more visitors, your leads, appointments, and solds will all increase with it.
I'm just going to throw this clay pigeon up in the air expecting one of you guys to shoot it down: What if the measure we want to chase down is time on site? If we aren't nailing their needs and workflow, they leave and that number droops. If we do, we are rewarded with a closer relationship, increased consideration, less time (assuming it's finite) to shop the competition...and a higher number there. It certainly strikes me as a measurement that takes better account for a user base that is scared of (smart to?) being spammed and called to death.
Ouch, Joe! But I guess that's what I have always liked about you - never pulled a punch and never will
Lead metrics might create an incomplete ROI picture; however, when properly interpreted I think they are an indicator of the overall effectiveness of the website, even if only one piece of an intricate and delicate puzzle
Ed
- May 1, 2005
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- Jeff
Some good definitions up there. Along with some the usual derailing of the topic.
I'm always leary of using this measurement. There's nothing in a time metric that tells you if the time spent was a success for the visitor.
Agreed entirely. There are far too many factors at play here:
- Page load time
- Were they actually spending that entire time active on the page (everyone multitasks)
- Is time on site lower because you made it easier for them to find things?
- Is time on site higher because customers aren't finding what they came for easily?
- Is it the way you organize your VDP photos that makes it take longer to browse them?
etc etc.
It's still a useful number, but half my clients want that number to be lower (customer found what they wanted sooner), and the other half want that number to be higher (more time on site = better engagement).
- May 1, 2005
- 4,568
- 1,840
- Awards
- 12
- First Name
- Jeff
Joe, this is what I was thinking about when I started this thread. Most dealers define the success of their website by lead conversion, yet "MAJORITY of YOUR MONEY comes from silent shoppers.".
We (dealers and website providers) have become so "lead centric" that we loose focus on and forget to optimize and track the silent shopper - 95% of your website traffic.
Joe
Question #1: Do dealers sell from their stock, or, do they order them?
In UK, mainly they have a few in stock (not many) plus demos and showroom display. Cars are often factory order (10-12 weeks) or sold from pipeline in transit. Manufacturers (in general) only allow car dealers to order cars with named customers against them. Or else the richer dealer groups would suck all supply and create gluts of cars. It's generally a fair system, although people always moan.
Question #2: How many cars does a typical dealer have in stock, ready for sale?
New cars? Very few. Maybe they have one or two. Plus demos etc. Plus they may have arranged a few pre-reg cars (but these are no longer new, they are registered - eg to the dealership or a fleet company).
Question #3: Do shoppers want to see the car they're going to buy before they buy that car?
New car? The actual new car? No.... they are happy to see a showroom display example. And if at a dealer, to test drive a similar demo model. From me, they only see pictures and the manufacturer website, but of course they know what they are getting. Customers see hundreds on the road, in the supermarket car park, etc etc.
Question #4: How do shoppers in the UK dispose of their old car?
The part-exchange. In the UK, commonly the dealer will buy it, but more and more often these days people dispose privately (as they get a better deal, eg through AutoTrader, Ebay) or use an online service like Sell My Car at webuyanycar.com - Free Instant Car Valuation
Question #5: Can you describe the brokerage network that allows you to sell any car (this concept is foreign to us)
I exist. I find customers for brand new cars, they visit my website. I advertise lease (eg contract hire, operational lease, PCP) rates on virtually every available brand new car. Some are good, some are bad. They go up and down like prostitute knickers, nature of the industry. That's basically what I do. I advertise clear monthly rates.
I have about 300-400 people (and businesses) apply every month. I find the most advantageous deal for them (and me), and propose them to finance down whichever route (eg a dealer). They pass or fail. If pass, they sign an order form with me and the dealer orders the car (based on MY WORD - so I may have several £million of cars on order with many different dealers with no money down, just based on trust). Sometimes I may order via another broker who has more advantageous terms than me.
I am sent the lease paperwork by email, and I send this to customer and get it signed, then posted back to me. I send this to supplier and from them to finance company. Then, the brand new car is delivered to the customer (usually driven). The customer has never previously seen the actual car, although they know what they are getting. This is consumer goods stuff, like a fridge or washing machine.
Average time is about 40 days. Some much longer (ie. Jag XE now taking orders for next May). Some much shorter (there may be a batch of physical cars and then I can turn around in 2-weeks).
I invoice supplier for commission.
Therefore, I can obtain and supply any new make/model. But I avoid silly ones (ie high-end) where a cancellation may mean an expensive embarrassing unsold unit. So most of my cars are unsexy standard stuff I like common cars that I can resell if there is an issue during the lead period (eg customer loses their job, etc).
So, I have several hundred customers in process at any time, using my super LINGO system (no dealer can communicate like me) chatting about their new car for 40 days, having fun, uploading, downloading, being entertained and waiting for their new car. Going through my sausage machine (but very personal) process. All communication is transcribed and average reply time is less that 5 minutes during working hours.
The above is possible because the geography/size of the UK allows me to deliver anywhere, plus one law applies (no state laws) and everyone speaks English. UK is a mature society. EU competition law is a great help in preventing unfair cartels or restrictive practices.
Hope that helps
Ling
Question #1: Do dealers sell from their stock, or, do they order them?
In UK, mainly they have a few in stock (not many) plus demos and showroom display. Cars are often factory order (10-12 weeks) or sold from pipeline in transit. Manufacturers (in general) only allow car dealers to order cars with named customers against them. Or else the richer dealer groups would suck all supply and create gluts of cars. It's generally a fair system, although people always moan.
Question #2: How many cars does a typical dealer have in stock, ready for sale?
New cars? Very few. Maybe they have one or two. Plus demos etc. Plus they may have arranged a few pre-reg cars (but these are no longer new, they are registered - eg to the dealership or a fleet company).
Question #3: Do shoppers want to see the car they're going to buy before they buy that car?
New car? The actual new car? No.... they are happy to see a showroom display example. And if at a dealer, to test drive a similar demo model. From me, they only see pictures and the manufacturer website, but of course they know what they are getting. Customers see hundreds on the road, in the supermarket car park, etc etc.
Question #4: How do shoppers in the UK dispose of their old car?
The part-exchange. In the UK, commonly the dealer will buy it, but more and more often these days people dispose privately (as they get a better deal, eg through AutoTrader, Ebay) or use an online service like Sell My Car at webuyanycar.com - Free Instant Car Valuation
Question #5: Can you describe the brokerage network that allows you to sell any car (this concept is foreign to us)
I exist. I find customers for brand new cars, they visit my website. I advertise lease (eg contract hire, operational lease, PCP) rates on virtually every available brand new car. Some are good, some are bad. They go up and down like prostitute knickers, nature of the industry. That's basically what I do. I advertise clear monthly rates.
I have about 300-400 people (and businesses) apply every month. I find the most advantageous deal for them (and me), and propose them to finance down whichever route (eg a dealer). They pass or fail. If pass, they sign an order form with me and the dealer orders the car (based on MY WORD - so I may have several £million of cars on order with many different dealers with no money down, just based on trust). Sometimes I may order via another broker who has more advantageous terms than me.
I am sent the lease paperwork by email, and I send this to customer and get it signed, then posted back to me. I send this to supplier and from them to finance company. Then, the brand new car is delivered to the customer (usually driven). The customer has never previously seen the actual car, although they know what they are getting. This is consumer goods stuff, like a fridge or washing machine.
Average time is about 40 days. Some much longer (ie. Jag XE now taking orders for next May). Some much shorter (there may be a batch of physical cars and then I can turn around in 2-weeks).
I invoice supplier for commission.
Therefore, I can obtain and supply any new make/model. But I avoid silly ones (ie high-end) where a cancellation may mean an expensive embarrassing unsold unit. So most of my cars are unsexy standard stuff
I like common cars that I can resell if there is an issue during the lead period (eg customer loses their job, etc).So, I have several hundred customers in process at any time, using my super LINGO system (no dealer can communicate like me) chatting about their new car for 40 days, having fun, uploading, downloading, being entertained and waiting for their new car. Going through my sausage machine (but very personal) process. All communication is transcribed and average reply time is less that 5 minutes during working hours.
The above is possible because the geography/size of the UK allows me to deliver anywhere, plus one law applies (no state laws) and everyone speaks English. UK is a mature society. EU competition law is a great help in preventing unfair cartels or restrictive practices.
Hope that helps
Ling