Alex - To go back to the original conversation. Most new vehicle shoppers are already willing to visit your dealership in person if they are on your website. If you offer them ROCK BOTTOM PRICING or INTERNET PRICE or my favorite "STRESS FREE PRICE" on vehicles, they are going to assume that:
a) You are a car dealer and will probably discount the vehicle even further
b) There must be some catch or incentive applied to that price OR
c) "That absolutely is your best price and I should shop that price against Dealer B, C, D, E, and F"
If you recognize the fact that most website visitors are coming from SEO and SEM, than most of the time this shopper is already aware of your dealership's existence. Also, let us not forget about all of the dealership website branding we do offline: newspaper, radio, TV, business cards, billboards. Unless you work in a one price store, this raises a choice of questions: Is it better to set as many appointments as we can from leads that we generate on our website? OR Is it better to put all of our cards on the table from the very start? We could call it "The ALL-IN Price". There could be a disclaimer on every vehicle that says: "Please DO NOT attempt to contact us if you plan on making us an offer. This is the new vehicle sale price. NO EXCEPTIONS!" Come on. Wouldn't generating leads to contact customers by phone (I prefer the term harass vs. contact) ultimately lead to more sales and more gross?
I'm a big fan of "car guys". I think that "Internet guys" alienate themselves and discredit some of the points that they try to make by pulling the "data" card. Yes. Data is important. "Internet geeks" think that every dealership in the nation should just study analytics all day long that "show" or "prove" how dealerships should operate. They also try to convince us to write press releases and generate online reviews instead of sharpening the tools that will ALWAYS make a dealership successful (like ole' car guys teach). Yes, all of that other Internet related stuff is important, but the car biz is unlike most others. SKILLS in negotiation, incoming and outgoing PHONE training, and dealing with a prospect at the dealership are all essential for most Internet salespeople. We don't work at Best Buy. We are not order takers. Our job is to sell cars and make money. Making money being the bottom line for the dealership. I want my sales associate to get a lead on an ePrice. I want hir to call the prospect confirming the request. I want hir to ask the prospect if they have had a chance to drive this new vehicle in person. I want hir to ask about the trade. I want the appointment. The arrival. Then, I want a "car guy" to get involved and make GROSS. To hold on trade, gain financing and use his sales skills to shut down the deal.
Alex, I am an "Internet guy/geek". I was a "car guy", but have a hard time convincing my current superiors and co-workers of this because I sit my ass behind a computer all day. I love the Internet and all of the business that it brings, but most of all I love the GROSS. Our dealerships are very successful in our Internet efforts and are very successful in $$$.
