Need feedback on Make My Deal

[mattingly77]

I would like any information from anyone who is using Make My Deal. Has this product increased your leads? Are they quality leads? Any information will be helpful. Thank you in advance.

 

[JessicaRuth]

@WillMcG32 Can you help?

 

[WillMcG32]

Hey @mattingly77 - I'd love to help. MakeMyDeal is a CoxAuto company so I'm on that side of the ball. I'm going to hunt down some active dealers for you though and try to get some feedback here or at least connect you with them.

 

[DanielRobison]

We use MakeMyDeal at our two dealerships and I think the best thing that MakeMyDeal does is make your dealership more transparent. It is like any tool that you use in that, if you don't use it properly, it won't benefit you. Make sure you have the process and procedures in place to handle MakeMyDeal. Just a heads up, customers are very impatient so make sure you get back to them as soon as possible with a counter offer. If not they will be calling your dealership or emailing. Many times they use MakeMyDeal as well as another contact method so make sure you are paying attention to that in your CRM. I do believe that it adds credit to your dealerships transparency and makes your dealership look like someone they want to do business with. I like it and for the small investment that you make for the product it is well worth it. I could write an article (shoot, maybe a small book) on best practices but, in a nut shell, like they used to say in the alka seltzer commercial, "TRY IT, YOU'LL LIKE IT!" Am I dating myself now?

 

[BHavican]

We're having a bit of an internal debate here on where or not to sign up with MakeMyDeal. One party wants it while I want nothing to do with it (sorry Will). It reminds me a lot of GM's Shop-Click-Drive which I used for about 3 years at a previous group with poor results. Most people that used it still wanted to negotiate details when they came to the dealership or wouldn't complete the entire process.

Daniel, you mentioned that many times your customers use MMD as another method of contact. Looking at one of your VDPs, I can't help but wonder if that's because the MMD is so prominent that they miss the "Request Information" form below the fold.

I have a lot of concerns with MMD. For example, on Daniel's website I can only see 3.74% if I want 72 months. If I have good credit I might bounce right there knowing I can get a rate in the 2's. Conversely if the prospect has bad credit, and this happens all the time with SCD, they'll know they have credit issues but blow up because they didn't get 3.74% or a low payment. I see that the prospect has the option to change the credit score, but like the slider with SCD I'd be willing to wager that most people don't touch that drop down.

Also, I absolutely detest having to create accounts to access things online. It annoys me to no end. I would be concerned that some people would abandon the form getting to the create an account screen.

I have other concerns too, like why I have to pay for a "beta" product, but I don't want to keep going on and on or be too negative here.

I'd love to hear from some more people that have used it.

 

[joe.pistell]

... For example, on Daniel's website

Sorry to interrupt, but I followed that link... Wow!! Where's the car?

Columbiana's passion to sell is all I see.

 

[joe.pistell]

...Most people that used it still wanted to negotiate details when they came to the dealership or wouldn't complete the entire process.

Here's how I look at our world in 2015.

A dealer's site has 2 tasks.

1. Help shoppers land on a car.
2. Help motivate shoppers to come to the store.

99.9% of car shoppers have a zillion questions that are too hard to figure out on the internet. THEY WANT TO COME INTO YOUR STORE to 'close the information gaps'. Any tool that helps a shopper stay on your site longer AND helps the shopper visualise a productive visit at your store is a great goal.

IMO, I'd want to know: "for those shoppers that came into my store that were using MMD, was MMD a tool that helped them to come to your store? Would they have come to your store anyways?

If MMD passes this test, what are the top 3 MMD shopper problems? Can you work with your sales team to help them to be better prepared? Can MMD supply you with word tracks?

HTH
Joe

 

[Jeff Kershner]

I can only see 3.74% if I want 72 months. If I have good credit I might bounce right there knowing I can get a rate in the 2's. Conversely if the prospect has bad credit, and this happens all the time with SCD, they'll know they have credit issues but blow up because they didn't get 3.74% or a low payment. .

I'm not sure I see how a product like this brings about more transparency. Let's take the piece that most people "say they dislike" and bring it online. Too soon?

Looking at what @BHavican wrote (nice response Bill), you have to wonder if a service like this does more harm than good. So much is happening inside the customers head head while navigating through your dealers website. SO MUCH has an influence on whether the customer becomes a physical lead or not (even a form lead needs to become a physically lead at some point.)

Services like this and most of the vendors in our industry get quotes from other dealers using their product. I only know a hand full of dealers (mostly in this community) that I would take word on a recommendation for a product. Even then I would question a bit.

I want to know what the customer thinks... How does the customer truly interact with a service like this. What's going through their head? What type of customer goes through the process and uses the tool all the way to a point that it becomes an asset for the consumer and dealer?

Who gives a shit what we (dealers) think it will do. What does it do for the customer to help them take the next step in choosing your dealership?

 

[Jeff Kershner]

I absolutely detest having to create accounts to access things online. It annoys me to no end. I would be concerned that some people would abandon the form getting to the create an account screen.

I too detest having to create an account but I don't mind creating an account when it's easy and I KNOW I'm getting something in return, of value.

That would be one of the first items I would dissect before signing up with a new service. The first time it becomes a pain in the ass for the average consumer (my geo / demo), I'm out.

 

[mattingly77]

All very good information, thank you everyone. I would still like to hear from anyone actually using the product and how many leads & sales they received directly from using this product.