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Vauto cheese: Is it to cheesy

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Lrogers

Lrogers

Lot Lizard
Sep 27, 2010
9
0
First Name
Lisa
#1
I was curious is anybody uses the Vauto cheese for posting comments for their pre-owned inventory online. The format of it drives me crazy, for instance:

Yes!!!! Yes!!!! Yes!!!! STOP!!!! Read this!!!! This superb 2008 Toyota Sienna is the do-it-all van you have been trying to find. This terrific Sienna would look so much better waiting for you in your driveway, instead of sitting here idly on our lot. As usual, it's ready...Come and get it!!!!

I know it important to have comments on used inventory but these drive me insane. I was curious on other peoples opinion on the matter. Are these over cheesy comments effective or is it more effective to stick to a less, lets say excitable comment?
 
#2
I love my boys at vAuto, I helped them build their Comment Generator, but, they didn't listen to me when they got cheezy and I never used the final product. >:-/

I am now involved with HomeNet's new and improved Comment Generator project in alpha. They interviewed me on it months ago and I've not heard from them since. I've completely mapped it out, HN's project manager (Susan B) is super smart, I really hope she's grasped the concepts and touch points. I haven't heard from her, maybe it's better than I hope!

We shall see :)
 
#3
As with anything, the best things are completely done in-house. At Checkered Flag our inventory photographer also wrote comments. Unfortunately, he is one man spread too thin and he doesn't get the entire inventory done. This is where some of our stores have turned to the vAuto Cheese. It puts some personality on Checkered Flag's inventory marketing. The best part about the cheese is that it isn't set in stone. A few of our stores simply use it as a starting point and take out the corny stuff before pasting it into a place where customers can read it.

With that said, our inventory marketing man is a hobbyist photographer and a creative writer. This guy is impossible to replace and I have made some reports (not super factual) in an attempt to show the difference in turn-time between vAuto's Cheese, personal comments, and no comments. The best I could tell was that vAuto's Cheese improved turn by about 4 days.* Personal comments from a car enthusiast who likes to write and concentrates on "the small things" improved turn time by almost 7 days. No comments....well what do you think I was using as the baseline?

*due to shop reconditioning lag time, cleaning services needed, and external vendor reconditioning turns there really is not a way to truly measure this without some serious observation. I tried to do it over 7 Used Car Departments ranging from Hyundai to Porsche a few different times, but I could not put the time in to make this scientific.
 
#4
Hi Lisa - As the dealer you have the option of varying the "cheese" to fit the vehicle, your dealership and your customer. As an example, here is a Chevy Equinox description with limited "cheese":
Dare to compare! Extra room! Be the talk of the town when you roll down the street in this cargo-hauling 2008 Chevrolet Equinox. A fun SUV with lots of room for the family. For all it can do, it's still good on gas! New Car Test Drive said, "...with its unique look and larger size than the American and Asian competition, the Equinox is in a position to please the more demanding customers looking for more power and more space than the norm in this segment..."
​
Crank up the "cheese" and you get:
Room!!!! Room!!!! Room!!!! Awesome family SUV!!!! What are you waiting for?!!!! Tired of the same uninteresting drive? Well change up things with this terrific 2008 Chevrolet Equinox. The family-hauling capability of this wonderful Equinox will make it a favorite among our educated buyers. New Car Test Drive said, "...with its unique look and larger size than the American and Asian competition, the Equinox is in a position to please the more demanding customers looking for more power and more space than the norm in this segment..."​
vAuto's AutoWriter® Technology also allows a dealer to edit these descriptions or even create their own from scratch. If you don't like the first generated description, just hit "generate" and you get a brand new one.

In my opinion, nothing beats a totally custom, hand written description. But in my experience way to few dealerships take the time to write them. Using the AutoWriter®, a Used Car Manager can generate engaging, custom looking comments in seconds. If they then spend a moment or two adding some additional info or editing the comment they can have a very strong, attention-getting, traffic-generating description with minimal work.
 
#5
I take a more analytical look at the Comment Generator (CG). IMO, I see shoppers falling into 2 classes.

#1). Shopper comparing similar units looking for best price with most features [Year] [Make] [Model]
#2). Shopper without brand preference, looking for ideas in segment (i.e. SUVs with 3rd row)

I look for leverage points in the CG. In example #1, to create separation, I work the TRIM and the HOT OPTIONS on the unit. In example #2, HOT OPTIONS along with some segment dialogue should help.

My pal Matt at HomeNet built me a temporary CG following my scripts. Our little 2 man solution is far from perfect, but with 1200 used units on the ground, if its fully automatic, it makes Uncle Joe happy! :)

Here is a 2010 Chevy Traverse CG that I fished off of Cars.com
[FONT=&quot]Seller's Notes:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] This 2010 Chevrolet Traverse has the wonderful LT w/1LT package! Options include: heated power mirrors, 3rd row 8 passenger seating, 8-way power seats, leather interior, ultrasonic rear parking assist, all wheel drive, antilock brakes, stabilitrak, stability assist, and traction control. Yes, this is a used 2010 Chevrolet Traverse, but, with 8,395 miles on it, it's tough to tell from new. If you and your family need a well equipped, super safe ride and don't want to loose $Big Dollars$ the moment you drive a new one off the lot, then this AWD Traverse is ready for years of faithful service. The October600 Sale is going on now! Everything is on sale & all offers considered! Free Sky Chief tickets Just for stopping by! Call or visit UsedCarKing.com for more details.



[/FONT]​
 
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#6
I am a firm believer in the extra cheese. Do I use it all the time...to an extent, I do. I will let it generate it and then put in custom comments into what was generated and edit accordingly. If it has new tires, put that it has new tires and make sure that it is in the first 150-200 characters so AT will pick it up and the customer will see it.
 
#9
I have to say we usually do lean on the "cheesier" end of the comments section. What we have found (much like Alex said) is that any comments are better than no comments, and in this case cheesy comments are at least getting some car buyers attention. Obviously we would love to have very concise and detailed descriptions of every vehicle on the lot, but man power and time are two constraints we all have to deal with and in this case I feel vAuto provides a really useful tool.
 
#10
I like Blue Cheese. I like delicious olives stuffed with aged crumbled blue cheese. Ummm, excuse me while I make my way to the refrigerator. :)

Joe - good suggestion and one I have made across several dealers. It's a great idea when you have a manager that can actually put the process in place.

Some comments are better than none but I also think you can have too much cheese and not enough substance. Know what each vehicle offers - know the typical buyer of that vehicle and cater to. Going over board will do exactly what vAuto has called it...Cheese!

AIUA and also be applied to writing comments.
AIUA - 4 Letters That Will Sell You More Cars This Month | DealerRefresh
 
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