Internet Manager In Request of Advice

I am relatively new to the business--1 1/2 years.  I've worked mainly on the internet, but spent time as a "floor salesperson". My love is the Internet customer.  I know my product line, and can answer most questions on vehicles, pricing, etc.  My close to lead percentage is above average (14-20%). I believe in customer service to get customers in and purchase.  I previously did "a to z" but recently changed dealerships due to a move. I am now doing lead response, appt setting, greeting the customer, and handing them to a salesperson.  We don't really purchase 3rd party leads...the dealership is doing a lot of budget crunching, and don't think that is an option. Our internet traffic is about 120 leads per month.  

My question is..any ideas to ramp up my internet leads without spending money, or very little.  We do some Facebook, but that is mainly controlled by a separate dept.

I think there are some improvements that can be made on the dealership website as far as user-friendliness (finding the car and packages that the customer is looking  for)--and I am working on that.

Any info?  I've read some of your threads and found some info but it doesn't really answer what I'm looking to do.

Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Melissa Lusk on January 31, 2014 at 6:03pm

On it!  Thanks! Good tip.

Permalink Reply by tim elliott on January 31, 2014 at 5:56pm

So...If I may ...can I ask you a few questions ?

What is your Brand ? ..is Chevy , Ford ? ...What is the size of your market? What are your total store sales numbers YTD ? 

Who controls the marketing check book ? ...How old are they ? .....

So I noticed you are a girl/women. From a 30 year male veteran of a male dominated industry your gender is actually your #1 resource. If you have decided to make Retail Automotive your career ...you can make it a gold mine by remembering that over 50% of car buying is done directly by women. women influence 80% of the buying decisions. That said ...women would rather buy from women.

Forget product knowledge !! That can all be found on-line ....do what you do best....build relationships. Ask a women you know why she bought her last car where she did....she will say "because they were so nice to me"....not because the guy told her about the CID of a Hemi V8. 

Start today to build your personal brand ..."No fuss from Lusk" ....'Autos by Melissa....where women buy their cars". The digital tools you have today via Youtube , Google + , twitter, Instagram allow you to build your own audience for free....well almost free....I takes desire, drive and time. 

Let me know about my questions ...I will let you know latter why I asked them....

Elliott- I am Human 

Permalink Reply by Melissa Lusk on January 31, 2014 at 6:07pm

I am at a Hyundai store.  I have definitely seen what you are talking about more when I did a to z.  We have over 100 salesman in our 7 stores, and about 5 women--and they do amazing. When I did a to z I was selling 20-30 cars per month. I know that I should be able to do even better.  I love this career. I come from a customer service background, but I love the customer interaction selling cars. 

Permalink Reply by Melissa Lusk on January 31, 2014 at 6:26pm

Also, we sold just shy of 1500 new Hyundais in 2013.  We have 71 out this month.  I am in the Baltimore area..so the DC,VA,MD market.  I am part of a dealership that has 5 brands and 3 used lots in one location.

Permalink Reply by Marty Mecca on January 31, 2014 at 6:31pm

I OWN a 2013 Tucson and so does my daughter.  I worked at HMA for 19 years and even opened up the new Region down in TX.  Prescott AZ is GREAT\

 

Permalink Reply by Robert Hildreth on January 31, 2014 at 7:42pm

Hello Melissa,

My background is creating and/or updating Internet Departments.

If I was to walk in the door here are a few steps that should be in place to have a solid foundation before more leads are sought.

1. Do you have an active and good working CRM in place. Before buying leads you can market to the database and find 

business from both those who bought in the past or those who did not buy from you at all. I personally go after those who put an inquiry to us more then 6 mos but less then 1 year. Many of them put in a requests but never pulled the trigger and are easy to talk to. Since you are the only one that would be trying to talk to them. (How long does it take to make a phone call and send a nice email to them.) There are many things that I can do with a CRM and you can to and this does not add any costs to the budget when your CRM is solid.

2. Get active in the community. While anyone can do this and I suggest it. It is nice when they realize you are the E-Commerce Manager as the public perception is you are cheaper to deal with than a retail person.

3. I saw a suggestion about Getlisted.org. (By the way there is also Yext.com) I would run a report and then look at my local citations. You can knock out those sites and put in the data one by one without signing up for the service. (Important: Make sure the data you put into YP.com matches what you put into Merchant Circle.com.) This will boost your SEO. However, it must be the same address, phone and description or it throws off the filer. Most mistakes are made by simple things like using Ave. on 1 site and Avenue on another. It does make a difference.

4. Start working with your floor staff on getting reviews. While they may not care ...you will. Internet customers are going to Google your reviews (Over 80% of them ) after finding out you wish to do business with them. Maybe you have done this yourself. (Keyword search Reviews ABC Motors) then you decide of you want to do business with them. It is amazing that the lowest price is not the biggest factor in selling a car over the net.

5. I heard your comment about 3rd party leads....1st if you are the only one who is answering leads you have more than enough to supply your pipeline. Depending on the skills of the Manager the right target number is 80-120 leads. Keep in mind that you should be working leads from the last month who did not buy and the month before that. We all have a max capacity where when given too many we are not going to work all the leads as they should be. At 120 it is time to look at possibly getting a partner splitting the leads and going after another source.

Before picking the source you need to have a sit down with the potential vendors. I have a spreadsheet and a ROI (Return on Investment ) sheet I kept up to make sure it made sense. You will notice your close ratio will drop but as long as you maintain a high enough % then not only does it pay for itself but it makes sense why you are adding these leads to your follow up. This is quit necessary until you have your SEO fixed and to have a proper Website optimized takes months. So in the meantime are you losing customers to the competitors who are on these 3rd party sites? (Depends on your market)

There is so much more to tell and only so much time..if you have questions and want to chat I am a phone call away. One last thing...I love making everyone I talk to laugh....buy from me or not...be honest, give good information and you will get a great reputation for those who want to do business with you.

Robert Hildreth

Permalink Reply by Melissa Lusk on January 31, 2014 at 8:11pm

I would love to chat.  I do have a good CRM, and although some in our dealership don't like it, it does the job.  When I stepped into the position, the last person had left and I did not have access to the previous leads...I started fresh this month. I have since gotten access to them and am working them feverishly!  I agree that old leads are not dead--I actually delivered a car just today that inquired back in September! I have actually been trying to preach about the dealer reviews and didn't get much results from the sales staff, I have since taken to talking to our customers myself at the delivery.  I have been working on our listings all day since getting this feedback and am facing some challenges that I will address as soon as possible! 

I do think that if I follow the suggestions I have received we will see an improvement, but over time--curious to see how long it takes!  I wish I could get an investment in leads in the interim, but cannot get the purse strings to loosen! 

I see that there is a lot to learn, but I am up for the challenge! 

Permalink Reply by Robert Hildreth on January 31, 2014 at 9:11pm

As long as it is still fun you will enjoy your work.

Robert Hildreth

robert@warriorwebmasters.com

888-787-4502

Permalink Reply by Tim Marvel on January 31, 2014 at 9:45pm

Any place your dealership name is posted should direct the customer to the net. Sounds like your a process person, how long is your process? How many calls are going out?

 

Permalink Reply by Adam Denault on January 31, 2014 at 11:09pm
Melissa, I have a similar background as you. I actually started off in a BDC, worked my way into sales and 2 years ago into the ECommerce Manager role. I love what I do and was passionate about the experience I provided my customers.

Both Tim and Robert have great points about the lead maximum as well as making sure you are being found. Reputation management is very important as Google says customers visit 1.2 showrooms during their process. I had one of my "old school" car guys get a call today from someone who saw his reviews online and wanted to do business with him because of his reputation. He was blown away.

In regards to directory listings I use Yext as it is easier to log into one portal vs many.

Have you considered adding chat to your site if you don't have it? I have found the leads are usually lower hanging fruit.

With the website optimization and 120 leads a month you might want to consider some help as it can get overwhelming.

One last thing, if you haven't read it download Google's ZMOT. It is a short read and really goes through the online process.

I am happy to help, please free to email or call with any questions.
Permalink Reply by Robert Nolan on February 1, 2014 at 12:38pm

Melissa: First thought – keep doing what you love and the other things will fall into place. Second: Develop a plan that shows what the outcome (financial) is based on your history of internet sales, both present and previous company.  

What are the profits (you may only be able to guess at first but the dealer may want to crunch their own numbers) based on the % of sales to leads. What is the ROI on investing in internet sales vs. other advertising media?

It appears you have the ability to close a deal, make a profit for the dealer, now they just need to see or hear why they need to support your department. Best of luck, Bob

Permalink Reply by Fred G. Slabine on February 1, 2014 at 5:17pm

Hello, 

One inexpensive way to develop your internet audience  that your dealer will like, is to blog, blog and blog some more. Blog about your car lines, what is it about a popular model you sell that makes it a great value. Blog about why they should buy from your dealership, what are the benefits, try and personalize it with referrals from people who initially had some second thoughts about buying a vehicle.

Develop pages on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and any other way social media you can get involved with. On your blog posts offer your readers a reason to come to your website "WIIFM" "What's In It For Me" that is called a CTA "Call-To-Action" that can be a free how to ebook, whitepapers, and or videos maybe a walk around a model that is very popular to start with and then move on to other models.  

Connect your CTA to a database to collect their info name, email address at first, try not to be too intrusive at first, follow the guidelines from CAN-SPAM Act. 

This can be a good start for you. You can learn a lot more from my ebook "The 30 Greatest Lead Generation Tips, Tricks & Ideas" I hope you enjoy the read.

Smile and good luck. 

Fred Slabine

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