Every contributing member of Dealer Elite knows the answer - or they should; of course we need to give the customer the price. The real question is when, what and how!

One advantage that virtual showrooms have over real world showrooms is their ability to provide information - including price - more efficiently and in a more transparent manner. The problems start when we don't use that to our advantage as well as the customers who can now change the dealerships that they are "negotiating" with as fast as they used to change channels!

Low prices posted as either "loss leader specials" or competetive "one price - best price" strategies were fine in the real world when the customer used the newspaper to flip through for the best price on the car they were looking for without reading the fine print that qualified the offer to one stock number or explained the $5,000 down that existed in the disclaimer. Once they drove to the dealership the keys on the roof or the fast talking salesperson still stood a chance to sell them something today since they were tired or running out of daylight and they wanted to buy a vehicle - although "tomorrow's sale and future service" became much harder to save.

Well, tommorrow is here and our reputation has preceded us onto the Internet which is why so many customers prefer it over the real world experiences that drove them online. Unfortunately, the Internet has a completely different set of challenges when it comes to price so our own previous real world experiences have little value on our virtual showrooms.

Many dealer's first experience on the Internet was to use the same pricing policies as they did in the paper. That practice gave them the WRONG impression that you can't make money on the Internet. Their expectations were that if you don't post your lowest price then the customers will not stay on your site and they will go elsewhere.

Well, maybe - but aren't they going to do that anyway? Online relationships are just as large a part in the "buying" process as they used to be so the "best price" isn't always the lowest price. That wisdom survives onlne becasue the human nature that drives the buying decsion survives.

Social networking sites level the price playing field as like minded consumers compare notes before, during and after their shopping/buying cycle and dealers need to join in on the conversation during the formative stages. Inventory marketing search portals like ronsmap.com allow posting auto dealers to put their customers to work for them as they rely on the C2C comments generated within the social networking communities that their shoppers push their selected vehicles to for their opinion; and yes -- price definitely comes up in the conversation! A non competitive price will not only eliminate the vehicle but it will likely brand the dealer as the one to take of the short list to visit in the real world!

The solution is "TRANSPARENCY" - "HONESTY" and EFFICIENCY" in delivering a fair price on the vehicle that they are online looking for first - followed possibly by the one that they need as well as providing information on other key decision factors like trade-in value and financing with fast and easy answers - NOT MORE QUESTIONS!

There are several newly developing Internet applications that expedite the "negotiation" - or more accurately defined information - processes. Live Chat and click to call applications, online transaction tools like Argistics AutoTransaXion, links to trade-in values on credible third party sites or appraisal platforms like GetAutoAppraise, comprehensive credit and payment calculations and legitimate online live negotiations ranging from a self serve desking tool to a fair market bidding application.

I am not limiting my suggestions to "conversion tools" that are designed to force a real world visit or a disconnect to an email or phone call to get the price and the relevant buying information - I am suggesting actual disclosure online - real time - to arrive at a fair price that will survive competitive shopping based on the RELATIONSHIP earned by a transparent negotiation on the virtual world that will transfer to the real one that will earn today's sale while preserving tomorrow's service and future sales.

Of course I don't want to limit this forum - the question or the answer - to my brief comments.

What do you think and how do you post price - OR NOT?