Looking for Advice on Internet Auto Sales
I am not new to the world of sales. However, I am new to internet auto sales. I am looking to get some of the Do's and Don't's from people who have the experience.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Sue Brief on
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Welcome to what can be the most rewarding thing you have ever done, I wish you luck. As far as advice, I would say that the thing that you have to remember is full disclosure. If a customer asks for a price, give them a price, give them all the information they could possibly want and then some becuase if you dont, someone else will. I have to mention that anything any one recommends, must be approved by your management team. If you are new, the quickest way to be shown the door is to do something that management does not approve. While your ultimate goal is to get the customer to commit to an appointment my experience tells me that they will gather information and then go to see the sales person they perceive to be the most straightforward and honest. Also, SELL your product, know it inside and out. If it does not have an advantage over competing products, admit it and then go on the explain the advantages it does have. Do not ever sell anything by trashing another product, it's a turn off to customers. They want a reason to buy what you are selling and buy it from you, give it to them.
I wish you much luck in this new endeavor
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Permalink Reply by Chris Crabtree on
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I am new to internet sales as well I've only been doing it for a few month's now but i have learned a lot since I have started. Some of the best thing's that i have learned is to start using what i call wow! words. And what i mean by this is putting a little more time into thinking of a way that put's your car better than others. Such words as FAST! or COLD! A/C something that grabs the attention of the customer. For a smaller dealership that i work for my leads have picked up a ton just by re-wording things. I used to just give a description of the vehicle but now I'm writing a lot more and putting more emphasis into my descriptions.
I'm also taking more pictures of the vehicle, if your working for a company that had somebody take the pictures for you unlike i have make sure they are getting every detail of the vehicle in pictures. If it has power pedals make sure you take a picture of the button, If it has dual climate control let the customer see it. If the customer spends more time knowing about your vehicle and actually taking the time to read about everything that it has they will at least contact you and already know a lot. Now after they contact you then your sales training goes to work and that's where you get the customer in. This is just a couple of thing's that have helped me I've read the sales books but I have also been reading books on what bigger words to use, i hope this helps you out just as much as it did for me if you need some idea's for words let me know I have a couple thing's i could e-mail you, Good Luck
Chris Crabtree
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Permalink Reply by Keri Reilly on
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You also must remember that customers are like dogs, they will sense your uncertainty. If you lack confidence in your words they will know, the only way to make up for this is to admit you dont know and make sure you work for them to find out. I oversee a consolidated internet department that handles 4 stores, and 10 manufactures. Everything from Scion to Porsche...the vast differences in our makes..are also reflected in our customers.
I definately agree with Sue, FULL DISCLOSURE. The internet opens your market up beyond your PMA, if a customer drives a good distance to see your vehicle and the pictures and the information you gave them were not 100% open and honest...They will not only leave, the 10 people most people tell will turn into 30 and as internet shoppers are more likely to go online and post something regarding your ethics and put a dent in your reputation.
Good luck!
Keri Reilly
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Permalink Reply by Dennis Galbraith on -
David,
Don't just put information online as advertising bate to bring customers into your store for the grand sales opportunity. Do recognize that merchandising your products online and demonstrating the benefits of you and your store are parts of an integrated sales process. Every interactive touchpoint, human or technological, is part of the sales process. Everything else you learn should build on this foundation.
Take the time to stay in touch with dealerELITE.net. Lots of great people like Sue you can learn from. Happy to talk offline if you need more. DennisGalbraith@gmail.com or 910-339-9700.
Dennis
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Permalink Reply by Les fossett on
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Creating Consumer Confidence: The Secret Ingredient of Internet Success - Free Guide
Learn 10 techniques to establish trust and credibility on your web site.
Online retailers must make consumers feel more comfortable on their web sites, instilling confidence in order to support sharing personal and financial information and ultimately completing purchases.
get here:
http://bit.ly/CreatingConsumerConfidence
this might also help you
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Permalink Reply by Joe Webb on
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First thing to remember is... people sell cars. Technology just assists us. My first bit of advice would be to find your own way to humanize and personalize the lead management process. From pics of yourself, Why Buy from Me's, personal video introductions, etc - you need to connect with the customer on a person-to-person basis. People buy from those they like and trust - and you have to utilize the technology you have to personally introduce yourself to your customers.
Another to do, and I see this failing everywhere, an ISM's job isn't just to answer questions, but to ask them. Make sure you are engaging the customer and eliciting contact with all you send. You should never send one email without asking a question of the customer as well.
Don't - send out any automated emails UNTIL you've mystery shopped yourself and those emails first.
Do - mystery shop your competition. You'll see how easy it is to beat them.
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AMEN Joe, car sales 101 is still in effect for internet sales...Needs assesments and switching is still an important asset
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Permalink Reply by Daryl Sanders on
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send quote immediately, call and get them on phone asap, set appointment, get them in , sell the car--
No magic, lots of work.
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Permalink Reply by Kevin "Friend Me" Bradberry on
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Here is my advice about internet sales...
Internet customers should be treated just like any other buyer because in fact they ARE any other buyer. Treat an internet customer just like you treat a phone up. GET THEM TO THE DEALERSHIP!
1. Dialogue with them IMMEDIATELY via whatever method they are using to contact you, then get their phone number and CALL THEM, Set the appointment, mentally drive them to the store, give them a warm friendly greeting, finish your needs assessment face to face, land them on the right car (with your sales manager's help) build value, 100% demo, 100% T.O. and then HOLD GROSS HOLD GROSS HOLD GROSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Internet customers HAVE MONEY TOO!
remember all that and you'll be fine!
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Permalink Reply by Joe Taylor on
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Here are my tips for a new Internet consultant.
1) Read the Lead. Like the "meet and greet" with a showroom up, reading everything in the lead, from the source of the lead, to the comments in the lead, to the email address itself, can help you determine what the customer wants and expects from you.
2) Respond instantly. If you respond within the first 20 minutes you may be able to connect with the customer while they are still online. This gives you a powerful advantage over the other dealers they may have contacted. While I was an Internet Sales Consultant, my personal goal was to get the customer into my dealership and have them purchase their vehicle before they even heard back from other dealers!
3) Use the phone. While email contact is the core expectation of most Internet customers, an initial phone call to clarify the customer's needs is almost always welcomne, and, when you handle it well, is often a springboard to having them visit you.
4) Be specific. Being responsive means more than just being quick to respond. It also means that you provide a quality response. Make sure your responses are personalized and specific, and actually answer the questions your customer has raised in their inquiry. Use photos liberally. Send a short video of the actual vehicle. Send an electronic brochure. Be creative.
5) Give them options. Offer information about the specific vehicle of interest, but also give two other vehicle options (a similar model, and a new or used alternative).
6) Create urgency. Include a "call to action" in every response. End emails with a question, to stimulate a response from the customer.
7) Sell your Dealership. Why should I buy from your dealership?
8) Sell your Internet process. Why should I buy from your department rather than the sales floor?
9) Sell Yourself. Why should I buy from you?
10) Followup. Have, and execute, a plan of action for followup. Some Internet buyers are ready to buy the moment they send you their initial inquiry. Others are months away from a decision to buy. Do not lose any of these opportunitites! Treat every Internet prospect like the only prospect you will have for a sale today! Once sold, make the Internet customer a source of referrals and a prospect for their own next sale by staying in touch!
BONUS TIP: HAVE FUN !!!
The Internet area of your dealership is a goldmine of opportunity, and it is available to you 24/7. Work it well and it can propel you to the top of your sales team!
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Permalink Reply by Robert Hildreth on
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I have set up 4 stores and have a track record for success. Here are the keys not that what I read others offered will not help you but there are things to do and things that are less important when it comes down to it.
#1 Respond quickly to an internet lead. From experience the quicker the better. If you cannot get a customer a response within 15 minutes you will find many times your ability to get a hold of the customer drops as well as the irritation level. Irritation comes from you being the 5th phone call instead of the 1st or 2nd. It is really hard to build a relationship if you are the 5th phone calls because the customer either used more then one source to shop or simply clicked a bunch of dealers to get the lowest price.
#2 Get a quote out within an hour not some of the time all of the time. If they did not give you enough information for you to know what they want give them a quote on a base model.
#3 In the quote, pictures, options, and choices. This is where most dealers fail. I agree you should mystery shop. I have shopped every brand of every dealer in my area. I have also shopped several dealers I hear across the Country. I want to know who has something good and we can also learn from what they are doing poorly. By sending photos the customer can better identity in case they actually asked for the wrong vehicle. (This believe it or not happens frequently.) Also, make sure you quote a used switch car. Over half the time after talking with the customer I have found they did not want a new car but there was not a used car option on the site they used to submit the lead. Or, they would love a new car but it simply does not fit any budget.
#4 Be personal and like able. Lets face it you will have a lot of internet departments fighting for who is the best deal. I sell my cars over the competition and many times for more money because I am better liked. I give straight and honest information. I explain what I will be doing in every phone call or email. I tell them the next step and I have a smile in my voice. Helping a customer relax will greatly increase your close ratio.
#5 Follow up, follow up, follow up. I cannot tell you how many dealers give up after a short time. When shopping recently a domestic brand here is what I found. I received 17 emails the first day. Of the 17 there was 4 dealers who sent me 2 emails. 2 sent me nothing at all. While 11 sent me a single email. The next day I received 11 emails. The 3rd day I received 9. It dropped to 4 by the 4th day. By the end of the week I was down to 2. In 2 weeks I did not respond to any lead and I was still receiving 2 emails. You do not have to send an email every day. But you need a good CRM and a schedule of campaigns for follow up. My campaigns are different for a customer we have no contact with versus one we have that bought somewhere else versus someone who said they want to wait a few months. However, all of them depending on the circumstance have 6 months of heavy contact programmed and then it moves to 3 or 6 months. I am trying to maximize contact with the customer without him being too irritated with my emails and moving me to unsubscribe. For your market play with this and ask your manager or someone who is more experienced on there feelings for your store or brand. If in fact you find what I am guessing right now nobody has done this. Do not be surprised, most do not think of a prospect after a few weeks. By the way we sell at least 1 to 2 customers a month that were in our follow up system over 1 year. There reason for driving to our store? We were the only one still in contact. (Note: We also sold the unit for more gross since we no longer had competition.)
There is much much more to be successful in the internet sales game. One thing for sure is that it will continue to evolve and change.
I will leave you with this final thought...I spend hours after work reading, learning, and searching for blogs, articles, and sites on this subject. It is why I am here. By you being here it shows you are taking the time to learn new things and new ideas. What I am getting at is this is no matter how much of an expert we think we are I constantly learn I am still a novice when it comes to the vast knowledge available. Keep learning daily and never stop.
Best of luck,
Robert
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Permalink Reply by Brandon Bishop on
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Highly recommend starting with traffic. How are you getting people to your website? The name of the game with any advertising is traffic or "eyeballs". The more people that are seeing your inventory the more opportunities you will have to sell them.
Look at where your audience is: Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Search Engines. That is where you need to put your cars. Don't think for one second that people are looking for your dealership. They are looking for your cars. Give them what they want.
If you need help or suggestions of products hit me up.
Cheers!
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