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Top 5 List

Top 5 mistakes many Car Dealers online are making.

1. Poor follow-up by Dealership Sales Reps. This usually ocurrs because they are not trained properly, do not use email effectively, don't care, or are cherry picking leads. Many leads that dealerships receive, simply do not get answered at all.

2. Poorly designed web site. Over the past three years we have found many sites that do not create interactivity with the online shopper. Do you offer new vehicle price quotes, online trade in quotes, or an email address on your site? Many shoppers are looking for a way to contact you online with questions or wanting additional info about vehicles they saw in your site. These people will simply surf on to a site that does.

3. Failure to put new and used inventory online with photos. (Web Site, online classifieds, etc..) The internet is about photos! It is what turns used car shoppers into buyers. If an online shopper sees the actual vehicle on your site or in a classifieds web site, they want to know the price and they will contact you immediately about availability. DO NOT IGNORE YOUR USED CARS ONLINE $$$$

4. Not a full time job, or no Internet department at your dealership. Many Dealers are still putting secondary importance on their Internet program. It is time to make it a full time position. If done properly it will pay for itself and then some, in a few short months.

5. Online Sales reps using traditional sale techniques on Internet shoppers. If you are using auto responders and canned response letters to answer your leads and inquiries, you will never see good results. Traditional techniques won't work. You must be prepared to answer direct questions, and give out prices that are competitive or you will not hear back from very many serious buyers. If you are receiving numerous leads everyday, but can't bring anyone in, it is usually this reason. Remember, online shoppers have access to Kelley blue book values and your new vehicle invoice prices, and will not drive down to see you to get a price.

Top 5 biggest complaints from online shoppers.

Since 1996 we have been surveying online shoppers and receive thousands of letters monthly, both positive and negative.

1. Nobody bothered to get back to me at all. Price quote requests, inquiries about vehicles online etc.. This is still the number one complaint. Even a lame canned letter is better than nothing at all. In many cases sales reps do not answer leads unless there is a phone number. Top online sales reps are email pros and use it as their primary response tool.

2.They would not answer my questions or give me a price. Some managers will not let their reps give real prices. Some dealers are emailing back MSRP and then don't know why they are receiving little feedback. Give them a good price, be professional, and prompt. The results will be immediate.

3. Their email response was just a canned letter that was useless to me. If a person asks for something specific, a carfinder lead, a new vehicle price quote, or pricing questions and you send back a canned response it really ticks them off. We know because we receive many survey responses from online shoppers complaining about this. Usually the reason dealers use canned responses is because they don't have time to respond to every lead.

4. Nothing of any value on the web site. If you really want to turn people off, don't put prices on your used cars. We have seen some down right nasty letters from people about no prices. They all agree. Why bother? Can people email you, or fill out a credit app? If I want a price quote on a new car, will you give it to me? Most People will visit 6-10 web sites when researching, so give them a reason to contact your dealership.

5. People at Dealership ignored all the information I had and were using the same old high pressure sales techniques. Many shoppers are not going to call you or drive down to see you for a price. These shoppers want ease of sale and information, and email is their primary source of communication. Developing relationships by providing them with info, will bring in buyers. If they come in with print outs you must be willing to deal with them on their terms. Make it easy for them to do business with you.

Top 5 reasons many Dealer Web sites are under performing.

1. Low traffic. Not placing web address in all ads, letterhead, invoices, business cards, etc..... Even the best web site will not perform if no one is coming to it. People must be able to see your inventory to become buyers. This is why you must place your inventory in Classified web sites that receive traffic. You also must advertise your site address in everything you do.

2. Poorly designed web site with no interactive devices to get people to contact you immediately. Way too many online brochures out there. Once they get to your site, give them access to your inventory and sales reps.

3. Failure to put inventory online with photos, prices and a contact person. Give them something to see! A picture is worth a thousand words! If you are giving them actual photos of your used inventory and prices you will bring in buyers. Having a specific contact person(s) makes it easier to control and monitor your online traffic.

4. Poor Search Engine representation. 85% of Dealers' web sites do not rank well in the major search engines. This is the number 1 way people do research online. Go to the major search engines and try to find your Dealership. Most web site designers do not put an importance on search engines and your traffic suffers. To increase traffic you must be in the search engines.

5. Failure to incorporate the Internet sales model into the overall Dealership business model. If it is still just a brochure online and no one at your dealership really takes it seriously, you won't get much out of it. If you are the boss, you need to get the ball rolling now. What percentage of your total monthly sales are Internet related and what should it be one year from now?

Top 5 reasons some Internet Sales Reps are selling cars online.

We interviewed and surveyed online sales reps that are consistantly selling cars using the internet and found these common traits.

1.Use email as their primary means of communication. If you still require a phone number before you respond, you won't be doing online selling much longer. Sorry, but if you are not answering email only leads or inquiries, you can cut over 80% of your potential sales out. Also known as cherry picking.

2. This is their full time job, and they spend at least 4-6 hours daily online responding to leads and following up. All successful sales reps respond within 6 hours of receiving a lead. They answer every lead and give direct answers to questions. They have good follow up skills and keep a running database.

3. No canned responses! They all answer each lead as an individual giving good prices and good information. To answer all leads they must have time. Canned responses don't work! It is the easy way to handle leads but does not address the needs of the shopper. Ignore the online shoppers requests and he will ignore you back.

4. Use numerous CarFinder services, classifieds as well as price quotes and inventory on their own web site. Every good online sales rep welcomes leads. It is a numbers game and if they don't have access to hundreds of leads monthly they will not sell enough to keep your Internet program running. The top reps use email effectively.

5. Have the backing of management and the resources they need to sell cars online. They understand that the Internet shopper already has alot of information about your products and the cost. they understand that the internet shopper wants to be in control of the buying process and will go out their way to provide the shopper with whatever they need. If there are Managers or co-workers working against the Internet program at your dealership, you will lose good Internet Sales Professionals to your competitors. The main resaon most Internet programs fail is because they have the wrong people running it.

Back to selling cars online

**Top 5 mistakes many Car Dealers online are making.**
1. Poor follow-up by Dealership Sales Reps. This usually ocurrs because they are not trained properly, do not use email effectively, don't care, or are cherry picking leads. Many leads that dealerships receive, simply do not get answered at all.
2. Poorly designed web site. Over the past three years we have found many sites that do not create interactivity with the online shopper. Do you offer new vehicle price quotes, online trade in quotes, or an email address on your site? Many shoppers are looking for a way to contact you online with questions or wanting additional info about vehicles they saw in your site. These people will simply surf on to a site that does.
3. Failure to put new and used inventory online with photos. (Web Site, online classifieds, etc..) The internet is about photos! It is what turns used car shoppers into buyers. If an online shopper sees the actual vehicle on your site or in a classifieds web site, they want to know the price and they will contact you immediately about availability. DO NOT IGNORE YOUR USED CARS ONLINE $$$$
4. Not a full time job, or no Internet department at your dealership. Many Dealers are still putting secondary importance on their Internet program. It is time to make it a full time position. If done properly it will pay for itself and then some, in a few short months.
5. Online Sales reps using traditional sale techniques on Internet shoppers. If you are using auto responders and canned response letters to answer your leads and inquiries, you will never see good results. Traditional techniques won't work. You must be prepared to answer direct questions, and give out prices that are competitive or you will not hear back from very many serious buyers. If you are receiving numerous leads everyday, but can't bring anyone in, it is usually this reason. Remember, online shoppers have access to Kelley blue book values and your new vehicle invoice prices, and will not drive down to see you to get a price.

**Top 5 biggest complaints from online shoppers.**

**Since 1996 we have been surveying online shoppers and receive thousands of letters monthly, both positive and negative.**
1. Nobody bothered to get back to me at all. Price quote requests, inquiries about vehicles online etc.. This is still the number one complaint. Even a lame canned letter is better than nothing at all. In many cases sales reps do not answer leads unless there is a phone number. Top online sales reps are email pros and use it as their primary response tool.
2.They would not answer my questions or give me a price. Some managers will not let their reps give real prices. Some dealers are emailing back MSRP and then don't know why they are receiving little feedback. Give them a good price, be professional, and prompt. The results will be immediate.
3. Their email response was just a canned letter that was useless to me. If a person asks for something specific, a carfinder lead, a new vehicle price quote, or pricing questions and you send back a canned response it really ticks them off. We know because we receive many survey responses from online shoppers complaining about this. Usually the reason dealers use canned responses is because they don't have time to respond to every lead.
4. Nothing of any value on the web site. If you really want to turn people off, don't put prices on your used cars. We have seen some down right nasty letters from people about no prices. They all agree. Why bother? Can people email you, or fill out a credit app? If I want a price quote on a new car, will you give it to me? Most People will visit 6-10 web sites when researching, so give them a reason to contact your dealership.
5. People at Dealership ignored all the information I had and were using the same old high pressure sales techniques. Many shoppers are not going to call you or drive down to see you for a price. These shoppers want ease of sale and information, and email is their primary source of communication. Developing relationships by providing them with info, will bring in buyers. If they come in with print outs you must be willing to deal with them on their terms. Make it easy for them to do business with you.

**Top 5 reasons many Dealer Web sites are under performing.**
1. Low traffic. Not placing web address in all ads, letterhead, invoices, business cards, etc..... Even the best web site will not perform if no one is coming to it. People must be able to see your inventory to become buyers. This is why you must place your inventory in Classified web sites that receive traffic. You also must advertise your site address in everything you do.
2. Poorly designed web site with no interactive devices to get people to contact you immediately. Way too many online brochures out there. Once they get to your site, give them access to your inventory and sales reps.
3. Failure to put inventory online with photos, prices and a contact person. Give them something to see! A picture is worth a thousand words! If you are giving them actual photos of your used inventory and prices you will bring in buyers. Having a specific contact person(s) makes it easier to control and monitor your online traffic.
4. Poor Search Engine representation. 85% of Dealers' web sites do not rank well in the major search engines. This is the number 1 way people do research online. Go to the major search engines and try to find your Dealership. Most web site designers do not put an importance on search engines and your traffic suffers. To increase traffic you must be in the search engines.
5. Failure to incorporate the Internet sales model into the overall Dealership business model. If it is still just a brochure online and no one at your dealership really takes it seriously, you won't get much out of it. If you are the boss, you need to get the ball rolling now. What percentage of your total monthly sales are Internet related and what should it be one year from now?

**Top 5 reasons some Internet Sales Reps are selling cars online.**

**We interviewed and surveyed online sales reps that are consistantly selling cars using the internet and found these common traits.**
1.Use email as their primary means of communication. If you still require a phone number before you respond, you won't be doing online selling much longer. Sorry, but if you are not answering email only leads or inquiries, you can cut over 80% of your potential sales out. Also known as cherry picking.
2. This is their full time job, and they spend at least 4-6 hours daily online responding to leads and following up. All successful sales reps respond within 6 hours of receiving a lead. They answer every lead and give direct answers to questions. They have good follow up skills and keep a running database.
3. No canned responses! They all answer each lead as an individual giving good prices and good information. To answer all leads they must have time. Canned responses don't work! It is the easy way to handle leads but does not address the needs of the shopper. Ignore the online shoppers requests and he will ignore you back.
4. Use numerous CarFinder services, classifieds as well as price quotes and inventory on their own web site. Every good online sales rep welcomes leads. It is a numbers game and if they don't have access to hundreds of leads monthly they will not sell enough to keep your Internet program running. The top reps use email effectively.
5. Have the backing of management and the resources they need to sell cars online. They understand that the Internet shopper already has alot of information about your products and the cost. they understand that the internet shopper wants to be in control of the buying process and will go out their way to provide the shopper with whatever they need. If there are Managers or co-workers working against the Internet program at your dealership, you will lose good Internet Sales Professionals to your competitors. The main resaon most Internet programs fail is because they have the wrong people running it.

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