|
|
From Search to Sale
The Internet car buyer is an elusive animal. Trying to hunt them down for the kill is not to be taken lightly. Dealers across the country continuously ask me what other dealers are doing to improve their closing ratios and CSI. I am constantly working to bring more traffic to their sites but as the old saying goes - "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink". I have compiled some things that definitely make the horse thirsty and can provide a continuous water supply, but a little help from the dealer is still needed. This month we'll work to circle through the cycle of the Internet car buyer with an effective CRM process so that you can reach and keep improved CSI scores.
The first thing that is important overall is consistency in both the messaging and the response to the consumer. We have found that once we drove more traffic to the dealer's website that the phone calls began to outnumber the electronic responses almost three to one. Not only is it imperative that you have a way to track the calls coming from your website for the actual lead, you need to track the call for advertising ROI as well. That monthly SEO or website bill yields more in ROI than your newspaper or radio ad, but you'd have to track it to know it. If you can integrate the incoming calls into your CRM system - do it. You will be amazed how effective you can be once you merge your calls and emails.
Remember, people still like to use the phone. The primary goal of an effective website is to make the phone ring at your dealership. Search engines are starting to replace the yellow pages for basic information gathering. Sixty-nine percent of people who read the paper still go online for local information. When someone finds something online, it doesn't necessarily mean that they want to wait for a response. They will pick up the phone and ask their question. Your Internet department needs to have honed phone skills to handle the questions. But even before they get to the Internet department, call your dealership and ask the receptionist for the dealership's web site address or a manager's email address. Do they know it? The majority of the time they don't. Make sure they do! Again, consistency counts.
The next thing that we found is that not all websites are the same. Some definitely convert visitors into contacts better than others. The information that we gather is really pretty simple, but sometimes we lose sight of it. Having an effective search engine strategy to bring them to your site is only as good as the site is in converting the visitor into a contact. The sites that ring the bell have easy access on the first/home page of the site to the following: new/used inventory, contact form, and finance application. These have to be easy to get to to. They should never be more than one click away. If they can start filling out the form on the first page it makes it even stronger.
The dealers that are converting their site traffic to leads and their leads to sales all have something in common. They follow-up and track every one of them. They use either a very good process or a CRM product to make sure that even if the buyer isn't doing anything for the next thirty days that they aren't forgotten; hopefully they incorporate both. Are you sending them emails on a regular basis? Emails are cheap and you want to stay in front of them until they buy. The only difference between your Internet car buyer and your showroom buyer is the method they first chose to contact you. Use the same method, email, unless you've received their permission to call them on the phone.
Now that the buying cycle is well-developed and you've determined if this customer is going to buy or die, your CRM process and/or technology should be leading the way. A buying customer should generate one set of follow-up rules while a non-buying customer should generate a second set of follow-up rules. Consistently following up with your customer, in the manner in which they requested (email or phone), will work to your benefit when it comes to those wonderful CSI questionnaires.
With a finely tuned CRM process, you'll yield high CSI scores. And with high CSI scores, you'll get more repeat/referral business. Make sure you have a good water source, and someone to mind the trough, and the horses will keep coming every time.
Todd Swickard, Chief Executive Officer
Todd Swickard founded Auto Supplier Marketing, LLC in February 2002. Drawing on his vast experience from Compaq, AutoTrader.com, and Dealer.com, he was able to compile a multi-media company that targets niche markets across the country. In less then 6 months a site was launched and over 200 dealers from across the country had been formed into a network. All this with very little venture capital invested.
A veteran of the dot com industry, Todd has seen it all. It has been his personal goal to create a marketing company that drives results with ROI and accountability. His methodology keeps campaigns within budget producing infinite results and return on investment. Todd's true measure of success is in the success of our clients.
Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) & Web Accessibility
There's been widespread speculation about the new legislation being introduced under the DDA (Disability Discrimination Act), which will ensure that websites are accessible to blind and disabled users. Try to find specific information about it on the Internet and chances are you'll come up empty handed.
Instant Relevant Web Site Content - No Its Not a Bot
In about the Time it takes to Watch a Reality TV Show (About 1 Hour) I added 10 Pages of Relevant Content to my Web Page without a Bot.
Do You And Your Website Have Credibility?
I recently received an unsolicited e-mail from some company offering me their search engine optimization services for $199. Even though I had absolutely no interest in the offer, just out of curiosity, I decided to check out this company with the various search engines.
Why Should Your Business Go O.N.L.I.N.E.
Optimize your time. How much time each day must you devote to paperwork, scheduling and accounting? You strive to meet the needs of your clients, but when chained to the obligations of business management, it's just as important to make sure the doors stay open as it is to satisfy customers. By integrating your daily tasks and taking advantage of the amazing Web-based software solutions out there, you can make more time for clients and spend less time behind your desk. Do you work from home? When your business is online, you can manage your business any place you have a connection to the Internet
PIM Team Case Study: Creating Text Effects With PHP and GD
See how you can create graphic effects on text with PHP and GD - drop shadows, arcs, fonts and colors.
Five Essential Questions to Answer Before Creating Your First (or second...or third) Website
Right after the thought, "I need a website," people usually say, "I need a web designer!" Actually, before even whispering "web design," you need to answer these five questions in as much detail as possible. Once you're clear on your strategy, you can provide better information to your web designer. And most likely you'll be pleased with your new home on the web.
You Don?t Have to be Amazon.com to Achieve 12% Conversion Rates!
That's right. According to a recent study by Nielsen/NetRatings, Amazon.com converts 12.8% of its visitors into sales.
Dreamweaver 8 Preview
August 8 2005, Macromedia announced a release of Studio 8. Based on the feedback of previous users, Macromedia made it's already very powerful software even better.
Stop Losing Precious Web Site Traffic to the Dreaded World Wide Web Black Hole
You work hard to build traffic to your web page. If you are not doing 1 simple step you are loosing a portion of all your web site traffic to the dreaded World Wide Web Black Hole.
Six Basic Reasons Why Visitors Stay On Your Web Site
1. The first page appears quickly.
Abandonment - Why Visitors Don?t Turn Into Customers
Every good Internet business understands the value of conversions versus hits received. Far too often, businesses become fixated on the hits they are receiving instead of monitoring their hit to sale conversion rate. This misguided focus is the road to ruin because it fails to take in the issue of abandonment.
Beware the Software Siren
I've heard several prominent web marketers mention in their classes and public forums how easy it is to create your own software. Why, all you have to do is run over to Elance.com or RentACoder.com and have some poor shmoe from Outer Slobvia whip out what you want. And all for the price of a few trips to Starbucks.
Cost Effective and Powerful Dynamic Websites w. Fantastico Web Hosting
If you are developing your website on a host that charges less that $5 a month, make plenty of backups as you are likely to loose your website files when the webhost goes out of business without notice. Indeed, be extremely wary of any such host. Once your website is attracting getting visitors, get your website hosted with host that does not foolishly try to over sell his server resources. And, expect to pay at least $15 a month or more for the added security and reliability of such a host.
Creating Compelling Content , Write It and They Will Come
In a previous ezinearticles.com article,"I Need real visitors, Not Search Spiders" we discussed the need for content. Well written, insightful, informative content will bring your readers/customers in and keep them on your site Long enough to hear about your products or read about the event you are sponsoring. What ever the object of your desire is content holds the key.
Now You Have a Web Site - Have You Ever Heard of Accessibility?
An accessible Web site is easily approached, easily understood, and useable for all. There are accessibility standards set forth by the World Wide Web Consortium, which all sites should adhere to as much as possible.
Building a Great Intranet Taxonomy
While it may seem like a "quick and easy" task, defining the navigation structure and organization of your intranet site will be one of the most challenging tasks you will face in the course of your project. It is also one of the most critical success factors. The site structure, also referred to as the information architecture or taxonomy, is the foundation of your intranet. Creating an effective taxonomy is as much an art as it is a science. Use the wrong terms and your users won't be able to navigate by intuition. Make your site too deep and they will never find the content they're looking for.
Creating a Sticky Web Site
When used to describe a web site, the term "sticky" refers to a site that is able to get viewers to stay at the site longer and come back frequently. Sticky web sites are more likely to turn viewers into customers.
What ROI You Should Expect From Your Web Site
Is Your Web Site an Expense or an Investment?
How to Handle Web Surfers Who Disabled JavaScript
There are hundreds of millions of Web surfers today. Each of them uses one of multiple web browsers available now. You as a Webmaster create cool web pages that are full of graphic and JavaScript and look very impressive in modern web browsers like Internet Explorer or FireFox. But ask yourself: "How my cool web page will look like, if the web surfer use Linx browser (text based) or just disabled JavaScript support?" You may think that number of Linx browser users is quite small today and you can ignore them, but search engines spiders does not support JavaScript as well. You cannot ignore search engines in the modern world.
How One Word Or Even One Letter Can Boost Conversion Rates By Over 400%!
Recently I was reviewing the keyword specific conversion rate data of a consulting client of mine. I have been working with this client for a few months now, helping her improve the sales conversion rate of her website and we have had very good results, taking average conversion rates at her site from below 1% to just over 4.3%.