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A Checklist of "Must Have" Features...
In Ed French's "Guide to Pre-Owned Success" he features a number of ways to improve the performance and effectiveness of your Pre-Owned Departments. For this post we will focus on your Key Digital Marketing Asset - Your Dealership's Website.
Audit your Website Using this Checklist Template...
Audit your Website with these “Must Haves” in mind. More than 75% of dealership websites do not include these “Must Haves.” Make your website stand out above your competitors.
Your Website “Must Have” Checklist
Your Homepage must eliminate the “Pain Points” of car shopping. The Homepage has to clearly communicate that your process is different and painless.
Your Website must be Responsive and Adaptive. Responsive so that customers will easily find the information that they seek. Adaptive so that information can be used easily on a desktop computer, a tablet or on a cell phone.
You must have a Robust Unique Selling Proposition (USP). What is it about your dealership, your website and your process that makes you unique and a better choice than other dealers in your trading area.
You need Calls to Action that convince the customer that they are ready to take the next step. Do not count on that being intuitive… spell it out. Do not assume.
You need useful Tools to navigate the sale on your SRP and VDP pages. (SRP = Search Results Pages) (VDP = Vehicle Detail Pages) Tools like a price validator, a trade tool, finance widgets, finance calculator, payment calculator, etc. These are the tools that your customer expects to see on your SRP and/or VDP pages.
You need Customer Reviews… 80% of car shoppers will seek out reviews of your dealership before considering doing business with you. Online shoppers largely trust reviews submitted by other customers. Your job is to insure that you have them and you call the prospects attention to them.
You need Reliable Vehicle Content. Picture and descriptions that tell the unique story of the vehicle they are interested in. Avoid canned descriptions written on the basis of the VIN. Write the description from the heart. Highlight the history and details of the vehicle that will answer the customer’s questions.
Speed is a Critical Requirement. Studies have demonstrated that you have about 4 seconds for your site to load. If you site loads slow, the prospect will abandon you and move on. If you lose visitors, you will lose influence and ultimately you will lose sales that could have been yours. Regularly check the speed of your website and make the necessary adjustments. Fix those items that are slowing down your load time.
Avoid Excessive Use of Tools that Require Form Completion – Tools that require completion of a form to gain access to information, have a low click through experience. Don’t slow the consumer down. The use of some forms is necessary, but do not bog down the process by asking for too much.
Guiding Principles to Reduce the Pain Points on your Homepage
Transparency of Data… Make the data accessible without asking for personal information… they are less likely to comply believing that all you wanted was a way to get them into your sales funnel.
Transactional Convenience… Move the process to the next step… at the customers initiation… when they are ready… It is up to them… not your website… then they decide to reveal themselves.
Simplify the Process… “KISS” – Keep it simple! Your process should scream “It’s Easy”… “1, 2, 3… Get the car delivered to me”
As mentioned above this post was adapted from just a small portion of a chapter focusing on how to have a "World-Class Dealership Website" and contains many other suggestions. But this is a good starting point.
To learn more about this DealersEdge Published Guide, please see below...
You can dominate the Pre-Owned Business in your Market... Ed Shows you how...
75% of dealerships fail to maximize their Pre-Owned Potential. Be the Top Performer in your Market!
KPI for Success Today
Winning Inventory Objectives
Appraisal Effectiveness
Reconditioning as a Profit Center
Digital Parity- New Sales Process for Today's Digital Marketplace
Building and Maintaining a High Performance Dealership Website... and more!
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