Page 23 - VIADA-Spring2018-Final 030518-web

BY JASON UNRAU

WHY YOUR ONLINE

SHOPPERS DON’T

TAKE THE BAIT

You think you’re dangling an enticing lure And then I did. I found the right floor plan tential customer to ‘take the bait’ on a bare
in front of your customers’ eyes. You plan and the right equipment. But what was ex- hook, you aren’t going to land many fish.
to set the hook and reel them in. But what tremely tough to find was a list price. What
you don’t know is that the lure you’re using I wanted to know is approximately what I It’s because you haven’t earned a response
is completely ineffective! should expect to spend for my desired yet. The goal for vehicle listing should be
trailer. And time after time, I was frustrat- to create warm leads; to generate true po-
Yes, that’s a nebulous analogy but you’ll see ed by the lack of pricing available. What tential sales. If someone is contacting you
where it’s going very soon. It includes a chal- was on more than 90 percent of the VLPs to find out a price, they’re already irked
lenge for everyone reading this to take a look was a statement that makes my innards that you haven’t given them information
at what you’re presenting to your customers. burn: “CALL FOR PRICE”. they want and, for all intents and purposes,
should already have from you.
From My Experience… YOU HAVEN’T EARNED A
I’ve just completed a major purchase, one CALL YET YOU DON’T WANT THEIR
that’s very similar to that of buying a car: Think of it as it applies to your online CALL

a travel trailer. I spent hours browsing on- shopping and research experiences. When And if you’re a salesperson who gets that
line, searching for just the right layout and you come across a listing that demands phone call, you’re already behind. The con-
configuration for my family’s needs. I vis- you “CALL FOR PRICE”, how do you re- versation is no longer about the product or
ited probably 10 to 15 dealer sites – may- spond? I can tell you, my initial response the experience – it’s all about price. No mat-
be more – looking for the elusive ‘white is to find another dealer who will give me ter how much better your dealership per-
whale’ of travel trailers. a price online. When you require your po- forms, there’s very little chance you’ll sway
the customer on any other metric than the
price. Can you say “Mini”?
PAC CONTRIBUTORS Take a look at your website today. Are there

vehicle listings, parts specials, or service
menu items that tell the customer to ‘CALL
Contributions October 1, 2017 - February 23, 2018 FOR PRICE”? If there are, think about how
Bronze ($100 to $249 annually) you’d respond if you were in the customers’
Arlington Motors, Inc. shoes. Then consider why your listing is
Meek Motors, LLC like that. Is it because you don’t have a price
Steve Farmer Auto Sales, Inc. available for the unit yet? Or, are you fish-
ing for price-based leads that whittle your
Gold ($500 to $999 annually) • SILVER ($250 to $499 annually) gross profit down to a nub?
BASIC ($45 to $99 annually)
If you’re fishing, you need a worm on your
Virginia Independent Auto Dealers PAC was established to solicit funds hook to get a bite. If you want customers to
from independent dealers for contribution to candidates for statewide respond to your vehicle listings, give them a
elections (Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, and candidates full, juicy, tantalizing description complete
for the General Assembly). All contributions are voluntary and with a price. n
reported to the state Board of Elections.