While some of these items may seem very elementary, I think itÕs good to review some design and functional basics on the site. With hectic schedules and changes in the Internet department, it's always a good time to review simple tactics that are critical parts of making a customer feel comfortable on your web site.
Phone number placement on the site
Is your Internet sales number placed in the top right corner or the very bottom of your web site or is it visible to customers all the time? Your dealershipÕs phone number is a call to action! Use it. DonÕt make your customer have to look for your phone number. DonÕt hide it on the Contact Us page. When they see a vehicle they like on your vehicle details page, make sure your phone number is right there Ð smack in their faces! An e-mail contact form is nice and can help conversion but some customers want to start the transaction on the phone and this helps you to better control the sales process. Text on the site should read ÒCall Our Internet Sales Department at 1-800-888-8888.Ó Get it out there and make it easy to find!
If you want to get fancy and take things to the next level, obtain services from one of the call tracking services, and use a totally designated number for this specific area on your siteÕs details page. This will allow you to track your conversions and activity from different places on your web site.
Update specials
I canÕt tell you how many dealer web sites I visit only to find they never update their specials page. The specials page is one of the most visited pages on a dealerÕs site. Why would you not keep your specials updated? Get your old-age units on there with an aggressive price. Take it a next step further and use another separate phone number on this page to track its performance.
Price, what price?
My favorite: ÒCall for Price.Ó IÕm a firm believer that you need to have some sort of pricing on your site. Our customers want to see a price, even if itÕs not a sale price; they want to know what they have to work with and if a vehicle is in their budget range. Can you imagine going to your local retailer to
purchase a big screen TV and none of the TVs had any pricing? How frustrating would that be? In the customerÕs eye, it really is the same deal. If youÕre going to have Call for Price, then take it a step further and have ÒCall 800-888-8888 for a quick special Internet price.Ó Add the phone number and make it a part of the call to action!
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Load up the photos
Photos help with conversion, so why would you have a web site without a multitude of them? Try and get a process set up so you have your photos taken right after the car has been detailed. No one wants to see photos of a dirty car! Build value in the vehicle with your photos. Do a full walk-around of the vehicle, catching every exterior and interior panel. If the vehicle has a special feature like a CD changer, heated seats or navigation system, take a close up shot of these accessories. Put that customer in the seat of that car and let them start taking ownership. If youÕre using a service for your photos, take the time to pull your cars out and show exactly what you want and how you want your photos to look.
