You know your prospective customers go online before ever making it through your doors for a test drive. You know that your customers who are going to hand over tens of thousands of dollars to you are going to do their research, with 38% of car buyers only visiting one dealership and 52% only test driving one vehicle.

And online reviews are a huge part of that research. So how do you stay ahead of your competition in the online reviews landscape? Get more reviews, silly. How.? Just ask. Simple right? You’re probably thinking, “The sales floor already knows to ask, silly.” Well, how about going a step further?

Here are a few ideas:

1. A window cling on the door saying “find us on…” and naming the review platforms like Cars.com, DealerRater.com, and Google reviews.

2. A tasteful sign on the finance person’s desk--which is the final stop before handing over the keys, right?

3. You can always print tags asking for reviews, and attach them to keys of the new car--kind of like a valet does.

4. Also, many review sites provide you signs and if your company has many 5-star reviews, they also give out awards you can post throughout your office.

5. Provide a card, like a reminder of the new car’s first service appointment, and in the corner ask for a review and add the URLs of the profiles you want them to review you on.

6. Have a ‘thank you’ or give-away bag that includes a card asking for reviews. Make sure to offer some serious swag. People love free stuff.

7. If your customer is leaving with a receipt or folder with business information, add a review request in there too.

These gentle reminders are a surprisingly impactful way to help you get more reviews. First, it lets customers know you care about their opinion and want to hear their feedback. Second, customers can easily see which review sites you are on and where their review will be most appreciated.

And remember, creative ideas and visual cues like those mentioned above should always be enforced by your sales team and whoever interacts with your customer. Now get started getting those reviews.

If you are pumped and ready to get more reviews, then this free eBook is a great next step. Download “How to Get More Reviews (Without Spending Hours Online)” now.

With 88% of your potential customers starting their car purchase online and 78% of them going to third-party sites during the car buying process, it's extremely important that you monitor what your customers are writing about your business.

We know. There are so many third-party customer review sites. Who has the time? That's precisely why we've created a list of the top sites that you should monitor. 

Why are these the top review sites for automotive businesses?

It’s important to get your customer reviews on automotive sites that prospective customers know about and visit. The more often a potential customer visits a review site, the more likely they are to read and post reviews there. The is especially true for higher web traffic sites with has lots of users. And this suggests it’s easy to frequent visitors to leave a review—having no need to go through a lengthy registration process.

1. Edmunds.com 

While the reviews on Edmunds.com are more product-focused than dealership-focused, it's important to know what people are saying about the product you are selling. Customer reviews on Edmunds.com do call out the dealerships from time to time, so it would be good to monitor Edmunds.com on a weekly basis. 

2. Cars.com

Cars.com lets the user see reviews of the product, dealership, and employees because they integrate reviews from our #3 choice, DealerRater.com. Cars.com makes it very easy for users to leave a review--they do have to submit their email address. 

3. DealerRater.com

DealerRater.com let's potential car buyers see customer reviews of the dealership/staff, service reviews, inventory, car recalls, as well as awards the dealership has won. DealerRater.com makes it easy to leave a review, and it an excellent resource for car buyers and dealerships alike. 

4. CarGurus.com

CarGurus.com offers potential car buyers many ways to find a car: by Used Cars, New Cars, by distance, and by Research. CarGurus.com makes it very easy for users to review the dealership and/or the car itself, and it provides a very handy price analysis tool.

5. SureCritic.com

SureCritic.com distinguishes itself from the pack by focusing on their Verified Reviews. The site's motto is "Never Filtered. Never Deleted." They have access to all the dealerships' that are featured on the site Point of Sale system to verify customer status. SureCritic.com is also a great review site for Mechanics. 

If you're feeling ambitious and want to go beyond these five sites, make sure you tackle the bigger, non-industry-related sites like Google reviews, Facebook, and Yellowpages.com.

Online review monitoring is not only a great way to find out what your customers thinking about your business so you can make changes if needed. But it's also a great way to build relationships with your customers so they buy their next car from you. And most of all, it's important to respond to the bad reviews in a timely manner before a mountain is made out of a molehill. 

Ready to take the next step in growing your business with customer reviews? Then this free eBook is a great next step. Download "How to Get Your Customers to Do Your Marketing for You" now. 

Want to get ahead (and stay ahead) of your competitors? All you need is a great product, online reviews, and customer experience. Here's why. And 5 steps how. 

The automotive industry (which as you know is already hyper-competitive) faces increased disruption and change from the presence of online reviews along with challenges from electrification, longer lasting product, and increased repair “complexity.”

Automotive retailers and service centers must also adjust to also a new generation of consumers armed with online reviews from friends and family, forums filled with product specific advice among an arsenal of new digital tools, marketplaces, and even Youtube videos.

Managing and Monitoring Online Reviews

Did you know monitoring and managing online reviews can help grow your business? Do you know what review sites you should be monitoring? Well, keep reading, we’ll cover all that and more because online reviews is an equalizer those impact has cut across the industry. It is as concerning to get a negative review from a local customer, or famous Youtuber.

Managing online reviews is a necessity for every corner of the automotive industry from traditional marques like Mercedes, Toyota, General Motors or BMW, used car dealerships, and service centers to bespoke hypercar producers like Koenigsegg, and Mclaren. Review management is as critical for local tire and mufflers shops as it is for customizers who sell forced induction and performance chips.

Reviews drive revenue.

Surveys indicate that consumers read reviews (and responses) before making a purchase, or deciding which merchants to select. Salesfuel reports that consumers consider dealer reputation to be more important (59%) than selection (51.8%), Willingness to Deal/Negotiate (43.1%), or Location (33.3%).

Delivering a great experience and a great product is key.

The key to “solving” the online review challenge is by starting from the beginning by delivering a great customer experience. Salesfuel reports that 99% of consumers expect their automotive retail experience to be hassle-free.

From dealers to repair shops, there is a clear industry-wide gameplan to deliver higher quality service from free coffee and snacks, pickups and drop-offs, to simply answering the phone faster. Also, improving waiting areas, and improved customer communications like live web chat, faster responses to emails, and direct messages are all great steps to providing a stellar customer experience. 

How do you know if you're delivering a stellar customer experience? 

Your sales and service teams have committed to deliver a “great” experience, but how do you know that you have? How do you ensure that anywhere consumers interacted with your business (every touch point) the result was positive? More importantly--if any aspect of the customer experience was subpar, how can you discover it before it shows up in an online review? It’s critical not to wait until you (and prospective customers) find out that someone wasn’t satisfied. You've got to be proactive in today’s automotive business in order to stay competitive.  And here's 5 steps on how you can do just that. 

5 Steps to Proactively Manage Your Customer Experience
It starts with surveys, includes active online review monitoring, and ensuring timely and prompt responses to reviews (both the good and the bad). Remember to follow these key practices to maximize your revenue in 2019 and beyond:

Step 1: Survey says, you need to incorporate surveys into your business. Large national companies are already doing this. It’s now affordable for regional and local businesses to survey. Right after a sale is the “right time” to ask for feedback. You can also survey at major milestones like a one-year purchase anniversary.
Why? If there is a problem, most consumers would rather give your team the opportunity to fix it. Customers whose complaints are promptly addressed to their satisfaction are more likely to become loyal customers, and less likely to leave a bad review.

Step 2: After you ask for their feedback (survey) ask your customers to leave a review.
Why? Because 40% of consumers only trust reviews written in the last three months, and most people value recent reviews over old ones. A higher review volume means both search engines and customers trust you more.

Step 3: Online review monitoring and management is a continuous process that has to be supported during every shift.
Why? Consumers who read online review give more weight to recent reviews and then read the responses. If you're not monitoring the reviews, you can’t respond in a timely manner.

Step 4: Develop an online review game plan that is focused on delivering great customer experience. Include a variety of messaging for both good and negative bad. Make sure you switch up your responses rather than sticking to a single “script.”.
Why?  89% of folks reading reviews also read responses.

Step 5: Make sure your business information is up to date.
Why? Your customers may get confused if they see different hours/addresses on various sites, and it will help search engines correctly identify your business as well.

How can you get new (and fresh reviews) on top automotive sites?

There are several ways to collect more reviews from your customers. You could manually send follow-up emails, include links or codes on receipts, or just ask in person after you've closed the deal.

Or you could always automate. The most effective way to boost review volume is by automating the process with review management software. Automation enables you and your staff to ask every customer for feedback and alerts you whenever you receive a new review.

The bottom line for the automotive industry: Reviews are only becoming more important within the industry. To dominate the local competition and earn prospective customer’s trust, you need a review management strategy in place. This will not only earn you a great online reputation, it will also help you understand your customers on a personal level so you can consistently exceed their expectations and keep your spot at the top. It’s a win-win scenario. Now start getting those online reviews!

Ready to get started? Then this free eBook is a great next step. Start reading "How to Get Your Customers to Do Your Marketing for You."

It's the most magical time of the year. When you're all swaddled in your sweater and sipping hot cocoa in front of the fire, you're not thinking about the online reputation of your car dealership. (Nor should you, you deserve a break.)

But while you are enjoying those extra marshmallows, there could be someone (a former customer, perhaps?) sitting in front of his laptop. We'll call him Mr. Grinch. There is no cocoa. There is no fire. The only light flickering on this guy is his screen, which is parked on Google reviews. And there's the name of your car dealership. And he's writing. Oh dear, there are a lot of exclamation points. But very few stars.

We really want you to go on enjoying that cocoa. But we also don't want what Mr. Grinch wrote about you to hurt your business. Don't let him steal your Christmas. Because you still have time to save your online reputation.

Here are 4 reasons why you shouldn't wait until the new year to improve your online reputation:

Reason 1: 92% of consumers read reviews before choosing a business.

You do it too. Before choosing a movie, you consult online reviews to ensure you don't waste the next two hours of your life. You look at Yelp before you try a new restaurant. You consult those star ratings on TripAdvisor to ensure your next vacation does not include bed bugs. Face it, you use online reviews to make decisions every day. And so do your (potential) customers. When you're looking for that oceanfront suite on TripAdvisor, are you going to use your hard-earned dollars on a place with less than a 4-star review?

Reason 2: 71% of consumers buying new services/products start their research with Google reviews.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if:

-Potential customers looking for auto dealerships actually find you on the first page of Google (Google reviews help Google find you, by the way.)

-Those customers read really great things about the cars you sell and the service they received.

-They are really impressed by how you respond to your customers who take the time the write a review.  So impressed that they chose you over your competitors?

And wouldn't it be even more magical to have of all these steps happening to your business right around now: before the holidays;  kids are out of school; lots of big, car-like gifts to be purchased? Then you'd have more money in your pocket to get that deluxe, oceanfront suite with the balcony.

Reason 3: 77% of consumers say reviews have to be written within the last 3 months to be relevant.

Sure, you could make it your New Year's resolution to improve your online reputation and grow your auto dealership. But those people researching you and your competitors want (and trust) reviews written within the last three months. Those reviews from last January--that last time you resolved to get more online reviews--aren't going to cut it. Online reviews have a shelf life, so you need to be getting those reviews now in order to harness their power after the holidays.

Reason 4: Focus on your online reputation and see an 8% increase in revenue in 6 months.

Businesses that actively used BirdEye, an online reputation management tool,  to automate their review collection for at least 6 months grew a whopping 8%. Yes, Christmas can come early this year. BirdEye will take care of managing your business's reputation for you--from managing your reviews to responding to your reviews to asking your customers for reviews.  See, you can have a stellar online reputation and your hot chocolate too.  Just call us at 1-800-561-3357 or schedule a demo.

Ready to start getting more online reviews? Then this free eBook is a great first step. Start reading, "How to Get More Reviews (Without Spending All Your Time Online)" now.