Before purchasing a new or used vehicle, buyers do plenty of online research. They watch videos, they read reviews, they compare prices, and they consult with safety ratings before they ever commit to visiting a dealership, let alone buying a car.

In the same way, it’s important for your dealership to do its due diligence before choosing a marketing partner. After all, a lot of companies claim to help you grow your dealership through savvy online advertising—but not all of these companies are created equal. The question is, how do you choose the best marketing partner to meet your needs?

An Integrative Marketing Approach

First and foremost, seek a marketing company that takes a holistic approach. You don’t merely need search engine optimization, or social media, or Craigslist; you need all of these channels and more, united and aligned toward the same marketing objectives.

Seek a company that will offer you a big-picture view, and help you grow your dealership by using all the marketing opportunities at your disposal.

Technology and Tools

It’s also wise to look for a marketing company that has the tools and technologies you require to automate your approach, and to market your dealership as efficiently as possible.

Get My Auto, for example, is a technology company as much as it is a marketing firm, and we’ve developed tools like our website creation platform and Craigslist ads generator to help our clients be truly efficient in their marketing activities.

Custom Marketing Solutions

All dealerships are different, and what works for your competitors may not work as well for you. Be wary of any marketing company that offers a cookie-cutter approach; customized solutions are preferable.

Make sure your marketing company gets to know your dealership’s unique value proposition, its marketing objectives, and its budgetary restrictions. Don’t settle for anything less than a tailored marketing plan.

Data and Results

Every marketing firm claims that it can deliver results—but how many of them can actually prove it?

Look for a marketing company that’s committed to data transparency. Get My Auto provides dealerships with regular updates in the form of data and analytics, proving to you that we’re generating value and moving the sales needle on your behalf.

A Focus on Auto Dealerships

A final note: Don’t settle for a generalist when you could have a specialist. Used car dealerships have unique business models and particular marketing challenges. You’re better off with a firm that really understands this, and has expertise concerning used car dealerships.

Get My Auto provides marketing services exclusively for used car dealerships. We know the industry inside and out and can provide you with a tailored approach that will turn your used car dealership into a real profit center.

Learn more about the things that help Get My Auto to stand out. Reach out to us today and request a consultation!

Looking to bring more foot traffic to your lot? More online traffic to your website? More inquiries? More conversions? More benefit to your bottom line? It all comes down to marketing—and for used car dealers, there are always ways to make marketing more effective. In this post, we’ll offer 10 simple steps you could take today, all of which can yield significant bottom line benefits.

10 Steps for Improving Dealership Marketing

1. Make your website mobile friendly. To accommodate online search engine users, you must have a site that’s easy to use and to navigate across all device types. Test your site today, and if it’s not mobile optimized, contact your Web developer ASAP.
2. Start using Craigslist. A well-crafted Craigslist post can be a great way to get people calling your dealership. Plus, you can use the Craigslist Wizard app, from Get My Auto, to make sure your ads are optimized for success.
3. Embrace email marketing. Start building a database of customer emails, and keep in touch with people through monthly updates. A newsletter can be effective for simply keeping your dealership visible to potential or recurring buyers.
4. Spruce up your dealership. Curb appeal is everything! Make sure your dealership looks truly welcoming. Keep it clean and well-organized, with effective lighting and signage.
5. Start tracking your results. Any digital marketing efforts—whether social media, email, SEO, or Craigslist—should be monitored and measured. Ensure you have the proper analytics in place. Note that the Craigslist Wizard comes with powerful tracking functions built in!
6. Use live chat. Help your dealership website to be useful—and human. Start a live chat function, and let interested buyers connect with customer service representatives.
7. Start a blog. Helpful blog posts, guiding buyers through the process of vehicle ownership and maintenance, can go a long way toward building trust and instilling consumer confidence.
8. Use video. Like blogs, videos can be powerful ways of educating your buyers—helping them feel comfortable buying a vehicle from you.
9. Write compelling calls to action. Every page of your site should have a clear, concise call to action—inviting buyers to either call or come down to your dealership to look at vehicles!
10. Post customer testimonials. Your website needs trust signifiers—and the best ones are the ones generated by actual customers. Create a testimonials page today!

What’s the Next Step for Your Dealership Marketing?

Think about where you want your dealership marketing to go next—and if you need a consultation, don’t hesitate to call the dealership marketing pros here at Get My Auto. Our Orange County based agency works exclusively with used car dealers, and we’d love to show you how our services get results. Reach out to us today to start a conversation.

Before you can sell anyone a used car, you first have to earn their trust. Buyers need to feel comfortable at your dealership, and confidence engaging with your sales representatives. Given the common characterization of used car salesmen as shady and dishonest, this can be a bit of an uphill battle. With that said, there are a few things used car sales reps can do to earn the assurance and trust of buyers.

Here are eight recommendations from the used car sales experts at Get My Auto.

How Used Car Sales Reps Can Earn Confidence and Trust

1. Get the name of each customer on the front end—and make sure you remember it!Before you start into a sales pitch, make sure you know who you’re talking to—and keep reinforcing that personal connection throughout your interaction.
2. Do a lot of listening. Some sales reps chat a mile a minute, but that’s usually not a good way to earn trust. In fact, it’s really just a good way to reinforce that stereotype that used car sales reps are, well, “salesy.” Make sure you spend plenty of time listening to what your customer wants, and tailor your pitch accordingly.
3. Show some patience. You want to make your sale as quickly as possible, yet you don’t want to come across like you’re rushing your buyer through a big decision. Always give them breathing room.
4. Make sure you know your products. This one might seem like it goes without saying, yet you’d be amazed at how many used car sales reps can’t answer basic questions about the vehicles they’re selling. Be sure that you’re ready to address any specific inquiries or concerns your buyers bring up.
5. Don’t lie. Or, to be more precise, don’t simply tell people what you think they want to hear. If you need 20 minutes to talk to someone in your finance department, tell your buyer it’s going to be about a 20-minute wait. Don’t tell them it’s going to be 10, then keep them waiting!
6. Maintain a clean work area. Sooner or later, you’re likely to end up with the buyer sitting across from you at your desk. The last thing you want is to have a flurry of paperwork or a pile of fast food wrappers you need to hastily clear away. Be tidy and professional!
7. Don’t say negative things about competing dealerships. Stay above the fray and focus on the benefits you can offer. That’s what customers care about, and it’s how you’re ultimately going to win them over—with value, not pettiness.
8. Follow up. You may not close the sale on that first visit, but don’t give up. Instead, follow up! Stick with it until you get a definitive answer.

As a used car sales professional, it’s vital that you do anything and everything to make your dealership feel trustworthy—and that starts with conveying a strong sense of professionalism. Use these tips to guide you—and for more, reach out to the pros at Get My Auto!

Are you familiar with the Seven Car Club theory?

A recent Dealer Marketing article summarizes it pretty well. The idea is that, at every car dealership, there are basically three types of sales representatives. First, there are the overachievers—the people who really go all out to sell 10 vehicles or more each month. On the flipside, there are underachievers, who are either newbies or are simply burned out, and usually just sell a couple of cars monthly.

Then there are those in the middle—people who belong to the Seven Car Club. They sell, on average, just seven vehicles per month—but can never seem to break out of that pattern and do better.

Why the Seven Car Club Matters for Your Used Car Dealership

Now, obviously, having a dealership staffed by Seven Car Club members is preferable to having all underachievers! Even so, many dealerships wonder what they can do to push the seven Car Clubbers to the next level.

Realizing that you’re stuck in the Seven Car Club is the first step, and allows for a clean reset of sales expectations. With that said, how can you strive to move beyond the Seven Car Club at your dealership?

Make Your Dealership Better Than Average

There are a few ways to make that happen.

One thing your dealership can do to take its sales from good to great is to improve your response time. Notice that this doesn’t necessarily mean making your response time faster; rather, it means hitting the sweet spot. Studies confirm that the dealerships that close the most sales are the ones that respond to new leads within 16 to 30 minutes. Those that respond either faster or slower tend not to do as well.

Dealer Marketing finds, for example, that the fastest lead responders actually don’t do very well; though they may be quick, their responses can be poorly written or lacking in critical information.

That brings us to the next point—four crucial elements that every lead response needs. Including multiple vehicle options is recommended. Personalization is key, as well. Third-party references—such as reviews or awards—go a long way toward building trust. Finally, pushing phone calls over in-person visits helps ease the lead through the sales funnel.

A final consideration for dealerships looking to boost their sales: Appointment confirmation. As Dealer Marketing reveals, the sales teams with the best records don’t just set appointments, but actually go the extra mile to confirm them.

“Dealers with strong appointment-confirmation processes average more than 150 percent more appointments per month, which leads to more sales and lower flooring costs,” says the article.

Break Out of the Seven Car Club

These three simple tweaks may be just what it takes to help your sales team move forward—and get out of the Seven Car Club. To learn more about how you can boost your dealership sales numbers, reach out to Get My Auto today.