Online Car Sales & No Contact Service Are The New Normal
Car dealers need to consider changing the way they sell vehicles. Selling cars without ever meeting the customer was a tactic many dealers, like yours, didn’t want to take part in. Then came 2020.
Most in-market consumers no longer want to walk into dealership showrooms to buy a new or used vehicle. The other issue dealerships face is local customers not wanting to sit in waiting rooms.
Due to car buyers changing how they want to shop for products and services, your entire sales team will need to reconsider how you sell vehicles and offer maintenance services going forward.
Digital Marketing Ideas For The Automotive Industry
Automotive companies are familiar with the funnel approach to selling vehicles. Marketing, sales, financing and service create a silo effect which tends to get the most profit from each car buyer. While the automotive marketing funnel is still a great tactic, dealerships should shift more of their efforts towards digital marketing and online car sales transactions.
Strategies To Boost More Sales
It’s not a matter of how much car dealerships spend on advertising, it’s how they use it. Some dealerships spend $1,000 per month while others can be more than $20,000 and both have the same ROI. A larger marketing budget doesn’t mean it is always a better one. When dealerships spend marketing money without converting sales, the cost per lead is not worth it.
In worse case scenarios, some dealerships are in the red because they are still using the same strategy they were last year.
So what has changed? Well, it’s a single word answer – COVID.
Almost all businesses have to change how they operate to meet county, state and federal guidelines. Most also have to change the way they do offer their products and services to remain in business. This includes offering curbside pickup, no-contact delivery and implementing new procedures to keep everyone safe.
Marketing Strategy For Selling More Cars – Buy A Car Online
Take your sales online. Used car sales websites like Carvana and CarMax offer an e-commerce shopping experience. Car buyers can browse their inventory, add a vehicle to a car and then proceed through the finance process. Both also offer car delivery services to your front door. All the consumer has to do is submit their documents online, get approved and schedule a time to have the vehicle dropped off.
The simplicity of the sale is what your dealership needs during these trying times. You want to make it as easy as possible for auto intenders to find a car and make an instant purchase. Providing them with the option to provide digital documents will also help speed up the sales process.
The other incentive to adding online car sales to your dealership’s website is the new niche car buyer market you’ll tap into – the people who have dreamed of buying cars online for years. It’s a growing customer base you want to target.
Try These Tactics To Sell More Vehicles:
Best Marketing For Auto Repair Shop
Marketing ideas tailored to the automotive service and parts industry may also need changes. Not so much the specials and promos but the way you offer services.
Foot traffic from customers walking in to your parts and service department may be down due to more and more people wanting to stay home. To accommodate these customers, many dealerships are offering contact-less pickup and delivery services. A vehicle valet picks up and then drops off the car after it has been serviced. If repairs are needed, work with a local tow truck company to handle the transport.
Try These Tactics To Attract More Auto Maintenance and Service Customers: