Phil Zelinger - AdAgencyOnline.Net Automotive Advertising  

Most profitable dealerships have a great deal of selling processes and practices in common on their showroom floor, but many of those same dealerships don't practice them on their virtual showroom - or website. The simple question is why, and the obvious follow up question - given today's available technology and integrated internet applications is -- why not?

Maintaining a clean and well organized display area seems to have survived in the virtual world with most dealerships FINALLY investing in a comprehensive and easy to navigate website with search tools and other customer friendly features. The disconnect starts with the way that these same dealers meet and greet their customers and help them make a buying decision on their websites vs. their showroom floors.

Real or virtual, conventional wisdom suggests that dealers let customers look around and get comfortable before pouncing on them to buy a car, but what about the value of the "meet and greet" to help direct them to the right vehicles and an initial manager "T.O." to confirm that the customer has all of the information that they need to make a decision? In the real world, that is usually part of the process, but it isn't being applied to the virtual showroom.

In the real world, once a vehicle is chosen and a test drive confirms that the "shoe fits" most dealerships "desk the deal" and provide the customer with a variety of payment plans and purchase options to make a decison. Sometimes they are deferred to the F&I office but certainly the customer is told how much down, how much per month and is offered various products and services to compliment their purchase; such as alarms, warranties and service plans so they can make a buying decision. Why then don't we provide the same service in the virtual world.

No, that is NOT a trick question. With the right combination of currently available internet technology, applications and integrated selling processes these proven practices can be applied to the virtual showroom!

Websites from companies like BZ Results provide realistic "test drives" and vehicle presentations that are sometimes better than the real world versions; especially if you include the examples where the battery is dead or the AC doesn't work!

Initial meeting and greeting can be covered by a remote sales staff monitoring the site with a "pro-active" chat hosted by LeadConverter and their "click to call" escallation is a manager TO that seamlessly crosses from the virtual world into the real one.

Companies like LaserStream Videos provide "virtual" spokesmodels that can walk site visitors through their virtual shoroom more consistently than the best trained real world sales staff with an "exit TO" built in through the use of their new product "Boomerang."

What about the F&I and desking features? Surely site visitors have to be directed to filling out a credit application so the dealer can email them a quote; right? WRONG! Ai Dealer has developed an online shopping cart that allows customers to ask and answer all of these questions while they are still online. All that is left is cleaning the car and having them stop in to pick it up; just like in the real world and CarFolks.Com even meets your customers there as well!

The point, the ability to replicate the real world buying experience on a delaer's showroom floor can now be transferred to the dealer's website; so why aren't they doing it? Simple, they didn't read this post and they never visited a vendor networking portal that features these, and other similarly valued, vendors. The portal is AdAgencyOnline.Net and the offer to visit and/or join the site as a contributing vendor is open to all new technology providers and any dealer wise enough to challenge the disconnect between their real and their virtual showroom.

Isn't technology fun!

Written By: Philip Zelinger, President, Ad Agency Online, L.L.C.