For those who know me, you surely I heard the analogy between your website and your showroom (showroom). At the risk of repeating myself some, I have to introduce this article with the same analogy … it’s stronger than me!
Let’s say you hire a new Sales Director named Roger a Monday morning. Upon his arrival, Roger analyzes your conversion rate ‘between the walk-in and sales at a low 40%. A week later, after analysis, Roger decides to implement a new strategy to increase the conversion rate of 40% to 70% … His solution? Getting rid of all customers ‘not too serious’ for focuser only on really serious customers. How to sort? Roger of course the solution … Since Monday morning, we ask all officials to remain in their respective offices all day. They will not go to ‘annoy’ customers in the showroom. If a customer wants information on a vehicle, a detailed color brochure will be visible next to each vehicle. The customer asked about the promotions? Easy! They will be prominently displayed on the walls of the showroom! When the customer is finally ready to buy, it will have to choose which door to knock. Roger will of course take care to clearly display a beautiful red sign marked ‘Sales’ on the door of Representatives ‘Finance’ in green on the door of the F & I, etc … When the client bump on the door of representative rates conversion to sales will necessarily be above the 70%!
Would you let Roger try to introduce this new strategy in your dealership? I trust that 99% of CEOs Roger fouteraient as fast at the door! Of course you will say! Yet 90% of concessions treat their customers exactly how their virtual room shown …. their website.
You all know that your ‘walk-in’ decreased by 80% for 10 years. It’s no longer a surprise. Your showroom having clearly moved the world ‘physical’ world ‘virtual’ (online or Web). You have thousands of visitors monthly in your virtual showroom (website), and only dozens of walk-in ‘a week.
Did you know that on average only 2% of visitors to a traditional dealer website will complete an application before leaving the site? 2% … Why is it that dealers found that conversion rates ‘acceptable’ and continue to pay their current web solution providers? Simple … because they do not see these visitors leave the site before their own eyes. This is not seen does not affect us! If they were able to see these visitors leave their virtual showroom as they can easily see in their physical showroom, they would have no tolerance for their ‘Sales Manager’ virtual (your website provider)! The Director of virtual sales would be kicked out as soon as Roger!
From the design of the web solution for D2C Media dealer, our first priority was to deliver a website called ‘active’ rather than ‘passive’ as we know the current websites. I had a deep feeling that if we treat virtual tours so similar to physical visits, that the performance would necessarily improve. The ‘status quo’ to deliver the sites ‘most beautiful’ or ‘responsive’ or any other priorities related to the performance was not enough. We had to change drastically approach.
How about doubling, tripling often see 500% increase your number of internet requests in 30 days? Ask your D2C Media representative to present our website solution ‘active’. You are likely to dismiss your ‘Sales Manager’ … virtual!
Author: Gino Coutu
gino@d2cmedia.ca
