Dealers, start thinking like your customers!

(HOW SCARY WOULD THIS BE IF YOU WERE LOOKING AT A USED CAR AND THE CARFAX OR AUTOCHECK SAID THIS)

Dealers, it is time to start thinking like your customers. You wouldn't allow cars to sit on your showroom floor with oil leaking everywhere or with a flat tire BUT that is EXACTLY what you are doing online.

We have all been to some AutoTrader or NADA or Cars.Com presentation that they tell us 95% of all customers shop online before they ever talk to a dealer. So why would you let your online presence be anything but perfect or as good as your offline customer experience?

Of course, I am going to talk about recalls on your inventory but there is so much bad stuff I see out there on dealership websites, it amazes me. Bad pictures, cars that have SCARY CARFAX or AutoCheck vehicle history reports, bad links on your websites, terrible graphics on your website.... the list goes on. Ask your self "If I didn't work in the business and I was looking for a car to put my Mom or my wife or my sister or my grandmother in and I looked at the info on my website about our dealership and our inventory, would I buy a car from us?

Set up a process to inspect your site and online presence. When was the last time you look at your website critically? When was the last time you went and looked at your Facebook page? How about searching your name on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram? Last but not least, Google your store and YOUR STAFF. What comes up? THIS IS WHAT YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE DOING!

Ok, so now my personal issue, RECALLS! Every day I look at dealer's websites that have cars with recalls on them. If nothing else, FIX YOUR OWN BRAND! I can't tell you how many stores I look at and they have their own brand cars listed online with recalls.

What do you think that says to a customer. NOT the fact that your car has a recall BUT that if you aren't even fixing that, what else are you hiding from me?

Take the time, put in a process, figure out how to do it better.