In a 24/7 online connected world, your software technology and sales dashboard can be the make-or-break factor in how many cars you sell. You need to attract potential buyers to your website and keep their attention long enough to convince them to visit your dealership. Once at the dealership, making it easy to do business quickly and simply will convince them to sign that all-important bottom line.
Here are some suggestions for software technology and sales management tools that can help you achieve successful auto sales right now and into the future.
Is your dealership's website doing enough?
On average, you have a maximum of 10 seconds to grab a potential buyer's attention, starting with your website. Your car sales website needs to be informative and attractive, but also lean enough to load on a mobile device in less than 10 seconds. Good search engine optimization and regular social media posting will boost your car dealership's visibility and can get people to click your dealership's link, but you'll lose their interest if the page takes too long to load.
It's also important to think about the information your visitors need, such as vehicle reviews, competitive comparisons, and video walkthroughs. Sharing customer testimonials and community activities will convince visitors you're authentic and someone they can trust. The longer you keep visitors on your site, the better the chance they'll pick you to buy their next car.
To guarantee you reel them in, make sure it's clear what you want your visitors to do while they're on their site. This means having a call-to-action button that stands out and encourages visitors to take the next step, such as submitting their contact information, booking a showroom appointment, or telling you what car technology they're interested in. All that information should then go into a customer relationship management (CRM) tool so your sales team can follow up on every lead.
If building a website with all of these features sounds overwhelming, don't worry. There are plenty of experts you can consult or even hire to build and manage your website so you can focus on building your business.
Seamless selling, from lead to buyer.
Managing and following up on leads can be streamlined by a CRM platform. If the people who answer your email blasts, direct mailings, and website contact forms are spread out over multiple platforms and software packages, it can be difficult to monitor who's interested in your business and who on your sales team is engaging with them. A strong CRM collects all of this information in one accessible sales dashboard. It should be accessible by your sales team wherever they are—whether in the showroom, in the car lot, on a road test, or even at a potential customer's house.
Once your leads are on your sales floor, you often don't even need to sell them on a car. Most buyers have already done all their research online, hopefully on your website, so they already know everything about the car they have in mind. Now, it's time to seal the deal and convince them to sign on the dotted line—but here's where you have an opportunity. People really hate paperwork. And thanks to the internet delivering everything instantaneously, nothing kills a budding sales relationship like a mountain of paperwork. App-based financial tools can be securely loaded on a tablet, giving your car dealership a modern finesse and making it easier to work out a deal with your buyer. Trade-in appraisals are another time-sink many buyers loathe to endure, but algorithm-based appraisal tools are more accurate and more efficient than ever.
A smooth-running CRM can significantly speed up tedious credit checks and financial paperwork. And by using smart financial apps and encrypted connections, required car sales signatures can be obtained on a tablet, right in the showroom, or even remotely—whatever suits the buyer's convenience. When it's time to make the final transaction, you can take multiple payment methods on a tablet, smartphone, or smart handheld payment device, making it even easier for your buyers to do business with you and get behind the wheel of their new car.
Comprehensive sales management tools boost auto sales.
One of the best ways to boost auto sales is to focus your sales efforts on a modern website, sales dashboard, and other technologies. From lead generation to sealing the deal, today's sales management tools take you every step of the way.
To attract and convince today's tech-savvy car buyers, you're going to have to get a little tech-savvy yourself. With the right auto sales software technology, you'll see more happy customers driving off your lot.
