5 NEW RULES of Selling Your Vehicle Online!
Most used car buyers have been online before they ever walk into a car dealership. Car dealers have been forced to adapt (some kicking and screaming) – by building an Internet sales department, re-directing advertising budgets, and reconsidering how they price their vehicles.
Don’t tell them I said so, but many large auto dealers do a poor job of marketing their vehicles online. They know a lot about print advertising, but fewer buyers are looking in newspapers or auto/shopper magazines – and why bother? They’re out of date by the time they’re delivered. The cars pictured may have been sold before the paper went to press!
Many “old school” car dealers simply haven’t figured out the New Rules for effectively marketing their vehicles online. Unfortunately for them, they won’t get a second chance to create a first impression.
You Can Learn, Too!
If professionals are having a difficult time staying ahead of the learning curve, you shouldn’t feel bad if you are not clear on how to effectively sell your car, truck, or SUV on the Internet. It’s barely two years since I was asked to decipher the mysteries of online marketing, and to design the best method for selling used (my boss insisted on “pre-owned”) vehicles on sites like AutoTrader, Cars.com, Craigslist, and Kijiji. Luckily, it was a forward-thinking company that trusted me to experiment, knowing I’d make mistakes that we could learn from. How else to learn?
It took a year of trial and error to develop a clean, effective format for our online postings and ads. But that was only part of the learning curve. I discovered that there is a weekly shopping cycle specific to online buyers. Unless you time your ads correctly, much of your effort could be wasted. We also learned how important pictures and pricing are to attract potential buyers and complete the sale.
Developing New Rules for marketing used vehicles online increased our sales volume, and we drew buyers from farther and farther away. Customers regularly drove two, three, and, in one case, five and a half hours one-way just to check out a car we’d posted. And virtually every customer who drove that distance bought the vehicle they came to see.
Think about it. What would entice someone to drive eleven hours round trip to look at a used car?
James explains, other than great Photos, what is needed to have an effective online ad.
The New Rules
1. Bold Headline
First, the subject line has to grab attention away from all the competing ads – and for some models there may be hundreds posted.
2. Detailed Information
The text must be clear and concise, specifying all the information a buyer cares about in order to determine if your vehicle is worth the time to look at.
3. Personal Touches
Personal touches will sweeten your posting – information that only someone who cared about the vehicle would know. These make the seller seem trustworthy. Emphasize the positive AND tell the truth about the condition of the vehicle.
4. Specific Photos
Seeing the features and accessories that your buyer is looking for will catch her attention.
5. Video Walk Around
Finally, the secret weapon that induces someone to drive eleven hours is the video walk around. It’s a simple tool I love to use, even if my customer’s in the neighborhood, and it’s easy to put together. It builds an enormous amount of trust and rapport between buyer and seller, providing a load of information quickly. I know the video walk around sealed the deal for my buyers even before they came over to see the car. There’s a step-by-step guide on creating your own walk-around in Chapter 10.
HELP! NOW!
My new book HELP! I Gotta Sell My Car NOW! walks you through the 5 NEW RULES of selling your car online. I provide a step-by-step guide for selling your car online, including:
- price your car so you don’t leave money on the table
- what sites to choose, and how to market your car for FREE
- which photos do you take and how do you shoot them
- handling inquiries and test drives
- how to negotiate like a pro
- handling the paperwork and counting the money
Your time and money is on the line. Learn from the pros – learn the NEW RULES of selling your car online. HELP! NOW! is on the way.
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L. James Johnson’s new book, HELP! I Gotta Sell My Car NOW! New Rules for Selling Your Vehicle Online! is available for download at BayAreaCarGuy.com.
Auto Dealer’s Camera Recommendation for Online Photos
Auto Dealers take an enormous number of photos for online postings. I mention in my new book, HELP! I Gotta Sell My Car NOW! that many dealers do a poor job of their online marketing and badly shot photos are a big part of the reason.
You can find out what pictures you should include in your online ads – and how to take them – in my book HELP! NOW!. I also teach you how to record your own video walk around – a secret weapon that brought me much business as an Internet Manager.
When you take as many pictures as most dealers do, you need a camera designed for the specific issues you face over and over and over:
- you need a wide angle lense to capture the essentials of the interior.
- you need a flip screen (also called an articulating LCD) so you can hold the camera at odd angles and still see exactly what you are shooting.
Chad Manz is a dealer marketing specialist and online photo expert. He has worked with dealers across the country teaching them how to take online photos. There is only ONE camera that Chad Manz recommends for dealers:
A private seller can get away with the least expensive digital camera available today and still take acceptable pictures. Private sellers – or dealers on a strict budget – can see my recommendations here.
A dealer is only hurting themselves if they try to get a away with a camera that lacks the necessary features. The result will either be photos that are not up to standards, or time unneccesarily wasted for the person taking them. Either one will hurt a dealer’s bottom line.
While you’re at it, get rechargable batteries and a simple charger. You’ll also need an extra large memory card, and if you plan on doing video walk arounds, get the biggest memory card available. A mini-tripod will come in handy, along with a lense cleaning kit.
Good photos often make the difference between a car selling quickly – or not. If you are curious how to get your dealership to the front of the online photo line, as well as learning the essentials of what should go in your ad copy, get my book HELP! NOW!
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L. James Johnson’s new book, HELP! I Gotta Sell My Car NOW! New Rules for Selling Your Vehicle Online! is available for download at BayAreaCarGuy.com.
The 8 Biggest Mistakes – #7
Buying a used car can be one of the most stressful things that you’ll do this year. Yet, here are specific steps to:
- make the buying process easier
- ensure you get more than a good deal
- find a vehicle that will last you for years to come
I have compiled a list of the most common mistakes my customers have made when buying used cars. Making any one of these mistakes can cost you hundreds – even thousands of dollars more than necessary. Finally, you can get ahead of the learning curve and buy your next car with confidence.
Mistake #1 – Not test driving early in the buying process.
Mistake #2 – Not checking the CARFAX report.
Mistake #3 – Not looking at the vehicle inspection report.
Mistake #4 – Ignoring fuel consumption.
Mistake #5 – Ignoring Certified cars (CPOs) or extended warranties.
Mistake #6 – Don’t comparison shop.
Mistake #7 – Not buying from a reputable dealer.
I work at Michael Stead’s Hilltop Ford. There are a lot of small used car outlets in our area. It is heartbreaking to hear the nightmare experiences of buying a used car somewhere else.
STORY – An unemployed Brenda walked onto our sales lot one day. She told me a sad story about her last car buying experience: Less than a month after buying her used car from a small used car dealer the transmission broke down. It turns out that she hadn’t checked either the vehicle history report or the vehicle inspection report prior to buying it. Instead, she took the salesperson’s word that the car had been fully checked out.
She soon discovered that it would cost $3,500 to get the car running again. She didn’t have the money. She asked the dealership to fix the car but they refused. Brenda tried to sell the car to get out from under her remaining bank loan. But the dealer hadn’t completed the paperwork to give her a clear title. Without the title she couldn’t sell the vehicle.
Stuck, she let the car sit in its broken-down condition. Because she no longer had reliable transportation to get to her job, she was fired. When she walked onto our sales lot and asked me for help she was out of work and desperate. We went to work to get her help with her non-working vehicle, and did everything possible to get her into another car. Unfortunately, Brenda was not able to get approval on a second car loan, and the last I spoke with her she was going back to the dealer to try and resolve the numerous outstanding issues. It was a sad and unfortunate situation.
INSIDER INFORMATION – Buying from a reputable dealer will help you feel comfortable and safe in your used car purchase.
One reason that I work for a major dealership is because of the high standards and transparent dealings. I will:
- provide a free vehicle history report
- show you the vehicle inspection report
- explain warranties and the Ford Certified Pre-owned vehicle (CPO) program
- explain the Stead Certified Pre-owned Vehicle Package w/Warranty Wrap
- help you find information online
- for convenience you can even complete your credit application online
- invite you to test drive the same car more than one
There is a reason why I work where I do – and why I sell used car to my friends and neighbors – and they still like me afterwards.
And there is a reason why my friends and neighbors recommend me to their friends – and friends of friends, and so on.
See the next article in this series:
Mistake #8 – Not following your gut instinct.
