Should Car Buyers be required to give their contact information to Dealers B4 we can ask a question?
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William H. Macy in "Fargo"
Be aware that many do, and more are heading in that direction.
YourBestChevyQuote.com, Americas Premiere Online Chevy Quotation Service.
" IT IS ALWAYS A BUYERS MARKET "
There are several online forums that auto dealership department heads frequently participate in. I have campaigned endlessly in these forums that dealers should simply provide answers to all questions and provide complete and comprehensive replies for request for quote and ask for nothing in return from the consumer. Drop the tricks, hooks and baiting tactics and let the straightforward information you give earn the customers business. Below is an exchange on one such forum where one dealer has interest in adding Instant Chat to his website and poses a question. I have selected one answer to his question which clearly shows how there are dealers out there that believe that in exchange for answers, the consumer should give up their anonymity. ( We all know what happens when they get your phone number or email address ) I have changed the names to protect the guilty. Let me be clear, not all dealers have this attitude but in my opinion, most do. When shopping online for a vehicle, look hard and long for the stores that do not require a phone number, or in the case of Instant Chat on their website, do not require any contact information. That alone should tip you off that they intend to drag your through the trenches to get you to the store in front of trained salespersons and managers and wear you down.
Question posed by a dealers Internet Manager looking for recommendation for a new instant chat service:
“Has anyone used or is using XXXX live chat? Or what are people using that they like, and why?”
Answer, this reply was made by another dealers Internet Manager participating in the forum.
“We are only using the 'contact at once' solution included in our YYYY.com package and in my opinion...it sucks. It's a good way for a user to protect their anonymity and ask questions of you without having to call in or show up at the dealership. They in no way have to enter any information that is passed onto us. They ask a million questions and never surrender any information. There should be a better solution that forces the user to enter an email address that is confirmed before they are allowed to do an online chat.”
For more tips, tricks and advice on buying a vehicle online, please visit http://yourbestchevyquote.com
" IT IS ALWAYS A BUYERS MARKET "
There are several online forums that auto dealership department heads frequently participate in. I have campaigned endlessly in these forums that dealers should simply provide answers to all questions and provide complete and comprehensive replies for request for quote and ask for nothing in return from the consumer. Drop the tricks, hooks and baiting tactics and let the straightforward information you give earn the customers business. Below is an exchange on one such forum where one dealer has interest in adding Instant Chat to his website and poses a question. I have selected one answer to his question which clearly shows how there are dealers out there that believe that in exchange for answers, the consumer should give up their anonymity. ( We all know what happens when they get your phone number or email address ) I have changed the names to protect the guilty. Let me be clear, not all dealers have this attitude but in my opinion, most do. When shopping online for a vehicle, look hard and long for the stores that do not require a phone number, or in the case of Instant Chat on their website, do not require any contact information. That alone should tip you off that they intend to drag your through the trenches to get you to the store in front of trained salespersons and managers and wear you down.
Question posed by a dealers Internet Manager looking for recommendation for a new instant chat service:
“Has anyone used or is using XXXX live chat? Or what are people using that they like, and why?”
Answer, this reply was made by another dealers Internet Manager participating in the forum.
“We are only using the 'contact at once' solution included in our YYYY.com package and in my opinion...it sucks. It's a good way for a user to protect their anonymity and ask questions of you without having to call in or show up at the dealership. They in no way have to enter any information that is passed onto us. They ask a million questions and never surrender any information. There should be a better solution that forces the user to enter an email address that is confirmed before they are allowed to do an online chat.”
For more tips, tricks and advice on buying a vehicle online, please visit http://yourbestchevyquote.com
TJ Wisner 15 months ago
Hello Tom,
Love the concept and your willingness to be open with the consumer. And I agree with your point about "bait a switch" and other tactics that, indeed most dealers use. Let's not even talk about the SEO gurus! However, several thoughts come to mind that I would like to discuss. Here are a couple:
- All sales are based on relationships, and if all the customer is concerned about is the quoted price, they really need help. Therefore, in your bestchevyquote system, hopefully there is a very inviting and convincing statement that will get the consumer to stop in and begin building a relationship with one of your sales professionals.
- A dealership, like yours, that has a good reputation in the community (and I agree you are in a small minority) should always come from a positive, helpful place in the customers eyes, IE: bestchevyquote idea. But, if everyone sales based strictly on margins, won't we eventually get to a point wherein all dealers will be "Walmartized" and the small guys will disappear?
-One final thought, in my travels at dealerships around the country, I have found that most sales people do really care about their customers. However, the owners and GM's, who proudly display their CSI numbers, are the ones that encourage and reward a "Get as much as you can from them" attitude. That is why they are against this, I think.
We have talked about doing lunch sometime, lets!