Complete Dealer Solutions

I’ve noticed some legitimate companies starting to send off e-mails like phone calls, using phrases like “Good Morning Aaron” or “Hey Aaron” in the subject lines of e-mails.

While it may seem ok, you’re circumventing what everyone has begun to expect from e-mails.  Unless it’s a friend or family (someone you know) it doesn’t work. 

Why?  Because every spammer does the same thing.  Sounds great because you calling to the person by their name.  That should show them you have a relationship established already right? Have you ever received junk snail mail addressed to you from a company you’ve never worked with?  E-mail spammers have the same e-mail lists most of us do: our address books. 

How?  Because most people keep an address book, and everyone loves to open up attachments.  Many people will open attachments containing viruses, which will send the address book to spammers, and then send its self along to everyone in it.  So they know your name too.

What should be used?  Telling the customer’s the reason for your e-mail.  If you’re confirming my order, state that.  If you have questions about my order using something like “Company XYZ - We have questions on your recent order”.  Did I submit a quote request to you?  “Aaron I have your quote on printing costs”.

You only have a few moments to convey to the customer why you are sending the e-mail.  If it’s something they have requested, make sure they understand this e-mail is in response to their request.  Remember, the spam button is only a click away.

- Aaron

So, does bigger = better?  Even though I’m a bit biased, I have to say no.  Actually, for web providers, I’d say the opposite is more true.

Case in point:

A client just switched over to ADP CRM.  (This isn’t a bash against ADP, they were just unfortunate to be the latest example proving my point).  Our client thought they had an issue with the software not parsing a lead properly.  ADP support sends an e-mail back to them stating the lead was not in the proper ADF format, which was then forwarded to me.

Looking at the e-mail, sure enough, it wasn’t the ADF Format, but HTML.  But none of our leads are sent with HTML, all are correctly sent as ADF.  After a quick glance, even I could see that this wasn’t a lead, but actually a message generated BY ADP software!

Now this begs the question about bigger being better?  Sure, they offer 24/7/365 support, but honestly what kind of support are you getting?  The representative didn’t even recognize their own system’s message.  They also jumped to look at just the last message, and not follow the trail back to the source.  The lead parsed just fine, but our client wasn’t used to seeing it where it was.  When dealing with smaller companies (such as us) we are more intimate with our software and can easily update, fix, whatever.  The others, it may take days to find someone who knows what they are doing to help fix it.

Food for though.

- Aaron

If you haven’t read my previous post on “Give them what they want.”   you should take a minute to read that.  Don’t worry, we’ll wait here for you to catch up.

 Since we know that customer’s have not come to your site to be entertained or have their time wasted, we should take a closer look at what they customer came for.  Each site will be different, based on your offerings.  Do you sell new and used cars? How about a service center?  Quick Lane?  Collision? Parts? Accessories?

These are the areas you should focus on.  But also, look at your supplemental information.  Why you stand out.  These items are very important (once you’ve cleared the path for the main selling features.)  These are great to have along the site of your site, or anywhere it’s relevant but unobtrusive.

Designing a clear cut navigation system it important to allow the customer quick access to what they want.  A site with a navigation button ‘Vehicles’ that goes to a page with two choices ‘New’ and ‘Used’ is wasteful.  Two buttons, available anywhere a customer is on the site ‘New Inventory’ and ‘Used Inventory’ makes a more susinct path to exactly what they want.  This should be unclutters, susinct.

Next, make sure your links describe the page you are taking them to.  Say for example you are listing 20 vehicles, next to each is a ‘Schedule a test drive’ button.  When the visitor clicks that button, if you just take them to the vehicle page, they will be confused.  If you take them to the vehicle page, and jump the page to the schedule form (or better, have the schedule form appear large and infront of them) you’ve satisfied their request without making them jump through hoops. 

ALWAYS, BOTH IN PERSON AND ONLINE, GIVE YOUR CUSTOMERS WHAT YOU SAY YOU WILL.  That means if you give them a button that says they can schedule a test drive, then make sure when they click it, it does just that.

Regards,

Aaron

What does a customer want when they visit your website? 

They are looking for information.  They are looking for a new car or ways service their current car.  They are looking for a dealership. 

They are not looking for a good time.  They are not looking for you to entertain them with games.  They are not looking to waste their time.

If you do not satisfy the general need they came looking for, everything else is irrelevant.  If they do not see the path to their needs, they will leave.  IF someone comes looking for a used car, and cannot see how to find the used cars, your big article boasting your community service event is irrelevant.  If it takes more than 3 clicks to start seeing vehicles, they will stop looking.  They don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, and decide to try the next one.

Now when you’ve satisfied their search, then everything else become relevant.  Now they see your a community sponsor, and feel better spending their money with you.

So what’s it all mean?  Realize what you visitors are coming to your site for.  Then provide the easiest way to get there, with your other information playing the supporting role.

Regards,

Aaron

Welcome to my new Blog.  My name is Aaron Hergenreder, owner of Interlink Computing, LLC and creator of our Complete Dealer Solution system.  While I don’t like to think of my company and just another web provider.  There are too many of those.  We are more web consultants. 

This means we don’t just provide your business with a website, instead we help you maximize your website, through experience and understanding of both technology and behavior.  We’ve seen many things come and go, many ‘hotest and latest widgets’ fall flat on their face.  Many were promoted by faulty or biased statistics that just do not work.

I will have quite a few post appear over the next few days to get caught up, as well as a steady stream as time progresses.

If you have any question or concerns, please leave your comments on the board or feel free to send them to me.

Regards,

Aaron Hergenreder