“Think like a customer and not like a dealer (when was the last time you bought a car from a dealers website?). Getting visitors to your website is hard enough but once there, you want them to complete a lead form or phone you so you can close the sale. On average, around 950 out of every 1000 visitors leave without doing this – start focusing on giving visitors what they want, when they want it to improve conversion”.

 “Nobody likes being confronted by aggressive sales people when they walk into a store, nor do they like being ignored and left to fend for themselves, so why should it be any different on your website? Keep your home page clean, simple and informative and make sure your navigation and the language you use, works for the users – ask your Mum if she can find her way around the web site without your help”.

 “How much of your marketing spend gets wasted and do you know which channels or campaigns generate the most profitable leads?  You have spent a lot of money on advertising to get visitors to your website, so why not track what they do when they get there?  Your web supplier can show you where visitors “drop off” your website or where they go around in circles.  Compare your performance with your competitors and with other industries

Like anything, input equals output, so the value the website brings to your business will be only as good as the time and resource you invest into it.

I am delighted that autotorq is sponsoring the ewards again this year and based on the 2009 judging session, we are in for more healthy and heated debate on what makes a good website.

Over the last year, consumer expectations and sophistication have increased rapidly, driven by advanced offerings in the retail and travel sectors, but I would question if the automotive industry as a whole has kept up.  If your website isn’t up to scratch, then potential customers will go straight to your competitors!

In the following months I will focus on how to match your online presence with what users really want, by focusing on 4 main themes:

Is your web strategy integrated into your business strategy? Your online presence must be viewed, managed and developed as part of your overall acquisition and retention strategy.  We have been refining our ACR methodology (Attract, Convert & Retain) to help integrate your website into your business strategy to drive sales to new levels.

Social Media – everyone is talking about it, and many are trying to make it work, but will it really improve how you attract, convert & retain customers or can it do more damage than good?  Engaging effectively with customers is more important than ever, so I will outline the pitfalls to help you decide if you are ready for it.

Reporting and Insights – fed up receiving piles of monthly meaningless reports that you don’t have time to read?  Knowing what to measure, backed by insights, benchmarking and guidance is key to making the correct decisions.  I will show you how to separate the wood from the trees.

Your staff - No matter how good your website, marketing, CRM or reporting tools are, they won’t deliver bottom line success unless you and your staff are fully engaged. If your staff don’t “get it” then what chance do they have of converting customers that already do? Education and change management are key to getting your team to take ownership.

Our Client Services, Product and Development team have done it again!  Another successful redesign for one of our luxury brands with a multi-lingual global footprint.  More news to follow!

autotorq are pleased to be sponsoring the Cardealer Ewards for the third year running.  The aim of these awards is to find the best in class automotive retail websites from the seven categories.

So what will autotorq’s judge Stewart Niblock be looking for:

“For me, the challenge will be on finding websites that focus on giving the consumer what they want, when they want it – a clean, effective design with navigation designed from the users perspective rather than the web designer. Too many websites now seem to be intent on crowding as many buttons, banners and widgets as possible onto the home page, which often results in higher drop-out rates and frustrated customers  – you wouldn’t push all your products, marketing material and advisors to the front door of your showroom, so why do it on the web?”

Think your website is up to the mark?  Why not register it and get in the running for ‘Best in Class’ website

http://www.cardealermagazine.co.uk/publish/ewards-2010-our-search-for-best-websites-begins/39649

The end of last week Ford announced selling cars online which created a certain amount of dialogue  and buzz within the industry.

The reality is, if your online presence is viewed, managed and developed as part of your overall acquisition and retention strategy then selling cars online would not come as a big surprise to you – in fact many of our clients are already carrying out these transactions online!  Providing the facility online that supports either deposits or full payments is easy.  What Dealers need to ensure is their internal policy and regulations in this regard are clear, such as  distance selling, cooling off periods, impact on residual value of cars etc. and managing their inventory online if a deposit or payment is made on a car.

The fact of the matter is if you are not actively managing and investing into your digital strategy effectively, then your competition are closing your leads and sales for you!

When I joined Autotorq last year I thought as part of our initiative to be more involved in the community it would be a good idea to start organising some team events with our sister company Global Beach.  This Sunday 10 members of staff from both companies will be participating in the London to Brighton bike ride in aide of the British Heart Foundation.  It’s the BHF’s largest fundraising event with over 27,000 riders covering a 54 mile course.   It’s fair to say we’re a diverse bunch with varying abilities and ages.  So far training has gone well with only a couple of minor accidents and one wardrobe malfunction!  The only other sticking point is the 9 bikes between the 10 of us but we’re a resourceful bunch so I’m sure we’ll figure it out.   The best part is fundraising and so far we have exceeded our expectations and raised over £1,600 but we’re also competitive and would like to be the highest fundraising team so if you would like to sponsor us you can do so on the following link: I support the Autotorq Pokkels