Revhead Ramblings: We’re Due a New Hardcore Hatch

Renault
When I say hardcore hatch, I don’t mean a 400bhp RS3 or four-wheel-drive Golf R, we want stripped out cabins, raucous exhausts and plenty of exclusive badging!

Think Honda Civic Type R Mugen, Golf GTI Clubsport, Renault Sport Megane R26 R. These were all once sensible hatches, turned up to 11 by engineers somewhat freed from accounts’ lethal grip.

Rational Thinking Out of the Window

A hot hatch should be able to offer all of the comforts you expect day to day and performance figures not too dissimilar to an 80s supercar. That begs the question then, why make a hardcore hatch?

These focused monsters are stripped of sound deadening, air con systems and radios, and often rear benches are ditched too. Making a once practical hatch as well equipped as a touring car will make little sense to many, but when you’re in pursuit of driving thrills, logic must also be sacrificed to reduce weight!

Supercar Rarity Without the Price Tag

It’s unlikely that many of us will be able to experience the thrills of securing a limited edition Aston Martin or Porsche. It’s possible though, that you’d be able to secure one of the equally limited runs of a hardcore hatch. The 2006 Mini Cooper S Works GP found a home with 459 UK drivers.

The Honda Civic Type R Mugen can top that, just 20 of these cars made their way out of the factory in Northampton! That makes it as rare as a Pagani Huayra BC!

Future Options

The future of hardcore hatches isn’t as bright as it once was. As always, harsh emissions regulations, tight wallets and more demanding customers make the hardcore hatch a difficult thing to build. The Megane Trophy RS goes someway to convince us this market isn’t dead, but the light at the end of the tunnel may well be coming from MINI.

The John Cooper Works GP has been spied for the first time in public, sporting a huge rear wing and a rather aggressive body kit. This could well be the car to reignite this fantastic market and what a car to do it with!

What Can Social Media Do for Your Dealership?

social networking
Social media has quickly become a hugely popular approach to digital marketing. More and more car dealers are using channels such as Facebook and Twitter to reach out to existing and potential customers and enjoying the rewards!

If your dealership does not currently have a social media strategy in place, you could be missing out on an excellent marketing opportunity. Here are some of the rewards you will gain from being active on social platforms.

Better Brand Awareness

Social media is one of the easiest digital marketing platforms that can be used for increasing online visibility. Simply create business profiles on the likes of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and start to build a network.

This channel can be used to enhance relationships not just with customers, but also with automotive suppliers. Having a social media strategy in place will widen the audience for your dealership quickly and effectively.

Affordable Digital Marketing

Another benefit of social media marketing is that it is cost-effective. Making accounts for your business on social media platforms is usually free and so is posting regularly, so this is a great opportunity to get something (more customers) for nothing!

As with most forms of digital marketing, there are paid options available which can be used to enhance the results of your social strategy, but you can still enjoy a basic level of rewards without getting your wallet out.

More Opportunities for Interaction with Customers

Social media offers a casual setting for your customers to engage with you. More two-way interaction with your target audience will help you to establish a rapport, which will make conversion easier and ultimately lead to more vehicle sales. It also gives you the chance to convey your brand’s message and show customers what makes your dealership special and why they should buy from you.

Improved Customer Retention

Having a social media presence will make it easier for you to connect and maintain relationships with your customer base. If you encourage your customers to follow you on a social networking site, your content will appear on their news feeds, which invites them to engage with you, keeps your brand in their minds and allows you to put stock updates and promotional material in front of them. This will help you nurture relationships with them and develop brand loyalty.

Create a Positive Brand Image

If consumers see your dealership posting on social media, particularly when you are taking the time to respond to their queries and post unique content, they will see you as a brand that cares about its customers. This creates a positive impression and increases your appeal.

Boosted Website Traffic

Social media is also an excellent way to drive traffic to your website. By sharing your content, whether it is an image and description of a vehicle that you recently acquired or a blog post, you are giving consumers a reason to click through to your site. You will usually find that when you start publishing high-quality content via social media channels, you will see an increase in inbound traffic, which gives you more opportunities for conversion.

If you would like advice about social media marketing or to find out about Click Dealer’s social media packages, leave a comment below, or get in touch via [email protected] or 01782 478220!

How to Make Car Buyers Fall in Love with Your Dealership

Heart
Spread the love this Valentine’s Day at your dealership with these tips on how to attract and retain customers!

Love comes in many different forms and one of those forms is the love that a loyal consumer has for a brand. Consider Apple. This brand has consumers queuing up at ridiculous hours of the morning to be the first owners of the latest iPhone.

A week later, they could just walk into a store and pick the product up without having to wait, but they will happily put themselves through the inconvenience in their excitement to get their hands on the new Apple product. What is this irrational behaviour if not love?

The emotion that Apple manages to elicit is remarkable. Sometimes its hard to even tell the difference between generations of the iPhone and yet people will immediately ditch the old model to buy the new one without a second thought. This goes to show that your brand can be just as important, if not more so, than the products you sell.

Here are our tips on how to make customers fall in love with your brand.

Show Consumers What is Special About Your Dealership

One of the main reasons why Apple has such a strong following is that its message is so clear and unique. It positions itself not just as a PC company, but as a brand which exists to help individuals achieve their creative potential. This is a purpose which consumers can really believe in.

Think about your own dealership’s purpose and values, and whenever you produce content, whether it is for your ‘About’ page, social media account, adverts, marketing communications or blog, make sure that you make these things clear. A brand which has a clearly defined message that they passionately believe in evokes more emotion than a brand that just sells cars.

Make it Personal

Customers want to be made to feel special and you will find that when you take a personal approach to a sale, they will usually be more receptive. When sales people have looming targets, it is easy to rush a sale and move on to the next one. This is fine when you are just trying to gain sales, but if you want to gain loyalty, it is important to take the time to get to know your customers.

Love is a two-way street, and if you want to be the first dealership that customers think of when they want a new car, everything you do should revolve around delivering the best customer service possible.

Show Them that You Care

When you do sell a car to a customer, don’t let that be the end of it. Consider calling up and checking in after a month or so to make sure everything is alright with the vehicle. This small touch can make someone feel important, rather than just another sales figure.

Also, always respond to online reviews. If the feedback is positive, thank the reviewer and even if it is negative, apologise for their experience and ask them to get in touch and you could perhaps offer some sort of compensation. Either way, it shows that you care about their opinions and that they have a good experience.

Be There for Them

Finally, try to be there for them as much as possible. Make sure you have processes in place to ensure that every single enquiry is responded to and nothing is missed. Offering live chat and out-of-hours services shows that you go the extra mile to make sure that your customers’ requests are dealt with as efficiently as possible.

To find out more about how Click Dealer can help you attract and retain customers, get in touch today by emailing [email protected], 01782 478 220 or via our contact page.

Retailers Should Focus on More than Just Sales to Maximise Profit

Sales Handshake
While the profit margin on a vehicle is important, it’s not the only way for your business to make money and there are plenty of simple tricks to maximise your earnings.
New-age Skills

It’s no secret that video and social media for dealers can make a huge difference. This is often one of the first things a potential customer will see and if your videos are professionally edited and your content is appropriate they’ll feel more confident when they come to enquire. It’s no longer enough to advertise the cheapest car, having multiple photos, an accurate description and a comprehensive video can make all the difference for a prospective customer.

Buyers are becoming increasingly comfortable online, they’re happy to view a product on the screen, apply for finance there and then and purchase the car online without ever seeing it in the flesh. Ensuring your business is set up to take advantage of these new age buyers is crucial to remaining at the front of the digital age.

Lower Costs

Only dealers realise the work that goes in between a vehicle being acquired and being put out for sale again. Cosmetic touch ups, valeting and servicing all take up time and that impacts the final profit on a vehicle. Obviously, each case is different, some may be relisted in a day, others may need timely restorations, but in each case, reducing the cost of this process is key to maximising profit.

External preparation companies may prove to be cost effective for larger dealerships, while reducing the free services offered with each sale may boost your profit margin while keeping customers happy.

Offering Other Services

Just selling cars or vans is often not enough to keep a business afloat. Offering other amenities such as MOTs or servicing can help to boost profits and help you bring your vehicle preparation completely inhouse. Many dealers also offer finance or warranties on their cars to increase add-on product penetration. Be careful not to become reliant on these profit channels however as the product providers can claim some or all of this money back if the buyer defaults on their payments!

Call 01782 454354, email [email protected], or send a message via our contact page to speak to the market leaders in online transactional processing for vehicles.

Revhead Ramblings: Say Goodbye to Mainstream Hybrid Tech

Hybrid Car
Toyota Pioneered the self-charging hybrid in the 90s, other than Honda, few manufacturers took notice. When Europe got serious with emissions though, they scrambled to catch up.

The thing is, having a hybrid engine doesn’t automatically make a car environmentally friendly. They must be driven correctly to reap the benefits and these skills are only possessed by a small number of owners.

The Rise of Hybrids

When Europe and the US began announcing stricter emission laws, manufacturers realised they couldn’t get near the required figures without hybridisation and electrification. Unfortunately, regulations are due to become even tighter in the next few years; Europe has fleet average targets of 95g/km by 2020-2021 for example.

This would have just about been achievable with the NEDC testing method as it didn’t give a true representation of everyday driving. For example, during the two and half minute stationary period, cars fitted with stop-start technology used no fuel at all. This obviously had a huge effect on the final rating and is one of the reasons recommended fuel economy is unattainable.

Big Names Dropping the Technology

Plenty of rumours surfaced that led us to believe the new BMW M3 and VW Golf GTI would be hybrids. Top level management decisions axed both ideas however. Why the U-turns you ask? The emission savings from hybrid tech aren’t enough to justify the huge development costs needed to make it happen. The added weight of the batteries and motors will also disrupt the ethos of these cars.

Fleet Averages

For the likes of Toyota, their fleet average should sit comfortably under the 95g/km, despite new tests adding 8g/km to their petrol-electric Prius. For the likes of BMW and VW though, some hybrid technology won’t be enough to tip their larger and heavier fleets far enough to avoid these fines. Therefore, hybrid projects are being axed as the subsequent price increase and corresponding fall in sales isn’t worth it.

Jumping to EVs

To avoid these huge fines, jumping straight to fully electric technology is the only answer. You’ll notice that over the next couple of years the biggest manufacturers in the industry have multiple electric vehicles planned. While plenty of us will be thankful our favourite manufacturer is switching to green technology, their rush to develop the technology is purely for selfish reasons.

Great for Driving Enthusiasts

Now that the attention has turned away from hybridising every car in their range, our favourite performance cars can continue getting lighter, sharper and more exciting. Electric technology will also become more refined and offer more range with each charge, making the eventual switch away from internal combustion engines that bit easier.

Will a Website Redesign Affect My Search Engine Ranking?

website ranking
When building a new website for your dealership, there is a risk of losing SEO traffic, which could harm your rankings and result in a dip in sales for your dealership. To avoid this, you must take certain measures while designing the new site.

All too often when dealers plan a new website, their sole focus is on aesthetics and user experience, and while these are highly important factors, thoughts about SEO get swept under the rug. When this happens, and websites are launched, they will notice a significant drop in traffic, and panic, racing to implement SEO tactics to help them climb back up the rankings.

By the time the issue is resolved, leads and sales will have already been lost, so preparations should be made well ahead of the launch. You will need someone with a good understanding of SEO to help plan the site migration.

Here are some of the things that you may need to consider during your website redesign and launch:

Gather Data

To ensure that nothing gets broken when your new site is created, make sure you have a record of the current structure. Conduct a website crawl to gather a list of page URLs and metadata. You can recreate this data to avoid losing the SEO rewards you’ve already earned.

Redirect

You should try to keep the URL scheme the same between websites, but if you do want to alter the URL of a page that you are transferring across, you can use 301 redirects. These tell search engines that the new page you are directing to is the equivalent of the old page, so that they can reassign the SEO value, rather than you having to optimise the page from scratch.

Changing Your Domain

Changing your domain is not the best idea in terms of SEO, but if you really feel that this is necessary, there are ways to reduce the impact. Just as you would file a change of address when moving to a new house, you must change your website address with Google. You will need to have Google Search Console set up and verified, head to the settings and select the appropriate option.

Request Action from Search Engines

As soon as your new website is launched, you will want it to be indexed. Set up the new site’s Google Search Console and select ‘Crawl’, followed by ‘Fetch as Google’, then click ‘Request Indexing’.

Have Your Website Made by Experts

When you have your website redesigned by Click Dealer, we will ensure that your rankings do not suffer. We offer a leading website platform designed with the help of our in-house SEM experts and a variety of SEO packages that will help you not only retain your traffic but boost it!

For more information about how Click Dealer can help with car and van dealer SEO, get in touch today by emailing [email protected], 01782 478 220 or via our contact page.

How Facebook Messenger Marketing Could Help Your Dealership

More and more vehicle dealers today are discovering the potential that Facebook holds for their business. It can be used to build brand awareness, advertise, get content in front of customers and list stock via Facebook Maketplace.

One of the most beneficial tools that the social media platform offers however, is Messenger.

Why Use Facebook Messenger?

Messenger marketing is still a fairly new concept, but the live-chat system is fast becoming a mainstream channel of communication between businesses and customers.

When an individual needs to contact your business, they won’t necessarily go to your website first anymore, they’ll look up your company on Facebook and send you a message there.

Why? Because Facebook Messenger is a real-time chat communication channel, which means that customers can get answers to their questions instantly. It is also used for personal conversations, so people are familiar with it and trust it already.

As immediacy is what customers love about this method of reaching out to dealers, the channel is unlikely to work well for your dealership if you aren’t on the ball and able to respond quickly. Luckily, if you cannot afford to spare resources for this, there are still ways to provide instant responses, such as chatbots.

Chatbots

One thing that seems to be increasingly common is Facebook business pages using Messenger chatbots. These work by asking the user basic questions and responding to what is typed into the chat box to simulate a conversation.

Being artificial, the bot won’t be able to understand what the human on the other end is actually typing, but it will match the reply to the closest anticipated response in its database, so it will be capable of dealing with basic queries.

The benefits of chatbots are clear. Customers get the instant answers they crave, regardless of how busy you are, and your team won’t have to waste time answering questions about things like opening times, freeing them up to help out in other areas of your dealership.

If the chatbot you use is really intelligent, it could even ask customers about their requirements and show them suitable vehicles, putting relevant stock in front of the right audience. Think of it as a low-cost addition to your sales team!

For more information about how Click Dealer can help your dealership with social media marketing, get in touch today via [email protected] or 01782 478220!

Revhead Ramblings: Three Cars That Could Have Been Special

Sometimes it’s just not meant to be in the automotive world. Whether a model is axed before it reaches the production line or sales fall short; there are many cars that deserved better.

From everyday heroes to bonkers hypercars, this list comprises some of the best cars that just didn’t cut the mustard, be that on the forecourt or in the accountants’ cruel hands. Some of these cars looked to be a smash hit but in reality, they just couldn’t cut it in the competitive market.

Alfa Romeo 4C

First let me give you the key points: a carbon fibre tub specifically designed for this car weighing just 65kg, an all-aluminium direct injection four-cylinder 1750 turbo engine producing 240bhp and a mission to deliver pure driving enjoyment.

Just before you get your cheque book out for this Ferrari puppy, it’s worth noting that this car is wide, very wide. Attempt to park this car at your own peril… Ok, so you may not be able to park it, but this is a car for the mountain roads! All the figures, engineering work and pedigree suggest this car should be an absolute world beater on tight mountain roads; however, despite an F1-esque frame, the steering is inert to say the least and lacks power assist!

Vauxhall Ampera

This car could have been the plug-in revolution trigger. It had a range extender, interesting design cues and didn’t drive terribly. Launched in 2012, it was the first plug-in hybrid passenger car to be offered in the UK; it even won the 2012 European Car of the Year awards! The four seat configuration, Astra size and steep asking price unfortunately kicked the car into touch. Where would we be now if this had taken off?

 

Jaguar CX-75

A fourth companion for the hypercar holy trinity, this Jaguar was a futuristic concept thought up to celebrate Jag’s 75th birthday. It received a staggering positive response from enthusiasts, resulting in Jaguar announcing a 250 car run. The project was cancelled shortly after due to a global recession though.

Jaguar briefly considered rebooting the project for their 80th anniversary but the idea never got off the ground. I really wish they did too. This would have been more than a billionaire’s investment piece, it may well have been the car to rekindle a once world-beating British marque…

 

Star Potential

I spent a fair bit of time looking into this topic and there were a huge number of cars I would have liked to write about. A good amount of Porsche rivals came to my attention that fell just short of the mark, tech-laden masterpieces that were arguably too advanced for their time and some obscenely fast executive saloons that would have been beaten to a bloody pulp by depreciation, making them fantastic used options. Each and every one of them, though, had the potential to become a star, sadly they never quite made it.

Why ICO Registration is Important for Dealers

Since the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) came into force in May 2018 the data protection landscape has shifted. There is now much more responsibility placed on organisations to protect data they hold and use it responsibly.

There is also more awareness of this throughout the general public, so you may well have noticed an increase in people asking questions about how you use their information. We have also been made aware of online scams involving registers of non-compliance targeting unsuspecting businesses.

What is ICO Registration?

Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) registration is a great step to protect your dealership from all of these challenges. It doesn’t start and end with registration, but it does give you access to the support of the ICO to make sure your business can weather any data protection-related storm. It can also give your customers confidence that you take protecting their data seriously.

Registration puts you on the ICO’s official register which anyone can search for free. The register is available online here and you are welcome to search for Click Dealer to see the type of information available.

Do I Need to Register?

Most likely, yes. There are a few exemptions, but as soon as you step into the world of buying leads, or protecting your forecourt with CCTV you must register with the ICO. If you think your dealership might be exempt, you can use the ICO’s online checker here.

Even if you happen to meet the requirements of the exemptions, it is a good idea to register for the customer confidence and ICO support.

It is each organisation’s responsibility to apply for their own registration, so you cannot rely on the registration of any service provider or third party to cover you.

How do I Register?

If your dealership doesn’t already have a person with designated responsibility for data protection you should nominate someone. Dealerships don’t usually need a formal Data Protection Officer, but you will need a named contact for data protection matters.

You will then need to complete the online registration form. It takes around fifteen minutes and you will need to supply certain information about your business, such as registered office, number of staff, annual turnover, and a description of what you use personal information for. The form provides drop-downs and suggested text for most of this to help guide you through the process.

The online form can be found here.

What Does it Cost?

There is an annual data processing fee, which depends on the size of your dealership:

  • Sole traders and small dealerships with 10 or fewer staff or an annual turnover of less than £632,000 are tier 1 and have to pay £40.
  • Larger dealerships with up to 250 staff or annual turnover of up to £36m are tier 2 and have to pay £60.
  • Very large car supermarket dealerships and franshises with more staff and higher turnover fall into Tier 3 and will pay £2,900.
What Happens If I Don’t?

Failure to register and pay the appropriate fee can result in a fixed penalty. If you are unlucky enough to suffer a data breach – which can happen to any organisation – you will not have the support in place and may be dealt with more harshly if the ICO believe that you have not taken your data protection responsibilities seriously enough.

With most dealerships paying only £40 – £60 per year, it’s a small price to pay for peace of mind and customer confidence.

For more information on how Click Dealer can help your dealership with data protection, get in touch today on 01782 478220 or by emailing [email protected]. Alternatively, you can use our contact page!

The Art of Winning and Retaining Customers

The automotive market is as competitive as it’s ever been, therefore it’s vital that you go the extra mile to engage with new customers and ensure loyal customers return.

Times are changing though, and brand loyalty is rarely enough to guarantee a future sale. Customers are better equipped than ever to find themselves a great deal and have often made their minds up before they’ve left their seat. As such, you must ensure the customer journey reflects exactly what the customer wants!

Standing Out

Standing out from the crowd and being noticed amongst a sea of other dealers is no easy task, but building your brand is crucial to maximising sales. An online presence is important, but just as crucial is your CRM system. If you have a good understanding of your customer and what they want, you can stay a step ahead.

A CRM is only as good as the data you feed it with, keeping this as detailed and accurate as possible will help you when it comes to tailoring ads to specific people or groups and picking the perfect time to advertise to maximise your chance of securing a sale.

Seamless Buying Process

The actual buying process of the deal should be the easiest component for a dealer. The customer has decided on a car, enjoyed their test drive and now you just have to get them to sign on the dotted line.

Making this process as seamless and enjoyable as possible is very important for customer retention though. By going the extra mile you’ll increase your chances of retaining that customer for a future sale and provide yourself with a great social media post! A positive experience will encourage word of mouth and social reviews.

Turn Your Customers into Advocates

The completion of a sale is by no means the end of the journey for the customer, intelligent communication and professional aftersales is vital to increase retention.

Ensuring your sales CRM is up to date and contains as much detail as possible makes communicating with customers far easier and allows you to target more effectively.

For more information on Click Dealer’s lead management capabilities and to find out if we can be a performance partner for your dealership, get in touch today via [email protected] or 01782 478220!