Revhead Ramblings: Getting the Most Car for Your Money

You could walk into Ford today and drop £35,510 on a base model Edge SUV. Yes, you’d have a nice car and a shiny warranty; but what could that money get you elsewhere?

If you scroll through the classifieds, you’ll often see an old luxo-barge seeking a new home for a fraction of what it was originally worth. Premium cars are some of the quickest to depreciate in value and that can result in some great options for used car buyers!

Matching the Risk to the Reward

Obviously, there’s a reason we’re not all driving round in 2000’s E class’ or 7 Series’. For the average motorist amongst us, the threat of a mechanical failure is too much, especially when you look at some of the bills people have faced. These cars cost so much in the first place because they were stuffed with all the latest technology, that unfortunately results in some expensive fixes when something goes wrong.

I’m not suggesting everyone should go out and pick up an old Bentley or Maserati, but if you’ve got a bit of experience with cars and you’re not afraid to get your hands dirty, the internet is filled with step by step videos and cheap parts that will enable you to navigate some considerate workshop costs!

Have Some Fun

Imagine yourself sat at your desk now with £19,664 in front of you. That’s exactly enough to pick up a Peugeot 308 GT Line, by all means a good looking and well-equipped car. Take a look at the classifieds however and you could instead treat yourself to a 2008 BMW M3 with under 50,000 miles on the clock, a potent 420bhp V8 under the bonnet and £2,664 sat in your pocket.

Ok, the maintenance costs may not be comparable and the extra cash you saved would only cover your first four months of fuel but live a little!

Let Someone Else Take the Hit

Depreciation is a near certainty no matter what you buy. Unless you’re dropping mansion money on a limited-edition supercar and driving it on bubble wrap to your hermetically sealed garage, you’ll never sell your car for the same price or even more than what you bought it for. Buying a used car negates the majority of that loss in profit and allows you to drive away in a car that often cost you less than two thirds of the original price!

Why buy a brand-new Lotus Evora 400 for just shy of £80,000 with options, when a similarly optioned 15 plate car is available for just over £45,000? I have no doubt in my mind that this car has been kept in pristine condition throughout its short life and has had no expense spared.

People may argue about a new car warranty, but unless you’re planning on blowing up a few engines, you’d be hard pressed to spend that significant amount of cash you’ve saved by buying the used example.

Not Everyone Will Agree

I’m not expecting everyone to now abandon their search for a new SUV and browse the used market for a 600bhp V12 monster. Some people like having a new car and I don’t blame them.

However, there’s no reason you shouldn’t take a look and see just how much car you could get for your money if you choose used over new…

 

How Video Can Turn Your Dealership into the Go-to Automotive Experts

Videos can be used in many ways at used car and van dealerships, from personalised clips to reply to enquiries to general maintenance tips; they’re engaging and can boost your Google rankings!
Videos Don’t Just Have to Be Reactive

It’s great to reply to an enquiry with a walkaround film of the vehicle in question while describing its features and factory fitted extras, but video can play a much bigger role in your day to day job. Research suggests that around 40% of vehicle owners search how to repair their vehicles themselves online before making a visit to a dealer.

By supplying relevant and accurate content on some of these issues, the owners may look to you in the future if the problem becomes unmanageable or they have an issue they’re unable to tackle themselves.

Find Out What People Want

There’s no point putting hours into producing a video if you’re going to receive minimal views. Instead, you can take a look at other dealers to see what they’re producing and create similar content, or you can use Google Analytics to see what users are searching to get to your site and produce videos based on these topics.

Avoid Overselling

If someone has found their way to your video, chances are they know what you’re selling. If you’re creating a vehicle health check video for a customer, your primary focus should be on providing as much detail as possible rather than selling a winter health check or an aftermarket exhaust!

That’s not to say you shouldn’t drop in your contact details, but if you’re not directly addressing the video’s aim and instead talking about services you can offer, then you risk turning your helpful video into an advert.

For more information on how Click Dealer can help your dealership with video marketing, contact the Clickers today on [email protected], 01782 904 715 or via our contact page.

Matching the Fuel Type to the Consumer

Putting Fuel In Car
You might have heard about the government’s plans to reduce vehicle emissions by ending the sale of ‘conventional’ petrol and diesel cars by 2040, with the UK also pledging that half of its new car sales will be hybrid or electric by 2030 as part of its ‘Road to Zero’ campaign.

Being environmentally conscious is all well and good, however, these respective dates are eleven and twenty-one years into the future, therefore, it’s not the end of the world for our conventionally fueled cars.

Misconception of Diesels

In the past few years, diesel cars have come under a lot of fire, largely due to emission scandals. This has put some people off; however, when it comes to buying a car it all depends on the consumer’s needs. If they drive a lot of miles, then a diesel will ultimately provide the best fuel economy on average compared to petrol; saving consumers money in the long run.

Then there’s the supposed issue of holding its value. Although new diesel sales have fallen, the used market is less affected. Valuation specialists ‘Cap HPI’ suggest demand for used diesels is still strong, which is great news for used car dealers. Further more, only new diesels were impacted by car tax increases, with the rise being as little as £20 and it’s expected that any future legislations will apply to new diesels only.

Why Petrol?

In the past, many people opted for petrol over diesel due to the latter being noisy, unrefined and smelly, while petrol cars in comparison were smoother, more free revving and appealed more to the driving purists. However, these days diesels have seen a massive technological advancement and are often faster, more fuel efficient while also provide a good driving experience.

For those that don’t make long trips using roads such as dual carriageway or motorways regularly, then petrol may be better suited for them as diesels are fitted with a particulate filter and require regular long runs at high engine speed to clean the filter to prevent build up in the system.

Electric Future for Car Dealers?

New data from Deloitte suggest that the costs of owning an EV will be the same as a conventionally power car by as early as 2021. They also predicted that EVs will account for 70% of the electrified car market which shows we could be well on our way to meeting the governments ‘Road to Zero’ plan if we carry on making progress this way.

For more information about how ClickDMS can help your dealership with stock acquisition, get in touchtoday by emailing [email protected], 01782 478 220 or via our contact page.

Revhead Ramblings: The number of people taking their driving test is decreasing and I’m ok with that

I couldn’t wait to pass my driving test. I bought my car months before I could legally get behind the wheel, I booked my theory as early as possible and I passed my test early in 2017.

Granted, I’m a bit upset that fewer people share the same desire to get behind the wheel, but in the long run it’s probably for the best. Our roads are already heavily congested, they’re in poor condition and people are relying less on driving to get around.

How Necessary Is It?

We managed to get around before we got our pink card, by foot, bike, bus or train, unless you lived in the wilderness you were never too far from your destination. Now, apps like Uber ensure cheap transport is never more than 10 minutes from you, and ride hailing services from VW and Ford are being tested in the US and Europe as I type this. Public transport in cities when utilised correctly is quicker than driving and easier on the wallet too.

Endless Costs

In my first year of driving I paid just over £3000 for my insurance. A telematics box was supposed to save me money, instead it steadily increased my monthly premiums. While my driving style is partly to blame, the initial cost of £2000 is still a ludicrous sum to pay.

It’s fair to assume that the average 17-year-old is only working a part time job when they pass their test, to expect them to save the money for a car, tax insurance and to fuel it is extremely unfair. When you add in the thought of university, why bother driving for just under two years when you’ll be leaving your car at home for all that time?

Saving Mr Polar Bear

If a young driver can afford to get on the road, it’s often in a small, inefficient hatchback that their parents insist is ‘a good runner’ despite the lacquer peeling off the bumper and only carrying three hub caps. Those who are gifted savers, secure a good job or don a ski mask may opt for an attractive PCP deal instead to ensure they get top bragging rights amongst friends, that means less pollutive cars on our roads, but it also means people will also pay some pricey lessons.

Kerbing your alloys, car park scrapes, and interior stains are all part of the driving experience. Doing these in a shiny new leased car is less a learning curve and more a huge financial burden unfortunately. It’s a shame first car bangers are slowly slipping away, it might save a polar bear or two, but they don’t serve a purpose, a first car is a formative stage of a new driver’s life and shouldn’t be taken for granted!

Current Drivers Needn’t Worry

You might imagine that with insurance companies making less money on new drivers, they might turn their greedy little eyes onto the waves of current motorists. While our premiums are inevitably increasing, keep your no claims discount intact and you’re in a good position going forwards. You may also fear that a rise in driverless technology may see us pushed off the road to make way for an autonomous future. Thankfully that’s in the very distant future.

I’m sure everyone who has their full licence couldn’t be without it now. There isn’t a day goes by that I don’t have to use my car to get somewhere or pick something up. However, I also see why those who live in the urban jungle feel no need to fork out a fortune to get their own car when public transport and Uber are cheaper and more convenient.

Click Dealer Encourages Staff to Be Rid of their Post-Christmas Blues! 

Blue-Monday
Facing the post-Christmas blues can often take its toll on people as we head into another year, but together, we can inject some happiness and cheer into those we work with to help them stay motivated, but more importantly, as happy as they deserve to be this Blue Monday.  
What Is Blue Monday?  

Though the festive period brings cheer and joy to those we love and care for, Christmas can be a costly time of year for many. However, January 21st marks the date of an annual event set up to raise awareness of the effects Christmas can have on our mental health, giving people the chance to put their worries and struggles aside for the day.  

Whether you are battling the post-Christmas blues, struggling with the cold and dark nights or you feel a little lonely, Blue Monday is a day dedicated to help raise your spirits so that you can put those worries and struggles aside. 

On top of that, your friends, family or colleagues may be battling with their own mental health, so today it’s time to check in on them, put a smile on their face and make a difference to someone who needs it.  

Click’s Blue Monday Itinerary  

Kicking Blue Monday off with a buzz, staff at Click HQ were invited to take part in a series of puzzles and board games, as well as contributing to colour the giant animal-themed team poster – hot chocolates and squirty cream with marshmallows at the ready to keep them warm! 

 Blue-Monday

To top it all off, the Clickers tucked in to a platter of buffet-style nibbles, and since there’s nothing we love more than a good slice of cake here, there were plenty of baked goods to go around. With all Clickers donating what they could spare and taking part, we ended Blue Monday in true Click Style with plenty of fun, smiles and laughter all ‘round!  

 Blue-Monday

If you are someone you know are struggling with mental health or post-Christmas challenges, speak to your local Samaritans. You can find their contact details, as well as information about their services here.  

Which Stock Should Your Dealership be Acquiring This Year?

New data from the Autorola Group’s used vehicle intelligence expert, Indicata UK, shows that the Ford KA was the fastest-selling used car between 6 and 36-months old sold by dealers in 2018.

There was a total of 1.1 million used cars from this age group sold throughout the year that Indicata UK looked at, measuring days in stock to find the quickest sellers. The Ford KA earned the top spot spending an average of 32 days in stock before being sold, with an average sale price of £6,518.

Brits Love Ford!

The KA was not the only Ford which appeared in the top ten fastest sellers. This brand dominated the list, with the Ford Galaxy, the Ford Kuga, the Ford Tourneo Connect, the Ford Fiesta and the Ford EcoSport joining the popular city car.

It is widely known that the Ford Fiesta consistently tops best-selling used cars lists, with the Focus never far behind, and this new data leaves little doubt that this is the nation’s favourite make to buy, and one that should always be a priority when you are acquiring stock.

Top 10 Fastest-Selling Used Cars
Rank Make and Model Average Number of Days to Sell Average Sale Price
1 Ford Ka 32 £6,518
2 Hyundai ix35 34 £11,855
3 Ford Galaxy 36 £21,889
4 Renault Zoe 38 £7,476
4 Dacia Logan 38 £8,502
5 Ford Kuga 40 £18,089
5 Škoda Karoq 40 £23,380
5 Citroën Berlingo 40 £11,997
6 Ford Tourneo Connect 41 £15,805
6 Ford Fiesta 41 £10,476
6 Ford EcoSport 41 £12,020
7 Peugeot 3008 42 £19,615
7 Hyundai Tucson 42 £17,061
8 Audi S3 43 £28,991
8 Škoda Yeti 43 £15,429
9 Mazda CX-5 44 £21,336
9 Seat Ibiza 44 £10,125
10 Fiat 500X 45 £11,738
10 VW Touareg 45 £30,128
10 Hyundai i800 45 £15,849
10 VW Polo 45 £11,758
EVs

One of the most interesting findings from the data was the Renault Zoe coming in joint fourth place, selling in just 38 days on average. We’ve all known that demand for electric vehicles would be picking up, but the fact that this fully-electric model took such a short time for dealers to shift last year will come as a surprise to many.

If you have been avoiding electric and alternative-fuel vehicles, you could be missing out on an easier sell than you think.

How Does this Data Correlate with Your Dealership’s Own?

If your dealership uses ClickDMS, hopefully, you will have made use of the report function. By conducting a sales report of the year, you can see all of the vehicles you have sold and will be able to order them by days in stock, so that you can see your dealership’s own best-selling cars.

Comparing your data to the UK average will give you an indication of your performance and provide information which is crucial to helping you make well-informed decisions about the models that you go after this year.

For more information about how ClickDMS can help your dealership with stock acquisition, get in touch today by emailing [email protected], 01782 478 220 or via our contact page.

 

Click’s Guide to Van Dealer SEO

SEO
If you are interested in generating more leads and making more sales, learning about van dealer SEO is a great place to start!

SEO stands for search engine optimisation, which is the process of enhancing your website to make Google, Bing and other search engines give you a better rank on results pages.

A high rank on search engine results pages (SERPs) is crucial because users will rarely go beyond the first page, with around 75% of clicks being on one of the first five results. If you are not appearing on the first page of search results for key terms, you will be missing out on a lot of web traffic and sales opportunities that will instead be falling into the hands of your competitors.

So, how do you get started with van dealer SEO? It’s best to begin with the basics, and once you have a general understanding of SEO tactics, you can delve into the detail. SEO can be split into two categories: on-site and off-site.

On-Site SEO: User Experience

On-site SEO refers to changes that are made directly to your website, from its structure to the content on it. The goal of search engines is to help people find what they are looking for and give them a good experience, and when deciding the ranking order of websites, search engines will look at how relevant a website is and what it offers in terms of user experience.

When assessing user experience, search engines will look at factors such as page load speed, mobile responsiveness and the sitemap. These things all require changes to be made to the website’s code. When you are choosing a website provider, you should ensure that they are familiar with the best van dealer SEO practices and that they use an optimised design.

On-Site SEO: Relevance

For your website to appear in search results for a particularly query, search engines must be able to find a connection between the two. In relation to van dealer SEO, keyword targeting is the process of researching the words and phrases most commonly entered into search engines by van buyers and planting them throughout your website to increase your chances of ranking for them.

Van dealers should be looking to target make and model keywords, such as “used Ford Transit”, and these should be used in title tags, H1 tags and on landing pages. Focusing on location keywords is also highly beneficial for local businesses.

Off-Site SEO

Even if your site is performing well in terms of user experience and relevance, it can still be outranked by a website which is more popular and carries more authority. Domain authority can be built using off-site SEO practices, such as link building.

When a website separate from your own provides a link to your site on one of its pages, this is known as an external link, or backlink. Search engines see backlinks as votes of confidence in your website, and the more you have, the higher your authority will be.

It can be difficult to gain backlinks from reputable sites, you may need to reach out to a lot of automotive business owners and bloggers and offer to write an article for their website or provide some other content that will be valuable to their website visitors.

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

How to Increase Social Media Engagement for Your Dealership

social media
We all know the power of social media and the massive potential it holds, with most of us having at least a few social media accounts, but how do you really use it for the benefit of your vehicle dealership?

What you’re looking for is social media engagement and this comes in the form of:

  • Likes
  • Follows
  • Shares
  • Comments
  • Retweets
  • Click-throughs

There’s a great analogy that a company’s social page should be like a dinner party rather than a one-way dialogue. It should be welcoming and encourage conversations between the hosts and guests as opposed to being a platform to just blast out your content to the world.

 How to increase engagement

Here’s a short checklist to help you get started:

  1. Define your goal – Have a clear goal that relates to what your business has to offer and links to your brand. What will your followers gain from interacting with you on social media?
  2. Know your audience – What are your customer’s needs and desires and what do they want from your page? Social media ‘listening’ is very useful here, with plenty of tools available to help you understand your audience. Once you’ve done this, you’re better placed to know what social media tactics to use that’ll engage your audience and are now ready to create effective targeted content.
  3. Create and share valuable content – Come up with content that helps your audience address their needs and pain points, which can be creative solutions to their everyday lives or just something they’re interested in that’ll catch their attention.
  4. Stay topical – Make sure you’re up to date with topical and trending events, which are being heavily talked about already, so people will be quick to engage.
  5. Make a move – Your interactions can be split into two categories, reactive and proactive engagement. Ensure there’s a strategy in place with how you deal both types that’s consistent, reflects your brand culture and links back to your goals.

 

Follow these simple steps and you’ll be well on your way to establishing a presence for your dealership, that’ll strengthen your brand and help you get the most out of the powerful platform that is social media!

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!

Revhead Ramblings: My Dilemma with Hypercars

2019 hasn’t been the best so far for car stories, Jaguar Land Rover are cutting thousands of jobs, largely down to the unfair demonisation of diesel, the new Supra has been leaked for the thousandth time and that’s about it.

A light at the end of the tunnel, for some, are the waves of hypercars we’ve been promised from every luxury manufacturer. The Aston Martin 003 hypercar has been confirmed, McLaren’s Speedtail should be ready by the end of the year and the Bugatti Divo was premiered late last year.

I Should be Excited

This should make us all very happy, a mouth-watering display of ground-breaking technology that could revolutionise the automotive world. But I’m not excited, how many people can say they’ve seen a McLaren P1 or Ford GT? The same goes for pretty much every hypercar released in the past 10 years, these are no longer vehicles, they’re investments.

Caged Beasts

For those lucky few who have seen these cars out and about, I’m confident the majority of sightings would have been in a city environment, with the car being restrained to a crawl. It’s criminal that these cars are never used as they should be. Rather than being taken to a track and thrashed, they’re kept in hermetically sealed trophy cases to show off to Instagram followers.

6/10ths All the Way

This brings me to my second point, if one of those lucky owners did take their 1000bhp, F1 inspired Nürburgring weapon to the track, how many would either A) put it into a fence, or B) never use more than 20% of its ability.

That’s not to say these owners aren’t good drivers, it’s just these cars are so incredibly fast in a straight-line and in the corners, it takes more than a few track days and training courses to handle them. Manufacturers have become obsessed with chasing figures, focusing on whether they could, rather than if they should.

Money Making Exercise

When you think back to the hypercars of the 90s, they weren’t thought of in a boardroom to meet yearly targets, they were often homologations of legendary race cars, barely road legal track weapons that were used for their intended purpose by their owners. The likes of the Mercedes-AMG Project One just doesn’t get me excited in the same way. There’s no history, it’s purely unachievable limits and lining the pockets of the shareholders.

Not every manufacturer is the same, Ford did everything in their power to stop their new GT being bought and flipped for a gargantuan profit; it’s just a shame that the people with the money to buy these machines are too smart, or greedy, to use them for what they were designed to do.

If Electrification is the Future, What About the Present?

EV
You may notice them as you drive along, or you may pick them out in their charging spaces at the supermarket, but EVs are by no means mainstream.

In 2016 EVs made up 0.4% of new car registrations, by 2017 that number had risen to 0.5% and for 2018 it ended at 0.6%. This is reasonable growth, it’s just unfortunately on a low volume. In the used market in 2018, EVs made up just 0.2% of auction volume. The latter will naturally increase as the first number does however.

Approved Used is Favoured

As a result of this lacklustre performance on the block, manufacturers often send their used vehicles back through their dealer networks; they believe their own dealers have a better set of skills and understanding of the technology to sell these cars.

Manufacturers set up training programs to help their dealers identify the right customers for these cars and give them accurate and relevant advice to ensure the buyer is fully prepared for EV ownership.

Dealer Issues

Glass’s recent study found that on average EVs take longer to sell than their diesel and petrol counterparts, once again putting them out of favour with second hand dealers as a quick turnaround is key to maximising profits.

A further survey from Glass’s found that just 5% of dealers said they regularly stock EVs; their main concerns being the charging infrastructure, unfamiliarity with the technology and perception that EVs don’t represent good value for money.

Used Car Dealers Have to Keep Up

As more electric vehicles are sold, more will reach the used market; franchised dealers will quickly reach capacity and resort to selling them on through auctions and online traders. It’s therefore imperative that used car dealers adapt to this technology sooner rather than later.

Like those who didn’t optimise their business for the internet, they must keep at the forefront of technology or risk being left behind.

For more information about how Click Dealer can help your dealership’s profitability and lead management, get in touch today by emailing [email protected], 01782 478 220 or via our contact page.