In The Good Old Summertime

Summertime!  Is there anything better?  OK, except for the unusual amount of rain and thunderstorms we've had this year in the Midwest, but hey - the grass is really green!  Plus with summer comes more foot traffic at the dealership, and that's always a good thing.

I was out and about over the last week visiting our dealerships and talking with the sales managers and I noticed a few trends; good trend - more customers on the lot; bad trend - less listings on the Internet; good trend - more new car sales; bad trend - less Internet sales. I spoke with the GSM's and asked them why and they all said the same thing "we're too buy to worry about the Internet right now."  Luckily I only screamed in my head, since there were a few customers in the showroom.

I know it's easy to get busy and fall into the trap of summer sales but you need to look at the facts.

• Consumers buy more cars in the Summer
• 90% of your customers shop online (first)
• 75% visit the dealership already having made a decision
• Brand loyalty is down 50% from 10 years ago

With this in mind why would you stop using the Internet to advertise your brand, your dealership, and your inventory?  The customers are going to go looking online, if they don't find you they'll find someone else.

Yes, floor traffic picks up in the summer because it's easier for customers to get out and walk your lot, but did you know that Internet car shopping picks up in the summer too?  It does.  Check your own city on Google Insights. 

So instead of listing less, or neglecting your online virtual dealership in the summer (and losing those additional sales) maybe you should consider some summer help instead.  Hire a college kid while they're on break to do the listings, they could even help you set up that Facebook page you've been dying to build.  Happy selling!