Success Is Virtually Yours

The NIADA Convention started today in Las Vegas (at Ceasers Palace no less!) Which reminds me of a funny story...oh right, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Any-who, there is a jam packed 3 days worth of workshops that actually sound pretty good. The first session is about Social Media and Networking, and there are additional workshops on The Web and Innovative Marketing.

One in particular caught my eye. Here's the synopsis;

“The Internet: Your Virtual Showroom”
Never had enough space? Couldn’t afford that beautiful building without winning the lottery? Now with just a click of the mouse, you can have it all! This session will give you the keys to online advertising success. You will learn how to stimulate dealership “walk-in” traffic, engage prospects and expand your dealership to the mega “store” you always wanted.

They had me at "with just a click of the mouse, you can have it all!"

That's the great thing about having a virtual showroom, it can be Big and Bad even if you're short on space! It's the perfect extension to your dealership (without having to move all the cars to shovel the snow). Here are some of the keys to having a great virtual presence;

• Invest in a great website, professional and easy to use
• Talk up your dealership, use personal histories, customer testimonials, local news items, and employee quotes
• Take fabulous pictures!  Don't use stock photos
• Anticipate what your customers wants;
• links to KBB, vehicle history reports, financing options, payment calculators
• If you have it listed on eBay or Craigslist - post the link
• Contact info that actually contacts someone! 

You can build a "Mega-Store" without leaving the comfort of your showroom, just make sure you offer the same great service and attention to your virtual showroom customers because they're as real as your dealership.