Website Marketing Opinion

We are continuously expanding the topics which we discuss and analyze in this news blog. Here are 4 reasons why:

We have discussed the value of a junk car and value of a scrap car entirely too much and, it’s not that interesting to begin with.
Today is a Saturday and many auto and recycling industry sites don’t post or update much for us to discuss. (since I am not original enough to come up with topics of my own most days)
Topics involving auto junk, how to get cash for a car & junk car towing have been hit ‘over and over’ like a rented mule.
This next marketing related topic is interesting and is rarely suggested or commented on.

On the December 5, 2015 edition of autonews.com a story by Lindsay Chappell titled ‘The phony mask of company websites’ was posted with the following: “The auto industry really doesn’t want customers to come calling on the Internet. Automakers don’t want customers calling and dealers don’t want shoppers’ calls. New companies don’t employ community relations reps, so if not reaching out to buy a vehicle–just stay away. The websites of auto companies won’t tell you where the business office is. Who is the President of the company? Dealer websites have ‘meet the staff’ pages but often nobody is there. There is no email address for the manager; the service manager’s name might be there, but not a way to call or write to him or her.

The number on the top of the screen is a toll-free that takes the caller to an off-site phone bank where trained phone professionals don’t know how to put a customer in contact with the store manager. New startup ventures use clever graphics & artsy photos. How can I phone to ask a question? There’s no phone number, names, or points of contact. Companies don’t want to be bothered; they display their names online next to some comments about how they’re committed to innovation. Big companies invite inquiries with blank forms for a customer to fill out, with spaces to write questions or problems. The ‘submit’ button leads to a faceless corporate mailbox. Is this the bright new era of connectedness & social interaction the car business has been boasting about?” The link to the full article is here.

I have personally experienced this phenomenon at the dealership level, as a potential buyer/customer for a vehicle. There is some complexity to why this occurs and so I’ll attempt to outline as follows:

The automakers are manufacturers. The manufacturer designs and engineers the product, identifies the target audience and tailors the features and pricing to appeal to the demographic. The business model is constructed for their retail dealership base to actually sell the products.
Dealerships will engage potential customers via phone or the web when they inquire, but this communication is typically between BDC phone staff, rather than an actual salesperson. The goal for the dealer in these interactions is to have these shoppers visit the dealership in-person. Dealers don’t want to enter into negotiations with customers over the phone or internet because it clearly gives the customer an advantage that will ultimately do them no good. If dealer salespeople negotiate with potential customers over the phone, it simply leads to the customer pitting one dealer against others in a battle over price which erodes profit margins and doesn’t put the customer into the cycle of the traditional “closing” process. Also, particularly in discussing used vehicles, it creates a customer generated “apples to apples” comparisons that are far from truly “A2A”. If the dealer salesperson spent 45 minutes over a series of phone calls haggling with a customer, they will still need the customer to come in to test drive the car, complete the paperwork, and in the majority of these cases simply restart the sales process from “square 1”.
Many dealerships don’t have their sales staff clearly listed and easily accessible on their website because staff turnover is so high that it may laborious. Going back to the aforementioned point, customer and sales staff interaction via phone or web does not advance the sales process to the closing stage.
Dealer websites are absolutely critical, as they provide the incentive to visit the store. If a potential customer does not see any attractive products, offers and other marketing that motivate them to visit the dealer, then they will simply not visit.
The single most important aspect of dealer websites of their inventory. When a new vehicle arrives it should immediately be posted with photos. If a potential customer that is scrolling through the internet spots a vehicle that they would like to own, then they will have some motivation to visit in-person. Having outdated inventory listings and photos on the website may also create another scenario where a customer shows up to see a specific vehicle listed on the site that has since been sold. Now, many will say that actually this is a positive, since it brought the customer into the store; however, it sets a bad initial tone.

Where to get cash for a car

When will the “never-ending question” stop being asked? Day in and day out the same question is asked of me and my colleagues in the auto junk and junk car towing business: Can I scrap a car without the title? The answer throughout any place you call in Ohio is NO! We don’t even bother providing a quote for the value of a junk car unless you have the proper document. It is not possible to get cash for a car in Ohio without the almighty title! No, the registration will not suffice for you to receive cash for the value of a scrap car. We do not care if the car has been abandoned on your property since World War II or not. In order to prove or transfer vehicle ownership the t-i-t-le is always required.

At Cash 4 Cars Cleveland we promise to deliver you a fast quote for the value of a junk car right over the phone. The current market prices within the auto junk related commodities have driven the value of a scrap car to very low levels. Nonetheless, you do not want to leave a “junky car” just sitting around on your property. Pick up the phone and get cash for a car with junk car towing included from us today!