The Internet Super Highway is much different than the highway your shoppers and customers use to get to your dealership.  You might get a number of opportunities to make a lasting impression as a prospect drives by your lot multiple times, but what about the shopper on the Internet … how many times do you get to make a lasting impression with them?

Most RV Dealership owners take great pride in their physical lot.  Many times spending millions of dollars to build outstanding sales and service facilities … and thousands each year on maintenance, landscaping, comfortable waiting rooms, and general upkeep.

Yet, even with over 80% of their shoppers and customers going to their website before setting foot on their lot … they’ve settled for a same old looking website that really doesn’t give their shoppers a lasting impression.

The Po!nt: Don’t expect your shoppers and customers to give you their business if you don’t give them a lasting impression with your website. Use your website to build trust and confidence in your future prospects and current customers.  Make your website look and feel like who you are as a dealership.  Not branding your website may be losing you sales!

The big question is ... who is your website designed for? The vast majority of RV Dealership websites are designed for the Buyer. The person coming to your website knowing exactly what they want. You know the typical navigation path .... New RVs > Travel Trailers > Less than $20,000 > List of what you have in-stock on the lot. Seems like the right thing to do, after all that's what every other dealership does, right?

With the typical Buyer taking 90 days to 1 year being a Shopper before making a decision shouldn't you ask yourself ... how does my website persuade the Shopper to trust my RV Dealership so that when they do become a Buyer you've already met their initial needs as a Shopper and naturally they look to buy from you first?

In the early buying stages (shopper), you save the visitor time by providing them with information and insight they would have otherwise had to work much harder and longer to obtain. They give you their time because they sense they are saving some in return. Conveying this information and insight with engaging and enjoyable website content further leverages this relationship by ensuring that visitors are not only saving time, but enjoying the time they do spend with you. Do that and it's a fair bet you'll end up turning your Shopper into a Buyer (customer).

How do you do it? What can you possibly do on your website to meet the needs of your website Shopper's? Start by listening. Get a simple feedback form where your Shoppers and Buyers can tell you what they like and don't like about your website? We've tested over 5 different forms and have narrowed down which one gets the best results.

Next, think simply about how your shoppers behave on your lot. Believe it or not your online shoppers have similar needs. For example, make it easy for them to get around your entire website so they can learn. Soaking it all in is alot of the experience for a shopper.

It might be something as simple as allowing your shoppers to find all your travel trailers with bunks in them. That's how people shop, isn't it? We've done this on all of our RV Dealer websites and it works!

That's a simple start and there are many other things you can do to get your shoppers hooked on you today ... so they'll be back. If you would like more info on how we might be able to help your dealership website give us a call at 1-800-515-9672.

So, you've got your website all cranked up and ready to go for 2009.  You've gone over it with a fine tooth comb and the traffic is coming in.  You begin to watch your web stats to see where your website traffic is coming from.

While most is coming from search engines you notice that very little or no traffic is coming from the manufacturer website's for the brands you sell.  Not so great ... you think to yourself.  Curious, you hop over to one of the manufacturer website's and put in your local zip code to see how your dealer info comes up.

What you find makes your lunch turn over in your stomach.  There is your dealership name with only a phone number and address, but no email address and no website link.

Think this is abnormal?  Unfortunately, it isn't, but don't get too discouraged.  With a little effort you can get this changed and start putting the manufacturer's you represent to work for you and stop flushing leads down the drain.

The PO!NT: If you haven't reviewed all your dealership information on the manufacturer and supplier website's you represent, now is the time. Make a list and get someone to go through each manufacturer website using the dealer locator and make sure your dealership address, phone, email, and website are correct!