Attention Used Car Dealers: Are you sick and tired of being lumped in with the shady, slick talking, polyester pant wearing, pushy members of your peer group? Have I got a deal for you???
There is a huge, vast, massive opportunity right now for a used car dealer to shake up the industry. It will require hard work, dedication, and above all, honesty. The upfront investment is not very big – probably less than your commission on a single mid-priced car. Yet the payoff is just enormous.
I hate buying used cars. Just about everyone I know hates buying used cars. We never know when we’re being taken, and we don’t trust the people we’re buying from. We’re uncomfortable, irritable, and generally unhappy with the whole process.
If you, the honest, hard working used car dealer, were to start writing a blog, you could have me ordering cars from out of state – heck even out of country. Here’s what you’d have to do:
First, no selling on the blog. You can have an inventory list, but it must be on a separate page.
Second, educate me. Tell me what I need to know when I’m shopping. Don’t do it all at once; you’ll overwhelm me. Give me a tip a day.
Third, organize your tips into categories. Have a category for exterior tips, one for engine tips, one for tire tips, etc etc. Organizing your information this way makes it easy for me to find what I’m looking for. It also makes it really easy for you to use the information you collect into a brochure or booklet to hand to prospective customers.
Fourth, tell me stories. I bet you’ve got a couple of great ones. Share them. Make me laugh. Tell me about the time you screwed up. Show me you’re human. Tell me a bit about your life. Just a bit though – this isn’t a journal, it’s a business tool.
Fifth, commit to 3 months of regular posting before you expect to see any results. Odds are you’ll start getting inquiries much sooner, but be aware that it doesn’t happen overnight.
Sixth, if you have a really special car come into inventory, tell me about it. But only if its special
Seventh, make it really easy for me to ask you questions. Consider having an “ask the expert” page, where folks can ask and receive the benefit of your experience.
The time for this is right now. Do a google search for used car blog. What do you see? Nothing. Nobody is doing this right now. It’s enough to make me consider going into the car biz! ——-