St. J Auto Success Story
Lead Generation Costs Reduced, Closing Ratios Up for Saint J Auto
Dealer.com Solution Strengthens Saint J's Internet Presence
For dealerships large and small, effective use of the Internet and all its trappings and benefits plays an increasingly significant role in getting buyers into the showroom and closing deals. In fact, JD Powers & Associates reports that nearly 90% of the people in the market for a new vehicle visit automotive websites before entering a dealership for a test drive.
Nestled in the rural, rolling hills of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom in Saint Johnsbury, Saint J Auto, a family-owned two-roof shop, one for Subaru, the other for GMC, Pontiac and Buick, is taking its Internet business seriously. The company's tagline says it all: a small town dealership with a no hassle, low pressure atmosphere. But when it comes to the use of technology, Saint J thinks and acts big.
Web Sales Double
In July, 2006 Saint J's Dealer.com website went live, leads began coming in from Dealer.com's DOMINATOR™ lead generation solution, a department dedicated to Internet marketing was established, and the impact on sales was felt almost immediately.
“In less than six months I'd say sales generated by the website have at least doubled,” says Jay Davis, business development manager. “And that estimate is very conservative.”
Before Dealer.com entered the picture, Saint J's website and lead generation tools were not meeting expectations. The cost per lead was high, the website itself was fairly simplistic and not very engaging, and more importantly the results were disappointing.
In the spring of 2006, Davis spent about six weeks researching Internet solutions vendors. He created a wish list: the site had to be highly customizable, it had be engaging, feature rich and easy for customers to use, and it had to provide detailed and accurate tracking reports and advanced back office functionality.
“After my research of the marketplace, the choice was simple,” Davis says. “Dealer.com gave us the most for our money.”
A One Month Build Process
The build process from start to finish took one month. Davis worked very closely with Dealer.com and was able to create a website with features that exactly matched Saint J's needs and wants.
“Dealer.com was with us through each step of the process,” Davis says. “It was a great learning experience. Dealer.com built pilot templates giving us the chance to browse through many different solutions. We were able to mix and match the templates, work through likes and dislikes, and come out with a solution we are extremely proud of.”
“The site is very attractive, visually appealing, loaded with the customer features we want and easy for customers to navigate,” Davis continues. “And since the site has been up Dealer.com's support group has been there for us offering improvements and helping us work through situations we weren't able to solve ourselves—and all for no extra cost to us.”
DOMINATOR Lowers Lead Generation Costs
In just a short period of time, Saint J Auto has gleaned many benefits from its Dealer.com solution. Not only is the feature-rich website contributing to increasing Internet generated sales, but its use of the DOMINATOR lead generation solution has resulted in reaching a much larger audience with a dramatically lower cost per lead. In fact, a Google search of “Subaru, New England” results in Saint J Subaru coming up first.
“With DOMINATOR we are seeing leads come in for about $12 each," Davis says. “It is remarkable. And DOMINATOR is getting our name out there to a broad pool of potential buyers—quality buyers with a fairly high closing ratio.”
From lead generation, to customer satisfaction, to better inventory and ad management, Saint J Auto is enjoying many benefits across the organization from its Dealer.com solution. Visitors to the site get an accurate up-to-date view of inventory, a compelling view of each vehicle and all its features, easy vehicle search capabilities and an easy-to-use finance application.
“Our customers love the site,” Davis says. “The presentation is tremendous. The extensive photo library, 360 degree photo spins of the vehicle, technical specs, breakdown of options—all this information directly results in getting more people into the showroom. And when a customer digs in for more information on a particular vehicle, the system automatically searches the database and presents similar available vehicles that may interest the customer.”
“In addition,” Davis continues, “the ad management capabilities are invaluable. I can easily set up specials ahead of time to coincide with Subaru campaigns. I'm constantly changing the specials area, keeping it full and fresh.”
More Effective Customer Follow-Up
Customer follow-up has also improved with Dealer.com's PowerMail™ capability.
“PowerMail™ is definitely giving us the ability to more frequently and more effectively communicate with potential buyers and get them into the showroom,” Davis says. “And after the sale, we maintain a steady stream of communications that we feel will impact customer retention.”
After just six months Saint J Auto has made tremendous progress in its Internet marketing capabilities. But Davis has no plans to slow down. In large print on the white board behind his desk, the slogan, “more visits, more views, more submits, more sales” compels him every day to look forward.
On tap for the near future, Saint J Auto is looking forward to refining lead generation and management with new Search Engine Management and Optimization strategies, increase its Internet presence with new online advertising outlets, and take advantage of special Dealer.com features like Google Base Exports.
“We have really just begun to explore the potential of Internet marketing,” Davis says. “Our advertising is more effective. Our customer follow-up is stronger. Our lead generation costs are lower. Our tracking reports tell us the site is working. We have accomplished a lot in the first six months, and I expect to do a lot more in the next six months.”