Just a few days ago, I found an unbelievable steal on a 2014 Chrysler 300 for my parents. They had been looking for a newer sedan for quite some time now and they absolutely fell in love with the 300’s tough-looking stance and superior luxury. So when I saw that a sexy black 2014 model with 40,000 miles was just reduced to $19,000 in Charlotte, I convinced them to make the hour and a half drive north to claim it as their own.
We did end up buying the vehicle and it is an amazing sporty sedan, but at the same time it also set off a series of events that left me a little puzzled. For example-
- The receptionist struggled to email me additional information that the company forgot to post online.
- The “Internet Manager” at the dealership had no idea how to add details to the company’s online ads.
- The General Manager believed that stock content from the auto manufacturers would rank better in the search engines.
- This dealership’s website was not responsive…despite paying over $20k a month for “website optimization.”
- The sales representative could not perform a basic Google search to find the vehicle’s factory warranty information.
- The dealership printed out 20+ page binders on every used vehicle on the lot…which amounted to more reading material than the average small-town library has.
Now, this was a major dealership in Charlotte that sells 100+ new and used vehicles per month. And while most of their leads originate through their website, it was almost like they were fighting against technology every step of the way. It took every bit of patience I had to refrain from pulling the sales manager aside and asking for a straight commission job on the spot.
So let me get straight to the point.
If you have the mindset like the car dealership I just mentioned, you are literally going out of your way to ignore your customers. Because like it or not, they are searching the internet daily for things to buy and they are only going to wait on you to catch up to modern times for so long. Eventually they will discover a better solution and forget about you entirely- and it makes absolutely no difference how great your products or services are.
And just to be perfectly clear, I’m not just talking about optimizing your website- this is about technology in general. For example-
- If you’re not answering emails and social media messages quickly, then you’re telling your customers that they are not important.
- If your website does not answer a consumer’s most important questions, then you’re saying that you don’t care if they buy from you or not.
- If you have not bothered to focus on your local presence online, then you’re saying that smartphone users should go shop somewhere else.
- If your website does not offer a unique value proposition, then you’re telling the world that there is nothing special about you at all.
I could go on and on here…but hopefully you get my point. Your decision to not fully optimize your online presence and embrace technology says a whole lot more about your company than you realize, and your potential customers are definitely taking notice. So stop ignoring the people that you’re working so hard to find in the first place- it’s time to get your priorities straight and make your website stand out.