The Ultimate Car Dealer Website
Excerpt from "Mastering the Art of Selling Cars Online"
By: Eddie Coleman
The two primary e-personality types
Now that we have covered the importance of having a website that has an exceptional conversion rate and fully see what it can mean to the dealership's bottom line, let's take a look at how we can create a website that has a conversion rate that ranges from, say, 12 to 22%.
The single biggest factor between a website that converts and one that does not surrounds the target public each website best communicates with. I define this as the difference between public “A” and public “B”. As we get into the marketing sections of this book we will cover different aspects of public “A” and public “B” in greater detail, but for the sake of this chapter we will describe the general difference between the two publics.
When I talk about public “A” vs. public “B”, what I am doing is drawing a parallel between two extremes. I use public “A” to describe the extreme, and what is considered today to be the worst-case Internet customer. At the same time, I describe public “B” as the ultimate ideal scene of what we would like an Internet customer to be. With that said let's take a look at the primary element that places an individual in either the category of public “A” or public “B”, mentally speaking.
The randomity factor
I use the term “randomity” to describe how an individual can switch gears between one task and another fluidly without hesitation. Randomity is most often and easily witnessed in small children. If you have ever had a child sitting in the backseat of an automobile on a long trip you might have noticed the child seemingly getting out of hand, causing the adults to become extremely aggravated. This does not mean the child was doing anything wrong, but rather was most likely moving rapidly from one task to another.
For example, a child might be playing with a hand-held game while talking out loud one second, kicking the back of your seat the next second, then crumpling up some paper the very next second. Usually, adults perceive this as rambunctious behavior and an inability to focus. Eventually, the parent winds up instructing the child to sit still and settle down, and to choose and stick with one activity or another. This is a very good example of a child displaying their ability to handle randomity. Randomity is typically suppressed out of children as they grow older. The degree to which it is suppressed will greatly depend on the parents' ability to handle randomity as adults.
As a result you wind up with adults that fit dramatically into two completely different emotional categories. I call these groups public “A” and public “B”. As a child grows up, their ability to handle randomity equips them with the capacity to excel in certain subjects while having a difficult time in other subjects. The opposite is true for an individual who has had randomity suppressed out of them throughout their childhood. These differences form the opposing characters of public “A” and public “B”.
With this framework now laid, we can move forward, mapping out the basic differences between a prospective car buyer that fits into one category as opposed to another.
Public “A”
Public “A” is representative of the adults who never had the randomity suppressed out of them during their childhood. Usually, this is because the parents themselves were able to handle a higher degree of randomity. In essence, the resulting behavior simply does not bother the parents like it would most people. Now public “A” comprises the smallest portion of the general population as compared to public “B”. Over the years I have reviewed numerous studies on the subject of human behavior, some conflicting and some not. My research has led me to conclude that Public “A” makes up approximately 3% of the population. In other words approximately three out of every one hundred adults have the ability to handle high levels of randomity. This would leave approximately 97% of the population in the category of public “B”.
Now let's take a look at personality. It has been my observation that an individual who can handle a high level of randomity can tend to have underdeveloped social skills but rank highly in their natural ability to comprehend technical knowledge. A person with these qualities might fit the standard profile of a large majority of computer programmers. Often times you will see movies and television shows portraying a computer programmer or someone in the computer industry as being a “techy”. These people are often times depicted as nerdy people who are rather reclusive, emotionally distrusting and lacking in certain social skills. While I wouldn't place much stock in how Hollywood attempts to categorize people, when it comes to individuals who have high randomity skills and low social skills you will often find that some of these stereotypical characteristics are present.
When it comes to purchasing an automobile, this type of public displays consistent behavioral patterns. They might feel the need to extensively research before they buy, and are able to handle more and intensely detailed technical information on a vehicle than even the salesmen themselves. I have found that as a rule, people who fit into public “A” have little desire to confront a salesman face-to-face when there is an alternative option.
This type of public may also, at times, appear to be extremely distrusting and suspicious of information that is relayed to them in a verbal manner as opposed to data obtained through research. I could write a separate book on the psychological traits of public “A” but I think for our purpose here I will cut it short. Also please keep in mind that the description given here of public “A” is intended to be a theatrical description for the sake of giving you a point of reference. There are many people who will embark on car buying missions as members of public “A” but may not display the characteristics described above.
Continue to Part Four
Eddie Coleman ,C.E.O. Hyperdrive Technologies Inc.
Park Plaza Tower 715 SW Morrison Ave Portland, OR. 97205
503.227.3515 ext107 503.227.6437 fax
eddie@hyperdrivetech.com
www.MasteringTheArt.com
www.HyperDrivetech.com |
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