2:37 pm, October 4, 2008
When times are tough it’s vital to take a fresh look at your business and work out the best ways to get more potential customers looking at your stock, explains Vansunited.co.uk
FOR every person who tells you that sales of LCVs are increasing, another will tell you the complete opposite. So in a time of economic instability, focusing on how the credit crunch can benefit your business is the key to future growth.
The fact of the matter is that 80 per cent of buyers search for their next vehicle online, and while they might not be searching for the latest models, ultimately people are still searching for vans. That’s why it’s so important to maintain the right price for your top vehicles.
Think positive – feedback from Vansunited.co.uk advertisers reveals that selling vans has become increasingly difficult, for example, the construction industry slowdown has impacted on van sales from builders, so it’s important to focus on using this information as a way to challenge your product.
You need to maximise your enquiries too. Pick your most popular vans and price them deliberately cheap to help generate enquiries. For example, if you have three different VW Caddy models to sell, like the one pictured, why not price one cheaper to gain more interest from buyers? But make sure your sales team are ready to handle and respond to an influx of phone enquiries and emails immediately.
Keep customers one step ahead by taking advantage of the Chat to Dealer Instant Messaging service offered by Vansunited.co.uk which stimulates online leads from your vehicle listing direct to your sales executive’s PC. By micro-managing sales enquiries, Vansunited.co.uk aims to generate the best outcome possible for clients – response generation that culminates in quality sales leads.
Going back to basics can help too. Study your vehicle stock advertising closely and ask yourself the following questions: Have your vans got registrations for CAP red book /Glass’s Guide look up on advertising sites? Are you actively updating advertised vehicles’ pricing? How much detail are you giving in terms of the spec on your vans? All these questions are key.
Businesses that don’t turn stock around quickly enough will end up having to trade out of what’s probably good retail vehicles in the credit crunch. Volume has remained constant so this presents an opportunity to buy vehicles cheaply, and if you sell at the right price, you can still make money.
And by advertising your stock on reliable traffic portals like Vansunited.co.uk, your stock will automatically be displayed on a host of additional sites too like Vansbymail.co.uk, Transitsbymail.co.uk, Vanweb.co.uk, Contacthireweb.co.uk, Carsource.co.uk and Teletextcars.co.uk. Good descriptions and photography, and better still, video, will also guarantee quicker sales.
And finally prepare your staff for the calls. Make sure your teams are briefed properly and are ready to handle enquiries quickly and efficiently. Vansunited.co.uk has more than 3,000 vans for sale and generates more than 95,000 visitors per month. Call 0845 265 5510 for details or visit www.vansunited.co.uk
