The document provides an overview of Stuart Bendall's presentation on online automotive sales techniques. Some of the key points covered include how the internet has changed the car buying process, the importance of high-quality photos of inventory online, writing compelling vehicle descriptions, and pricing vehicles transparently both online and in-person. The presentation emphasizes the need for dealerships to adapt their sales approach to how consumers now research and purchase vehicles primarily online.

1. ONLINE AUTOMOTIVE
SALES TECHNIQUES
Guest Presenter:
Stuart Bendall

2. • Tweet using #dealertalk
• Follow @ryan_dealergeek for
future webinar updates

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“It is not the strongest
of the species that
survives, nor the most
intelligent that
survives. It is the one
that is the most
adaptable to change.”

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WHO AM I?
• Stuart Bendall
• Director of Training Strathcom
Media

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Why & how do
we buy stuff?

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Guy buys the car, very happy =
you make dough.
This is the
second moment
of truth

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Then someone went and
invented the internet.
Then someone
went and invented
the Internet.
You
Are
her
e
You
Are
her
e

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And things
would never
be the same
again.

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The Internet changed the rulebook
When consumers hear about a product today, their first reaction
is: ‘Let me search online for it.’ And so, they go on a journey of
discovery about a product, a service, an issue, an opportunity.
“Today you are not behind your competition. You are not behind
the technology. You are behind your customer.”
– Rishar Tobaccowala
Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer VivaKi

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Now we have an extra step…

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 This is happening now
 It is not on its way
 It is here and has been for quite
some time

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 Blockbuster Video had hundreds of stores across 17 countries
 With a net worth of nearly nine billion dollars.
 Blockbuster did not embrace a web-based business quickly
enough and was declared bankrupt in April 2011.

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 Netflix revenue rose 39% from 2010 to 2011, with a
current net worth of 3.6 billion dollars.

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97%
of potential car buyers
research online before stepping foot in a dealership.

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So what does that mean to you guys and girls?

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Is there a need for
sales people?

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Is there a need for sales people?
Absolutely YES!
We will not be replaced by machines!

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Press hard, the
third copy is yours.

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Buyers are still looking for a
PERSONfrom which to buy a vehicle

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AREYOUWILLING TO CHANGE?
• “I’ve been doing this 25 years!”
• “We’re busy enough”
• “I don’t think the boss will go for it”

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Strathcom’s and my aim today is:
 To help buyers meet you by using real lead cultivation
techniques;
 Bringing qualified and genuine buyers to your desk, prepared,
educated,
 And ready to buy.

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We will help you get
buyers from here…

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Sorry,
WTF is Doc Fee?

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Dealership x 2

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Actual showroom = 100
Digital Showroom = 2500
A good showroom ratio of
amount of people looking for a vehicle

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Today’s Online Automotive Sales Techniques

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The honey do list

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• I will send you the templates for the
emails if you would like
stuart@strathcom.co
m

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Dealership x 2

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Actual showroom = 100
Digital Showroom = 2500
A good showroom ratio of
amount of people looking for a vehicle

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emails Phone
ups
Walk ins

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Give the people what they want
share of a purchaser’s time six months
prior to purchase

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Learn More

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Just sell me
a car! Please.
I need a car!

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Click

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whoop
s
whoop
s

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Truly awful

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These were not hard to
find and are very typical

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So what should
it look like?

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Learn More
Your online
showroom

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Pictures are THE most
important part of your
website.

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97%
of potential car buyers
research online before stepping foot in a dealership.

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If there are no pictures
of the cars, most
buyers will not look at
anything else.

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You get the idea…
 Frequently Asked Questions
 How many pictures should there be?
 What should the pictures be of?
 Should they be inside or outside?
 What camera should we use?
 Do I show any imperfections?
 Do I take pictures of the underneath?
 How many of the interior and how many exterior?

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Use common sense
 If it has a boring interior don’t take pictures of it
 If it has an amazing exterior take loads of pictures of it
 Always show the tire tread, always show the
odometer, take a picture of the sunroof, take a picture
of the transmission, this will stop you wasting time as
it’s something often overlooked in the ‘specs’

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Use common sense
 Close all doors when you’re taking pictures so there
are no warning lights or exclamation marks lit up.
 Make sure it has gas when pictures are taken of the
dash, so that there are no orange lights or warning
lights on.
 DON’T UPLOAD PICTURES OF ANY WARNING
LIGHTS

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More picture tips
 Make sure the car is clean
 Show selling points, just as you would in person
 If it has a Bose stereo take a picture of the Bose logo,
if it has a Pontiac stock stereo do not do that.
 Take pictures of owners manuals, keys, remote
starters, spare rims and tires anything to make you
look better than ‘the next man’

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Make the photos
relevant to the buyer

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Photo Dos & Don’ts

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• There are some extreme examples here
• But attention to detail is key
• Please ensure that you are doing the very
best that you can to ensure potential
cu$tomer$ see your inventory in the best
light

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Strathcom’s
lot cappture

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And once again think
about how YOU react to
other situations.

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But the single most
important ‘picture fact’…

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Is the speed of which
you post them online.

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• do you have a process and a timeline
• Is the service department aware of this
timeline
• Are your recon crew aware that the clock is
ticking

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Every day pictures are not
online is another day that
unit will not be viewed.
There is a direct correlation between
days in stock and days without pictures.

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NO Excuses

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You might have to
do some work!
What a bizarre concept!

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This stuff makes a
difference. Don’t do it
because I said so.
Do it because
it is how you sell cars now

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Uploading well-taken, relevant
photos with a sense of urgency
will increase how
much you get paid.

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Learn More
Your online walk-
around

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From where do we
get our inspiration?

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These guys aren’t
doing too badly…

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 130,000 ads listed daily (2 new ads every second)
 Close to 1 billion page views per month and three
times more car shoppers than AutoTrader

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Private sellers only have one car to sell
so spend time with their description.

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Private sale description
 2010 Volkswagen Passat Wagon Comfort line:
We are selling our peppy, fun to drive, extremely comfortable 2010 VW Passat Wagon - 5 doors.
The last of it's kind. The new Passat does not come in a wagon body type and this only one is
currently the only one available in western Canada. We are now a family of five and although
we made it work for the first year it is now getting quite squishy with 3 car seats and we
needed to move into a mini van which is the only reason we are selling the vehicle. It was
purchased in May of 2010 and has been mainly lady driven. It's a very roomy vehicle, tonnes
of trunk space, leatherette interior, power sunroof, CD, hands-free Bluetooth, touch screen
audio, outdoor temp display, traction control, ABS, power windows, power locks, leather
wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, cruise control, heated seats and side mirrors, the
VW Passat interior pant saver mats are included. The options this vehicle has is endless and
more info can be found here:
We are quite firm on the price so no low ballers and serious inquiries only. Thanks.

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Follow the leaders in online
sales. These guys have
invested billions in research
to find out what works.

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Let’s back up a little bit

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And the description is…
 Everything about this Sharp LE735U series LED TV is big. From its 70" display size
to the 240Hz refresh rate and Full HD 3D capability, it's designed to deliver
nothing short of amazing every time you turn it on. And with built-in Wi-Fi
and USB connectivity, you'll be able to do more than simply watch TV.
 Sharp's proprietary quad pixel technology adds a fourth colour, yellow, to the
traditional RGB pixel format, enabling many colours to be displayed for the first
time. Featuring more colours than any other television, see never-before-seen
colours like sparkling golds, Caribbean blues and sunflower yellows.
The proprietary AQUOS Full Array LED system comprised of the X-Gen LCD panel
and Ultra Brilliant LED enables an incredible dynamic contrast ratio of 8,000,000:1
and picture quality that is second to none. 240Hz Fine Motion Enhanced virtually
eliminates blur motor artifacts in fast-moving video.
The LE735U series is fully featured, including the addition of Netflix streaming
video, Cinema Now capability along with the industry's leading online support
system, AQUOS Advantage sm Live. With built-in Wi-Fi connection to AQUOS Net
is easier than ever. Dual USB media players for portable video/music player are
also included for your convenience.

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IFYOU WENT TO A RESTAURANT
Some meat
Some potatoes
Some
vegetables
Cooked
On a plate

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Or how about….
• Blue Cheese Filet. Our filet mignon wrapped in
applewood smoked bacon and grilled to your
liking. Covered in a Bleu cheese crust, served
golden brown and sprinkled with roasted garlic
cloves. Served with twice baked potatoes, seasonal
steamed vegetables drizzled in butter and cracked
pepper.

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So let’s try again.

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Click

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And…….
• Average time on site nearly five minutes
• Bounce rate 16%
• Turn their used vehicles nearly 100% every
month

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ADVERTISE DIFFERENTLY
DEPENDING ON THE TIME OFYEAR
• 2009 Ford Escape.This local one owner SUV has been very well
maintained here at our dealership and was reluctantly traded due to
the previous owners growing family. It equipped with comfortable,
heated leather seats, a block heater, winter tires, all wheel drive and
has Ford’s award winning traction control system.This one has 3M
hood protection, winter floor mats and a two way remote starter for
those chilly mornings!.............
• 2009 Ford Escape. This local one owner SUV has been very
maintained here at our dealership and was reluctantly traded due
to the previous owners growing family. It is equipped with a
panoramic sunroof, air conditioned seats and rear ac control,
huge cargo space for those weekend camping trips and is rated
for the best highway gas mileage in it’s class………..

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**WRITING IN**
~~~~CAPITAL
LETTERS~~~~

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Have you ever read a book that was
entirely capital letters?
• Menus
• Vacation descriptions
• New home descriptions
• TV listings
• Newspaper editorials

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Have you ever read a book that was
entirely capital letters?

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Have you ever read a book that was
entirely capital letters?

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Picture the scene….
~~GREAT!!!!!!! AWESOME*…….HOUSE!
A KITCHEN AND BATHROOM………
~~~~~~~AMAZING
VALUE~~~~~~~
****GREAT TIME TO BUY****
THREE BEDROOMS!!!! WITH LOTS OF ROOM
FOR YOUR KIDS TO PLAY. CALL US ASAP
FOR THE BEST RATES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*awesome is our opinion. You may not think it’s awesome

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Capital letters?
Why don’t we stop ‘doing our own thing’ and align our
professionalism with the rest of the English speaking
world?
FULLY LOADED WITHTONS OFO PTIONS LIKE NAVIGATION,
LEATHER, HEATED SEATS AND ALL POWER OPTIONS.
ABSOLUTELY EMMACULATE AND EVEN COMES WITH 3M
PROTECTION. UP TO 50 MPG. QUALITY INSPECTED INSIDE
AND OUT. ACCIDENTS FREE. COMES WITH THE BALANCE OF
FACTORY COMPREHENSIVE WARRANTY UP TO 100000 KM.

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~~STILL~~
~~DON’T~~
~AGREE ?~

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 Full Load or Fully Loaded X
 Immaculate X
 Like New X
 Pristine X
 Female Driven X
 Base model X
WHAT NOT TOWRITE

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 Well maintained
 Well cared for
 Local
 Very clean
 Non Smoker
 Low kilometers
 Economical
 Spacious
WHAT IS GOOD TO SAY

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Call for price? WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG
19,998
$41,888
Treat your customers with respect
SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT

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Pricing
BLOWOUT!
$41,888

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Pricing
$42,000

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ALSO, A PAGE FROM PRIVATE SELLERS

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Pricing

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YOUR IN STORE PROCESS
• Be honest when you quote prices in person
• Customers often test you
• You will lose them in a second if you quote
them higher than online

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 Cost effective
 Relevant, timely & fresh
 Maintainable, able to uphold with relative ease whilst being
conducive to morale and productivity
ADVERTISING MUST BES

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Able to maintain with
relative ease.
Conducive to morale
and productivity.

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Websites are as powerful
as the information
you put on them.

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Lets say 100 people came

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They will leave and go to this place

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Descriptions, stories, bios,
auto-biography, history,
chronicle, spiel, yarn, scoop,
parable, fairy tale, recital, bulletin,
report, myth, feature, editorial,
narration, fable.

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It doesn’t matter
what you call them,
they just need to be there.

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97%
of potential car buyers
research online before stepping foot in a dealership.

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You can decide if it is you
that they’re looking at.

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You will have to do
some work!
What a bizarre concept!

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any questions?
stuart@strathcom.com