We all know that the used dealership business is one of the most competitive there is. New dealerships are being opened every day, and it’s a business field that’s relatively easy to enter. As an operating dealer, you need to constantly keep an eye on the latest trends and be ready to adapt to them. You also have to know how to keep your costs as low as possible and be smart with the way you market your business. Let’s take a look at how you could get a competitive edge as a used car dealership.
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Work with a Solid Car Transport Service
Having a good relationship with a high-level car transport service will give you a major advantage over the competition. You’ll be able to find hidden gems from other states and have them delivered to your door in perfect shape and for a reasonable cost. You’ll also be able to offer delivery services to clients, which is a great feature to have if you’re selling high-end vehicles.
If you’re looking for a great transport service that can handle all of this and more, check out acertusdelivers.com/vehicle-transport.
Use a Mix of Traditional and Online Marketing
If you want to save money on marketing, the trick is to use a combination of online and traditional marketing. Don’t overspend on online methods that you don’t fully understand yet. Things like local SEO, pay-per-click marketing, and social media marketing in moderation can all be considered.
Print remains one of the most efficient ways to build visibility for a car dealership, however, so use it profusely. Also, make sure that you are where car owners and buyers are. This means near garages, car-related events, and local automotive publications. Don’t overlook things like local newspapers and see if business owners in your area will allow you to put up posters or leave flyers in their business.
Offer Additional Services
If you’re only selling cars, you should consider offering other services like repairs or detailing, for instance. You might not think that this will be a major source of revenue for your business, but you could be wrong. Having a car wash adjacent to your business could help boost your visibility and make some money on the side. You could also offer free washes as an upsell, which will benefit your brand.
Form Strategic Partnerships
We also suggest that you look at ways to form partnerships with people that could benefit your business. Local mechanics are a great example. If you can help them with business, they will return the favor and send people your way as well.
Partnering up with financial institutions could also pay dividends. You could strike up a deal with credit unions in your area, for instance, and have them put up inventory listings on their website while using them as a preferred option for financing requests. This could get you a lot of leads while helping you build a relationship with them which could pay back in many ways.
These are all things that you can do to be more competitive as a car dealership. Always try to find new ways to reach clients, increase your margins, and improve your shop’s efficiency.