The Internet Shopper from Hell: The Auto Business, Travel, and Others Still Do Not Get Internet Advertising!

They are still shooting themselves in the foot with the wrong message, put across the wrong way, damaging the marketplace, ruining the customer service experience!

When will they wake up?! Nobody needs help price shopping for a vehicle; Edmonds.com and Kelly blue Book have been online for many years now!

So why, you ask, are they still advertising that they will shop for the lowest price for you?

Unfortunately, it is for the same reason that these services were invented in the first place: large corporations are always a day late and billions short when the market moves quickly.

The decision making process in these companies is fundamentally flawed, primarily because they are so large, and certain inefficiencies are inherent in large corporations:

• The decision making processes are too slow
• Middle level managers are evaluated and replaced too slowly, with power monger mentality prevailing above good judgments
• Decisions are made based on what top executives and shareholders want to hear, rather than the truth!

What, you may ask, does any of this have to do with advertising, and the subject of this article? Simply this:

Advertising that consumer can buy any vehicle at the lowest price through a service is not only redundant in this new consumer-empowering marketplace; it is simply not true! What these lead generator companies do is not only outdated, is destructive.

In this case in point, advertising, for instance, within an industry that 'we will get the dealers to compete for your business' is not only a lie, it is a sham; what they are actually doing is harvesting your information as a lead, and selling it back to the dealers who are already willing to deal direct: this cuts their profit margin, without affecting the price that you pay, reducing service. Furthermore, by giving you lowball prices, and unrealistic expectations, they not only do not make the shopping and buying process better, they make it worse; now you have the impression that you must shop these already low prices to avoid being ripped off!

What a mess! And they are not even authorized dealers; they do not care about you: they are parasites, ruining a marketplace longing for some sort of respectable order and calmness.

OK, enough about the problems, which we are all so aware of: now the solutions:

1. Deal direct, and cut out the self-serving middlemen; by doing that, you allow more flexibility in price, not less, because the parasites have been removed form the middle!
( A nice side affect is that all those obnoxious ads and banners they pay for will disappear!)

2. Do your research online ahead of time; you can already know what the dealer pays; then you can offer a reasonable profit that both you and your local dealer (the nice one, not the sleazy, lying, cheap one) will feel comfortable with.

3. Shop by phone before hand; it is impossible to use controlling or underhanded techniques that use up all of your time on the phone; by calling around first, you can agree on the price, and insure the right selection before visiting the dealership, making the buying and delivery experience much shorter and less contentious for all.

4. Deal with the Internet or fleet department: if you really don't like retail shopping, avoid it all together by using the same techniques that businesses and insiders do!

A word to the wise: a vehicle is not a commodity in that it must be serviced: the service you will receive after the sale; the quality of the storage and delivery, detailing and servicing of the vehicle, and selection of colors, options and models are at least as important as a couple hundred bucks in the overall price of a ten thousand dollar to 100,000 dollar vehicle, and probably more so.

I say lets get these sleazy lead generators (who remind me of politicians who SAY that they have our best interest at heart) out of the business once and for all, and restore some honor and order to the process of buying and selling automobiles, trucks, real estate, travel, and everything else!

Israel Rothman is an internationally recognized authority on Internet Advertising, with over 20 years experience in the automotive industry.
(see http://www.rothmanmarketing.com for more of his opinions and commentary, or call him anytime at the Internet and Fleet Department at Jack Carroll's Lynnwood Dodge, Lincoln, Mercury in Seattle, Washington; cell: 925-913-0024)