One Lead-Maker You’re Probably Leaving out of Your Used Car Descriptions

Best practices come and go. Working with dealers across Canada, we have seen more than a few of these “techniques” in our day. Lots of these new practices are adopted eagerly by dealers. Many are not.

But there is one simple thing that nobody is doing that everyone should: promoting the reconditioning work they have done on their used inventory.

You spend tons of money reconditioning vehicles. Your trained, experienced, and certified service staff breathe new life into old inventory, every single day. But for some reason, dealers don’t consider this to be a major selling feature. They don’t feel the need to mention it in their vehicle descriptions.

If you ignore it, the customer will too.

Sample Dealer Notes

This local one owner trade is in excellent shape. Loaded including Lariat Chrome Package (Chrome Angular Step Bars, Chrome Power Heated Signal Mirrors, 18 Inch Chrome Clad Wheels), Max Trailer Tow Package, 6.5 Foot Box, Spray Liner, Sony Navigation, Tailgate Step and Heated/Cooled Leather Seats. It’s finally time to step into the truck of your dreams. Financing available.

Our experienced service technicians have made the following improvements to ensure you drive home in a safe and reliable Riverdale Ford certified vehicle.

• Paint chips repaired on the hood, driver door, and tailgate
• Worn fan belt replaced
• Interior shampooed
• Small windshield chip repaired
• Loose volume knob replaced

How to Get Your Listing Noticed

Customers looking to buy a used vehicle see the same tired selling features on every dealership site they visit: stock photos, equipment specs, available options, and maybe some financing information.

But you want your listings to get noticed. You want to show the customer why they should buy one of your vehicles, not the other guy’s.

Listing any recon and detailing your service technicians have done can achieve this. But it also achieves something more valuable for the customer—peace of mind.

They now know that the small tear in the leather upholstery has been completely mended.

They now know that the vehicle has a better windshield than it had.

They now know the engine has been inspected; any worn belts have been replaced.

Buying a car is exciting. Even a used car. The only thing that would be more exciting for someone buying a used car short of buying a brand new one would be knowing that yours is “newer” than the guy’s down the street. Be savvy in how you describe your recon and you could slowly pull in your customer, like iron to a magnet.

It’s getting harder and harder to stand out from the crowd. But these are the little things that do it. For 30 seconds of your time and five lines of text, it may be your greatest return on investment.

Need the right way with words to make your recondition jobs more enticing to customers? Contact Strathcom today and get our crack team of content writers on the job!