The Internet is a powerful tool to increase sales at local auto dealerships.
The sales staff of Crown Toyota, 3400 S. Iowa, knows what to do when a customer enters the dealership with a sheaf of papers full of car buying information from the Internet.
"I've told them to say, 'Great -- you've done your homework. What kind of car would you like to see?'" Jeff Andre, Crown Toyota's sales manager, said.
Like Andre, other Lawrence auto dealers have discovered the Internet is a powerful ally to use in the search for customers and more sales.
Rather than viewing the Internet -- with its plethora of auto sales information -- as a fierce, new competitor, dealerships in Lawrence say it's a great tool to bring in new traffic and increase business.
Customers who closely research their car preferences online before coming into a dealership are just that much easier to serve, the dealerships add.
"Using the Internet makes it a lot easier for buyers to shop for cars," Dale York, sales manager for Dale Martens Nissan Subaru, 2112 W. 29th Ter., said.
"It allows people to shop a larger (geographic) area. We've had people contact us from as far away as Columbia, Mo. They reach us by e-mail that comes to us through car buyer services.
"It's a new way to get business. Now you don't have to rely on people just making the trip to the dealership. And as much as people are getting so computer friendly, this is more comfortable for them.
"Our sales staff is on our Web site daily, answering e-mails and giving out information," York said.
Dale Martens Nissan Subaru's Web site can be accessed through AutoMall.com, which has links to dealers worldwide.
Makes job easier
Laird Noller Mitsubishi, 2829 Iowa, has been doing in-house Internet sales for about three weeks, Jim Farthing, assistant sales manager said.
This has already resulted in some sales for the dealership. Customers have contacted Laird Noller by e-mail through services such as CarPoint.com.
Details of a sale are then worked out online or over the telephone.
"I like it. The Internet puts us in touch with more buyers in outlying areas who possibly wouldn't drive to our showroom. It actually makes our job easier, because customers know what they're looking for," Farthing said.
"I'm working on a sale (initiated on the Internet) today. The customer's coming in to pick up his car today, and he hasn't even been to the dealership before. He lives an hour and 15 minutes away. He hasn't even seen the vehicle yet."
The dealer's website address is LairdNoller.com.
'Jump on bandwagon'
Crown Toyota gets customer leads from roughly a five-state area through AutoVantage.com, an Internet car buying service. It's common for the dealership to receive inquiries from as far away as Omaha and St. Louis.
Crown Toyota has a salesperson who continually updates information on the dealership's website (CrownAutomotive.com) and responds to e-mail from customers.
"Many of these people tell us this is the best buying experience they've ever had purchasing a car. When they come in to the dealership, their car is here," Andre said.
"I'm on my third year of using the Internet (for car sales). I decided that if I don't use it, someone else around me will.
"I saw this coming, and I said, 'I'm going to jump on the bandwagon.'"
-- Jim Baker's phone message number is 832-7173; his e-mail address is jbaker@ljworld.com.
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