The Impact of Online Reviews on Car Sales

Learn how dealership online reviews influence buyer decisions and get tips on managing and responding to reviews to enhance dealership reputation.

Our culture expects buying experiences to be seamless and tailored to individual needs. Suppose they fall short or go beyond our expectations. In that case, customers are likely to tell others, including friends and family, but increasingly through dealership online reviews. In the vast internet abyss, where one’s opinion can influence many, these reviews play a crucial role in shaping public perception.

Shoppers are constantly seeking out reviews online, including dealership reviews. The importance of a good online reputation for any business must be emphasized, and a plan needs to be in place to counter the rate at which a reputation can change.

Here are some insights for building and protecting your dealership’s reputation that you can implement today.

Building & Protecting Your Dealership’s Reputation

There may not be any shortcuts to a good reputation, but there are ways to strengthen and protect one. One of the most important places to do that is online, where most shoppers do their research before making a purchase.

Google and Facebook especially make reviewing a business easy, allowing everyone to share their opinion with the masses. But, you can make the practice of reviews work for you by engaging in proactive dealership review management and positively connecting with your community, both online and offline.

Building & Protecting Your Dealership’s Reputation

Every business receives both negative and positive feedback online. The way you handle the feedback your dealership receives will directly impact the relationships you have with current and future customers. So, it’s important to build trust through positive interactions.

No one gets five stars all the time. In fact, most consumers don’t trust businesses that only have 5-star reviews because they see them as less-than-authentic. So, don’t worry too much about a bad review or two. Just respond appropriately so everyone can see you’re a proactive, service-oriented dealership.

Whether a review is good, bad, or indifferent, your response is always in order. Your customers want to know their review was noticed and read. They’ll know you’re paying attention when you give them a personalized, thoughtful response and value their feedback.

If you receive a positive review, that’s great news. You can respond by thanking the customer for their business and the feedback. Additionally, take a moment to personalize your response by mentioning the recent service that was received or the purchase that was made, highlighting any further services your dealership can provide.

Negative feedback can be tricky, but it’s still important to respond. Again, thank the customer for the insights shared, and let them know you understand the situation. Let customers know their business is important to you, and be sure you offer a positive solution and a way to contact you personally.

Remember, how you respond to a negative review often carries more weight than the bad review itself. Consumers want to know how they’ll be treated if they have a similar complaint.

It’s also important to ask for reviews. Those most likely to write reviews are the ones who had a tremendous experience or a terrible one. Learn how to increase reviews in this dealer reputation study by Reputation.

Encourage Online Reviews

Boost your positive reviews by requesting that customers who have had positive experiences leave feedback for you online. They are the ones who want to talk about their experience with your business, and they will want to pass your information along to their friends and family. The more positive feedback you have, the better.

When they share their experiences, they boost your brand recognition among potential new customers. They also give you the opportunity to stay in contact and offer future service and maintenance for them. Even a less-than-stellar review can be turned around because it gives your dealership a chance to shine by providing responsive solutions to make things right.

The Proactive Approach

Responding to negative reviews quickly will help build a positive reputation. But that means you must find them first. Contrary to how it sometimes feels, those negative reviews don’t always pop out at you. Again, your customers will be searching for all reviews, so don’t let them find the bad ones before you’ve had the chance to respond.

Platforms are available that encourage feedback and guide the customer toward review sites. This allows dealerships to ask for reviews after service and sales. The closer the customer is to the point of sale or service, the likelier they are to act on it. Managing your online reputation proactively, quickly, and consistently is as important as your in-person customer service.

That’s why AutoAlert provides a complete solution for putting your customers at the center of your processes. AutoAlert’s reputation management solution can alert you to reviews on popular websites daily or weekly. The appropriate person can then respond to reviews right from the AutoAlert platform, making it easy and quick.

The modern consumer has access to just about every piece of information they need online to make a decision for a purchase. If consumers feel they are getting a better product or service, they are willing to pay more, finding more value in the longer-lasting and higher-quality purchase – and reviews strongly influence this decision.

Ensure your dealership is recognized as responsive, service-oriented, and professional with the best dealership review tools. By leveraging dealership online reviews and responding quickly, positively, and with proactive information, you’ll win over today’s shoppers and set your dealership up with a great reputation.

Ready to improve your online reputation?

Make the best first impression and get ahead of negative reviews with AutoAlert’s Reputation Management Solutions