The walk-ups phenomenon
Do you know what's driving your ups?
To determine the success of any dealership, it pays to start at the front door. Walk-up traffic means business, but it's key to understand that walk-ups are definitely no accident. That's why every dealer should know exactly what prompted these customers to walk through their door.

Over 80% of dealers track walk-ups by asking customers how they found out about the dealership. Methods range from casual dialogue to up-logs, tally-sheets, formal surveys or post-deal jackets. The key is to not only count your traffic, but to understand what triggered these shoppers to land in your showroom.

Today, the Internet plays a critical role in a dealership's advertising plans. That's because a dealer's website acts as an extension of their showroom. This is extremely important considering shoppers that visit dealer sites are usually far along in the buying process. This means they usually know which vehicle they want to purchase and are searching for the dealer they want to ultimately do business with.

This marketing strategy is proving a successful one. In fact, dealers are reporting that 39% of all walk-up traffic is generated directly from the Internet. When you consider that 70-80% of all car shoppers use the Internet in their car shopping process, this isn't a surprise. It points to the way the buying process is changing, and even though the customer may not initially reveal themselves as an online shopper - chances are they have done their homework online.

Since website traffic can so often translate into a walk-up customer, it's important that dealers maximize their online presence, both on their own site and by advertising on online listing services.

Knowing what's driving your traffic is key to making your marketing dollars work harder. When his dealership started measuring the source of its walk-up traffic, Scott Henthorn of Ed Voyles Chrysler Jeep learned just how critical his online presence was to reach used car shoppers. "Nearly 70% of the used car buyers walking through our door found our dealership online," said Henthorn. "Numbers like that set a clear direction for our business - it's essential for us to be aggressive online."

While getting an accurate assessment of walk-up traffic may never be an exact science, dealerships that survey their customers after the sale report the most success. Henthorn uses this practice to understand his dealerships media ROI, and believes it is the best indicator. He also encourages his sales team to survey customers that don't close a deal. "To get a clear picture, it's essential to understand what's bringing a prospect through your front door, even if they don't ultimately buy a car off your lot."
Remember, what you measure you can improve. For a convenient way to help you track your walk-up customers, click here and download a comprehensive post-purchase survey.

Statistics Source: Magid Associates, Inc., "Dealer Understanding
and Evaluation of Online Merchandising," December 2004.