AIMEE ROMERO, Dealerskins, SELL MORE CARS... SCIENTIFICALLY, Jason Ezell, Dominions Enterprises, Automotive Dealership Websites

Some of you may be familiar with the scientific method, a seven step process used to answer questions scientifically. The scientific method is used to look at problems analytically and come up with reasonable solutions. You don't have to be a scientist to use the method; let's look at how science can help you sell more cars. The first step of the method is to choose a problem or ask a question. Your question may be, "Why don't I get more leads from my website?" Easy enough, right? This step is very important because it helps you to narrow down your to do list. By focusing on one issue or question at a time, you will solve problems much more efficiently. The second step of the method is research. Once you've isolated your problem, read about it, get advice from your peers and make observations. Don't be afraid to spend a little bit of time in the research stage of your problem solving. Ultimately, research will be much less expensive than an array of more costly quick fixes that may not yield the long-term results you're looking for. Once you've sufficiently researched your problem, you're ready for the third step of the method- developing a hypothesis. This simply means making a prediction or an educated guess about the source of your problem and a possible solution. It's best to come up with several potential solutions ahead of time based on your research. This will save you time in the future if your first instinct proves to be faulty. Now that you've done your research and formulated educated opinions, it's time for action. Design an experiment. For example, if your website doesn't provide many leads, you may notice that you rarely have online specials available. During your research stage you will discover that specials are the second most sought after item on your site. Your hypothesis may be that specials and Internet leads are directly correlated. As an experiment, make sure that you always have specials available on your site for a designated period of time. Choose how you will measure outcomes and stand by that means of measurement. Plan out your experiment and decide ahead of time how you will test your hypothesis. Your measurement should focus not only on Internet leads, but traffic to your showroom as well. Once you've added specials, ask salespeople to find out where traffic is coming from. You may learn that there's an increase of traffic looking for a deal based on your online specials listings. This is the fifth step of the method, testing your hypothesis. The sixth step of the method is to organize your data. Plot out your Internet sales on a graph. Include before-experiment and after-experiment numbers. From this data you can move to the seventh step of the method and draw a conclusion. If the numbers have vastly changed for the better, it's safe to say your experiment was a success. You can implement changes on a grand scale. If we stick with the example of online specials increasing Internet leads, you might dedicate a salesperson to keeping specials updated. If the numbers haven't changed to your satisfaction, go back to step three. Design an experiment around another hypothesis. Sometimes a combination of your hypotheses will yield the best results. Perhaps you also hypothesized that your inventory could include better pictures and information. This time your experiment should include both online specials and more comprehensive inventory listings. It doesn't take a scientist to benefit from the scientific method. It's nothing new, simply an organized way to reason through problems and recognize cause and effect. You will be surprised at how efficiently you can solve problems if you step back and prioritize problems at your dealership. You're sure to succeed when you think scientifically!

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Google Video | March 31, 2008

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