RVBusiness, March/April 2020

DealershipBEST Practices BY B A R B R I L E Y Converting Digital Leads into Customer Relationships G enerating real life connections in a virtual reality world is a common conundrum for digital age business owners How does one get heard amongst deafening levels of e noise or make eye contact with peepers glued to a screen Since the chain of supply and demand is the lifeblood of a free enterprise economy successful businesses have identified current demands for immediate access to masses of information with immediate results once theyre ready to pull the purchase trigger Even big RV size purchases Fortunately for RV dealers their clienteles inherent interest in the outdoors makes them less squeamish about getting off the couch but the fact remains that most contemporary consumers are research driven net dwellers Ultimately our goal is to drive customers to our lot The best way we can do this is by getting them on the phone with one of our sales people said Ken Eckstein owner and COO of Mount Comfort RV MCRV However it seems that a growing number of people are going to the Internet to research their next RV purchase That makes it important for us to have a professional and informative web presence to direct those researchers to our business To that end the single store dealership in Greenfield Ind initiated a huge concerted effort six years ago to focus on enriching their web estate by hiring a dedicated Internet and social media manager whose sole duty seven days a week is to address our Internet presence Eckstein said with an emphasis on presence The push is meant to make Mount Comfort RV ever present at the forefront of consumers searches and minds and not just as a sales outlet but as a trusted resource that interested parties will find enjoyable 86 RVBusiness M A R C H A P R I L 2 0 2 0 Ken Eckstein owner and COO of Mount Comfort RV meets with Sales Manager Michael Holcomb and revisit continually Efforts toward this brass ring goal have been applied to their website and social media channels including Facebook Instagram Pinterest and YouTube with a concentration on video content Were constantly creating professionally produced instructional educational informative and sometimes funny videos to syndicate on our YouTube page website RVTraderOnline and Facebook We currently have around 1000 videos online with more than 155 million views in total stated Eckstein More than 30000 people have subscribed to our YouTube page meaning every video we post is e mailed to them at their own request We reach about 20000 people a day through this medium And theyre still looking to further grow and enhance both their virtual and physical campuses Mount Comforts newly opened facility includes a larger 500 square foot studio and office for the Internet manager and two additional employees to handle web content updates online chats and video production all evidence that MCRVs e focus puts them on the right track one they want to keep riding Our videos and Internet presence have helped us build virtual rapport and gain loyalty because what we provide informs customers and endears us to them he said Were working on continuing to develop our home site with blogs local attraction information employee bios and more so we can be a onestop shop for our customers That said a critical cog in this digital goodwill machine is converting fandom into profit After all everyone has to pay the bills and make a living Ecksteins team approaches this with a one two punch of being salesready and people prominent Once visitors progress past learning and want to start shopping they can view Mount Comforts full inventory on their website Facebook page and online RV and automotive listing sites And though theyre online these marketplaces hold more direct interaction potential than static window shopping Most of these sites are equipped with the ability for customers to live chat with one of our salespeople right there on the site Eckstein said Armed with tactical information on specific RVs prospects are further spurred forward with human engagement When anyone calls Mount Comfort RV during regular business hours they always talk to a live operator first rather than a machine that directs them to another machine he stated In addition Mount Comforts salespeople are the stars of their galaxy of videos That way when the customer is ready to make a purchase he wants to work with the salesperson who educated him and helped him make his decision MCRVs tactics may be cutting edge but after 40 years in the business Eckstein said he still likes to think of them as an old school dealership with small town values We still try to help people first and not just move RVs he explained sharing their credo If you cant make a sale at least make a friend We would prefer really that people come to our dealership rather than our website but we understand thats not realistic Eckstein related Dealers who want to be successful will need to find ways to adapt to this culture of immediacy and continue to provide impeccable customer service Therefore we are accommodating And if his experience is any indicator the methods thereof will always be a moving target Everything changes What worked yesterday may not work tomorrow he said adding after a pause and a laugh I guess thats what makes it interesting RVB Ken Eckstein pictured here with his son Rusty Mount Comforts general manager said dealerships must adapt to a culture of immediacy