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"Why do I need some fancy pants website?"
The heavy equipment industry has a deep history. For instance, my grandfather was the branch manager of a heavy equipment dealership for over 50 years, and boy has a lot changed in that amount of time!
Now, if I had mentioned to "Opa"—very much a member of the “old guard”— that his company needed a website, he probably would have scoffed and said, "Folks know us. We don't need some fancy pants website."
And for his time, he would have been right—but times have changed. Many companies don't have decades of name recognition to lean against. Word-of-mouth has been overpowered by Google search results, social media feeds, and online reviews. All of this makes websites as necessary for heavy equipment dealerships as lot space and personnel.
Contents
Let's look at 7 reasons why you need to overhaul your heavy equipment dealership website.
Buyers of heavy equipment and parts have never had more options.
The internet has not only revealed a sea of sellers but also the education necessary to make informed buying decisions before ever reaching out to a sales professional. And once they know what they want, they're hopping on a search engine (usually Google—sorry, Bing) to find the heavy equipment dealership that feels the most trustworthy.
If your website—
(a.) fails to deliver or
(b.) isn't showing up in search results,
buyers will keep clickin' and skippin' until they find a dealer website that satisfies their search intent; finding a dealership they can trust with their business.
"If I could just get them on the phone..."
This is a common mantra of many sales professionals.
Well, phone sales are dying. According to a Martech survey from 2019, only around 4% of participants were open to receiving sales phone calls.
What is replacing these calls? Buyers reaching out for more information via a website contact form.
But they won't reach out to you via contact form if—
(a.) you don't have a website or
(b.) they don't trust your website with their contact details.
I mean, who knows what this website could do with their name, email address, or phone number?
A professional dealer website with helpful information fosters trust. Trust fosters interest. Interest fosters deals!
Most websites can help someone learn about your company, view your listings, and reach out with questions. Professional websites, however, can help you tailor your website and marketing to the needs of your visitor in a way that is more likely to result in sales. But how?
Professional-tier websites give site owners a clearer look at visitors using advanced tracking capabilities. Using these analytics, you can begin to see what is sending visitors your way, how long they're searching, what they're looking at the most, and even what they were doing when they left. You can study what made folks trust you more, what piqued their interest, and what ultimately made them feel comfortable enough to connect.
You can use this information to craft the ideal visitor experience—one designed to make folks want to stick around, reach out for more information, and finally, buy!
We all have that friend that we call up when we need recommendations regarding where to go for this or that. Need a good restaurant? Call Claire. Suit alterations? Call Sue. Tires? Call Brandon. They'll rattle off who they trust within that sphere.
Though this network still exists for many, most of these trusted “recommenders” have been replaced by Google. But Google, like Claire, Sue, or Brandon, only recommends businesses they trust.
"But how can a search engine 'trust' something?"
There are a number of “trust indicators” that Google looks for when recommending a business to users—such as positive reviews, links to this business from established websites, and how well this result fills their request.
And like a brick-n-mortar business, one way to begin the process of building trust with Google is with a professional website.
"But can't any slimeball attempt to woo Google with a fancy pants website?"
True, but you'll have several factors working for you in this regard including—
Recommendations
When you have a professional website, you're giving satisfied customers a place to channel their recommendations and praise. Just like a friend would recommend "the ribs place on 6th Street," they'll also send digital traffic your way in the form of one-to-one interactions, social media mentions (Facebook posts, etc.), and links from their own websites. Google takes these recommendations into account, sees that you're trusted by others, and begins to trust you as well. Bogus websites will have a tougher time fostering genuine recommendations.
Relevancy
If someone searches for "brake repair Chevy sedan," it wouldn't make sense to send them to your John Deere or Case backhoe dealership. But how would Google know that? By checking (or “crawling” as they call it) your professional website.
When professionally "optimized," your dealership website will tell search engines precisely what you do and don't do—what you can offer and what you can't. Google appreciates this transparency and rewards sites with a better spot in the results.
If, however, your website is optimized by amateurs who try to use questionable tricks, Google will see right through these ploys and not only not recommend your site, but may even penalize your page with lower rankings or not recommend your site at all.
Value
Google is in the business of solving problems for users. One of these problems could be finding a reputable tractor-trailer dealer, sure. Another could also be finding out what to look for in a used dry van trailer so the searcher can be an informed buyer. If you can help Google out in both such regards, they may scratch your back by way of favorable results rankings.
Not only this, but such buyers are likely to remember who helped them become informed buyers and are more apt to return when they need to pick up that dry van trailer.
With a professional website, you're not only putting out a digital billboard for visitors, but you're also rolling out the red carpet for search engines to check out your brand, see what you offer, who vouches for you, and how you can help Google deliver meaningful answers.
You may have your inventory listings featured on different heavy equipment marketplaces, online or in print—which can exponentially increase your exposure, this is true. Still, when you want to send folks to check out your marketplace listings, recommending a source other than your dealership exposes them to your competition. This would be like telling folks to check out your restaurant in a food court or to visit your store in a shopping mall. There's no need to send leads to other dealerships if you could have provided what they needed as well.
Wouldn't it be nice to present your listings without having to send folks to a website or publication you don't fully control? Well, with a professional website—one equipped to feature your inventory listings only—you hold the keys to the kingdom.
People like to do business with folks that they know. One way to get to know folks is to talk to them! Your website is a great place to do this.
Communication with your leads and customers is crucial in the heavy equipment world. For this reason, having a digital speaking platform simplifies how you convey any message.
Such messages may include upcoming events, specials, educational materials (such as a heavy equipment buyer's education blog), or just a place where visitors can get to know your team better and understand the story of your dealership. Your story can foster a bond—a sense of trust that reduces the friction on the pathway to the sale.
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"Can't any web developer handle my needs?"
There's no doubt that any capable web developer can build you a heavy equipment dealership website that is stunning, intuitive, and optimized for search engines. However, there are functions of a professional heavy equipment dealership website that a less specialized web developer simply won't be able to include, such as…
Inventory/Listing System Integration
How would you like to easily update listings? You shouldn't have to hire a web developer to do so! Instead, your website and listing management system should work hand-in-hand. At the push of a button, a listing crafted by a member of your sales team should be able to be published on your site. A web developer with experience in the heavy equipment industry can make this simple process a reality.
Lead Management/CRM Integration
Building a website means you're looking for leads—folks reaching out to say, "Yes, I'd like to connect." However, for many, a huge crack emerges between the website content management system (or a CMS) and whatever customer relationship management (CRM) system the dealership is using. A website with professional implementation connects all forms of lead capture with your dealership's CRM. In this way, the gap is bridged and no leads fall between the cracks.
Just as your lot or showroom acts as your dealership's physical connection point with your customers—where handshakes are shared and trust is built—your website is your heavy equipment dealership's zone of trust online. A website, built by professionals with experience in the heavy equipment industry, can elevate your dealership beyond your lot, your town, and what you imagine possible.
Still interested in what a professional website integrated with your dealer management system can do for your heavy equipment dealership? We can help! Your friends from My Little Salesman are pleased to introduce you to Dealer Technology Solutions—your source for heavy-duty digital systems built for dealers by dealers. You're invited to experience DTS's full suite of dealership technolgies—including
- Professional websites
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
- Inventory Management
- Lead Management
- Deal Management (quotes, invoicing, documentation, etc.)
- Email and Website Hosting
- IT Management
—and much more—all in one system.
Learn more about overhauling your dealership's website and systems today.