NickGCS

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Posts posted by NickGCS

  3. Posted

    We use it successfully, it’s about building your audience before boosting posts of individual cars IMO. 

    Promote your page first with a boosted post & keep it interesting, not just repeat posts of your cars for sale, engage the audience & build a following 

    interaction posts are good, competitions, and we quite like before and after photos - if you were getting wheels refurbed for example 

    a slow process but well worth it

     

     

    • Like 1

  4. Posted

    10 hours ago, met said:

    But surely they'd achieve better prices through BCA? Or at least at the moment they would.

    It must be worth it when you look at the likes of the Holdcroft set up, literally a purpose built set up for the whole groups stock! They do it right as well, cars washed to appraise properly and fairly in our experience 

  6. Posted

    We buy the bulk of our stock from DA, and Sytner. It’s a case of feeling out which sellers are good in our experience! I find both sites much of a much in terms of poor appraisals, probably 1 or 2 in every 10 has been miss-appraised

    depends what kind of stock you buy as well I’d imagine!  

     

  8. Posted

    10 hours ago, Funny Farm said:

    Since the start of the year we have only sold 18 through Autotrader at a cost of roughly £11000 subscription to date, this means Autotrader has made more profits from my sales than I have (£611 per car). I have sold 15 via Ebay at £988 (£59 per car) - 3 from Car Gurus (£0 per car) - 2 Gumtree (£15 per add) 1 car Network (£0).

    We all know times are slow for what ever reasons however this time last year Autotrader was costing £243 per car sale (acceptable), now this figure is at £611. 

    Can anyone else provide a sales v cost analysis. It would be interesting to see the other dealers figures. Simply take the total Autotrader cost since start of the year divide that by amount of autotrader sales.

    We only have data from the last 2 months but from that it was £360 per unit.

    I was in the same mindset as you, as I thought it was far too dear. however I then looked at the “extra” sales we accumulated from AT, and the profit that brought it, not just net profit but finance comm, good swappers and any profit we gained from them, and while it seemed expensive on a per car basis ( and it is in comparison to other platforms) without it we wouldn’t have made the extra profit from those extra AT sales!

    I hate to admit it but it more than paid for itself, ROI I believe is the important thing 

    • Like 1

  9. Posted

    Thanks Nick I’ll def look into that, certainly worth a go if nothing else! 

    I tried gumtree for nearly a year and it just attracted complete idiots, plus they started advertising Zuto and the likes on my ads which was the final straw! 

  10. Posted

    9 minutes ago, Nick M.K. said:

     

    Do you have the Call Whisperer that tells you "This is an enquiry from Autotrader?"

    I do now Nick yes (only since mid March), I know we have had 2 direct sales this month pre match data already thanks to this! 

    Interesting to hear you mention the £175 for eBay motors pro? It’s probably the only platform I’ve never tried tbh. We operate fixed pricing and I just feel it’s inviting best price brigade but at £175 I’d only need 1 extra sale a month off it! 

  11. Posted

    Whats peoples thoughts on stock profiles performance on different platforms??

    We have around 20 cars on a 12 car package on AT, rotate the stock. Tend to do up to 7 years old under 70k,  mixture of ‘everyday’ cars, up to £15k retail and 5/6 vans 

    signed up to AT before Xmas on the deal, now paying circa £900 a month, we recently got ‘match data’ back from Jan/Feb and I did exactly the same as many here and handed my notice in on Monday, something like 4 direct sales and 2 Non direct ( we sold 15 Jan & 17 in Feb ) I was completely underwhelmed. However on reflection I’ve gone back and looked at the actual profit we have made over these 6 extra sales (unit net profit/finance comms/trade ins profit) and it had more than covered the cost. My thinking now is that while the numbers were poor without AT we wouldn’t have sold those 6 cars to those exact customers and made the extra profit we did. 

    I’m really torn wether to leave the notice in place or to keep the package going now, we’ve sold 21 this month, our best month since we started and I can’t help but think AT has somehow helped that. I know it works for some and not for others I just can’t decide if it’s working for us or we’ve just been lucky! 

    March Match Data may be the decider! :ph34r:

  12. Posted

    We had a 3.5t sprinter, steel back :unsure: and a trailer 

    Collecting 2 at a time all over the country I was convinced I was saving money - got pulled by Vosa, overweight in the truck with a polo on the back :ph34r: 

    We were let off with a slap on the wrists which was lucky in hindsight.

    Since sold the truck, kept the trailer for the odd move, but use drivers now. Much the same price per unit I’ve discovered, by the time insurance, maintenance, tax, fuel etc is accounted for. 

    I wouldn’t bother with another but depends on your set up, availability to collect etc

  13. Posted

    10 hours ago, TangoVictor32 said:

     

    We're also looking to invest in text message system to send out something 9 to 15 months later reminding them if they're looking to upgrade their vehicle and telling them where to come. Either this or a simple leaflet / letter through the post.

    Check out TextMagic, you can great your own display ID name, create templates, add customers etc. We use it all the time 

  14. Posted

    We have ours through Ivendi that Motonovo pay for. Works great and Ivendi are fine to deal with.

    on advice from another trader - don’t sign directly with Ivendi, silly get out clauses/12 months notice etc

    but if it’s through MN it’s all good in my experience 

  15. Posted

    1 hour ago, Arfur Dealy said:

    I tried using a Gimbal, but I found it incompatible with how I like to do the vids, it restricts your movement and flexibility.... IMO the best tool is an iPhone with the iMovie app....... absolutely fabulous, easy and simple to use. 

    Earunder, best advise is to make the video personable, sell yourself and the car....don't be boring.... people buy from people.

    Like

    this is exactly what we do, I bought a handle thing to hold the phone off eBay, as well as an external microphone that clips to your collar, works great and easy to edit on mymovie app

     

  17. Posted

    We took up the AT deal before Xmas after 8 odd years without it. Decided we are keeping it until April to give it a chance and I’ve had mixed results, I’m amazed at how many best price messages we have had- especially via the live chat feature. I thought this was a gumtree/eBay trait but appears not

    been with gumtree previously and it was a complete waste of money, motors exactly the same. F&F has not given me 1 serious lead also

    cargurus has given us thee odd sale but wouldn’t dream of paying for it, for all the common reasons.

    Best ROI is FB for us - we had a 2013 XDrive BMW M sport in white, 2.0 petrol that had 1700 odd views on AT, and produced absolutely nothing, best price brigade, swap for a clapped out Audi etc etc - Stuck a boosted post on FB with a £0 deposit finance example, car was gone within a week, cost us £30

    I know we have had a few sales from AT we wouldn’t normally have had, but I’m not sold just yet, early days for us with them though...

     

     

     

    • Like 1

  19. Posted

    I just looked at the Audi and bmw- Bmw looks better in that light, I’d try brightening the photos of the Audi or taking them in a different light.

    both could do with a good bit of tyre shine on, id also spend 10 mins on the A3s scuffed wheel with some 800, wheel trim silver rattle can and a pack of playing cards, a DIY refurb

    Interior shots of the switches etc look dirty-  buy a detailing brush and get all those bits of dust out with a good interior cleaner (we use pazzaz by AS) buff off with a dry cloth and it will transform those pics.

     I’d avoid taking those types of photos of the bmw steering wheel with obvious wear etc too!

    write ups are good, loads of photos too, plenty positives, but retail is detail..... mind you it is january... :) 

  20. Posted

    21 minutes ago, Tom said:

    I sell these on a 15/16 plate no problem in smooth mint! sell very well and I'm just up the road from a fiat main dealer. Price them keenly and they go. 

    Like

    We are exactly the same, 13-16 plates usually fly out and no major issues 

  23. Posted

    11 minutes ago, Tim H said:

    Hi DB, Have you had a look on fiverr.com...?

    +1 

    we did our logo ourselves but have had intro/outride clips made up for our walk around videos and some other bits and pieces from people on there, some very talented people and reasonable prices too!!

  24. Posted

    On 12/01/2019 at 10:52 AM, David Ayers said:

    Number of owners and Mot date on the key tag. 

    Love this! 2 things that are asked and I always have to look it up! Def stealing this!

    We have a price board, silent salesman with finance example, and slogan sticker across the screen, a few odd corner screen stickers again promoting finance!

    used to have the roof toppers & plate covers but wasn’t sold on them so no longer use!

  25. Posted

    3 minutes ago, Nick M.K. said:

    I went back, re-read it again and I now see it a few posts down from the initial "Plot". Depending on what his setup will be on that "plot" or "pitch" I either stand by absolutely everything I said above or retract absolutely everything I said as never having run a pitch makes me unqualified to give advice to the OP. 

    Looks like you didn’t pay much attention to the detail.