Philip Raby

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Everything posted by Philip Raby

  1. Philip Raby
    I've just been writing about the 997 Sport Classic. A limited edition which was almost a model in its own right, with better handling than the standard 997 and even a unique roof panel. Lovely car!
  2. Philip Raby
    How far people will travel depends, to an extent, on the car. The 'threshold of a good' if I remember my A level geography. I get customers from all around the world if I get a rare classic, whereas people are less likely to travel very far for a Ford Fiesta.
  3. Philip Raby
    As an ex-magazine person, I'm almost ashamed to say that all my advertising spend is online. It's cost effective and easy to monitor. There's also the small point that none of the four UK Porsche magazines' advertising departments ever make an effort to sell me space - if they showed the initiative I'd be tempted to support them. :-)
  4. Philip Raby
    Ignore social media and you won't have any customers to talk to! :-)
  5. Philip Raby
    I'm planning on doing an introduction. My son is a keen video maker, and a snapper just yesterday lent us a glide cam. Watch this space! I did for a while make 60 second walkarounds of cars but that's gone by the wayside. I may revisit it. Phil
  6. Philip Raby
    I was out on a magazine photoshoot with a classic 911 and took some iPhone photos which I uploaded to Facebook and Twitter. I've since had three enquiries on that car, direct from Facebook, plus someone looking for another Porsche. That's before I have marketed the car in traditional ways. Social media works!
  7. Philip Raby
    I always list options, which is easy with most Porsches as the option codes are printed on the VIL. Not so easy with some marques, such as BMW, though. Phil
  8. Philip Raby
    I've just had a call from my insurance broker with renewal quotes. At present, I'm with Aviva, but the broker also gave me a quote from Amlin a Lloyds Syndicate which is £1000 cheaper. Cover is the same but he admits that they're less keen to pay out. Anyone had experience? Phil
  9. Philip Raby
    Ed, do you list the entire service history with dates and mileages?
  10. Philip Raby
    I've written magazine articles on Cat D Porsches. Generally they are worth 20% less than equivalent non-recorded cars and can be a great buy. The interesting thing is damage to a new and high value car will be repaired, with no record appearing in the history, whereas the same damage on an older less valuable car results in a record, even if the car's properly repaired. It's not a route I would go down, but I have heard about people exporting Cat D cars as a way of losing the history. Phil
  11. Philip Raby
    All that investment and they've not felt a need to issue another press release since July...
  12. Philip Raby
    Fiat X1-9 maybe. Great little cars but most have rusted away.
  13. Philip Raby
    Dealers vary in their approach to car descriptions on their websites and adverts. Some just list the spec while others use gushing prose. Has anyone analysed what is more effective in terms of enticing customers? Phil
  14. Philip Raby
    Porsche 944. Good ones are very hard to find.
  15. Philip Raby
    Good question, James. I monitor traffic to my website and I've noticed that I'm now getting slightly more via Twitter than Facebook, even though I have a few more Facebook followers. Does that mean Twitter is more effective? Possibly, although it could simply be that Facebook allows followers to see links without having to click on them. For me, it works to have both. PS. I've just Liked your Facebook page. :-)
  16. Philip Raby
    My experience of smart repairs is that they look great for a while but don't last - a few months down the line you can see where the repair was done.
  17. Philip Raby
    There's an element of snobbery about social media from some people. "Oh, I don't have time for all that," is a common comment I hear. Of course, it doesn't take that long and can be managed on the fly from an iPhone, so that's a poor argument. I have some 2600 Facebook likes and slightly fewer Twitter followers, and find both invaluable. They drive traffic to my website, help build brand awareness, are a fun way to interact with people and I've even sold cars via them. So don't overlook Facebook! :-)