Why You Should Be Selling Online
Many OPE dealers don’t think they need to sell online. After all, would you really sell a snow blower or lawn mower over the internet?
Well, maybe, maybe not. But open up your OPE inventory management software sometime and take a look at how many parts you sold last month, and the month before. How would you like to increase those numbers by 25%? 50%?
It’s entirely possible to dramatically increase your parts sales, if you start selling them on your website.
It’s also important to realize this: if your competitors are selling parts online, then they’re taking market share away from you. Your customers are busy; if they can buy a part online and have it shipped to their door, they’re going to opt for that instead of driving around looking for it.
The Key to Successful Online Selling
The great thing about having an online store is that it’s working for you 24/7. You don’t have to be “open” to make money if you use the Internet. And the opportunity to earn additional income is incredible. But having a successful store for your OPE dealership depends on a few things.
- 1. Keywords
If you start selling parts or other items online, people must be able to find you. For instance, if you have a store in Kansas City and someone Googles “Kansas City lawnmower parts”, you want to make sure your dealership is on that first page of Google. So you need to choose keywords that relate to your business, and make sure your site, and your online store, are using them effectively, over and over again. Even if you need to invest in a search engine marketing firm that will help you improve your rankings, your increased sales might be well worth the investment.
- 2. Use Email Effectively
Hopefully you’ve been collecting your customers’ email addresses. Once your store goes live, make sure your customers know about it! Send them an email to let them know they can now buy parts online. You could also think about giving them a specific coupon code for 10% off their first purchase.
Email is also beneficial because it can go viral. That is, one of your customers may not need a part right now. But they know their sister, who lives 200 miles away, does. So they can forward that email to her to use. This means you just picked up a new customer who normally would have never come into your store.
That’s the power of the Internet.
Last Word…
Many dealers underestimate how much an online store could do for their business. But you can potentially increase your monthly profits by thousands of dollars, simply by putting up an online store and optimizing it with SEO. At the least it would make your store look more professional, and give your customers a more convenient way to shop with you.
outdoor power equipment software, Store Operations | 
July 26, 2010 8:34 am
