Month: April 2020

This article aims to investigate the importance of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in the auto parts industry. So let us take more in-depth dive into CRM and what it entails precisely for auto parts.

What is CRM?

Customer relationship management (CRM) is a technology for managing all your company’s relationships and interactions with customers and potential customers. The goal is simple: Improve business relationships. A CRM system helps companies stay connected to customers, streamline processes, and improve profitability.

 

BENEFITS OF CRM SOFTWARE

The automobile and auto parts industry are spaces where there is a need to build trust within customers because of the high financial investment and safety concerns. An efficient CRM can help with this.

 

Let us explore a few points in detail, as to why CRM is crucial to the automobile and auto parts industry, especially when it comes to retaining and increasing consumer base:

1. Stay Ahead of the Competition

The auto parts industry operates in both the B2B and B2C sector. And if there is high competition, customers can quickly get swept away by other businesses. Competition means that not only the quality and cost of your product matters but also your relationship with the customer.

 

Your approach towards your customer will decide their inclination towards your business. Especially in an industry like auto parts where the customer can quickly move on to another vendor through a quick Google search

 

To stay ahead of the other vendors, a CRM system will keep in touch with your customer and ensure that they are getting everything they expect from your business. It makes sure that they do not even think of migrating elsewhere. An efficient CRM system will provide them with the best service before they even ask for it.

 

Related Post- 5 steps to build an excellent website for your auto parts business

 

2. Increase Your Customer Flock

Automobile and auto parts industries are low churn industries, i.e. a customer is not likely to buy one product multiple times in a short period. Each purchase is a long term investment. Which means that one increases their profit margins by selling their product to a large volume of customers, instead of selling their products again and again to a small group.

 

One of the best ways to increase the pool of potential customers is through CRM. It ensures that existing customers are engaging with your brand and that new customers are continuously getting introduced to your products. It increases brand retention, so that when they do need a product they think of your company.

 

More so, if you have a good relationship with your existing customers, they will provide the best form of marketing possible- word of mouth. This will, in the long term, lead to a more extensive customer base.

 

3. Breed Loyal Customers

Once you get a potential customer into your flock, you shouldn’t let go of them easily. After all, making them a customer has been a hard task.

 

They say, a person who purchases once from you is a customer, but a person who purchases twice is a loyalist. Especially in businesses like auto parts that have a relatively high financial investment. 

 

What a CRM system does is, it keeps interacting with customers even if they are not actively looking to purchase. This increases customer loyalty, so over the years whenever they do need a product, they know that there is a trustworthy brand in the business.

 

And in an industry like auto parts where the safety of gear, the longevity of the machine, build quality etc. are very important, trust is an extremely beneficial currency to have.

 

IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS OF CRM SOFTWARE

Here are a few brief functions a CRM can achieve in the auto parts industry, which will make running your business extremely smooth:

 

1. Get Complete Customer Information

A CRM creates a customer database where vital information like their purchases, preferences of vehicle models, etc. are stored. This can help you forecast what they will need in the future, and what their current concerns could be. 

 

2. Personalize the Customer’s Experience

A CRM can help with thinking in an inbound way. It means that you are giving your customers what they want, and not what you want to sell. It shows to them that their opinion matters and that they are not just faceless cash cows for you. This not only builds a customer relationship but also gives valuable information about customer preferences, which will help you in product development.

 

3. Automate Tasks

The main aim of CRM software is not to replace the human brains running the business, but to make their job easier. Automating manual tasks in a complex industry like this is a necessity. E.g. it can be follow-up emails to customers, feedback forms, reminders for servicing etc. 

 

4. Forecast Customer Needs

What forecasting can do is show what a customer might expect from your business in the future depending on the products you are selling. It can show that you may not currently have a service that they might need, or that you’re running short on a specific raw material etc. It is solving future problems now; when the time is there.

 

And that is it…

 

These are the few benefits and functions of CRM software that exhibit how important it is to run the auto parts industry. 

 

Customer relationship management is essential to every firm as they seek to make a profit through long-term relationships with customers. Customers have incredible information available to them through the internet, Google reviews, social media etc. which is why building relationships requires more effort.

 

The implementation of such unique software is likely to redefine the company’s customer service, improve marketing, sales, and increase revenue.

Spareshub In India and Bosch internally has made considerable strides in the online market place as auto part makers and dealers. How? By merely creating online platforms that are filled with relevant information, product description, easy to navigate and even more comfortable to purchase.

A great example is 3dcart, where a customer can easily make your auto parts catalogue available to shoppers worldwide, quickly and easily, and purchase parts of their interest in just a matter of minutes with a feature-rich platform that makes it easy to list, sell, and manage daily business operations.

Gone are the days when people use to wonder about How to build a website? Or find simple steps to build a website. Be it repair work or customization, more and more auto parts makers are coming online to make their presence and boost the Omnichannel presence of the industry by themselves.

In this article, we tell you 5 easy steps to build a website for your auto parts business online.

These free and straightforward auto parts website design techniques will help you even if you don’t have any technical expertise. So let’s start moving…

The list below includes names of the parts which are most popular in online stores and are most frequently purchased by users –

1. Grilles
2. Bumpers
3. Side mirrors
4. Headlights and tail lights
5. Other lighting products (fog lights, replacement bulbs, etc.)
6. Tires
7. Hubcaps
8. Shocks and struts
9. Other suspension parts
10. Levelling kits

So before jumping on the website, let’s understand what you need to create a website.

Obviously the products which you want to sell, multiple product photos, product information, technical details, and a set pricing module. When you are ready with all of this information, you are prepared to build your auto-parts website. So here we go!

Steps to building an excellent website for your auto parts business

Step 1: Obtain a Domain name

A domain name is your web address which people will search for or directly type in, such as bosch.com, spare part.in, etc. Use your business name as your domain name and visit websites like wix.com or wordpress.com. Log in with your business mail ID (Create one, if you don’t have any).

Tips:

1. Keep it as short as possible. (Avoid names like Radheshyam-automotive-spare-parts.com, it’s too long)
2. Use the proper domain extension. Try always to purchase a .com or .in domain since people can remember it easily.
3. Avoid numbers and hyphens.

Step 2: Purchase Hosting and Tech support

Like a home needs land, a website also needs a place to be built and stay. Some of the famous hosting providers are WordPress, Dreamhost, GoDaddy, Domainraja, and more. And hosting can cost anywhere between 3000 to 50000 depending on your domain name, storage and tech support plan.

Tips:

1. You can always make changes in billing and storage details, but a domain name can’t be changed.
2. Don’t opt for shared servers. A dedicated server will cost more, but it will make your website perform most optimally.
3. With WordPress, you can buy your hosting later as well.

 

Related Post- Importance of Google My Business for an Auto Parts Business

 

Step 3: Review your Competitors

Boodmo.com, Autocartz.com, carparts.com are some websites which come on Google search first page.

Have a general idea of the content (about products, services, company) they have.
What different section do they include (tabs, pages, chat support, email support, phone numbers)?
And lastly, look at the theme they are using (placement of different sections, layout, aesthetics, and more)

Tip:

Don’t go for everything, pick and choose the minimal things required to get started. Everything can be added later.

 

Step 4: Choose an E-commerce platform

You can do online business transactions with PayPal, hire a courier service like DTDC, and set up a customer support centre in-house. But it’s time-consuming and takes much technical expertise to set up and manage.

So it is advisable to the right platform for your e-commerce business model. There are companies which offer help in this regard like Woocommerce, Shopify, Godaddy Online store, and more.

Or if you want to go solo visit Delhivery.com / Chhotu.in / DTDC Courier & Cargo for your logistics need. And RazorPay, Amazon payments, Paypal for your financial transactions.

Tip:

Payment gateways perform the tricky tasks: encrypting (i.e. securing) sensitive info — like credit card payments — and helping you meet specific standards for data security online, ensuring safe transactions between you and your customer. So opt for the best ones, even if you have to pay more.

 

Step 5: Build an exciting & user-friendly interface

Make sure your small business website interface leaves a positive impression that drives results. Spend much time in choosing colours, fonts and styles. Experiment with different layouts. You can also make a website architecture similar to home architecture.

Tips:

1. Use beautiful graphics and easy-to-read fonts
2. Make sure your graphics are compressed and optimized for fast loading.
3. Use language which suits your audience
4. Stay consistently on-brand throughout your website design
5. Publish easily accessible contact information
6. Incorporate visible call-to-actions (‘buy now’ buttons)

Conclusion

 

Automotive parts website design is time-consuming but straightforward. The tough part is site management and maintenance. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) also plays a significant role in this to keep your site rank on Google and other search engines.

 

Try and experiment with all the tips and tricks mentioned above. If you need further assistance, contact us by visiting our website www.seagulladvertising.com.

Today, Google My Business for Auto Parts Businesses is quite unanimously considered a more encapsulating and profitable option than many social media platforms.

There have been a lot of tried-&-tested methods when it comes to digitally advertising & marketing an auto parts business over the years. Moreover, many of them have successfully boosted the presence and engagement of the businesses involved.

However, there have been quite a few recent studies depicting the importance of Google My Business. These studies, however relevant, are mostly created for the ones who don’t already know the power of Google. And, of these people, there are only a few.

Awarding much success to all of those who have worked well with it, Google My Business has emerged as one of the most pioneering and vital tools for advertising & marketing in recent times.

Let us see some ways in which Google My Business can benefit you Auto Parts Business –

1) Reduces Barriers between Businesses & Customers

 

If all of the requisites have been properly met with, businesses can quickly become a direct option to contact – without ever having to visit a business’s website or social media channels.

This can be achieved through a concentrated effort of compiling the best and most updated information, making it visually appealing, getting better reviews from customers, etc.

2) Visual Impact

Google My Business can be extensively used to derive a visual appeal to potential customers who come across the business’s page.

Businesses can add a variety of media, including photos & videos, etc. of their products or services for a better and stronger change of grasping the attention of searchers.

 

Related Post – 5 Steps to Build an Excellent Website for your Auto Parts Business

 

3) The Stark Power of Google and Its Products

Google has been a part of almost everything that involves the internet. Over the years, they have innovated and launched various products & services that would best suit the current online environment.

Google My Business has emerged as one of the best, yet most uncomplicated products that have taken the online world of conducting business by storm, and, for a good reason.

4) Ownership of Putting-Out One’s Own Business

There is a great sense of control and power when it comes to putting-out information in a way such that it would be the easiest and fastest way to be picked up by potential customers.

Through Google My Business, business owners can easily create their business accounts with Google and use the interface and platform to update the best & latest information about it.

5) Local Audience

Google My Business is one of the most popular platforms when it comes to targeting the local audience for particular products or services.

There are many situations when it comes to an Auto Parts business being call-upon to solve problems by people in nearby localities. Thus, a business should optimise their Google My Business handles for local searches.

6) Accurate, Real & Up-To-Date Information

There is always a massive demand for any good business, and there is a more significant demand when it comes to being able to contact the best business as quickly as possible.

Businesses can control all of the information shared on their Google My Business accounts, and can also regularly update the page to show new and more essential information.

7) Optimising the Business

Businesses can research to check the searches and search terms that brought customers to their Google My Business page.

They can then use this information to update much of their online presence around the information that has been already proven to attract customers.

 

Related Post – What is the Role of CRM in the Auto Parts Business?

 

To conclude

 

Google My Business is an arrangement for a business that is going to stick around for a long-long time. The potential benefits and gains to help both businesses and customers is tremendous.

Every Auto Parts business should join Google My Business and do the best they can to not only be reached faster but to also always be in a top-position that assuredly provides value.

 

To read more articles on advertising and marketing please visit our blog: https://seagulladvertising.com/blog

Along with all of the sometimes extremely complicated scenarios and situations that the field of Real Estate anyway poses, Advertising & Marketing has only known to add to the mix of troubles. This has been the common consensus for a lot of Realtors over the years, where-in, they’ve often come up with notions like – ‘’There is enough troubling managing the business on a day-to-day basis anyway, let’s either do as little as is necessary for the advertising or the marketing of it, or, let it go all together.”

Today, it is really unimaginable to even hear about any business not being advertised & marketed (especially, when it comes to Digital Advertising & Marketing), much less – a real estate one.

 

The ideas and notions of real estate being such an expensive product & investment that it actually required as much money as some of the other businesses were rumoured to put-out for advertising & marketing have now been deemed dismissive from the get-go. This directly means that the ones who were sometimes ridiculed when it came to investing, planning & implementing advertising & marketing campaigns are now being seeing as foreseers. This is because, if a real estate doesn’t invest a certain amount of energy, money & time in-to their advertising & marketing strategies today, they would most certainly lose out on a chunk/majority of the business that they could’ve otherwise done.

 

We know that this is a bit of a tedious process and it adds to the overall workload, but, simply, understand this – you will be taking out most of the avenues that would have otherwise helped you to grow & expand your business if you do not thoroughly focus on complementing your business with various advertising & marketing strategies.

 

In order for you to better deal with the cut-throat competition out there, we have compiled a list of 11 different problems & their solutions when it comes to getting your real estate business out there! They are as follows –

1) Time-Consuming Process

Buying a new home isn’t like going grocery shopping. The former is a lot more thought-about (obviously), and, well-planned (obviously again) as compared to the latter.

This should be strictly taken in-to account when a real estate agency plans any of their campaigns or strategies.

Results in real estate aren’t acquired overnight and the marketing department should know that because the whole process of making sales is a time-consuming one, they should implement & execute their marketing superpowers accordingly.

2) Unrealistic Home Seekers/Buyers

Home-Seeking is often a cumbersome process. Most people who buy houses don’t become repeat customers for at least 20 years after. This means that they would always try and get as much as they can out of their quarter-century-at-a-time purchase.

Also, many of the Home-Seekers often do not turn in to sure-shot Home-Buyers. There are a lot of reasons for this, we will not discuss them today, however – it is important to note that there are a lot of options that any customer could explore, and, most of them know this fact. For realtors, this only adds to the misery.

The best way to tackle this would literally be to find out & research every avenue of improving one’s own business whilst continually focusing on delivering the best products & services in the best possible way. Needless to say, advertising & marketing would then become the best resource & tools to get the best of the business in front of the best audience as much as is possible.

3) Poor Market Conditions

Any kind of inflation or a situation that cause an overall decrease in the mobility or liquidity of funds leads to major decline in the amount & number of investments in any market.

Such dry periods are normal. They will always be there; just as the real estate business will always be there. Although, there is a clean & neat way for a real estate agency to deal with this.

The trick is to – read & absorb very carefully – KEEP AT IT AS BEST AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN! Any & every market – no matter the reason – will always bounce back!

4) Steady Lack of Interest from Home Seekers

The fruits & overall success of any & every advertising/marketing campaign is to reach the right audience with all of the right information so a business can maximise its overall potential and reach. The sign of any good business is that it is looked at as beneficial and thoroughly-value-providing.

However, it may happen that there comes a stagnation in quality, customer perception-shift due to shifting trends, lack of advertising/marketing deliverability, etc. There should be seen as a learning curve for any business. It is important to note that such times bring with it a tremendous opportunity for innovation and growth.

Businesses shouldn’t fight to survive, but fight to thrive! So, take a step back. Breathe. And, look at the bigger picture in a renewed light; the answer(s) will come find you.

5) Thorough Market Research

It is a given that any market is a highly flexible one. Several markets across a plethora of industries have often witnessed big-highs & big-lows in their respective markets. However, in-spite of this, there are a few smart businesses who survive the big fluctuations.

How? Easy. Market Research.

Any long-lasting business in any field would attest to the fact that thorough market research has often saved them from various backlashes, or sometimes – closures.

A real estate business should always invest in market research as best as they can so they can prepare themselves for any kind of sudden dip/rise in the market. To fulfil this, they should either hire an in-house market researcher or, seek guidance from third-party advisors & experts in the field.

 

Related Post – 5 Marketing Activities That Generate High Quality Real Estate Leads

 

6) Profit Turn-Around Time

The profits in a field such as real estate just do not come easy. This is a fact. Builders & developers invest huge sums of capital to create/construct projects from scratch, but, do not see profits for years later.

The average turn-around time is usually 2-to-3 years after beginning construction. During this time, there are a lot of other expenditures to cover – Salaries, Maintenance, Materials, Transport, Advertising and Marketing, and, a lot more.

Now, the time to take note of all of these isn’t after the construction has begun, but, well in time before. This is the reason that there a lot of successful real estate companies around; they have always thought, acted, implemented & invested smartly!

Always, think about everything (before-hand). And then, think about everything again; and again. Then and only then should you go out to begin to execute your ideas.

7) Lack of Expertise

There are a lot of industries in the world that have often faced scenarios even as big as closures. How? Why? Well, a consistent lack of good & credible information.

Remember, information soon becomes the life behind any & every business. This quite literally makes it the building blocks for any business – no matter if they’re new on the block, or, have been around for a while.

This is where the urgent demand & need for experts in any field of business arise.

Real estate businesses should always invest in making any big or small decisions on the advice from their experts, researchers, etc.

8) Tapping/Targeting the Right Audience

The most successful advertising & marketing campaigns are successful because they have tapped & targeted the perfect audience to whom their products or services were the most relevant.

Doing this, automatically doubles, triples, quadruples, etc. the potential reach and parameters of success for a business. Real estate agencies should always make it a prime agenda to focus on this point.

No business is ever successful without customers – never has this statement ever been truer than when spoken in the context of real estate.

Understand your business; Understand your audience; And then, work tirelessly to fuse the two as best as you can!

9) Keeping Up with The Fluctuation/Trends

The state of any and every market in any field of business has always been in a state of perpetual flux. There is only a little room for markets to be inflexible. This means that they are volatile in their very nature.

At some point, all real estate agencies will have to deal with situations created out of fluctuating and shifting trends. The best way to keep on having thy legs on the ground and neck above the water would be to try and stay ahead of time as much as possible.

This could & would only be possible with the help of consistent and good-quality – expert advice from the ones who always have their noses dipped in the industry.

Social Listening is an up-&-coming tool that a lot of realtors have successfully been employing to better understand the market.

10) Logistical Issues

We are going to cover this point even if it mostly applies to offline marketing. We’re here to give you as much relevant information as we possibly can (because this is our curve/turn)!

Real estate business heavily rely on various forms of offline marketing like Billboards, Hoardings, Banners, Exhibitions, Tele-Marketing, Radio, Television Ads, and, a plethora of print paraphernalia. This abundant and powerful mix has well-carried the real estate industry for eons.

However, there may arise situations where one or more of the components of the mix might experience backlashes like the stagnation of delivery, responses, sales, etc. among a host of other reasons that are out of any business’s control.

The most important thing to keep in mind is to not get dissuaded as these are situations that most-likely – universally affect all of the players in the market. During such times, a business should always focus some more of their attention towards the several other available channels that would bring out the best in their sales’ funnels.

11) Technical Issues

This is a sister point of the above – with the main difference being – Technical Issues is related directly to the domain of Digital Advertising & Marketing. Technical glitches’ are always-a-plenty. Although, the biggest relief here is that these even though the frequency of technical issues are quite high – in most cases – their duration doesn’t always last for too long.

Technical issues are a part-&-parcel of any & every business that finds its way in-to the online world. The internet has always been quite unpredictable, and for most – still difficult to understand.

Therefore, in order to get ahead of these, a business should always make provision for a person or a department (depending on the size of the business & extent of needs) that caters to everything technology!

 

Related Post – Real Estate Marketing Trends – A 2020 Guide (FREE E-Book Attached Inside)

 

To conclude

Downs-&-ups and highs-&-lows are a part of every business that has ever existed. Although, this is no way should translate to taking any of them too easily or for granted.

A business should always have both its ears to the ground when it comes to learning about newer and better ways of enhancing their business – in-terms of both – providing more (overall benefit & value) to customers, and, living the experience & journey of conducting an enterprise in the best possible way!

So, now, it’s (time for) your turn! Go out there and do everything you can to wholly maximise your enterprise’s potential, along with your own!

Grow Better, always!