How Can Dealers Acquire More Cars Without Buying More Traffic?

• More traffic does not mean more acquired cars if shoppers, past customers, and service customers keep leaking back out of the store.

• Website shoppers who can't get a trade value on your site go get one somewhere else, and the trade walks out with them.

• Most past customers never hear from the store about what their car is worth, so nothing ties their selling decision back to you.

• Service customers are on site with their car, yet in most stores nobody asks if they would sell it.

• Plugging those leaks means the same customers produce more cars acquired and sold, without a bigger marketing budget.

Most dealers answer an inventory problem the same way: spend more on traffic. More paid search, more leads, more clicks to the website. So how can dealers acquire more cars without buying more traffic? Mike Crothers, CEO of MOTO(acquire), says you start by plugging the leaks that let the customers you already have walk away with their cars.

Same dealer, same customers, two ways to play it

Mike frames it as a side-by-side. Same dealer. Same customers. The only difference is what happens to the people who are already in front of the store.

Without MOTO(acquire), in Mike's words, the dealer "just pours in more traffic and it leaks right back out." The marketing budget goes up, the visitor count goes up, and the number of cars bought from consumers barely moves. You are filling a bucket that has holes in it.

With the leaks plugged, the customer base doesn't change. What changes is how many of those customers turn into acquired vehicles, and how many of those vehicles turn into retail units on your lot.

Where do trade-ins leak out of a dealership?

Mike points to specific spots where cars slip away. Any used car manager who has spent time on the desk will recognize them.

Shoppers leave your website without a trade value

A shopper lands on your site, looks at a few units, and wonders what their current car is worth. If they can't get a number from you, they go get one somewhere else. You paid for that visit, and the trade left with the shopper.

Past customers never hear what their car is worth

Your sales and service history is full of people who own cars you would love to buy. Most of them never hear from the store about their vehicle's value. When they are ready to sell, nothing ties that decision back to you.

Service customers never get asked

Every day, cars you would happily put on the lot are parked in your service lane. The customer is on site, the car is on site, and in most stores nobody asks if they would consider selling. It is the easiest acquisition conversation in the building, and it often doesn't happen.

So how can dealers acquire more cars without buying more traffic?

You work the customers you already paid for. Every website visitor, every past buyer, and every service customer is someone the store has already spent money to reach. Getting more cars out of those relationships is the alternative to buying the next click.

It also changes where your used inventory comes from. Cars you buy from consumers in your own market are cars you didn't have to chase at auction. That is how a lot of dealers start to reduce auction dependence without touching their marketing spend.

Mike's way of putting the outcome: same customers, more cars acquired and sold.

Where MOTO(acquire) fits

Each leak Mike describes lines up with a MOTO(acquire) product.

• Website: MOTO(convert) is a website trade tool with instant valuations, firm offer requests, and monthly value tracking. It includes the free buying power tool, so shoppers can get a trade value without leaving your site.

• Past customers: MOTO(retain) sends past sales and service customers their vehicle's value every month. Those value tracking emails have a 36% open rate and 99.5% deliverability.

• Service drive: MOTO(drive) handles service drive acquisition using DMS data and automated texts. It pushes VIN and miles to inventory tools, and the sales team is alerted when a customer is ready. MOTO(drive) stores consistently buy about 1% of their repair orders without dedicated service acquisition hires.

Hundreds of dealers use MOTO(acquire) to buy cars from the customers they already have. For more on this approach, browse our videos on used car sourcing without auctions.

Mike's close says it best: "More VINs. More wins." If you want to see where your store is leaking trade-ins, book a demo.