What Makes the Best Trade-In Tool for Dealerships?

• Mike Crothers says most trade tools MOTO(acquire) tested were fairly clunky on a mobile device, which is where 90% of dealership website traffic comes from.

• The best trade-in tool for dealerships is built with an immense focus on conversion: easy for the consumer and valuable to the consumer.

• Converting more of the traffic you already get means more leads and more opportunities for your team without needing more visitors.

• Mike's view is that the tool that converts best wins out with dealers, and MOTO(acquire) is starting to see that happen.

• MOTO(convert) combines instant valuations, firm offer requests, and monthly value tracking, and includes the free buying power tool.

Most dealers already have a trade-in tool on their website. The real question is whether it is the best trade-in tool for dealerships, or just the one that came bundled with the website package. When MOTO(acquire) tested the tools on the market, Mike Crothers kept running into the same problem: they were clunky on a phone.

Why launch into a crowded trade tool space?

Mike is direct about it. The trade tool space was already crowded when MOTO(acquire) launched, and plenty of vendors were selling a dealer website trade-in tool. But when the team tested them, the experience on a mobile device was fairly clunky.

That matters because, as Mike puts it, "that's where 90% of traffic is coming from to a dealership's website is on the mobile device." If the trade tool fights the shopper on a phone, it is fighting most of your visitors.

Think about how a shopper actually uses it. They are on the couch or on a lunch break, thumbing through your site. If the trade form is cramped, slow, or asks for too much before giving anything back, they leave. That trade never shows up in your CRM, and your used car manager never gets a shot at it.

What is the best trade-in tool for dealerships?

Mike's answer comes down to an immense focus on making a tool that converts really, really well. In practice, that means a few things:

• Built for the phone first. A mobile trade-in tool for a dealer website should feel natural on a small screen, not like a desktop form squeezed down.

• Really easy for the consumer. Every extra step is a chance for the shopper to quit before you ever get a lead.

• Real value for the consumer. Shoppers want to know what their vehicle is worth. Give them something useful and they are more willing to raise their hand.

Get those right and, in Mike's words, "a dealership would convert more of that traffic." That was the whole bet behind building MOTO(acquire).

Questions to ask when you test a trade tool

1. Pull up your own website on your phone and run a trade yourself. Does it feel easy, or do you want to give up?

2. Does the shopper get a value quickly, or just a form and a promise that someone will call?

3. Can a shopper who is ready to move ask for a firm offer without starting over?

4. What happens after the first visit? Does the shopper hear from you again as their vehicle's value changes?

Convert more of the traffic you already have

Every dealer wants more leads, more traffic, and more conversions. Getting more traffic usually means spending more to get it. Increasing website trade-in conversions means getting more out of the visitors already landing on your site.

Mike's logic is simple. If a tool converts better and dealers want more leads, that tool wins out. "Which is what we're starting to see," he says.

For a franchise store, better conversion is more than a number on a report. It is more opportunities for your sales team, more trades for your used car manager to appraise, and more chances to sell a car to the person trading in.

Where MOTO(convert) fits

MOTO(convert) is the website trade tool from MOTO(acquire). It offers instant valuations, firm offer requests, and monthly value tracking, and it includes the free buying power tool.

The instant valuation gives the shopper value right away. The firm offer request gives a ready shopper a clear next step. Monthly value tracking keeps your store in front of shoppers who were not ready to trade on their first visit.

If you want to dig deeper into how dealers are getting more trades from their websites, browse the Website Trade-In Leads videos.

If you are a franchise dealership that wants to convert more of the traffic you are already getting, sell more cars, and create more opportunities for your team, start by looking at how your trade tool performs on a phone. That is where your shoppers are.