Category Archives: Best Practices

10.10.13
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Instantly Contact Customers with the Auction123 Auto-Responder

You can now setup and customize an automated response to your customers for any contact form that appears within your inventory vehicle details pages or within your eBay listings. Choose to send the same message for all contact forms or customize the message on a per form basis! Once you enable the Auto-Responder, you can use the provided default message, setup a new default for all of the responders you want enabled, and even customize separate default messages for all inventory inquiries or eBay inquiries.

This feature is especially useful for your eBay customers. Let them know right away that you will be calling them to discuss their bid and answer any questions they have about the vehicle! The Auto-Responder system will give you a jump start on the eBay selling process!

In addition to your customized message, the Auto-Responder email will include a picture of the vehicle, a link to the full vehicle listing, your contact information, and a link to your Auction123 inventory showroom, which will be filtered to display similar vehicles to the unit your customer inquired about.

To enable the auto-responder for some or all of your Auction123 contact forms, follow the instructions below:

  • Navigate to the Preferences menu on the left-hand side of your Dashboard and click Contact.
  • Click on the Auto-Responder tab.
  • Click the Enable Auto-Responders box. The Auto-Responder has now been enabled for all forms within your Auction123 listings and will send the preset message by default.

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  • To DISABLE the auto-responder for some of your Auction123 forms, select each form and click Disable. If you want to disable the form for all Inventory or eBay ads, simply disable the Inventory Default or eBay Default and the Auto-Responder will be disabled for all forms under that category.

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  • The Default Message is applied to all Auto-Responder messages unless you edit a category Default message or an individual form message. Editing the main Default will update all enabled messages unless you have saved a custom message.

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  • If you are listing to eBay Motors, we recommend you set a custom message specifically for your eBay Bids and Offers. You can use these messages as a opportunity to let the customer know that you have their contact information and will be calling them shortly. As an eBay Preferred Service Provider, Auction123 will send you the name, telephone number, email address, and location for each person who places a bid or makes an offer.

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  • The email sent to your customer will include your contact information, a photo of the vehicle, a link to the full vehicle details page, and a link to Similar Vehicles you have in stock. This link will direct them to a showroom of all the inventory within your Auction123 Dashboard filtered to display the most similar vehicles first.

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If you have any questions on this feature, please call or email our Support Team:
(888) 514-0123, Option 2
Support@Auction123.com

06.28.13
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Did You Know? eBay Motors Receives the Most Traffic on the Weekend – List Some National Ads Today!

Triple the number of qualified leads you receive this weekend by listing inventory to eBay Motors! Using eBay’s National Auction format, you can easily receive 8-12 unique bids on each listing using eBay’s recommended pricing strategies. Remember, when using Auction123 to publish your vehicles to eBay Motors, you will receive the name, telephone number, email address, and location for each bidder.

#1 Keep Your Starting Price Low

By starting your auction at a lower price of $100, you draw more attention to your listing. The more page views and bids you receive, the higher your listings will show in eBay’s search results.

#2 Call Every Bidder

Reach out to each bidder shortly after receiving the email with their contact information. Your bidders may be shopping on other vehicles and you want to be the first person they speak to. You never truly know their bid as eBay shoppers can setup Proxy Bidding, which allows them to set the highest price they are willing to spend and eBay will automatically increase their bid to that amount.

Once you get in contact with your bidder, start asking them the same questions you would for anyone who steps on your lot. Are they looking at other makes/models? What is their ideal monthly payment? Have they considered new or are they just shopping for a used vehicle? During this process, you may find that you have other inventory that meets your shopper’s needs better. Be sure to send an Email Ad to Customer found in the Actions for This Listing menu within your Auction123 Dashboard to show them other vehicles you have available in your inventory.

#3 Use the Auto Lower Reserve Setting

eBay recommends you lower the Reserve Price of your auction style listings at least two times for each 7 day listing. By lowering your Reserve Price, eBay will automatically send an email to each bidder that you have lowered the Reserve. They will also display a notification to all of the Watchers of your listing as well. Following this practice typically increases the number of bids you receive and ultimately gets your current bid price higher towards your Reserve. Auction123 provides an automated process for you to set how often you want the Reserve lowered on all of your listings, and we will lower the price by $1 based on your criteria. Set it and forget it!

To access these settings, once in the Dashboard, click on Account in the Preferences section of the left-hand navigation menu. Select the eBay tab and expand the last menu item called Auto Lower Reserve. Check box labeled Enable Auto Lowering Reserve and set how often you would like the Reserve lowered.

 

If you have any questions or would like a training on how to successfully sell inventory on eBay Motors, reach out to any Auction123 agent at (888) 514-0123, Option 2. All of us are eBay Certified Dealer Consultants and can help you get started on selling more units via eBay Motors today!

 

05.28.13
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How Are You Using QR Codes at your Dealership?

 

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Auction123 has offered window stickers integrated with QR codes for some time now. The real question is, are the customers using them?

In many examples of QR code marketing, the scanned code is not directing the potential customer to a sensible website or landing page. More often than not, QR codes are directing potential customers to a company’s full website. The problem is, most of the popular smart phones do not support Flash based web design, which is used on an estimated 50% of the world’s most popular websites (and most likely on yours too). When considering QR code marketing, bringing your customer to a mobile friendly page with information that makes sense with the code scanned is the way to go. Our Auction123 QR code window sticker functionality directs the “scanner” to a mobile vehicle presentation of the exact car that has sparked their interest.

How are you using this technology in your dealership? Let’s face it, most people shopping on your lot will not have the app downloaded to scan a QR code. Some may not even know what the QR codes mean! The real question is, how does you shopper know the benefit of scanning the code if your sales team isn’t discussing it with them? In many scenarios, the marketing use of the QR code is all dependent on if the target audience performs an unprovoked action. However, in your dealership, the sales personnel can start using the QR code as a way to connect the shopper with the vehicle. When faced with the ever common need to “sleep on it”, a sales representative can offer a great way for the shopper to keep looking at the vehicle from home. Download the free scanner and walk the customer to the car to scan the code. That’s the perfect time to explain they will have access to all the photos, specifications, and tools on the mobile vehicle presentation. If the customer is opposed to downloading the app, scan the QR code for them and text or email the link. Remind the prospect they can now access all inventory on the lot from the mobile inventory showroom, in the event they have been eyeing additional vehicles. The QR code can also be used by dealership personnel as a way to quickly access your mobile inventory showroom and show customers additional inventory in stock.

Start using the QR code window sticker as an “in-house” sales tool and let us know your feedback!

10.17.12
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eBay Motors Best Practice – Auto Lower Reserve Settings

Did you know that lowering your Reserve Price on your eBay Motors National listings is a proven way to boost the final bid price and increase the number of bids you receive? Auction123 provides an easy way to automate this process so you can lower the Reserve Price (“tickle your listing”) on a set schedule for all your National listings. eBay’s studies have found that tickling your listing at least two times during your 7 day Auction will generate more interest and cause your Bidders and Watchers to take action. Lowering the Reserve (even by a dollar) will automatically send out a notification to your Bidders. Additionally, any Watchers of your Auctions will see a notification on their eBay account that your listing experienced a drop in the set Reserve Price. Scheduling your Reserve to be automatically lowered can generate five to six more bids per listing and will increase the probability of your Auction’s success by 50%!

To locate this setting within your Auction123 Dashboard, navigate to the Preferences Menu along the left-hand side of the dashboard and click on Account. Click on the eBay tab and expand the Auto Lower Reserve section on the bottom of the window. Check the Enable Auto Lowering Reserve box and set the start time and frequency for your listings to be lowered. Once set, click Save All.

All members of Auction123’s Sales and Support teams are Certified eBay eDealer Consultants and are happy to assist with any questions you may have regarding eBay best practices and selling strategies. If you are just getting started or getting back into utilizing eBay Motors to sell units and generate leads, ask about our discounted eBay listing packages.

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05.31.12
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Protect your Inventory – Set Watermarks Across All Images or On the First Image Only

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The Auction123 Image Management System allows you to apply a watermark to all images that are imported or uploaded to your Auction123 Dashboard. Many of our dealers utilize this feature to brand their dealership name and/or logo while maintaining security over their vehicle images. We have added functionality to this feature by including the option to only display the watermark on the first image of each vehicle in your Dashboard.

To access this new setting:

  • Navigate to the Auction123 Image Management System by clicking on an image within the data grid or within the Preview & Edit/Review& Launch view.
  • Click on the Global Watermarks tab within the top navigation menu.
  • Upload and Select the watermark to be displayed on your vehicle images.
  • Select the Only First Image option above the watermark preview screen.
  • Click Save Selection below the watermark preview screen

Please contact our Customer Support department if you have any questions regarding our watermark settings screen or questions on any aspect of the Auction123 system.