Proudly serving the industry for which it was named for more than 50 years, Outdoor Power Equipment provides dealers who sell and service outdoor power equipment with valuable information to succeed in a competitive market.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/49497
FEATURE STORY By Bob McCann Generating leads starts with a POWERFUL WEBSITE B uying starts on the Web. Several studies show that the major- ity of customers research their parts, wholegoods or service purchases online before ever setting foot in a dealership. Your website is no longer a mere online representation of your business. It is often the first business location that potential buyers visit in search of further information about your products, parts or service. Online lead generation is now a critical part of the short- and long-term growth of your business. A powerful website is an on- going source of potential leads and sales. In the blink of an eye, visitors will click or skip. Make them stick around and ask for more with the following best practices. Opt for intuitive design Prospects should never be more than one click away from the information they're looking for. That's what website solutions providers call intuitive design. It means that the architecture is designed to quickly and intuitively point visitors to the desired content, generating more leads and sales, faster. For example, the main sections of your website — parts lookup, inventory search, service menus, service tips, etc. — should be accessible from any page. The faster visitors can get to what they want, the better chance you have to keep them engaged. When it comes to intuitive design, dealers should leave this function to a website solutions provider with a proven track record in developing sales-driving websites that meet the unique needs of the outdoor power equipment industry. Based in central Texas, Mustang Equipment aims to provide online visitors with immediate access to up-to-date information. "We're not in the website business; we're in the equipment business," says Mustang Mar- keting Manager Craig Hatfield. "We rely on the expertise and experience of our so- lutions provider to make sure that our website is easy to navigate, so our visitors get to the information they want as soon as possible." Captivate your audience The most critical aspects of your web- site are the parts and inventory sections. They have the potential to generate more leads and sales than any other areas, so consider your website as your online parts counter and showroom. Make sure that the parts are easy to find and that the inven- tory section features informative, eye- catching content. Your online parts lookup area is a very important profit driver. It should be prominently featured in the top frame of your website, also known as the banner, which makes it appear on every page. Use a clear call to action, such as "Need Parts? Use our Free Parts Lookup Here," to en- tice visitors to take action. Inventory listings should be updated at all times, featuring videos and multiple, high-quality, appealing pictures; complete and well-written descriptions; as well as options and pricing. Make prospects get a feel for the product as if they were experi- encing it firsthand. "Our website solution comes with a Intuitive design and dynamic search results direct Mustang's visitors to products. 26 OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT www.outdoorpowerequipment.com custom inventory feature that makes it very quick and easy for me to update our listings because all products' descriptions, specifications, images and brochures are al- ready automatically uploaded," explains Jeff Kyhos, owner of Charlie's Hardware,