"We have doubled our sales in the last 5 weeks" When my client Bill Vanderford made that statement, I was stunned. What really rocked my world was that Bill and I had only been working together 5 weeks. Here's how Bill made it look easy...
"We have doubled our sales in the last 5 weeks"
It's been three years since my client and friend Bill Vandorford of EZ Car Credit shared his amazing progress during our first progress meeting. What really rocked my world was that Bill and I had only been working together 5 weeks.
Last week Bill and I got together for our third anniversary. It was a time for both celebration and reflection, not only on his success, but how he got there. Sometimes it's good to stop, reflect and recommit to the practices that got you this far, to reset your sights for the new year.
Bill and I came up with 4 factors that drove his success. As you recommit to your business success this Fall consider adding these ideas to your plan.
Acquire the Right Software and Technology Services
Bill Jr. uses 4 screens to access vehicle auctions while keeping an eye on the operation
Bill's staff had invested in multiple lead generation services. We started tracking individual results and learned which had the best ROI. Many of them didn't make it past the first cut. We used the savings to invest in a better phone system that directed callers to the team member who could serve them best.
Create a Singular Brand Identity
Customers say it was the initial quality of the vehicle photos that convinced them to stop by.
As prospects visited different parts of Bill's web presence, they encountered different versions of the brand. We focused the brand to speak with one voice, everywhere on the net.
Connect With the Real World
Mark connects with prospects by meeting them where they are, on the Internet.
Bill focused on metrics. We identified who he served best, where they lived and which device they used to find him on the web. After a sale we conducting virtual forensics to learn the process prospects used to choose EZ Car Credit.
Create a Unique Message
With a career in advertising, Bill is a copy-writing ninja. He created compelling product descriptions, and published written invitations on his site.
Become the Master of Your Digital Domain
Bill summed up his success in the following best practices:
Measure everything. "If I had to choose between having money or information, I'd choose information. I can always find the money"
Understand the big picture, but focus on one thing. "Once we knew the phones were a problem, we worked on getting it right before trying to attract even more prospects"
Capture everything. "We used a blend of both historical and real-time data to figure out how we were doing, where we were heading. We used it to turn opportunity into success."
Work With a Trusted Advisor. "The opportunity to bounce around ideas with you [Jerry] gave me a better perspective. It helped me make better decisions about leveraging technology."
Joe Burton of Credit Acceptance Corporation said of Bill, "He impressed me the first time I met him. I was amazed how he could manage everything at once." His trick seems to be, "you can do three things at once, but only if you take them on, 1, 2, then 3."
Today we celebrate EZ Car Credit and Bill Vandorford. Their initial accomplishment seemed amazing at the time.
Looking back over their growth and current success and growth it's apparent it wasn't hard, it was EZ.
