Some Tips On How To Get Your Independent Car Rental Agency Noticed On The Internet
- Have your web-site built by someone who knows what they are doing. It is a critical error to have a site patched together by anyone less than a professional. If the site is not professionally done, this can speak volumes about your business. Click Here to learn more about superior webdesign from Car Rental Express.
- Your web address must be advertised any way possible: on all stationery, business cards, bumper stickers, contracts, on the wall of the office (inside and out), yellow pages, telephone message on hold, telling renters before and after the rental, any way that you can think of that preferably does not cost very much money.
- The reservation system on your site should be able to collect the email addresses of all online clients. With the client's permission send out a monthly newsletter highlighting your agency: rental specials, cars for sale, new cars, sponsorships, events of interest in your city, anything that qualifies as real information to allow you to get your name and web address in front of the public.
- The site must be more than just car rental information. There has got to be content pages that tell the world about you, your company, and your city. This is to give your prospective client a chance to know who you are. When renting from one of the majors, the renter has confidence in the name. The world does not know who you are. So it is most important to introduce yourself.
- Monitor your competition on a daily basis. There are many components to the rental. The two most important are price and service. Make sure you are beating the competition on both. Checking your competitor’s rates on the Internet is very easy. Simply log on to their site. Also, test their system to see what their service is like concerning pick up and drop off. And then do it better. And remember, your competition is checking you.
- Respond to all emails and phone calls. There is very little more frustrating to a customer than having questions and concerns ignored. The best way to lose a client is to ignore a legitimate concern and if the client contacts you about something, it is legitimate in their eyes.
- Always, always, honor your reservations. Nothing will upset a client more than the promised vehicle not being available and if available, not being at the quoted price. It is said that if a customer is satisfied he will tell one friend and if that same customer is not satisfied he will tell 10 friends.
- Renters that shop on the Internet literally have a world of prices at their finger tips. It costs the shopper nothing to check every rate from every agency in your city. The renter does not even have to invest in a pen and paper. Also it does not cost to cancel one reservation in favor of another if the renter so chooses. It is therefore hugely important to remain competitive. One way to do this is to offer specials and discounts. Be creative: birthdays free, 10% off on rainy days, 1½ days for the price of one day, military and travel agent discounts, whatever you can think of that will give you an edge.
- Be on the site everyday. Treat your site as if it is a branch office that never closes and never makes a mistake. The Internet is open for business 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. The information on the site will be faithfully repeated to all comers as often as the questions are asked. Those that see your site who like what they see will return. To keep customers returning, keep the site current and fresh.
- It is important to be part of the local business community. Many of these businesses will have their own web sites. A link trade between your site and others strengthens the value of all concerned. It will also always keep you in mind when these businesses or their employees need local vehicles.
- Pay a commission to those that send you rentals. An affiliate program automatically monitors rentals that originate from a particular site. Set up an affiliate program with local hotels, car dealerships, service centers, and body shops. Pay a fair commission to these businesses consistently and on time and the extra rentals will just keep happening.
- Being part of a community means being involved in the community both by volunteering time and sponsoring either teams or events. It really does not matter what you do, but do something. It is a great way to network. The community will repay you many times over by renting needed vehicles from you.
- If you have a shuttle bus or car, make sure that your URL is prominently displayed on the vehicle. The same is true for all your print advertising, such as yellow pages.
- Start a corporate rate program. This is a discount offered to businesses and their employees. Make the discount enough to encourage customer loyalty. These special rates and a welcoming message can be programmed into the data base so that when the company enters its corporate id number the correct information is displayed.
- Be sure to have “fresh eyes” check your web site on a regular basis. Working on your site as much as you should be will cause you to miss errors. Also, because you are so familiar with the navigation of the site, what is easily understood by you mat not necessarily be understood by others. So it is important that the site be checked by family or friends that will tell you the truth.
- Always track your reservations. Who is reserving, through what source, and at which price point. This is an invaluable source of information that will tell you where and where not your marketing and advertising are being successful. You then will be able to capitalize on your successes and improve the areas that need attention.
- Renters are a valuable source of information. And you have their complete attention for the few minutes that it takes to complete the rental agreement. This applies to both at the beginning and the end of the rental. When writing the rental agreement, inquire as to the source of the reservation: Internet, Yellow Pages, other advertising, or return customer. When closing the contract after inquiring as to the renter’s satisfaction, suggest that next time the renter use the Internet and hand them a card with your URL. Reservations made over the Internet are the least expensive administratively.
- Hold a business card contest. Have all your clients that have business cards deposit a card with the chance to win a prize. These cards are a great source of information for mailing lists, and leads for corporate clients.
- A client returning a car is an excellent time to encourage him/her to rent again. Hand something to the client to make sure that you get the next rental. A discount coupon works very well. An inexpensive pen, note pad, anything that will not be thrown out with the company’s name, address, phone number, and URL is the best.
- Information about your company should be in every car before it is ready to rent. A questionnaire concerning the client’s satisfaction level always is a good idea. Have a perforated tab on the form that the client can take with the number of the form. This will give the client confidence that the questionnaire will be read. And make sure these questionnaires are read and receive a response. One sure way to lose clients is to ignore them. If you ask that the client give you an email address, then answering the questionnaire is very quick and has no mailing cost.
- Bumper stickers are a very cost effective and simple way to advertise your name and URL. Every car becomes a small traveling billboard. And if you rent trucks, the sides of the trucks should advertise the same information. Every truck then becomes a large traveling billboard.
- It is important that all staff wear a uniform of some description. The uniform can be as simple as a golf shirt. It adds a level of professionalism to your company. The uniform, like your office and vehicles must be clean.
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