Ignore It or Hope it
Doesn't Happen
.
With the launch of the RV America On Line Internet site last month, there is a lot of conversation about how the Internet is going to be used by manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, dealers, and even consumers.
Some people anticipate the worst, such as anticipating that every manufacturer/supplier will immediately put all their products on sale at 1% over their cost, and sell to any consumer that has an electrical outlet within reach.
Others want to pretend that the RV industry is so entrenched in the dark ages that it will never discover computers or the Internet.
Still others see the Internet as a panacea for all the problems encountered in doing business.
See it as a Tool
The bottom line seems to be that the Internet is a communications tool, like a telephone or the mail, that can be used many different ways by many different facets of the industry.
The challenge for all of us as RV Industry business people is to make this tool useful rather than destructive; make it work for us rather than against us; help us bring more value to each of our customers rather than as a way of cutting service and cost. That's the intent and purpose of the RV America Internet site.
The intent of RV America is to create as quickly as possible a useful, user friendly site on the Internet, so that consumers, dealers, distributors, suppliers, and manufacturers can have a place to interact with each other. It is also the intent of RV America to create a site that works with the various segments of the industry in a supportive way to meet each segment's particular needs, as opposed to creating a site that interferes with the flow of business.
Develop it so it Works for Us
Several things have to happen to make RV America a success. One is to have the industry participate so that consumers, dealers, distributors, suppliers, and manufacturers are available to whoever is using the Internet (some 50 million people worldwide are already using the Internet) to find the RV industry information and services they are looking for.
Another is to have consumers, dealers, distributors, suppliers, and manufacturers involved in the development of the RV America site so that RV America is designed to meet their needs, and continues to meet their needs.
Cut Prices and Sell Direct
There will undoubtedly be some who choose to develop their own sites on the Internet, and surely some will attempt to undercut industry prices using the Internet as a vehicle to sell products. In the short term there likely will be some who profit from cutting prices and selling products direct, however this strategy creates almost immediate problems for product manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, dealers, and consumers.
The fact is that people would rather be able to see and touch what they're buying, they would like to buy it from someone who can help them decide which product meets their needs best, and they would like to buy from someone who can provide after sale service and support. There is a need for each segment of the industry if we're going to most effectively meet our customers needs and expectations. The challenge is for each segment to develop this tool to help them do their job better.
Consumers Want More
Consumers expectations are changing. They want more! They want better products, more accurate information, more choices, more knowledgeable dealers, more immediate service, and more satisfaction through their use of the products they buy. The Internet can be a tool to provide what they want.
Consumers Can Have More
Utilizing the RV America site on the Internet, it's relatively easy and inexpensive to give consumers as much product/service information as they want, and only as much as they want. Information about products and services can be provided in a format that lets the customer get as little or as much information as they want, when they want it!
If a potential customer only wants to know the basics of who makes a product or what it does, they can find that at RV America; however if they want to know more about what the product/service provides and how it can help solve their problems or needs, they can find that as well; and even if they want to know how the product is made or is serviced, they can find that out too! They choose how much they want to know, and when, always knowing they can come back for more information when they want to. And, if they still have additional questions that aren't answered, they can immediately ask those questions by clicking on an e-mail (electronic mail) address that puts them in direct contact with the company who can answer their question.
Since RV America went on line of February 1, we have received a variety of requests for information throughout the country as well as some foreign countries. The problem is that so few dealers are on line at RV America so far, we are not able to give them much help. Potential customers are passing by because dealers have not yet realized the opportunities that await. As more dealers sign up our potential customer is going to be better served. The truth of the matter is consumers are using the Internet to try to get information about the RV lifestyle and the products this industry makes.
Once that potential customer buys a product, possibly from a dealer they located in the RV America dealer listings, they can even get information about using, maintaining, and enjoying the product by reading about it on the RV America site. The consumer can get what they want, when they want it!
How Can Dealers Get
What They Want?
What do dealers want? If it's more customers, the RV America site can be used to promote their businesses, special services they offer, featured products they represent, what they do to serve customers, and how they differentiate themselves from other dealers. If it's more sales, they can use RV America to help themselves and their salespeople to be more knowledgeable about the products they sell so they can more effectively sell those products.
Other ideas dealers might consider: Weekly product features to keep your customers shopping at your "on-line" store even when they aren't coming in person; travel or owners club news to keep customers involved in using their RV and your dealership; on-line coupons customers can print off to bring into your store; notices of new or used units that come in to keep shoppers aware of opportunities to trade up; personnel profiles to get customers involved with your store and people; news of events coming up to enhance advertising and sales efforts.
Whatever the dealer wants, RV America can probably help provide, if the dealers look at it as a tool, and utilize it to meet their needs. Some dealers are jumping on the RV America site because they know their customers are using the Internet now, while others are content with their business as it is now. Guess who is going to grow? Can you maintain your business by doing nothing if others are doing something to grow theirs?
Do Distributors Need It?
Some distributors I've talked to don't see how they fit into the RV America Internet site. Since we've never had the Internet for distributors to use, they haven't needed it, but now that it's here, there would seem to be a way for them to use it to increase their value in the sales process of getting products from suppliers to dealers to consumers. Communicating with dealers utilizing tools such as catalogs, monthly flyers, telemarketing personnel, and field sales representatives is a vital part of most distributor's sales efforts.
RV America offers some significant advantages that can be used in conjunction with these other communications tools to create an even more powerful, efficient, and cost effective package for distributors to utilize.
It can be updated, fine tuned, and corrected almost instantaneously (as opposed to a catalog that is out of date before it is received back from the printer). It can feature product specials, and introduce new products at far less cost than printing monthly flyers. It can offer more detailed, and more accurate product information than is feasible in a flyer or even via telemarketers.
It can put the most current, concise, and powerful sales messages and marketing presentation materials into field sales persons hands for their use whenever and wherever they need them. It can be used to provide consistent and complete product and sales training information to distributor sales people, and they in turn can use it to conduct on site dealer sales and product training.
Each distributor will have to determine if there is a way for RV America to help them add more value to what they do in getting products from suppliers to dealers, and how they can best utilize RV America to differentiate themselves from other distributors. Again, the bottom line seems to be that whatever the distributor wants, the Internet can help them do, if they utilize it as the tool that it is to help provide better, quicker, or less expensive solutions to problems.
Last Call or
A New Opportunity?
As we've seen the numbers of distributors in the RV Industry decline over the last few years, the Internet could be the last call for some - or - it could provide a way for creative, innovative, and pioneering distributors to change the trend and do a better job of adding value to products and earning more business because they identify ways to do their jobs better.
Suppliers See Solutions
Some suppliers see RV America as a way to get their information to consumers without having to rely on distributors and dealers. Others see it as a way to help distributors and dealers do a better job of representing their products to consumers. Whatever solutions suppliers see, RV America can probably do.
The fact is that suppliers can put as much information on the Internet as they want, all the way from basic product information for consumers to detailed parts and service information for technicians.
They can put product feature/benefit materials, detailed competitive comparisons, sales training presentations, product service information, and much more all on the Internet to help consumers, dealers, distributors, and even their own sales personnel in promoting, selling, and supporting their product lines.
They can update, correct, enhance, and change their information on the Internet almost immediately, rather than being concerned about the cost of obsoleting thousands of dollars of printed materials in their warehouse and in the field. New product bulletins, service bulletins, and other updates can be on-line instantly, for use by anyone who has a need for the information, rather than being printed and mailed at greater expense and possibly never ending up in the hands of the user, technician, or salesperson who needs it.
They can enhance programs and materials that work, rather than being saddled with materials that cost thousands to print and dealers or consumers don't respond to. The can provide as much detail as dealers and consumers want to look at, rather than being limited to what will fit into the space in the ad or on the brochure.
With RV America, suppliers have an opportunity to represent themselves and their products to a much greater degree than has been economically feasible before, and to better help and support their distributors and dealers in the process.
Walk the Talk?
Suppliers who have talked for years about wanting their dealers and distributors to do a better job of promoting, merchandising, selling, and servicing their products can now use RV America as a tool to make it happen. It can be a real win/win situation for everyone from the supplier to the consumer, with everyone in the sales process having the chance to enhance their value along the way.
Manufacturers Can Offer More
Some of the most enthusiastic comments about RV America are coming from RV manufacturers. They see a chance to promote their product, support their dealers, and educate their potential customers more effectively and at far less cost than they have been able to ever do before.
By utilizing RV America, they can show photographs of new units, they can show all their various floor plans and options, they can show all their models and sizes, and can show as much detail as the customer is interested in looking at; and then they can connect interested buyers to their dealers easily and at relatively little cost when compared with other channels of communication.
Their dealers can stock the most popular sizes and models for customers to touch and feel, but still have the chance to show other options if the unit on the lot doesn't match exactly what the consumer is looking for. The manufacturer has the chance to keep all information updated and accurate at far less cost than printing thousands of brochures each time a model or feature changes. The dealer has the support of the manufacturer's most powerful sales and marketing materials at the touch of a mouse, in the detail that's needed to get the order.
Immediate Feedback
from Printed Materials?
One really interesting feature of all that can be done on RV America is the chance for consumers, dealers, distributors, suppliers, and manufacturers to communicate easily, immediately, and accurately with each other. Rather than hoping that someone will take the time and effort to write a letter, place a phone call, or write a fax, RV America makes it possible for communication to be almost instantaneous. It makes communication much easier and responsive, so the information received is likely more honest and useful.
Companies involved are going to get a much more accurate picture of whether they are meeting the expectations of their customer, whether it's the dealer responding to a distributor, manufacturer, or supplier, or whether it's a consumer responding to a dealer, supplier, or manufacturer. Those companies that seize the opportunity to improve will earn greater customer loyalty and market share. Those that miss out will be left wondering how their competitors passed them by.
What Do You Want?
The real question isn't whether the Internet can be useful for business, it's whether businesses have the initiative to utilize it to their benefit. Dealers, distributors, suppliers, and manufacturers in the RV Industry need to think about
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