I tried the first time to purchase a car on Facebook. Talk about stressful. Awash with scammers, non existent cars on hacked accounts, written off cars. F****** nightmare. Forget it.
I worked with a car dealership running their marketing, they had around 600 cars instock, 4 years ago. I told them to bin off autotrader and put a small budget into facebook, they thought I was mad and told me cars wouldn't sell, glad James is actually doing it and I wasn't as mad as the director thought I was :D
Just come across this page scrolling on a Sunday night looking for like minded garages for inspiration. Fantastic chat and great insight. Given me a lot to think about with my autotrader bill now £8,922 per month!
12:56 having said that about influx of enquiries, when I used to work in a well known mobile phone shop, we'd have stretches of being dead quiet, then all of a sudden 4-5 customers walk in within a very short space of time. It was different times, not like you could link it to lunch times etc. We always joked that these customers congregate just round the corner, then commonly decided to walk in all at once.
I would love to know why anyone would advertise with a format (Autotrader)that tells every potential customer whether your price is fair or overpriced or a good price and you are paying them to critic it.
Hats off you guys, this is the most valuable video I've ever watched as an older guy getting back into the trade (after a long time away)....brilliant video. I love your quote Rob "I know its performing well but the F-in car is still sitting here" Ive just had an enormous "lights on moment" So when I started back 4 months ago, the first 2 cars flew out the door, yup, they had me hooked.....shit!!! Autotrader is like google for Main Dealers with gigantic budgets, they call the shots, not us a smaller independants.
Great insights on the power of shifting away from Auto Trader to more effective and cost-efficient platforms like Facebook! It's inspiring to see how embracing change and focusing on direct engagement with customers can lead to such significant business growth. Thanks for sharing your experience!
All true and good points, but if I want a car I wouldn’t trust Facebook I would go visit a dealer or use auto trader to look then visit dealer in person
Love thhe channel and the bants..I got rid of Autotrader also about 7 years ago, on reflection I now see they held me back on ruining a successful business, it was by far the biggest overhead I had, since getting rid my car sales Co has grown year on year since. From having around 15 in stock- mainly run of the mill, we now stock 70 to 80 cars, mainly Range Rovers(...yes I know, but we sell loads if them...largelly withoutissue😂), we are deep in the countryside working from home with zero passing trade, we are appointment only based in the Scottish Highlands, yet we sell hundreds of cars every year. We also sub out all our work, and have only 2 part time employees. Every thing from valeting to repairs gets subbed out to other independent companies. Complete change to how we did things 15 years ago where we did it sll ourselves, it really works for us and we have never looked back.
Wow, Joe. How interesting was that? Good luck to Autotrader. They employ people to pull the wool over our eyes. And Car Dealers as well. Thanks Guys. I Buy and Sell Motorbikes, Joe, so its much the same thing, lol. Great Podcast guys 🥰👏👏👏🇮🇪
I’m about to retire and to keep busy and supplement my pension I fancy selling a single car at a time from home but as a fully fledged micro dealer rather than parade as a private seller. Do you guys have any suggestions on how such a business entity would look?
I've been burnt too many times to trust Facebook marketplace on a purchase as expensive as a car. Plus all the scams you see with someone selling 50 cars with the exact same description for ridiculously low prices.
Auto trader needs competition. So many poor searches. Considering the Cazoo operation gave many a new way to sell I’m surprised that AT didn’t develop better links.
Most buyers, using Autotrader, filter out loads of cars before they even know what's available. Autotrader charge dealers for nationwide advertising but your great car could miss the cut by 20 miles or £50 or even the model number. Seems like you're paying for a service they really don't provide. As for the bullet point breakdown from the car reg no. Well you know that already because you paid and checked it out before you bought it. If you have your own "Media Studio" in the backyard! (Joe) you could nail the advertising and the artwork, no problem. Go for it!
Re A/T pricing I had a Mini One for £8350 earlier this year/late last didn't get a call for months. £7990 still nothing. Dropped it to £7790, three calls in a week second lady bought it first guy was sick to miss it for his daughter. Said he'd been looking for months for exactly this car! £200 seemed to be all the difference. Makes no sense. I felt at the time something just wasn't right with this.
I'm a part time dealer (work around my full-time job) and usually have between 5 to 10 cars in stock. All cars I sell are through FB and not sponsored. If I struggle to sell after a couple of weeks, I usually advertise on Autotrader for £45 a go and each car has usually sold within a week. I just couldn't commit to the £700 + VAT I was quoted for 5 slots a month knowing that I could potentially sell the same cars for free on Facebook. I find the trick to Facebook is to delete your ad every couple of days and repost as I'm guessing it messes with their algorithm. Great video chaps 👍
AI will change things massively in the next 12 months with regards to advertising and SEO etc. You all need to hop on the AI train and go along for the journey, you don't want to get left behind.
never even look on autotrader now havent done for a decade or more its old hat in my opinion? them costs are insane only mugs would pay them costs im sorry to be blunt but best said as you might wake up lol
Surly it would work out easyier and cheaper if you all teamed up created your own analytics car sales app and promote the hell out of that look at how many subs you all have on RUclips alone ? Im not saying viewers will buy all your cars but it sure as hell would help promote and no it won’t happen overnight but it’s a step forward to getting rid of auto trader 👍 Personally a Facebook car would not appeal to me as the first thing I would think is dodgy
James Alford sounds precisely like Ricky Gervais..
I was just thinking that
I thought the same
Me too
It's uncanny!!!
Maybe he grew up in Reading?
Interesting, but personally I would not trust anything on facebook.
I tried the first time to purchase a car on Facebook. Talk about stressful. Awash with scammers, non existent cars on hacked accounts, written off cars. F****** nightmare. Forget it.
Social media is the devils work
I worked with a car dealership running their marketing, they had around 600 cars instock, 4 years ago. I told them to bin off autotrader and put a small budget into facebook, they thought I was mad and told me cars wouldn't sell, glad James is actually doing it and I wasn't as mad as the director thought I was :D
I wouldn't buy a car advertised on Facebook
Most people i know wouldn't buy anything from Facebook as its got a tarnished name with scammers etc. (Present company excluded)
Face book market place is just ridiculous.
I need to get rid of Autotrader!
Then all you will get is thousands of enquires people don't trust fb full stop
Just come across this page scrolling on a Sunday night looking for like minded garages for inspiration. Fantastic chat and great insight. Given me a lot to think about with my autotrader bill now £8,922 per month!
12:56 having said that about influx of enquiries, when I used to work in a well known mobile phone shop, we'd have stretches of being dead quiet, then all of a sudden 4-5 customers walk in within a very short space of time. It was different times, not like you could link it to lunch times etc. We always joked that these customers congregate just round the corner, then commonly decided to walk in all at once.
James Alford could make money being a voice impersonator for Ricky Gervais.
I would love to know why anyone would advertise with a format (Autotrader)that tells every potential customer whether your price is fair or overpriced or a good price and you are paying them to critic it.
Lovely to hear (and see) three young guys with their finger on the pulse of the car trade discussing this.
James sounds exactly like Gervais. It’s great.
Hats off you guys, this is the most valuable video I've ever watched as an older guy getting back into the trade (after a long time away)....brilliant video. I love your quote Rob "I know its performing well but the F-in car is still sitting here" Ive just had an enormous "lights on moment" So when I started back 4 months ago, the first 2 cars flew out the door, yup, they had me hooked.....shit!!! Autotrader is like google for Main Dealers with gigantic budgets, they call the shots, not us a smaller independants.
Great insights on the power of shifting away from Auto Trader to more effective and cost-efficient platforms like Facebook! It's inspiring to see how embracing change and focusing on direct engagement with customers can lead to such significant business growth. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Facebook marketplace can be a nightmare for buying a car as you don’t know who is or is not a scammer
He’s not talking about Facebook marketplace
@@ShiftingMetalNo, but in eyes of the public it’s the same
@@ShiftingMetal
So what is it he’s talking about if it’s not marketplace
Vehicle Score is a load of garbage, don't waste your money.
What makes it garbage out of curiosity?
They sell you packages with more images by showing you stats that identify each new photo view as a new unique vehicle view.
All true and good points, but if I want a car I wouldn’t trust Facebook I would go visit a dealer or use auto trader to look then visit dealer in person
Auto trader is becoming light a high street bank , old school
Autotrader run an algorithm to keep the dealers and customers hooked
I don’t Joe has grasped the keys to success on selling on Facebook. Limited description and getting a dialogue started with a dynamic member of staff.
Love thhe channel and the bants..I got rid of Autotrader also about 7 years ago, on reflection I now see they held me back on ruining a successful business, it was by far the biggest overhead I had, since getting rid my car sales Co has grown year on year since. From having around 15 in stock- mainly run of the mill, we now stock 70 to 80 cars, mainly Range Rovers(...yes I know, but we sell loads if them...largelly withoutissue😂), we are deep in the countryside working from home with zero passing trade, we are appointment only based in the Scottish Highlands, yet we sell hundreds of cars every year. We also sub out all our work, and have only 2 part time employees. Every thing from valeting to repairs gets subbed out to other independent companies. Complete change to how we did things 15 years ago where we did it sll ourselves, it really works for us and we have never looked back.
what do you use now to sell your cars? ebay?
Wow, Joe. How interesting was that? Good luck to Autotrader. They employ people to pull the wool over our eyes. And Car Dealers as well. Thanks Guys. I Buy and Sell Motorbikes, Joe, so its much the same thing, lol. Great Podcast guys 🥰👏👏👏🇮🇪
I’m about to retire and to keep busy and supplement my pension I fancy selling a single car at a time from home but as a fully fledged micro dealer rather than parade as a private seller. Do you guys have any suggestions on how such a business entity would look?
Enjoyed this pod cast. Have a good weekend guys.
James platinum car in Slough?does he have a Office?David Brett?😊
I've been burnt too many times to trust Facebook marketplace on a purchase as expensive as a car. Plus all the scams you see with someone selling 50 cars with the exact same description for ridiculously low prices.
Facebook need to get there act together with all the scam adverts i have give up reporting them because i get the same stupid bot reply.
Auto trader needs competition. So many poor searches. Considering the Cazoo operation gave many a new way to sell I’m surprised that AT didn’t develop better links.
Most buyers, using Autotrader, filter out loads of cars before they even know what's available. Autotrader charge dealers for nationwide advertising but your great car could miss the cut by 20 miles or £50 or even the model number.
Seems like you're paying for a service they really don't provide. As for the bullet point breakdown from the car reg no. Well you know that already because you paid and checked it out before you bought it.
If you have your own "Media Studio" in the backyard! (Joe) you could nail the advertising and the artwork, no problem.
Go for it!
Re A/T pricing I had a Mini One for £8350 earlier this year/late last didn't get a call for months. £7990 still nothing. Dropped it to £7790, three calls in a week second lady bought it first guy was sick to miss it for his daughter. Said he'd been looking for months for exactly this car! £200 seemed to be all the difference. Makes no sense. I felt at the time something just wasn't right with this.
Something made me piss myself on Apple Podcasts. Only 1 in 10 long term traders can escape the AT wrath !!!!! Big Ups those that escape !!
Joe bit of random qestion what is the music playing at 1:32 ?
Today's video reminds me why I have always liked being in B to B businesses.
Not B to C businesses
Close your eyes and listen to James Alford and you will find out he really is Ricky Gervais/David Brent from The Office!
Way to many scammers on face book market place, no way I would ever buy a car on their site.
Great insights
I don’t know any successful dealer who are selling cars out of out of Autotrader
So gents…what’s the basic five advert package from Autotrader actually cost?
@@LCOF about £500 I think
You said todays video is sponsored by Vehicle Score but not on my end, it says this video is sponsored by AutoTrader strangely....
Great again and sound better🎉🎉
I'm a part time dealer (work around my full-time job) and usually have between 5 to 10 cars in stock. All cars I sell are through FB and not sponsored. If I struggle to sell after a couple of weeks, I usually advertise on Autotrader for £45 a go and each car has usually sold within a week. I just couldn't commit to the £700 + VAT I was quoted for 5 slots a month knowing that I could potentially sell the same cars for free on Facebook. I find the trick to Facebook is to delete your ad every couple of days and repost as I'm guessing it messes with their algorithm. Great video chaps 👍
AI will change things massively in the next 12 months with regards to advertising and SEO etc. You all need to hop on the AI train and go along for the journey, you don't want to get left behind.
Good chat keep it up
never even look on autotrader now havent done for a decade or more its old hat in my opinion? them costs are insane only mugs would pay them costs im sorry to be blunt but best said as you might wake up lol
Finchy can throw a kettle over a pub. What have you ever done?!
Autotrader are dodgy to me. I wouldn’t use them.
Can you actually tell how much you’ve saved?
Joe taking note's, I see.
Is this David Brent?
Fb is so bad you would be insane to buy a car from there
is it me or does James sound loke Ricky Gervais
Yes it’s an uncanny resemblance
James sounds like Ricky chavasie
Is that some kind work sauna at the start of the video?
Yes
Is that guy David Brent ? 🤷
Joe, you need to push your website a bit more on your videos.
Which one?
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
autotrader ive heard from you how expensive it is ditch it
👍🏻
Is james ricky gervais 👀🤣
Surly it would work out easyier and cheaper if you all teamed up created your own analytics car sales app and promote the hell out of that look at how many subs you all have on RUclips alone ? Im not saying viewers will buy all your cars but it sure as hell would help promote and no it won’t happen overnight but it’s a step forward to getting rid of auto trader 👍
Personally a Facebook car would not appeal to me as the first thing I would think is dodgy
I’ve just paid £80 for an ad on autotrader..
Well done you, just made their greedy wanker owner even richer
Tag
I’m really surprised Autotrader is still as popular as it is…
Absolute rip off….
This is just the modern day 'Arthur Daley'
I would never buy of Facebook to many scammers that james talks shit - auto trader much better
It's odd that Autotrader only shows one photo of a car for sale, that puts me right off.
No it doesn't 😂
select the view gallery tab
This is so dumb. Auto Trader converts so much better. This guy might be selling to boomers who use Facebook