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Online vehicle appraisal tools are becoming more popular, with savvy dealers using them to attract customers.
So says Mike McFall, president of Black Book Online, a vehicle value-setter that offers appraisal applications on dealership and auto maker websites.
Conventionally, customers take their currently owned vehicles to dealerships for on-site determinations of value as a prelude to trade-in transactions.
But a website tool using a “Value Your Trade” button can fairly accurately value the vehicle, sight unseen, if the shopper enters relevant and correct information.
“We provide a range that allows the customer and the dealer to negotiate,” McFall says. “A used vehicle's condition is a major factor in determining its value.”
Online appraisals empower the customer and aid the dealer's cause, he says. “The customer gets an appraisal, the dealer gets a lead. We tell dealers, ‘Do the trade first, not last. Use it to get the customer to the store. It creates an appointment.’”
Timing matters. “If customers are asking trade-in questions, it's not the time to talk about the car you want to sell them,” McFall says.
