The Cash for Clunkers program seems to be a success, despite the criticism that the program continues to get. Some would-be buyers complain that their older cars don’t qualify as “clunkers” and environmentalists have said that the program isn’t really lowering the United States’ dependence on oil or pollution. Yet this doesn’t seem to be slowing the success of the program.

There are dealerships that have all but run out of the most popular new vehicles, and by some accounts, tens of thousands of customers have made their way into auto dealer showrooms. The Transportation Department reports that over 80,000 vouchers have been processed under the Cash for Clunkers program, 47% of which were for domestic auto purchases.

Even though some consumers, politicians, and program critics are unhappy with the Cash for Clunkers incentive program, auto dealers are still reaping the benefits of this giant influx of dealership traffic. So why, despite all the negative reaction it has received, is it still so successful?

Incentives. Consumers (more so now than ever) are looking for an extra reason to buy. This could be a coupon, a discount, or an additional item thrown in for free. The success of Cash for Clunkers shows that your auto dealership needs to be using incentives in order to help get website traffic into your showroom.

Use an incentive based lead generation tool on the home page of your dealer site. Increase the incentive after they submit their contact information if they schedule a test drive. Using incentives on your auto dealer website has continually been shown to increase leads, dealer showroom traffic, and car sales. Make sure your dealership doesn’t get left behind when the Cash for Clunkers incentive program ends.

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Happy Hao Car Marketing Manager acacia@creationfantasy.fun

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