SmartStart for Car Dealers in Potchefstroom

Introducing SmartStart — Potchefstroom’s Trusted Vehicle-Marketplace for Dealers

When local motorists go hunting for their next set of wheels, they begin online. SmartStart—developed by The Go-To Guy—pulls those shoppers straight to your stock, cutting through the noise of national portals and the risks of informal classifieds.

What is SmartStart?

SmartStart is a secure, dealer-only platform where Potchefstroom buyers can browse cars, bakkies, bikes, trucks and plant equipment in one clean, mobile-first catalogue. Every listing carries a Verified Dealer badge (issued only after The Go-To Guy Verification Checks ).

The Platform Design

The platform consists of an easy to use interface to upload your stock, including all relevant details as well as photos of the stock item, with additional functions such as "Click and Connect", instant email alerts on any leads as well as a pinned forecourt location—giving customers the confidence to enquire and arrive ready to deal.

Why dealers are onboarding

Instant local reach through a trusted brand in the local and regional market. – Your inventory can be easily uploaded and The Go-To Guy marketing team promotes and communicates the platform to targeted segments in the greater Potchefstroom region.

The Go-To Guy Current Digital Assets

We currently have nearly 70,000-followers on our Facebook page, 65 000 monthly page visits via our www.potchefstroom.com and www.thegotoguy.co.za domains, in addition we have more than 8,000 active followers on our TikTok channel where we have had nearly a million video views to date, as well as several Facebook Groups, WhatsApp Channels and Groups, you can be sure we have the digital footprint covered.

What we offer with SmartStart.

In Potchefstroom and surrounds trust and visibility is of utmost importance, SmartStart offers value in both as The Go-To Guy actively markets the SmartStart service to specific target segments in the market and has a trusted brand with consumers, built over several years.

The SmartStart platform allows for direct or assisted upload of stock onto the SmartStart platform, this includes all the relevant data that is of importance to the potential customer, including images and detailed specifications. Clients visiting the SmartStart site can instantly click and connect with sales people, through WhatsApp and Email, in addition we can add a customised lead capture form that will instantly land in your inbox from potential clients.

Whether its the SmartStart site overall, or specific vehicles viewed, we provide insights on the traffic generated, including traffic insights on any of the promotional offers on the different options, such as Dealer Car of the Week, Managers Special and other creatives to attract attention to specific stock items, on some of the options the service includes video of the stock item that may be under these special promotions, thus providing you with great insights for your monthly sales meetings.

Room to grow

SmartStart is built for expansion. Whether you carry twenty trade-ins or a mixed fleet of cars, bikes and yellow metal, packages scale month-to-month—upgrade, downgrade or add verticals as your lot evolves.

The SmartStart Options

The Go-To Guy SmartStart has 3 different options, each having its own unique value proposition, these are easily identified as follows:

SmartStart 1st gear
SmartStart 2nd Gear
SmartStart 3rd Gear

The Standard Included Benefits

As standard across all options of SmartStart the Dealer would have the following included:

The Dealer would have access to an interface to directly upload vehicles on the SmartStart platform, which will be instantly live. Each dealer on platform have their own floor, thus ads would directly land on dealer specific page for these ads placed in the market.

The above is in addition to the advertisements done by The Go-To Guy on promoting the overal SmartStart platform to consumers, fleet managers and the likes.

Each dealer also receives a profile article on our Potch Gazette section, this profile is the "about" part of the dealership, and covers location, contact details, services offered, sales people contacts and any other information that may be applicable on the specific dealer.

Standard business card that will be placed under the general automotive section of The Go-To Guy website.

Webby page that is a mobile friendly design (more than 85% of web visits in South Africa is via mobile), thus there are general touch-points from which all dealers benefit from the general traffic to The Go-To Guy website.

Dealers would also receive "Click and connect" where we have a direct link activated for instant client communications via WhatsApp and/or Email.

Dedicated Account support and WhatsApp group connection with The Go-To Guy team.

Note: Our websites are constantly optimised for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) which includes Meta Tags and others aimed at the specifics related to the auto industry, thus the rate of activity and references on Google and Bing search is constantly optimised, having an overall benefit to all listings on The Go-To Guy platform.

In addition to the above standard benefits, the different packages offered are as follows:

SmartStart 1st Gear (Initial Setup fee of R1,500 and thereafter R1,500 per month)

On this option the Dealership can list a total of 20 active units of stock on the SmartStart system.
The service includes a 7 day boost at the start of each month of the dealers specific digital "floor" on The Go-To Guy Facebook, thus having benefit of existing and growing facebook followers as well as additional exposure through these paid advertisements.
The boosting of the Facebook advertisements, is a targeted advertisement, aimed at very specific target segments that are considered ideal segments for purchasing or having an interest in potential vehicles.

SmartStart 2nd Gear (Initial Setup fee of R1,500 and thereafter R2,500 per month)

On this option the Dealership can list a total of 60 active units of stock on the SmartStart system.
The service includes a 14 day boost at the start of each month of the dealers specific digital "floor" on The Go-To Guy Facebook, thus having benefit of existing and growing facebook followers as well as additional exposure through these paid advertisements.
The boosting of the Facebook advertisements, is a targeted advertisement, aimed at very specific target segments that are considered ideal segments for purchasing or having an interest in potential vehicles.

In addition this option receive:

"Spotlight Focus" of any special deal that the Dealer may have for that specific month, which will receive an additional 14 day boost on The Go-To Guy Facebook page.
Contact me form that if completed by client would instantly be sent to dealer email, thus capturing the leads that do not wish to have a direct Click and connect or wishes for Dealer to get in touch with them, this form contains basic and rich information to provide dealer with detailed enquiry information.

Smartstart 3rd Gear (Initial Setup fee of R2,500 and thereafter R3,500 per month)

On this option the Dealership can list unlimited active units of stock on the SmartStart system.
The service includes a 30 day boost at the start of each month of the dealers specific digital "floor" on The Go-To Guy Facebook, thus having benefit of existing and growing facebook followers as well as additional exposure through these paid advertisements.
The boosting of the Facebook advertisements, is a targeted advertisement, aimed at very specific target segments that are considered ideal segments for purchasing or having an interest in potential vehicles.

In addition this option receive:

"Spotlight Focus" of any special deal that the Dealer may have for that specific month, which will receive an additional 14 day boost on The Go-To Guy Facebook page.
Special The Go-To Guy Informative video of the dealership, models on the floor, this video is boosted for 7 days on Facebook as well as placed on our TikTok channels and boosted on TikTok for 7 days as a promoted advertisement.
Quarterly refresh video by The Go-To Guy also boosted across Facebook and TikTok as per the above.
Placement of the video on our "Walk with Us" page as well as shared across Instagram and our WhatsApp Potch Gazette channel.
Contact me form that if completed by client would instantly be sent to dealer email, thus capturing the leads that do not wish to have a direct Click and connect or wishes for Dealer to get in touch with them, this form contains basic and rich information to provide dealer with detailed enquiry information.

In Summary

SmartStart is more than just a vehicle marketplace—it's Potchefstroom's premier platform offering dealerships unmatched local visibility, robust digital marketing, and a direct pipeline to eager buyers. With scalable packages designed specifically for your dealership needs, SmartStart ensures your inventory gets the spotlight it deserves, backed by The Go-To Guy's trusted local brand and extensive digital footprint. Ready to shift your dealership into a higher gear? Contact us today and discover how SmartStart can accelerate your sales and drive growth.

How to get in touch

In order to get in touch you can simply click on any of the below links