In the automotive industry, hundreds of customers pass through dealerships on a daily basis. Each of these customers will interact with dealership staff multiple times during their visit – whether they’re there to buy a car, or for a simple oil change. It’s very easy to function as an organization with a focus on efficiency[…]
A hot topic of much discussion today is the decrease in the sales process. There are many opinions on whether shortening the time it takes consumers to buy a vehicle is the answer to providing a better customer experience. There’s no doubt that it can be arduous and exhausting for a consumer to buy a[…]
Whether your dealership has, or is considering a loyalty program, it’s important to make sure your marketing messages align with the overall brand or image of your store. What is your dealership known for? Aggressive, “best” pricing? Friendly, no-pressure salespeople? A multi-generation, family owned pillar of the community? A brand is your identity’s business, and conjures[…]
Mimicking customer behavior is one of the oldest sales techniques in the business. So is finding common interests and building rapport. However, with three generations of car buyers in and out of dealerships daily – Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y – it’s harder than ever for salespeople to accomplish this convincingly, let alone understand[…]
In life, not everything goes our way. Things happen. Planes get delayed. It rains during a wedding. Life intervenes. In business, the same holds true. If a situation is handled improperly, or is unaddressed, customers are likely to get ignored. With proper attention, however, customers can be forgiving. Take for example, the story relayed in[…]
If you were to ask today’s consumers if they’d like to hang out at a car dealership, chances are that the majority would respond “no.” When consumers do visit a dealership to purchase a vehicle or get their vehicle serviced, many times the process can be longer than desired and is not always a great[…]
A dealer in Washington state has taken a highly unusual – and unheard of – path to customer retention and loyalty. According to Automotive News, Denver Morford, dealer principal at Barry Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram in Ephrata, Wash., doesn’t believe in dealer reserve. Not only does he not believe in it but he also educates his customers during the[…]
With brand loyalty at its highest point ever, it’s time to take a new look at customer loyalty within your own dealership. According to IHS Automotive, as of the first quarter 2015, the automotive industry is sitting on a ten-year high of 52.8 percent in brand loyalty – mostly attributed to an increased diversity in[…]
A recent article in Automotive News relayed the story of Obi Obeke and how he had sold 39 cars to world-famous boxer Floyd Mayweather. The article explains how Okeke has been willing to do whatever it takes for his client to keep him satisfied. There’s little doubt that Floyd Mayweather probably gets what he wants when he[…]
When did you last walk through the customer entrance of your dealership and look at what is truly being experienced by the customer? Forget for a moment whether a sales consultant’s work area is messy, or if there are smudges on the windows. Let’s look a little closer at what a customer could see, hear[…]