I have been working in the automotive industry for over 8 years as of this month. The one thing that I felt I could always do better was build value in my presentations. When I say presentations, I am not just talking about performing a powerful walk around. I am talking about the things that a professional says to a customer when they are on the phone trying to give them a reason to come in. I am also talking about what a professional does with the customer when they go to discuss numbers with management. As a huge advocate of building a “digital rapport” I wrote a successful article about this in the past but would like to take this further.
Some value building techniques:
– The BDC/Internet Department remembers to make customers aware of the dealership’s strong online reputation.
-The BDC/Internet Department informs the consumer of the convenient aspect of considering this dealership over others (Some of us like to call it a Value Package Proposition).
-If the customer claims to have a busy schedule, it is a great idea to offer to bring them the vehicle to look at.
-Finding out why they are looking at a particular vehicle will allow to demonstrate the benefits of the vehicle when working with customers in person.
-When going to discuss numbers with management, it is always a great practice to leave the customer with something to read such as a product information book. This will keep them interesting in the benefits of the vehicle. It is also a great idea to have a book of positive reviews and letters of recommendation from previous customers. Better yet, if there is a computer on the table, save a few positive video testimonials and have the customers watch it. Too often, sales people leave customers waiting for minutes and minutes which allows them to think about reasons why they should not buy the vehicle. A lot of customers always think that sales people and managers are in the backroom wasting time. We need to maintain a professional and positive image of ourselves and our dealerships. If it takes a longtime to create a book or two books of these tools, so be it. These tools will help close more deals, build more customer trust, build more customer retention, and allow the opportunity to make more money.
-During delivery, a sales professional should keep building value and go over any last minute information that they have not presented before.
-After the customer leaves the lot, call them at home leaving them a great message expressing your gratitude for their business. After all, they just helped you feed your family. In some cases, remind them of when their license plates will arrive and if they pick them up, they will be installed on the vehicle for them.
Some of these tips might sound old school or basic. However, we forget about them. I know after selling cars for three years I started to slack off, get comfortable and arrogant. I realized that real quick when my income was $15,000 lighter that year. I want to be successful and I want to make more money not less. Stop taking shortcuts, create a strong process of how you do business and keep doing it with every single customer. Never be satisfied, always seek to improve. I once met a sales professional who is the number one Audi sales professional in the country. The man sells more units in one month then most Audi dealerships in the nation sell as a whole. He makes more money then his GM. He is consistent the same way. He never takes ups or relies on internet leads. He was consistent for many years and it pays off.