10 things an auto dealer can do to change world opinion and increase sales.
If you are close to the auto-dealer space in any way, you are most likely hearing complaints from dealers and staff that sales are down. For dealers who dare to have vision and heart, sales can increase higher than imagined. Here are 10 ideas.
Change the Voice in Your Head
The one that says, "I'm an auto dealer; I need to look and act like an auto dealer." If you are a "follower," you have inherited the reputation that follows dealers. Shake this liability by distancing yourself through relevant differentiation. That is, build an experience that is different and meaningful to your customers. Your new voice should say: "I build lasting relationships by helping people purchase automobiles in a unique and compelling way."
Stop the Noise
The world is ready for you to stop the shouting in radio and television spots. This approach does not generate excitement or motivation unless it is coming from a drill sergeant. Furthermore, it comes off as desperation and reinforces the notion that you are like every other dealer. The noise intensifies when you don't communicate clearly.
The blur of fine print, jabs of pressure and fast talking keep consumers in a daze and on the defensive. Be sure to deliver clarity. When crafting your messaging, don't depend on reasoning to entice buyers. Emotional connections trigger sales. Most of all, remember, people buy from people. When you speak to your customer like a friend, the noise becomes a signal.
Become Human
Brands are personifications of organizations, products, services and experiences. Consumers do not develop relationships with products, nor are they loyal to products.
Brands and what they stand for establish the emotional connection with consumers. Your dealership has a brand. Different from the manufacturer's, it is the sum of all experiences a consumer has with your organization. It has been or is being created in the minds of everyone it comes in contact with. If you are not creating it, someone else is creating it for you.
What does your brand stand for? What emotions does your brand evoke? It should exhibit admirable human qualities. To most people, a "dealer is a dealer." Shift the focus from selling cars to building long-term relationships with car buyers.
Remove the Barbed Wire
It is time to defuse your sales approach. It alienates your customers and puts them on the defensive.
Take your women buyers for example. They influence 85 percent of purchase decisions, yet they are treated as second-class. (How is this happening?) A survey from Power Information Network, a division of J.D. Power and Associates, found that of about 800 female buyers in the U.S. market, roughly 40 percent believe their gender hurt the way they were treated in their most recent visit to an auto dealer. (Learn more about your female buyers at Ask Patty.)
To counter this treatment, most women rely on a male counterpart to aid them in the buying process. With some respect from you, this audience would be very loyal, refer others and most likely pay more (willingly) for your product.
Live and Thrive Without Graveyard Pricing
The strongest relationships are not built on price. There are other ways to entice your target audiences. A reputation of a caring car dealer will compel many. When you humanize your offerings, funny things happen; your customers drive an extra three blocks to drink a more expensive cup of your coffee. Create something special, and let your competitors command the lowest price.
Just Make It Easy
Stop or reduce the push-back. Offer what people want to buy, and make it easy for them to buy it. Is your process building sales barriers? If you're like most car dealers, the answer is "yes." Reinvent your process. Find ways to streamline it. Adopt ways of putting everyone at ease. You may start by reprogramming salespeople to be ... people. Or hiring people who have never been car salespeople. Look for ways to dull the sharpness.
Don't Be a Dinosaur
We are connecting with one another like no other time in history. Make sure you have a strong digital handshake — and are changing with the times. Embrace new media platforms like blogs and podcasts; they are new channels to build relationships. Give your audience choices on how they can learn about you and connect with you.
If you are resistant to this, hire someone who isn't, and have them lead this charge. Over the next five years, consumers will be shoveling dirt onto the graves of those who could not or would not grasp this.
Ask for a Dance
You need a partner that understands your customer better than anyone. So partner with your customer. Listen to them and build your dealership around their needs. Along the way, you may discover unmet needs and a path to additional revenue. Most importantly, you will create a bond that can weather a poor economy, competitive pressure or even an honest mistake.
Beware of the Line
Dealers today are in a long line. The line is so long it's unclear who they are following, or where they are going. There are some things that are for certain. In the line, everyone does the same thing. In the line, everyone is influenced by the same information flowing from the same sources. It's easiest to see this when you are not in the line. For years, someone at the front has promoted a belief that promotion is king — a belief that fluorescent stickers and once-in-a-lifetime deals (that last indefinitely) spark great romances.
The reality is promotions help create a first date. The real power is held by those who can take that and create lasting relationships. Changing the voice in your head requires opening up to new ideas and listening to those who have created unique and successful buying experiences elsewhere. Today you have an opportunity to make your own line. It's one car buyers can't wait to get in.
Be a Pioneer — Be the Un-"Car Dealer"
Pioneers get the arrows first. And a lot more land too. Being a pioneer in the auto dealer industry is much more inviting. I'm talking about kisses instead of arrows. Your customer is so hungry for change. But do you have the guts? More importantly, do you have the will to see it through? Cut ties with 100 years of poor customer experiences. Leave the pack to lead the pack. See the light — strong relationships and higher profits are linked.