You have a 22 year old potential client ready to make the largest purchase of their life at this point.  They are one of the most technical savvy consumers you have ever faced.  These clients have friends all over the world, and talk with their network on a daily basis. They Tweet what they had for breakfast, they Yelp about their experiences, they RePin exciting pictures, and they have an average of 245 friends.

According to Pew Center’s Internet and American Life Project the average Facebook user can reach over 150,000 other friends utilizing their connections.  A user will add 7 new friends a month, and over 95% of users will allow all of their content to be available to other users!

Before we talk about where we are today, one has to understand why your client thinks the way they do.  Your 22 year old potential client was born in 1990.  Some interesting facts about the year 1990:

• The TV show “Simpsons” premiered on Fox TV
• Washington DC mayor Marion Barry was arrested in a drug enforcement sting (the first time)
• Exxon Valdez captain Joseph Hazelwood goes on trial due to oil spill
• The first McDonalds in Russia opens
• USSR communist party allows opposition political parties
• James “Buster” Douglas KO’s Mike Tyson in 10 Rounds to win the Heavyweight Boxing Crown
• Germany is given the ok to reunify from US, England, and France
• LA Raiders announce they were returning to Oakland
• Michael Jordan scores 69 points in a game. (His fourth game of 60 or more points)
• “Seinfeld” debuts on NBC
• TV Guide selects Arsenio Hall as TV personality of the year
• Nolan Ryan pitches his 6^th No Hitter
• President Bush (41) calls up military reserve to serve in the Persian Gulf
• Saddam Hussein declares America cannot beat Iraq in a war
• Hard Rock Café opens in Las Vegas, Nevada

In 1991, Tim Berners-Lee releases files describing his idea for the World Wide Webb and WWW debuts as a publicly available service on the internet.  HotMail, a free internet email service began in 1996.  Facebook was developed in 2004 and YouTube, the popular internet site which shares videos hits the United States market in 2005.

Your youngest client wants to be engaged and engages the world on a daily basis.  They are the epitome of multitasking.  Now more than ever, your client will let all of their friends and family know about your dealership before they leave the lot.

So the question remains, are you going to adapt and help the client help you or are you going to let your client dictate your business?  Every year your clients become more technical savvy and will use the resources they have at their fingertips to share with the world about your services.

Embrace the technology tools and utilize this opportunity to your advantage.

The car buying process allows a lot of time for your customer to watch and observe your dealership operations.  Believe that they will share their experience not only with their friends and family, but the world.  Facts are they want to tell everyone about their time they just spent with you.

By identifying the gaps in the buying process you will see areas that you can engage your customer.  The first time gap that comes to mind and is easily missed by a lot of dealerships is the time spent in finance.  Your customer has chosen the vehicle they desire.  They are hopeful that the bank allows them to make the purchase.  Their anxiety is heightened because they are committing to payments over the next five years, and usually will alter their budget significantly.

However, the ether has not worn off yet.  Take advantage of this time to allow your customer to communicate to the world how great their sales person is.  Allow them to talk about the great deal they are getting on their vehicle.  Technology today, allows you to allow your customers to share with the world that you are available immediately to help everyone with all of their transportation needs.  

Do not let Time Kill Your Deal! Complete the gaps and allow your customer to help you.  Understand that your customer will bring you additional customers.  Just know that they will refer your business in a different way than you used to refer businesses.  Times have changed.  Are you adapting to change?

Good luck, and we look forward to seeing you at the top!