When we surround ourselves with people who believe what we believe, CUSTOMER LOYALITY and TRUST EMERGES!

WHAT do you do every day?

HOW do you do it?

WHY DO YOU DO IT and WHO really knows about it?

I was in a client dealership last week ranked in the TOP 5-6 in the nation among their franchise group. Most of us just come to work every day and are responsible, in some facet, for selling a car. So, we all know WHAT we do. Typically we sell the car through some version of the Road To A Sale (HOW).

We all have to be reminded from time to time of getting back to the basics and we get so focused on the daily mechanics of selling the car, we often forget to communicate WHO we are and WHY we are selling cars, WHO the dealer owner is and their business accomplishments and beliefs, and WHY should a customer buy from our dealership vs the competition. Too many times, we simply focus on the price, price, price. One of my mentors once told me that “price is long forgotten after service is remembered”.

This was the week of WHY- WHY buy from this dealership? We all have a story to tell and around 75% of the customers, if told the WHY story, will respond favorably creating more trust in buying from your dealership. (There is always a small percentage of customers who will never care but we have to make the effort)

Here's a perfect example that has nothing to do with the auto business. Do you, family, work associates, or customers own an I-Phone or Apple product? Apple has reversed the order in which most companies do business. Most tell What they do or sell, occasionally How they do it, and then Why they do it. Apple tells WHY they build the greatest product(s), HOW they do it, then WHAT they do (the result is they build they best products). Apple products and services generally cost more than their competitors yet people stand in line (or pre-order) to purchase their products. There was a story on the news today showing people who were actually camping out in tents on a retailers parking lot waiting for the store to open so they could order/buy their new iPhone 5. WHY, WHY, WHY does Apple have so much loyalty to their company and product?

So, what do we need to sell our “WHY do business” with our dealership story BEFORE we close?

• What is the history of the dealership owner?

• What are his/her beliefs?

• Do they give back to the community? (if so, what/how)

• Does the owner contribute to charities that support your local customers?

• What accomplishments/awards has the dealership received that set them apart from the competition?

• What is your CSI score in both sales & service? WHAT does it mean to the customer?

• How long have you, other sales people, key management etc been with the company? Employee longevity adds dealership value for a lot of people as they deal with the same employees day after day, week after week, year after year.

• Are you doing service walks BEFORE you close and introducing customers to the service advisers, service manager, etc. and actually showing customers the technicians certificates of achievement/education? (IE. How many master technicians work for the dealership and what does a master tech mean for the customer)

• Do you introduce your customers to the General Manager or Owner BEFORE the close? (IE. Both the G.M. AND Owner MAKE THEMSELVES AVAILABLE during the week AND SATURDAYS to meet customers before and after the sale. And, they both have a 100% OPEN DOOR policy to any customer at any time they are in the dealership. Customer LOVE IT, it builds more loyalty and trust for the dealership and sets you apart from the majority of dealerships today.

The following link represents a video that can change the way you think about how business is conducted today and why we should consider communicating more with customers about WHY they should do business with our dealership vs the competition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0HIF3SfI4

Is there something new we can still learn in the car business? You bet, everyday!