Dealers, if you are not satisfied with current business results, this article may be helpful.  

If you are wondering why performance is not meeting expectations, you may be too optimistic.  Harris Interactive conducted a survey and found:

• 80% of business leaders said they provided superior customer experiences

• 8% of customers agreed

Why would 92% of customers say their interactions were not outstanding? Your staff is probably very friendly. The customer was probably treated with courtesy and fairness. The consumer most likely received a very competitive price. So what's not to love?

Tom Snyder and Kevin Kearns in their book, Escaping the Price Driven Sale, give us three reasons why consumers could feel the purchase experience is “ho hum”.

• Your products are commodities. There are many alternatives and much competition. Consumers focus on price and convenience when everything else is similar.
• Quality is expected. It is no longer an effective differentiator. It is difficult to make a sale saying another brand is of lower quality.
• The Internet gives consumers access to so much information, most sales people have become less relevant as "knowledge brokers" in the sales process. 

It boils down to the fact that customers expect more and are less impressed. So if you want to give consumers a memorable experience, have them share it with their Facebook friends and obtain more repeat and referral business; what are you to do?

Some Other Ideas

You may want to consider these “non-standard” other ideas.  

1. What is your dealership brand? That doesn't mean the vehicle lines you sell. Your brand is your dealership promise. Your brand has a personality; do you know what it is? If you're not defining and managing your brand, then the market place is doing it for you and the dealership is missing opportunities.

2. What makes you different from the dealership up the road? If you say its honesty, a fair deal or high quality, don't bother. Consumers expect that from any dealership. How is your dealership different in a way that is meaningful to the consumer?

3. Have you segmented your market?  Have you crafted a customized, high value message tailored to the needs of each unique segment, or is it one size fits all?

If you and your management team are curious about how these, and many more "other ideas" can help your dealership become more successful, contact me. Much of this information came from the manual, Profiting from the Experience: A Powerful Approach to Increase Sales, Retain Customers and Improve Profits.