Comment

Comment by Fran Taylor on January 20, 2012 at 12:56pm

I agree with you Jock. The further you look ahead in life the less complicated it gets . By planning to be in auto sales a long time and build your base each year is the key to success. This is why it is so critical to keep getting prospecting tools and add many people to your Birthday files each year. Thank you my friend.

Comment by Jock Schowalter on January 19, 2012 at 5:27pm

If sales staff would look at customers as building their own personal database of future customers as opposed to just a means to a monthly paycheck it would go a long way in creating lasting relationships.  This requires a big shift in thinking especially since most pay plans focus on monthly results.

Comment by Fran Taylor on January 16, 2012 at 11:16am

There are simple ways to get the majority of customers coming back. A hand written envelop and a hand written sentence or two on every card is far better than a lick em stick em envelop and the sales rep just signs his name. The serious people in business will get more customers back doing business the old fashion way. They earn it. You can get the majority of your customers back but there is no such thing as customers for life. 

Comment by Fran Taylor on January 14, 2012 at 8:24am

The whole dealership has to work together to keep customers coming back. There are three ways dealerships answer phone. Some have a recording that you have to listen to. Then put in the last three initials of the last name or an extension number. If the sales rep isn't there you have to leave a message. Come on these people want to spend money and talk to someone. Others have a person answering a phone. Customer wants to talk to someone in service and all you hear is silence. They just pushed a button you and you don't know what is going on while others will take a second and say, hold on I will transfer you now. I like the third one . Manny you have a good point but you are gone now. I think when a dealership has sales reps on the floor for a long time will keep more customers coming back. But you never will keep them all.Steve and Tom good points. Nice people finish first in auto sales. Thanks everyone.

Comment by MANNY LUNA on January 13, 2012 at 10:54pm

Come on Fran, you know that if you can get a customer to bake you a pie and have them bring it to you. They become customers for life!

Comment by Fran Taylor on January 13, 2012 at 9:48pm

 You can get the majority of the people back at any dealership if you are different than the guy down the street. I was training at a dealership a while back that was 117%  of service department. I saw a customer stand fro three minutes while the service writer was on the phone. All she did was hold her hand up and hold her finger up as to saw wait a minute. When she got off the phone she said sorry about that. How may I help you? By noticing the customer and showing respect I guess was the difference. It's the little things that will get customers back but you never will keep them all.

Comment by Steve Stauning on January 13, 2012 at 9:26pm

Great post, Fran. Unfortunately, it's a different world today.

While I often see "customers for life" in rural or small town dealerships, they're just a myth at any of the MegaDealer Groups or even locally-owned dealerships in medium to large markets.

I think customers would be loyal to dealerships, if we could be truly loyal to them. With turnover at most dealerships well above 100% and everyone living in a 30-day world with no focus on training or continuous process improvement, it's naive for managers to expect salespeople to actually build a business or project any sense of loyalty toward the customer (given that they don't feel like the dealership is even loyal to them). 

Solve this dilemma at the Owner/GM and middle manager levels, and the salespeople might follow suit.