Partner with other businesses within your area that target the same type of customer that you do. Shared community efforts and support can help catapult your dealership (and their business) to best-of status in your market.
Mercedes-Benz of Sugar Land, Texas, is a dealership that has anticipated the consumer need for connection, despite the digital, ‘buy from my pajamas’ market and adapted accordingly. As an extension of their current loyalty program, the Mercedes of Sugar Land group has scaled their efforts to include a Teen Driving School, partnerships with area businesses, and embraced authentic relationship-building at every phase of the community engagement level.
Derek Brown, Vice President of Marketing & Business Development, shared the ideas behind the successful Teen Driving School. An idea that had been casually discussed around the office for a few years, finally came to fruition in July of 2014 when management decided to put together an event. Ideally, it was created to provide the dealership’s clients with teen driving, safety resources. Over a dozen students attended that first event, and its popularity has exploded since. Last December, they opened the exclusive driving school to area high school students, secured a professional race car driver as a brand ambassador who matched the dealership’s contribution of $5,000 in order to offer a complimentary class for Clements High School students. The success story here is not only teens walking away with knowledge about extreme driving conditions safe practices, but also a dealership brand that has managed to create a positive and engaging community channel.
Dealerships are creating subsequent engagements beyond the sale in other ways too. In doing so, they’re maintaining a healthy funnel of communications to keep the generational buyers coming back, and inspiring new introductions through referrals.
Some automotive experts say retaining existing customers can translate to 75% closing rates for future sales. Crafting a thorough strategy for 30-60-90 day follow-ups can improve your dealership’s retention. Derek Brown discusses some of the engagement efforts that work well for their dealership in Sugar Land. They have successfully evolved their loyalty program, both organically and intentionally. “We had partnerships in place throughout the community,” he says. What began with their Teen Driving Safety School, has grown to include cross-promotional relationships with similar lifestyle brands like cycling studios, upscale dining, and jewelry partners. They have evolved their brand of exclusivity beyond their showroom. They are a car dealership committed to offering superior experiences inside and outside their doors.
Every year, automakers introduce new suites of driver assistance technology tools as well as connectivity and infotainment enhancements. While the tech-savvy buyers might not need full-fledged tutorials for use, you may be surprised to learn just how many consumers aren’t using their vehicle’s tech but could be. Based on market research from 2015, over 20% of drivers admitted they had never used more than half of the tech features in their vehicles. Another stat that might help with perspective is based on an Autotrader Tech Impact study from 2017. This study suggests 61% of consumers surveyed said they’d rather have the technology options instead of a specific vehicle color. It also indicates 64% would pay more for some or all of their selected tech-based features. Now consider when customers buy their vehicles via one of the all-digital car buying services. Who do they reach out to with questions about their vehicle? Your dealership has a unique opportunity to engage these and other consumers after the sale.
As a dealership, you may have an opportunity to promote the safety and driver assistance features that are available on your inventory, to educate your car buying population. The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) launched A Dealer Guide to High-Tech Vehicle Safety, a publication designed to assist sales teams in introducing customers how to leverage the benefits of their vehicles’ safety tech properly.
Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connections, setting up the Ford MyKey or Chevy Co-Pilot360 for secondary driver supervision, can be meaningful connection points after the sale. Even if they didn’t buy from you, you have an opportunity to connect with consumers in a valuable way by offering to assist them in maximizing the benefits of their vehicle’s tech. According to Derek Brown, connecting customers to their new vehicles goes beyond a basic tutorial.
The digital car buying companies promote a few key solutions to customers’ buying process problems. They offer a digital platform that allows browsers to find a vehicle they like, apply for financing, get a trade-in value, and schedule delivery. It’s hassle-free and often accompanied by money-back guarantees. But, it doesn’t mean the dealership shopping days are gone.
“For the most part, we see the consumer researching online but still yearning for that in-store experience,” says Brown. He goes on to say the digital tools have only accelerated the process, not necessarily replaced the need for an engagement opportunity. In fact, for their dealership, they view each sale as a “monumental moment” to “celebrate their purchase.” Sure, buyers are eager to bypass the old school days of haggling and mountains of paperwork to sign. They are still, however, interested in celebrating their purchasing decision.
Ultimately, selling more cars means meeting your customers where they want to be met in the process. Consider structuring your process so that your dealership can continue to be needed, provide value, and offer a menu of options that creates the best digital and showroom interactions.
Next articleCarGurus Acquires AutoList: Are Your Listings Still Free?The German AV-Test has tested which special malware cleanup tools and security suites are best in removing malware from Windows computers after an infection. They tested 15 applications and only 3 applications achieved a perfect score.
What this test fails to also do is password protect the Admin/Owner account and make a Limted user account and test from that to see how real infections happen. But I know this will never happened and all test can be made to fit a product over another and since we have no way to independently verify this results this is all it is one test where no one can reproduce it.Do you ever have those moments where you overlooked something so obvious that you want to just look in the mirror and facepalm at yourself? I do.
I try very hard to be observant to compensate for some of my disabilities, but try though I might I can be very oblivious at times. So here’s a bit of a funny story, about me being totally oblivious.
The other day I was at a grocery mart, when I noticed a little pair of eyes on me.
Reading faces isn’t my strong suit but I can usually guess at what someone is feeling, especially with children since they’re normally overt about their emotions. This little girl though was interested without any other evident emotion, staring long and hard at me with fixed attention.
I walked up the aisle, her eyes follow. I walked back down to check something else. Still watching.
What it says about me I don’t know but I wanted to make sure I wasn’t making her uncomfortable, I realize most people don’t trouble themselves about children looking at them, but I care about kids feelings so I changed my behaviour.
‘Maybe I’m being loud?’ I think.
So I finish what I was saying and stop talking and just browse things. My spouse tells me he’s going to get something from another aisle while I look here, I nod and look back. She’s still watching me.
‘Did I move funny?’ I wonder.
I’m in a good mood so I might have been making exaggerated gestures or flapping my hands, but no, even as I still myself and try to look more ‘adulty’ she continues to watch and watch with the exact same intensity.
I look away for a bit walk up the aisle, her mom is browsing in the same direction I am, but I keep my focus pick out some things and exercise patience with the watchful eyes.
My spouse returns it’s surely been a minute or two, so I look back, and not only is she still watching she’s moved closer to me than to her mom.
She hasn’t smiled or from what I can tell looked away in all the time, her eyes are wider almost as if she’s nervous, but other than that her lips are pursed together. Determined? If she were an adult I’d say she was being stone faced. Children aren’t usually stoney, and certainly not for malicious reasons, so I tell myself to chill it.
I can’t know the answer to that, so I decide to chance a smile. Immediately the little girl is running back behind her mom, hiding behind her legs.
Strange reaction for a smile, maybe she really isn’t used to strangers.
I decide to not let myself be bothered further and as I’m done in this aisle I go on with my shopping.
While I’m going about the other aisles I see 3 other children and each of them turns to look at me as most young kids will look at anyone they pass, and the other 3 all smile at me, waving and smiling back I acknowledge them.
But when we’re finished shopping I see her again in line up, and she’s seen me before I’ve seen her since she’s got the same expression as before and is looking at me fixedly again. They’re ahead of us in the checkout, and even as she’s leaving the store she’s turning her head and looking back at me over her shoulder.
I try again smiling and waving at her, in response she jumps almost like she didn’t realize I could see her, moving to the other side of her moms hip but keeps on looking back at me.
Now, I should