There’s nothing worse than being busy, only to find your left with minimal profit at the end of each month and nothing to show for your efforts.
In this blog we’re going to be covering 8 proven and powerful ways to increase the sales and profitability of your dealership.
Most of these points will apply across the board, whether you work in sales or service.
Change the script
One of the biggest mistakes made by a lot of salespeople (or anyone working in your dealership for that matter) lies within one simple question
”Can I help with anything?”.
On the surface, it may seem like a perfectly polite question to ask, the problem is, most people are conditioned into giving a blanket no to this question which can often shut down any further discussion.
Instead of this, get your team to ask if they’ve visited the showroom/workshop before. A simple question that requires a simple yes or no.
If they respond with a “yes” then your team can say “great, we’ve actually got a new program in place for returning customers, can I take a minute to tell you about it?”
Most customers will happily oblige because we all like to feel like we’re special or getting a good deal.
If they respond with a “no”…you guessed it… “Amazing, welcome (insert name)! We’re currently running a special promotion for new customers, can I take a minute to tell you about it?”
Obviously, this will require you creating some sort of offer for those customers, even if it’s as simple as a free valet, or MOT on their next visit. Get creative here and think about some things you could offer to each group, it doesn’t have to break the bank!
This seemingly insignificant change can be implemented almost instantly and has been shown to increase sales by as much as 20% in just a matter of days!
Just make sure to communicate it across all of your team – old habits die hard!
Keep A Record
Make sure that your sales people utilise a CRM or customer management system to record as much information as possible about potential or existing customers, family members, likes and dislikes, etc…
Even something as simple as sending a card on somebody’s birthday, can help create a memorable experience that separates you from the competition and keeps you front of mind when they’re ready to buy.
When utilised properly, CRM’s can also be configured to automatically send emails or trigger reminders on certain events. This helps to prevent people forgetting or even losing all that information if a certain salesperson was to leave.
Leverage Systems For Pre-Appointments
Similar to point 2, leveraging systems for automated emails or text messages to customers for events like MOT’s, servicing requirements or even car upgrades can significantly increase your pre-appointments.
This will help ensure you have a solid and consistent pipeline of work or new appointments
Make A Great First Impression
As a dealership, your valet and cleaners are effectively your in-house marketing team. It can be easy to let standards slip when there’s lots going on, but this can be such a silent-killer of sales.
Make sure your showroom and stock is always kept clean and pristine.
Use Video To Build Trust With Customers
Whether you work in sales or service, video can be an extremely powerful way to build trust with customers.
If you’re a sales person, this could be as simple as sending a personalised video to potential or returning customers. This will help you stand out from the competition and build strong, lasting relationships. One of our clients, Paul Noyce recently started doing this and saw incredible results:
If you’re in service, you’ll no doubt have come across sceptical customers who think you’re trying to pull the wool over their eyes! Using video to show and explain problems can be a huge help to building trust, helping customers to understand and consequently increasing your work conversions. Here’s an example of this from one of our Service clients at Autocam:
Offer Incentives for Referrals For New Car Sales
Referrals are the lifeblood for a lot of dealerships.
However, as we all know, not every customer is great at giving referrals.
Sometimes, even people who have had an incredible experience can forget to give referrals!
To help you increase the amount of referrals you get from customers, consider offering a referral incentive. The key here is to offer something which can be quickly and easily redeemed. Otherwise people will simply put it off, and most will then end up forgetting about it all together.
This can significantly increase the amount of people who actively refer others to your dealership.
Even something as simple as getting your sales team to ask at the end of an interaction can go a long way for boosting your referrals.
This could be something along the lines of “Thanks so much for your time today Mrs Customer – as a small family-run dealership, we rely on the kindness of our customers to get the word out there, do you know anyone who might be in the market for a new car?”
Don’t Just Rely On In-Person Dealer Visits
The way people buy is changing, especially post-lockdown! It’s essential you have the right tools/systems in place to ensure you can leave a great impression whether offline or online.
Reduce Wasted Time
As a dealership, time is one of your most precious assets. Nothing kills time more than outdated or clunky systems and processes.
You’ll want to audit where you and your team’s time is being spent, and what processes you can optimise for maximum efficiency.
This will help you focus on the things that matter the most like building relationships and making sales.
Even something as simple as creating videos, taking photos and uploading them online for new car listings, can be an extremely time-consuming process when you’re turning over high levels of stock.
This was one of the reasons we created Autocam Online; to allow dealers to quickly and easily create stunning and effective online ads with just a few simple clicks.
Meaning what used to take hours, can now be done in minutes!
Over To You…
Some of these ideas may be new to you, some you may have heard a million times before! But the key lies within the consistent execution of these points.
When you can create your dealership to run like a system, you’ll be able to create a consistent and profitable sales machine.
If you’d like to know more about how Autocam can help you increase your profits, build rapid trust with customers AND save you time, be sure to book a demo today.