What If I Owned a Car Dealership?
I had recently gotten married and was looking for work in February of 1996. I had just finished my criminal justice major in college. In the state of Texas, I desired to work as a peace officer, but especially as a state trooper. In the short nine months I had to wait to start the academy, thus I required a temporary job.
My college buddy told me about a recently opened new auto dealership in Stafford, Texas, and advised me to apply to sell vehicles there until the academy called me to follow my dream of becoming a trooper.
So that’s exactly what I did!
A Career in Automotive Starts
My first job in the automotive industry was at a Pontiac GMC dealership (just looking at that will tell you how long ago it was!). During my seven years there, I contracted the dreaded “Car Bug.”
I became the director of e-commerce by 1999. Back then, who would have imagined that you could sell cars to people online? The fax machine used to send me customer leads, I still remember that! In actuality, though, the internet arrived, noticed, and took over. It is present and will remain so.
As the internet has developed as a medium for sales, so too have customers’ expectations. Even while the majority of buyers still prefer to complete their car purchases offline, they do want to complete a significant portion of the research online.
What Would Wes Do, or WWWD?
Potential dealers frequently ask me, “Wes, how would you handle this situation? What essential items would you stock a dealership with? My experience in dealerships, particularly in e-commerce and business growth, has given me a good understanding of what attracts and retains a digital client base.
And because I work with dealers to help them identify solutions that could be missing or a wonderful addition to their customer experience toolset, I’ve narrowed down the solutions that, in this digital retailing era, I think are absolutely necessary for any modern dealership.
Three Crucial Digital Solutions for the Dealership of Wes
Texting
As a customer, I simply want to speak with someone. Customers at your dealership also do! They are going to make a big, sentimental buy. A customer shopping for an automobile can feel much more at ease if they have a simple lifeline to a real person. Many clients just want to be reassured and given some advice in what has historically been a difficult and stressful procedure.
Tell me what you are capable of. Tell me what is not possible. Simply speak with me!
In this process, human instruction can foster action and foster trust. If that’s not how the experience starts at your dealership, how much better can you hope for?
Offers that are appropriate for the moment.
Customers occasionally want the appropriate message to help them go a little closer to the sales funnel! Everyone looking to buy a car is browsing several websites in search of the ideal vehicle (and preferably a fantastic deal along with it).
Finding the ideal car could be challenging in the current environment. As businesspeople, we must exercise ingenuity to make sure we are utilizing all available resources to seize high-caliber opportunities. What action can establish your company as one that goes above and beyond to see what can be done in their eyes?
You can be a lifesaver to clients who are searching for their ideal car, which may be illusive, on your website by using digital engagement and behavioral offers. letting them know you can still be of assistance in the current situation!
Management of Reputation.
Although it may be the last item on my list, it’s still quite significant. Every customer now has a more powerful and reachable voice in the world of commerce thanks to the internet. Your company is being watched more closely than before. See, I am aware!@#$ occurs in the showroom, and I am aware that not all sales encounters end happily. However, all it takes for that consumer to take to the wind and warn others is one of those occasions, one of those encounters. ReputationX states that “After reading positive online reviews, people trust a business more.” Positive evaluations actually increase the trust that 74% of customers have in a local business. (Reference)
Furthermore, receiving more reviews and responding to them will greatly improve your SEO ranking! Since Google ranks search results based on various factors, including online reviews, they are essential to your SEO strategy. Sharing on social media might also improve your SEO ranking. It’s your responsibility to get happy clients to post favorable reviews on social media. Your dealership will rank higher and attract more clients the more social shares it receives!
Careful reputation management is very beneficial to your dealership! In addition to mending the connection with that particular client, being willing to resolve problems can also demonstrate to other customers your strong commitment to providing excellent customer service. It’s a must for any dealership, in my opinion, and it definitely wouldn’t be negotiable at mine!
Current Dealerships Require Current Solutions
There you have it, then! These are the digital tools that I think every modern dealership needs. These were all carefully chosen with the needs of the contemporary customer in mind. The client is always in the right!
What I interpret as that being:
The ways in which your customers interact with you and how they see you are what really matters. Your customers will only find your experience as smooth and inviting as you make it, and providing a modern customer experience means reaching out to them wherever they are in the buying process!
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