Dealers Marketing Network
Things No Customer Said, Ever!
There is no doubt that auto dealers today have a dizzying array of challenges and marketing channel confusion. More media channels, the pressure to maximize digital marketing, and to buy-into the next shiny VDP traffic promise is all very alluring. The trend I see in most stores is an adaption of the “inertia marketing strategy.” That is dealers, rather than wade into some new uncharted waters will stick with what they’ve been doing for the last thirty years.
While there is no shortage of “experts” telling dealers how they need to run their business on this site and other auto networking sites, until you are actually in the shoes of an owner or general manager you really don’t understand the pressures they deal with every day. I just want to share what my previous boss called, "A blinding glimpse of the obvious."
Let’s just look at things from the perspective of the customer and glean some insights that might he
lp us build better relationships and grow our revenues.
No Customer Ever Said: “I shopped around at a few dealerships but this one had the largest inflatable gorilla, so I bought the car here.”
No Customer Ever Said: “I was just stopped in to pick up a brochure, but when I smelled the popcorn, I just had to buy a vehicle.”
No Customer Ever Said: “No I didn’t mind pressing “1” if I was a new customer or “2” if I was an existing customer, I’m sure you have your reasons for treating people differently.”
No Customer Ever Said: “The service department is okay, but I really bring my truck in for service because the coffee at the dealership is so good!”
No Customer Ever Said: “I was so happy to see that their website looked just like every other website I visited; it just made me feel comfortable and I knew I would have an average car buying experience.”
No Customer Ever Said: “I was just driving by and saw this inflatable tube type wavy arm guy and just had to stop in and buy a vehicle.”
No Customer Ever Said: “I went to their website and saw all 5 star reviews, so since everybody loves them, and they’re perfect, I thought I would buy there too.”
No Customer Ever Said: “Honey, I never saw so many balloons on cars. We have to buy a car right now.”
No Customer Ever Said: “I love spending time in the customer lounge and the smell of tires doesn’t give me a headache anymore.”
No Customer Ever Said: “As soon as I walked in the showroom I knew it would be a great customer experience.” (Note: This is the “About Us” boilerplate text on a gazillion dealer websites.)
No Customer Ever Said: “Hey Ralph, lets buy a car here, the salesman said he wanted to earn our business.”
No Customer Ever Said: “I just had to buy a car here. Your TV commercial with that fat guy yelling about all your deals just got me so excited I rushed right down to buy a new car.”
No Customer Ever Said: “I enjoy reading all your helpful and informative posts on Facebook, and knew you were the place where I wanted to buy a car.”
No Customer Ever Said: “I was sure I had the lucky number to win that 60” Television, but since I didn’t, and I’m here, I may as well buy a car.”
No Customer Ever Said: “I used your contact form on the website and enjoyed spending 15 minutes to enter all my personal information just to ask you a simple question. And no I didn’t mind those 25 follow up calls from your salesman.”
No Customer Ever Said: “Sure, I don’t mind waiting 40 minutes while you try and find the keys and get gas for the car I want to test drive. I’ll just have some more of your wonderful coffee.”
No Customer Ever Said: “It’s nice to see all new sales people every three months. I guess it keeps things fresh.”
Putting ourselves in the customer’s seat gives us some amazing and obvious insights. Improvements to a business location or process are oftentimes very simple to implement and there are a great number of resources to help dealers on limited marketing budgets to expand their business and avoid the clichés of the past. Just because you might be a small town dealer doesn’t mean you have to be locked into small town thinking.
Just tap into some new or sometimes old fashioned strategies to build relationships and expand your business.
Mark Dubis
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14 Comments
Chuck Barker
Impact Marketing & Consulting Group, LLC
And, "I am so comfortable driving up and seeing 5 sales folks in a circle smoking and watching me drive in". "So welcoming".
James Fabin
CDK Global
Love the article - it's important to look at the dealership experience from a customers point of view. A number of reports are showing the experience is becoming more and more important and by 2020 may be more influencial than pricing. I'd like to add a few more "No customer ever said" from a long list I have about websites:
Awesome, a QR code on their website - let me go get my phone, find the right app and see what it does! Wow - it goes right to the page I'm on, perfect!
I wish there where more chat pop-ups.
Dang, no specials. I guess I'll wait a few weeks and check back.
I wish there was more stuff on this homepage, it doesn't scroll enough.
James Fabin
CDK Global
I do have to admit though that a local Seattle dealer had a large inflatable Seahawk in front of their dealership and my kids wanted to take a photo with it. It did get me to look at a loaded Genesis AWD that looked awesome sitting behind the inflatable. To make the story short, my kids love the new Genesis and I couldn't be happier with it either. So maybe there is something to having the RIGHT inflatable outside the dealership.
Tom Hawkins
Hawkins Chevrolet
You are right that no customer ever "said" any of those things. However, SOME of the things you listed can and do influence a purchaser and can tip the scales. I will guarantee you that having my reviews on the VDP pages of my website has made it easier for people to choose our vehicle...because we have been told so. Not saying that the intent of our article isn't right...but you seem to be discounting the effect of some of the tools you listed (except maybe the inflatable stuff).
Jim Radogna
Dealer Compliance Consultants, Inc.
Great post Mark!
Michael Bilson
Conversica
Love this...so on point.
Lisa Bundy
CarGirl, Inc.
Seems that most dealers don't think beyond getting their attention. Now what? Are we selling the car, the dealership, the experience. Too many dealers using too many marketing avenues with no strategy or designed message.....just noise.
Allyn Hane
Coastal States Automotive Group
So you're saying that Tesla has the right business model then?
Steve Santospago
Balloons never sold a car but, as Tom says above some of those things do create comfort...donty knock it until you've tried it and it actually worked. : )
Jana G.
@James - I'm with your kids. I want a pic with the Seahawk too!
Mark Dubis
Dealers Marketing Network
Tom Hawkins- You are correct that some of the items I mentioned can be an influence on some customers. Also many dealerships now offer great amenities and offer comfortable lounge areas and great coffee and muffins. It's all about hospitality and making folks feel comfortable. The next big influencer of sales volume will be down-home basic engagement marketing and finding ways to highlight your good neighbor status in your marketing messages.
Mark Dubis
Dealers Marketing Network
Allyn Hane: My post did not say that Tesla or TrueCar were the future or a better business model only that they offered a disruption to the status-quo. I do not believe that manufacturers can effectively sell and service vehicles directly without an agent to assist the process. Some disruptors to the auto retail process will have varying degrees of success due to the fact that when it comes to the cusotmer experience; 60% of auto dealers are mediocre at best, 20% really suck, and the other 20% do an awesome job. The steps to move from mediocre to awesome are not hard to implement, it's just that owners and managers are comfortable with the status-quo.
Lauren Moses
CBG Buick GMC, Inc.
Great read Mark. This is something that our SM's son shared with me yesterday. "To have uncommon things you have to do uncommon things." How true is it that, like Mark said, are comfortable with the statu-quo, or even worse complain about the business being down but aren't willing to try something new. They are too stuck on the "way things have always been done" and don't push to be different. There are lots of things on that list, and some that others mentioned (my favorite being the QR code), that can really be a waste of time and though the concepts look great and wonderful don't really drive the experience for the customer. I often have to remind myself to K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid) the customers when they are in. Basic southern hospitality, giving them what they ask for as much as possible. Always remembering what I would want my car buying experience to be like if I were them.