We’re beginning to slowly see signs of life after weeks of the Coronavirus shuttering dealerships nationwide. In addition to California dealerships being deemed essential earlier this week, DealerInspire, Cars.com and other data leaders in the industry are showing encouraging trends in everything from increased visits on Cars.com to dealer website performance stabilizing.

While we have a few more weeks before any real progress will occur, this is a terrific time for dealership executives to make a plan for when the green flag drops. How will you place yourself in the most advantageous position possible for the shoppers who will be ready to hit the ground running?

In retail automotive, no dealership has a unique advantage in new car franchise products, prices or financing. So how do you hold gross in a down market? By using ancillary products to show your customers value.

Here are some ideas:

1. Offer to bring your mechanics to customer’s homes for service issues: This is a no-brainer during the social distancing phase of the pandemic, but now that you know the process and ins and outs of this white glove service, why not extend it to all customers who want it when things are back up and running?

1. Hand out free car wash vouchers to anyone who interacts with you over social channels. This is an easy way to reach out and reward your customers while they are house-bound and surfing social media. Come up with a hashtag campaign with your dealer name, or have customers pose in pictures with their vehicle and tag your dealership. Offer a free car wash voucher to anyone who participates.

1. Email free oil changes to loyal customers and thank them for supporting you during this time. Have you had customers come into your service lane during the pandemic? How about order parts from your shop? I’m hearing some dealerships even have customers putting holds on new vehicles to pick up when the social distancing measures ease. Thank your most loyal buyers by emailing them a reward from your service department. It’s an easy way to show appreciation and will go a long way toward cementing customer loyalty.

1. Add a Lifetime Warranty to any new vehicle purchase to celebrate your re-opening. As a way to celebrate opening back to the public, add a free Lifetime Warranty to any customer buying a new car. This is a powerful way for you to separate yourself from the competition as shoppers come back into the market.  

1. Don’t forget about a sanitizing promotion, if you offer the service. A recent USA Today article cited an increase in AutoNation’s Clorox Total 360 service requests during the Coronavirus shutdown. If you offer a service like this, promote it heavily through your advertising channels, on social media, and perhaps throw it in with any new car sale to reassure customers their vehicle is coming sanitized and ready to drive. 

While we are seeing a gradual softening across the national landscape, these ideas can easily live on beyond the pandemic timeframe. After all, a recent Cars.com survey mentioned of the 16% of consumers nationwide who stated they primarily rely on public transportation and ride sharing, the vast majority said they will now start to rely on personal transportation.

That makes today a perfect time to reward your most loyal customers and lure them back into the showroom, while continuing the promotions long after the pandemic has loosened its grip on the nation.