Have you ever been in a marketing meeting and heard the question, "well, tell me what the other [OEM] dealers are doing? What success are they having?" Sounds all too familiar, no? And while vendors might oblige with the question - offering what campaigns their other clients with the same OEM are doing - what value does this offer your dealership? 

If this is how your dealership approaches marketing meetings with your vendors, you have to step back and take another look! Instead of asking about what the other same OEMs are doing - ask your vendor what your dealer can do to help you out! 

Think about it for a minute; most dealers (seriously, there are a few out there that do not do much digital advertising!) spend money doing some form of digital advertising. So, in an overly crowded space, why do you want to mix in with the white noise? You don't! Instead, you ought to inquire about what your dealership can do differently to be more visible - digitally - but more importantly, what your dealership can do to be more successful! 

Here are two things to consider when coming up with a game-plan on advertising spend! 

Think Outside the Box. What Are Some of Your Dealerships Pain Points? Over-Aged Inventory? Losing Sales on A Specific Model? 

The sole purpose of online advertising is to help increase your sales. To increase your sales, however, you have to make the most of your digital ad spend. Simply spending money on an ad campaign does not, by any means, offer that you will have any success! Instead of casting a wide-net - hoping for the best - work towards identifying key areas of opportunity. In doing so, instead of the conversation being "what are the other dealers doing" the conversation becomes "I have to move more of this [model]. We are losing three out of every five sales on it!" With a clearer goal, you can then go back and look at how many leads you are getting on that model, what your traffic is on that model, and more importantly, ask the right questions to increase your chance of success! 

Having the Right Landing Pages With Strong Call to Actions is Everything. 

Running a digital ad campaign is one thing. Having the right landing page with strong call-to-action's is a whole other element that can make or break your campaign. All too often, you see dealers running an ad campaign only to have their customer land on the home page! (huh?). Think about it, if you are searching for a specific model, and you literally land on a home page - having to do the searching yourself - are you going to put that extra effort in? Probably not. 

Even if you have the customer land on the targeted model of interest, does it all look the same? Your landing page needs to stand out! The idea that if your OEM is running a specific special for that model, take the extra time to build out a new page with strong call-to-actions. By having a landing page that is specifically made for that campaign, you not only get better insights into the customer's behavior but you also increase keeping the prospective customers interest by having relevant content. Content that lends itself into increasing their chances of converting into a lead! 

Bottom Line: Asking what other dealers are doing is not going to help you much in the long run. So while you might be selling the same OEM, each dealer has its own unique challenges. And by strategizing a relevant campaign that is both relevant, and more importantly, aligning with your dealers' areas of opportunity, you increase your chances of success. To make it happen, however, you have to know what those areas of opportunities are! This process starts by taking the time to review OEM detractor reports, CRM Lead vs. Sold Reports, and Dealer Website Analytics to name a few. By taking the time to strategize with your digital vendors, it will pay off when you see a stronger return on investment!

What struggles and or areas of opportunity have you turned into a successful campaign? 

While Digital Retailing has remained a buzz word within the industry, the situation we are all currently facing has turned us talking about it into actualizing it in our uncharted new normal. How we actually approach Digital Retailing, however, varies drastically dealer to dealer. Namely, it is easy to talk about what Digital Retailing potentially means, or promoting it on your website - but when it comes to actualizing an internal process, marketing it, and, more importantly, managing the touch-points, there is a lot to accomplish. 

Here are some of the key components to consider when approaching digital retailing. 

Digital Retailing is More than Just Updating Your Website. What is Your Actual Process? What Does Digital Retailing Mean? 

For so long, the digital retailing conversation encapsulated the idea of having a physical cart on your website. The idea that the customer could add a vehicle to a cart and move through the various steps. And while that is a unique idea, it's the steps that define your sales process that count. 

There has to be a clearly defined process that both your dealer teams and customers will easily be able to follow. The notion that merely saying you offer "shopping" from home or "contactless delivery" does not mean anything to the customer. Your dealer teams also must understand every step of the process, everything from inventory selection (needs analysis), credit applications, trade-ins, delivery, and OEM delivery guidelines, to name a few. One of the most essential steps in this online process is the needs analysis. In that, when the customer does select the vehicle they are interested in, you are making sure it is the vehicle they would like to test drive by confirming their needs, wants, and desires in features, etc. 

So what does this process look like? 

Marketing & Sales Process: A transparent process that is outlined on your dealer's website, which really should be its own page - perhaps something to the effect of "contactless delivery." On that page, you can easily layout the actual process. 

Step One:  complete the needs analysis - the customer selects their vehicle of interest.

Step Two: complete the pre-approval process. 

Step Three: select an at-home consultation time.

Step Four: complete the trade-in process.

Step Five: complete the at-home delivery and OEM delivery process. 

Outlining the core steps will make it easier for your customer to know what to expect. As for the actual in-person at-home consultation, you need to outline, again, what the customer can expect in person. For example, you can outline the process - mirroring the above - informing the customer that you will bring the vehicle to them for a test drive, complete a trade-in analysis, etc. 

As for the Other Components to the At-Home Process, Here Are Other Items to Consider: 

Trade-in: This is probably one of the hardest components of the at-home delivery process. Where we must test drive their trade-in and do a complete analysis. However, with all of the tools we have out there - including being able to take photos of the vehicle sending them to the sales manager - we can help our used car sales managers by gathering as much information as possible. 

One of the other things you can do - depending on how far the dealership is from the customer - is after taking the test drive, take their trade-in back to the dealership allowing the customer to keep that brand-new vehicle in their driveway! But make no mistake, the trade-in process has to be transparent! The last thing you want to do is wind up having this process become much like it is at the dealership: the wizard behind the curtain, no? 

Instead of being the wizard behind the curtain - for those of you who use trade-in tools - you can complete the "walk-around" taking photos, and offer the customer the "range," which is entirely based on the information entered. Now (and I can hear the disinterest already), you have to train your sales consultants to make sure they are capturing the core components of the walk-around: tire test, dings, scratches, accidents, and how many owners to name a few. By offering the customer a thorough walk-around, the customer might actually even point out issues with the vehicle! Lastly, the sales consultant has to be honest and explain that the final trade-in value is subject to a final approval! 

OEM Delivery: More often than not, the OEM delivery process is a means of keeping the customer "occupied" while they wait to get into finance. But if we take a step back and think about it for a minute, isn't the customer a bit too preoccupied with what's arguably one of the most stressful parts of the process? By working with the customer at home - on their turf - the customer might be more invested in learning about their new vehicle. The other big difference with the at-home delivery is that instead of waiting on more than one customer at a time, you are giving the customer your undivided attention! What isn't the customer going to not like about that!? 

Social Media & Follow-Up: Given that the customer is on their own turf, they might be more inclined to allow you to take a photo of their new vehicle on their driveway! It does not get any better than that, no!? You also want to make sure that you take the time to follow-up with the customer, which means also offering another "at-home" follow-up consultation to revisit any features that they are either unaware of or having trouble with. If you can accomplish that before they receive the OEM survey, it could have a positive impact on your dealers CSI, but more importantly, it also means that you have a happier, stress-free customer. 

Bottom Line: Is there a lot involved with this process? Yes! Will it be easy to implement at your dealership? No! However, for those dealerships that are willing to make the investment - offering their customers a new experience - it can have a positive impact on your dealership's bottom line. But to make that happen, as mentioned above, there has to be a self-explanatory front-facing process that both your sales consultants and customers can easily understand. The other facet to making this a success is ensuring that your dealer follows the process. And while we all struggle with break-points in the process, it is much harder to "control" those break-points when you are on the customer's turf! 

Have you adopted digital retailing? If so what are some of the successes or obstacles you are facing? More so, how has your dealership handled those obstacles? 

I am not sure what’s worse the customer reading an email and not responding or not reading your specially written email at all! 

A no response lead can be taken personally. I mean you have just spent probably 5-10 minutes writing an email responding to the customer's inquiry. In hopes of their responding, setting an appointment, and purchasing a vehicle! 

Before beating yourself up for not getting a response - you need to step back and ask yourself what did you say in the email? Did the customer ask a question you missed? Did you send inventory options? Did you send your current specials? Namely, did you email include a call to action? An action that sparked “FOMO” (fear of missing out). 

I have seen several emails sent out that did not answer the customer's main question (which is often overlooked depending on where the “comments” are displayed in the lead), didn’t sell the dealership, no branding, - the list goes on! 

P.S. I too have been guilty of missing a question, which is why I spent an extra minute making sure I answer it correctly!

There isn’t per se the “GOLDEN” email, or all dealers would be using it by now. What you can do however is be relevant and make sure you take the time to read the lead before sending the email. Here are some key elements that will assist you in getting a response! 

Subject Line 

There is a course in DSU that explains in great detail on how to write a subject line. While putting the sale price, emoji’s, or special characters seem fun - it lessens the chance of the customer clicking the email as it resembles spam. 

Keep the subject line short, and to the point! Here is an example: 

“Be One that Saves, (first name)”

Main Body 

The first thing you need to do is review the lead making sure you have looked to see if the customer has left a question or comment. Not answering the customers' questions can be a turn off resulting in their deselecting your store. 

If the customer has asked a specific question be sure to reiterate their question when answering it. Once you have answered, the question asks for the appointment. Next, you will build value in your appointment by selling your dealership. Creating an image of what your customer can expect if they chose to do business with you. 
Inventory should also be highlighted - per DSU you should insert up to three options. Make sure that there are real photos (refrain from stock photos as the customer might avoid it) and include options that others have also viewed pertaining to the inquired on stock number. 

Closing - Last Impression Value Statement & Special Offer

Customers often forget about maintenance. They are so focused on the sale price because that is the most relevant subject to them during the “purchase” process. So if we can build value in the sense that we also take care of them after the sale, it builds brand value, which is invaluable in today's market. 

Let the customer know that your service techs are certified, and unlike big box stores, your team has to be brand specific certified. Not to mention, the customer might receive a membership of sorts by servicing at your dealership. Such as rental cars, free oil changes, or service rewards. 

Offer the customer a coupon. Something that stands out. Do you use a coupon a gift card? Trust me. I know the eyes of the manager's roll when you say those words as they will argue about having to work that back into the deal. But the customer just wants instant gratification. That’s all. That Instant gratification can result in an appointment, which can lead to a sale!! 

How do you handle a no response email? What works for you? 

Click here to join the ongoing email templates conversation! 

In a perfect world, we could efficiently address customer breakpoints offering them a seamless experience. Whether that is changing the sales process, or creating a more streamlined omnichannel experience. However, before we can improve the customer's experience by addressing the breakpoints. We need to first address our own, that is, with our employees. If your employees are not engaged, or worse - not trained - how can you expect them to offer the customer a better experience? Here are the top two things to review with your team. 

Dealer Training. Do Your Sales Consultants Know the Process? 

While the OEM training is critical, so is instruction on how your dealer runs the sales process, which includes paperwork, delivery, etc. If your sales consultant is not familiar with your sales process, it can and will cause breakpoints during the process and disrupt the customer's experience. In which case, those breakpoints can affect the customer's overall experience. There is nothing worse than the customer's experience breaking down in the finance office because they are missing paperwork, the paperwork is wrong, etc. At which point, they are now delayed - causing everyone else ahead of them to also be delayed. If you have trained the sales consultant on what is expected for the paperwork, then it can decrease the chances of this occurring. 

When is the last time you went over the documents process with your sales consultants besides a little blurb on one of your sales meetings? Save yourselves a headache and put together a binder that has all of the commonly required paperwork. 

Deal Folders. Does Every Vehicle Have A Packet Made With All the Documents Needed? 

I cannot tell you how many times I have seen sales consultants running around creating new deal jacket copies. What's worse, though, is that they are from previous copies - making it nearly impossible for the customer to read them, let alone know where to sign the document. This could all be avoided if you had made deal packets for each vehicle. 

Those documents could include the following: 

- Sales to Service Handoff (if you give the customer oil changes, etc.)

- We-Owe's (accessories, or anything pertaining to the vehicle for after the sale)  

- Social Media Release Form 

- Lemon Law (for states it applies in)

- Privacy Notice 

The above are just some of the samples of documents you can include in the sales packets. Even better, most CRM's allow you to create printable documents for each deal, which would then include the customer's name, vehicle, and other relevant information. Not only does this make it easier for both the sales consultant and the customer, but it also looks more professional. And can ensure that you are not missing any documents that otherwise have to be completed. Doing something as simple as the above can have an immediate positive impact. 

Bottom Line: if your sales consultants are not sure of what the sales process is, how can they effectively assist the customer? And only mentioning items in the sales meeting is likely not going to address the top breakpoints in the customer's overall experience. Instead, take the time to make sure your sales consultants are aware of the required documents for purchasing a vehicle. By reviewing the required documents, it will offer the customer a better experience. This can also lessen the chances of the customers missing documents when they get into the Finance office, which can delay their deal getting completed. Not to mention, it pushes back everyone else who is behind them. 

How do you train your sales consultants on the sales process? Do you use your CRM to print out deal packets? 

Every dollar counts towards the bottom line, we get that. But it is easier said than done as not all customers are presented extended warranties, service contracts, or any other protection packages your dealership offers to the customer. As for the excuses, they can be anything from "not believing in the product," to simply not presenting the product! What is worse, the F&I manager might not know the ins and outs of what is offered, which is a big concern. Here are some of the top things to consider in ensuring that your F&I team presents all customers the additonal products. 

Do Not Assume the Customer Does Not Want An Extended Warranty. Ask for the Sale. 

Sounds simple. But the truth is that you cannot purchase something you do not know of, no? So we have to ask ourselves the hard questions: why aren't we offering the products to the customer? Is it a time issue? Is the deal already completed? Did the customer already agree to a monthly payment? All are good questions, and sure the customer might have previously agreed to the payment. But that does not then mean that s/he is not open to a warranty. Not to mention, it also has a lot to do with how the products are presented to the customer when they are in the finance office. 

One of the biggest things to consider is the purchasing of a vehicle is often the second most expensive item a customer will purchase. And it is no secret that many people want to protect what they just purchased. But if you go into the signing of the deal assuming that s/he does not want and or need the products, sure they will not purchase them. However, if you break it down and offer something to the effect of "for less than 17 dollars a month you can have the peace of mind that your brand new vehicle will now be covered for up to 100k miles or 6 years. It is an inexpensive way to ensure that you're on the road for years to come." This is not to say that it will work every time, we get that. But we cannot sell what we do not offer, either. 

Do You Know What the Value or Benefits the Products Offer? 

It is not easy to sell a product or service that you are unaware of! One of the best ways to ensure that you know of the product is to have a cheat sheet. One that highlights all of the advantages/selling points of the product. In addition to the qualifications; for example, more often than not, pre-owned vehicles will have stipulations as to what qualifies for an extended warranty. As for the OEM warranty, it is essential that you understand what the OEM has to offer to the customer. Namely, there is nothing worse than mistakingly telling the customer that they have a "bumper to bumper" warranty when they do not. The OEM does not cover all items necessarily on the vehicle. All the more reason to sell an extended warranty or a  warranty that is comprehensive so the customer does not have a large unexpected bill! 

Provide POP Marketing, Videos, Or Any Other Collateral that Sells the Products! 

One of the best ways to introduce all of the products and services your dealership has to offer is while they are waiting to sign in F&I. This way not only is the customer staying engaged while they wait, but they are also aware of the products and services. Making it that much easier to sell the customer when they are sitting with you. One of the best examples of this is a video on your dealer's protection package with regards to key replacements. More often than not, people do not realize the cost of purchasing a lost key! It is not cheap, but with the protection package - if this is something you offer - it could potentially save them hundreds of dollars! The point is, try and find ways to relate to the customer when selling all of the advantages and benefits of the products. 

The Bottom Line: selling a healthy amount of warranties, service packages, and or protection packages can add a healthy amount of revenue to the bottom line. But this is not possible if you are not presenting any of these options to the customer at the time of purchase. More importantly, you have to ask yourself why you are not offering these products? If it is a knowledge concern, take a minute to learn about the products. Better yet, as mentioned above, create a cheat sheet of the selling points. In doing so, not only will it increase your personal income, it is mutually beneficial for both the dealership and the customer! 

How do you present the extended warranties, service contracts, or protection packages? 
 

We have all had one time or another where we had to split a deal. Splitting that deal, however, was often easier said than done. Once we had an agreement on the split deal, we thought all was well. However, that is not always the case, and can cause for quite the controversy, which is not what anyone wants or need! To avoid confrontation, frustration, etc. there are some things to consider when splitting deals! 

Split Deals Should Be Discussed On the Floor. Managers Do Not Always Have to Get Involved. 

This is not to offer that managers should not be aware of the split deal. However, there are times when the sales consultant is not there, or they are with another customer and are not able to work the deal. That said, they should have a go-to sales consultant on the floor. Someone they can count on that will be there to assist them. Sounds easy right?
In most cases it does work, but as mentioned above there are times when the split deal can go south. To avoid the split deals going south, there ought to be guidelines. For example, each sales consultant would select someone to handle their deal if they are not available. And while there will be instances where their back-up is unable to assist them, it will cause less confusion, and the possibility for there to be an issue. 

Commission. Who Gets the Stroke on the Board? 

If you are splitting the deal with another sales consultant then whoever’s customer it is would get the stroke on the board. There have been instances where if sales consultant ‘A’ has already hit their bonus - hitting the highest tier in commission - then they would gift sales consultant ‘B’ a sale to hit their next tier. While it is not an issue for a sales consultant to split a deal - lending a hand - it can be an issue for a dealership. Wherein, the dealer would be paying an additional bonus plus commission for a sales consultant who would otherwise not have made it. However, looking into the issue, if your sales consultants were taken care of then there would be a lot less of this issue taking place. As it happens far more than you would think. 

Have A Signed Agreement. Facts Are Facts. 

There can be a lot of grey area when it comes to splitting deals. There are too many situational circumstances. That said, it is best to have a written policy where each one of the sales consultants would sign it, agreeing to have a floor partner who would assist them if they were not able to take care of the deal. This way everyone is on the same page regarding how to approach the split deal. In doing so, it's less likely you will have issues. 

Bottom Line: your dealer does not have to make this harder than it needs to be. At the end of the day, you have to work with your sales consultants. The best way to do that is being on the same page regarding split deals. This way you avoid surprises and the unknown, which can have a negative impact on morale. The other benefit of allowing your sales consultants to work together in determining the split deal helps build a team — especially given the fact that the dealer world is usually 100% commission. 

How do you approach split deals? It's not too late to join the conversation here! 
 

In a perfect world on the dealer level, each customer that visits the dealership would be logged into the CRM. However, we know that this is not the case,  and there are certain instances in which the managers and sales consultants deliberately do not log the customer into the showroom. As for why they choose not to log the customer in the showroom could be for a myriad of reasons. Everything to their excuse of “they were just looking” - “bad credit” - “wanted to pay $9,750 for a $12,000 car” to name a few. That said, here are some of the top things to consider when keeping tracking of your dealerships daily showroom log in the CRM.

Not Every Customer is Logged Into the Showroom. Where is the Sales Manager? The Customer is Not Just Visiting the Dealership for the Sake of it.

It is common practice on the dealer level to have the manager “TO” (turn over) the customer before they leave the store; in many cases, it is mandatory for the manager to do so. However, we all know that not all managers will turn over the customer or in some cases the dealerships do not log the customer in the CRM at all. This is a problem. A problem that has to be looked into. Otherwise, you are letting what could be a sale walk right out the door. This is especially true for those sales consultants who are new to the industry.

For example, a new sales consultant speaking with their sales manager might say:

Sales Consultant:  “The customer said they were just looking, and then left”

Sales Manager:  “Did you get their contact information?”

Sales Consultant:  “No, they did not want to provide that.”

Sales Manager:  “Okay, don’t add them to the CRM”

If you think that does not happen, think again. It happens far more than you would want to admit. When is the last time you noticed a sales consultant not logging a customer into the CRM? What if anything did you do about it? This issue can be avoided for the most part if there is a strong manager presence on the floor along with proper, quality training. That is the sales consultant being comfortable with gathering the information needed to assist the customer. Knowing that the better their needs analysis is, the better chance they have of closing the sale! However, that cannot happen if the customer leaves the dealership, and we do not have their contact information.

If Your Managers Allow this and Participate the More Important Question is WHY?

I once worked with a sales manager who was always so proud of his closing rates on the desklog. But no sooner than he’d spit out his numbers, he admitted he did not log in the two customers from yesterday. As for why he did not log them into the system the excuses were (as mentioned above) “they were just looking. They came in thirty minutes before close.” - “they have no credit and cannot purchase” - this could very well be the case. But regardless of why it is they are visiting there is no excuse not to log them into the CRM. This scenario is like the BDC Manager saying “well we cannot get ahold of John Doe. So we are not going to count that against our closing rate,” which means the closing rate magically increased by 2-3% - it does not add up, no? This all can be avoided however if the culture shifts. That is understanding that not all customers will purchase a vehicle. In fact, dealers usually close only half of the customers they work with, which could be even lower if they logged all of their customers in the CRM!

This is also  a multifaceted issue. Wherein, sure your sales consultant can easily add both a first and last name into the CRM. But if they fail to get their phone number or email the customer profile is useless. The first step is your sales manager spending time with the sales consultant inquiring into why they did not gather the information? The more practice your sales consultant has in gathering the information, the stronger their sales will be! The second thing to review is your policy with your management team. Making sure that your managers are not playing games with the numbers by not logging them into the CRM. Lastly, if you are paying a bonus for the managers on their closing rate percentage - this too could cause for them to “forget” to log that customer into the CRM. Where it completely takes away the purpose of the competition in the first place.

Bottom Line: Logging your customers into the CRM is crucial. The dealer has spent thousands of dollars to inquire the customer. And while you will not sell every customer that walks through the door, you will have enough data to review possible break-points. Is it their demo? Is it the way they present numbers? Is it their sale process? to name a few examples. By being more involved and making sure the customer is loaded into the CRM you will see an increase in sales.

What policy or training do you have in place to make sure this does not occur? Is this an issue you face on the dealer level?

One of the things I enjoy most when traveling abroad in Europe - Greece, Italy & France -  is taking a closer look at their automotive trends. That is understanding how dealers operate in Europe. Namely, what are some of the biggest differences on the dealer level? Here are some of the key differences and a few are worth taking a second look at!

Store Fronts Without Dealer Lots. Limited Inventory. The Interior is More of a Meeting Place than a Traditional Showroom.

One of the biggest differences between the US and Europe are the physical dealership location themselves. Where for us, it is about maximizing the real estate we have. Making sure we have the right vehicles parked out front with sale prices. This is not the case for many of the dealerships in Europe. In Paris for example, the dealers are mostly in the city center. The entrances are grand with floor to ceiling windows that showcase a few select vehicles. The OEM logo is a prominent feature on the exterior, but blends in with the overall building. As for the interior, there are only a few vehicles parked in the dealer showroom. In fact, it is not really a showroom, but rather a meeting room to speak with new buyers. This is a far cry from the dealership setup we are accustomed to with showrooms being a focal point of the dealership.

Test Drives? Demos are not as Prevalent as they are with us. The Customer Buys the Vehicle Sometimes Without Test Driving it!

I was able to speak with a dealer and I was told that in many cases the customer will purchase their vehicle and have it delivered to them either at the dealership or at home. But in many cases, all of the decision making is done at the store and it is a very straightforward process. I have always believed that a test drive is a key aspect of making a deal happen. Where if the customer is not happy with the vehicle than all bets are usually off when it comes to selling the vehicle. Would you purchase a vehicle without test driving it?

Key Takeaway?

The biggest takeaway was the fact that from the two dealerships I visited they were very focused on customer service. As for inventory, there were very few cars on the showroom floor. If the customer wanted to review another model it was done so by going online. The sales consultant would then review and explain the features at the desk. And while that is not the case for all European dealerships, it is quite different than of what we are accustomed too. Lastly, when I mentioned the word BDC I got a confused look. BDC centers are also not common. Bottom line, I always encourage you - when traveling abroad - to take a minute and tour a dealership. It is always fascinating to see what the major differences are in how we operate on the dealer level.

What is one of the biggest differences you have noticed when traveling abroad?

It is no secret that your service customers are valuable! And while there is a lot of debate on what the best practices are for “X-Change” programs are - here are some best practices for running a successful program. Ones that will encourage the service advisors to assist with the growth and development of without fighting back!

1. The Service Advisor should be a part of the “X-Change” program. Remember, the advisor is the one that has “carried” on the relationship with the customer when s/he purchased the vehicle. All too often, the sales consultant approaches the customer with a hard sales tactic. One that turns off the customer. Whereas, the advisor - who has rapport and trust with the customer - can offer the program instead of an expensive shop bill. As if they are “watching” out for them.

2. Have a Service Liaison in the lane that can assist the advisor with the greeting of customers as they make their way into the lane. This will not only ensure that the customer is greeting within OEM standards (many of which are within a minute), but are also “checked” in and ready to go when the advisor becomes available.

3. Use a CRM/DMS program that is linked or a part of the appointment software. Namely, if you use a program that is familiar to both the service advisor and service liaison s/he will easily be able to identify customers in equitable positions. Allowing them to inform the service manager before their visit, which allows the service manager to notify the advisor. Teamwork makes for dream work. Dreamwork makes for happy customers and profits!

4. If the customer agrees to “reviewing” the program make sure to have the car of choice pulled into the lane so as the customer is checked in they are test driving the new vehicle. This allows for a cohesive flow. Allowing the sales department to appraise the vehicle while they are test driving!

5. if the customer is not inclined to participate in the program offer a “soft” approach by including a “payment” summary quote of a similar vehicle with their service paperwork. Sometimes an “extra” touch peaks their interest. You can also use a hangtag in the vehicle as well. 

Lastly, make sure to not “over-sell” this program. Whether that is sending too many emails - more than one per month - in addition to the regular marketing. Instead, make sure to have strong POP marketing that is in the lane as well as the customer lounge. And remember, this a soft sales approach. Too much marketing can cause for opt-outs and upset customers!

How do you run your service “X-Change” program? What are some of your best practices? Do you have sales consultants manage it?