Jennifer Livingston

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Jennifer Livingston

Freelance Writer

Oct 10, 2018

3 Game Changing Sales Techniques

Every salesperson has their thing. Some people have a smile that charms even the most unwilling of buyers while other people have witty personalities that entertain the customer is buying. The problem is that those traits can’t be taught. You can teach someone to have a winning smile if the car salesman you’re trying to teach doesn’t smile--it would come off as not genuine. You also can’t teach someone to change their personality. They’re either a happy, smiley, or witty person, or they’re not. Some people think that only people will the cookie-cutter salesman attitude can make a good salesperson, but that’s simply not true. Anyone can make a good sales person with the right tools.

1. Make the Customer be the Hero

If you’re telling a classic story, there’s always a hero. In the story that you tell your customer, make them the hero. Don’t play out the cards as if the car you’re trying to sell is the hero that needs a sidekick. Explain to the customer why they need that car as their sidekick. You want to place emphasis on the customer and make sure that by the end of your conversation, your customer feels as if their brilliant. Any price drop that you make or any bundle that you include, make sure that it feels as if you’re only including because your customer convinced you to (even if you were going to include it anyway). If the customer feels like they’re the hero of the story, they’ll feel more confident in their decisions and be more likely to stick with their purchase.

2. Always be Closing

You want to use the ABCs constantly while you’re talking with a customer. But you want to do it without giving it away that you’re always closing them. If you use the same close over and over again, the customer will likely become annoyed with you. If you say, “Now, this vehicle comes with a full warranty if you’d like it. Would you like me to include that?” And the customer says yes, then you know that you can move on to the next step. “Great,” (never sounds overly excited), “Let’s move inside and I can show you some of the discounts I can apply for you.” Moving like that will give you a smooth transition from one close to the next without repeating yourself over and over again. By the end of your conversation with the customer, they should be ready to walk out of the dealership with a car loan, any pool loans, half a zoo, and feel satisfied with their purchase. Your closes should be so subtle and so smooth that your customer feels like pudding in your hands.

3. Find Common Ground

It is so important that you find common ground with your customer. If they don’t feel a connection with you, then they won’t buy from you. It can be that simple. The nice thing about selling cars is that it isn’t all cold calls. If someone walks into your dealership, they already know that they want a car. Your job is to show them which one. Since they’re not a cold call though, you’re convincing them less on the product and more of whether they like you. People are extremely unlikely to buy from people that they have nothing in common with or from people that they simply don’t like. If you want the sale, be likable, or the person is likely to move onto the next dealership. The best way to be liked is to find something that you both have in common. As you sit down to chat, or as you walk them around the dealership, small talk. Ask them where they grew up and act excited about the similarities that you find with them. Let them feel that you’re happy and excited to be talking with them.

If you use these three techniques, you will see sales and more profit from your work. People want to feel important (like a hero), they always need to be closed, and they need to feel like they have something in common with you. If you accomplish those, then you’ll soon be known as one of the best salesmen there are.

Jennifer Livingston

Freelance Writer

Consultant

Jennifer Livingston is a freelance writer who specializes on topics related to business, and marketing. She grew up in a small town in the Midwest, and her father ran a car dealership. She helped out in the family business until she moved away for college. When she is not writing she likes to bake, read, and travel.

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Jennifer Livingston

Freelance Writer

Sep 9, 2018

How You Can Improve the Appearance of Your Car Dealership Website

Designing a website can be tricky because it has to meet the needs of visitors and update its content to rank higher on search engines. That means car dealerships should look into how they design their website backgrounds and use royalty free stocks in moderation. Below are incredible ways car dealerships can make their sites more appealing.

Emphasis Key Functions and Features with White Space

While color plays a critical role in making your car dealership website appealing, the lack of color can make a difference as well. White space allows a car dealership to focus on the essential pieces and gives the impression of professionalism and cleanliness. Just like how pool web designers use websites to demonstrate how to reduce pool cost, car dealership sites should employ white space to showcase their masterpieces.

Tone Down or Spruce Up Your CTAs

Car dealership websites no longer use flash ads that would pop up as people browse. Instead, dealerships have changed their approach and are now doing the opposite of those ads. You should make your CTAs pleasant and attractive and ensure they invite shoppers to the next step politely. Moreover, car dealerships should make sure their CTAs text style, color, and shade change when shoppers interact with them, and they should always feel good. However, car dealerships should avoid using too many CTAs so that the message reaches the targeted audience.

Be Strategic and Tasteful with the Use of Colors

While most people often overlook it, using colors strategically can drive more traffic to a website. Dealerships use a couple of thematic colors to decorate their storefronts, but often fill their sites with all sorts of colors and patterns. A curb appealing web page uses colors to enhance, emphasis, and highlight, but not to distract users or draw out content.

Get Rid of Distractive Pop-Ups

Of course, no one wants to be distracted by pop-ups as they try to search for a dream car. Poorly used pop-ups not only damage the appearance and credibility of a website but can also make a car dealership lose sales. Dealerships should, therefore, do away with any flyovers or pop-ups that distract web visitors. Social media is a powerful tool for driving traffic to a website, but too much social media feeds can cause a distraction. The worst thing that can happen to a car dealership is to lose its hard-earned traffic.

Use Simple Designs

Successful web designs embrace a simplistic approach. A few decades ago, web designers would install incredibly complex features on their website, but all that has changed. Simple web designs are on the rise, and more brands are trying to adapt to them. Gone are the days when brands would impress their web visitors with flashy-looking websites; instead, companies prioritize their products and service quality. After all, fancy graphics will only slow down a car dealership website.

Make Every Page a Landing Page

Designing every web page with the essential features is crucial. It’s not only traffic that goes to the homepage, so car dealerships should include their vital information on every page. While this may seem like a tedious task, it can be a game changer on your website appearance. Internet users want to visit web pages with essential information so that they don’t waste their money and time browsing helpless sites.

Use Stock Photos in Moderation

Of course, car dealerships sell cars that they have, so they should avoid adding imaginary vehicles to their homepage. Actual pictures of the dealership itself, employees, and vehicles can help users connect to the business. Recent research has revealed that replacing fictitious photos with real ones can help build buyer’s confidence and drive more traffic to your site.

Choose a Readable Font

Some car dealerships are still making the mistake of choosing a font for fanciness instead of readability. A website font should be readable on all screen sizes. Online shoppers searching for quick information about a car won’t bother to struggle to browse a site with fancy, unreadable font.

Jennifer Livingston

Freelance Writer

Consultant

Jennifer Livingston is a freelance writer who specializes on topics related to business, and marketing. She grew up in a small town in the Midwest, and her father ran a car dealership. She helped out in the family business until she moved away for college. When she is not writing she likes to bake, read, and travel.

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3 Comments

C L

Automotive Group

Sep 9, 2018  

All great tips. Thank you.

Mark Rask

Kelley Buick Gmc

Sep 9, 2018  

This is spot on

Linda Hansen

Auto Dealer Focus

Oct 10, 2018  

Another suggestion would be to mirror the colors/theme of your OEM’s customer facing website.  Consumers like a consistent experience.

Jennifer Livingston

Freelance Writer

Oct 10, 2018

Popular Times of the Year People Are Looking to Buy A Car

One of the biggest purchases that anyone will ever make is that of buying a car. Since buying a new car is such a big and important decision, the common buyer takes a variety of factors into consideration. One of the most important factors many consumers consider is when they should purchase their new car. There are a variety of times in particular during the year in which most people believe it would be better to buy a car, and dealerships can capitalize on this.

Before They Need One

Overall, most buyers believe that the worst time to purchase a car is when they are in desperate need of a new one. If their vehicle suddenly breaks down, they don’t usually want to rush out and buy a new car right away, even though they are in need of one. It’s important as a seller to encourage buyers that they should try to buy before they absolutely need to get a new one. Encouraging buyers to do their research will help you earn their trust and confidence. Hearing this, buyers will feel that they are getting a much better deal and getting the vehicle that they will enjoy the most, which will increase your customer satisfaction rates.

During the Fall

The second time of the year that is popular to buy a car is during the fall. Most major car dealerships unveil their new stock and model year in the fall. At this time, many dealerships are looking to showcase their new cars. In doing this, sellers can make a lot of sales if they are willing to mark down vehicles from the prior model year that are still on the lot. Many buyers see this as a great opportunity to buy a car that is less than a year old, for a cheaper price. For sellers, this is a great opportunity to get rid of old stock that has been around the lot for awhile and make quick sales.

The Holidays

Similar to any other type of retailer, car dealerships should try to take advantage of money that is being spent during the holiday season. When consumers start to see a silver Christmas tree in the parking lot of a car dealership, they take it as a sign that they should be shopping for a vehicle as a special gift to a loved one. National car companies are willing to offer amazing rates on vehicles during the Christmas and holiday shopping season, and your dealership should be no exception in order to stay competitive in the market during this season.

Three Day Weekends

During the year, there are many three-day weekends that promise to bring great deals to consumers that are looking for new or used cars. Some of these three-day weekends include the 4th of July, Memorial Day, and Labor Day. Similar to other types of companies, car dealerships are often providing amazing deals to those that buy a car. Although this is a vacation for the average american, it’s a busy work day for salesman and a great opportunity to make a lot of sales by offering great deals to consumers.

End of Month and Quarter

Another time of the year that can be great to buy a new car is at the end of a month or a fiscal quarter. It is widely known that most or even all car salesman have sales goals that they need to reach. In most cases, these sales goals are set on a monthly or quarterly basis. Many consumers believe that because of this, those salesman that have not yet reached their sales goals will be motivated to make a sale any way that they can. In many situations, customers believe that they are going to be offered a great deal in order for the salesman to close in on the purchase. This time can be a great opportunity to capitalize on a higher quantity of sales.

Auto Shows

Depending on where your dealership is, you could have a major auto show in your city. These events are usually used as a way to market and advertise, and dealers can also use this as a chance to make sales. Many consumers that come to these shows are already interested in purchasing, so this is a great time to make sales. These buyers usually come ready to negotiate fiercely, however, so dealers should also be prepared as much as possible on their end.

Providing small negotiations with your buyers can go a long way for them when it comes to making the final purchase. Dealerships can do more than great prices for their consumers. Sellers should try offering maintenance packages, warranties, upgrades, and other benefits if it means a good sale. The perfect combination of factors could be exactly what pushes the consumer to make the big purchase with your dealership instead of a competitors.

Jennifer Livingston

Freelance Writer

Consultant

Jennifer Livingston is a freelance writer who specializes on topics related to business, and marketing. She grew up in a small town in the Midwest, and her father ran a car dealership. She helped out in the family business until she moved away for college. When she is not writing she likes to bake, read, and travel.

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Jennifer Livingston

Freelance Writer

Aug 8, 2018

Invest In Your Sales Staff

The perfect job is different for everyone. Some people would like a shorter commute, others think they could do with a raise or better benefits. However, one of the places businesses really seem to lack on meeting their employee's needs is by investing in furthering their growth. Programs that implement leadership or development training might seem old-fashioned, but it gives the workers a way to learn new things outside of the office that might actually help the office. And it works on all sorts of levels, regardless of the type of training.

 

Practice Makes Perfect, But So Does Good Training

From software training all the way to leadership training, there are many different kinds of programs that managers and bosses can implement to make sure their employees are doing their best. Many businesses pride themselves on their training initiatives. There are also options to utilizing these programs, including weekend seminars, conferences, on the job training, crash courses, or classes at a nearby university. Each of these have their pros and cons, but the important part is that there are numerous programs designed to work around your schedule, you just have to know how to utilize them.

 

Win Win Win Situation

It might seem like this kind of investment in employees isn't really worth it, but studies show that this is far from the case. And the benefits for both you and your employees will make it all worthwhile. Studies have shown that by training your employees regularly, it encourages them to work harder and be more engaged in the workplace. Not only that, but it makes them more prepared to implement the skills they've learned to benefitting your workplace. And the skills don't have to be directly relevant to one specific faction of the company.

Quality sales training initiatives can provide a lot of information that other parts of the office could benefit from knowing, such as a supervisor. By having that knowledge under their belt, they may be able to assist a salesman who isn't performing his best. Or if a member of the IT department is learning a new type of software, it might be helpful to have someone from human resources or another department if that software might have an effect on them and their workload. This relevance to their job will also make them more likely to retain the information. And if it turns out later that this specific software has to be taught to the rest of the office, it would be worthwhile to have someone who knows about it and is less likely to use confusing jargon that the rest of the office might not understand. Plus, they're gaining important leadership skills by teaching others about something. It increases their own understanding and gives them experience they may not be used to having, all because of one training initiative.

 

Benefits of Cross-Training

Providing training like this also allows the office to become more close-knit and understanding of one another's departments and the work they're responsible for regularly. And it allows the manager or person implementing the training to gain knowledge about the workers and what kind of learning strategies work for them. This will make it easier to use better strategies to make sure that everyone grows at a rate that works best for them. And that will keep them open to the idea of development and learning new things while allowing them to learn as easily as their peers.

 

Concluding Thoughts

Regardless of the training that they receive from you, your employees will remember that you wanted to invest in them and their wellbeing as well as their personal growth. That shows that you care about their professional career in the long run and you want them to succeed. This is the kind of attitude you want to show your employees, as it will make them more appreciative and want to work harder in return. And if nothing else, that's a pretty good pay-off for your investment.

Jennifer Livingston

Freelance Writer

Consultant

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Jennifer Livingston

Freelance Writer

Jul 7, 2018

How to Develop Sales Talent

Rather than a genetic predisposition or birth talent, one learns sales talent. That means managers who lament that their sales team doesn’t make the numbers they need to simply have not trained them to do so. This comes as great news to every business that relies on sales of some type, and wait - that means every business. To train your sales team, you first need to determine the school of thought or mindset used by your sales manager.

 

 

Common Complaints of Sales Managers

Certainly, sales talent exists. Hopefully, your human resources department hires well. Don’t despair if they didn’t or if you’re a startup who hired new graduates. When your sales manager does complain that the team doesn’t have the talent to make the target numbers, ask why to determine their mindset. How you tackle the problem and develop your sales training program depends on their mindset, as team leader.

 

  • Sales managers who see talent as a static metric based on the natural talent of incoming and existing hires require education themselves to the effect that sales success is learned.

  • Sales managers who see talent as a metric within their control based on working with and mentoring the incoming and existing hires require direct support from you to develop a sales training program.

Here’s how to tell which mindset your sales manager has. Those who see talent as a static metric blame low numbers on a non-competitive compensation program; HR policies that don’t allow necessary hiring and firing; talent loss to a competitor; HR recruiting errors. Managers who see talent as a metric within their control blame low numbers on a young, growing team; onboarding and training programs that lack in multiple areas; lack of customer value. To succeed in sales, you need to turn your static metric sales manager into a developmental manager, then develop a successful sales training program. If you’ve already got a developmental manager, you can jump right into developing your training program.

How to Develop Your Sales Team

Determine what your sales program and sales people need. This starts with building a persona of the ideal sales representative. Create a list of the key skills and traits of a successful sales representative. Next, interview each of your sales people to assess their experience and skill in each of the success traits. This identifies your areas of improvement.

These areas of improvement determine the basis of your development plan. For each area of development create action items with deadlines for each. Developing a sales training plan provides the business equivalent of a medical qigong program for general wellness. You have a professional develop the program then guide the sales people through it.

This guidance is your program execution. You may determine that the team needs sales classes or that each individual needs one-on-one training or both.

Provide feedback and watch how each sales person accepts and implements that feedback. Those who ignore their development plan or reject improvement input should be let go.

Publicly recognize talent improvements. Update each person’s strengths and weaknesses. Re-develop your sales development plan. As your team updates its talents, you must update the records of them and their skills to develop.

Best Practices

Organizing and continually updating this sales personnel information accomplishes one of the key best practices of any sales organization. Your metrics should reference how much the employee sells, how much they should be selling and at which appropriate sales techniques and behaviors they currently excel and which need improvement.

Another best practice consists of the periodic update of the sales skill assessments and re-honing of individual coaching and training. Creating a program that identifies sales potential and helps develop it doesn’t just bring improved sales numbers. It creates team improvements that develop better employees who value your organization and want to remain with it.

If you have low sales numbers, you don’t need to scrap your team and start over. You do need to train your team to learn how to sell. You can improve their skills and your sales numbers by investing time and effort into developing each individual’s sales potential.

 

Jennifer Livingston

Freelance Writer

Consultant

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1 Comment

Jennifer Livingston

Freelance Writer

Mar 3, 2018

How to Grow a Small Lot Into an Auto Megaplex

There's nothing more indicative of the American dream than starting a small business and growing into something large. This can occur in any industry, but it's especially possible when your small business is selling cars. If you have a small car lot, you can grow it into a large business with these simple tips in mind.

Positive online presense

Nowadays, most people look up a company online before doing business with that company. This means it's extremely important for people to have a positive online presence. How do you get good reviews, though? Emphasize customer service as a top priority in your company so that customers always leave feeling like they were sufficiently assisted. When someone does leave a bad review, reach out to the customer to help rectify any poor service and change their view of your company. Also, encourage all customers to leave feedback online by offering discounts when they leave positive reviews.

Proper accounting

Your finances need to be handled properly if you expect to grow. Hire an accountant with a track record of success and the ability to handle an account of your size. Proper accounting will help you keep your financing organized and stop you from making expensive mistakes. You can also track your growth and business trends, so you know when you can expand space and buy more inventory. If you are involved with charities in your area, you could even look into if you qualify for non profit accounting, which could save you money.

Creative advertising

People need to know that your company exists in order for them to buy your services. Therefore, you need to advertise your lot to get customers. There are plenty of car lots, though. In order to stand out from everyone else in the industry, you should try to do something a little more creative than a simple ad. Giveaways and events are great ways to get people to your lot and make a name for yourself in the community. When people in your area know about you, they will remember your company when they are in the market for a car. Community-positive events also help give your company a good reputation in the area.

Hire great employees

You can't be the only one on the lot making sales. This means you need to hire employees to help you sell your cars. Good employees will help generate business, and they will help give your company a good name. Hire people with experience, and hire people who have similar long term goals. They should understand that good customer service is more important in the long run than quick sales. You should also hire people who plan to make sales a long-term career. As you grow, they will grow. Your team requires more than salespeople, though. Hire a good marketing and finance team so that your customers have a great experience in every aspect of their interaction with your company.

Be patient

Good things take time. You will not be able to build your dealership over night. One of the biggest mistakes that a small business owner makes is growing their business before they are ready. Take your time to save up properly. A growing business requires a lot of know how and a lot of customers. Build your clientele and develop a business model that works for you so that you are able to attract and handle more business and more inventory.

 

A small business can be the start to big success. As long as you follow these simple rules, you will be surprised how big your company can get.

 

Jennifer Livingston

Freelance Writer

Consultant

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Jennifer Livingston

Freelance Writer

Nov 11, 2017

Why Digital Marketing Might Just Make the Difference Between Profit Or Poverty For Your Business

If your business is still relying only on traditional marketing strategies, now is the time to make the jump to digital marketing. Digital marketing is one of the most affordable, high return and measurable ways to grow your business. In today's atmosphere, it can mean the difference between profit and poverty due to the specific advantages that it offers over traditional marketing strategies. Let's get into what they are.

 

You Can Control Your Costs on the Fly

When you launch a newspaper, print or direct mail ad campaign, there's nothing else that you can do to control your advertising costs and return on investment. You'll have to wait on the results of your campaign and make adjustments after you spend a considerable amount of money. This is very difficult for businesses working with a small budget and the reason why it's so difficult for many businesses to make traditional marketing strategies pay off for them.

 

With digital marketing, you can control your costs on the fly. If your Google Adwords or Facebook advertising campaign is not performing, you can pause your campaign and prevent more of your budget from being lost. If a campaign breaks even or is slightly profitable, you can quickly optimize your campaign for better results. Making these kind of changes with traditional marketing is not as forgiving due to the costs of printing, shipping, hiring a list broker and many other factors.

 

It Allows You to Compete with Bigger Companies

In offline media, how much reach, visibility and impact is often determine by how much you're willing to spend. As a result, bigger companies often tend to dominate. But there are many characteristics of digital marketing that allows you to compete on a more equal playing field. Many companies that do well in the offline world are not having as much of an impact in the digital world. It's because they are not maximizing technology and cannot understand why Internet users behave differently in the online environment.

 

Smaller businesses are more agile and can often relate to Internet users better than big corporations. It doesn't cost a small business any more money to create outstanding content, build a large social media following and create a brand online. Platforms like blogs, social media, email marketing and apps allow small businesses to get visibility and reach without spending a fortune. It's just a matter of using the right strategy, being able to connect with your audience and carving out an identity in your market/industry.

 

It Allows You to Leverage Technology to Build Relationships

Speaking of blogs, social media, email and apps, these platforms are all amazing channels that allow small businesses to build relationships with their audience. By leveraging this technology, you're able to build relationships with a large amount of people with minimal marketing costs. In traditional media, many companies would use costly printed newsletters to communicate with their customers. Technology allows you to personalize your message, reach users more frequently and use data to drive your campaigns. This is relationship marketing on a whole new level.

 

The best example of this is email marketing. Companies can use send newsletters, links to their content and follow up campaigns to convert more leads into customers and develop strong relationships with their audience. Even better, data can be used to enhance the results of email marketing campaigns. Marketers can test which email subject lines get opened more, what days result in more opens, what kind of content people like, and more. If you're new to email marketing, here's a solid primer to get started.

 

These are just some of the many reasons why digital marketing can make the difference for your business. That doesn't mean you should abandon traditional marketing strategies if they're working out for you. You can use digital marketing as a means to building additional revenue streams and growing your business in a cost effective manner.

Jennifer Livingston

Freelance Writer

Consultant

2165

2 Comments

Ben Misra

Car Market Solutions, LLC

Dec 12, 2017  

I think I am missing something on AdWords, can it tell you the name and address of the customer that clicked now?

Jennifer Livingston

Freelance Writer

Sep 9, 2017

10 Simple Tips to Improve Customer Communications

Communicating with customers is possibly the single most important business process in any organization. Almost all key operations revolve around the objective of serving specific needs for clients, whether it's food delivery or niche B2B software solutions. That's why entrepreneurs, managers and thought leaders should pay close attention to how their company interacts with customers. Developing effective and efficient communications processes not only increases internal efficiency, it also improves brand image and loyalty with consumers.

 

1. Listen to Complaints and Criticism

It's never easy to hear criticism, but successful business leaders understand the importance of listening to client complaints. While you are sure to get some irrational or unwarranted messages from customers, it's a good idea to keep track of complaints so you can identify trends and common issues over time. Reaching out to unsatisfied customers and asking for their opinion can also improve their impression of the company and can discourage them from maintaining a poor review online.

 

2. Drive the Conversation

It's rarely a good idea to rush conversations with customers, but businesses also need to find ways to reduce the length of time spent dealing with concerns. Communications with customers should always have a definitive purpose and drive the interaction towards a productive conclusion. The integral business process speeds up interactions by getting to the point is good for all parties involved as long as it is done politely and with due sensitivity.

 

3. Create Response Templates

A surprising number of questions or requests from customers are about the same few common concerns. Many companies streamline their communications by developing template emails that can be modified with specific or personalized information if needed. These messages often include boilerplate information as well as links to additional resources that can provide the individual with detailed answers.

 

4. Provide Accessible Information Resources

Businesses can reduce a significant amount of unnecessary customer communication time by simply providing an open FAQ page and related blogs on their website. These pages can be linked throughout the site to guide visitors towards information resources. While some customers will still contact the company with basic inquiries, making the information available will save service reps a lot of time as the business grows.

 

5. Take a Scientific Approach

Modern businesses use all kinds of strategies to improve customer service with data tracking and analysis. Company leaders should at least identify key metrics related to their customer communications, like time spent per customer request or satisfaction ratings of clients after the interaction. Gathering basic data allows you to take a scientific approach to management by measuring tangible results repeatedly as you adjust related processes.

 

6. Step Out of the Digital World

With the majority of communication and marketing happening in a digital environment, there is something to be said for a handwritten letter or decorative card. Maintaining firm, real-world connections with clients can help a company stand out from competitors who only interact with consumers through the internet.

 

7. Check Out CRM Software

Customer reputation management (CRM) software solutions are becoming increasingly popular in businesses throughout various industries. In fact, recent statistics shows that the majority of marketers surveyed in 2015 used some kind of software, while only 43 percent didn't use one during that time period. CRM software typically allows for automation of mundane processes, database consolidation and other features to streamline customer communications.

 

8. Track and Improve Response Times

When it comes to customer service, there are two metrics that stand above the rest: time it takes to respond and time to resolution. Customers generally expect a response from a company within days or hours of their initial request. Responding to inquiries promptly is the first step in creating a positive impression of the company.

 

9. Build a Customer Service Team

Rather than just filling empty positions within the sales and customer service departments, business leaders should be cultivating a sense of culture and community among their team members. Creating a positive and productive environment in the workplace encourages individuals work together to accomplish company objectives and apply themselves fully to ongoing projects.

 

10. Open Multiple Channels

Studies of social media consumption trends highlight the fact that many people expect companies to connect with them through these channels. In fact, one recent survey revealed that businesses that don't respond to existing clients through social channels could lose up to 15 percent of them as a result.

Jennifer Livingston

Freelance Writer

Consultant

1491

1 Comment

Sep 9, 2017  

Something that really stood out to me was:

"In fact, one recent survey revealed that businesses that don't respond to existing clients through social channels could lose up to 15 percent of them as a result."

 

Woah!

Jennifer Livingston

Freelance Writer

Sep 9, 2017

5 Top Qualifying Questions to Identify Worthy Customers

Smart business is about knowing which of your potential customers are worth pursuing. Many enterprises don’t select who they pitch to, and that can lead to bouts of discouragement when prospectives don’t respond positively. Your sales team can waste significant resources dealing with people who have no intention of spending money on your brand.

 

The secret to separating the chaff, so you only have the right kind of customer left is asking the right questions. Learning more about your target market can tell you who is worthy of your company’s time and energy. Qualifying questions can narrow down this list, giving you a viable pool to work with. Businesses must, however, recognize the appropriate questions to ask so that customers don’t feel pressured or like you are getting too intimate.

 

What Do You Need?

 

A majority of companies assume that they know what is best for the consumer. Although this may be true to a point, your market may not have the same line of thinking. Customers are sometimes wrong about what they need, but as the service provider, you have to comply. Learn what a consumer expects when he/she picks up your brand off a shelf. If an individual is looking to hire a plumbing service, ask why? What triggered this decision? Understanding this will determine the suitability of your service. It also makes it less complicated to customize services when you are aware of a consumer’s needs.

 

What are the Problems that Need Solving?

 

Every product/service out there is meant to offer a solution to particular challenges that customers are facing. The specific issue will dictate a customer’s priority, and that is what the sales team has to be clear on. Ask about the obstacles the customer has encountered while trying to overcome the existing challenges. This question will shed light on a consumer’s previous experience and stop you from repeating the mistakes of past providers. Also, it will help you learn about opportunities that your enterprise can exploit. Take time on this step and pay attention to every response because it’s a clue as to how you can add value to customer experience.

 

What is Your Budget?

 

Before pushing a certain product or service to a prospective customer, know if he/she has the purchasing power. Discern how many resources a potential client is willing to dedicate to deal with the current challenge. When you have a range of products and services that cater to different budgetary needs, this qualifying question is fundamental. It allows you to pinpoint the right products to sell to a customer. Some companies get this information through metrics such as business insurance quotes, moving estimates, and price ranges among others.

 

What Does Success Mean to You?

 

Be aware of a customer’s expectations when using your brand. Even though a product or service may be designed to solve a specific challenge, the rate of success may depend on various factors. Consumers must understand the risks and discuss them with the provider. A business should know the outcome if the customer gets it wrong. If the moving service a client is hiring fails, what are the potential repercussions? These questions keep both parties honest and let consumers anticipate risks.

 

How Do We Proceed?

 

Customers should feel they have a say in the kind of service/product they receive. Asking them about the next step achieves that. Know if a prospective customer is ready to move forward. If they are holding back, find out why. Understand the purchasing process of your consumers and find out how to get them across the finish line without being pushy. A question like “what else can I do?” gives consumers a chance to remember anything else that may help improve the experience.

 

The line between an interested customer and a worthy conversion can get blurry at times. Businesses should have a process to eliminate consumers who are not worthy of pushing to and that helps save resources. Qualifying questions are essential in choosing the right consumers.

Jennifer Livingston

Freelance Writer

Consultant

1220

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Jennifer Livingston

Freelance Writer

Mar 3, 2017

How to Grow Your Dealership in the Digital Age

As someone who owns a car dealership, you might always be looking for ways to help it grow and become more successful. Nowadays, in the digital age, it's important to look at things from a different perspective. These are some of the things that can help you grow your dealership in today's day and age.

Build the Perfect Website

In today's world, with so many people spend a lot of their time searching for information about cars online when they're in the market to buy a vehicle, having a great website for your dealership is critical. These are some of the things that you might want to add to your website:

  • Information about your dealership, such as where it's located and how customers can get in contact with you

  • An inventory of the vehicles that you have in stock, along with pricing information, so that potential buyers can start their shopping online

  • A live chat feature so that customers can get answers to questions quickly

  • Financing information, including a financing application

Use Social Media

If you aren't currently using social media as a means of promoting your dealership, you are really missing out. Nowadays, with so many people using Twitter, Facebook and other similar sites on a daily basis, this is a great way to connect with local individuals and get them excited about your cars. Build up your profiles, add plenty of pictures of your dealership and the cars that you have for sale and otherwise use social media to promote your dealership. If you do, you might be surprised by the results that you will see. Additionally, you can even try paid advertising on social media if you'd like to bring in even better results.

Focus on Tech Features in Vehicles

Sure, things like gas mileage and the look of a vehicle are very important to many consumers. However, now more than ever, many customers are looking for other things when buying cars, such as the newest and greatest tech features. Someone might want a car that has a rearview backup camera, Bluetooth connectivity or some other tech feature, so making sure that you are familiar with these features and that you advertise them properly can help you boost sales and encourage interest in the vehicles that you have on the lot.

Provide Internet Access for Customers

Right now, you probably have internet access in your dealership for yourself and your employees. However, you might have never focused on providing access for your customers. This might not have been important in the past, but it's pretty important in today's world. These are just some of the reasons why your customers might want to access the internet while at your dealership:

  • While customers are waiting, such as while their car is being detailed or while they are waiting for someone in finance to work out a deal for financing, they might want to be able to keep themselves entertained. Ensuring that there is WiFi service available throughout the dealership can allow them to hook up with their devices and keep themselves entertained, which can help you avoid complaints about wait times and can increase customer satisfaction.

  • Some customers might feel more confident if they are able to do a bit of research or comparison shopping from your dealership. For example, they might want to use their phones to pull up pricing or feature information about models that they might be looking at.

  • In some cases, customers might be able to log on to their insurance companies' websites to secure auto insurance coverage for a car when buying it, ensuring that they are complying with lender requirements and local laws so that the sale can be made.


As you can see, there are a few steps that you can take that will help you grow your dealership in today's digital age. If you implement these tips, you might be surprised by what they can do for your business.

 

Jennifer Livingston

Freelance Writer

Consultant

2327

No Comments

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