Image Auto LLC
Carvana Calls Out Dealers
Who's seen Carvana's newest ad? I can already predict the responses.
They're directly communicating to the feelings stress in shopping with a dealer. 99 out of 100 shoppers EXPECT some level of hassle, yet, plenty of dealers still believe that they can get away with the same level of friction they always have. And when that doesn't work, they blame everyone except themselves.
Dealers
blame millennial buyers. They blame government regulations. They blame the economy. Nobody blames the fact that the majority of dealers are years behind the curve in their omni-channel experience.
Branding is something you feel when you think of anything. A person, a dealership, a company, anything. We live in a world of influencers with "personal brands".
A brand needs to be more than a guy on a lot yelling that he has the lowest prices. The shopping experience can't force shoppers to sit in your building for hours doing paperwork and dreading the experience. Even people in the industry don't like they buying process.
Better experience starts with better branding and goes hand-in-hand with making sure that branding is felt in the customer experience.
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7 Comments
Chevy Dude
Bachman Chevrolet
"newest ad"?? this commercial is WELL over 2 years old.
Jason Volny
DrivingSales
I would agree that is old.... but still relevant. Lots of customers and car buyers do think the car buying process sucks! But I also don't think it's fair to say dealers are blaming everyone but themselves... dealers are very hard at work. this industry is quickly changing for the better.
Sherri Riggs
DrivingSales
I thinking branding is pretty important... but there also has to be follow through! You can brand all you want, but if a dealership doesn't follow through on their branding promises what's the point?
Amanda Gordon
Self
I think they are killing the game as far as branding just as Kelly Blue Book and Carfax and neither one of them sell cars (Kelly sort of by way of being owned by Cox automotive). I digress, I have said it a thousand times, you are not going to be able to remove the human element out of a sales process as large as a car purchase. Not going to happen Carvana!
Kelly Kleinman
Dealership News
At some point, salesmen will be forced to read; "How to Win Friends and Influence People", which was written many moons ago by Dale Carnegie, and is still the basis for countless books, tapes, and vids on how to interact with fellow humans. We are a social being by nature, and although video tours, software, and websites tend to shield us from personal interaction, Amanda is correct, you can't take the human element out of the equation, rather develop it, and turn it into an asset. Hmm, the theme of my next article I believe!
Derrick Woolfson
Beltway Companies
@Amanda, I 100% agree. Not to mention, what really bugs me with this model is that it fails to address the elephant in the room. That is the "trade-in" how are they "calculating" actualized values without seeing the vehicle. And with their "return" policy, I would imagine the customer would "return" their vehicle if they did not agree to the trade-in amount. All of which can cost Carvana (they have not been profitable yet, no?) thousands of dollars.
Dave Page
CreditMiner
Carvana makes a good point, but can customers really make a complete and informed deal entirely online? Not really. Our solution is SARA (Smart Automotive Retail Assistant). Frictionless process, saves time at the dealership, and allows customers to structure their deal without leaving their house. Learn more here: https://ecreditminer.com/best-automotive-digital-retailing-tool