Have you heard that customers hate the car buying process?

I thought so. Fact is, lately it’s hard to avoid the constant sound of critical voices telling dealers they must make dramatic changes to the way they operate their business. It goes something like this: Change everything you’ve ever known about the car business, then implement a new and largely unproven approach to your business.

So go ahead and forget the decades of experience you have selling cars. No one asked you anyway! It all can be frustrating, and more than a little infuriating.

Trouble is, it’s largely true: we all know the process must change. Customers are unhappy with the time it takes; they’ve shifted their behavior and aren’t willing stick around and live through a tedious sales experience. Just look at a few recent findings from a Cox Automotive study:

• Less than 1% of consumers like the sales process as it is today, and most expect the entire experience to be plagued with hassles.

• In addition, over 66% of consumers say they would buy a vehicle more often if it just wasn’t so difficult.

So how does a dealer apply his experience to a new, technology-driven sales experience, one that reduces time – but more importantly reduces wasted time?