This year’s DrivingSales Presidents Club was definitely a memorable one. Even though the event took place over a month ago, I still think about the great folks I met as well as all the things I learned from the brilliant thought leaders who presented.

At this year’s DrivingSales Presidents Club, I listened to DrivingSales CEO, Jared Hamilton’s Keynote Speech, and there was something he said that really made me think.

Jared likened the process of shopping for a car to shopping at a grocery store. Grocery stores have changed the way consumers check out, and he used this as a metaphor for how dealers should hire and train their staff to handle the experience inside the showroom. The main question he was essentially “how do you fill the positions correctly with the right people who have the right talents and skills?

Nowadays, grocery store customers have options. They can go down the traditional model and let someone guide them throughout the whole process (giving full control to the sales team); and alternatively, they have the option of self check-out or self-service. Your showroom is extremely similar.

For starters, let’s take a look at the options you have at both grocery stores and dealership showrooms. In both places, you have the option of working closely with a sales representative (or a cashier) to both search for what you want and make a purchase.

At a dealership, a consumer seeking a full-service experience will go into the showroom and immediately interact with a salesperson who will give them all the information they need, and even sell them the car.

In a grocery store, a consumer will interact heavily with sales associates to order goods from the deli, the butcher, the bakery and to get help looking for certain goods. After they’ve filled their cart, they’ll go to a normal checkout lane where a cashier will scan each item they put on the belt and check them out.

Another option you have in both places is utilizing limited support. At a dealership, this could mean walking into the showroom and hopping on a kiosk or computer to get a trade appraisal, all whilst you go to a salesperson to get additional questions answered.

At a grocery store, it could mean seeking out the assistance of a clerk to find certain products, but then going to the self check-out lane and paying on your own. Naturally, if something goes wrong with the kiosks, there’s normally someone monitoring the self check-out lanes who can help you if issues arise.

The last option is complete independence. Although this is pretty rare in dealerships and grocery stores, there are some consumers that are completely disconnected from the human element of car shopping and grocery shopping. Some folks might conduct research and actually purchase online (with the only real human interaction being picking up the car), and some folks will shop for their groceries ala Peapod or Instacart and get them delivered.
 

As I was listening to Jared talk about these similarities, I started to think about dealership websites. For the longest time, I’ve been a proponent of your dealership website heavily emulating the showroom experience. Because most consumers will find themselves on your website at some point (prior to visiting your dealership — if they even do so), you want to ensure that you’re giving those consumers the same options you would on the showroom floor.

Each and every one of your consumers has individual needs that need to be met — and each one of those consumers prefers different customer service experiences. That being said, all of the calls to action and forms on your website should provide options.

For example: If a consumer goes through a trade appraisal experience, they should be provided with optional next steps. One step could be locking in the price on a specific vehicle, another could be requesting a follow-up call, and naturally, consumers can just “leave it be.”

The point I’m trying to make is that your website is just as important as your showroom; because it’s essentially your showroom in a digital format. It can be accessed from essentially anywhere, and a lot of consumers base larger decisions on what they discover on your website. If your showroom is going to evolve, shouldn’t your website evolve along with it?

I think Jared was really onto something when he discussed hiring and training the right staff. Engaging with consumers in their preferred ways is so important, and can have a major impact on your dealership’s reputation.