I am in dealerships all day everyday and some of the things I see still amaze me.

Sitting in a store last week- I watched a scene unfold which unfortunately I have seen before and it never gets any easier to stomach.

A customer was looking at a vehicle with his wife, obviously interested, the sales person went back to "ask the manager a question". BAM! TThe sales person hadn't taken two steps away from the couple and out came their cell phones.

Yep, showrooming.... I call it, "looking for the lie". And what da ya know- in seconds OOPS -THERE IT WAS! The LIE.

The price on the Internet was NOT what the sales person was quoting off his shabby worn out price sheet he pulled from his pocket. The sales person was not aware that the price was discounted 4 days earlier on this vehicle. The couple started comparing phones and kivetching about how they were going to handle the sales person when he came back. Thinking I was just another customer the couple spoke freely to each other and I was able to hear every word.

After a few minutes the sales person rounded the corner all excited but was totally unaware that the couple had found a $1,000 price discrepency on the dealerships very own website. What took place next was painful to watch but the store had earned this "opportunity" to try and overcome a new credibility issue.

Totally avoidable.

The couple shared what they had found showing their phone to the sales person.

"Wells....ums....and buts" were flying out of the sales persons mouth as the sales person tried desperately to fix what had taken over 30 minutes to build but less than 60 seconds to destroy- credibility.

The couple stood there, now arms folded, listening as they waited for the righ moment to announce:

"Ya know, we are going to go grab a bite to eat and we will be back, do you have a card?"

We all know how those go.

Here is the lesson to be learned:

Transparency.... everyone needs to be on the same page. Internet pricing needs to be carried out onto the floor/lot, changes need to be immediately communucated to the sales people. Right hand needs to know what the left hand is doing- along with competitive pricing, a dealership needs to be consistent with their messaging and communication to their employees and their customers. Most importantly there needs to be a commitment to pricing- no gross games. Period.

The couple liked the guy and the car until the LIE popped up. After the lie there was virtually no way to recover.

And for those still hanging onto the dinasour mentality that "posting price effects my gross".......(I hear this all the time) think again, that be back, the one in this incident- never came back.....he bought two days later at the competitors.

No gross affected here!

Remember how slow the industry was to embrace the internet as a sales tool way back when? I do, I got into this business around the time the “fad” hit the noodles of dealers across the country. I found as a trainer for an automotive training company, there was a 33/33/33 factor when I would talk to dealers and management about it.

33% said the Internet was not a force to reckon with but a fad

33% said that they were “watching” to see how things developed but remained in park

33% started trying to figuring out how to engage but not really more than a little “figuring”

Then there was that 1% - they were actively moving into this new territory, making mistakes, figuring it out along the way with bumps, bruises and some pain. If someone was to do a survey of all dealerships that were around then and are still around today- I bet they would find that the 1% are the current industry leaders boasting the highest sales, largest grosses, least turn over and best CSI.  Don’t hate them because they are beautiful, admire them for taking the initiative, experiencing the unknown, uncertainty and chaos associated with unprecedented new processes and having the tenacity to forge ahead.

These are the same 1% who are turning to technology to continue a consumers online experience at the store and on their lots- create a level of transparency. This 1% are grasping  the importance of eliminating disconnects that can be experienced by the Internet shopper once he ventures out to visit the dealerships location.

The key to this is transparency? It’s simple, provide to the lot shopper with the very same information at the point of purchase, lot and showroom that they can get online at home or when they showroom you at your own store (over half do ya know and they are growing). Eliminate this all too common disconnect, lack of information or sales people discrepancy and you automatically save a portion of those people who typically “slip away” without an exchange when they find catch that slip of a number or twist of a term. It’s a win win, your customers will love it because it builds trust and so will your sales staff because they wont need any fancy foot work because they are misinformed, or uninformed.

It is simple, cheap and an immediate trust builder. The 1% “trackers” out there get it and are figuring it out- so as you read this, which one are you?

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