You have goals in mind for your dealership. It could be to sell more vehicles, hold more gross, or improve the customer experience. And, as automotive retail continues to go digital, it is critical that you identify the innovations needed to accomplish these goals. To do this, you need to recognize how customers are shopping for vehicles. Some are open to online. Others are traditional. But the future is hybrid, omnichannel shopping. To be successful with your solutions, you need to build digital trust. And that starts with transparency.
Trust and price are two of the most important factors consumers consider when selecting a dealership. There is only so much you can do on the pricing of the car while still holding enough gross to be profitable. Where you need to put your focus is on building trust. To do this, you need to not only put yourself into your customer’s shoes, but to deliver as much transparency as possible during the buying process.
The customer experience will likely start at home when a consumer is browsing vehicles from the couch during commercials. As they do, the potential customer will likely have many questions about what they are seeing on your site. This is your first battlefield. The more your website and social media properties can efficiently and effectively answer customer questions, the better. Be upfront with your inventory and keep your ads and photos current. Don’t skimp on being transparent here, as it can make the difference between a happy customer and a sullen one.
As you deploy new solutions to improve the customer experience, you will find that not every tool is built the same. Next-generation systems provide you with a scalable solution that delivers transparency at every level of the shopping experience. Because of the hybrid method in which many are researching and shopping, you must deploy stackable tools. Your inventory management software must play nice with your digital showroom, your merchandising platform, and your advertising arm. This is true sales enablement and provides the transparency your customers crave.
At the end of the day, transparency generates trust. And when you have a level of trust and security between you and your customer, they will be empowered to make their decisions faster. This speeds up the path to purchase while also saving the customer on time normally wasted by asking difficult questions that your sales staff can’t answer.
Enable your staff to give the customers the transparency they deserve. You will be enhancing the overall experience while also selling more cars. And, with tools for appraisal and trade-in, you widen the depth of your internal knowledge and how it applies to the customer’s vehicle. Now is the time to adopt a new mentality. Set your processes up to cater to your customer’s needs. Present opportunities where transparency is at the forefront. The result is you selling more cars, acquiring more inventory, and holding more gross.
MAX Digital has a wealth of experience working with dealerships to create a roadmap of steps needed to achieve operational excellence. Schedule a consultation with one of our product experts today!
