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Attracting Loyal Customers to your Dealership

2/20/2015

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Becoming or staying a leading dealership in your community, while is about sales and customer satisfaction, starts with attracting and retaining valued customers.  And just how do you bring customers to your dealership, again and again and again?  By giving them what they want.  Dale Carnegie in his world-renown book “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” gives an example of two men who are trying to get a baby calf to move to the inside of the barn, but that calf won’t budge.  They are standing behind it trying to push the calf, but if you know anything about stubborn cows then you know that strategy wasn't gaining them one inch.  What ended up working?  Their visitor saw the situation, came out in front of the calf, and stuck her finger in its mouth.  Babies like to nurse, and she knew what this baby cow needed.  Walking backwards with finger in mouth, she easily led the calf inside the barn.
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What does nursing baby cows have to do with being a market leader?  If you can make buyers WANT to come to your dealership instead of only focusing on how to sell them a car (people resist being sold to), then you can unlock a winning combination that many successful, leading businesses have figured out.  Get people to want to come to your dealership, not only because of price and selection — although extremely important factors — but because it feels good to shop at your store and interact with your staff.  As a matter of fact, in a recent study performed by American Express, it was found that 73% of survey respondents would be willing to pay up to 12% more for product if accompanied by excellent customer service. I am not advocating to raise your prices 12% higher than competitors, but rather am pointing out that if you make buyers enjoy their shopping experience, you are likely to receive less price haggling, fewer complaints, and more recommendations to family and friends (which is no-cost, highly influential advertising!).

To further demonstrate this point, let’s think about Barnes & Noble bookstore.  I love to shop there, but let’s face it, it’s not because of their rock-bottom prices.  And they don’t always have the book I want in-stock.  So why do I continue going there instead of just ordering online or going to a discount or used bookstore?  Because it is a peaceful haven for me to go to during lunch, not just to buy the book I am looking for, but to hang out, sip an iced mocha, peruse other books and topics, and to see what’s new.

Is that how your customers feel when shopping your dealership?  Or is it a fences-up, hurry-up-and-get-out mentality because they don’t want to be pressured or intimidated by the “well-trained sales sharks?”  Even if your sales people are not the oh-so-often-rendered “sharks” indicative of the car industry, that is the impression many have about going to a dealership.  It can be intimidating, especially for those who tend to avoid confrontation or negotiation.

You are at the advantage… you see them walk in, you already have a process in place for “handling” them, and you are trained and familiar with the likely outcomes of the visit.  The buyer, on the other hand, especially a new customer, may not know your processes, your sales peoples’ personalities, if they are commission or salary (pushy? professional?), if the information they are being told is true, if they are required to bring any needed documents with them, or if they can come back later for the same deal, etc.  Nowadays they can research pricing online before shopping dealerships, so they can at least come armed with that knowledge, but does that mean they will enjoy the shopping experience?  Will they want to do business with your dealership again?  Will they recommend you to family and friends?
Happy customer on hood of car
SOOOOO……. What can you do? Start by making your dealership a desirable place to shop.


1.  Get outside opinions.  Determine your target demographic and then pick some people that fit this description. This can be simple with just a few people to start, or you can hire a survey company to help bring this to a larger scale, whichever fits your motivation level and budget.  If going small-scale, try to refrain from asking your family and close friends, as they may be biased and/or not want to disappoint you.  College kids as an internship or with a gift card motivation could make great, out-of-the-box thinkers for this, depending again on your target demographic, but mix up the factors like age groups and genders.  For something different, instead of just shopping your competitors, also ask your selected group of participants to shop your dealership as compared to their favorite stores and restaurants, and to provide a detailed description of their experience to you… either by email, letter, or video, whichever is easiest for them.

2.  Think about some leading national favorites in other industries, like TGI Fridays and Barnes & Nobles, for example.  
  • What makes people actually look forward to going to their establishments to spend their money?  
  • What makes them a fun recommendation for family and friends?  
  • Create a list of attributes that makes these companies amazing, and then think about your dealership and your customers’ experiences.  
  • Shake things up!  Don't just do what other dealerships do.  Learn from great marketplace leaders across the retail industry.
  • What can you do to make your dealership more enjoyable, relaxing, and fulfilling? Let us know your thoughts!  Maybe we can help make some more recommendations to you.

TIP:  Keep in mind whatever goals you set need to line up with your dealership’s target demographic, your product’s demographic, and be an achievable personality for your dealership.   Making changes half-way could just confuse your brand image, and ultimately be a waste of time and effort.  Maybe branding yourself as “fun” isn’t the best option if your personality and that of your staff is super-serious, for instance.  In that instance, improving your dealership’s brand image by focusing on how serious you are about providing quality customer service would be a better fit.  You know your personality and goals the best, so make sure you are being realistic about the changes you want to make, your budget, and your motivation level.

3.  Create a winning strategy to implement these changes in a seamless, positive direction for your employees and customers alike.  Bring key leaders and influencers from all levels of your dealership in on the planning process to encourage buy-in from your staff, since after all, they are the face of your company and are responsible for your customers’ overall experience.

Following these steps will get you started on the road to objectively evaluating your dealership from a customer’s perspective.  I hope you found this article useful and inspiring.  No matter where you are in the process, please contact us… we love hearing from various dealerships and can share some additional resources to help you on your drive for improvement.  Simply click here to get in touch or enter a comment below.  Stay tuned for additional tips... Thanks and have a outstanding day!

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CUSTOMER TESTIMONIAL - Dealership Consultant

2/6/2015

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"Theresa Du Bois at IYD is an exceptional marketing professional who is skilled to convert and execute dealership marketing strategies with multi-talented skill sets in graphics, communication and a keen overall knowledge of the e-commerce landscape.  A leader and performer who gets the job done with excellence and a great attitude, she is willing to take risk based on rewards focused on her clients best interest above her own."

- Rick C.
Dealership Consultant, U.S.

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CUSTOMER TESTIMONIAL - BMW &  MINI Dealerships

2/4/2015

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"I have been working with Theresa Du Bois and Improve Your Drive since 2011. Their work is always very creative, professional, and effective. I have yet to find a project or request that they were not able to handle with ease or refer us in the right direction.  I highly recommend Theresa and her team!"

- Jason G.
General Manager
BMW of San Francisco & MINI of San Francisco
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FEBRUARY Marketing Ideas for your Dealership

2/3/2015

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How is your February Promotions Calendar looking?
February is all but mediocre in the dealership world.  February means Valentine's Day, President's Day, and the start of tax returns. What are you doing to Improve Your Promotions  this month?

We'll start by taking a look at each promotion opportunity one at a time, and we'll end with a free download opportunity for you and your dealership.  If you need artwork assistance for any of your holidays and sales events, we can create new artwork or customize provided images for your dealership's web banners, pages, emails, social media, showroom flyers/posters, and more.  

Valentine's Day
  • Minimum:  Wish your community a Happy Valentine's Day from your Dealership Name.   An email or letter would be way over the top for this not-so-dealership-related holiday, however a banner on your home page, also shared on your social media, with your well-wishes is a small but great, bottom-budget way to improve your dealership's image.
  • Rev it up a Notch:  Do a Valentine's giveaway promotion, advertised on your web site and social media, for $100-200 VISA Gift Card (for example) to pay for a night out on the town with your sweetheart or friends.  In lieu of a cash prize, you can partner with a small, local restaurant or retail business to offer a certificate in exchange for the free advertising of their business in your promotions.  Contact us for some quick ideas on how to best make this work!

President's Day
If you're a new car franchise, as you know it's very likely your manufacturer will have a President's Day Sales Event for you to promote, with great offers umbrellaed under a patriotic flair.  Any dealership, however, has opportunities to reach out to customers, prospects, and the general public for this national holiday:
  • Minimum:  Again, wish your community  a Happy President's Day from your Dealership Name with a home page banner and social media post for a small contribution towards your brand image.
  • Rev it up a Notch:  Promote your dealership's President's Day Sales Event with a banner linking to a web page promoting your event specials, and driving phone leads, form leads, and inventory and credit approval calls-to-action.  Of course, a link to your sales event web page should be included in your dealership's social media and blog posts leading up to the holiday and on the big day.  Don't forget to post flyers or posters in the showroom, customer lounge and service areas.
  • Hitting the Gas:  In addition to a banner and web page with social media posts, and on-site flyers/posters at your dealership, send an e-blast to your customers and prospects highlighting some of your best deals, thus driving traffic to your dealership's sales event lead-driving web page.  Contact Us for our Sales Event Promotion Package discounted pricing, or for free ideas on how to grow your dealership's email contact list.
  • Full Speed Ahead:   You can use all marketing and advertising solutions that make sense for your budget and advertising mix to promote your dealership's President's Day Sales Event, including: Radio, TV, Newspaper, Online Advertising, PPC, Test Drive Giveaways, Local Event Sponsorship, etc. in addition to the above promotion ideas to get your community's auto shoppers at your store for your President's Day Extravaganza.  

Tax Returns
February kicks off tax return season.  This is a great opportunity for used car and new car dealerships to help customers apply their tax return dollars into a smart down-payment on a new or used vehicle.  
  • Minimum:  As you can probably guess by now, a home page banner and social media posts are the lowest-cost way to create and promote your Tax Return Event to your captive audience.  Need artwork?  We'll create Tax Time Event artwork to use in any of your dealership promotions.  
  • Rev it up a Notch:   Promote your dealership's Tax Time Event by linking that home page banner to a web page showcasing all that their tax return dollars can do for them at your dealership — revealing the best current offers, down-payment programs, easy advanced credit approval, and more.  This is especially effective for special finance dealerships and BHPH dealers.  Of course, a link to your Tax Time Event web page should be included in your dealership's social media and blog posts throughout the entire tax return season, as well as a side bar or P.S. note in your dealership's prospect followup email templates.  Don't forget to post flyers or posters in the showroom, customer lounge and service areas.
  • Hitting the Gas:  In addition to the home page banner, web page, social media posts, and on-site flyers/posters, to get this in front of your non-captive audience, you will need to do some further promoting.  The most cost-effective option is an e-blast to your customers and prospects, informing them about the tax time opportunities at your dealership, and linking to your web page, which of course should be custom-designed to convert online shoppers into qualified sales leads.
  • Full Speed Ahead:  Again, you can use all marketing and advertising solutions that make sense for your budget and advertising mix to promote your dealership's Tax Time Event, including:  Radio, TV, Newspaper, Online Advertising, PPC, Press Release, Emails, Web Pages, Banners, social media posts, etc.

Whether you have an in-house marketing department, a contracted agency, or may need our assistance with some or all of these items, take these ideas and customize to whatever makes sense for your dealership, your target audience, and your budget.  Click to Contact Us any time for some complimentary advice on what may work best for your dealership's unique situation, or call now at 407-900-5790.


Free Download Opportunity
As a way of saying "Thank you!" just for reading our post, click here to access a free Valentine's Day web banner for your dealership, compliments of Improve Your Drive.  Simply right-click on the graphic to "Save As", then open it in any image editing software to add your dealership's name, resize to fit your home page banner dimensions, and upload.  Please Contact us if you need assistance.
Download Now
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407.900.5790

  • Home
  • Dealership Services
    • Monthly Design Packages
    • Dealership Emails
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    • Dealership Banner Ad Design
    • Dealership Custom Graphic Design
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    • Free 58 Pt Design Inspection
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    • Career Opportunities
    • Dealership Testimonials
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