Pub. 12 2013-2014 Issue 1

N e w J e r s e y C o a l i t i o n O f A u t o m o t i v e R e t a i l e r s 13 new jersey auto retailer w w w . n j c a r . o r g online user  continued on page 14 What Does The Online User Want? By Jennifer Suzuki Today’s educated auto buyer will speak to five dealerships, visit just a couple and choose one with which to do business with. This consumer must be approached carefully and, ultimately, provided with a pleasant and efficient buying experience at the dealership. Dealerships must adopt a culture of extreme customer service and deliver in every communication method. It’s easy to implement when you are face-to-face but on the phone and through emails and voicemails, it can be much more challenging. With phone opportunities on the rise, this is one core aspect you can focus on and conquer. When you achieve this, the online buyer and the dealership BOTH get what they want. You can meet the typical 21st century buyer’s expectations by looking closely at present processes. You must have a prepared phone call guide for the following situations: • Callbacks to new Internet leads • Incoming sales opportunities • Lease retention • Showroom visitor that does not buy • Showroom visitor that buys • Appointment confirmation • Referral Before freshening up what you have or as you begin a new project, follow these three steps: Know the buyer, know the process and know the players. 1. Know the buyer The buyer is someone who has researched up to 15 different web- sites, and 90% would say they have had a bad experience buying a car in the past. This tells us that we have an educated buyer who wants to feel like they are in control and at the same time, has a negative feeling about automotive salespeople and dealerships. This can be a challenge for most salespeople. By knowing the buyer and their expectations, you can turn complaints or obstacles into positive elements in a great car buying experience. Example: The buyer has many thoughts and feelings about a dealership and salesperson experience. Most are not pleasant which is why they call and email versus coming into the store. Knowing this, we can assume that the buyer thinks or believes the experience will be time consuming, unprofessional, and high pressure. Take the negatives, turn them around and develop a positive car buying experience that can be talked about in phone calls, emails and voicemails. Your competitive advantage will be clearly noticed when you do this. You will stand apart from the competition and no doubt will be considered as a place to buy a car from.