Tips for a 5-Star Sales Experience at Your Auto Dealership

And now that the average star rating in automotive is 4.21, competition is fierce. So how do you deliver a 5-star experience at your dealership with every lead?

Start with these six tips, inspired by frustrations voiced online in 1- and 2-star reviews.

#1 MAKE IT CONVENIENT FOR THEM

"Salespeople called INCESSANTLY during my work hours. So annoying!!!!!”

A great way to start off the sales experience on the right foot is to make communicating with you a breeze. Check your CRM notes for when and how potential customers engage with your dealership and converse on their terms. Did they call at a specific time of day? Did you call and get a text back? Every activity is a signal. Don’t be afraid to continue following-up through text or at off hours.

#2 USE YOUR CALL RECORDINGS

"Talked a lot about the few different models in the Blue color I like with the sales guy, Jim. before I visited the dealership. Got to the dealership and Jim kept showing me the wrong models and none of them were in the color I wanted. Felt like he didn’t care and this was such a waste of my time.”

Instead of scorning you, potential customers will applaud your listening skills when you review call recordings before meeting them on the lot. Play back calls to brush up on their mannerisms, pull out a personal detail or two, and note a specific ask for an in-person conversation that is sure to close.

#3 SHARE PERSONALIZED, USEFUL INFORMATION

"Just bought a different car than the one I wanted (which was too expensive) from this dealership and got home to see they dropped the price on the one I originally wanted. No one told me! What kinda customer service is that?"

Look like a rockstar when your follow-up includes information personalized to their interests. Check out the inventory they have been looking at and follow up about things that matter. Here are three easy ways to personalize your follow-up:

• Include other vehicles that match their preferences
• Share price drops of their most viewed inventory
• Offer new incentives that apply to their favorite vehicles

#4 NEVER LET THEM HIT A SYSTEM SNAG

"The website's ****ed up and I couldn't even get in touch with a salesperson. And now the car I wanted sold."

Phone lines go dead, and website form and chat systems break all too often. Test and monitor your website or use a site and systems tracking solution to keep everything running smoothly. At Foureyes, we see dealerships miss 9% of leads from website forms alone. When potential customers can’t get in touch with you, things turn ugly quickly!

#5 PROVIDE UPDATES WHERE THEY SHOP

"No incentives on Facebook, so I didn’t see them and the salesperson didn’t even offer them on the lot. Came home and took a look on the website, and they’re offering $1,000 off. What a scam!”

People shop differently. Knowing which marketing channels send you true sales leads offers key information to improve their sales experience. Are most new leads coming from your website? Spend time updating your website. Have a large volume of leads coming through social media? Make time to include new vehicle and incentive updates on your social platforms.

#6 OFFER CARS WITHIN THEIR TRUE BUDGET RANGE

"They tried to upsell me at every turn. Uncomfortable to say the least.”

Money conversations often turn sour. To earn that five-star review, learn how to thrive in them. Again, use the information they’ve shared with you to nail their true budget range and understand when you do (and do not) have wiggle room with budget. Reviewing their website shopping activity and the prices of their three most-viewed pieces of inventory will also give you a more accurate view into their real budget range.

Let’s get you another gold star.

As with other large sales, there many easy pitfalls when selling a car. But, the sales experience at the dealership can (and should) be positive. Keep your potential customers’ buying experience strong,  from start to finish, and use the information they provide as your secret weapon.

Don’t have access to some of this lead data? Let’s talk about how your dealership could benefit with Foureyes. Contact us today for a live demo to see how other auto dealership’s are transforming the auto sales experience.