As of March 17th, Coronavirus , according to the CDC has been reported in all 50 states and the National death toll is now at 100. https://apple.news/AMWdwIdgRrmjujUTUe1vQQ. There will have to be more efficiency in serving customers with the latest pandemic spreading through out the country. This has placed a new challenge on all dealerships as to the way business has been previously done.
Several Ways TO Address COVID-19 Pandemic To Keep Dealerships Moving
Now is the time to for all dealerships to assemble with their Leadership Teams on a daily basis and use the phrase “guys what if?” Each day you and your team need to have some “what” if moments to think things through as to “what if” we have no customers in the showroom amid the Coronavirus crisis which has affected a great deal of businesses across the country. You need these sessions daily simply because each day is unknown and the period of time for this Pandemic to end is unknown. Besides you have a sales staff who may have some concerns seeing as how floor, phone and internet traffic have all changed. Perhaps your BDC/Internet Departments and Service Departments have seen a big influx in their traffic. Now is the time to make some adjustments, perhaps maybe taking a few guys from the floor and having them to help with the higher demands of customer needs since more will communicate on line or phone versus coming to the showroom. Your Service Department if it hasn’t already will certainly see an increase in their call volume and internet leads that will have more customer demands for the servicing of their vehicle. Service Customers will have more needs. So each day I recommend you have those short meetings to kick around the “what if’s” to discover new ways to serve your customer during this crisis.
Train Your Sales Teams
The time is now to strengthen your Sales People, Sales Managers, Service Managers, BDC Managers all will have time to train their teams. This is the time for Dealer Principals and General Managers or even Operations Directors to sit down to place accountability on their Sales Managers like never before to train. Training in the sense that veteran Sales People will not be exempt from participating in these sessions. Here’s why no one should be exempt because we have entered a time where the way of doing business has changed and you will need to have a different skill set today going forward. I suggest you get with your Sales Managers and Service Managers and devise and plan of attack as how you can approach the Pandemic that has literally change the day to operation of a dealership as we have know it. The training should focus, ways to communicate with customer, text messaging, video training on how to do a virtual walk around, home test drives and health in the work environment as well as the use of Social Media. Each dealership will have its own agenda as to how they adapt to selling cars and servicing customers but no matter what training will be the king of it all.
Social Media…Take Advantage!
With over 80 percent of the American workforce being home quarantined the usage of Social Media viewing time will drastically increase. At one point in a recent study in Forbes Magazine, roughly 45% of the World’s Population uses Social Media during their down time. Well now for Americans who will be home for as long as couple of weeks to a couple months until the Pandemic ends, Their Social Media usage will increase from the average person spending nearly 2 hours and 30 minutes per day to probably 3 to 4 hours per day. There lies and opportunity for dealership across the country to get stronger in their digital marketing and advertising. I suggest if you have not already place on your dealership’s website, Social Media pages that you are open for business online and that you can purchase a car all online. Going live on Social Media outlets is another great way to connect with your customers or potential customers that you are keeping your dealership clean as well as talking about your adjusted business hours. This also a great time to get your ads on to Social Media and maybe even offering “A Store to Driveway Service” of their new car. Basically you will have to really be more Customer Service Oriented in the sense of your buyers will all be communication with you differently now. This is good because the new challenge that is in front you, is in an experience that will make your dealerships so much better because of the adjustments you will have made. So take full advantage of this current situation and become dominant in the lane of digital market and selling through Social Media.
Other Ideas To Sell Cars During COVID-19
Each day will bring a new challenge simply because our world as we normally know it has been turn upside down by this current New Normal. However, there are so many opportunities out there that just need to be brought to life. Your ideas will come from meeting, talks with other dealers like yourself, Automotive News and Car Biz Television. Wherever they may come from they will have been thought out and well designed. You have the opportunity to become one of those dealers who can possibly set a new trend when comes to selling cars during the coronvirus crisis. I want to leave you with some other ideas to help you get your creative juices flowing to make your dealership better.
1.) Make Customer Safety a Big Deal: Create a video for the customer who has agreed to purchase a car showing them the clean process of the exact car they are buying to ensure their safety. People are afraid and we must create a new level of trust with our customers.
2.) Create A Cleaning Process: Post on your website, place video on your service department televisions in your waiting areas that show and talk about you cleaning the service area multiple times a day. Also, create one that will letting them know how you will clean their car after service is completed.
3.) Offer Valet and Drop Off Service: Now more than ever people are going to want service and will need service to their vehicles now that they are home. Which means you may want to consider them dropping the car off and perhaps having the dropped by at home or work depending on their situation to ensure their safety as well provide them with simple easy in an out service.
4.) Online Service Appointment Setting and E-Pay Service Billing: If you do not have appointment setting and electronic billing system in your Service Department, well you had better get with the time. People are looking for convenience and emailing or texting your customer their bill would certainly be great or to go a step a further email the itemized bill with a breakdown of their bill. Also, provide them with them the options to call their Service Advisor who can go over any issues or concerns on the bill. Just know that you must get creative and think what would make the customer experience a good visit right now.
5.) Utilize Customer Mining Tools: Whether you use Auto Alert, Automotive Mastermind or whatever your customer mining tool of choice is now is the time to take a deep dive into it. Everyone should have a system in place and a Sales Manager that oversees this as another entire department. Equity Mining can truly enhance your dealerships numbers as well as your dealerships gross profits. Since customers will have more time on their hands at home, what a perfect opportunity for you to reach out to them and talk to them about taking advantage of their vehicles equity. Equity that may ever keep their payments the same or perhaps lower their payment. Just know this right now there are customers who lease will be ending during this Pandemic, there will be customers who’s loan is almost completely paid off and there are some nice older cars that you can use on your Used Car Lot. We must utilize everything we have and make deals continue to happen.
Now is the time that all dealerships must adapt and adjust how the sell cars, take care of their customers in Service and how well each one of you utilize your customer base when using your mining tool. The times have change and you all must keep moving forward.
*Lastly, tweak and make the adjustments necessary to your new ways of selling and servicing customers until you perfect it!
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