I’ve discussed the reasons why your sales staff needs to demonstrate its expertise on every unit in your dealership. Here’s how successful dealerships are doing just that.
Mike Anderson Auto Group has been able to close sales without double discounting and taking the subsequent reduction in gross profits or closing rates. They did this by proactively building value into every car. How?
- They sold consumers on specific units—not on the model alone.
- The sales team proactively pointed out the differences between their units and their competitors’ instead of waiting to be asked by the consumer.
The Right Tools
Essentially, Anderson armed its staff with the tools to become product experts instead of salespeople. And it’s not just about building value—it’s also about developing trust in your process. Remember, consumers inherently distrust car salespeople. But by taking a proactive approach, Anderson created a sense of “transparency” in the process.
Tools like MAX Digital Showroom allow salespeople to search for specific stock or VIN numbers and access detailed vehicle information—including packages, MSRP values, and certified information—all of which helps you sell on value rather than price.
Salespeople can email this information directly to customers while they’re on the lot so they can view it on their own devices. Anderson’s sales team was able to develop trust by sharing this information with customers versus simply telling them.
Amazing Results
In the end, Anderson no longer had to discount to get the deal closed (or if they did, the discounts were significantly smaller). Because the salespeople provided detailed information proactively and offered a sense of transparency, customers were confident that they were getting a good value at the asking price. As a result, Anderson raised its pre-owned gross profits by more than $700 per car.
The old ways of closing a sale are no longer relevant. Today, you have to build trust and value into every car on your lot. That’s what Mike Anderson Auto Group has done, and the results speak for themselves.
