Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Have you ever gone to one of those sales pitches when you are on vacation where they try to sell you a timeshare? It seems straightforward enough. But, you may or may not see what’s coming next. They offer cool free stuff like vacation nights, a dinner, maybe tickets to a show, or even cold hard cash. But honestly, I don’t know many people who enjoy going through those pitches. You know why? Because you thought you were getting one thing and you got pushed into another. It’s a story as old as time.
The same can be said for a customer that responds to the widget on your website that says, ‘SELL US YOUR CAR - START HERE”. Chances are that if you are like most dealers, the customer that filled out that form and is willing to proceed with selling you their car, is going to be put through a process that is not quite what they were looking for.
- At any point in your response process, before you agree on a figure for the customer's vehicle, do you inquire about what the customer is going to do after they sell their car?
- At any point in your response process, do you refrain from giving the customer a realistic number without even coming in?
- Are you not willing to give a customer a number before they give you their name and contact info?
If you and your team can answer ‘yes’ to any of the questions above, you’ve fallen into the same confusing sales techniques as the time-share peddlers. In order to improve your chances of acquiring every single unit, you and your team must be 100% dedicated to the request the customer has come to you for. Respect the customer's request to only sell you their car by providing a team and process that is dedicated to that first and foremost. This is customer experience 101. Work to earn their respect by being conscious of their time and request, and efficiently provide them with the information they are looking for.
When a customer fills out the form on your website that says “SELL US YOUR CAR”, that’s what they want to do. If they wanted to TRADE their car, their initial engagement likely would have been different. Pay attention to your customer and their needs, and you’ll find more opportunities to acquire vehicles easily.
For more information about putting in a process that addresses these consumers, feel free to reach out to me directly or be sure to come by the booth at NADA and ask for Tim. You can even schedule an appointment to see me right now.
