Automotive Intelligence Insights
Part 5

This article is part of the weekly Insights Series, in which Automotive Intelligence shares techniques, tips & tricks that you can use to become a better, smarter car salesperson, even in the times of corona. Part 5 of AM-i Insights is about our changing world: the good, the bad, and what you can do about it.

Recap

In part 4 of Automotive Intelligence Insights, we discussed old-school and new-school sales plans. Is your approach entirely numbers-based, or have you put some thought into how to actually achieve your targets? We explained which preparations deserve a little extra attention, such as researching your customer, fleshing out your quotes and setting up extra services like contactless test drives. Once you’ve done all that, you can determine your optimal ratio: how many quotes does it take to sell one car?

Automotive Intelligence Insights Part 4

New habits

A month ago, colleagues, friends, athletes and students alike still had to get used to talking to each other at a distance, but by now video conferencing has become somewhat of a fixture in our everyday lives. Singing groups use Zoom to practice, we socialise with our colleagues on our computer or iPad, from the comfort of our own sofa, and you can attend a yoga class on Skype. Over the past few months, we’ve seen myriad new ways to meet each other and provide the same services we always have. All of this is excellent news for Online Consultation and online & offline car sales. Whereas customers and sales reps alike still had to get used to using ‘new’ communication methods at first, these have now become a new habit. What’s more, there are even some practical benefits, such as a significant reduction in travel time.

The bad

Using new sales tools, such as Online Consultation, is gradually becoming more normal, which is a great help to us sales reps. However, it’s not all looking up. It doesn’t take a genius to see that coronavirus has taken its toll if your usual figure of 20 cars sold a month has dropped to 5. The trick is not to let that discourage you as a company or as a sales rep. Positive energy is rewarded with positive results. If customers have stopped turning up to your showroom, find out who your customers are, see when they last bought a car and determine how you can convince them to buy a new one. If you’d like to take another look at the best way to go about this, read part 2 of AM-i Insights.

Six days. Six cars.

Take your time for phone calls

So you’ve prepared some quotes and know which customers you’ll be calling. Now it’s very important to take your time for your phone calls. A good rule of thumb is to reserve about 30 minutes per call. Don’t worry, it doesn’t mean you’ll have to spend 30 minutes talking to each customer. Rather, those 30 minutes will give you the time to remind yourself of the following first:

• Who is your customer? Take a look at their LinkedIn profile or the notes you took earlier.
• What is their history? What car are they currently driving and have they brought it in for maintenance recently?
• What are you selling? Look over the specifications of the car and the quote you’ve prepared. How has this car/quote been made as relevant as possible for the customer?

When you have all relevant information in front of you, you can pick up the phone. Of course, you can take the time for some small talk first. If the conversation turns to the effects of the crisis, it’s best to keep your story positive: emphasise that it took some getting used to, but that business is still going well, thanks in part to new tools such as Online Consultation. Telling a positive story will help you increase your chances of success. Mention the car. If the customer is interested, you can suggest sending the Online Consultation link right away. There’s no need to talk to about the quote yet. Looking at the AIDA model (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action), you can also offer a contactless test drive first, to make sure to boost the customer’s Desire before discussing the quote in a follow-up Online Consultation. Have another good look at all the ‘ducks you can get into a row’.

Getting your ducks in a row

Reinvent yourself

We’ve said it before: it’s very important that you don’t let adversity keep you down. On the contrary, now is an excellent time for companies and sales reps to reinvent themselves. Sales reps who are used to being overlooked now have an opportunity to really make a change and even people who have always been doubtful of new technology are now forced to seriously consider it. The same applies to dealerships and car companies in general. Far-reaching automation, watertight customer journeys and a data-driven approach have been standard practice in other industries for almost a decade. In other words: adventure calls. Are we brave and resourceful enough to answer that call?

Share your tips and experiences

Help your colleagues improve their sales skills by sharing your tips with AM-i. If you have a golden tip or approach that works a treat with Online Consultation? Share your experiences by sending an email to support@am-i.nl and we’ll include them in AM-i Insights.

To find out more about AM-i Carstock and Online Consultation, visit the website and make an appointment for a live demo.

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