In your dealership, you’re likely missing out on a ton of revenue by not prioritizing customer experience enough.
You’re likely missing out on a ton of revenue by not prioritizing customer experience in the automotive industry enough! By focusing on a great customer experience, you can supercharge your sales.
A survey by Cox Automotive found that only 7% of all car buyers buy online. The rest still involve some one-on-one interaction, which means you need to provide them with a personal customer experience of some sort.
The survey highlights the need to focus on personalized customer interactions, which are crucial for up to 93% of sales. A personalized experience can ensure customer satisfaction, often leading to repeat sales.
Jake Brief, the Director of Preferred Ownership at Empire Automotive Group says:
“Providing a better customer experience benefits not only the dealership, but also the salesperson. From a dealership standpoint, providing a better customer experience will help maintain market share in your area.
Having your staff consistently ask for reviews and referrals will then help grow your market share, but you cannot expect them to do so unless the customer had a good experience.
Tying that into a salesperson’s benefit, if you give customers a fantastic experience, whether the customer buys from you or not, they will still sing your praises to anyone they talk to and you can still ask for a review without making a sale.
Experience alone can also be enough to cause a customer to buy from you, even if your deal is not as attractive. There is a saying in the automotive industry - make a friend, sell a car.”
Creating great experiences that help you stand out in the automotive industry takes effort. How customers buy cars has changed a lot. Dealerships must adapt to new customer preferences or lose customers. Here are some of the benefits of adapting.
Accenture found that 92% of dealerships believe customer experience is important. Engaging customers can ensure a positive customer experience.
These engagements can include test drives and seamless communication channels. One way to do this is to provide an avenue for regular feedback and continuous improvements. By working on increasing engagement, you can create customer loyalty and deepen engagement for business success.
Brand loyalty is essential to a positive customer experience. Customers who feel understood will be loyal to a brand. Zippia found that 60% of brand loyalty is because of the customer experience.
Loyal customers can promote your business, helping to grow sales. Zippia found that 72% of customers share good experiences with at least six people.
Satisfied customers can help you grow revenue and sales. According to a report by Emplifi, 61% of customers will pay 5% more if they get a positive customer experience. On a long-term basis, that can be a meaningful boost.
The products you sell are usually the same. To stand out, work on customer experience. Emplifi found that better customer experience can boost customer retention by 42%.
Are you willing to ask your customers better questions in your dealership to get better results and more sales?
One of the central tenets of Quantum5, an award-winning platform, is to 'win customers for life.' To do so, we need to use our limited time with them to the best of our ability.
The goal is to sell cars while also trying to gain the trust of customers who often don't trust us. We must focus on using our time to get to know who our customers are.
When I had a customer at my desk or on the lot, I asked the same industry-wide questions everyone knows:
Car buyers have heard these questions at every dealership. Of course, there must be a place for some of these questions. Otherwise, we would miss crucial information if we did not ask them. We miss opportunity after opportunity to know why our customer is here.
Every customer comes into the dealership for a reason, even the ones who say they are “just looking.” We can keep this encounter at surface level, walk the lot with them, or try to understand their true motivator.
A customer who is just looking may have needed a car for months but is still determining if they can purchase one. Customers who want a brand-new car could need a vehicle with better gas mileage. They may also unexpectedly have to drive a loved one around more often. The possible motivators are endless.
Have you ever shown customers a car they don’t seem interested in? They just want to know if it has the safety technology they want.
We cannot connect our presentation to their motivators if we don’t uncover why they are interested in a car. Each moment we spend with the customer is a chance to build a valuable relationship. If we fail, we show them we are no different from every other salesperson they have met.
Many customers want to keep their information private, so how do we uncover why they are here? At Quantum5, the answer lies in results-focused questions designed to trigger people to share more.
Salespeople often ask customers the same old questions and complain about the results. Instead of, “Why did you pick this one out?” say, “Can you describe what you like about this one for me.” You might discover it has an excellent safety rating or the speakers they want.
The question is, are you willing to ask different questions to get better results?
Understanding what customers need is the core of a great customer experience in the automotive industry. Quantum can help you quickly boost your team skills with training and tools. It can ensure that your team has the skills to improve the customer experience even amid the digital evolution.
Want to improve your dealership’s customer experience?
Unlock your exclusive Quantum5 demo today.
Customers value a personalized experience above all else. They are more likely to buy when dealerships offer such an experience.
The purpose of customer experience in automotive industry is to improve how customers interact with a brand. This can help to grow profits and revenue.
One way to identify customer needs is with well-formulated questionnaires, like the one created by Quantum5. These can give you insight into their needs and help you identify patterns.
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