By: Kristen C., Marketing Coordinator
The Automotive Marketing Gurus are back from another week of learning and growing at the Digital Dealer Conference in Las Vegas. We participated in a variety of educational tracks that focused on dealer ops & leadership, sales strategy & variable ops, and marketing & advertising.
In part one of our post-Digital Dealer blog, we will focus on building TRUST đ¤ and credibility with community involvement, changing the automotive industryâs narrative, and improving your in-store process and customer experience.
Customer acquisition begins with trust and trust builds credibility. đ¤
Earn your communityâs trust and build your credibility by getting involved in your local community. It can be your biggest asset if you take advantage of it! There are many ways your dealership can get involved, but one of the most promising ways is sponsorships. It is not enough to verbally support your community; get involved and sponsor your local high schoolâs sports team and recreational departmentâs sports team. If your service manager hasnât joined the local tech colleges committee, we highly encourage it! This can be beneficial by not only participating in their learning events surrounding their courses, but you could earn a carte blanche selection of great intern opportunities for the service department - who needs some Lube Techs?! đ§
Another way to boost your credibility is by taking photos in front of local and famous landmarks. This can heavily influence your organic exposure allowing you to spend less on paid advertising. The saying still holds trueâŚactions speak louder
than words!
đ° âSELL US YOUR CARâ | Is Your Message Different?
In the last couple of years, consumers have turned to Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace to buy and sell vehicles. But, how often do you read stories about individuals having bad experiences, getting robbed or even killed? đ
These have become very complicated and dangerous options. One of the biggest downfalls of the automotive industry is consumers feeling pressured or forced to make a single decision. Letâs change the narrative! Letâs show them that selling and trading their vehicle to YOUR dealership is the only SAFE option. Financially and physically. While at Digital Dealer, we heard from dealers who are giving consumers options using real monetary values. Provide consumers with actual numbers reflecting what they would get for their vehicle if they traded or sold it to companies like Carvana or an individual on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace versus what they would get if they traded or sold their vehicle to you, a DEALER. Customers are much more likely to trust you when they are given more than one option and do not feel like they are being forced to make one decision. And letâs not forget, acquiring vehicles is an ART! Be sure to have a champion or an âAcquisition & Appraisal Managerâ that is leading the charge.
Your dealership's success begins internally. It is imperative to have a quality in-store process to create a positive customer experience. One way to really improve your in-store processes is through one-on-one reviews with not just your sales team, but your service and all other supporting teams - like accounting and receptionist! Use this time to review data and challenges that arose the previous week, and build genuine relationships with your employees through timely and accountable training. This strategy will allow your sales team to continue to learn and grow in this space allowing for a more positive customer experience. Furthermore, a positive customer experience builds long-term relationships and repeat business!
If you are looking to learn more about how to get involved in your community, how to earn your customerâs trust, or how to improve your in-store process, please reach out to our team!
Visit us at www.amg.team
Jonathan Thompson, Lead Guru | CEO email: jt@amg.team