Get to Know Your Customer
The 2008 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index® U.S. Auto Industry Study set out to study how customers were treated while shopping for new vehicles. They used mystery shoppers to visit auto dealerships nationwide who reported back about the customer service they received. Among many other, interesting facts, the study found that auto sales people were more likely to:
- Mention the availability of different financing options.
- Handle any required wait professionally.
- Make special orders simple and easy.
Sales people were less likely, however, to ask info-gathering questions like:
- Why the shopper was considering the particular brand.
- What the customer’s price range was.
- How the vehicle would be used and by whom.
Judging by the types of questions these sales people asked, it appears as though their main goal is to make the car shopping process quicker and easier for potential buyers. While this will help improve the experience of your shoppers, it’s important that it go beyond this. Customer service shouldn’t stop at the efficiency and ease of the transaction.
It is extremely important that your sales people are actually finding out what their customers want and need their cars for. Many shoppers will come into the showroom, full of facts and figures that they found on the Internet, but it’s still the job of a sales person to discuss the car choice and make sure it’s the right fit.
It can be tempting to get the sale and get out, quickly moving on to the next. However, your long term sales, referrals, and overall customer satisfaction will be much higher if you take the time to ensure your customers are getting a vehicle that is right for them, their lifestyle, and their budget.
If this isn’t incentive enough, think about the possibilities of an up-sell. Asking what the budget is, the down payment amount, or their ideal monthly payment all open the door to finding a “better” vehicle to fit their needs. When you find out more about the buyer and their lifestyle, you have more room to negotiate and open their eyes to the vehicles they could end up wanting and buying.
As a sales person, it’s imperative that you know your product; but it’s also extremely advantageous to know your customers.
