5 Ways to Improve your Dealerships Customer Experience!

You’ve set your advertising budget. You’ve got some killer creative. Your ads have been placed, but you don’t see a huge return on your investment. You poll your staff for answers. You check your results from years’ past, and you find that everything is in order. Then it hits you. Maybe it’s not your advertising…it could be your new sales team.

Salespeople can be great for your auto dealership (when they are performing at their best). But if you let your team slack, or start to run things their own way, that can be a recipe for disaster.

Below are 5 things you can do-right now-to create a better customer service experience for your shoppers and generate more sales!

1) Greet your customers with a smile. Sounds easy right? But if your sales floor is full of “sad sacks” or your team that is not “gelling,” your customers will be able to tell. They will not feel comfortable handing over tens of thousands of dollars to a drippy salesperson or an unhappy sales floor. Also, tell your team, no texting or surfing social networks on their smartphones. Customers like to see an engaged, productive and attentive sales floor. If everyone is sitting around staring at their cellphones, customers will feel like they are not important enough to be greeted professionally when they arrive. Try team building exercises for your group, this is a great way to keep them motivated.

2) Provide a neat and polished salesperson. Men should be clean shaven, have clean/pressed shirts and slacks. Their desk should be unsoiled and organized. No food or drink on the desk and definitely no personal items like cigarettes and a lighter. Kids are very fidgety–they’ll touch anything! Salespeople should also not smell like smoke after their personal breaks. As for women, they should go easy on the perfume and their clothes should be professional and conservative. Personal calls should be kept to a minimum and both men and women should not be caught flirting on the job. Your reputation is everything and your sales team is the face of your auto dealership.

3) Never talk (bad) about previous customers with a new shopper. They’ll think about why that person didn’t buy from you and they’ll wonder if they should do business with you too! They’ll also worry what you’ll say about them after they leave. Tell your team to keep thoughts about their customers to themselves. This could be one reason why 25% of auto buyers won’t even speak with a salesperson or they may give a cold, “just looking” response. They may be fearful of rejection or wondering if the salesperson will take them seriously or worse, talk down to them.

4) Don’t pounce! Learn to read a customers’ body language. As customers stroll around your auto showroom floor sales people should be aware, but not aggressive. Learning to read exactly when a customer is ready for you to approach will give you a tremendous edge in the sales process. Gaining a customers’ trust will go a long way during the sale. Customer feedback has shown if the customer feels pressure from the manager or salesperson, they’ll share this experience with family and friends, impacting future sales for your dealership.

5) Use your Team! Surveys have shown, 56% of car shoppers say; if the car buying process was easier they would buy more often. So, if a customer has a question that you cannot answer, grab a team member to help you out! There is no shame in asking for help from a specialist or someone who is more knowledgeable about certain features in the car, or an option the customer is looking to purchase. Your customer will thank you for being so detailed and they may reward you with the sale right there! A positive customer experience is vital to the continued success of your dealership.