“I think we are headed for a recession and I’m not really sure there’s a lot we can do around it on a macro level. So, we need to make sure our businesses are best-placed,” explained Waylands Automotive CEO, John O’Hanlon during an interview with Car Dealer.
He continued:
“We’re spending a lot of time looking at how we market to our customers, making sure that we’re absolutely sending the right messages, making sure those customers are aware of what product we’ve got.”
Many in the automotive retail sector will be thinking the same because it’s imperative that each section of the buying journey is analysed, maximised and improved upon while these recession waves crash against the rocks.
This isn’t just about automation, though that’s the easy go-to during the tougher times. If one of the biggest expenses is people, how can businesses automate activity and spend less?
With the likelihood that enquiries, order numbers and sales will drop, this is an opportunity to get more from existing resources. Those retailers that focus on being more strategic with customers post-order, will get more from their customers.
Therefore, each customer has to be worth more to those businesses that plan to find routes to growth during a recession.
So, where are the opportunities and what can businesses do differently to drive up revenue when order numbers are low?
The opportunity that presents itself to every automotive retailer today is order to handover. With new car supply still struggling, a period of time exists that can be targeted by the determined-to-thrive sales teams.
Customers may well have placed an order, but the order numbers will be dropping. The focus must turn to post-order, pre-handover. This period of time can stretch out to six, eight or even 12 months giving ample time to flip it from an anxious waiting time to an exciting, profitable space where customers spend more.
We saw in a recent Judge Services piece on AM Online’s website that dealers are failing to sell Service Plans at point of order. These missed opportunities have to stop, and automating communication to customers while they wait for their new vehicle to arrive can flag the opportunities and as well as highlight the flight risks.
Our solution, AutoBuzz, simply integrates with CRM and triggers emails to customers while they wait, directing them to an individual, personalised website we call a WelcomeHub.
The WelcomeHub is packed with details of the new car, local team and (importantly) some of the additional products and services customers can get excited about for the next few months. AutoBuzz alerts sales teams when activity levels are high, or when they are low which could indicate a potentially dis-engaged customer.
If you want to target this period of time in a smart, intelligent and data-driven way, integrate AutoBuzz and maximise this ignored stage of the buying journey.
Want to find out more, hear about how our automotive clients are using the platform or simply see a demo for yourself? Click here to Get in Touch, we’d be happy to have a conversation and have you set up on AutoBuzz for the new year.
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