We’ve tried, in many different ways, to capture the challenge that automotive retailers face where extended lead times are concerned, but there is one main element it comes down to – emotion.
Buying a new car is a commitment, an emotional commitment, as much as a financial one and if you as a retailer want to maintain the right levels of satisfaction within your customers, you really need to be empathetic to this emotional roller-coaster.
The point of no return
There’s a problem though, and this is a really important point.
At the moment of order commitment, the two main people in this relationship, the sales person and the customer, see their emotions go in opposite directions, as is illustrated below:
For the sales person it’s the end of the journey, they've confirmed the order and the elation has hit its highest point. It must now return to earth to ensure there is focus on the next deal.
The customer, however, is unlocking new levels of excitement for the first time. They have made a big commitment and their motivation has never been higher. Thus, a gap is created, or as we call it, the Experience Gap.
And that Experience Gap can hit your revenue levels in a number of ways (if you want help to understand which of these ways is most costly to you, we’d be happy to discuss it with you).
There are, of course, certain factors that widen that gap and cause it to be more of a problem then it needs to be. Lack of communication and extended waiting time, for instance.
So, what does everyone want?
Different question, same topic, what do all parties really want at this point?
Sales Exec: Wants to head back to the showroom or welcome the next opportunity that represents their next commission cheque, safe in the belief that the customer who has just completed the order is completely satisfied.
Customer: Wants his or her hand to be held on to and wants to continue to kept in the loop by the dealer as every day that passes without contact increases uncertainty. What the customer absolutely doesn’t want, is to be left stranded with no information, no contact and a growing anxiety over the purchase.
What actually happens?
Well, what most often happens is that both parties head off in different directions because they both want different things. But, the good news is that this isn’t a problem that has gone unnoticed. Many retailers are trying to do something about it.
Some are building call centre teams to constantly call customers and ‘check in’, others are leaning on the sales teams to regularly stay in touch – though one approach is expensive to scale and the other is, for multiple reasons, difficult and often unfair given the length of time involved, to execute.
So, how do you make the sales team more effective and ensure they get in touch with customers with the right information and at the right time?
Simultaneously, how do you adopt a hands-off approach to personalised communication between the lengthening order and handover gap?
All the data would suggest AutoBuzz is delivering harmonious sales/customer relationships, closing the gap and driving extra revenue for the retailer – so why not take a look for yourself.
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