In a declining automotive market, keeping existing customers and
gaining new ones becomes ever-more challenging. Providing an
outstanding experience can make all the difference in keeping
customers with the brand and helping towards a dealer’s future
economic success.
When showroom visitors tell US motor dealer Chad
Collier that they are “just looking” – it is music to his ears.
Because that is when the customers are introduced to Lena – the
dealer’s “perfect” salesperson. She never has a bad day – or
pre-judges customers. Neither does she act inappropriately or put a
foot wrong. Furthermore, her sales presentations are always
consistent and she treats every customer exactly the same. Her
performance numbers are impressive also. These include a 33 percent
increase in closing ratios and a 19 percent rise in new car sales,
whilst her gross profit per sale has grown by £135 and customer
satisfaction by 7 percent.
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“Often when customers come back into the
showroom they list Lena as being their sales person”
Lena, however, is a woman on an interactive
personal digit assistant (PDA) sales device that Collier and his
father created. They formed a company called I’m a Looker to market
the hand-held unit to other dealerships and, possibly,
manufacturers. The PDA is pre-loaded with video walk-around
presentations of all new vehicles in stock.
Collier explains; “Car-buying customers’ perception
of the buying process has brought consumer confidence to an
all-time low. So when customers say ‘I’m just looking’ our
salesperson hands them the device with a quick explanation of how
it works. The customer can then walk round the dealership without a
salesperson, and touch the picture of any vehicle. Meanwhile, the
salesperson scans the customers’ drivers’ licence for follow-up
purposes.”
“Lena appears on the screen and does a short walk
around the vehicle. It’s amazing how the customer does exactly what
Lena suggests. If Lena tells them to step back – they do. Often
when customers come back into the showroom they list Lena as being
their sales person. We have also started handing the device to
customers waiting in the service department – now they are not
sitting around watching Jerry Springer or watching our competitors’
commercials!”
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By GlobalDataLena, who is in fact a TV personality from
Mississippi (and also a motor dealer’s wife) also does the finance
and insurance presentation. I’m a Looker allowed the Collier group
to reduce its sales staff by 20 percent.
It does, however, employ senior citizens to hand
out the devices to customers who come in to browse on Sundays.
“That,” Collier adds, “allows us to convert those
Sunday shoppers into real opportunities.”
