Trust is the one area of focus that can improve your auto sales and service business more than anything else. Without it, consumers simply won’t buy from you, and they won’t trust you to service their cars. Below are seven things you can do right away to improve trust and transparency and boost your company’s reputation, growth, and revenue.
#1 – Be Friendly (and Genuine)
If you want your customers to trust your sales and service teams, then genuine friendliness is key. Consumers can spot a bad mood from a mile away, and they also know when friendliness is a farce. When hiring people to work for you, make sure they have a friendly disposition. Better still, provide tips during a weekly meeting to help your employees learn to truly value the customer interaction and communicate more effectively whether in person or otherwise.
#2 – Show Interest in Your Customers
Today’s consumers gravitate toward companies that listen to them, so if your sales or service team isn’t doing that, then you’re missing out on growth and revenue. For example, if a customer mentions having twin babies, your sales team should proactively talk about cars with good safety ratings or vehicles that make car safety seat installation a snap.
#3 – Pay Attention to Customers’ Needs
When a customer talks with a salesperson about his or her needs and budget, it’s imperative for the salesperson to stick to this as much as possible. Showing a car that’s well outside of the customer’s budget or showing a sportscar when the customer wants to see minivans shows that you aren’t paying attention. It may even come across as pushy.
#4 – Share Videos with Customers
More than three-fourths of consumers start their research online before ever stepping onto the lot, so it’s up to you to help these consumers find reasons to buy from you online. Share videos on your social media channels and your website that will entice people to come take a test drive. There are numerous video platforms that make recording a high-definition video incredibly simple and foolproof, too.
#5 – Don’t Shy Away from Negotiating Prices
By the time a customer comes to your lot ready to buy, they already know how much the car they want should cost, and if they feel your price is too high – or if they think they can get a better deal – they will absolutely negotiate. Think about ways you can offer discounts or even add value in another area, whether that involves free oil changes for a year or even a brand-new set of tires. This can make all the difference when it comes to moving cars off your lot.
#6 – Only Promise What You Can Really Deliver
One of the worst things an auto dealer can do is make promises he or she can’t keep. Consumers say they’ve been promised a car in good condition, then discovered serious issues that were not disclosed to them after traveling 75 miles to take it for a test drive. Don’t give your customers reasons to distrust you, and only promise what you know you can make good on.
#7 – Invest in the Best Technologies
Finally, a big part of building trust with your customers involves providing them with the best, fastest, and most efficient service you can, and technology plays an important role in that. Whether it involves using technology to send well-timed text messages to your service customers or an email platform that allows you to schedule emails in batches based on demographic, these things really can make a huge difference. Better customer service leads to more trust.
Earning your customers’ trust doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, most of it simply involves showing interest in them and listening to their wants and needs. Aside from this, be careful about making promises and make sure you’re offering the best possible value you can. At the end of the day, these are the things that will help you build a better reputation and facilitate your growth.
