Stereotypes run deep in the auto industry—the sleazy car salesman, or the mechanic who’s trying to charge you for all you’re worth. And while we know those stereotypes aren’t true, your customers may not. In fact, an article published by Forbes shows that only 8% of Americans have a high trust in car salespeople they’ve dealt with, the majority viewing them as dishonest and unethical.
This has a major impact on customer relationships and your bottom line. The best way to dispel those negative assumptions about your dealership’s service is through better customer communication.
How Customer Communication Encourages Long-Term Relationships
The primary purpose of your car dealership is to sell and service cars, but in order to experience continued success long-term, it’s important to continually improve the customer service aspect of your business too. After all, it’s easier to sell customers a new car or have them return to your dealership for maintenance and repair services if they already have a good relationship with your dealership, and trust that you’re not trying to take advantage of them.
With only 13% of customers believing that a salesperson actually understands what the customer wants, your dealership can pull away from the crowd by investing in communication skills and tools that foster a relationship with your customers. Here are 7 ways to improve customer communication.
1. Get to know their car-buying experience
Is this their first time buying a car? What about their first time buying from a dealership? They’ll need a different experience depending on whether it’s their first time or tenth time working with a dealership.
2. Ask open-ended questions
Instead of simply asking customers what they need done, try to engage them in a conversation. By using open-ended questions that require more than just a “yes” or “no” response, you can help customers feel heard and understood.
3. Communicate any needed repairs in plain language
If a car needs some work, don’t try to hide or embellish the need for repairs. Customers appreciate honesty and clarity, and they’ll be more likely to trust you with their car if they know you’re not trying to pull one over on them. Passing the information directly to the customer can help you improve the communication within your dealership, and will ultimately help you avoid any of the misunderstandings that might otherwise happen.
4. Use technology, like video texting, to your advantage
92% of all customer interactions happen over the phone—it’s so much easier for customers to get all the information on their phone first and then schedule an in-person appointment to seal the deal.
With a tool like video texting, you can send a detailed video of a car’s features and conditions directly to an interested buyer. While this only takes a few minutes, a personalized video for a potential buyer makes the difference between a committed salesperson and one who’s just looking to fill a quota.
5. Use texting to answer questions and send questionnaires
Customers don’t always have time to call your dealership or stop by when they have a question. With texting, you can reach out in real-time and answer their questions as efficiently as possible. And with features like questionnaires, you can gather information about what customers are looking for in a car, or questions they have about a repair, so that you can provide them with better service.
6. Focus on building trust and respect through your interactions
Your goal should be to build a long-term relationship with your customers, not just make as many sales and schedule as many services as possible within the next few months. This means focusing not only on providing quality customer service, but also on cultivating trust and showing that you respect your customers and their needs.
7. Remember that customer communication is a two-way street
Customers aren’t the only ones who need to communicate well to build better relationships. When you interact with potential buyers or current customers, make sure to listen as much as you talk and be willing to adjust based on their needs.
By focusing on improving your customer communication, you can build more positive relationships with your customers and improve the overall service of your dealership. Your reputation will go a long way in helping you to sell and service cars—and to keep customers coming back again and again.
Bump Your Show Rate by Over 20% With TruVideo
With simple technological tools, your customers can get instant answers to their questions and learn to trust your sales and service people. We wanted to upend the stereotypes of the auto industry so we developed TruVideo: an easy-to-use video texting platform that can help you boost your show rate by over 20%.
TruVideo allows you to communicate with prospective buyers without sharing private information. You can send personalized sales videos, answer questions, and gather analytics that can help you better understand your customers and improve their experience. With a few easy steps, you can send a video to potential car buyers and see how they respond in real-time.
Book a demo or sign up for TruVideo today and start using simple technology to improve your customer communication. We guarantee that you’ll see an increase in show rates—and sales!
