For business owners that are not savvy with the internet, using social media as a medium to keep your business name in front of your customers as a marketing tool may seem like a daunting task. You may ask what does the word social have to do with my business marketing anyway. In today’s online plugged in world – everything!
Actually most dealerships and service facilities are already using BDC or internet sales marketing to compliment their marketing strategies, therefore using social media will take your marketing to an entirely new level. Check within your facility especially within your internet sales or BDC and find out WHO on your team knows how to set up your social media to showcase your dealership or service facility.
For example;
You can use Flickr to showcase your new and used vehicles, or display photographs of your service facility and its amenities to your existing and potential customers.
YouTube gives the benefit of showcasing your products such as performing a walk around on each model that you sell, videos show the benefit and value in each model. Videos are a powerful tool as a video creates excitement, especially when the presentation exudes passion and excellent delivery of product knowledge.
Writing a company Blog and having a weekly or monthly posting creates transparency for your business, transparency can go a long way to create and generate interest in your facility. You can create links on your blog to the causes your company supports, recounting special fundraising events you have held. You can post special sales events, servicing events and new product launch dates. A blog can be created to showcase your employees or the employee of the month or it can be used to post the name and picture of your latest addition to your staff. You can post service stories or customer testimonials on your blog. The best part is that writing a blog and keeping a blog site in most cases is free, the only items you need to bring to the table are your ideas.
Twitter can be set up with your personalized background and be ready for your first tweet in less than one hour.
Twitter also allows you to quickly and easily post updates from your phone using SMS text messages. Twitter can be used to tweet when you;
- Expanded your service department
- Hired a new employee
- Have a service special
- Have openings for service appointment that day
- Have a sales special
- Have a service or sales event
- Are looking to hire new employees
- Announcing a service campaign
- Want to convey a message to your customers
Facebook allows you to create a business page free! This is an HUGE benefit to your business for several reasons.
1. A few days after you’ve added a Facebook business page you will probably see your Facebook page right underneath (or sometimes above) your actual business website when you Google your business name. Creating a Facebook business page will instantly give your search rankings a boost which helps direct more traffic to your business.
2. Customers can become fans of your Facebook page. This allows you to send updates to all of your fans, (customers) and instantly send out updates to everyone including potential customers without spending a penny on marketing or advertising.
3. Every fan you have is like a little ad on the Facebook page. Each customer that becomes a fan of your Facebook business page has a link back to your page on their profile, this ends up being hundreds or even thousands of link ads throughout Facebook advertising your company for FREE.
4. The marketing idea is to keep your Facebook fans constantly thinking about your business, when they need your particular brand product or service, you are the first business they think of.
5. The best part of Facebook is that all of this service is FREE and drives more traffic to your business! Who wouldn’t want that, right?
It is imperative to make sure that people are thinking of your business when they are looking for a brand, product or service that you offer. Social Networking allows your business to keep in touch with your existing customers at the touch of a button and build new relationships with very little effort and it’s FREE!
To watch an exceptional dealership promotional video click here Video
To hear a podcast of twitter for business click here Twitter
Get busy socializing and get more customers in your door!
David
Friday, September 3, 2010
Coax Your Employee's Talents
Understand the fact that you cannot change your employees. You can only coax them to bring their talents to the surface. Do your employees know what you expect of them each and every day? Do your employees have the tools or materials required to effectively perform their duties or responsibilities? Do you as an owner or manager genuinely care about your employees? Do your employees see that you do care and are interested in them as valuable members of your team? Would your employees say that in the last week or two, you have given a thank you or some form of positive reinforcement for a job well done? Do you regularly encourage them in their professional and private lives? Have you made the investment of the time required, to actually know the people who ultimately represent you, and your business aspirations or visions?
You have to be willing to trust that your employees are acting in good faith, and in accordance with company policy, until such time as one of them has proved you wrong, then you can deal with situations on a case by case basis. If you penalize the entire staff for the fault of one individual, you could breed negativity into your organization which can lead to poor customer service, and poor productivity or performance.
You need to start thinking that a good customer service plan encompasses a good employee relations plan as well. A very wise older man once told me that you can achieve great customer service, simply by achieving organizational goals, structured around good employee relations combined with proper policies and procedures.
This is true, as long as the goals include customers and employees. You cannot have one without the other, as there is a certain synchronicity or correlation between the two. You cannot have one without the other. Therefore you need to take care of both aspects of good employee relations leading to good customer service.
“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often”
Winston Churchill – Prime Minister of England
David
You have to be willing to trust that your employees are acting in good faith, and in accordance with company policy, until such time as one of them has proved you wrong, then you can deal with situations on a case by case basis. If you penalize the entire staff for the fault of one individual, you could breed negativity into your organization which can lead to poor customer service, and poor productivity or performance.
You need to start thinking that a good customer service plan encompasses a good employee relations plan as well. A very wise older man once told me that you can achieve great customer service, simply by achieving organizational goals, structured around good employee relations combined with proper policies and procedures.
This is true, as long as the goals include customers and employees. You cannot have one without the other, as there is a certain synchronicity or correlation between the two. You cannot have one without the other. Therefore you need to take care of both aspects of good employee relations leading to good customer service.
“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often”
Winston Churchill – Prime Minister of England
David
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Customer Service - The Top Priority
Customer Service needs to be the top priority in the automobile repair industry, whether you’re a dealer or independent and regardless of the size of the facility. It is very easy to get caught up in the trap of trying to attract new customers and therefore you neglect customer retention. But, if you expect your business to grow and prosper, it is essential that you evaluate whether you're providing the absolute best over-all customer experience, providing the WOW factor.
The top items customers are looking for are as follows;
Customers want to know how your service and product will enhance their lifestyle or fulfill their needs. They want to know that your product or service will SOLVE their problem! Give your customers the knowledge they need in basing their decisions, show them the benefits and value in doing business with you.
Have your employees be themselves, the professional version! Keeping the customer engaged and building a relationship is a strong indicator to the customer that your business cares and empathizes with their needs. Be genuine in every interaction you have with a customer. Win them over!
Make it convenient for your customers to seek you out and do business with your facility! Offer convenience and ease of service. Help your customers continue with their daily business schedules by providing WIFI, a comfortable lounge, shuttle service, loaner cars, rental cars or whatever amenities you offer that ease their wait time or get them on their way.
Your customers want to know that you value them and their business, make your menu pricing accessible to all who frequent your dealership. Outline your guiding written policy or procedures for the business and post them for all to read. Instill a mission statement so everyone inside and outside the business knows exactly what your business offers and knows what to expect.
Customers do not like fear tactics for selling purposes. Customers want the straight goods and are entitled to clear concise communication stipulating what measures need to be taken to solve a problem.
Always-always- ALWAYS, fix the customer first and fix the vehicle second! If you follow this rule you are well on your way to exceptional customer service.
Have you ever wondered how long your upset customer stays upset at your service facility? It depends on how badly you were actually perceived to be. Remember, perception is reality! The ratio of length of time before forgiveness takes place and the customer frequents your facility again can be quantified by the following;
1. Does the customer perceive the problem as being intentional on the part of the servicing facility?
2. Is our perceived conduct ongoing, is it our company policy.
3. If the repair didn’t fix the problem and no help was offered, an employee was rude, price was not what advisor said, the business conduct was not justifiable, the vehicle was damaged while under your care and control or your facility is not executing good business practices, any one of these particular events may be remembered forever, especially if your facility didn’t take ownership of a real issue.
Remember – communication-Communication-COMMUNICATION! Exceptional communication is essential for creating and fostering prosperous customer relationships!
David
The top items customers are looking for are as follows;
Customers want to know how your service and product will enhance their lifestyle or fulfill their needs. They want to know that your product or service will SOLVE their problem! Give your customers the knowledge they need in basing their decisions, show them the benefits and value in doing business with you.
Have your employees be themselves, the professional version! Keeping the customer engaged and building a relationship is a strong indicator to the customer that your business cares and empathizes with their needs. Be genuine in every interaction you have with a customer. Win them over!
Make it convenient for your customers to seek you out and do business with your facility! Offer convenience and ease of service. Help your customers continue with their daily business schedules by providing WIFI, a comfortable lounge, shuttle service, loaner cars, rental cars or whatever amenities you offer that ease their wait time or get them on their way.
Your customers want to know that you value them and their business, make your menu pricing accessible to all who frequent your dealership. Outline your guiding written policy or procedures for the business and post them for all to read. Instill a mission statement so everyone inside and outside the business knows exactly what your business offers and knows what to expect.
Customers do not like fear tactics for selling purposes. Customers want the straight goods and are entitled to clear concise communication stipulating what measures need to be taken to solve a problem.
Always-always- ALWAYS, fix the customer first and fix the vehicle second! If you follow this rule you are well on your way to exceptional customer service.
Have you ever wondered how long your upset customer stays upset at your service facility? It depends on how badly you were actually perceived to be. Remember, perception is reality! The ratio of length of time before forgiveness takes place and the customer frequents your facility again can be quantified by the following;
1. Does the customer perceive the problem as being intentional on the part of the servicing facility?
2. Is our perceived conduct ongoing, is it our company policy.
3. If the repair didn’t fix the problem and no help was offered, an employee was rude, price was not what advisor said, the business conduct was not justifiable, the vehicle was damaged while under your care and control or your facility is not executing good business practices, any one of these particular events may be remembered forever, especially if your facility didn’t take ownership of a real issue.
Remember – communication-Communication-COMMUNICATION! Exceptional communication is essential for creating and fostering prosperous customer relationships!
David
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Know Your Employees
Henry Ford was once quoted as saying, “If I had asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, a faster horse”! This being said, most people really don’t know what it is that they want! I can tell you that most people want honest, reliable, expedient exceptional service. If you can provide that, the rest will fall into place.
Have you taken the time to know your employees enough? Can you assess your employee’s motivations and determine what they bring to your business that will make you rise above your competition. I suggest you get to know the people who represent you and the business and find out what their thought processes are to the following questions.
To create award winning exceptional CSI, you need to have all cylinders firing in the proper order. This means your employees must have a clear vision of where they fit into the business and what talents or skills they need to bring to the table on a daily basis. You can assess people on a variety of levels by examining their numbers and placing them on a chart to quantify them, my point here is this, you may have some very talented people working for you right now that you can grow or you may have an A list of losers. Seek and you shall find the answers. Ask your employees defining questions and find out if your business and employees are on the right path to excellence.
What is your position with regard to our customers?
Describe in your own words your job description?
Are customers always right and does it matter if they are or are not?
What are we selling or providing?
How do you make a difference?
How do you fit into the business?
What are your personal goals within the business?
Do you give your customers the time and attention they deserve?
What takes you away from performing your job and giving our customers exceptional service?
What do you contribute to the business that stands out above your peers?
What is more important, short term profitability or longevity?
How do you make a difference?
Do you go the extra mile?
Do you show caring and commitment to your own integrity?
What are your long term expectations and commitments as an employee of this business?
What do you exemplify as an employee?
Do you listen to our customers or your peers?
Are you committed to excellence?
Are you adverse to changes, growing or learning?
“There are risks and costs to action, but they are far less than the long term risk of comfortable inaction”
JFK – US President 1960-1963
David
Have you taken the time to know your employees enough? Can you assess your employee’s motivations and determine what they bring to your business that will make you rise above your competition. I suggest you get to know the people who represent you and the business and find out what their thought processes are to the following questions.
To create award winning exceptional CSI, you need to have all cylinders firing in the proper order. This means your employees must have a clear vision of where they fit into the business and what talents or skills they need to bring to the table on a daily basis. You can assess people on a variety of levels by examining their numbers and placing them on a chart to quantify them, my point here is this, you may have some very talented people working for you right now that you can grow or you may have an A list of losers. Seek and you shall find the answers. Ask your employees defining questions and find out if your business and employees are on the right path to excellence.
What is your position with regard to our customers?
Describe in your own words your job description?
Are customers always right and does it matter if they are or are not?
What are we selling or providing?
How do you make a difference?
How do you fit into the business?
What are your personal goals within the business?
Do you give your customers the time and attention they deserve?
What takes you away from performing your job and giving our customers exceptional service?
What do you contribute to the business that stands out above your peers?
What is more important, short term profitability or longevity?
How do you make a difference?
Do you go the extra mile?
Do you show caring and commitment to your own integrity?
What are your long term expectations and commitments as an employee of this business?
What do you exemplify as an employee?
Do you listen to our customers or your peers?
Are you committed to excellence?
Are you adverse to changes, growing or learning?
“There are risks and costs to action, but they are far less than the long term risk of comfortable inaction”
JFK – US President 1960-1963
David
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Mission Statement
Does your dealership have a mission statement? Were your employees involved in the makeup of your mission statement? Do your employees know what the business mission statement is? Do they see you live and die by this mission statement? Do your employees believe in your mission statement? If you don’t have a mission statement have you thought of bringing one to fruition? Some owners may think a mission statement is useless however a mission statement can be useful if the employees were involved in its makeup, from its concept to a living document. Some organizations use a mission statement as a publicity tool and others use a mission statement as a compass for leadership decisions and organizational direction.
The primary purpose of a mission statement is to describe what your values are, what you do and whom you serve. A mission statement should not be a slogan, but rather a statement letting people inside and outside the business know exactly what your purpose is. When writing a mission statement, it is imperative that you already have the prerequisites for critical customer service skills within the framework of your dealership. These critical customer service skills that all of your employees need are;
1. A passion for taking care of customers
2. Integrity and commitment
3. A willingness to be flexible to our customers needs
4. A work ethic based on dedication to the company and its ongoing mission
5. Self motivation and goal oriented in every endeavor
6. An eagerness to continuously grow and learn new aspects of the business
7. Persuasive sales skills
8. Excellent communication skills
9. Leadership ability.
If you decide to institute a mission statement you must be prepared to change, for you will have to live and breathe this document. You will need to set goals in all departments that are realistic. You may have to start internal training seminars for your front line employees. It is always easier to implement a mission statement if you have direct input from your employees, then they will own it. Once they own the way in which you will conduct business, the easier the changes will be and the transformation into an exceptional customer service oriented dealership will be smooth. If the employees have a say in the way things are implemented or are at least included, the easier they will digest changes.
Questions you may wish to use in your quest for your business mission statement:
What are we selling?
Are customers always right?
How do we make a difference?
Do we go the extra mile?
What is more important short term profitability or longevity?
Are we committed?
Do we care?
Is this an exciting place to come to?
Are we accessible to our customers?
Do we provide a fun friendly atmosphere for our customers?
Are we honest?
Do we show caring and commitment to our own integrity and that of our customers?
What are our long term expectations and commitments as a community business?
What do we exemplify?
Do we listen to our customers or our peers?
Do we care about our employees?
Are we committed to excellence?
“Being right is less important than being successful” David Spicer
David
The primary purpose of a mission statement is to describe what your values are, what you do and whom you serve. A mission statement should not be a slogan, but rather a statement letting people inside and outside the business know exactly what your purpose is. When writing a mission statement, it is imperative that you already have the prerequisites for critical customer service skills within the framework of your dealership. These critical customer service skills that all of your employees need are;
1. A passion for taking care of customers
2. Integrity and commitment
3. A willingness to be flexible to our customers needs
4. A work ethic based on dedication to the company and its ongoing mission
5. Self motivation and goal oriented in every endeavor
6. An eagerness to continuously grow and learn new aspects of the business
7. Persuasive sales skills
8. Excellent communication skills
9. Leadership ability.
If you decide to institute a mission statement you must be prepared to change, for you will have to live and breathe this document. You will need to set goals in all departments that are realistic. You may have to start internal training seminars for your front line employees. It is always easier to implement a mission statement if you have direct input from your employees, then they will own it. Once they own the way in which you will conduct business, the easier the changes will be and the transformation into an exceptional customer service oriented dealership will be smooth. If the employees have a say in the way things are implemented or are at least included, the easier they will digest changes.
Questions you may wish to use in your quest for your business mission statement:
What are we selling?
Are customers always right?
How do we make a difference?
Do we go the extra mile?
What is more important short term profitability or longevity?
Are we committed?
Do we care?
Is this an exciting place to come to?
Are we accessible to our customers?
Do we provide a fun friendly atmosphere for our customers?
Are we honest?
Do we show caring and commitment to our own integrity and that of our customers?
What are our long term expectations and commitments as a community business?
What do we exemplify?
Do we listen to our customers or our peers?
Do we care about our employees?
Are we committed to excellence?
“Being right is less important than being successful” David Spicer
David
Monday, August 30, 2010
My First Rant – Customer Service
During the weekend I made a telephone call to a NY city dealership to speak with a colleague regarding statistics at his facility. The receptionist answered the telephone and asked me to HANG ON, then proceeded to place the receiver down on the desk.
I heard a woman’s voice in the background asking the receptionist a question and the conversation went as follows;
Customer – Good afternoon, I am wondering if you have anyone available to help me set up my Bluetooth for my new car.
Receptionist – Did you purchase the vehicle from us?
Customer – No, I just purchased it from another dealership, but I work in the area and I was wondering if you could help me, I don’t feel safe driving my car like this.
Receptionist – Let me see what I can do.
Receptionist asking a salesperson walking by – This lady needs some help setting the Bluetooth up on her new car.
Salesperson – did she buy the car from us?
Receptionist – NO!
Salesperson – I’m busy.
Receptionist – You just got here and you’re not with anyone, can you help her?
Salesperson – No, find someone else.
Receptionist asking a manager walking by – There is a lady by the door asking if someone here can help her set her Bluetooth up on her car, she doesn’t feel safe.
Manager – did she buy the car from us?
Receptionist – No, she works in the area and stopped in.
Manager – Remember, it’s our policy, if they didn’t buy the vehicle here we can’t help them. Tell her how to get to the service department. She can go there to have it done. Tell her she will probably be charged for the setup or she can go back to the dealer she purchased the car from.
Receptionist speaking with customer - Hi, I’m sorry, I asked the manager and he suggests going to our service department located about four miles down the road, would you like directions?
Customer – No thanks, I really thought your dealership was going to help me out, you know I did buy one of your cars, maybe not from your place, but I heard the comments and I want you to know I would never buy or service from here.
My thoughts below;
I really hope this is not a trend in our industry readers! I was appalled at this conversation! First, had I been a real customer ready to do business with the dealership listening to this over the phone, I would cancel my deal or find another dealership to conduct business with. Secondly, the customer stated she works in the area, which should be setting off alarm bells…
The customer works in the area - therefore if this dealership had taken care of her she might service at their facility and become a conquest customer. She might tell her colleagues how wonderful the people are and how great the experience was. She might send a friend or relative to purchase their next car here. Heck, her next vehicle might have been purchased here IF THEY WOULD HAVE DONE THE RIGHT THING.
This is but one example of the types of things that go on at dealerships all over. If you want to succeed in business you had better start thinking that everyone could be YOUR NEXT CUSTOMER in any three departments. Start facilitating a WOW experience on every level and watch your business grow. It is no wonder in a survey conducted in the United States in 2009 that the automotive industry ranked in the bottom for categories of integrity, honesty and helpfulness, along with other esteemed occupations as lawyers and politicians.
We all need to ensure we are grooming our employees to create EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES, even when they are not your customers. Someday they might be!
David
I heard a woman’s voice in the background asking the receptionist a question and the conversation went as follows;
Customer – Good afternoon, I am wondering if you have anyone available to help me set up my Bluetooth for my new car.
Receptionist – Did you purchase the vehicle from us?
Customer – No, I just purchased it from another dealership, but I work in the area and I was wondering if you could help me, I don’t feel safe driving my car like this.
Receptionist – Let me see what I can do.
Receptionist asking a salesperson walking by – This lady needs some help setting the Bluetooth up on her new car.
Salesperson – did she buy the car from us?
Receptionist – NO!
Salesperson – I’m busy.
Receptionist – You just got here and you’re not with anyone, can you help her?
Salesperson – No, find someone else.
Receptionist asking a manager walking by – There is a lady by the door asking if someone here can help her set her Bluetooth up on her car, she doesn’t feel safe.
Manager – did she buy the car from us?
Receptionist – No, she works in the area and stopped in.
Manager – Remember, it’s our policy, if they didn’t buy the vehicle here we can’t help them. Tell her how to get to the service department. She can go there to have it done. Tell her she will probably be charged for the setup or she can go back to the dealer she purchased the car from.
Receptionist speaking with customer - Hi, I’m sorry, I asked the manager and he suggests going to our service department located about four miles down the road, would you like directions?
Customer – No thanks, I really thought your dealership was going to help me out, you know I did buy one of your cars, maybe not from your place, but I heard the comments and I want you to know I would never buy or service from here.
My thoughts below;
I really hope this is not a trend in our industry readers! I was appalled at this conversation! First, had I been a real customer ready to do business with the dealership listening to this over the phone, I would cancel my deal or find another dealership to conduct business with. Secondly, the customer stated she works in the area, which should be setting off alarm bells…
The customer works in the area - therefore if this dealership had taken care of her she might service at their facility and become a conquest customer. She might tell her colleagues how wonderful the people are and how great the experience was. She might send a friend or relative to purchase their next car here. Heck, her next vehicle might have been purchased here IF THEY WOULD HAVE DONE THE RIGHT THING.
This is but one example of the types of things that go on at dealerships all over. If you want to succeed in business you had better start thinking that everyone could be YOUR NEXT CUSTOMER in any three departments. Start facilitating a WOW experience on every level and watch your business grow. It is no wonder in a survey conducted in the United States in 2009 that the automotive industry ranked in the bottom for categories of integrity, honesty and helpfulness, along with other esteemed occupations as lawyers and politicians.
We all need to ensure we are grooming our employees to create EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES, even when they are not your customers. Someday they might be!
David
Inactive Campaign
To create benefit and value for your customers and fill your shop with potential work try sending out an inactive customer email campaign. You can call your campaign “The Fast lane Inspection”.
Using your DMS and or your CRM, pull up all the vehicles that are currently out of warranty and have been inactive in your facility for longer than your scheduled servicing intervals. For example North American model vehicles five to six-thousand miles or six months whereas imports such as BMW, Mercedes or Audi are generally twelve-thousand to fifteen-thousand miles or one year between services.
Put together an email campaign stating that you are offering the following servicing special and make sure you advertise it on your webpage under the tab SERVICE SPECIALS as well. Place a link button taking the customer directly to your on-line appointment scheduler. You can make your own coupon or use some of the wording below;
(Picture) Fast Lane Inspection (Brand Logo)
Dear Mr. / Mrs. (Customer)
Now is the time to make sure your vehicle remains in excellent condition, our records indicate that we haven’t seen you for some time. We would like to invite you to come in for our Fast Lane Inspection. Our Fast Lane Inspection is a complimentary 31 point courtesy inspection of your vehicle, this inspection also includes our customary complimentary Platinum car wash. During our Fast lane Inspection we check and set all tire pressures and fluid levels. Should your vehicle require any repairs or servicing found during the complimentary inspection, we are offering another great gift offer of a 10% discount on parts and labor to help you keep your vehicle in tip-top condition?
Our mission is to provide all of our valued customers with exceptional quality service giving you absolute value for your hard earned dollar and respecting your time parameters. We are 100% customer focused and committed to giving you the ultimate (Brand) experience. Visiting our dealership for service can be a rewarding experience especially if you take advantage of being provided with one of our (Brand) loaner vehicles. We offer gourmet coffee, work stations with WIFI and a clean bright spacious waiting area. If you are a person who indulges in the (Brand) specialty items, we also have a beautiful boutique stocking all of the latest (Brand) accessories and personal items. (List your amenities)
Whatever your servicing needs our factory trained associates pay the strictest attention to every detail with the goal of fixed right, on-time, every-time. Book your appointment today. This offer is valid through M/D/Y.
(Appointment Link)
(Brand) of (Region) - exceptional service - exceptional people - making a difference everyday!
Customer Care Manager
Kerry Anywhere
k.any@anywheremotors.com
1400 Anywhere Hwy
Anywhere
55555
555.555.5555
Track the customers that have been in and have taken advantage of your Fast Lane Inspection. On the tenth day after sending out your first email letter send out another email blast indicating that you had such a great response you have decided to extend the offer for a short amount of time. Create urgency for those that haven’t responded yet. See sample letter below;
(Picture) Fast Lane Inspection (Brand Logo)
Dear Mr. / Mrs. (Customer)
We had such overwhelming response to our last Fast Lane Inspection email that we’ve decided to extend the offer for a limited time starting today. Our original email outlining our complimentary Fast Lane Inspection is included below.
Now is the time to make sure your vehicle remains in excellent condition, our records indicate that we haven’t seen you for some time and would like to invite you to come in for our Fast Lane Inspection. Our Fast Lane Inspection is a complimentary 31 point courtesy inspection of your vehicle, this inspection also includes our customary complimentary Platinum car wash. During our Fast lane Inspection we check and set all tire pressures and fluid levels. Should your vehicle require any repairs or servicing found during the complimentary inspection, we are offering another great gift offer of a 10% discount on parts and labor to help you keep your vehicle in tip-top condition?
Our mission is to provide all of our valued customers with exceptional quality service giving you absolute value for your hard earned dollar and respecting your time parameters. We are 100% customer focused and committed to giving you the ultimate (Brand) experience. Visiting our dealership for service can be a rewarding experience especially if you take advantage of being provided with one of our (Brand) loaner vehicles. We offer gourmet coffee, work stations with WIFI and a clean bright spacious waiting area. If you are a person who indulges in the (Brand) specialty items, we also have a beautiful boutique stocking all of the latest (Brand) accessories and personal items. (List your amenities)
Whatever your servicing needs our factory trained associates pay the strictest attention to every detail with the goal of fixed right, on-time, every-time. Book your appointment today. This offer is valid through M/D/Y.
(Appointment Link)
(Brand) of (Region) - exceptional service - exceptional people - making a difference everyday!
Customer Care Manager
Kerry Anywhere
k.any@anywheremotors.com
1400 Anywhere Hwy
Anywhere
55555
555.555.5555
This campaign can be set up to run every month and generate emails to the customers that will continually fall into the category of inactive, ensure you set up your parameters for the campaign as ongoing. You will have a huge influx of calls and appointments from the first campaign due to the large volume of inactive customers that fall within your preset parameters. Once this initial campaign is over remember to remove it from your service website tab.
Keeping YOUR name in front of YOUR customers helps YOU retain them as customers! Have fun putting this campaign together and watch the volume in your service drive increase. Happy marketing!
David
Using your DMS and or your CRM, pull up all the vehicles that are currently out of warranty and have been inactive in your facility for longer than your scheduled servicing intervals. For example North American model vehicles five to six-thousand miles or six months whereas imports such as BMW, Mercedes or Audi are generally twelve-thousand to fifteen-thousand miles or one year between services.
Put together an email campaign stating that you are offering the following servicing special and make sure you advertise it on your webpage under the tab SERVICE SPECIALS as well. Place a link button taking the customer directly to your on-line appointment scheduler. You can make your own coupon or use some of the wording below;
(Picture) Fast Lane Inspection (Brand Logo)
Dear Mr. / Mrs. (Customer)
Now is the time to make sure your vehicle remains in excellent condition, our records indicate that we haven’t seen you for some time. We would like to invite you to come in for our Fast Lane Inspection. Our Fast Lane Inspection is a complimentary 31 point courtesy inspection of your vehicle, this inspection also includes our customary complimentary Platinum car wash. During our Fast lane Inspection we check and set all tire pressures and fluid levels. Should your vehicle require any repairs or servicing found during the complimentary inspection, we are offering another great gift offer of a 10% discount on parts and labor to help you keep your vehicle in tip-top condition?
Our mission is to provide all of our valued customers with exceptional quality service giving you absolute value for your hard earned dollar and respecting your time parameters. We are 100% customer focused and committed to giving you the ultimate (Brand) experience. Visiting our dealership for service can be a rewarding experience especially if you take advantage of being provided with one of our (Brand) loaner vehicles. We offer gourmet coffee, work stations with WIFI and a clean bright spacious waiting area. If you are a person who indulges in the (Brand) specialty items, we also have a beautiful boutique stocking all of the latest (Brand) accessories and personal items. (List your amenities)
Whatever your servicing needs our factory trained associates pay the strictest attention to every detail with the goal of fixed right, on-time, every-time. Book your appointment today. This offer is valid through M/D/Y.
(Appointment Link)
(Brand) of (Region) - exceptional service - exceptional people - making a difference everyday!
Customer Care Manager
Kerry Anywhere
k.any@anywheremotors.com
1400 Anywhere Hwy
Anywhere
55555
555.555.5555
Track the customers that have been in and have taken advantage of your Fast Lane Inspection. On the tenth day after sending out your first email letter send out another email blast indicating that you had such a great response you have decided to extend the offer for a short amount of time. Create urgency for those that haven’t responded yet. See sample letter below;
(Picture) Fast Lane Inspection (Brand Logo)
Dear Mr. / Mrs. (Customer)
We had such overwhelming response to our last Fast Lane Inspection email that we’ve decided to extend the offer for a limited time starting today. Our original email outlining our complimentary Fast Lane Inspection is included below.
Now is the time to make sure your vehicle remains in excellent condition, our records indicate that we haven’t seen you for some time and would like to invite you to come in for our Fast Lane Inspection. Our Fast Lane Inspection is a complimentary 31 point courtesy inspection of your vehicle, this inspection also includes our customary complimentary Platinum car wash. During our Fast lane Inspection we check and set all tire pressures and fluid levels. Should your vehicle require any repairs or servicing found during the complimentary inspection, we are offering another great gift offer of a 10% discount on parts and labor to help you keep your vehicle in tip-top condition?
Our mission is to provide all of our valued customers with exceptional quality service giving you absolute value for your hard earned dollar and respecting your time parameters. We are 100% customer focused and committed to giving you the ultimate (Brand) experience. Visiting our dealership for service can be a rewarding experience especially if you take advantage of being provided with one of our (Brand) loaner vehicles. We offer gourmet coffee, work stations with WIFI and a clean bright spacious waiting area. If you are a person who indulges in the (Brand) specialty items, we also have a beautiful boutique stocking all of the latest (Brand) accessories and personal items. (List your amenities)
Whatever your servicing needs our factory trained associates pay the strictest attention to every detail with the goal of fixed right, on-time, every-time. Book your appointment today. This offer is valid through M/D/Y.
(Appointment Link)
(Brand) of (Region) - exceptional service - exceptional people - making a difference everyday!
Customer Care Manager
Kerry Anywhere
k.any@anywheremotors.com
1400 Anywhere Hwy
Anywhere
55555
555.555.5555
This campaign can be set up to run every month and generate emails to the customers that will continually fall into the category of inactive, ensure you set up your parameters for the campaign as ongoing. You will have a huge influx of calls and appointments from the first campaign due to the large volume of inactive customers that fall within your preset parameters. Once this initial campaign is over remember to remove it from your service website tab.
Keeping YOUR name in front of YOUR customers helps YOU retain them as customers! Have fun putting this campaign together and watch the volume in your service drive increase. Happy marketing!
David
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Marketing Consistency
Being consistent throughout the relationship with your customers, you will need to work hard to understand your customers' additional needs or wants better than anyone else, so you can influence them with more products, services, and accessories that meet more all of their needs and wants. When you gain more knowledge and experience in this frequently overlooked concept, you will see your business grow faster and move to a new larger dynamic than you ever thought possible.
Prospecting with marketing to acquire a new customer is one thing, however keeping the relationship mutually beneficial and strong, and sustaining it over long periods of time is the mark of the true marketing professional, one that is concerned with the long term growth of the dealership. Acquiring new customers in the short-term is a challenge, but maintaining relationships with those customers over time is even more challenging and is crucial to the long term growth of your service business and your overall retention rates.
Over the vehicle servicing life of interaction with the customer, value must be shown towards both parties in order for the relationship to prosper and grow. In order to help create that value, you need to acknowledge that all customers are unique and different, and therefore they must be treated or marketed to differently. The more value you can create for your customer, the more they will continue to do business at your dealership. The term "customer loyalty" means more than just loyalty, it also means retention.
There are seven essential items that everyone desires to create within a marketing plan, the higher the number of items you can hit upon within each marketing procedure, the higher your chances of having a successful marketing plan. These essential items are:
Get the audience attention
Hold the audience attention
Create desire
Make your marketing believable
Prove it’s a bargain
Make it easy to purchase or access the service
Give reasons to purchase now – create urgency
When you are preparing your marketing you must keep in mind that it is up to you to project an image of experience, dependability, quality and excellent customer service skills, making sure you include added value to your prospective customers in order to win their confidence, overcoming sales objections. If you have not communicated the advantages accurately and clearly, building solid reasons for them to do business with you, then they'll be hesitant to commit to your dealership and the sale will go to your competitor down the road.
Sometimes I find it best to see a visual representation of a subject to completely digest the material. Below is a visual look at marketing and the five forms of marketing that make up your marketing procedural strategy.
David
Prospecting with marketing to acquire a new customer is one thing, however keeping the relationship mutually beneficial and strong, and sustaining it over long periods of time is the mark of the true marketing professional, one that is concerned with the long term growth of the dealership. Acquiring new customers in the short-term is a challenge, but maintaining relationships with those customers over time is even more challenging and is crucial to the long term growth of your service business and your overall retention rates.
Over the vehicle servicing life of interaction with the customer, value must be shown towards both parties in order for the relationship to prosper and grow. In order to help create that value, you need to acknowledge that all customers are unique and different, and therefore they must be treated or marketed to differently. The more value you can create for your customer, the more they will continue to do business at your dealership. The term "customer loyalty" means more than just loyalty, it also means retention.
There are seven essential items that everyone desires to create within a marketing plan, the higher the number of items you can hit upon within each marketing procedure, the higher your chances of having a successful marketing plan. These essential items are:
Get the audience attention
Hold the audience attention
Create desire
Make your marketing believable
Prove it’s a bargain
Make it easy to purchase or access the service
Give reasons to purchase now – create urgency
When you are preparing your marketing you must keep in mind that it is up to you to project an image of experience, dependability, quality and excellent customer service skills, making sure you include added value to your prospective customers in order to win their confidence, overcoming sales objections. If you have not communicated the advantages accurately and clearly, building solid reasons for them to do business with you, then they'll be hesitant to commit to your dealership and the sale will go to your competitor down the road.
Sometimes I find it best to see a visual representation of a subject to completely digest the material. Below is a visual look at marketing and the five forms of marketing that make up your marketing procedural strategy.
David
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