ensures every customer has a truly enjoyable and stress-free experience.
We have to be easy to do business with. Make buying a car at your dealership fun, not an ordeal. Help customers based on their agenda, and enable them to buy their vehicle the way they want to buy. Then have F&I people who are trained how to, and capable of, creating customer interest in the F&I products and services they may also need.
Third, separate yourself from the herd. A memorable experience requires that you make your dealership stand out. Every dealer must find the “hook” that sets them apart from their competitors. It’s not enough to say, “Our people make us different.” Be specific! For example, you should be able to say your salespeople have all completed specialized product training, your F&I managers are AFIP-certified and your technicians are all ASE-certified.
Finally, live your core values. People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. That’s true whether you’re the dealer principal, a football coach, a trainer or an F&I manager. Great dealers lead by example. They believe in what they say, they live what they believe, and they become successful because their actions clearly demonstrate their core values.
Lasting Impressions
Lou Holtz, a memorable college football coach and, more recently, an ESPN analyst, used to have his team recite a prayer before each game. Twenty-eight years ago, I shared that prayer with the young people in our church’s youth group. Recently, one of them sent me this email, along with the photo on this page:
“Hi, Ron! I just wanted you to know — I still have this! You gave it to us at MYF a million years ago. I keep it in my classroom; it helps me to remember to do the best I can for that day. I don’t always live up to it, but it helps me to think ‘Well, maybe I didn’t help 30 kids today, but maybe I helped one.’ Just wanted to say thanks for taking time out of your busy life all those years ago to be our MYF counselor with Dad. I have very fond memories of those years.”
memories of those years.”
Want to make sure buying a car at your dealership is a memorable experience? You could start by reciting this simple prayer at your next team meeting.
Ronald J. Reahard is president of Reahard & Associates Inc. and ranks among the industry’s leading F&I trainers, authors, consultants and speakers. [email protected]
Article found: http://www.autodealermonthly.com/article/story/2015/08/a-day-to-remember.aspx