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30th August 2010 Develop a special sales team challenge to make the most of the customers you are seeing today The August edition of the UK industry journal, Motor Trader predicts a bleak outlook for used car sales during the final quarter of 2010. A Cap Black Book* survey indicated that 50% of franchised retailers expect a decline in their used car business during this period. Let’s be honest, this downturn has been looming since July. Knowing that things are likely to get tougher towards the end of the year means the time is now right to, “have a plan”. The plan will include a strategy for advertising and promotions to create new prospects but before that, it is vital not to lose the prospects when they actually visit – treat them all as if they could be the last customer this year. Give them a warm welcome to the showroom, work hard to get accurate follow-up details - names, address, telephone numbers and especially e-mail addresses. Obviously we’re not suggesting retailers don’t know the basics of customer handling: it’s just that when planning for success in a tough market, making sure every customer receives the attention they deserve is the best place to start. Some retailers have a lot more to do than others. Our June blog looked at how some retailers currently respond to e-mail enquiries. It didn’t make for comfortable reading! And have you ever tried mystery shopping your competition? You’ll be amazed at how long it can take to be approached by a sales consultant and how infrequently your details are recorded. Perhaps the most powerful selling tool is the test drive so the next stage of the plan is to make sure your sales consultants give as many test drives as possible by incentivising test drives. Also consider offering incentives for adding good prospects to the data base. We recommend a sales team challenge which rewards good sales consultants for finding prospects and giving test drives. Here’s how it works: Customer contact details added to the data base – 5 points Demonstration drive – 10 points Order taken – 45 points When a sales consultant achieves their points target they qualify for one of the specially selected awards. The awards don’t have to be costly- a team challenge with a recognition award should do the trick - a case of wine, a DVD player, choice of company car etc. Build interest and motivation by displaying the awards for the team to see. To get the most out of the incentive add fun, tension and mystery by putting award details in sealed envelopes to be picked at random by the winner when they hit their points target. One last point: don’t forget to put a challenge leader board in the manager’s office that shows targets and team performance and of course, review team progress daily as part of the regular sales meetings. So points make prizes and prizes these simple challenges will help to keep sprits up during the coming months and make sure you never miss a potential buyer – they may be rather hard to find! For a whole range of low cost ways to incentives sales consultants give AMS a call or send us a quick e-mail and we’ll be happy to share some more ideas with you. *Cap Black Book is a monthly UK guide to used car values |
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May 2012 March 2012 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011
Classifieds are top sites for used cars buyers Click here to read more... June 2011 #2 Internet takes 3 % of UK car sales Click here to read more... June 2011 Value of Certification Click here to read more... Treatment Beats Prices for New Vehicle Buyers in US Study
Consumer Feedback on Key Questions Facing the UK Industry |
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