By Amanda Acio, Vice President of Universal Products, Elead/CDK Global.
Change is happening very quickly in the automotive space due to chip shortages and supply-chain disruptions and the vast majority of sales teams are not prepared.
Selling pipeline and virtual vehicles is the new norm – and I believe it will be the new way of doing business even when inventory does rebound. Sales Managers can do a lot to help transition their salespeople to selling the dealership, not simply the vehicle.
The first step is to ensure salespeople are always in control of the sales cycle. This new market has many running scared – fearful of responding to leads because they don’t know how to explain and train customers to buy a vehicle that isn’t on the ground.
Salespeople need to feel confident teaching a customer this new process of buying a car today. That’s how to win when any dealership can place vehicle orders. How can Sales Managers help their teams build confidence? Here’s what I suggest:
1. Develop new word tracks and templates
Although we all know why new vehicles are scarce, customers aren’t reading Auto News every week. Develop word tracks for the floor and phone that briefly describe the situation and introduce the concept of virtual inventory. Explain the ordering process, timeline, and benefits (customers get to build their “perfect” vehicles).
Develop new email and text templates that follow the same format. Include links to virtual inventory on your website as well as your digital retailing tools. Mandate that every salesperson act as a customer and use these tools so they can easily walk a customer through the process.
Consider including a banner on your website that explains how you can help customers order “high-demand” vehicles. Publicize what you have from an ordering perspective (10 orders per month, for example) and how long it will take for those vehicles to hit the ground.
2. Practice role-playing
I believe in-the-moment coaching, where a Sales Manager steps in right after a customer interaction, can be very helpful. This is not micro-managing. Rather, it’s talking about the conversation, information shared, and the customer response. You can say: “I overheard you on that call. What went well? What could you have done differently?” For email and text, discuss the salesperson’s message and the customer’s reply. Is it clear the customer understands this new way of buying or is there a better way to explain it? Discuss the best next follow-up message.
3. Create proactive, targeted communications
Filling the pipeline is just as important when you’re selling virtual vehicles. The difference is in proactive customer outreach instead of primarily reacting to customer inquiries. Lease customers are an especially fertile field for virtual inventory. Use your CRM to create lists of customers coming up on lease end in 16 to 12 months. Create an email template that explains the inventory shortage and the importance of ordering that new vehicle months in advance of turning in the current vehicle. Remember to keep it short and include links to virtual inventory pages and digital retailing tools. Assign follow-up activities in your CRM at a cadence that makes sense for your customer base.
4. Review artificial intelligence (AI) tools
Many dealerships use AI to maximize customer engagement across email, chat, and text platforms. But, is the process working to deliver the best customer experience? Mystery shop your own store to understand what’s really going on. You may be surprised. For example, I recently secret-shopped a dealership using its website chat feature. The “agent” introduced herself and asked how she could help. I explained I wanted to lease a particular make and model and then stared at my screen while the conversational dots blinked at me for a good five minutes. Finally, another “agent’s” face popped up and I had to start the conversation all over again. It was a terrible experience. You can’t fix a process if you don’t know about it. Secret-shop your store to make sure customers are getting the experience you expect them to receive.
5. Seek out leadership training
Leadership training is a great area of opportunity for Sales Managers – especially when you consider the high rate of turnover among salespeople and the tight labor market. Sales Managers who know how to manage a team with different personalities will be better able to retain employees and achieve sales goals by tailoring communication to each team member.
There are many things a Sales Manager can do to help salespeople adapt to this new way of selling. Start with these five best practices to nurture employee confidence that will translate to more customer confidence in your store. That’s how to win when any dealership can place vehicle orders.