Everyone is looking for the Next Big Thing to help increase sales at the dealership. But finding that magic bullet is as difficult as finding the Golden Ticket to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. What if there actually was a Golden Ticket for us though? What if I told you that it has been right in front of you and all you need to do is open the wrapper to get it?

Unlike the elusive Golden Ticket from the Wonka film, the Golden Ticket for the automotive industry hasn’t been hidden, in fact it’s been making itself more and more known. Heck, the auto industry’s golden ticket has been screaming “Here I am, somebody find me!” So what is the golden ticket for the Auto Industry? It’s the Hispanic Automotive Buyer. I could end the article here and wish you the best, but I’m sure you want to know why.

Well, according to the US Census Bureau there are just over 53 Million Hispanics in the US as of 2012 and the Hispanic population grew by more than 47% from 2000 to 2011*. Automotive News recently said that the Hispanic community will be “the new majority” two decades from now and when it comes to buying cars the growth in 2013 New and Used Vehicle purchases by Hispanic consumers was much greater than any other nationality in the U.S. These numbers are impressive, but knowledge alone isn’t power, use of knowledge is power. So let’s talk about why we’ve been missing these buyers and how to begin connecting with them.

Step One: Remember to treat every person like a buyer. This is what we were taught in sales process but for some reason we weren’t taught this when considering new hire choices and marketing decisions. If we want to reach Hispanic buyers that speak Spanish, we need to hire people who speak Spanish. We can’t give a great quality experience to the Spanish speaking Hispanic consumer if we can’t even communicate with them properly, so having the right staff is step one.

Step Two: Think like a customer when it comes to your marketing. Market to the Hispanic community with the same amount of effort we use with the English speaking community. Understand that your “Se Habla Español” sign isn’t considered marketing in Spanish. You know that a sign saying “We speak English” won’t attract more English speaking buyers because it isn’t advertising, so why would you think that’s all it takes to impress Spanish speaking Hispanic buyers? If you’re running an online video marketing campaign in English, do the exact same thing in Spanish so that you reach the customer that your English speaking ads are missing. If you’re doing direct mail in English, mirror it in Spanish. Same goes for TV, Radio etc. Ask yourself this: “If I don’t market to Hispanic buyers who prefer to speak Spanish, how will they know I exist?”

Step Three: Understand that it will take time to build your brand with this new community. Up to now, you haven’t existed with the Hispanic community so don’t expect them to fall in love with your dealership because you finally cared enough to run an ad or two. As with any other successful endeavor, it takes time to make an impression. The Hispanic community is at the forefront of technology, they’re early adopters, they outpace every other demographic in new vehicle sales and most importantly, they’re fiercely loyal if they are treated with the respect they deserve. If you want to get serious about increasing your sales dramatically, it’s time to understand that your Golden Ticket is as easy to find as going back to the basics.

For twenty years, we’ve been taught that everyone is a buyer, so the only questions are “When will they buy?” and “Who will get the sale?” We have to understand that this principle applies to everyone, no matter where they live or what language they choose to speak. Everyone wants to be treated like a buyer and given respect as such.

Make a decision to care about reaching all of the buyers in your community. If you are willing to invest the same time, effort and passion into serving the Hispanic community that you put into all of your other efforts, you will find that the next two decades will be the best that your dealership has ever seen. The Hispanic community is ready to buy, the question is: are you ready to help them buy from you
*(http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/09/17/5-facts-about-hispanics)