By Jack Behar, CEO, InteractiveTel
Digital retailing has experienced a significant progression as a result of this pandemic, yet many consumers are naturally wary of purchasing a car sight unseen.
While many solutions can facilitate moving parts of a sales transaction online, one thing that is missing is a way for consumers to “kick the tires” without leaving home. Sure, many dealerships have 40 (or more) images on their VDPs, and some even have video walkarounds. Consumers don’t know, however, when those videos were taken. They may not even have watched them.
Telling a customer, “I’ll go on the lot and do a walkaround for you now, email you the link, and then I can call you again so we can discuss,” isn’t optimal. Why? Because we all know that having a live customer on the phone is your best shot at progressing him or her down the funnel and towards a sale. Hang up, and you may never hear from that customer again. What if they saw something in the video you sent them that turned them off? You may never know.
So, what do you do when you get an Internet inquiry or a phone call from a customer that is in-market but cannot come to the dealership? You can do a live video walkaround while the customer is on the phone. When doing so, you have the potential to hear their objections and present alternate similar vehicles to them – all the while continuing to build rapport.
The old saying, “people buy from people they like,” is true. Cars are the second most expensive purchase most consumers will ever make after a home. The key to securing a sale is not just providing information. It’s providing ALL of the vehicle’s information and answering ALL of the customer’s questions while they are still on the phone!
Technology has brought with it a whirlwind of opportunities for dealers. It’s not just being online with digital retailing or staffing a showroom… to win the customer and sale, you must be able to engage the customer both in-store – and virtually.
ARTICLE BY Jack Behar
Jack Behar possesses more than 30 years of high-growth technology and telecommunications industry experience. For the past 15 years, he has served as CEO of InteractiveTel, the leader in machine learning and results-based conversation analytics for the automotive industry.