Hello all
I'm helping to set up a small independent car dealership and am working on our marketing plan amongst other things. We are wondering what are really good incentives for getting customers to come along to the dealership? Do any spring to mind to you? Especially with serious, savy drivers type customers in mind? Have you ever come across some really good incentives that have tempted you down to your local dealership?
Your thoughts would be really appreciated.
Many thanks
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Do you mean things like weekend test drives? They'd get me down there.
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Best one for me is the annual Lexus Driver's Day. They hire a place (usually some swanky country house) and have examples of all the latest cars, you get invited, roll up and get to drive on a set route unaccompanied in whatever you want, they ply you with snacks and there's absolutely no sales pressure at all.
Works for me.
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How the hell have I not heard of this until now!?!
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Rather think you need to own a Lexus Adam, that's how you get the invite from the Lexus dealer that services your car. And they don't aLL do it either, although most do I think. They obviously want to just keep you in the fold. They send me stuff ALL the time - invites to go and just sit in new models, evenings where someone from Lexus GB comes and mingles, with films and stuff, that kind of a caper.
Taking a car for the weekend on test is pretty much a given if they think you're half serious. But of course the cars cost a BOMB. I had a brochure only last night for the new GS and an invite to go play - it's ever so lovely but it's 46k, which is a tad out of my league! Still get to play if I want though!
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Save your money to offer customers the best price deal you can.
Be friendly ,offer coffee and choccy biscuits for the potential customers particularly if you are busy , have some free sweets for their kids, toys and a telly in the showroom will keep the ankle biters occupied while you concentrate on the customers.
DO NOT IGNORE THE WOMEN.
Build a reputation for good reliable old fashioned service and never lose it.
You need polite and expert sales people who are prepared to go the extra mile.... Spotty faced aggressive youths in sales are the quickest way to lose my custom.
As someone who spends literally millions of pounds a year for my company I am very cynical about companies who are spending masses of money on special offers and incentives.
Take a wander into your local Honda or Toyota showroom to see how it should be done....
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The incentive that always works for me is customer service. Be honest to deal with and as keen to solve problems (if they arise) as you are to make the sale. Look for staff who know their cars and hang on to them.
I know that sounds *really* obvious, but genuinely good customer service is hard to come by in most trades. Good reputation is what keeps customers coming to my local Skoda and FIAT dealers over and over again...
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One good idea I've seen is late/weekend opening by appointment for workers who can't get to the garage during office hours. Another is to open, say, Saturday afternoon with some form of creche or distraction for children so parents can go car shopping.
Be warned, though. Aforementioned Skoda dealer had to sell his house next door to the garage. He's well known for being a helpful sort, so people started turning up to the door at all hours asking to test drive his cars!
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What kind of cars are you selling - nearly new, family run abouts, sports cars, LHD, 4x4, ...........
What are your target customers? Private, small business leasing, Who are they - cash buyers, HP with no deposit, low APR, High APR for poor credit risk
The type of car and the type of customer will dictate what is / is not suitable as incentives to come and see the cars.
Just now payment holidays - no payment on the HP until February (get Xmas over) might tempt some - this costs nothing to the garage as the extra interest/finance charge is included via a higher APR than the norm.
You can run it again in June say - no payments required till September (after the holidays)
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Another good idea I've heard about is to offer a free car wash on a Saturday/Sunday for past customers, who you then get access to for the short time they are waiting.
My mate visits his Lexus dealer (again with the Lexus!) regularly to take them up on such an offer.
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... and another thing...
The place I bought my car from, an indie Volvo place, sometimes hosts owners' club meets at his showroom. That seems to be a good way of getting a good number of enthusiastic punters through the door for the cost of a few cups of coffee.
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Sarah G - great idea.....
arrange Back Room meets at the dealership! Get loads of bull from the gang and no sales
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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Give a 10% discount on spares, accessories and servicing for people that buy a car from you ~ like my Ford dealer does.
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L\'escargot.
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A lot of good stuff in previous posts, esp regarding customer service.
And how do you get that? Hire the right people. I've dealt with people in dealerships who were, frankly, not up to the job (& been mystified about how they managed to get a job) - and I've met people who were very good. Find staff who are intelligent, polite, honest, etc.
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Have as many female staff as you can - not for a sexist point of view, but girls are good at chatting & gaining customer confidence.
Know your stuff - if you don't know the answer to a Q - say so & find it out.
Talk to EVERYONE that comes in, make sure they go out with a stocklist or service price list - NOT just a business card.Make sure that all potential customers are acknoledged - if the sales people are busy, let the valeter or mechanic, stop working to chat & say hi for a moment or two.
Follow up enquiries & sales & service jobs, with an 'was everything alright call' & action the customers comments.
Dowhat you say you wer going to do - if it's messed up, late, wrong part, incorrect delivery, diagnosis - let people know.& say how you'll sort it.
Don't be afraid to boast about how good you do things - be thorough - we even used to repaint the spare wheel, hidden under the floor of the vans for sale!!!
& then think verrrrrrrrrry carefully of going into another business instead!!!!!
NJOY!!
VB
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Why not offer introduction fees. ie: if an existing customer recommends a friend who subseuently buys a car, pay them a cash bonus or give them a voucher to use against servicing. Even £50 would do the trick.
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Make time for everyone that comes through your door. The chap at Mumfords in Plymouth did exactly that when I needed a valuation for my late mother's Almera. He gave me 15 mins of his time to offer a dealer valuation and a private sale estimate on headed notepaper. He knew he was not going to get a sale then, so imagine his pleasure when he sold me a brand new van!
The same dealer offer very good after sales service, even to the point of lending me a van FOC when mine went in for accident repair for 10 days.
From one extreme to another, one salesman at another dealership in Leicester wouldn't allow me to even look at a car, let alone test drive it - unless I actually agreed to buy it!
The fact of the matter is your salespeople aren't going to close every enquiry with a sale, however they will market your dealership and its approach to customers. Today's window shopper may be today's telegraph and tomorrow's buyer.
In the same way I don't get evey job I quote for in my business (I'm in home improvements), if I did I couldn't cope with the workload! But I build a rapport with the client base, and that spreads. Indeed I often find myself doing other work for clients who've turned down quotes.
Most importantly, good luck!
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