In the last edition of the carsales Auto Market Watch, I wrote about my experience in dealerships when I was out in-market for a new car . From start to finish, I had three unique discussions and relationships with three different dealer salespeople. The interesting thing is, all three salespeople had very similar approaches as to how they interacted with me. Now that I look back on my journey, I’ve realised that much like dating, buying a car also follows some pivotal relationship milestones.
I’m not suggesting pulling a Marvin Gaye with your customers but rather I’ve listed some key relationship building do’s and don’ts below to illustrate my point, as well as some handy tips based on my own experiences.
First Date – Get to know me
According to Cosmopolitan magazine, there are 20 crucial questions you should ask someone that you’re on a date with. You know how many questions I was usually asked by a dealer?
Three.
1. What is your name?
2. What car are you looking at today?
3. What are your hesitations?
Imagine if on a first date I asked the nervous gentleman sitting in front of me: What’s your name? What are you looking for in a partner?
WHY WON’T YOU MARRY ME?!
It would be first, insane, and second, way too soon. Just like when you first meet your date, you need to learn about them. What are their interests, hobbies and family like? What do they do for work or where do they park their… friends? Hopefully you get my drift. Genuine interest from the dealer was an integral part of my purchase decision. I wanted to feel as though the salesperson would recommend the best car to suit my needs and budget based on what I had told them about myself.
Don’t get me wrong, I love chatting! However, it would have been easier to talk about my requirements for a vehicle, like my daily commute, if someone had simply asked.
It’s not you, it’s me
Before visiting the dealerships in my purchase journey, I enquired on the vehicles via SMS on the carsales mobile app. I ensured that I communicated via SMS as I knew I wanted a response via the same medium.
I simply prefer texts. They give me time to divulge information in a setting and time that suits me.
My phone is crammed with notifications. I get thousands of emails from retailers offering promotions, so I don’t even bother having the pop-ups on my home screen, only THE ICONIC offers have that exclusive privilege.
A recent Forbes article claimed that people tend to read about 95% of the SMSs they receive. I read 100% of mine (sometimes even multiple times if I’m overthinking the message), so there’s no need to worry about whether I’ve seen it or not. And this would apply to the majority of consumers my age.
So if an interested buyer contacts you about an inventory item via text message, don’t treat the enquiry like it’s less valuable than other mediums such as phone calls. The buyer has chosen this medium with purpose so reciprocation might just get them through your door that much faster.
What’s the deal with phone calls?
Here’s a hunch: I think the humble phone call is on the wane. More than 75% of UK adults own a smartphone, but a quarter never even use it for calls.
The list of those who still use mobile devices for a buzz, tingle or ring are exclusive to scenarios of urgency. My GP buzzes me to confirm appointments, my boss calls to ask me where I am and the gym rings to interrogate me on my three month absence— all three scenarios where I’m happy to let the call go to voicemail.
I constantly see my peers letting their phones ring through to voicemail and look up the missed numbers on reverseaustralia.com. Being put on the spot and cornered for an intense discussion like a car purchase can give people unwarranted anxiety. It’s not an ideal headspace to be in for such an emotional discussion.
Texts serve millennials as a form of instant gratification communication (I’m coining it). The speed, convenience and ease of them is incomparable to that of phone calls.
So here’s my tip; try sending a text message and wait for the buyer to get back to you.
And if they don’t get back to you in a timely manner? Give them a buzz.
Don’t ‘Netflix and Chill’ me
Now picture on this first date my prospective partner says: “let’s skip the dinner and just head back to my place for some… ‘Netflix and chill’.”
answer?
A decisive no.
Up until that point buying a new car was the most expensive decision I had ever made. I don’t even scrutinize the characteristics of my dates as much as I did those hatchbacks. So you can’t just try and close the deal right off the bat!
People need to be schmoozed (verb. Sh-mooh-z-d) and have the opportunity to develop a relationship first. Trust, connection and respect need to be established before any big transaction —heart or vehicle.
I wanted to feel like the salesperson wasn’t just trying to make a quick sale to fill a quota. According to VICE magazine, the average length of relationships in someone’s 20s is 4.2 years. In contrast, car ownership typically lasts around 7 years.
Do you see where I’m going with this?
Schmooze me, honey.
Happily ever after
Now that you’ve successfully arranged a time to meet your customer in person, ensure that your communication stays as sincere and honest as possible. Avoid the “this car has your name on it” gimmicks and those secret special offers that you can only sign for “if the deal is done today”.
Play it cool. Both you and your customer are keen so just try and get to know your buyer first so you can establish the strong fundamentals for this relationship.
Many lessons can be taken from the dating world when interacting with car buyers. From the first conversation to becoming ‘exclusive’, it follows a similar path as to that of a new relationship.
Putting in the hard yards to get to know your customer and schmoozing them will pay off; not just today but also when it comes to referrals based on their positive experience and the positive Google review they might leave.
So avoid the more intimate aspects of this relationship so John Smith doesn’t wonder why you keep trying to hold his hand and tell him how much he means to you.
Now with all of this in mind, I’m sure you’ll soon be off celebrating your new sales (romance).
