Will 2018 Be the Year of Culture Change at Your Dealership?

Happy New Year from everyone at Binary Automotive Solutions! As you are probably aware, 2018 is predicted to be a slightly down year from 2017. But fear not, there is a great solution that can change the fortune of your dealership for the better. One major way to improve sales is to change the focus of your dealership.

If you are currently planning to be aggressive on price and fight it out all year long with competing dealers, how about a different approach? Instead of focusing on price, price, price, make a New Year’s resolution to focus on separating your dealership from the pack by offering a great unique selling proposition (USP) — something you offer beyond the product and price.

Instead of nickel-and-diming buyers to see whether you or your competitor can go lowest on price, try offering your customers something that your competitors don’t offer. How about giving them more, rather than devaluing your product — new and used — and trying to sell for less? Help your buyers understand that squeezing for pennies is not as important as doing business with a dealership that will be here for them in the future.

Whether your USP is lifetime oil changes, a lifetime limited powertrain warranty offered on qualifying new and pre-owned vehicles, a monthly maintenance package, or some other unique benefit, the buyer needs to know that your dealership will make ownership more of a pleasure, and that your relationship is only starting with the delivery. At the same time, as a business, you move the focus off price and allow your sales staff to sell vehicles at higher profit margins.

So, even if all the predictions are true about lower sales this year, you probably would not mind if the profit margin on each car you sell is up because of your new focus. Let the other dealers take the no-profit deals, and you sell to the people who value your USP at a higher profit margin, with higher customer retention — much higher. This could be your year to change the culture at your dealership by teaching your staff to focus on the customer’s happiness and satisfaction rather than trying to beat your competitors to the bottom on price.

Out-service, out-prepare, out-perform, out-promote, and out-sell your competitors in 2018. If you look at other industries, you can think of companies that stand for something special. They have created a unique selling proposition that causes their company to stand out in the mind of the consumer. You need to be one of those companies in the car business. You want car buyers to say, “That’s the company that offers lifetime oil changes (or whatever your USP is going to be) when you buy a car.”

Make your goal for 2018 to be the dealership in your market that customers talk about and say, “No one else does what they do.” Reach that goal, and your dealership will increase its profits, no longer battle on price, and energize its employees. They will likely stick around longer too — and isn’t customer and employee retention what it’s all about? Hard to put a “price” on that! Good luck in 2018 from all of us at Binary Automotive Solutions.

Now that you are ready to make 2018 the year of culture change at your dealership, contact Binary Automotive Solutions at sales@binaryauto.com or 888-883-8557, ext. 307, to learn more about the programs, tools, and training that will get you there.

Remember, with Binary’s warranties and service programs, your customers will love you because they have the peace of mind knowing there are “no hassles, no gimmicks, and no gotchas.”

Previous articles by James Binkley:

Set Your Dealership Up for Lifetime Profits By Giving Customers What They Really Want

Find Your Unique Selling Proposition and Quit Racing to the Bottom on Price

Pricing: No One Wins a Race to the Bottom