“Follow up with your customers” is one of those phrases in the car business that draws eye rolls, confused looks and/or outright blank looks on employees’ faces. Unfortunately for some of us, this concept wasn’t really taught to us, rather it was directed (yelled?) at us by a manager many moons ago. We dragged our tails out of their office, went back to our cubicle and tried to figure out what the heck that meant.
Fast forward to today and following up can be the difference between frustrating mediocrity and stunning success. And if success is your goal (that is your goal, right?), you have to have a strategy. Developing a strategy requires taking some time to stop and think.
First of all, there are two kinds of follow up as it relates to the automotive world, namely unsold and sold. Let’s tackle each one separately.
Unsold Follow Up
Simply put, these are the customers who aren’t quite yet customers. Perhaps they reached out to you via phone or electronic media and haven’t made an appointment to actually see the vehicle of interest yet. Or maybe they have visited the store but haven’t landed on the car they want or been able to reach agreeable figures. What should the strategy be here?
What I’ve found helpful in this instance is to think like the customer themselves. If I were in their shoes, what information would I want to take the next step? They don’t have enough information yet to make a decision! When you are making a large purchase or important decision, you do not do so until you feel like you have enough information to move forward.
If they haven’t yet seen the vehicle, maybe they need more photos than you have listed online. Does it have all the equipment they are looking for? Or maybe they want more detail on the history of the vehicle (if it’s pre-owned). If it’s a new car and they haven’t bought your brand before, maybe they need independent, third-party opinions that tell them they’re making a good investment (articles from Edmunds.com or KBB.com).
If they have seen the car, what was it that didn’t trip their trigger? Color, equipment, miles or something else? If the car checked all their boxes, so to speak, they would have already bought it.
So now what do you do? Ask questions! Using whatever method of communication they prefer (not the one you like best), reach out to them and thank them for giving you the opportunity to show them the car (or cars). Using what we’ve learned above, get to the heart of the issue and find out what they need. Once you find that out, give it to them! Crazy idea, I know.
And don’t for a second think that they’re going to just come right out and tell you. You have to earn the right to gain their trust, then they’ll tell you. How do you do that? Be honest and forthright with them from the very get-go. If you’re a lying, deceitful, less than honest SOB, congratulations because you’ve played right into the stereotypical car salesperson caricature and are destined for a failed career. But that’s not you, right? If you know that a particular car is not the right one for them, be honest and tell them (and explain why, as best you can). Rare is the salesperson that will talk the customer out of buying a car that’s wrong for them. It’s a terrible short term strategy but a wonderful long term one.
When you do give them what they’re looking for, I guarantee they’ll make an appointment to come see the car (or have you take it to them because you do offer that service, right?). And if you have an appointment, you’ve got a shot at actually selling something. Repeat enough times and voila, success.
Sold Follow Up
Contrary to what some salespeople believe, you actually should stay in contact with those that have purchased from you. Another crazy idea, right? How many less-than-successful salespeople do you know who are afraid of the service drive because they might run into one of their sold customers? Too many, I’m afraid.
However, if you ever want to sell those people another vehicle, much less any of their friends, family and acquaintances, you best make an effort to see how they’re doing.
I recommend reaching out every six months or so to check in with them. Once again, using their preferred method of communication, stay in contact to see how their life is going. Notice I didn’t say to see how the car is doing. The car doesn’t have feelings, so don’t worry about hurting them. Your customer, however, does. Ask them about their kids (you did write their names down in the CRM, didn’t you?) or a favorite activity they’re into. See if they’ve traveled anywhere fun lately or are involved in an interesting project at work or where they volunteer. If you’ve earned their trust, they’ll open their lives to you and you’ll learn some amazing things.
And what becomes of those conversations? More car sales, that’s what. Eventually they’re going to need another car. Do you think they’re going to go out into the wilderness of car dealers and try to find someone as trustworthy as you? Heck no, they’re going to deal with a known quantity. Plus, if you’ve really shown them you care they will bring you up in conversation with friends and family when the topic of needing to buy a car comes up (and someone is ALWAYS in need of a car).
The bottom line is this: you either make the time to do the follow up with prospects and customers or you don’t. If you do, I promise you’ll reap rewards both professionally and personally. If you don’t, good luck in whatever career you choose after the car business because you’re going to need it.
So what say you? What follow up strategies do you employ for your personal success? I’d love to hear your stories.
Make it a great day!
Dan
