About twenty years ago, as I started my carrier in the automotive field, I was clearly told that Dealers, would have always done more business on the After Sales and on mortgages.
More in general the “Service” would have been the real key point of incomes in a medium and long term.
From the simple inspection to the MOT, the tire change, the insurance, the second handed car for the young driver, the bodywork repairs or the installation of a new surveillance system.
As you can imagine, we go far from the After Sales concept and we enter in the Service field at 100%.
Not few years are gone now and that idea is now a reality: everyone knows that incomes on the “Metal” are hilarious and don’t repay not even the facilities … while everything linked to Customer (satisfied) originates incomes and business continuity.
Everyone agrees with it indeed, car manufacturers invest a lot of money on trainings, Customer Oriented applications but even in activities to conquer the market prospecting in areas more or less reactive.
Despite all these activities, dealers are passively submitted to the market and its trends.
Fewer and fewer dealers adopt procedures for loyalty, recall, awareness and customer growth.
An example above all?
Supermarket chains and electronics companies make their customers aware of their rights, in terms of consumers, in the most different ways, to differentiate themselves from competitors and demonstrate their “good faith” in case of dispute.
Dealers, on the other hand, still claim to sell the car “seen and liked”, “if you wanted the guarantee you would have bought a new car”, “I make few money if I work as mediator with the bodywork”, “I have only suggested you a partner and I’m not responsible for the success of the negotiation” and so on and so forth.
Would we like to talk about the “After Sales” intended only as the activity of warranty and repairing?
Have you ever seen workshop acceptor?
For Benchmarking fans, try to go to a dentist … soon after the visit, the receptionist books for you the next visit, even for a simple check.
And the gas station attendants who always have the POS broken and have to write your points on the receipt forcing you to come back again?
And what about the tyre dealer who “gifts” you a voucher for FREE balancing but only to use it not before a year after the purchase of the tire set?
You certainly do not have to wait for the impositions of a car manufacturer or buy the best performing application to be able to take advantages from all the opportunities.
Looking around with a Customer service perspective is often enough.. because calling a customer to remind him the MOT is different that calling him to reconfirm an appointment already booked.
