As an owner or manager in a dealership, you are often viewed as an expert in the product that you sell and service, and rightfully so. You know more about the details of the product than just about anyone else. When thinking about conveying professionalism in your dealership and selling your brand, it’s important to not undervalue the power of the knowledge.
People come to your business because you are the expert.
Think about the amount of time and money you have put into becoming an expert on the products that you carry. I assume it’s a substantial amount of both. But, if you are like many of our dealers, the product knowledge you and your team have may be one of the best kept secrets in your dealership!
When we understand that people come to a dealership because these assume that we are the experts at what we do, it changes how we do things and how we equip our people. We have to start thinking about how to get the word out. Maybe start by making sure every invoice leaving your dealership has the cumulative time in the industry of all your employees, or maybe break it up by department. When your employees finish a certification or training, are you sharing it with your customers? When our customers know about the continued training we are doing with our people, it elevates the status of our dealership in their minds and continues to allow us to charge a premium price for the premium services we offer.
One of our dealers made sure that everyone knew when their Service manager completed their EDA Service Manager Certification by not only putting the emblem on their website but by ensuring it was on the dealership’s social media accounts and other promotions they sent out.
Your customers don’t need to know everything you know about the product, they just want the information that affects them.
On the flip side, while we have this incredible knowledge base about the products we carry, your customers don’t want all of the details about every piece of equipment you have in your dealership. They only want the information that is relevant to them. Many times we see salespeople talk themselves out of sales because they are oversharing specific product knowledge that the customer just doesn’t care about. Your customers only have one question when they are buying from you: “How does this affect me?” The challenge for salespeople is to answer that question with as much clarity as possible while keeping the customer engaged.
We know you have all the information in your head, but not all the information needs to come out of your mouth.
Find out what it is the customer needs from the product you are selling and servicing and stick to what they need. Typically, a customer can only retain three key points about the product during their discussion with you, keep it simple and you will have a customer that not only remains engaged but will be more likely to buy the product or service you’re sharing about.
