Automotive News Canada - August 2020 - v2 - 31

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Reach out to Every Customer with a Goodwill Message
How does a
dealer grow
customer
engagement in
difficult times?

SALES LEADERSHIP
Insights & Selling
Strategies
can't let the pain of today's realities keep them
from anticipating and responding to their
customer's needs.

By JEFF WILLIAMS
President & CEO, Absolute Results

How does a dealer grow customer engagement, especially in difficult times?

Without engaged customers, a dealer's success
will be short lived.
Every measurement of a dealer's success-
from sales, to cash flow, right down to their
equity-is largely based on the number of
customers purchasing products and services
monthly. The more engaged a dealer's
database is, and the more repeat services each
customer purchases, the more valuable their
portfolio and their business will be. The opposite also holds true: dealers with high customer turnover have a less valuable business.
In times of global change like the current
pandemic, dealers will be affected by many
factors outside of their control. While many
will struggle to adapt or even to survive, they
must not lose sight of the fact that they can't
exist without engaged customers. Dealers

Let's start with what we know about dealers'
customers. Industry statistics show that eight
percent of a dealer's database is in the market
for a new vehicle at any given time. Although
some of a dealer's customers are in a predictable trading cycle, such as a lease, the majority
begin shopping for a vehicle because of far less
predictable-but equally powerful-a Big Life
Change.

nances, and their personal lives. Many people
have had to make lifestyle adjustments, and
their driving needs may have also changed
substantially, making now a great time for
dealers to reach out to them.
What kind of message is appropriate, effective,
and most likely to resonate with customers?
Because of the emotional toll that recent
events have taken, people aren't in the mood
for hard-selling messages. Messages offering
to help and that prompt discussion of clients'
needs, however, are a more fitting approach
for today's climate.

During the pandemic,
Absolute Results created a
Most people experience
EVERY CUSTOMER communication strategy
a Big Life Change every
that we call the Goodwill
three to five years. Shifts in
Message. Over the past
education, career, family,
four months, more than
or relationships are Big Life
A BIG LIFE CHANGE a 100,000 Goodwill Calls
Changes, as are lifestyle
have been completed
changes like moving, a
by our communication
new hobby, or recreational activities. It won't
center, trainers, and by the thousands of sales
always be possible for a dealer to predict
professionals we've already trained in this
Big Life Changes like these, and others, like
strategy in Australia, North America, and
accidents, natural disasters, or a pandemic, are
Europe.
even less predictable.
What's the point of a Goodwill Message?
Here's the unique opportunity for dealers toIt's an opportunity for sales professionals to
day: virtually every customer in their database
check in with customers, to ask if their driving
has just experienced a Big Life Change. The
needs have changed, and if they have, to offer
pandemic has affected their work, their fi-

HAS JUST
EXPERIENCED

March 1 was 100 YEARS AGO
Everything has changed. Prepare your team for the future.

COMPLIMENTARY WEBINAR FOR AUTOMOTIVE NEWS CANADA READERS

Developing the
Appointment Culture

Growing
Retention

Delivering a High-Value
Customer Experience

45
MINUTE

COMPLIMENTARY WEBINAR
* Max 12 participants per session with interactive dealer Q&A.
* Downloadable webinar training resources.
* Early access to post-pandemic whitepaper.

to help. It's also a chance to thank customers
for past business, update their information,
and discuss upcoming products, all of which
better prepare sales professionals to serve their
customers the next time they reach out.
Customer feedback proves the
success of the
Goodwill Message: thousands
have thanked
their sales professionals for
reaching out,
making it clear
that a Goodwill
Message builds
goodwill!

Thousands of
customers have
responded by
thanking their
sales professionals
for reaching out.

What kind
of sales opportunities do Goodwill Calls
generate? To date, they've resulted in tens of
thousands of selling opportunities, as well as
thousands of vehicle sales. Thousands.

In fact, the rate of customer engagement
produced by a Goodwill Message and
follow-up Goodwill Call is up to 53 percent
higher than that of a traditional sales-focused
call. That's right: By offering to help our
customers post-pandemic, we've seen 53
percent higher engagement than when we
contacted them with a sales offer pre-pandemic. We've learned that a sincere desire to
help is fundamental to sales success. This data
also provides compelling testimony about
the worth of sales professionals capable of engaging their customers in intelligent dialogue
about their needs.
Perhaps the pandemic provides us with
an opportunity to rethink our traditional
sales and marketing strategies? When we're
preoccupied with hitting this month's sales
targets, it's easy to forget that every marketing
message is a conversation. Too often, dealers
become so focused on the financial value of
each transaction that their marketing efforts
become all about the deal, rather than about
the customer.
True professionals would never recommend
a solution before identifying a need. Then
why does the majority of our marketing
assume that everyone wants lower payments,
big savings, or to be the first to have the latest
technology?
What is a dealer's ultimate challenge in a
post-pandemic world? A focus on growing customer engagement is crucial. Sales
professionals need to reach out to 15 to 20
customers every day to connect with a Goodwill Message, ask about Big Life Changes,
and offer an appointment. This simple daily
activity will grow retention and help dealers
sell more cars today and tomorrow.
Scan to read
the full article
and download
the e-book,
"Three Keys to
the Reset"

http://www.ABSOLUTERESULTS.COM/100YEARSAGO

Automotive News Canada - August 2020 - v2

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News Canada - August 2020 - v2