Digital Dealer - December 2017 - 33

The "metal-centric"
dealership model is no
longer sufficient to attract
people to own cars.
As purveyors of vehicles, dealers are losing
relevance in the eyes of
customers. Dealers that
will continue with business-as-usual approach
will find themselves in the
utilitarian transfer side
of the spectrum with an
ever-increasing customer
relevance erosion.
Only a radically different approach will address
the evolving trends in a
meaningful way. Dealers ought to reconsider
their core competencies.
While selling and servicing cars is foundational
to the business, it is no
longer sufficient. The new
frontier of dealership role
is shifting from "metalcentric" to people centric.
It is the people-centric
approach that paves the
way to redefining the
dealership as a home
for driving lovers and a
center of rewards rides. It
is this approach that will
attract new customers to
the new dealership which
represents a place of
passion and not just an
inventory lot.
THE FOUR
DIMENSIONS OF
FUTURE READINESS

The dealership of the
future will have to shift its
focus from the "metal-centric" to the peoplecentric. The emerging
winners will create a new
core competence that will
not be defined by price,
customer acquisition, or

inventory.
The new people centric
dealership as a home of
driving passion will be
based on core competencies that will consist of
four core dimensions:
1. Customer Experience
2. Employee Engagement
3. Technology Readiness
4. Change Resilience
These four dimensions
are no longer additional
skills or attributes that will
be used to pepper on top
of the traditional automotive business model. They
are replacing the core
competencies relating
to "metal" and inventory
management. They are
redefining the future value
proposition of those who
seek to sell and service
cars.
While the future
remains full of question
marks - causing a great
deal of doubt and discomfort - it is clear that the
dealerships who master
the future readiness dimensions will be in better
positions to capitalize
on the opportunities the
future will bring.
1. DELIGHT YOUR
CUSTOMERS - Develop-

ing a keen understanding
on how to delight a customer no matter what their
transaction will become.
No matter what the new
business model becomes,
customers will be central
to it. Knowing them and
understanding how to
deliver to them will remain
a key to success and a
key to customer loyalty.
2. ENGAGE AND
EMPOWER YOUR TEAM

- Your people are your
operation! Engaging your
team will enable you to
retain the right talent, get
the most out of your team
and be ready to embrace
the future.
3. EMBRACE NEW
TECHNOLOGIES -

Technology will continue
to evolve at ever faster
speeds. Our ability to
harness the opportunities new developments
present will continue to
separate the winners and
the losers. Dealers who
maintain a keen interest in
exploring and experimenting with new technologies
will be best placed to take
advantage of new opportunities and most likely to
remain relevant to their
customers' needs.
4. EMBRACE CHANGE
AS THE NORM - Change

resilience is the new defining attribute of successful businesses. Change
must not be feared - it
needs to be embraced.
We can no longer afford
to be held back by the
"old" ways of doing things.
We need to get out in
front and develop an
outlook and skillset that
views change positively
and allows us to explore
its possibilities with confidence. It's not just about
adapting to change; it's
about loving it!
The winners will
secure their success
based on their ability to
adapt quickly to change,
developing strong
change resilience. They
will shine in exceptional
customer experiences,

they will harness the
skills of their team, and
they will develop deep
expertise in technology.
By combining those core
elements, dealerships will
equip themselves with a
platform for success -
an agile approach that
will support their role in
delivering the future to
customers quicker than
the competition.
Love for cars and
driving will not change.
However, the way auto
retailers deliver and
support the connection
will evolve. Customers'
expectations will continue
to increase, and technology will become still more
dominant. Acquiring and
retaining the right talent to
bring this commitment to
technology and customer experience is critical.
Adapting to change with
passion and commitment
will define our business in
the future. The question
for every car dealership
is quite simple: will you
evolve fast enough to be
part of the future? Will you
drive the future, or will you
allow the future to drive
you?
LIOR ARUSSY is the
founder and president
of Strativity Group and
has had the privilege of
assisting organizations
in their customer-centric
transformations. Arussy is
the author of several books
on customer experience,
employee engagement, and
experience innovation. His
latest book, "Exceptionalize
It!" is available on Amazon.
Follow him on Twitter @
LiorStrativity.

D I G I TA L D E A L E R . C O M

DECEMBER 2017

33
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Digital Dealer - December 2017
