Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 42

S A L E S & VA RIABL E OPS: Customer Exper ience

By Bill Playford
VP & Partner,
DealerKnows Consulting

A Balanced
Approach to
Customer
Experience
When we hear an
example of customer
experience, it's usually
followed by an example of
some international juggernaut of business. Apple,
Disney, Nordstrom, and Ritz
Carlton are almost all
universally-mentioned as
companies leading the way
in creating immersive,

customer-forward, environments. Odds favor that you,
my beloved reader, are not
leading the charge at one of
these companies. You
probably don't have
billion-dollar budgets to
spend, Ivy League MBAs to
deploy it or multiple locations, best-suited to your
clientele, either. I'm here to

tell you that it's OK.
After all, when I go
around the room and ask,
"who here eats...," every
person raises their hand.
It's a simple way to level the
playing field, along with discovering who is an android.
As a training exercise, I ask
participants to think about
their favorite place to go out

NO ONE FLIPS A MILLION-DOLLAR
SWITCH TO MAKE CUSTOMERS
EXPLODE WITH GLEE. ON THE FLIPSIDE, EXEMPLARY CUSTOMER SERVICE
ISN'T FREE (IF IT WAS, YOU WOULD
ALREADY HAVE IT)."
42

OCTOBER 2019

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

to eat, and then try to channel
those feelings into how they
interact with their clients. My
theory is that before you're
able to understand what
amazing customer service
is, you must experience it
yourself. While my little survey
is simple, the results are very
telling. When you ask it hundreds of times, it starts to get
real interesting.
What I've found is that the
'best experience' is relative
to each person. More often
than not, favorite places to
eat are local establishments
and rarely the most expensive ones. Those who have
answered the question, are
comforted by the regional
cuisine, like-minded staff, and
familiar ambiance. Those in
more rural locals have radically different expectations than
those who live in more affluent
areas. When those positions
get switched, all parties are
shaken by what attracts the
opposite. Those who crave
chicken-fried steak are put off
by a raw quail's egg and vice
versa. Any, and all of, those
places to eat can have a fivestar rating by those who eat
there. But, what about those
who don't?
What if a customer's best
dining experience took place
at an Applebee's?
As we craft plans to evolve
our customer experience
efforts, we must keep in mind
what the customer is attracted
to on a day-to-day basis. The
Apple/Disney/Nordstrom/Ritz
experience may not resonate
with your market because
your market may not have
any first-hand knowledge
of those places. Apple has
steadily moved from a tech


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Digital Dealer - October 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Digital Dealer - October 2019

Digital Dealer - October 2019
A Message from the Show Director
Stop This Leadership Foolishness
Build & Develop the Right Team — Your Success Depends on It
Evolution Revolution: A Word to Successors
Could You Use Another 1 percent in Net Profits This Year?
Budget – We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Budget
DMS Conversion: Careful Planning & Management Are Essential
Interview with Monument Chevrolet
Digital Retailing Online Experience Versus In-Store Experience
10 Social Media Tips for Salespeople
Defining Your Advertising Target Is Your Best Brand Strategy
4 Secrets for Google My Business Success
How to Know if Your SEO Investment Is Paying Off
“Look, it’s not Rocket Science” By Anthony J. TaCito
A Balanced Approach to Customer Experience
The Power of Words
Value Is Important… So Are You Charging Too Much?
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - CT1
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - CT2
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - Digital Dealer - October 2019
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - Cover2
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 1
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - A Message from the Show Director
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 3
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - Stop This Leadership Foolishness
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 5
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - Build & Develop the Right Team — Your Success Depends on It
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 7
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 8
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 9
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - Evolution Revolution: A Word to Successors
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 11
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 12
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 13
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - Could You Use Another 1 percent in Net Profits This Year?
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 15
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 16
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 17
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - Budget – We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Budget
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 19
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - DMS Conversion: Careful Planning & Management Are Essential
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 21
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 22
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 23
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - Interview with Monument Chevrolet
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 25
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 26
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 27
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 28
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 29
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 30
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - Digital Retailing Online Experience Versus In-Store Experience
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 10 Social Media Tips for Salespeople
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 33
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - Defining Your Advertising Target Is Your Best Brand Strategy
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 35
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 4 Secrets for Google My Business Success
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - How to Know if Your SEO Investment Is Paying Off
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 38
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 39
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - “Look, it’s not Rocket Science” By Anthony J. TaCito
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 41
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - A Balanced Approach to Customer Experience
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 43
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - The Power of Words
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 45
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - Value Is Important… So Are You Charging Too Much?
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 47
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - 48
Digital Dealer - October 2019 - Cover3
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