How often do customers leave your dealership to shop elsewhere because your pre-owned vehicle selection wasn’t quite right for them? When these situations occur, do you sit back and let them go or start planning the follow-up that will get them back?

The correct answer is to start planning your follow-up. In order to make this successful, you have to equip yourself with the right tools during the follow-up process.

Doing your homework can be the difference between having a prospect say “goodbye” for good or turning that same prospect into a loyal customer.

Here are a few tips to ensure you’re meeting the needs of your pre-owned vehicle customers.

1. Implement “Match ‘Em Up” Mondays:

As you acquire a high number of trades each weekend, your salespeople need an easy way to connect prospects with your new inventory.  Use your CRM solution to set up alerts that trigger a phone call to the prospect when his desired vehicle is in stock.

When following up with an unsold prospect, it’s not so fun to inform him you still don’t have what he wants. It feels a lot better to call a customer and tell him, “The car you’re looking for just rolled onto our lot!”

2. Feature Inventory in Your Newsletter:

Even if you can’t find the perfect match for a prospect, don’t let him leave without hope. Ask if he’d like to receive your dealership’s eNewsletter featuring helpful, informative articles and vehicle specials that link directly to your website. Even if you don’t have the exact vehicle the customer is looking for, he may find something he likes even better. A regular eNewsletter also helps keep your dealership top of mind and allows you to promote your accessory and service business too.

It’s even better when your eNewsletter can report which articles the customer read and what actions he took. This will give you more information for personalized follow-up.

3. Give Your Clients Options:

Some CRMs allow you to designate clients looking for a match with a special status. If you can do this in your CRM, pull up a list of customers in “match” status while searching the vehicles you have in inventory. You may find vehicles similar to your client’s desired vehicle but not an exact match. Look at this as an opportunity, not a barrier. Part of being a good salesperson is to inform customers of the various options they have based on their needs. For instance, a used Nissan Frontier buyer might also consider a Toyota Tacoma or Chevy Colorado.

Know all the products your dealership is selling and how to present them. Often, all it takes to get a customer to consider a different vehicle is a well-informed salesperson.

Being committed to meeting your customers’ needs means going the extra mile to put them in the best situation possible. Follow-up and regular contact is the name of the game. If you don’t have the exact inventory the customer needs, never let that be the end of the story. Be persistent and direct in your approach to the customer, and make full use of all the tools you have at your disposal.

For more information on training and dealership improvement, contact Reynolds Consulting Services at 888.204.6092 or send us an email at consulting@reyrey.com.

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