Last Friday I posted a thread in the forums about this, but I think it could use a deeper dive.
With the rate that technology is growing, it’s no wonder vehicle manufacturers are trying to keep pace. And, they’re doing a fairly decent job at it. “Call mom” just went to “Update my Facebook status to, ‘Old people driving in the left lane really piss me off.’” I’m not surprised at all (ok, probably no one is) since we consume information anyway we can get it and we’re living in the connected generation.
The new technology found in these vehicles begs the question: Who’s responsible for teaching the proud new owner how to use all of that?
Is it the sales person, or a dedicated technology specialist?
While some manufacturers contribute to the cost of a dedicated technology specialists, others do not. And, when the salary is coming out of the dealerships’s bottom line – do they train the sales person to do it all, or hire a specialist?
I can see the pros and cons of each. On one hand the sales person knowing everything about my new car is appealing. I recall when I purchased my last vehicle I had to laugh when the sales person struggled with showing me “easy access to the third row”. Quick recovery for him – he did know everything about the fancy features in the dash.
On the other hand, I can see the benefits of a dedicated technology expert – the guy or gal coming in to take over the technical, over-the-sales-person-head conversation. However, with that, I can’t help but wonder if a consumer would get irritated they have to wait for “just one more person” before leaving the lot. Picking up a new vehicle is beyond exciting and who wants to wait on something.
At the end of the day, I lean more toward the sales person taking on this challenge and knowing the vehicle from top to bottom, inside and out.
Lastly, and this could be a whole new post – blogging about the technology in the vehicles you sell is great for SEO. Now, who would write the blog….?
