Digital is an expectation, not an enhancement or an addition. Our culture has come to expect a digital experience in the smallest of our daily routines. Fast Food has become automated (the kiosk can’t forget I said no pickles), I can take a picture and deposit my check, (or just use Apple Pay and PayPal) and I even order my dog food off of Amazon.
In the automotive industry, this means from the moment of initial purchasing research until the moment the car is programmed for the buyer, digital seems to run the show.
Except when it doesn’t…
Amidst all this automation and technology, there is one thing that has remained consistent: Selling cars is still a social event. It is relational. People buy cars from people. People they like and trust.
Technology has removed many variables in the purchasing process. Online Transparency eliminated the issue of pricing. Most new vehicles come from the OEM with little margin, and used vehicles are nearly forced to be competitively priced.
People search online to find the exact vehicle they think they want, including the trim levels, the mileage, and all other options. All that is left is to come into the dealership.
And your sales and internet team need to win them over.
That takes skill and communication.
Communication is the factor that can make or break a sale.
How many of your salespeople are communication experts? How many are writing wizards and eloquent with every word?
Not too many!?
Knowing how to communicate is a skill that is not easy to train. You must be able to read a person, listen to not only their words, but also their body language while adjusting your message based on what they are saying (or not saying.)
This is made even more difficult when the majority of the communication is being held online.
There are some ways to utilize technology to make our conversations and emails with clients more personalized and well received.
Here are 3 Free Effective Communication Tools:
1. Crystal
Crystal is a free technology that gathers public social data about the person whose name you enter and then analyzes any online information available. It then tells you about that person’s DISC, their preferred methods of communication, and how they choose to communicate with others.
Crystal even gives you suggested verbiage and email subject lines that should appeal specifically to the potential client.
This is not 100% accurate (what in life is?), but close enough to help guide the way you talk to potential customers.
Oh, BTW. It’s free.
2. Social Media/Linkedin
Why are we not using this more when researching how to communicate to customers? You can learn much from a cursory glance at someone’s LinkedIn or Facebook profile. From bios, posts, etc. you can see how formal or informal they are and what is seemingly important to them.
Just that little bit of information would help guide the length of your emails, your word choices, and your tone within the correspondence. And it only takes 5 minutes of research to have this “insider information.”
PS – It’s not stalking if it’s already out there.
3. Grammarly
So, this is more of a “me” issue than it is for most, but I cannot stand when people try to sell me something through correspondence laden with misspellings, grammatical issues, and insane punctuation.
If you want to be considered a professional, present yourself as one.
Having said that, I also understand that it’s easier for some than others. God made calculators just for me, and he may have made Grammarly just for you.
This downloadable angel will analyze your grammar, spelling, and word choice. It goes way beyond the generic spell check and is an intuitive virtual editor. It works in any document you are typing – including emails!
Let’s Talk About It:
- Has communication skill been a factor when hiring new sales staff?
- How do y0u ensure your staff can communicate the culture of your dealership (such as using specific customer-centric
words?) - When was the last time you spot checked the emails and digital communications going from your dealership to potential customers?
