Four-year-old Martina is about to teach you a lesson.
Martina: Why?
You: Because you’ve had a long day and you’re going to be getting sleepy soon.
Martina: Why?
You: Well, because you played outside and ran around the house all day.
Martina: Why?
You: Because you’re four!
Martina: Why?
You: [Sigh]
If you’ve ever worked a gig as a parent (or babysitter, for that matter), you know about the “Why Game.” Even though it originates with kids, it can also be heard played out in conversations in your dealership too. My buddy Brian Pasch warns us about avoiding what he calls “white noise” when playing the “Why Game.”
What’s white noise? Here are some examples…
Eddie: Because we’re the best dealership in the area. (WHITE NOISE!)
You: Why?
Eddie: Um, because we sell in a consultative manner, effectively helping people buy and not selling them.
You: Better! Why?
Eddie: We work on salary and bonuses, not commission, so we deliver a no-pressure sales experience.
You: Ha – that’s what I’m looking for!
Or…
Angela: Because we take care of our customers. (WHITE NOISE!)
You: Why?
Angela: Well, because we don’t just want them to do business with us one time. We want customers for life!
You: Better!
Angela: That’s why employees get a Hawaiian vacation when they reach ten years. We just think there’s something nice about the same person who sold you your first “married couple” car also selling you your first minivan when junior comes along… knowing that you’ll see the same friendly face through life’s biggest changes.
You: Perfecto!
Drilling down to define your dealership’s unique “why buy” message can help you win the “Why Game” and stand out from the white noise that’s constantly competing for the attention of your prospective customers.
The new eBook by Cobalt, Defining Your Dealership Why, helps explain how you can answer the “why buy” question, and how doing so can help you attract and retain like-minded customers.
Does “why buy” messaging still feel warm and fuzzy, but not practical for your bottom line?
Do you still think you don’t need to bother differentiating because the OEM does it for you?
Check out these startling stats from our automotive-shopping activity study:
- The study shows that shoppers visit a minimum of eight dealer websites. That’s the minimum! Your “why buy” messaging is the key to separating your dealership from the competition.
- The same study tracked the purchase journey of one family and revealed that they had been exposed to a total of 329 dealership ads over their 90 day shopping journey. Injecting your advertising with a healthy dose of your “why buy” messaging can differentiate your impression from the hundreds of others competing for that family’s attention.
- It also tracked the online activity of one brand loyal shopper who shopped his favorite brand exclusively, but did not show loyalty to any one dealership. In fact, he shopped his brand across 20 dealership websites in a single day!
His journey illustrates that brand alignment is the baseline, but it’s not the full equation. This is further supported by the fact that of the 75% of shoppers who visited OEM websites, most of those visited the OEM website and the dealer website within the same 30 minutes.
Moral of the story: The OEM only starts the “why buy” equity; it’s your job to finish it.
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“Why” is the reason they buyWhat’s YOUR dealership why? Learn how answering the “Why Buy?” question can transform your dealership today. |
