Del Boy Dealers
New research by trusteddealers.co.uk reveals the dark secret of UK’s annual private car sales. These sales amount to 1.4M each year. It appears that the recession is driving UK motorists to become a nation of suspect dealers. Research found that 1 in 5 private dealers admit to telling porkies when selling a vehicle.
Over 1/3 of private sellers said they had diverted a buyer from a problem with a vehicle. 15% position the car to hide bumps, cracks and scuffs and 3% use air fresheners to hide permanent smells.
Dealerships should always be searching for ways to instil trust in customers. If you are from a franchised dealership, this will help. Yet there are other ways in which dealers can go the extra mile to ensure that the customer knows they are not going to have their arm twisted when coming to a dealership.
We work with dealers that are part of Trusteddealers.co.uk. It has been designed as a resource for consumers looking to purchase a used car that comes with complete peace of mind. The standards are set by used car dealers that are part of the scheme, highlighting to consumers that the dealerships are committed to delivering a ‘first class experience’ to used car customers. Trusteddealers.co.uk have compiled a 10 points of difference that they believe car dealerships should abide by regarding certain laws of practice. Here are some of the following practices these dealerships go by:
- Every car has theft and write off checks
- Full Pre-delivery inspection
- Car mileage checked and verified
- Warranty with every car
- Generous minimum MOT
We are not suggesting that dealerships would go to this length to deceive a customer from a stone chip. Think about how dealerships can help to instil trust in customers. One way to do this is to incorporate video presentations. It enables you to bring the customer to the dealership from the comfort of their own home whilst differentiating the level of customer service at a dealership compared to that of competitors. This allows a potential customer to feel at ease while at home, therefore more likely to ask the questions that they feel they couldn’t at a walk in appointment. Video is a brilliant way to disarm the customer; a live video presentation is even better. ‘If I show you everything about this car, if I listen and show you what you want to see, if I answer every question, if I remove every objection that you could possibly have – will you give me a deposit?”.
If the experience of the customer is enhanced an honest and dependable relationship is developed - Brand loyalty and advocacy is achieved at a dealership. Reichheld who is known for writing on brand loyalty stated that creating value for customers builds loyalty, and loyalty in turn builds growth, profit and more value.
Ultimately it’s all about trust. There is nothing more refreshing, more enlightening, more counter intuitive than to say to a prospective customer, let me show you what is wrong with this car.
