20 Tips to Help Dealerships Build a Stronger Customer Base

Ultragloss is celebrating its 20-Year Anniversary this February and I thought I could put together some tips based on my experience in the automotive industry. I have been in the automotive industry for most of my life. I’ve worked for dealerships and with dealerships for about 25 years.

1.) Designate one of your lot people to go around all units and remove all unwanted wax around cracks, etc.
2.) Have a lot person with black spray paint check the lot for all trailer hitches and blacken them in.
3.) If black plastic moldings do not look appealing and have wax in them, simply prep them with a rubbing alcohol and apply a thin coat of dressing and polish in.
4.) If you have a body shop, make sure your service drive customers are getting free estimates, on any damage.
5.) In snowy weather, use a high power leaf blower to remove the snow from your inventory.
6.) The better your inventory looks, the more attraction it gets. Customers may be attracted to cars they didn’t even come in for.
7.) Advertise your inventory in your waiting room. Install a flat screen TV and stream pictures of your cars along with descriptions and pricing.
8.) When your service department is performing a safety check on a vehicle, have them black in rusty brake rotors, frames, etc. while the vehicle is on a lift with the wheels off.
9.) Implement a quality control system for when a vehicle is brought back from a detail. It’s important to fine-tune a week after if the vehicle hasn’t been sold, this way you can insure all wax and debris was removed properly and the vehicle is in its best condition.
10.) Keeping point 9 in mind, it’s important to send a vehicle that remains on your lot for more than 30 days back in for a premium wash/wax (paying close attention to the rims) and to wipe down the interior.
11.) Make sure you’re moving your inventory around. Put the freshly detailed cars in the front and move inventory around frequently.
12.) After a heavy rain (depending on the size of the lot and how dirty the inventory is) have your lot people chamois and dry the vehicles.
13.) On late nights try to have all of your vehicles wiped down and be sure the tires are dressed.
14.) Every once and while on a late night, it may be wise to attract some attention to your inventory—such as, turning the flashers on certain vehicles and as people inquire, tell them about the deal.
15.) Never underestimate the power of tire dressing. On trucks and SUVs it’s important that the undercarriages look good—don’t be afraid to use tire dressing in these areas.
16.) Use Ultragloss (and our divisions) to upsell your customer when they’re in your service department. We can help you with glass chips, paint repairs, door dings, cigarette burns, odor removal and decontamination. Our divisions (throughout Northeast Ohio) are able to help the dealerships they work with offer more services without the added overhead. We offer free demos, call (330)252-9011 for more information.
17.) If a perspective buyer has an appointment to test drive a vehicle, I recommend doing the following:
        1)Wipe down unit, polish windows, dress tires, and remove all break dust from the rims.
        2)Check the gas tank to ensure the customer has enough gas to drive around on.
        3)Check the weather: If it’s cold outside, start the car a few minutes early so it’s nice and warm for the customer. If it’s warm, it’s a good  idea to get the air going so it’s nice and cool for the customer.
18.) Make sure all auction writing and/or other dealership emblems are removed from the vehicle.
19.) Educate your sales department about the variety of services your service department offers. Pull in customers for the long haul by showing them the many ways you can service them and their vehicle.
20.) Put a referral rewards program in place so when people refer friends or family members to your dealership that purchase vehicles, you can send them a gift card towards a service (or offer them a free service).

Sincerely,
Steve Marble