AUTOMOTIVE ADVERTISING & MARKETING

Online Chat

Online Chat Etiquette for Car Dealerships

JKRAdvertising / Automotive Advertising, Automotive Advertising Advice /

January 11, 2016

Conversations that are part of an online chat are just as important as those that take place face-to-face. Sometimes, they are even more difficult carry out because it’s harder to make your message clear; things can get misunderstood or perceived the wrong way; and online chat lacks the communication that takes place in body language during the face-to-face conversation. But here are some things your Internet and sales staff can do to ensure a pleasant online chat outcome.

Online Chat Rules

Let the customer know who you are – and that you are ready and able to assist them. “Hi, I’m Joe. I’m here to help you in any way possible.”

Don’t assume the customer has lots of time. Find out if they have ample time for an online chat before you begin a lengthy “sales pitch”.

Stay on topic. Keep your answers short and to the point, while still being pleasant.

Be patient. Your customer may not be the best typist in the world, or they may be taking longer than you’d like to ask a question. Before you begin a series of rapid-fire messages to the customer, let them respond to you.

Be careful what you say. Never cross the line into something that’s inappropriate or in bad taste.

AVOID ALL CAPS! This gives the impression that you are shouting, something you don’t want.

Keep your slang and abbreviations to a minimum. You can’t assume the customer understands them.

Always be courteous. Even if you’re having the worst day ever; even if the customer is taking forever to respond; even if they get a “tone” with you, stay composed and be polite.

Double-check what you say. Be sure to review what you typed – every time – prior to hitting the “enter” key. Once it’s out there, you can’t get it back!

Close effectively. When the online chat draws to a close, summarizing everything puts the customer at ease and lets them know you’ve been listening to them.

JKR Automotive Advertising: We Move Cars.

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Post-Pandemic Dealer Gross Profits are Down – But They Don’t Have to Stay There!
March 13, 2024
It is no secret that dealer gross profits per vehicle are down sharply in the post-COVID automotive world. According to a recent article in Automotive News, gross profits of the six largest publicly traded dealership groups plunged significantly from Q4 2022 to Q4 2023. One of them was actually down 35% per vehicle!

The article explains: High interest rates, more expensive vehicles and a steadier post-pandemic supply chain continue to soften demand and bring it closer to pre-pandemic levels. Still, new-car buying has remained strong overall …

This means that, while sales volume is similar, overall bottom lines are lower for many dealers due to the reduced gross profits. What about your dealership?

Being Realistic
It’s time to turn the page! The time for dealers to simply be order takers for people willing to pay MSRP for a vehicle (and in some cases more) has passed and dealers have to work hard once again to achieve acceptable gross profits.

Selling a high volume of cars doesn’t control gross profits, no matter how much you wish this was the case. Correct processes and menu pricing – and strict adherence to them – do!

What kind of processes?
∙ Slow down the transaction! Your sales staff has to once again sell the customer on the features and benefits of every new and pre-owned vehicle on your lot.

∙ Your salespeople and managers should devalue the customers’ trade-in value (politely, of course) as much as possible. After all, if the customer expects you to lower your price, shouldn’t you be able to do the same on their trade? Remember, you’ll have to fix it up, put your name on it and resell it to someone else with all the tenacity you would a brand-new car. So make sure you buy it right … because the profit is made when you buy it, not when you sell it!

∙ To that end, management should be ready and willing to leave the desk and do thorough walk-arounds on each trade to ensure the best outcome for the dealership.

The Cure for Low Gross Profits
If you are like a lot of dealers these days, you could use some good news. Here it is: while you may not have the capability to achieve profit margins similar to those you enjoyed during the pandemic, they could likely be improved. JKR’s clients enjoy the benefit of attracting not only more customers, but better ones, too!

If meeting and exceeding your sales goals (and increasing gross profits at the same time) sounds great to you, you need to call us. Don’t settle for reduced gross profits when help is out there to get you closer to where you’d like to be.

Want to know how we do it? Reach out to Senior Partner Richard Brauns (407) 701-4233 or Partner/Vice President Jon Albert (407) 718-2494 today.

JKR Automotive Advertising: We Move Cars.

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