Sales tools make it easier to provide customers instant answers on pricing
From the time a potential buyer sits down at the sales desk, the clock is ticking. They have questions, your sales people need to provide answers — fast.
Not every salesperson is a walking math whiz that can master the complex calculations and multi- tude of factors required to generate quick and accurate quotes on new or used vehicle purchases. Other factors, including the appraisal value of a trade in, require true number crunching.
That’s why new consumer facing sales tools are getting better, faster and more visible. These tools are literally turning the sales process right around, to the point that the computer screens can be turned to face consumers so they see their quotes being generated right in front of their eyes. “People want answers very quickly,” says Kerry Mueller, President of One-Eighty Corp. a privately-owned Waterloo, Ontario-based Canadian corporation that provides online A-Z Sales and customer relationship management (CRM) for auto dealers.
The company produces a customer facing sales system that engages the cus- tomer, and speeds up the selling process, she says. Over 80 percent of people are out doing their homework before they go to the showroom, says Mueller. “You can count on virtually everyone having done hours of homework. The consumer is very savvy and very informed and probably most of the way through their buying decision before they approach the dealership,” she says. Part of that homework often means they’ve already used online vehicle configurator and “build and price your own” vehicle tools, and expect the same ease and speed when they are in a dealership pricing their car. Mueller says that based on their company’s data, Canadian consumers average about seven days from first contact to the final sale. “That person is not fooling around,” she says.
The public facing screen is only one part of the system One- Eighty Corp. provides. Their software tools help manage the entire customer relationship management process, keep tabs on availabil- ity of inventory and accessories, provide managers with real-time visibility into sales activities, and provides hosts of other reports.
Mueller says that when she first set out to sell the company’s software, some dealers resisted (and some still do) the idea of easily sharing any type of pricing data with their customers. Their fear was that transparency would cost them money. “I soon began to realize it wasn’t really the way most car dealers sold,” she said. “They were not keen on giving consumers choice and seeing the screen.”
For their tools to work to their full advantage, dealers often have to take a different approach — a 180 degree turn — to seeing their business. “Think about the consumer and how much it means to them. It’s a big purchase. You really want to shine. You want to make it fun and enjoyable and easy for them. Are you doing that?” she asks.
The company incorporated in 2000, and its software is in use with more than 33 brands across Canada. For more information, visit: www.oneeightycorp.com. where you can also view a page of testimonials from dealers from across Canada.
