Remote Retailing Blueprint
By Brian Pasch
()
About this ebook
merchandising, marketing, and sales process. In 2019, some dealers may have
been considered early adopters with their implementation of digital retailing
technology. But in 2020, dealers who exit the year with no remote retailing
tools on their websites will have fallen behind their competition and be
considered behind the times.
This is my ninth book that I have published for the automotive industry. This
work is designed to start conversations within dealership management, dealer
groups, and manufacturers on the future of automotive retail. My previous
book on digital retailing "Just Faster" (published in 2018) was a starting point
for rethinking automotive retailing but lacked specific strategies and success
stories from a wider range of national franchisees. Today, I have much more to
discuss and share with readers.
While the pace of change has been accelerated due to stay-at-home
restrictions in 2020, dealers who exhibit successful experiences with remote
retailing will fuel the second wave of change in automotive retail. That wave
will be known for lower operating costs, broader appeal for career
professionals to consider working in automotive retail, higher employee
retention, and a more personalized, convenient, and frictionless consumer
buying experience.
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Remote Retailing Blueprint - Brian Pasch
Copyright © 2020 Brian Pasch Enterprises
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed:
Attention: Permissions Coordinator
Brian Pasch Enterprises
9068 Fiano Place
Boca Raton, FL 33496
Ordering Information:
Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address above.
Orders by U.S. trade bookstores and wholesalers, please contact Brian Pasch Enterprises at 732-450-8200.
Printed in the United States of America
First Edition Printing: August 2020
Rev P1
ISBN: 978-1-09-833491-8
Introduction
The COVID crisis of 2020 accelerated change in automotive retail merchandising, marketing, and sales process. In 2019, some dealers may have been considered early adopters with their implementation of digital retailing technology. But in 2020, dealers who exit the year with no remote retailing tools on their websites will have fallen behind their competition and be considered behind the times.
This book is designed to start conversations within dealerships, dealer groups, and manufacturers on the future of automotive retail. While the pace of change has been accelerated due to stay-at-home restrictions in 2020, dealers who exhibit successful experiences with remote retailing will fuel the second wave of change in automotive retail.
Here is performance feedback from some dealers who felt they had no choice but to adapt to remote selling strategies:
They sold the same number of units per month with significantly less staff and lowered operating costs.
They found an increasing number of consumers were willing to buy cars online.
Conversational commerce via chat and video conferencing allowed dealers to assist online shoppers immediately instead of chasing them later because they depended on a lead form submission.
Many dealers found that online reviews for sales and service have never been higher. Consumers appreciated retail transactions that were faster, easier, and mostly online.
Third-party marketplaces delivered consistent, cost-effective shopper traffic and dealership exposure even when dealers reduced their local ad spending.
There are so many lessons that are being learned during the unprecedented lockdown of normal commerce in the United States. I will share as many of the best stories that I can, and I hope to keep this book updated in the coming year as we continue to see accelerated change in the automotive industry.
Table of Contents
I. Remote Retailing Basics
What is your vision for the retail experience at your dealership?
Create a Brand Promise to communicate your retail vision.
How are you marketing your Brand Promise?
Does your website support your Brand Promise?
Have you staffed your website showroom with sales professionals?
Reduce costs with Assist Now
vs Chase Later.
Remote Retailing Success at Larry H. Miller Toyota
II. Creating a Modern Brand Promise
Refreshing your local Brand Message.
What do most consumers appreciate?
It is time to put a name to your retail experience.
Building out your Brand Promise
Connecting your Brand Message and Brand Promise.
Dealer branding examples.
Measuring the impact of a modern Brand Promise.
III. Marketing Your Brand Promise
Educate consumers on how to buy a car online.
Marketing asset checklist.
Marketing strategy checklist
Dealer video marketing campaign examples.
Don Franklin: Market leaders increase their lead
IV. Rethinking Retail Website Designs
Have you simplified the consumer experience?
How many call-to-action buttons do I need?
Let your Brand Promise accelerate remote sales.
Executive challenge: leads or sales?
Selecting a digital retailing platform
Eastern Shore Toyota finds success during COVID
V. Staffing Your Virtual Showroom
The death of website lead forms
The birth of Conversational Commerce
How to recover from form addiction and enjoy live conversations
Resistance to Conversational Commerce
Conversational Commerce Vendor Directory
Lowering labor costs with the Assist vs. Chase strategy
Reimagining staffing models
Qvale Automotive pivots to enhanced SPOC and saves 33%
Schomp Automotive pioneers modern retail
Nelson Auto Group embraces SPOC
VI. Communicating with Remote Shoppers
Remote retail changes the Appointment Culture
Connecting the showroom experience
Reengaging Consumers with Digital Retailing
Using video to connect with remote customers
Handling leads from 3rd Party Marketplaces
VII. Merchandising the Showroom
Creating the red-carpet experience
Leveraging your waiting lounge
Merchandising your showroom and vehicles
VIII. Technical Considerations
Website updates can be challenging
Checklist for online marketing updates
Measuring website engagement and conversions
IX. Closing Thoughts
I. Remote Retailing Basics
What is your vision for the retail experience at your dealership?
If you had an immediate answer to this question, you either have recently completed a branding exercise, or if you could not answer, you didn’t take this process seriously. Don’t skip over this question.
Can you and your managers recite the business objectives (vision) that created your current retail sales process? Does your current sales process produce a positive customer experience for most everyone?
Let’s do a test right now.
List five reasons why a local consumer would come to your dealership and buy a car from you.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Now, look back at your list. Circle any of your answers that another dealer in your local market could also use to make that same claim for their dealership. How many of your answers are unique to your dealership?
For some dealers, their retail sales process has not been updated in years. Even some dealers who went through the COVID crisis are reverting back to their previous sales processes that are likely built around the phrase just get them in!
Why should consumers buy a car from your dealership? When pressed with this question, sales managers immediately will take pen to paper and list statements like this:
We have the best prices / deals.
We have the largest inventory.
We are family-owned and operated.
We have been in business 45 years and are active in the local community.
We are generous to local charities.
We treat everyone like family.
We have certified technicians.
We have won the top OEM awards year after year
The list can go on and on but rarely do managers ask whether these answers have a clear benefit to the consumer. Put each statement through the WIFM filter (What’s In It For Me?) and you will see that these statements fail to provide benefits to a buyer in terms of things they value.
The vision statements I listed above could be made by multiple dealers in a local market. Consumers have no way of validating claims about price, inventory levels, or what an OEM award was based upon.
All of the reasons listed above also fail to describe the car buying experience at the dealership. In the next chapter, I will outline how to build a modern Brand Promise that lists benefits which are connected to the buying process at the dealership as well as the overall customer experience.
What do consumers value? You are a consumer and so am I. I value time and convenience, don’t you? Your vision for a modern retail experience must develop from the lens of your customer, setting all ego aside. A consumer could care less about how many cars you have in inventory especially if they are looking specifically for a 2021 Honda Pilot Touring, black with black leather. If you have it, then tell them how easy it will be to purchase the vehicle.
We will explore the reasons why dealers need to develop a vision that contains a list of promises which support and accelerate remote retailing. A modern vision for retailing can also build a foundation to lower the labor costs to sell cars over the next decade.
Create a Brand Promise to communicate your retail vision.
In this book, I will use two terms repeatedly. Brand Promise is the list of your deliverables (promises) to shoppers who are considering doing business with your dealership. Your Brand Message is the hook that you will use in marketing to get the attention of car shoppers.
I will develop both of these concepts in the following chapter, but let’s take a minute to review why both the Brand Promise and Brand Message are important foundational elements in your retailing strategy.
When a dealership pivots their sales strategy to allow consumers to do more of the purchase process online, this process improvement must be communicated to consumers in the local market. Consumers must