Channel Ideas is proud to be part of helping dealerships tune in and tune up their stores. Over the following months we will be highlighting important steps 
you can take to make your dealership an inviting “destination” location for your current and future customers.
Let’s be honest, dealership cash flow is shorter than it has been in many years. Spending money now is not something you want to do but there is something you have to ask yourself – are you staying in business? We hope so. With that cleared up, let’s get started on 2010.
If you want to make an inviting business location then being clean, organized and professionally presented is step one in bringing customers into the store. That doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of money! Then again, maybe you do need to spend big money and cannot do it right now. So assess your store and make an annual plan.
Look at everything outside, the parking lot, the signs, the lighting, paint – how do you feel now? Most of what I point out here is potentially big expenses. If anything is going to be done in this category, pick the biggest bang for the buck.
Now walk in the store and take a hard look from the door. This is what the customer sees! If you are the one who manages the “look” of the store…be hard on yourself. Has the unit inventory been moved and then cleaned recently? Every few days? Every week? How about P&A? Do you have relevant and seasonal displays that are exhibiting lifestyle? Lifestyle display is more important than proving you have enough inventory to make it impossible to get though the showroom.
Then there is the service department. I’m one who believes that there should be clear view of the service department for the customers. There are two reasons for this. One is that the customer feels more “secure” about their unit and two; it forces you to keep the department clean and organized. If you have technicians that don’t take organization and cleanliness seriously, have them check out the racing community and what their operation looks like. The customer expects to have the same experience when they look at your service department. While you may not have the dollars for a racing garage, just get as close as you can get.
Assess your store every day. Look at the operation with a critical eye and then act on things as you can afford to make changes. There is no way to cover all that can be done to improve your dealership in a short article so put on your marketing cap and dive in! Next issue we will address action plans. We’ll address how to make them, how to get the plan in place and keep it going.
Copyright © 2009 Neil Frame All Rights Reserved.
