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The task of selecting an accessory champion for your dealership can be harrowing. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach and without a compass, dealers may find their accessory program suffering. To begin, management should examine both process and store volume to determine who to lean on as the personalization expert. 

Do girls really run the world? One thing is for sure—they definitely run the Insignia Data Department. Meet the dynamic team of women responsible for the information you rely on to sell accessories. This group of girls keeps the world of digital catalogue in motion, and it’s high time we make them known.

You know what’s terrifying? The amount of high fructose corn syrup America will eat today.

There’s something more horrifying. Dealerships that are still focusing all their efforts on adding profit and neglecting the customer experience.

This Halloween, lavish every customer that darkens your doors with sweet goodness--even the witchy ones.

Once upon a time, Vehicle Personalization met football and fell in love. The two were married in a dealership overlooking a college stadium and began their lives together. Soon, they welcomed a baby, named Tailgating, and it would change the world.

As an Insignia VPE, I do a lot of training during my guided visits.  I emphasize the same lesson when training associates with proven success and those who have never presented Vehicle Personalization before: consistency of presentation.  To be victorious you have to show up first.

I don’t care what kind of experience you’ve had with the customer. Make a Vehicle Personalization presentation! According to industry statistics, 9/10 of your customers WILL personalize their vehicle within 90 days of purchasing it with anything from fuzzy dice to a truck cap. Why not offer them all the opportunity to integrate it into their purchase?

As the fiscal year begins to wrap up, dealer management is looking forward to a new year, new budget strategy, and shiny new numbers all in black. There’s not a dealer from here to Malaysia (beyond Malaysia, who knows) that’s not shooting for more profit in the subsequent year. The mantra we’re trying to get our dealer’s to follow in this season of new beginning is cease striving. You already have everything you need to increase gross profit for your store.

The we-owe document is a staple of the automotive world. This invaluable document originated out of a need to protect both dealer and customer, but stacks of paper documents leave both parties wanting.

Documentation is the key to professionalism and protection, so why take any risks when it comes to such an important step in the sale? Effectively protecting the dealership’s interest and providing that same comfort for your client saves time and confusion for all involved.

It’s time to bury the paper we-owe for good.

It’s past time to stop putting all our eggs into the front of the house’s basket. The service department has an incredible opportunity to create a lasting relationship, build repeat business, generate referrals, upsell, and generally add sprinkles and butterflies to the customer experience.

Selling accessories at the point of sale brings customers (cheerfully) into the service department (sans selling a vehicle with accessories already installed). Your customer is pleased to return to get their accessories installed, and the door of opportunity is flung wide open.

When I visit a dealership to help them devise strategies that will increase their accessory sales, several common themes appear. All (well, most) parts departments are heavily focused on selling accessories. That’s their job. Fewer stores have their sales teams focused on this part of their business, though most agree that this is something they should be practicing consistently. Almost no stores focus on the department that interacts with their entire customer base—the service department.

Changes made to image. Courtesy of  Haiden Goggin. license information here

Car buyers like to feel good about their investment - and if you’re running a dealership you wouldn’t have it any other way. Customers in the market for purchasing a vehicle have more buying options than ever before. The convenience of the internet has led to streamlined transactions, rather than a car-buying experience.

Subaru of Clear Lake Parts manager Nick Heidaker expresses the importance of an accessories program at his store, “Our customers find value in personalizing their vehicles—it also gives us a chance in parts/service to meet the customer before their first service appointment.”