Dealerships 3 Main Objections to Selling Accessories

Automotive accessories are a multi-billion dollar industry largely unaffected by the constant ebbs and flows in the car business. 

Still, dealerships are often hesitant to present and sell accessories at the point of sale. In some stores, customers have to ask for the accessories to access them. In others, there are haphazard approaches that use accessories as a closing tool or an afterthought, often doing more damage than good. 

Is there a better way? Of course!

And don’t simply take our word for it. We’ve also asked an industry veteran of twenty years for their insight.

Throughout his career, Jason has worked for five major brands in varying capacities, including selling cars, managing sales teams, and managing BDC departments. Today, he works with major OE brands in a consultant role and advises dealerships on selling accessories at the point of sale. Here are the three major reasons dealerships hesitate to sell accessories, according to Jason. 

1. Lack of Awareness

Dealerships don’t always understand the profit potential of accessories. Upper management buy-in on the process is of utmost importance for an accessory program’s success, and many stores simply don’t have it. 

Accessories enhance the customer experience and make customers sticky by bringing them back in for installations quickly after the car sale. Dealerships stand to make hundreds of thousands of dollars (and, in some cases, more) in the front of the house by simply presenting and selling accessories, yet don’t understand what’s available to them. 

“Many dealerships lack awareness of accessory sales potential, and it’s unfortunate because successful dealers can generate millions in annual accessory revenue. Not only that, accessories are something every single OE is in favor of. Plus, accessory sales improve per-vehicle revenue, customer satisfaction, interdepartmental communication, and the overall profitability of the store.”

2. Other Processes Taking Precedence

Oftentimes, dealership management simply doesn’t see the value in selling accessories. During the car sale, many dealers are laser-focused on moving metal and getting into F&I—which is understandable. In this scenario, accessories are viewed as one more step in an already complex dance that could detract from the goal. 

“For an accessory-friendly brand like Jeep, Subaru, or Land Rover, accessories are a natural priority. Customers not only expect accessories, they’ve often done their research and tell you themselves what they want. For other brands, front-end operations are often focused on other priorities like CSI scores and finance products. Accessories fall by the wayside.” 

3. Misunderstanding About Complexity 

Implementing an accessory sales process is less complicated than many dealers assume. For some, presenting accessories seems like a monkey wrench thrown into the flow that’s certain to cause disruption. Maintaining the right accessory inventory (without data to know what’s needed) and updating pricing and availability while simultaneously communicating all of that from the back of the house to the front is a headache. The right accessory system simplifies the process and unites the store. 

“IG Suite by Insignia Group enhances interdepartmental communication. Pricing and fitment data are already OE authenticated, and dealerships can make real-time updates to their markups, labor times, or catalog offerings. Everything about the order is digital, so it essentially cuts down on salespeople in the parts department. Not to mention, you don’t have to worry about losing paperwork—it’s all digital.”

Insignia Group Can Help 

For more than twenty years, Insignia Group has been the leading provider of digital accessory-selling systems in dealerships nationwide. Our sleek interface allows dealerships to create profitable accessory programs at the point of sale. Dealers using the Insignia Group accessories selling system can bundle accessories into custom packages, feature hot-selling accessories, process orders, and more. In addition, our integration with major digital retailers covers all your bases and allows for a seamless transition when customers decide to come into the store. Schedule a demo with us today to see how our system can help you sell more accessories at the point of sale.