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The range of vehicle accessories in the automotive aftermarket industry today is nothing less than staggering.  From the simple embellishments like better floor mats and car covers to complete sparkling chrome makeovers and everything in between, there are gizmos and attachments to make virtually any car or truck carry more things, move a little faster, last a little longer, and look a little better. 

In the shuffle of all these accessories, sometimes we forget who's holding the purse strings of most vehicle purchases in North America:  women.  Females make the purchase decisions in an increasing majority of North American households, and many times they are making the accessory decisions, as well.  Are you effectively marketing your own accessories to women?  Here's a list of five tips you can use to make your automotive accessories more attractive to the female consumer.

1. Avoid the Hard Sell

Women take their time to make a purchase decision – much longer than men, and they're far more likely to do business with a company that gives her the time and space she needs to think over her purchase decision.  Make yourself available, even give her your contact number, patiently and honestly answer her questions, and then give her some breathing room before you ask for the sale.  Chances are good she isn't going to buy on her first visit, but if you make her feel comfortable and avoid pressuring her, when she does decide to buy,  she'll be back.

2. Find Simple Solutions 

Today's woman is a mother, wife, homemaker, professional, and CFO for her family.  She is always on the go, and doesn't always have time for “some assembly required” projects.  When showing her options, choose accessories that are easy to install and utilize.  “Step one, and done” is the ticket for today's female consumer.  If she wants a project, she'll tell you.

3. Go the Distance

In today's world, most women aren't looking to be in a new car every few years.  Her car is her family's home on the road, and she means to get all the value she can from her investment.  Accessories that preserve vehicle longevity will appeal to the thrifty mom looking to take her vehicle well into six digits.

4. Built for Comfort

Remember, the female consumer wears many hats, and logs a lot of miles. Between shuttling kids to school and extracurriculars, driving herself to and from work, running errands, not to mention just taking a trip for fun, she spends a lot of time in the car.  Accessories aiming to make that time more comfortable, convenient, or otherwise more pleasant are the way to go, particularly those that are aimed specifically to females.  Now, we're not talking about the pink steering wheel cover or headlight eyelashes.  Purse holders, back seat entertainment systems, and other such conveniences make her time behind the wheel a little less stressful, and that's what it's all about.

5. Think Green

This may be the most important of all the tips.  When I talk to women across the country about what they want to see in a new car, fuel efficiency and eco-friendliness are almost always the top of the list.  Items that speak to that need will resonate powerfully among women.  Items made with eco-friendly materials, goods that bolster aerodynamics and boost fuel efficiency, and high tech add-ons like GPS systems will be very appealing to women when presented in the context of a greener driving experience.

Courtesy of Insignia's Guest Blogger Jody DeVere, CEO of AskPatty.com Inc.

 

Every successful sales organization uses word tracks, sometimes called sales scripts. Talking off the cuff is chaotic, and may lead to a “Tommy Boy”-esque presentation of awkwardness. Strategic word tracks train new employees to sell with confidence. They can aid in transitions and overcome objections that might otherwise derail a sale. Insignia Group has years of experience with a multitude of dealerships covering nearly every brand. From mega-dealer groups to small family-owned stores, the need for word tracks is common in all stores. Over the years, this best practice tip has been refined by trial and error. Dealerships that bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars in accessory sales use sales scripts every day. Insignia Group alone has dealerships doing a million dollars or more, a year, by selling accessories at the point of sale. 

With every cul-de-sac lit up like Rockefeller Center, millions of sales papers advertising $3 dollar flat screen TVs at Wal-Mart (slight exaggeration), and ginormous inflatable snowmen in every mall parking lot, consumers are distracted.

Ever wonder why they spend so much energy creating those elaborate holiday window displays every year? It’s because it grabs the consumer’s attention, draws them into the store, and leads them to purchase merchandise. With a well pre-loaded vehicle, you can do the same thing. Here are ten tips for creating an eye catching vehicle worthy of a show.

1. Wheel Kits: A nice set of wheels on any car will grab attention. But, this is particularly important for prospects interested in purchasing trucks like the Toyota Tacoma, Chevy Silverado , and Ford F-150.

With the passing of legendary World Heavy Weight Champion boxer Joe Frazier, it leaves me thinking about what it really means to be a champion.  Smokin Joe Frazier, Big George, and The Greatest dominated a major American sport. But, that’s not all they did.  They were cultural icons and powerful businessmen. When establishing your accessories program in your dealership, you are going to need a champion to lead and keep the program going. But, who do you choose?

In the days before Google, when you wanted to find out what kind of auto accessories people might be interested in purchasing from your shop, you could take one of several approaches. Ultimately you are attempting to learn more about the customers personal needs, wants and desires. This information will add benefit in your qualifying questions. So what were some of those methods?

• Survey your customers

• Rely upon sales data from suppliers and distributors

• Test different accessories and see what sells

All of these methods have value – especially testing – but the fact is that Google offers some excellent and free tools for figuring out what kinds of accessories your customer might want to buy. While I'll describe the tools in detail in my next post, lets start with some data.

Based on numbers from March 2012, the 5 most searched types of auto accessories in the United States are probably:

1. Interior accessories including floor mats and seat covers – There were nearly 50,000 searches for the term “car seat covers” last month.

2. Racks and carriers, such as roof racks, cargo carriers, bike racks, ski/snowboard racks, etc.

3. Performance parts, such as programmers and chips, air intakes, and exhaust systems, with exhaust systems being very popular.

4. License plate frames – There were more than 22,000 searches for this exact term in March, not including more specific searches for exact types of license plate frames

5. Custom wheels

Now I say that these are “probably” the 5 most searched types of auto accessories because different customers search for different accessories depending on what they drive. A compact car owner is more likely to search for cargo racks than a full-size truck owner, while a full-size truck owner is more likely to search for an exhaust system than a compact car owner.

Put another way, I say “probably” because this kind of search data doesn't really mean much until you can apply it to your customers. Fortunately, it's pretty simple to gather this kind of data on your own. To find out what accessories you can sell based on what people are searching for be sure to read Part II of this article next week!

Courtesy of Insignia’s Guest Blogger: Author Jason Lancaster is an SEO consultant at Spork Marketing as well as the editor of TundraHeadquarters.com, a popular Toyota Tundra enthusiast website.

Everyone is familiar with them.  We rely on them daily for all sorts of information, communication and social sharing. Even the latest release (4s) provides a personal assistant! Mine even has a nickname.

Are you familiar with the book “If you give a moose a muffin?”

Insignia was a proud sponsor of the “Voice of the Female Consumer”, as Women Certified announced their Top Dealerships for outstanding customer experience in USA Today’s March 7, 2012 issue. Many Insignia accessory system customers made the list and we just want to say congratulations!

• Hank Graff Chevrolet:  Davison, MI
• Jon Lancaster Toyota:  Madison, WI
• Fitzgerald Toyota:  Gaithersburg, MD
• Darcars Toyota:  Frederick MD
• Longo Lexus: El Monte, CA
• Longo Toyota: El Monte, CA

“Look back over the past with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can see the future”- Marcus Aurelius

Every great warrior and leader knows that the key to success in the future lies in having an understanding of the past. So with that said what sense does it make to set up a dealership accessories sales program and never keep an accurate detailed record of activity?  In it lies your plan for victory. A lack of record keeping could be a plan for failure. Here are three keep points you should track and analyze throughout the history of your accessory selling program.

Record Keeping #1 - Customer Access

When a customer agrees to view accessories they should always create a unique log in ID and password. A good accessories selling system will be able to track where they logged in from, what they looked at, etc. Plus, the customer may be associated to the sales consultant for future sales credit.

Example: Analyzing your customer’s activity will help you understand what accessories are most viewed in your catalog. You should know the year, make, model and sub-model. It’s an easy way to advise your sales team on hot items to present to future customers.

In short…your sales consultants should take the time to register all customers.

Looking for a complete guide for selling accessories in your dealership? Get a free copy of the Accessories Profit Playbook

Record Keeping #2 - Sales Consultant Log-ins

All sales consultants should have their own login credentials. Not only does it give them commission credit for their sales it gives management an idea of who’s doing what? And let’s not forget about Customer Access discussed above!

Example: The dealership may use the individual performance reports to inspire “spiff” based activity contests. Spiffs based upon the most number of registered customers. Perhaps spiffs for the greatest penetration. Tracking at the sales consultant level allows you to manage, plan and reward for success.

In short…reviewing your sales consultants activity allows for success planning.

Record Keeping #3 – Pricing

This is essential to remaining competitive. You do not want to spend time and resources promoting a great program however pricing yourself out of the market? This is also very important if you’re stocking high volume items…price them to sell!

Example:  You’ve seen it on every news program, read about it on every website, and even seen your customers with it, the IPOD. So you decide that the Personal Audio Link will be a hit in the accessories catalog. You get about one purchase out of a hundred views…while this is a hot item based upon views, nobody buys.  Be sure to compare your pricing.

It’s most likely priced too high. There are several mark-up options available. Based on your observations pricing it correctly will make it sell.

Courtesy of Insignia’s guest blogger: Kurtis Smith of the K-method Group

It is no secret that we are all experiencing some difficult times in our respective economies and that these times are causing many in the automobile industry to question their career paths. However, even in these challenging times, there are those that continue to flourish because they seem to know something that many of their counterparts do not.

These individuals continue to give themselves pay raises every month and every year.  They figured out some time ago that they have to make up in volume what they lack in skill or make up in skill what they lack in volume.

For decades we have known that the majority of those selling on the frontlines of automobile dealerships lacked the necessary skills that they need to be effective, but due to the abundance of prospects that used to walk through the doors, this issue was continually ignored.  Today it is commonplace to see these salespeople jumping from dealership to dealership chasing the hot product or compensation plan to compensate for the roller coaster effect in their income. This unfortunate reality is one of the symptoms of an individual that lacks the knowledge of how to effectively build a book of business or create a customer following.  The irony is that many of these salespeople will boast about having a significant amount of years in the business simply because they lacked the formal education and skills.  It seems that it’s Reckoning time! 

The key to not just surviving in these challenging times, but flourishing is to become a tactical seller, to go on the offense by being proactive instead of standing around waiting for prospects, which is being reactive.  These individuals who have gone on the offense have learned not only to sell professionally but to sell differently and become proficient in packaging their offerings in different combinations so as to appeal to each buyer uniquely. They have modified their selling style and their processes because they have accepted the fact that consumers have access to more information than ever before including invoices, incentives, and so on.  They have come to terms with the fact that their customers prefer to negotiate from the bottom up, not the other way around, so they have redefined their strategy to increase their gross margins and therefore increase their personal income.  In addition, as tactical sellers, these professionals realize that it’s futile not to give the client exactly what they want, so consequently, they spend a good amount of time building value and cultivating relationships in order to position themselves as expert when making buying recommendations.   

It is important to note that the fundamental value of selling accessories is that they have no published invoice price, and like art or fine jewelry, the perceived value to the consumer rests in the seller’s ability to articulate and transfer the benefits of ownership through a proper presentation. The tactical seller knows this and through a proper needs analysis, they are able to identify potential opportunities before they begin to make a presentation. These add-ons are introduced by the tactical seller earlier in the selling process and they are able to demonstrate and present the accessories as a must-have instead of a should-have. The difference here is that most salespeople discuss accessories as an afterthought whereas their “oh by the way” approach diminishes the value and importance causing it to be perceived as unnecessary.

With that being said, here are a few things that you can do as a salesperson to up your game so that you can join these selling professionals who are currently flourishing in these difficult times.

#1 Upgrade Your Skills – You have to make up in skill what you lack in volume. If your dealership client count is low, then you have to increase your business development activities. Engaging in Business Development activities is your responsibility and as such, it should be a part of your daily work plan. The benefit of this process is that you will have clients walking through the door asking for you by name.

 #2 Keep More Clients Than You Lose – When you are building a book of business, your objective is to find and keep customers. This means that you have to become good at CRM as a process by becoming knowledgeable about CRM software. Customer Relationship Management is the key to growing a large and profitable book of business. This tool and process in the hands of a capable selling professional is the key to experiencing compounding sales and income.

#3 Commit to Selling Accessories – If you cannot beat them, join them. The best part about selling accessories is that your cost is not a published item, so it leaves you room to actually create a profitable deal even though the vehicle selling price may be low. The key to selling anything starts with knowing your product and accessory product knowledge is critical to know what item in your tool bag works best with what vehicle.  Knowing the benefits and drawbacks of these items when making recommendations to your clients will be perceived by them as counseling instead of selling which makes you look like the expert.

This is tactical selling at its best, and is a strategy that anyone can use to give themselves a pay raise today!

 

 Connect with Kurtis:

www.kmethod.com 

http://kmethod.com/blog/

DealerElite.net: http://www.dealerelite.net/profile/KurtisSmith

LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/in/kurtismith  

 

 

 

*This piece has been updated with data from 2020.

Everyone wants a piece of the $46 billion dollar pie, unfortunately, dealerships are not getting their fair share, according to SEMA. They only capture approximately 10% of the lucrative accessories revenue stream.