Blog

St. Patrick’s Day has got us all toting rabbit’s feet. Donning green from head to toe, decorating our cubicles with four leaf clovers, and holding out hope for uncommon luck--all while being largely unsure of what we’re observing on this obscure holiday.

Is there a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Is the rainbow literal, or figurative? Do leprechauns really eat marshmallow cereal? Don’t take this same level of confusion into your Vehicle Personalization program. Follow me into the magic of the metaphor, and sell more accessories this March 17th.

Margin Compression? Missing gross profit? Want to pocket more cash?

Can you do it without selling any additional cars?

Regardless of the year-to-year ebb and flow of vehicle sales, Vehicle Personalization is a great way to increase revenue and deepen your profits...or pockets!

The inception of a new program in your dealership can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. The shock factor, followed by fear and trembling and all-out anarchy can be easily avoided when management is a united front. Save the drama and your GSM’s spike in blood pressure by rolling out your accessory program from the top down.

The magic of Christmas is in the air, glimmering off your perfectly waxed showroom vehicles. Everyone knows that the holiday season is a beautiful time to be in the car business. The potential to boost your bottom line this month is something even Walter Hobbs can smile about, and smiling is our favorite. Tell your sales staff to buckle up and make work their favorite, because Santa’s got a brand new bag this December (and it’s full of extra commission). 

[Updated 11/12/2020]

The stampede is coming, and they’re ready to break the internet. The Black Friday crowd has gone virtual. If 2020 has already set records in e-commerce, imagine the impact of the biggest shopping day of the year. With all the online activity, the day after Thanksgiving is basically just the warm up for Cyber Monday.

Yes, the opportunists are charging their laptops on Black Friday eve, ready to kick this thing off with new car smells. Make this car-shopping season spark joy with mega-profit potential, stellar CSI scores, and repeat business. I hope you upgraded your internet package.

In all the activity, don’t let Vehicle Personalization get lost. You cut your legs out from under yourself when you bypass accessories. This high volume day is the ideal environment for accessory sales, and can even be used to temper the flow online and in store.

Here’s three things Vehicle Personalization can do in the hustle and bustle.

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. 

Amazon. The Colossus of Clout, the 6th love language, and the number one competitor to your dealership’s accessory program. Amazon Prime is over a hundred million users strong, and commonly raking in over a billion dollars on Prime day alone. How could your locally-owned dealership compete with Mother Earth? The same way you eat an elephant. One bite at a time. 

Vehicle Personalization can be a profitable endeavor for every department.  Getting your sales team excited about your Vehicle Personalization program requires a consistent commission structure. How can your dealership decide what’s right for your team? Consider one of our proven structures to get everybody motivated. 

Isolating and overcoming objections is a key component of any sales process. The process of presenting and selling accessories at the point of sale is no different. Although we strive to make Vehicle Personalization a relaxed shopping experience, we know as the sales professional that your ultimate goal is to make a sale.

That’s why you need the plan to overcome objections from the customer who is unengaged or opposed to spending another dime. We believe that accessories, when handled correctly, can almost sell themselves.

When it comes to deciding how to stock your electronic accessory catalog, the name of the game is “both/and”. Yes, OE and aftermarket accessories are the new Ying and Yang, existing in perfect harmony within your parts department. As a best practice tip, strategically lay out your physical and on-screen display with OE’s most likely to succeed, and fill in the gaps with wisely sourced aftermarket.