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Your customer relies on you for many things: your expertise, flexibility, free coffee, and detective skills.

It’s not up to the person walking in the dealership to know all the personalization options available that make their car driving experience safer, more fun, more fancy, more attractive, or more social media post-worthy. As a sales person, changing your mindset from pitching another product to educating the customer on their options will make a world of difference.

Truly, you’ll do your customer a disservice by not presenting them with useful and exciting accessories for the second largest purchase OF THEIR LIFE. No pressure--but how might one know what to suggest?

Getting started with accessory sales can be overwhelming. You want to capitalize on the profits Vehicle Personalization offers, but you don’t know where to start.  We’ve got good news--there’s one simple technique that will tackle your major focuses and gain big results from all departments: the rule of three. Stocking accessories in threes reaps three major benefits. 

As a general manager or dealer principle, you’re all about increasing gross profit for your dealership while keeping laser focus on great CSI. Today’s customers are happy when they get what they want, and quickly. With Vehicle Personalization, your dealership can deliver on both demands with the rule of three.

*updated 3/15/2022

The Vehicle Personalization beast is growing—and it needs more room. Your showroom isn’t big enough to contain the accessory sales mammoth anymore. Vehicle customization is stretching its limbs into F&I sales, and your finance manager ought to receive Godzilla with open arms. While it’s a widely known fact that accessorizing vehicles at the point of sale benefits your bottom line and your customer, the benefit to all departments is less commonly agreed upon; especially when it comes to F&I benefits.

Vehicle personalization enthusiasts from every corner of the world went to bed on December 31st dreaming about accessorizing their flying car. As we ring in a new year, we can’t help but wonder when George and Jane Jetson’s idealistic utopian future might come to fruition for the automotive world. Though it may be 2062 before your accessory catalog features space rails, there is productive and innovative focus for 2018 to take your dealership to the next level. We believe what’s going to be the most cutting edge in the personalization game this year isn’t a product, but a person--your accessory manager.

It’s that time of the year--all the dealerships are doing all the Christmas things. Commercials for huge winter savings bombard the senses as the shiny 2018 model twinkles behind a fresh coat of wax. Perfectly placed trees and lights line your showroom entrance. General managers dream of sugar plums and end of year profit margins. What does the Christmas spirit mean for your vehicle personalization center? This is a season of going all out- from inflatable Santas on the roof to credit card debt (you can do better, America). It’s time to get a little crazy.

The force of gravity was my prediction for the industry from #SEMA16-Reflections. Indeed, SEMA 2017 was a display of gravity as the footprint of the show was bigger -- much bigger than last year -- bigger than #ever. 

The 2017 show stretched from the Westgate Resort (meaning actual booths in the Westgate convention halls) all the way to a new, temporary, Performance Hall located between the south hall and the Renaissance Hotel. Not to mention the expansion across Paradise Road in front of the north hall AND behind on Joe W Brown Drive. Pretty soon we will have vehicles and booths on the Wynn golf course! Is it possible for this show to be ANY bigger? (See my prediction at the end for 2018).

Are you easily spooked? As we consult with dealerships nationwide, common threads emerge from management staff trapped in a fear.  They know vehicle personalization is profitable and bordering on unavoidable--after all, if your customer can’t get it from you, they’ll get it somewhere else.

Unfortunately, misconceptions often hold dealers in place. We’ve debunked the most common objections to vehicle personalization in the showroom. Here are three fears that keep dealerships frozen in place. We encourage you to step into the light.

Pumpkin spice is in the air. With the changing of the seasons comes differing needs to protect and prolong your customer’s vehicle. As we float into fall, winter weather should be on the dealership’s mind.

The month of October is the perfect time to switch your lead-in product.  Summer’s favorite window tint gives way to accessories made to ease the transition to dropping temperatures.

Dealers from Jacksonville to Juno (and everywhere in between) can take a tip from these popular winter weather lead-in products to maximize accessory sales in the fall.

Vehicles from the port are like extended family at Christmas. You’re happy to welcome them and treat them well, and even happier to send them off. Overstaying your welcome is never a good look, even when you’re a shiny new car. Sometimes, there are a few laggards that one must encourage. Time is truly money in the dealership realm. Keeping inventory moving at a steady pace is essential and the best way to minimize lot rot is to prevent it, with style.

Insignia is passionate about vehicle personalization. We believe in offering personalization in the showroom at the point of sale, when your customer is excited about their new purchase and eager to make it their own. We also believe in fully servicing every customer that interacts with your dealership in-person or online. In the quest to offer a total solution to dealerships in the accessory game, we set out to cover new territory.

Consulting with dealerships nationwide, we often hear dealers ask about moving beyond the in-store presentation to an eCommerce parts store. In an effort to meet the full scope of dealer’s needs, Insignia linked arms with RevolutionParts to expand the accessories force field together.