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Ahh, Valentine's Day. Love is in the air—$18.2 billion worth. America is love sick, and it’s time the automotive industry snatched that love out of the air and put it on the road. Love is blind but car buyers are not, and there are plenty of personalization options to shower those new car purchases with TLC. Implement these tips this Valentine’s Day to make your buyer feel special and show your staff some love.

It’s the most common New Year’s resolution year after year: lose the weight. Shed that which is unwanted and not serving you. Lean out, get stronger, increase longevity. This annual commitment resounds all over the world and it’s no surprise that the diet and fitness industry is well into the billions.

Your dealership might not be on Keto, but you can still make wait loss your goal this year. Vehicle Personalization, after all, rivals diet culture as a lean, mean, multi-billion dollar industry. You can be proactive about replacing the dreaded wait time with a successful shopping experience.

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). 

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.

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?