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DRIVING INSIGHTS | Customers Pick Their Cars, It’s Time to Let Them Pick Salespeople DREW HARDEN, MANAGER, RESEARCH & INSIGHTS AT CARFAX CANADA The process of finding a vehicle has evolved over the years but one part that hasn’t changed is how potential buyers meets their salespeople. For two out of three car buyers, they meet the person who sells them their car by chance—whichever salesperson speaks to the customer first is now their rep. Turns out people are tired of playing this salesperson roulette; 74 per cent of used-car buyers would like to choose their sales rep next time they buy a vehicle.
What’s in it for you? Selling more cars Allowing potential customers the opportunity to pick their own salesperson is going to get them into the dealership faster and it will make them more likely to listen to that rep. Of those who are interested in picking their sales partner beforehand, 72 per cent would feel more comfortable visiting the dealership, 76 per cent would be more open to listening to the salesperson’s recommendations and 49 per cent would spend less time researching other vehicles online.
Start getting more leads and appointments The option for your customer to choose who they will deal with needs to happen online. Once the customer chooses a sales rep, you should have them book an appointment, creating a new source of leads for your dealership. The preferred methods are: interactive tools that ask potential customers a few questions about their needs, and then providing one or several recommended
sales people; or, if that isn’t possible, allowing customers to choose a salesperson based on their biographies is still a viable option. When it comes to the information that matters to potential customers, those who would like to choose their salesperson were universally interested in their rep being knowledgeable about the vehicle they’re interested in. After that, their needs do vary. If you’re investing in giving your customers the choice, it would be important to ask your customers what matters to them. One customer may want someone who speaks their native language, another may want someone with a lot of experience and a third could want someone who knows what it’s like to have a big family. Ensuring potential customers know you have salespeople who are knowledgeable about the vehicle they want, and then allowing them to pick a salesperson, will make customers feel comfortable when visiting your dealership—factors that should sell more cars and create more satisfied customers.
Driving Insights is an information series designed to help used car dealers better understand the motives and behaviours of Canadian used-car buyers. The research, designed by CARFAX Canada and executed by Dynata, is obtained through a national survey of 1,000 Canadians. If there’s a question you’d like us to address, email insights@carfax.ca. Get more insights at carfax.ca/insights.
