10 PROVEN WAYS TO BUILD TRUST IN YOUR BRAND AND SELL MORE CARS
Positive experiences drive consumers to return to dealerships that have been able to meet their needs and exceed their expectations.
The success of your dealership depends on your ability to build brand trust. After all, consumers with confidence in specific brands will not only return and provide repeat business, but they will also spread word-of-mouth advertising to their friends and family, increasing customer loyalty, the strength of your brand, and trust in your dealership.
Most dealerships know that building trust is a key component to creating lasting relationships and selling more cars. However, the specifics of gaining this trust sometimes need to be clarified.
How do dealerships gain consumer trust and leverage brand influence so that shoppers return time and again?
Creating trust in your brand does not happen overnight. It takes time, consistency, and patience to achieve the level of brand confidence your consumers seek in the marketplace. Several factors are at play when dealing with the issue of consumer trust-building, and companies must focus on many things at once to continuously strengthen the connection they are building with customers.
The following tips will be helpful as you work to build trust in your brand:
Demonstrate your commitment to maintaining privacy when handling personal information. Especially now, in an age when information theft and fraud are abundant, shoppers must recognize your dedication to protecting their valuable personal and financial information; your concern will go far in gaining their trust.
If you haven’t already, add a “security promise” section to your dealership website. Be transparent about your policies and procedures around privacy, and list any certifications or accreditations your CRM has ascertained. Posting this information publicly demonstrates your dealership is proactive about customer data security.
With a firm grasp of your market and consumer behavior, you will find it easier to sell more cars and meet the needs of shoppers who come to you to make a purchase. Show shoppers you have taken the time to understand their shopping preferences. Getting to know your target consumers means getting to know what they are looking for in products and services and what they are looking for in a business relationship.
Personalizing experiences by tracking each customer journey boosts satisfaction and loyalty. Customers will engage in conversations tailored to their specific circumstances and needs, increasing opportunities for building relationships.
By demonstrating your ability to provide what your customers need about convenience, flexibility, and expertise, you will emerge as a leader and an expert in your field. Your dealership can excel at these with a few targeted enhancements. By ensuring your team is prepared and well-equipped to handle a wide range of customer needs, you’ll influence more shoppers, earn more trust, and sell more cars.
Consumers are also turning toward businesses that meet their needs with the latest tools and technology—and it’s no different for dealerships. When you look to innovation to help you deliver improved customer experiences, you’ll be able to offer faster, more reliable service to even more shoppers.
They will notice when you take steps to make your customers the center of your business. The big things stand out, but the little things matter, too. Open, honest, and efficient communication with consumers is essential, and it’s important to continuously evaluate your strategies to make the customer experience the best it can be.
Just as you should let people know when your business is doing something great, you should also own up to it if it makes a mistake. Being forthright is always the best way to handle things, and consumers will view you as trustworthy when you apologize and move forward if errors are made. Provide unparalleled service and offer guarantees on your work, and soon, customers will recognize your business as a trusted provider that stands behind the services it provides.
Don’t wait for others to lead the way; instead, forge a path and show people—both customers and other businesses—that you are a trailblazer in the marketplace. Your forward thinking and vision will place you in the category of trusted businesses among consumers.
Your dealership needs to keep up with trends and continuously seek the most modern customer solutions to survive—and thrive—in a highly competitive environment. In the automotive market, customers are no longer basing their decisions solely on your products. Instead, they are looking for dealerships that can provide a higher quality of service, an excellent customer experience, and top-of-the-line products. Keeping this in mind, you’ll gain an edge over the competition when you focus on offering customers more options and updates to improve the overall dealership experience.
No one knows the answer to every question, but your customers walk into your dealership and expect your pros to share their knowledge quickly and efficiently. When your team comes together, utilizes the technology you offer, and shares information, it’s possible to access any number of resources. With solid teamwork and good internal communication tools, your team can work together to make every customer feel confident and comfortable purchasing vehicles at your dealership.
Because only some employees you hire may have complete knowledge about the business from the start, be sure to have a good training program so that your employees become experts at what they do. Their confidence and knowledge will be noticed by consumers and will drive consumer trust in your dealership.
Whether personal or business, relationships are built on trust. So, while it is necessary to make sales to keep your business running, focus on the relationship factor, and the sales will come. Let your customers (and potential customers) know their importance and offer value-added extras like workshops, car-care clinics, or even online tutorials to solidify relationships.
And, in today’s modern marketplace, your relationships with consumers begin long before they arrive at your dealership. How you interact with shoppers online will likely determine whether or not they visit you in person. Many dealerships are taking steps to ensure they’re available exactly when consumers need them—on social platforms, their websites, and review sites—to provide the level of service today’s shoppers demand. Everything from empowering employee advocates to interact on their behalf, chat applications for websites, and reputation management technology are being implemented to boost the customer experience.
When you communicate with your customers, you’re taking steps to build better, longer-lasting relationships. Progressive dealerships have learned it’s worth investing in cutting-edge technology to tackle traditional communication hurdles and connect their teams more efficiently, resulting in more positive customer experiences. CRMs, like AutoAlert CXM – the next-gen CRM that also includes an internal communication system are revolutionizing the way professionals in the industry engage their teams and improve workflow—essentially providing customers with more efficient and precise service than ever before.
Another consideration is to ensure you have multiple ways for customers to contact you—whether they are asking questions, lodging complaints, or providing positive feedback. You need to hear and respond to everything your customers have to say, so be sure to have a presence online, post your contact information on your website, and make it easy for people to get in touch with you.
Previous customers are a perfect resource when building your reputation and gaining trust for your dealership. Any dealership can sell your makes and models, but when you take the time to give customers a one-of-a-kind buying experience, they’ll return for more.
When your customers have great experiences at your dealership, they’ll pass the word along to their friends, family, and acquaintances—you’ll get word-of-mouth referrals and even more opportunities to sell. So, don’t be afraid to ask for feedback and testimonials from your valued customers. Share their positive reviews with potential new customers to create more confidence in your brand.
It’s one thing to call yourself the expert in your field. Still, if you are the one offering relevant and engaging content to your customers, you will give yourself and your dealership more credibility. Producing quality, compelling content for dealership sales goes beyond just listing vehicles and prices; it’s about telling a story that resonates with potential buyers and builds trust. Showcasing real customer experiences provides valuable insights that help customers make informed decisions.
Dealerships can effectively differentiate themselves by offering engaging and informative content. Position yourself as a trusted source by providing information about your dealership, online articles, tutorials, infographics, and more to meet your customers’ needs. Your content will keep you front of mind, which will lead to greater trust in your brand, attract more leads, and ultimately drive higher sales.
With so many available choices, it’s important to balance changing with the marketplace and providing consumer assurance. By being transparent, communicative, and collaborative, you can continue to grow and innovate while reaffirming your commitment to your customers. It’s important to note that customer loyalty won’t develop with a dealership that doesn’t gain their trust, and for this reason, it is imperative to make them feel valued from the very first point of contact.
While there are many ways to build brand trust, the key is your dealership’s overall approach and the strategies used to excel at that determined approach. With the right systems and technology in place, you can easily execute your dealership’s vision and get the results you want, with an improved reputation, repeat customers, and increased sales due to the trust and loyalty your brand has gained.
