We all know that the Internet makes it easier to buy stuff these days. The same is also true of cars! We can now go “car shopping” from the convenience of our homes, whatever the time of day! You might think that car dealers are having a tough time because of the Web, and, in some ways, you are right.

But, auto dealers know they must evolve with the times to survive. It’s for that reason that many of them are bucking the trend, as it were. They are learning new ways to compete with others in their industry. And they’re also doing well at keeping their customers!

So, just what are the secrets of success for today’s car dealerships? It turns out the following examples play a huge role in their growth:

They sell both offline AND online

The first thing today’s savvy car dealerships do is to advertise on the Internet as well as on their lot. Most people these days search for cars not just on their computers at home, but on their smartphones too.

Many of today’s auto dealers have websites that they update on a daily basis. Their sites allow them to upload descriptions and detailed photos of each model for sale. They can then syndicate their classified ads on other sites as well.

A lot of their customers visit their showrooms because they’ve seen a car for sale on their website!

They treat existing customers like people

When you run an auto dealership, there’s a danger of being too “corporate” with your clients. Sure, you can use clever tech tricks to address people on a mailing list by their first name, for example. But, the recipients may consider such missives as “junk mail” and throw them in the trash!

What we’re finding today is that some tech-savvy dealers create personalized messages. I saw an example the other week of how a customer got emailed a link to a video from the dealership. The sales manager recorded himself talking to the customer. At the same time, the video focused in on some cars the manager thought the client may like to buy this year.

Such examples are a great way to grab a customer’s attention and treat them like people. Not like a subscriber to a mailing list!

They let technology give them a helping hand

There’s no running away from the fact that technology is all around us. Did you know that more of today’s car dealership use automotive CRM software to help them?

Such programs offer amazing benefits like:

• Reminding staff when to contact customers about sales opportunities;

• Flagging up customers that are late making their lease payments; and

• Identifying when some clients need to book their cars in for a service.

As you can appreciate, today’s car dealers have better chances to keep hold of their clients. After all; they’d rather not lose them to the competition!

If you are a car dealer, it’s worth considering implementing the ideas on this page. Good luck, and thanks for reading today’s article!