Customer Experience and Dealership Perception

As a Retail Dealership Executive in the Automotive Industry I’m am constantly measuring my “Experiences and Perception” of whatever service I’m provided. I try and compare these experiences and the way I perceive them to what I expect in my dealerships. It’s a lost art in my opinion! 

As Owners, GM’s, GSM’s, New, Used, Service and Parts Directors we preach CSI on a daily basis. We want to make sure we get the perfect score. I ask, do we actually know what we are asking for? Why are we so focused on the “number” or “score”? Have we trained our staff on how to provide a “truly exceptional dealership experience”? Where does it start? When does it end? These are questions that must be answered definitively. I think if we focus on and dig into the “where” and the “when” our score and number will take care of itself! 

“Where Does it Start?”

A “truly exceptional” dealership experience has a starting point. Does it begin at the phone call, does it begin at the “meet and greet”, or is it when we have provided the service and we need the review or survey? I talk to customers all the time and the latter is the “perception” of many clients. It is perceived that providing good customer service is a “reactive” process rather than a “proactive” one. We often wait until after mistakes are made in service or customers have spent a ton of time waiting on delivery after the sale. I can go on and on and on on this topic. But why not start providing a “truly exceptional” dealership when the customer initiates contact with the dealership? 

The Website:

Do you have a user friendly website? Is your website easy to navigate through? Is the information easy to understand? In the world of automotive internet presence the need for user friendly websites is becoming more important than 10 years ago. Industry experts such as Nathan Resnick CEO of Sourcify feels that “the days of businesses using their websites to share information and promote their products are long gone.” He goes on to say that “Now, businesses use websites to provide an ultimate customer experience and increase traffic conversion in the process." So I am in agreement with the experts that one way to start the Truly Exceptional dealership experience is to have a user friendly website! 

The Phone Call:

Dealers spend tons of money and effort to drive internet traffic to dial the number listed and call. Until 2010 it never really dawned on me just how much brain damage it was. I do recall as a young Sales Manager having my GM Willy Sullivan tell me that one of the most important metrics I can measure is the phone traffic. Although he didn’t go into detail as to the dollars spent, I knew it was important. It wasn’t until I became a General Manager and worked along side Lindsey Stuart VP of Marketing and Advertising that it hit home. So, I made sure I got the necessary training for my staff and the words so that when the call came in several things were accomplished. 

• The Sales Consultant began the process of providing a Truly Exceptional dealership experience by being polite, knowledgeable, and confident in their delivery. 
• The potential customer could feel that the Sales Consultant was different through their voice. 
• The customer was excited about proceeding to the next step which was setting an appointment. 
• The bar was set, that at my dealership their experience was a priority and how they viewed our dealership was important to our success. 

Face to Face Interaction:

We get so focused on taking the customer down the road to the sale. I’m actually guilty of this myself. I was the Sales robot who wouldn’t listen to the customer and just focused on steps 1-12! Now that I sit here and think about it, it’s actually funny and I don’t know how I made the sale happen. The short answer is the industry has evolved tremendous and customers are way smarter and savvy. They can find information at the sound of their voice! “Hey Siri what compact car was the safest rated car in its class?” Or “Hey Siri what mid size SUV has the best fuel economy?” My favorite is “hey Siri what 4.5 star Google rated car dealership is closest to me?” In my opinion the face to face is so important in that it’s your one shot. It’s your chance to separate yourself from the “other guy” down the street who wouldn’t know CSI if it slapped him in the face! 

So the “Customer Experience” begins when the customer sees your face and gets to experience YOU! Often times I tell my sales consultants that customers won’t buy for 3 reasons...Me, Money, Machine. “Me” is by far the most important of these reasons! If you give them your best ME and allow ME to provide you with a truly exceptional experience the other two will take care of themselves. 

When Does it End? 

When does the customer experience end....NEVER! I started my career in the automotive industry over 20 years ago. I still have customers who expect me to provide them with a truly exceptional dealership experience from way back then. These are people I sold cars to multiple times. Notice I said “expect me to”. Yes they expect a good experience out of me and that’s why it so important to understand it never ends. 

Most dealership staff drops the ball the minute the customer pulls off the lot. Whether in service, buying parts, or after the purchase of a new or pre-owned vehicle. The experience ends! Why? Because most folks don’t understand the concept of long term sustainable relationships, and how to achieve them. I can assure you that if you have mindset of never-ending customer service you will definitely excel. Think about it.... If you treat then right, they will come back!! IT NEVER ENDS!

By Marcus Williams

Confidential New Luxury Car Dealership Arriving Soon

August 1, 2016

For Immediate Release:

I am so proud to announce the launch of an all new Luxury Automobile Line arriving exclusively in Dallas this Fall 2016. Details will be emerging throughout August regarding the location and brand of our new luxury dealership. 

Sincerely,

Marcus D. Williams

Vice President

Stallings Auto Group

Bob Stallings Hyundai ASL Dealer

Winning Dealership Awards in Dallas

Since the day that I stepped foot into Bob Stallings Hyundai, I was anxious to learn about what Hyundai's version of the President's Award was. And, as it turns out, they do name a President's Award winner every year. However, unlike with Toyota, the award is not given merely on a CSI or as we call it at Hyundai, HPI Score. If that were the case, I'm confident we would already have the shiny award in our mitts.

With Hyundai, I've learned that HPI, Bluelink Enrollments, Sales Volume and other sales efficiency
data go into winning the award.

We are fairly consistently in the 3rd place for Hyundai Sales within our region. It will be a long haul before we truly can get our sales volume up to compete with the #2 store, but in time it will come. As far as what we can actually control, we are doing great.

I've learned to rely on my team and each individual department head. We are in the top 2 or 3 of Bluelink enrollments consistently. (Bluelink is Hyundai's version of OnStar but much better. It's like OnStar on Steroids) My service department is working diligently on servicing more than just Hyundais. (The darn things just won't break. I need other Makes to keep my store going!) My Internet Department has a very high closing ratio with the help of an Internet Manager and Assistant Manager who manage all inbound calls and leads.

Did you know that at Bob Stallings Hyundai we have the highest amount of unique visitors to our website of any Hyundai Dealer in the US? (At least for August and I have a feeling we still hold that record today). I am lucky to have the most intelligent, hard working, beautiful, capable and contemporary Director of Marketing in the industry, +Lindsey Stuart. Have you read her blog? Just search the  Secrets of a Dallas Car Wife. Lindsey's Blog

The accolade that I am most proud of is our Finance Department. My team of eager-to-learn rookies is really hitting a home run. We have the #1 Finance Department in the US for percentage of warranty penetration, gap penetration and maintenance agreements. Our clients are getting the chance to
experience the full Hyundai suite of products and services. And, with high HPI, our clients are happy too. Congratulations, Miguel. Your team is rocking! {Contact Miguel Rodriguez with your finance questions here, especially if you face credit problems.}

Treating clients as friends and guests is rewarding us. Have you read our Mission and Values statement? It is the basis for which we hire any manager or employee at our dealership. I love seeing our values come into fruition with happy clients who are spending their hard earned money with us. I have issued a challenge to my sales team to achieve  995 HPI score. Hopefully between achieving the highest HPI possible, following our mission and values and continuing to achieve success at Bob Stallings Hyundai, we will earn the President's Award in 2015. It is a goal, a dream and ultimately it will be a reality.

See our JD Powers Award Winners at Bob Stallings Hyundai in Dallas, Texas serving Arlington and Ft. Worth

Humility and Willingness to Learn

In mid-August 2014 I was promoted to General Manager of Bob Stallings Hyundai. After dealer academy, closing the luxury used car warehouse, having to learn the "Korean" way instead of the "Japanese" way and really learning the workings of the Hyundai store, it happened! If someone was to ask me the key to moving up in the car business I would say that you have to possess a humble spirit and a willingness to learn.

Those two key characteristics are actually fairly difficult to find in a car dealer. Think about us: We're typically very salesy, well-dressed, sharp and confident. All too many times we are very full of ourselves. Other times we are terrified that someone might think that we don't know what we are doing. And others, we feel intimidated that we have to back up how we do something with a reason why we do it. So often, at least for me, the answer was because that was how I was taught. 

Humility

Throughout the various dealerships I have worked, I've realized that there is no #1 Winning Formula that can be instituted in every store. Each store has its' own unique personality, challenges, employees, problems. bad habits, system and reputation. One secret to my success has been something that I've learned from my father in law and mentor, Bob Stallings, which is to sit back and observe. At our Hyundai store, we made slow and steady changes to our policies, team and procedures. Sometimes it was excruciating. But, it has all worked out in the end.

"Do no harm," at first, just like a doctor's tall order and oath when he examines a patient, Bob has explained. This idea of just sitting back and observing can be very difficult for a car guy. {We want to jump in and show folks how it's done properly. After all, I should know how to do it perfectly right? Isn't that why I was hired?} But, if you sit back, watch, listen, evaluate and ask questions, you end up finding out why something is being done the way they're doing it. All the while, as you're analyzing, or in my family we call it diligizing, you may think that others think you're stupid, unfit, un-knowing, inexperienced or out of place. This is where the Humility comes in. Eventually, your co-workers and employees will understand that although you may have known better, in order to make proper changes, you had to sit and wait to properly diagnose the problems. This was key in earning my credibility with my team and also finding areas to increase our process or profitability. 

Willingness to Learn

Sometimes the answer to why things are done the way they are done is to cover up a flaw in personnel, a missing position on the team, a flaw in the software the dealership is using, the lack of a process. And unfortunately, sometimes the reason why a store does something out of the ordinary is because the personnel lack proper ethics, training or talent. A great General Manager will sit back and truly learn what is going on before forcing his will on his team.  They have to be willing to learn a new system, a new process, learn the new personalities of people and most of all, a great General Manager has to learn how to manage their talent in order to produce the most out of that person. I had to learn in the last five years that it is okay to say, "I don't know, but I will find out." 

These two keys to success are the basis of a foundation to becoming a General Manager. At least, they have been for me. I hope to write more about things I've learned from my mentors. 

View My Team at Bob Stallings Hyundai

Contact me

Hyundai 2013 Holiday Event at Bob Stallings Hyundai in Dallas

From Toyota to Hyundai...making the switch

Anyone who knows me, knows that I came up in the car business through Honda and primarily Toyota. I have been a die-hard Toyota-touter since I was merely a tad-pole! So, when Bob Stallings, my boss, financier and father-in-law mentioned that he wanted a Hyundai dealer to sponsor me for NADA Dealer Management Academy, I was a little resistant to say the least. Come on, now, what was I going to learn from the "Other Guy".

Dealer Academy is a pretty elite group of dealers. Would I really walk in there with Hyundai information instead of Toyota? The answer was yes and as it turns out, I was pretty proud to be associated with Hyundai.



#1- Hyundai has America's Best Warranty. They are frankly very easy to sell. 

#2- Hyundais are less expensive than Honda and Toyota according to their true cost of ownership and many studies.

#3-  In my opinion, they are actually better looking! 

My heart will always love Toyota, but my head is with Hyundai these days!

Come see me in Dallas at Bob Stallings Hyundai!