Increasing Dealership Conversions: 5 Useful Tips

In running a car showroom, creating new contacts is only the first step, but the real challenge lies in turning them into customers who will actually buy your vehicles. If your dealership fails to convert potential buyers into sales, you risk losing money and finding it difficult to survive.

In this article we have collected 5 strategies and useful tips to increase your dealership’s conversions.

Before we begin, we would like to remind you that you may also include vehicles from other European countries in your car showroom. However, in order to ensure that these vehicles can circulate legally in Italy indefinitely, you will need to start a new registration process by providing a certificate of conformity at the same time.

You can obtain this document quickly and efficiently through our online EUROCOC service. Offering your customers this certificate as part of the purchase of a vehicle is a way to ensure a comprehensive service and increase their overall satisfaction.

1. Understanding the customer’s unique position

The first and fundamental step in maximising the chances of conversion within a dealership is to understand the individual situation of each customer.

It is essential to recognise that not all potential vehicle buyers are ready to make an immediate purchase: some may need time to obtain financing, to save money, or to do more in-depth research.

When a customer visits your dealership, it is a good idea to try to find out his or her motivations and actual purchase plan. By fully understanding the unique situation of each potential buyer, you will have the opportunity to develop customised sales strategies that will allow you to efficiently address different needs, rather than trying to force a purchase immediately.

2. Focus on flexibility

Another key to success in car sales is the ability to adapt to individual customer needs. Since each buyer is unique and his or her wishes can vary greatly, it is essential that the dealership is able to provide a certain degree of flexibility in order to meet these specific needs.

This point further emphasises the importance of the first tip: fully understand the situation of each individual customer. Obtaining detailed information on what they are looking for, their budget, and other preferences becomes even more crucial in this context.

Once you have this information, you can work to find an option that meets the individual’s specific needs. Being willing to adapt to an individual’s wishes and creating a customised proposal that aligns with a buyer’s situation will lead to a higher likelihood of successful conversions.

3. Implement a solid follow-up process

Customers who are considering buying a car do not make this decision overnight. The process of buying a car is, in fact, a time-consuming journey, during which they carefully examine all the various options available on the market and search for a vehicle that fits their personal as well as financial needs.

Therefore, a crucial strategy to increase a dealership’s conversions is to implement an effective customer follow-up process.

Research has shown that, on average, as many as eight follow-ups are needed to turn a potential customer into an actual customer. It is therefore crucial that your dealership puts in place a system that maintains constant contact with potential buyers throughout their purchasing journey.

In addition, it is important to avoid delays and not make customers wait too long in this process, as excessive delays can quickly drive them to another salesperson.

4. Stick to customers’ preferred methods of communication

Communication with potential buyers should only take place via the contact channel they prefer.

Some prefer telephone contact, while others prefer e-mail communication. Therefore, it is essential that the dealership identifies and respects the communication channels preferred by individual customers, using them exclusively during each individual sales process.

Adopting the communication method preferred by buyers will ensure faster and more effective communication, minimising the risk of missed contacts.

5. Adapt the offer

It is undeniable that the Italian car industry is extremely competitive. Car buyers today are faced with a wide range of options to choose from. Their purchase decision will, therefore, be strongly influenced by the search for the best offer available on the market.

In order to increase the chances of conversion in your dealership, it therefore becomes very important to customise your offer to reflect customer expectations.

It is good to study what other vendors are offering and try to present a price that is at least equal to, if not better than, the competition. Having a highly competitive offer on the market will, in fact, be a key element for success and a better conversion rate of potential customers.

Conclusion

Turning contacts into customers who make a purchase is a complex challenge. In order to increase the conversion rate within your dealership, it is crucial to adopt a series of strategies that take into account the particular needs of each customer in the buying process. The five strategies outlined in this article represent valuable approaches that will enable you to improve conversions in your dealership in the near future.