You may remember last week an anecdote that one of the dealers who are part of our group of women working in the sector related to us.

She was talking about how the advantage that greater diversity in the workplace brings, had been recently illustrated with a conversation she'd had with a female customer.

“This customer had told me,” she related, “how pleasant it was to be able to speak to a female member of staff in a dealership as she didn't feel intimated or out of her depth because she wasn't a machinery expert. She then felt comfortable spending time in our showroom talking with me.” 

Interactions like this, we felt, should kick-off a productive, and hopefully long-term, working relationship. Which is what being an independent specialist is all about.

And perhaps the bigger win here is that customers who have good experiences in the dealership like this, are likely to subsequently become a vocal advocate for the business.

I think all reading this today will agree just how crucial a tool ‘word of mouth’ can be for promoting the dealership locally. Certainly, whenever we survey you, our dealer readers, asking what you feel are the most effective means of marketing your company, this idea of the organic spreading of customer testimonials always features highly.

Nowadays of course, word of mouth isn’t simply neighbours talking over the garden fence either. Perhaps more importantly, it’s all the online interactions that your customers will naturally engage in as part of their everyday lives. If they happen to mention your business within their circle of contacts in a positive light, that is a trusted recommendation that can prove invaluable.

Arguably in fact, it has far more persuasive weight in convincing a new person to enter your dealership for the first time, than any traditional advert ever could.

Generating loyalty

It reminds me of an email I received from a dealer reader once, who got in touch to point out that when you spend your working day doing the right thing, there are customers out there who genuinely appreciate your efforts and are willing to go out to bat for you.

They detailed an example of how one of their satisfied customers who was particularly pleased with the service they had received from two members of the dealership’s staff when they came in to buy a chainsaw, had contacted the dealership to let them know how satisfied they were – and importantly, what they were going to do next.

Not really knowing what he required, the customer talked about how the range of chainsaws was explained to him, indicating their pros and cons. He explained how the dealer wasn't pushy and offered to leave him to think about it, resulting in him buying a new chainsaw - with guidance then given on how to sharpen and care for its chain and bar.

A different member of staff then took the customer outside and showed him the correct way to use and care for his chainsaw.

The customer concluded their thank you message to this dealer saying, "I have already spoken amongst my friends as to how impressed I was. It is word of mouth that brought me to you, and I shall spread that word further. Please forward my thanks to your staff and long may your ethics continue."

I don't think it can be over-emphasised how this promise to spread the word further is such a valuable tool for independent, specialist retailers. Treating every customer to the highest level of service will go a long way to making sure this form of viral marketing is always bubbling along in the background.

The next step of course, is doing everything to guarantee that the customer returns to the store again and again. I found a great blog post on this subject from our friend and previous Conference speaker, Bob Clements.

Called Building Long-Term Relationships it’s only a brief piece but it’s well worth checking out. Bob explains that successful sales people understand that the only way to consistently generate orders and increase business is through customer loyalty. This loyalty, he says, is built by continuing to monitor and cultivate the customer’s satisfaction.

He then goes though a series of procedures which he believes will aid dealers in this quest.

It's well worth a few minutes of your time today to have a quick read.