The Covid-19 Email That Helped One Of Our Dealership Clients Take Home $28,193 In One Week!

We recommend utilizing this time to focus on building your brand so you can emerge from the Covid-19 storm stronger than ever. New and Independent Dealerships are being analyzed closely on how they’re reacting, and those who are building brands on compassion, community-awareness, and taking preventative proactive steps will be the ones who persevere. 

Here are some Strategies to help reassure car shoppers that you are taking the proper measures for their safety. These should be broadcasted via social media, email blast, a sign on your front door, individual conversations with leads, etc. 

1. Promote the precautions you’re taking at your dealership to assure scared potential customers -- how are keeping your dealership and vehicles clean and safe? How are you minimizing the risk of contagion? ie. vehicle wipe-downs, staff using masks, frequent office cleanings, etc.
2. Set aside specific hours for seniors/immuno-distressed customers. Successful businesses like Whole Foods, Walmart, Target, etc are being praised for allotting times to protect those most vulnerable. We recommend setting aside the first 1-2 hours each morning when these customers are able to access the dealership at its cleanest, with the lowest risk of airborne infection.
3. Create specific offers for seniors & kids who come with their parents. Childcare is an added burden for parents everywhere because of closed schools. Incentivizing them to bring their kids along not only increases the chance of them showing up but also provides an opportunity for you to gain multiple long-term customers opportunities out of a single visit. Our recommendation is to allocate a room for kids to play with toys, coloring books, etc. From a business standpoint, nothing will kill a deal quicker than a screaming kid and be-back don’t come back.
4. Utilize long-term payment plans for customers afraid of an economic downturn. This may seem counterintuitive considering your personal economic stress, however offering these payment options will reassure car shoppers that you’re looking to work with them. The message here is that nobody should be forced to choose between their transportation and their economic well-being, and you’re the dealership willing to work with them and their situation to make sure that’s the case. 
5. Limit the number of customers in the dealership at any given time. Start operating on an “appointment only” basis, great. This will limit the chance of contagion by reducing shared air. Leave small windows of time before and after appointments for customers to come and go.
6. Make your paperwork available online or at-home. Encourage customers to fill out their paperwork at home or online so that when they arrive they can move straight through to whomever they are scheduled without waiting in the reception area.
7. Delivering vehicles to customers could be an option depending on your current logistics and community restrictions. However, if this is a route you'd like to take, we strongly advise confirming that the customer has been socially distancing and/or in quarantine and that they have no active COVID cases in their home.

If you have any questions on how to strengthen your brand within your community, please don’t hesitate to reach me in our Facebook group 6-Figure Dealership Culture: Sales, Systems, & Management Secrets. This is a community for high performing and impact-driven dealership teams like yourself to connect, collaborate, and share the latest sales, systems, and management secrets so everyone on your team can hit 6-Figures in sales??

Our collective mission is to help you break through the glass showroom ceiling holding you back from hitting your goals in your dealership!

This group is hosted by Felix & the Autolocalmotive Team whose sole mission is to help you become a 30-40 car guy/girl in your dealership with personal branding, prospecting systems, sales training, and more!www.facebook.com/groups/DealershipSecrets

Below is an email we suggest sending out to your current and past customers.

 Again, this is a time to present yourself as a leader within your community while effectively communicating what measures your practice is taking.

Strengthening your brand during this pandemic can help maintain current customers, reactivate old customers, and promote new organic leads through referrals. 

Email Subject:  Safety Updates and Precautions at <dealership name> during COVID-19

Hi there <first name>, 

We recognize the trust you place in us to deliver quality vehicles that contribute to your overall driving experience for years to come. Even during times like these,  daily commutes do not take a back seat, and so we are remaining open to those of our community who wish to receive service. 

That being said, our customer’s health and safety is our top priority, and so we want to share the precautions we have taken at <dealership name> so we can continue to serve the <area> community without exposing them to unnecessary risk.

• We will be disinfecting our dealership regularly, with a heavy focus on high touch areas like vehicles, doors, and desks. Staff will be using masks, gloves and we suggest our customers do the same, as we all must work to reduce infection within our community.
• We are reserving appointments between <X-Yam> specifically for seniors and immuno-distressed patients. This is both for their safety, as well as the peace of mind of our other patients -- rest assured you can visit the dealership without risk of accidentally infecting an at-risk community member.
• With schools closed, we understand that many parents have additional responsibilities at this time. We will be offering a separate playroom to children who accompany their parents to their appointments, to help ease the burden of finding childcare. 
• We understand these times are not only emotionally stressful, but can create financial stress as well. We will be implementing new, long-term financing plans, effective immediately, to ease the financial burden of those seeking assistance. Nobody should be forced to choose between their transportation and their finances -- our dealership will be happy to work with you to find the right financing.
• We are spacing out our appointments to limit the number of customers in the dealership at any given time. This is designed to reduce the chance of contagion through shared air.
• We are now offering online sales, digital financing, and touchless deliveries available to all customers via <email/URL at URL.com> -- when you arrive for your appointment, we will bring you straight into the consultation room to reduce time spent waiting in the showroom.
• If at any time it becomes mandatory that we temporarily close, we will strongly consider making house calls, while taking intense precautionary measures for our customers. At such a time we will update you on our safety protocol.

I am also making myself personally available to answer any health-related questions or concerns you may have about yourselves or your loved ones. Please feel free to reach out to me with anything!

Wishing you love and safety,

From your friends over at <dealership name>

<dealership name>

<dealership address> / <dealership phone number>