Creating An Appointment Culture

What is the “appointment opportunity” in a dealership today??

It is interesting. Depending on the statistics you look at, car dealers close between 9-20% of the traditional Ups that come in the door. There are probably some great dealers out there that can probably close 30%. Certainly, there are great sales people who can close 30%, maybe even 35%, of the traditional Ups that walk in the door. Though, on average, car dealers close at a rate of between 9-20%.

It is interesting that car dealers actually close 50% of the internet appointments that show up. When a car dealer gets an internet lead, they set an appointment for a prospect. If that prospect shows, and that car dealer is an average dealer, they are going to close that prospect at a rate of 50%. On top of that, top car dealers today are closing 80% of their internet appointments.

What is the overall opportunity in a car dealership? We know that internet opportunities close at 50% if you are average, 80% if you are great, right??

But what is your opportunity if, for example, you want to market to your data base? Well, you are closing your traditional Ups at 9-20%, but did you know that the average dealer closes their owner marketing appointments, (appointments that your team makes with prior sold and service customers), at a rate of 60%? That means that six out of ten buy a car from you.

Furthermore, because you get to inject these folks with “new car fever”, meaning that they don’t catch it from somewhere else, you are less likely to be in a price comparison situation and more likely to drive higher grosses. On top of that, we know that car dealers close their “be-back appointments” at 67%. So, two thirds of your “be-back appointments” close, 60% of your owner marketing appointments close, yet you are only closing 9-20% of your traditional Ups. What is it you want? You want more appointments. The goal is to create an appointment driven culture throughout your entire dealership. I can help.?

BDC Colin and his team can identify areas of weakness, opportunities and threats in your current business model, make recommendations, and implement improved processes to help you achieve enhanced profitability and customer loyalty.?Schedule a call today with our team of BDC experts here.