JudgeService research finds “laws of attraction” drive faster used car sales.

Sales staff with positive attitudes can dramatically improve used car stock turn performance, while boosting a dealership’s overall promoter score.

JudgeService first identified a correlation between high customer promoter scores and faster used car stock turn in 2018, but its forthcoming industry paper shows how further incremental improvements in customer satisfaction can drive even speedier sales.

Dealers with promoter scores of over 85% are currently averaging just 30 days to sell used cars, compared to 36 days for those averaging under 60%.

The research of over 50,000 buyers reveals the showroom best practices that most resonate with buyers and could boost under-performing sites.

The most influential factor is the salesperson’s positive attitude during the sales process and how a 5% improvement in a customer score can result in a 20.5% jump in the dealer’s promoter score, which in turn increases the speed of sale by 3.5 days.

Other key influencers included staff taking the trouble to explain paperwork and their attitude at handover.

“With the cost of living crisis potentially hitting the confidence and spending power of car buyers, it is now more important than ever for sales teams to make every customer interaction an empathetic and positive experience,” said Neil Addley, managing director of JudgeService.

“The laws of attraction shows that if customers are looked after and feel valued, they are more likely to buy and buy again,” he said.

The research also identified the positive impact of salespeople contacting customers after they have taken delivery of their cars; those that were contacted had a promoter score of 88%, although this dropped to just 63% for those who were not contacted.

“Some salespeople are reluctant to contact customers after a sale because they might have a complaint about the vehicle. But that is precisely why they should call them. If there’s a gripe, it’s the perfect time to fix it. And if there’s not, it’s a great way to start building a long term relationship.” said Addley.

The JudgeService Industry Report: The Strangest Secrets is based on responses from 53,585 customer surveys completed between 1 July and 31 December 2022. Download the full report now - https://www.judgeservice.com/the-strangest-secret

4 February 2023 by Curtis Hutchinson