While the way people shop for cars has changed dramatically, the way cars are being sold has been slower to adapt. The thinking is often that what worked in the past will continue to be effective, but this is no longer the case. Generic sales pitches need to expire. It’s time to start wondering if a different approach to that shopper who came into the showroom an hour ago would have resulted in a sale rather than a walkout.
“Cookie cutter responses and templated ‘scripts’ have dominated sales training and preparation,” according to Luke Heffron, president of ddk Genius Group, which offers experiential segmentation models to create the ideal customer experience. “We now have a proven method of research that can better understand our customer’s motivations and preferences before we open our mouth to communicate with them.”
Chicago-based ddk Genius Group’s premise is that 90 percent of the factors that influence buying decisions in customers are subconscious, so by understanding customers’ “lizard brain” motivations, sellers can literally personalize a selling experience that will resonate with a customer with most. The company’s app is built on decision models that provide insights into a customer’s subconscious purchase triggers and allow sellers to uncover what motivates them (and what turns them off). The company’s automotive sales app, AutoGenius, was designed to help sellers take advantage of the fact that most car sales are “gut purchases” and practical details such as cost and suitability of the vehicle for lifestyle are accepted or rejected after-the-fact to justify the purchase.
ddk Genius Group recently announced a partnership with Frankfort, Illinois-based Incentivefox, which offers a relationship and retention platform that allows dealerships to easily collect referrals, re-engage customers and reward them for taking action. Together, the two companies say they are releasing the first decision science solution for the automotive industry.
Here’s how it works: customers are asked to take a short five-question survey to help improve the quality of the dealership’s customer interactions. The survey is driven by psychology research and applied scientific techniques to determine customer “type.” The customers’ responses can then guide the sales team to successful interactions with each customer (either as an initial contact or a follow-up), creating more closing opportunities. Once the survey is completed, a sales representative is sent a list of topics to avoid, along with positive conversation starters and best practices to help put the customer at ease and ensure the sales team is delivering the best buying experience for each customer. Using Incentivefox’s reengagement function with ddk Genius Group’s experiential segmentation, dealerships can try again with customers they failed to sell to…this time, with a compelling sales prospect personalized for the customer.
“It’s incredible to discover how accurate the survey really is and once a dealership has this tool in place, they now have the ability to remarket to their customers using specific type-focused messaging instead of generic, mass messaging across the board, which could turn off a customer before they even have a chance to meet with them,” said Mark Tepper, CEO of Incentivefox.
