I just negotiated a new car purchase entirely via e-mail. That's right. From initial offer through purchase agreement - all before I had spoken to my salesperson on the phone.
To set this up, I telephoned 10 dealerships in Nebraska and Colorado (I had a highly equipped Jeep for trade and I assumed it would bring more money near the Rockies). Of the 10 dealerships I called, 40% were ruled out by poor customer service on first contact.
Before I share a video I shot from the cabin of my Jeep during the 16-hour round trip to the winning dealership and back, I'm going to share examples of customer service I received elsewhere. My intention isn't to do fellow businesses harm (they've been harmed enough in that they lost the sale), so dealership names will be omitted.
Dealership No. 1
Me: "Hello there, I would like to have the e-mail address for your Internet Sales Manager, please."
Them: <six minute Muzak hold before I hung up>
Dealership No. 2
Me: "Hi, could I get the e-mail for your Internet Sales Manager? I'd like to e-mail him or her an offer on a trade deal for a new car."
Them: "We don't have an Internet Sales Manager."
<long pause>
Them: "Is there anything else I can help you with sir?"
Dealership No. 3
Me: "Good morning. May I please have the e-mail address for your Internet Sales Manager or, if you don't have an Internet Sales Manager, the e-mail address of someone who would like to compete for my new car business."
Them: "Yes, uh, hang on here a moment.... 'W-W-W--"
Me: "No, I'm sorry, perhaps I wasn't clear. I'd like e-mail please, not the website address."
Them: "I don't think they have e-mail, sir."
Dealership No. 4
Me: "Hi there, can I get the e-mail address for your Internet Sales Manager?"
<chewing noises and smacking of lips followed by an audible swallow sound>
Them: "Yeah, sure, it's so and so at such and such dot com"
I wish I were kidding. No editorial license taken with these accounts. Painful.
Now obviously, six of 10 dealerships I contacted did much better. In fact, two did remarkably well, and of those two, one possessed a clear and convincing commitment to the customer, something we at Omaha Promos talk about ad nauseam.
The winner was Ehrlich Toyota in Greeley, Colorado. Ehrlich wasn't just good, they were exemplary in their enthusiasm, honesty and business ethic. I got everything I asked for and spent less than I thought it would take to close the deal too. (Special thanks to Travis Ratliff, my salesperson. The guy made me feel as though I was the only customer on the planet; so impressive was he that I drove 509 miles from home to meet him and 509 miles back in one day.)
The moral of the story is, don't suck at customer service! It's more important than product knowledge, more important than price too, because you can have the lowest margins and widest array of goods, but if you mistreat or mismanage the customer, you're destined to fail in business.
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Want more of what I have to say about client care? Here's yours truly yapping from the cabin of my Jeep. Professional driver on a closed course. Do not attempt.
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