It has been a little over a year since the entire world turned upside down because of a little thing called the Coronavirus. While the world is slowly returning back to some level of normalcy, many people and businesses are still feeling the impact. The automotive industry is certainly no exception. Not only has the virus caused a ripple effect on inventory, but it has also changed the way the market and consumers purchase and react to advertising.

From what we’ve seen, collected data on and implemented over the first half of this year, we have a few tips for you to prepare your dealership for the second half of this year!

PREP YOUR STAFF!

You probably have meetings at least twice per week with your staff. What are you covering? Are you reviewing the same information you always have? This likely includes deals in the pipeline, sales goals, sales incentives and leads. Have you talked to your team about what they are seeing on the lot? What are the objections from potential customers? Are they changing the narrative of what brought them to your dealership or why they will or won’t buy? The market is in a very different place right now and people are looking and reacting differently than we’ve ever seen before. Are you having this open conversation with your sales staff so they can provide potentially valuable insight?

PREP YOUR LOT AND SHOWROOM!

Do you have half the amount of cars on your lot than you normally do? I bet you’re nodding your head or rolling your eyes right now because who doesn’t?! A good thing to keep in mind is that car sales are retail sales. What do they constantly do at a retail store? Update the display. The same is true for your car dealership. Updating the way you have the cars sitting on the lot, changing around the order, and even getting creative with how you display your inventory could make it seem like you have more than you do and draw attention to your lot and certain vehicles.

PREP YOUR ADVERTISING!

With market changes and consumer behavior throwing everything off, it’s very important that you sit down and review your marketing strategy. Social media is very important right now and the viewership and usage is at an all-time high. Is your automotive marketing agency taking advantage of this? Are you advertising vehicles you no longer have in inventory? These are just some of the vital questions you should be reviewing with your digital marketing company. If you haven’t done this lately, we suggest setting up a meeting with your advertising team ASAP! Find out what’s working for your dealership, other dealerships they work with and what the industry itself looks like in terms of consumer behavior. Now might be the time to switch it up!

If you need some guidance to get your dealership headed in the right direction for the last two quarters, D2D is here to help. We can evaluate your current strategy and provide some tips and recommendations going forward. We can also help prepare you to talk to your current agency with a full list of questions to ask to make sure you’re getting everything you need. Contact a digital expert today!

If you’re looking for some more info on preparing your dealership for the ever-changing market conditions, download our Used Car Sales Checklist to help you shift your strategy!