Here are some stats that Most of us already know and most Dealer Principles and GMs may already know. But let’s give it another read because this is important to your business.

Not all buyers use the same criteria to choose a dealer or are influenced by the same dealer experience and sales processes.

According to the Foresight Research 2013 Dealership Report, Taken from UCN News, based on a study of 7,543 recent U.S. new car and truck buyers, experience with a brand drives most purchases.

While 17 different automotive marketing communication channels are analyzed in this study, none are more influential to the purchase decisions of new car and truck buyers than the dealership experience with the exception of prior brand experience. Forty-nine percent of all buyers this past year report that their dealership experience was highly influential to their decision to purchase the vehicle they did. 

The average new-vehicle buyer today is older (nearly half are over age 55). They are also wealthier and experienced with the buying process. Dealer reputation and relationships are key to this group.

Younger buyers (many of them first-time buyers) bring a narrower set of expectations into their buying process. These buyers want and need dealer assistance, but one out of four say their dealership experience took too long. 

Buyers aged 35-54 (representing 37 percent of current buyers) reflect a mixture of their younger and older counterparts. Like younger buyers, they are very concerned with getting a good price/deal, and financing options. Yet like older buyers, they have high expectations of their dealer experience.

So let’s think about this. This means that the people on the front lines and by this I mean the salespeople, including those in the BDC department, Service Writers, Parts and Body Shop Departments. Now why did I just refer to all these people as salespeople?

Because they all better be. These are the people that are selling you, your services and products and if they don’t know how to sell and how to treat people-your losing a great deal of business.

So why do a lot of you think that you can get these people on the cheap and expect great results. You pay a lot for your marketing and other vendors services and hopefully they are doing the right things.

But these employees I just mentioned are your most valuable asset and you are not going to get or have the right people on the cheap. I showed in one of my last posts a dealer who was paying top dollar and getting top results. These stats just gave me the opportunity to maybe shed more light on my mission to prove my point.

You can hire consultants to train, train and do more training and give people all the tools in the world to do a job but if you don’t have the right people your just wasting your money. And by the way what are your managers doing?

You need consultants who know how to get the right people in right the positions first Which means consultants who have proven themselves on the front lines and in the trenches who can find right people you need. And again, what are your managers doing?

If you need to hire consultants, (And again what are your managers doing), find one who is going to weed out all the non-performers and who is hired by and who is looking out for you the owner and not the management that may be the root of your problems.

A lot of good salespeople and managers have already left the Automotive Industry because the good ones can perform in any Commission Sales Industry and are going where they can be rewarded for their talent.

There are those who would like to commoditize the Industry and have store clerks waiting on people. But I can tell you that if this happens there will no longer be room for the Small and Medium Size Franchise Dealer.

By having the right people you don’t need to train them because they’re professionals and are driven to perform. So if you take all that money you pay to train and get no return from and put the right people (Including Management) on the front lines- you will not only save most of the money you spend on consultants but realize that the ones on the front lines are your real ROI.

By William Cosgrove

 

 

So are they going to close down the (OFT)? Apparently they are not doing a good enough job (Believe that and I have the car for you.)

 

This is a direct result of Big Government thinking they know how to control our lives better than we do.

 

I propose that we write a grant and get funding to set up our own regulatory agency the (GODB) GET OFF OUR DAMN BACKS! AND LET THE MARKETS DECIDED WHAT IS FAIR PRACTICE OR A GOOD PRODUCT.

 

Now they want to look at GAP Protection. What is wrong with GAP insurance anyway? It is a good product that provides value to the consumer and has been being sold for ever. No wonder our Government can’t get anything done or do it right when they do. I doubt if they even know how many agencies are out there wasting our hard earned tax dollars that we pay based on our income. Now they want to play with our income. Does anyone see anything ironic here?

Author Bill Cosgrove
http://dealernetservices.biz
 

 

 

 

FCA issues call for evidence on GAP competition

 

 

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has begun a study into general insurance add-on products with an appeal for evidence of competition in the marketplace.

GAP (guaranteed asset protection) insurance sold by the motor industry is one product under scrutiny. Others include home emergency insurance, gadget, travel and personal accident cover.

The market study will consider evidence from companies and individuals and look at the nature of competition in these markets, in particular whether these products represent good value for money and whether consumers understand what they are getting with their policy.

The FCA’s call for evidence, to be submitted to FCAGIadd-on@fca.org.uk before September 10, reveals it will consider whether prices are excessive for a given quality, whether the quality is what consumers reasonably expect, any profitability differentiation between add-on and standalone sales for underwriters and distributors, and whether the consumer actively considers alternatives.

A key focus of the study is to investigate what impact add-ons have on consumer behaviour and expectations, how firms respond to those, and whether poor market outcomes arise as a result. 

Martin Wheatley, chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), told the Association of British Insurers (ABI) Biennial Conference: “Our new competition duty is the single most significant change in our objectives as a regulator. It means that we don’t just wait for problems before we try to promote competition in the markets we regulate.

“We have our first market study underway looking at general insurance add-ons.  We’ve called for evidence and approached a number of firms in the market for information. We are testing whether poor outcomes in add-on sales could reflect particular consumer behavioural traits and firms’ responses to them.”

“One of the questions I was most frequently asked 101 days ago was: ‘Is the FCA going to be genuinely different from the FSA?’.  We understand why people reserved judgement - the FSA needed to change.

“100 days later I think we are taking steps in the right direction. The FCA is in many areas a very different animal from the FSA.

“We’re not just asking: Is this product compliant? Does it tick every legal box? But actually: is the outcome good? Is the market competitive? And is fair treatment of consumers designed into products and culture?”

The results of the FCA's findings will be reported in 2014.  

 Author Tim Rose

 

 

 NEW FCA TO REGULATE CONSUMER CREDIT

 

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is facing calls from the Financial Services Consumer Panel to transfer control of consumer credit regulation to the new Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

The Financial Services Consumer Panel says the FCA, who will succeed the Financial Services Authority (FSA) upon enactment of the Financial Services Bill, should be given full responsibility for the regulation of retail financial services, including consumer credit. 

The Panel believes that a two stage process is necessary starting with the FCA taking over responsibility for regulating credit under the Consumer Credit Act.  A second review would  further examine when it would be appropriate to move to an integrated Financial Services and Markets Act-based regime.

Adam Phillips, the FSA Consumer Panel’s chairman said :

“If the FCA is an effective consumer regulator, they would be able to intervene in the issues we have seen developing. A single regulator looking at all the conduct issues in financial services has to be a good idea.”

Gillian Guy, the Citizens Advice chief, said:

“It is vital . . . that not only lenders but also debt collectors, brokers, debt managers and retail lenders selling insurance products are regulated by a single body.”

Director general of the FLA Stephen Sklaroff said:

“Whether or not regulation transfers to the new FCA, the regime which the FCA will inheritin the deposit and savings markets is not appropriate for credit.”

A spokesman for Which? said :

“Key protections in the Consumer Credit Act must be maintained.”

A spokesman for the OFT said:

“The government needs to consider the evidence and determine whether and where change is needed. We are engaging with the government about what improvements we think would make a difference.”