Automotive Dealers sell mobility. Traditionally this has been in the form of a big metal box on wheels that a customer stores at his or her residence and uses when and as needed.
This model is likely to change in the future. In an 86-page report last year, the NRMA stated Australia’s relationship with the car will change dramatically within the decade. However, as Charles Mills will explain in the Auto-IT Opening Breakfast at the AADA National Dealer Convention & Expo 2018, Dealers must continue to concentrate on their roles as merchants of mobility.
With nearly 30 years’ experience helping car companies, Dealers, banks and hotels across five continents maximise their customer relationships, Charles is a leader in data-driven relationship improvement.
Charles believes the strength of the relationship between an incumbent business, such as Dealers, and their customers, will make or break business’ ability to thrive in disruption.
He and his team at ROAR use their deep customer, data and tech experience to help Dealers maximise return on a relationship to win in what he calls the Era of Relationship Commerce.
“Trust is the foundation of a relationship. Businesses that earn an individual customer’s trust by knowing and consistently delivering beyond expectations on the dimensions of time, value and quality, will dominate Relationship Commerce from strong recommendation and repurchase levels delivering above average RoaR,” he says.
According to KPMG’s 2018 Global Automotive Executive Survey, mobility patterns are changing, and if customers request more and more intelligent mobility solutions instead of owning a private car, we will see a shift from a one-off transaction towards TCO-driven recurring transactions throughout the entire customer lifecycle.
Almost half (43%) the surveyed respondents show confidence that half the car owners they know today will no longer want to own a personal vehicle by 2025.
In today’s market, where consumers can easily obtain more price and product information, Charles believes that, rather than focus on the product, sales people need to concentrate on the customer’s buying and after-sales experiences.
Today’s consumers have access to more information about cars than any previous generation of consumers. For example, what is the brand of car after-sales service, quality, and consumer experience? After consumers have enough information they only want a suitable price, which is a big challenge for Dealers.
That does not mean the role of sales people is redundant, but it will have to evolve. Consumers come armed with product information, so Charles says sales staff must help them understand their needs.
Auto-IT has been helping Dealers for more than 35 years, driving developments in technology and software that make running dealerships so much easier.
Every year more and more Dealers switch to Auto-IT for better service, smarter technology and a much brighter future.
Mobile technology is one area that has experienced significant growth and today many routine functions within dealerships can be performed on mobile devices. Auto-IT leads the way in new generation Dealer systems delivered across desktops, tablet devices and smartphones.
Delivered with their world-class support and technical knowhow, Auto-IT’s Dealer management systems are redefining the standard for car Dealers in every market they serve.
AADA thanks them for their continued support for our industry, and we look forward to seeing you at what is sure to be an enlightening opening breakfast.