Pub. 3 2021 issue 1

18 Strengthening Human Connections in a Digital World Patrick Hennessey, Senior Director of Sales, Ally Insurance W hen the COVID-19 pandemic hit over a year ago, the slow march by some dealerships to conduct more business digitally suddenly turned into a full-on sprint. Up to that point, the retail “disruptors” had driven speculation that showroom visits and face-to-face conversations would soon be replaced with keyboard clicks. Those disrupters offer new choices for consumers and challenge the century-old traditional dealership model. While they may be successful at selling their digital process to many customers, they haven’t erased the simple need of many buyers to seek real answers from real people. There’s room for both approaches, but traditional dealers must rethink their operations to accommodate customers’ changing expectations. BUILDING THE RIGHT TEAM It’s extremely rare for any car buyer to “kick the tires” at several dealerships. Most car buyers start shopping online. When customers enter the showroom, the opportunity is to guide them through the buying process with information that helps confirm their choices will meet their needs. For too long, the industry placed a premium on raw selling skills. That’s no longer sufficient or effective. It’s time to reexamine how we recruit, hire, onboard and train new staff. Dealers must be aggressive in communicating that successful salespeople require a broad set of skills ranging from customer service, product expertise, marketing basics, social media and video production. A prime spot for dealers to advertise themselves to potential talent is where they begin the selling process for their vehicles: on their websites.