Pub. 8 2018 Issue 2

14 AUTOMOBILE DEALER NEWS ILLINOIS www.illinoisdealers.com Be committed to conduct a Service Drive walk with all of your guests on both new and used vehicles. You need to know your Service Department and be able to tell their story! when you came to the dealership today you probably had some expectations about this vehicle, did this vehicle meet all of your expectations?” This will give your guest the ability to make a decision and provide yourself a path for the next step; having the guest buy the vehicle or selecting an alternative vehicle. 5. Trade Appraisal – Now that your guest has committed to the right vehicle to purchase from you, or they want to know ahead of time what their trade is worth. It’s important to learn as much as possible about the trade from the guest. What do we know? Your guest wants to buy a vehicle from you and of course they want a fair dollar amount for their trade. The dealership wants to make a car deal and you have to acquire the trade at a dollar amount where the dealership can re-sell it to the next guest at a great price. Remember, before their vehicle hits your lot for resale it must go through a few steps. The vehicle must pass a complete inspection, fix any and all problems or safety concerns and recondition the vehicle to make it front line ready for resale on your lot. What should we do? Having a conversation about the vehicle and recording information is just the beginning. As with the tour of the vehicle they are buying, you need to spend time with the guest to evaluate their trade. Doing this activity together may include a walk around on the trade where the guest provides an excellent opportunity to sell their trade to you. This will help insure you’re both on the same page as to the condition of the vehicle and that you’re not just slapping a number on their trade. Asking questions? It’s always a good idea to ask questions about their vehicle. We need to be able to tell their story about their vehicle to the next guest wanting to buy it! Your guest should feel as though these questions are what they would want to know if they were in fact buying it. By us- ing a fact sheet/trade sheet you are creating awareness about the vehicle they want to sell to the dealership. Make sure to ask all of the questions each and every time. Here are some sample questions you could be asking: • Tell me about your vehicle… • Did you buy it brand new? • Where did you buy it? • How long have you owned your vehicle? • Did you finance the vehicle? • Do you have any payments remaining? • Has it ever been in an accident? • Have you experienced any repairs needed during your ownership? • Do you have an extended service agreement on the vehicle? Questions regarding a service contract on the trade shows and increased value of the trade because we know it was fixed when there was a problem. Additionally, we know that there shouldn’t be any problems with the vehicle at the time of trade. • What company backs the extended service agreement? Is it a reputable company?