Why Would A Car Dealer Pay You $9.95 Per Customer?

Why are some entrepreneurs able to go into car dealerships and sell the dealer a customer follow up program that costs the dealer $9.95 per customer when others can’t?

It may be that some entrepreneurs have identified what the dealers need…

How does this stimulate your thinking?

Don Alm on the Marketing Best Practices Forum…

When I started working with Car Dealers with my “FOTO-CAL” calendars…I found out a few FACTS about their operation.

I discovered that Car Dealers;
1) want their customers to RETURN to the dealership for SERVICE (Oil Changes and Tuneups, etc)
and
2) want to get and keep a HIGH “CSI”!

“CSI” stands for “Customer Satisfaction Index”!

EVERY Dealer receives special discounts and other things from their mfgrs…so they all want a high CSI.

EVERY new car buyer receives, from the factory a “Questionaire” or “Survey”. The Dealers CSI is based upon the “responses” received from their buyers.

This “Questionaire” or “Survey” is mailed to Car Buyers usually about 90 days AFTER the sale.

Well…I thought that;
“What if Dealers could find out HOW their customers feel about the Dealership and How they were treated…whether there are ANY problems …etc….BEFORE the Factory Questionaire arrived so the Dealer could “Nip any problems in the bud” and try to cure them….so that WHEN their customers get the factory piece the “problems” would be cleared up and the customers would give a better valuation?”

Again….FACT: Car Dealers want a HIGH “CSI”!

So…to “help” the Dealers get what THEY WANT….I came up with a Combined “Card & Survey Response” product that would do 2 things;
1) Bring car buyers BACK to the dealership for Service
2) Find out HOW their customers “feel” about how they were treated during their “Car Buying” experience.

This was…
1) an ivory “Invitation” envelope (#5 1/2)
2) a Laminated Wallet Card (business Card size) with
customers name and a “Discount” off Oil Changes and other services…to provide “Reasons Why” they should return to the dealership for these services.
3) a “Double-PostCard”….with
a) a “Thank You” note from the Dealer
and
b) a “Survey & Questionaire” to be filled out and mailed back to the dealer (stamped & addressed)

This “Survey & Questionaire” contains the following;
“Please place a Check Mark in the box after each of the following questions. (there are 4 columns at the right with “4″, “3″, “2″, “1″ at top of each column)
“Overall Buying Experience”……
“Salesperson Courteous/Attentive….
“Salesperson Knowledgeable/Helpful….
“Vehicle Preparation/Delivery…..
“Would you recommend this dealership? Yes___No___
“Comments”…..

Car Buyers could then…just pop the Pre-Addressed, Stamped Card into the mail.

Now…when the Car Dealer saw the Samples I made up of these….where they could SEE and UNDERSTAND that “My Product”…Envelope, Wallet Card, Survey Card….could indeed;
1) Bring their Car Buyers BACK to the dealership for service rather than them going to JiffyLubes or QuickTunes
and
2) Find out any problems BEFORE the Factory Questionaire arrives…

they either were SOLD on my program and agreed to pay $9.95 for each Mailing…..or they weren’t.

Fortunately…I was able to make up a great looking “sample” package…which allowed me to get orders from them.

Also…based on my years of ’sales” experience…I was able to;
1) Get IN to see the Dealer or his GM
2) Make a powerful presentation appealing to what they want
3) Close the sale

Now…maybe others who’ve never sold a thing in their lives might not be able to take my exact “package” and be able to get orders for $9.95 per Car Buyer….but I was AND most of the people I sold this program to…were able to do this and…most are STILL doing it.

I am sorry….I am NOT selling a “$25,000 Franchise” here… so I will NOT divulge WHO these people are. AND…”skeptics” will just have to continue “wondering”.

Don Alm