Being an independent dealer in a competitive industry can be a challenge. At Oodle, we want to showcase the ways your dealership shines and highlight the competitive advantages available to you.
Interested? Read on…
Staying competitive in an ever-changing market
A smaller dealership means less processes and more adaptability. More fine-tuned control and more opportunity to streamline the service you offer.
If there’s a problem somewhere in your day-to-day, you probably already know about it. You can simply walk across the forecourt to handle it yourself.
Keep the “family” aspect in a family-owned business. Let your carefully considered value shine in every customer interaction. Simplify and streamline your work whenever possible - Oodle's efficient processes are here to help.
Like you, we know each customer is a unique individual. It's why our pricing is personalised for each customer to give them the best rate for their circumstances.
Good things in small packages
For a small independent dealership, updating a process or training a few salespeople can be done in an afternoon. Whereas changing hundreds of employees over to a new Dealer Management System could take weeks.
You can be agile - you can try something new - if that doesn’t work, you can try something else. You can avoid incurring monumental costs or wasting weeks of time and resource.
When the wind changes, you can adapt faster. Your decisions can come quickly instead of having to co-ordinate meetings for lots of people.
Independent dealerships with small teams can deliver a personalised, tailored service and offer consistently great customer service - each and every time.
So, take advantage of decision-making that isn’t slowed down by lengthy corporate email chains and procedures with too many cooks spoiling the broth.
Allow a simpler approach to free you up to focus on providing the best customer journey – and make things less painful for you as a dealer.
Technology can be your friend - but when it isn’t, you can adapt
Some businesses can be forced to rely heavily on technology, especially if they have online-only showrooms, customer service and chat systems. This can mean that when they fail, leads and sales are lost.
As a trusted brand with loyal local customers, if technology fails or isn’t what you (or the customer) wanted it to be, you’re within easy reach of your target market. You can use your personal connection to provide a stellar service instead of having to let down an excited customer.
Take advantage of local search
Whether you understand Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) or if you hire someone to do it for you, your website can be tailored more toward the target market you serve and the local area you do business in. This makes the digital journey for customers as personable and memorable as the physical journey.
People, places and other mentions can link your business and your products back to the local area. This can give your business the grounded, ‘real feel’ that can sometimes be lost when trying to cater to broader markets.
Data across the industry shows a rising trend in customers preferring a mixed physical and digital journey when car-buying. So tailoring your website to a location may help you cater to the customers who enjoy a merged journey of physical experiences and digital processes.
Embrace the intimacy of being the local independent dealer
Independent dealerships have more opportunity to focus on quality over quantity.
By putting your all into each customer, word-of mouth will spread knowledge about the service you provide. Create a purpose, a mission and objectives which align with your local market and customer profiles. Time, cost and resources which can sometimes be lost in running a big operation can be dedicated to personalising every customer journey.
And that’s something Oodle would love to help with. By using our efficient service and automated decision-making - you can spend less time on the numbers and checks, and more time creating unique ways for your business to:
Create exciting point of sale promotions
Build rapport before sales
Follow up sales with attentive aftercare
Get customers excited about a new car
Create a service and journey to remember
Oodle are ready to help hardworking dealers like you create a focused, attentive approach to the local customers that help set you apart from big names. If you’re curious about just what our service involves and how much time and energy we can save you, click the button below.
