Reflecting on the year that's been and planning for the year ahead

Reflection and the power of being proactive

We are nearing to the end of yet another calendar year, and what a strange year it has been! I’m sure I am not alone in the feeling that it feels as if there is a big chunk missing and it seems odd that December and Christmas are upon us.

From all the disruption that Covid has caused to the industry to date I do feel that there have been many lessons learnt along with businesses and people evolving from those lessons in a positive way for the future ahead. 

The end of the year can be when that hindsight trigger known as “reflection” kicks in and you start feeling various emotions about what you have achieved during 2020, or you’ll feel disappointed and bewildered as to why this time has come again and you achieved nothing you wanted to over the past 12 months. Those “new year’s” resolutions for the dealership from the beginning of the year went largely untouched. 

Being proactive with your business

Why should the time of year make any difference as to what you do with your business, and when? The reality is it shouldn’t, but it just seems to feel right for many psychologically that it does.

Being proactive with your business enables the dealership to be more successful across a number of measures – whereas when operating a reactive business, you end up having to fight month in, month out to make it work. There is a very real difference in the dealerships that sit back, versus the ones that are actively trying to better themselves. 

A few examples of taking a proactive approach are:

1. Your existing customer base is not only for repeat, but also referral business. 
   

   I've been highly repetitious in this area over the years and won’t stop until the majority of dealerships start to take this area where their most valuable customers are seriously. 
   These buyers know you already. You’ve already converted and sold to them, so they trust you. Don’t let these customers be forgotten about and given reasons to purchase from somewhere else next time. 

   
   Also, they are your biggest advocates for referrals. Imagine if each of your customers referred 10 other friends or family members to your business over the course of a year. Do the maths, it’s easy. Some of them will come and buy from you, because their purchasing decisions are heavily influenced by recommendations they have been given.

2. Businesses around you that have a large number of employees are likely to have someone in the market for a car at any given time. 
   

   There is no harm in calling in to say hello, introduce yourself and your business, and provide some form of special offer for any staff member who purchases a vehicle from you. You may even go a step further and that offer could be a donation to their staff social club. It all depends on the type of business it is.

3. You have a good selection of 7 seater vehicles in stock:
   

   Search through private listings on Trade Me in your area where people have mentioned that they are only selling as they need to upgrade to a 7 seater. You can make this process super easy for them. Last time I searched for a dealer there were 100’s of people needing to buy a 7 seater due to a change in circumstances.

That’s just a quick example of a few areas you could be more proactive going into 2021 if you aren’t doing these things already. 

Here's to a successful 2021!

The team at Motorcentral wish you all the best for the Christmas period, and has thoroughly enjoyed working with hundreds of dealerships throughout 2020. We are super-excited at what lies ahead and want to be there with you, along your side, delivering solutions and service to your business that has one objective in mind – helping the dealership to achieve success. 

That success can come in many shapes from efficiency, profitability, processes, revenue, sales and so on. At the end of the day, we’re here to help you do better. 

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Disclaimer:
The Motorcentral blog is intended for educational purposes only. All writers opinions are their own and nothing published on this blog should be interpreted as a recommendation or advice in any way. Motorcentral is also not responsible for and does not verify accuracy of any of the information contained within this blog.
In the event third parties are referenced within this article, Motorcentral is not necessarily affiliated with those third parties.