Know-How Exchange : Research/Metrics

Looking at it from a consumer view, buying a car from a dealer showroom, at least here in the USA, is a completely unpleasant experience, unless it is a Saturn.

This feeling is pretty much universally shared by everybody I have ever talked to.

Never had the pleasure of shopping for Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, I'm told those can be pleasant experiences.

So, a suggestion is differentiate yourself by making the entire process of buying a car from you a pleasant, no-hassle, trust-building experience.

Look at Saturn's business model and the other dealers that consistently have high consumer satisfaction ratings.

Your customers will be happy and satisfied and they will tell their friends providing you a consistent source of qualified leads.

Hope that helps to get some ideas going.

If you're a dealership and have a service center, I would suggest using service and repair direct mail promotions as a part of a larger overall customer relationship management initiative. Oil changes, etc.

Another idea might be to hold car care workshops or education seminars at your site. You could target your new car buyers and ask them to bring a friend. Getting further outside the box, you might sponsor a safety expert to give a presentation regarding child safety and target parents.