Car Salesmen, and Marketing. Are they using more tricks than we realise?

So for those of you that don’t know, I’ve recently got myself a new car – and I love it.

The last car was unreliable, to say the least, and I kept hold of it much longer than necessary, by at least 5 years. One of my close friends explained it in a way I feel would make sense to most women: ‘if you’re putting in much more time and effort than you’re getting back, then it’s probably time to end the relationship.’ So that’s exactly what I did. After 7 years of a rusty, unreliable and money-guzzling Clio, I said goodbye, and it felt great.

The car salesman who was lucky enough to get my business happened to be a friend of a friend, and this got me thinking about trust, branding and just how far a person can be stretched if they feel secure in a purchase. This is something which, on reflection, I feel has become a technique perfected by car salesmen up and down the country. 

Hear me out on this, because I think we may have a thing or two to learn from these businessmen who have been given a sleazy and untrustworthy stereotype.

Dress to impress

Appearance is everything, and most of the time we buy with our eyes. Car salesmen dress to impress; I think that’s something we can agree on. Whether that’s a smart suit, clean-shaven face or expensive (if not somewhat overwhelming) cologne. Yet it sets a tone, a smart business tone, something which every business should take into account. The last thing you’d want is a cluttered website or social profile that doesn’t fit with your branding, in the same way that you wouldn’t want a scruffy salesman. So appearances and first impressions count. That’s a lesson learnt from the humble car salesman.

Create a human voice

The second aspect that springs to mind is dialogue. My ‘friend of a friend’ salesman had what ‘us kids’ refer to as banter. He was a good bloke, funny and despite the potential of me dropping a load of cash in his pocket, he acted as though we were good friends. This put me straight at ease, and I trusted him – previously a complete stranger, remember?

So keep this trick in mind for your customers. An informal dialogue can be created online through social media and blogging, creating a laid-back but informative tone – and if you can bring in a little humour without losing what your business represents, then go for it. People are much more likely to buy from someone they trust and can relate to, so create this voice online so potential customers can see there’s personality and a human voice behind the corporate image.

Upselling

It’s also worth mentioning the trick of upselling. After figuring out what I’m interested in, he proceeded to drop in a few mentions of things I could add to the car that could benefit my lifestyle. Perhaps I wanted the inside seats waterproofed, as I go on long muddy walks with my dog? Very clever, but no thanks, just the car for today. 

Remarketing is a great way to do this in the online world – it’s great for keeping track of what previous customers or potential customers are viewing, and so ‘cookie-ing’ them up and offering them ads to show products or services they might be interested in keeps you ahead of the game.

Customer security

Finally would be security. The amount of paperwork, phone calls, and detailed explanations of where my cash was going put me right at ease when it came to spending my money. With the right website, there’s no reason why your customers shouldn’t feel just as safe buying from you. Building a safe and secure website that your customers can trust is something we take very seriously here at SilverDisc, so you can be sure your customers’ details would never be compromised.

So, hat’s off to Harry… or was his name Luke? I love my new car, and it seems you’ve got the trick of marketing and selling down to a fine art.