A bad customer experience can spread like wildfire. Anyone who has spoken to me in the last 2 weeks has likely heard about the experience and the story never includes a recommendation to use this company. In the Dealership of the Year coverage, SN Partners CEO Ted Briscoe says about a quarter of their revenue comes from selling small tractors. He stresses how that side of the business is a battle every day because about 80-90% of it is truly a retail, transactional sale. Customer experience can make or break this side of the business. A friend of mine recently emailed a dealer to inquire about a snowblower attachment for his tractor. He is a potential new customer for this dealer. It took a month for anyone at the dealership to respond to his request. He was about ready to give up on them when he did finally get a response. In the meantime, he had also recommended the dealer to his uncle, based on the brands they carried. While the in-store buying experience for his uncle went well, the delivery left his wife fuming. They own horses and the wife takes care of them, so she was going to be using the tractor often. She was the one who took delivery on the tractor. When the guy arrives with it she says, “He wasn’t interested in showing a female how it worked.” She nearly told him to just take it back. Customer service is everyone’s job. Not just the person who answers the phone, not just the salesperson. Everyone has the opportunity to make or break the customer’s experience. Make sure your staff is trained to make it a good one. READ FULL ARTICLE>>
