8:40 am, July 10, 2022
A common question we are asked by members of our dealer network is ‘how do I sell more cars on finance?’.
As each dealership’s business, sales process, advertising and setup is different, there is no straightforward answer.
However, there are a few things you can do that should have a positive effect on your finance penetration and, at the very least, lead to a greater awareness of how many finance deals you actually process.
Is your finance message visible?
A good place to start is to ensure that you are informing your customers – that finance is a service that you offer wherever you advertise.
Consider reviewing your own website, social media channels and other websites where you list your cars for sale and ensure your finance messaging is visible, consistent and meets FCA regulations.
The more aware customers are that you offer finance, the more likely they are to apply, inquire or ask questions directly.
Know where you are now and where you want to be
Data truly is king. If you want to increase your finance penetration, one of the most important aspects is understanding how many vehicles you’re selling on finance now, so you can measure whether any changes you have made have had any effect.
An easy way to do this is to record all your sales and how they were paid for.
A spreadsheet is the most efficient way, as it’ll give you real data on what your finance penetration is and allow you to set a real goal of how much you want to increase it by.
It’ll also measure your success in selling more cars on finance.
Tweak and measure
It can be very tempting to frequently change what you’re doing, especially if you don’t think you’re getting the results you want straight away.
Wait and measure results over time, though. If you change your finance messaging too frequently, you won’t know which advert has contributed to an increase or not.
Keep what works and get rid of what doesn’t
When you’ve captured data over time, it’ll inform you what works and what doesn’t, and data is always better than guesswork.
Simply keep what works and change what doesn’t.
Once you know how much you’re selling on finance and what’s contributed towards increases, keep doing it until the data indicates that it no longer works, then change the style or content of the advert.
If you inform your customers that you can offer them finance, measure what works and what doesn’t, and implement changes based on data, you’re a lot more likely to sell more cars on finance!
For more advice on how to sell more cars on finance, email [email protected].
This column appears in issue 172 Car Dealer along with news, reviews, features and much more. To read and download it for free, click here.
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