10 Easy, Inexpensive Mini-Makeovers
to Brighten Your Store

Across the industry, manufacturers are asking (or requiring) dealerships to upgrade their facilities. More than 200 Cadillac dealerships are receiving a major redesign, featuring such items as English Oak walls, porcelain tile floors and stainless steel and brushed aluminum accents. GM dealerships are being upgraded at a rate of about a hundred a month.

Whether the impetus is from a manufacturer or not, most dealerships could benefit from some spiffing up. According to a survey by the National Automobile Dealers Association, the average U.S. dealership has been in the same place for nearly 30 years. Just think about how much styles—and industry practices—have changed in the last three decades.

A recent Associated Press article reported that the improvements being taken on by many dealerships—everything from leather chairs to hair salons—can cost anywhere from $200,000 to $15 million. (Manufacturers are helping with the cost of some of the upgrades they’re specifying.) You don’t have to spend six figures (or more), though, to make a big impact on the look and feel of your store.

To find out how to make a difference without breaking the bank, we talked to three experts: Craig Martinez, general sales manager of JM Lexus in Margate, Fla.; Tim Gilbert, associate professor and chairman of automotive marketing and management at Northwood University’s Florida campus; and Jim Davey, JM&A Group director for field service operations.

Here are 10 easy, low-cost to no-cost ways to make over your store, both in terms of facilities and operations:

1. Clean up the clutter. Walk through your store with the mindset of someone who has never been there. What do you see? Are there haphazard stacks of papers on desks or counters? Boxes of last year’s brochures on the floor? “The things that we might think are part of everyday life appear as clutter to the customer,” Davey says.

2. Replace your lighting. JM Lexus recently switched to LED lighting throughout the store. “It really brightens up the showroom,” Martinez says. “The cars flash and sparkle.” The new lights also last longer, use less energy and are easier on associates’ eyes. “Our electric bills are coming in less because of it,” he says. “We’re pretty proud of that change.”

3. Dress like professionals. Davey bristles when he sees service technicians with their shirts untucked. “When you dress up, you stand straighter and feel better about yourself,” he says.

4. Establish a customer bill of rights. This statement covers what the customer can expect when they come to your store. JM Lexus has one on an easel by the front door. It’s a great conversation starter with the sales associate and sets the proper tone from the beginning, Martinez says.

5. Personalize your technicians’ workspaces. We all like to do business with people we know and trust. Personalize your technicians’ stalls with name plates that include their certifications, areas of expertise and their tenure at the store. “Things like that create an impression that is so favorable,” Gilbert says. It not only helps customers make a connection to the person working on their car, but it also lets technicians know that their knowledge and experience is valued by the store.

6. Add some cookies and flowers. Nothing expresses hospitality more than homemade food and fresh-cut flowers. JM Lexus bakes fresh cookies about every four hours; Martinez says that a small cookie-baking oven is inexpensive. (Cookie company Otis Spunkmeyer, for example, provides the ovens at no charge to companies that buy their frozen cookie dough.) JM Lexus also has bagels brought in on most mornings and sandwiches delivered just before lunchtime. They also offer customers cappuccino, espresso, water and sodas. With flowers, Davey suggests putting them in the service write-up area; Martinez is adding them to the women’s restrooms. At the end of the day, let employees take them home. Or if you have a nursing home nearby, take them there.

7. End every test drive in the service drive. Don’t wait until after the contract is signed to introduce your customers to your service department; use it as part of the sales process. Give customers a tour of the service department to see what they’ll experience when they bring their car for service. This is standard operating procedure at JM Lexus, and it helps them stay number one, Martinez says.

8. Make your lounges welcoming. Why is it that the magazines in some service department lounges seem to be three years old? Keep the reading material current, and have something of interest for men, women and children. Wi-fi is almost expected today, and Davey suggests adding comfortable seating. Davey notes that he can’t sit for more than about 20 minutes in the chairs in most service department lounges. The lounge at JM Lexus has a computer, an iPad, a bistro, massage chairs—and a nine-hole putting course. “We have loaner cars available, but our customers don’t mind waiting here. The iPad, computer and massage chairs are inexpensive. They make a big difference.”

9. Engage the customer on the service drive. The typical conversation with a customer starts with “Can I help you?” or “Do you have an appointment?” Davey suggests trying this instead: “Is there someone in particular you’d like to see today? Let me take you to that person.” He also recommends telling customers your three responsibilities: you will take care of all their vehicle needs, you will keep them informed of the status of their service, and you will do this in a timely manner. “If you stated those three responsibilities to every customer, there would be relief. They’ve never been talked to like this in the service department,” he says. “It makes them more at ease and makes them want to come back. It’s the key to customer loyalty.”

10. Set the next service appointment at delivery. Dentist offices do this after every teeth cleaning, Davey notes. It not only promotes loyalty, it also builds a book of business months in advance. Follow up with reminders a month and two weeks before the scheduled appointment. With those reminders, tell customers about any specials being offered that apply to their vehicles.

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