If you want to sell more cars — conduct more test drives. The math is simple.
in its 2011 Auto Shopper Behaviour Study, Google studied automotive purchasing behaviour, and vehicle shoppers were asked the following: How useful were each of the following sources while you researched or shopped for cars/trucks?
Of the 16 offline and online sources they could select, a test drive at a dealership scored the highest, selected by 91% of respondents (they could select more than one answer).
Compare this with 48% who chose television and 52% who chose newspapers as a source. How are you allocating your spending and resources?
You should be doing everything in your power to get people sitting behind the wheel of your vehicles. Do you have a specific plan in mind to boost the number of test drives and to measure the results?
As the holders of the inventory, dealers have a huge advantage in being the only ones in a market who can offer test drives to potential buyers.
But if test drives are so important for dealers, and consumers say they are useful, Canadians are choosing to skip this key step. A 2011 study from Maritz Research discovered that only 61 per cent of Canadian consumers took a test drive before buying their car. (Based on a sample count of more than 29,000 respondents).
That means almost 40 per cent of buyers are getting their information and impressions elsewhere. That’s not good. You want them driving your vehicles with your sales team along for the ride. Are your test drives fun, easy to sign up for, and a rewarding experience? They need to be. Check with your customers.
If getting people to your dealership for test drives is a challenge — take the cars to them!
In an innovative program in the U.S., Ford and its dealers partner with high schools to offer a test drive program called the Drive One 4 UR School program. The dealers provide the cars to be test driven, the high schools organize the event, and for every valid test drive completed, Ford donates $20 to the high school up to $6,000. The money raised is used to fund activities like sports, music or even school improvements.
Another great test drive idea came from Amy Schlueter, a dealer principal with the Schlueter Automotive Group, based in Waterloo, Ont. Schlueter was featured in the Globe and Mail about her “Twitter Test Drive” marketing campaign. Her dealership gave people vehicles to test drive for two full days and they were asked to tweet about their experience. Those without twitter accounts were interviewed and their comments were added to a blog post on the dealership’s website. Great exposure, great idea.
What’s stopping you from doing either of the two examples above right now?
Don’t treat your cars like the plastic covered furniture in the formal living room that no one uses. Your test drive and demo fleet is your best sales force. Get it out there and who cares if the seats get dirty!
