In February’s issue of Motor Trader, AutoProtect were asked to comment on their Special Focus: Paint Protection.
Alex Youngs, National Sales Manager Paint Protection, has provided his response below.
What steps can dealership management and sales employees take to boost sales of paint protection products and services in quarter one?
Training, especially on the differences between products and their terms and conditions, monitoring and better showroom and on-line merchandising.
The key is awareness and understanding, for dealer personnel and customers – not all products are the same. With a high integrity presentation, results can improve! A simple step to make a difference would be a presentation to 100% of customers, 100% of the time, giving them the opportunity to opt for paint protection. Simple and surprisingly effective.
One area that we have developed is the introduction of bespoke re-solicitation emailing. This has seen sales penetrations increase by 10%.
What systems and processes would you recommend to put in place?
Central to success is monitoring sales activity by creating straightforward sales of paint protection to retail sales ratio for both new and used vehicles.
AutoProtect’s registration systems provide granular Management Information to help dealers to understand just where successes and challenges exist.
Have you seen any increase in dealer demand for paint protection products following the introduction of the new FCA rules covering GAP insurance?
Sales have increased over the last quarter, but I think it would be wrong to single out GAP changes as the only driver of change. The wider focus upon TCF has provided a platform for what is a very customer-centric, vehicle-related product. It seems that there is a groundswell of opinion growing within the industry that offering added-value products to customers in a highly transparent manner is TCF in action. Not providing them with the available options is potentially being unfair! Supporting this ethos is the pressure on metal margins in what we all recognise is a highly competitive retail environment.
Could dealers do more online to promote paint protection on their websites? Are you offering any assistance in this area?
Yes is the simple answer. Naturally, vehicles dominate dealer’s digital space, however with the pressure on screen prices, the opportunity for ‘margin recovery’ from added-value products is one that should not be overlooked. The better-informed the customer is about the features and benefits of products at the new point of sale, the customer’s digital device, then the more likely they are to make a positive purchase decision. Indeed, we can see customers given the opportunity to add paint protection to their virtual checkout in the future.
At AutoProtect, we have supported digital engagement with a series of videos produced for use on dealer’s digital platforms that explain the products in a very objective style. Customers have a lot of information to digest when buying a car and enabling them to view the promotional video helps to ensure more customers are aware of the features of Williams paint protection and the benefits to their chosen purchase.