My Minivan Gave Me An Idea

Last month my wife (Sydney) and I broke down and purchased a minivan. This is a purchase I never thought I’d make. I remember making fun of minivans growing up (including the one my mother drove me around in for a few years). I believe my exact quote was, “I will never buy a minivan.”

However, once we had our third child a larger car became a necessity.  And I have to say, you wouldn’t believe the convenience and features our new VW Routan has on the inside. I’ve been converted into a minivan believer.

But, the purpose of this post isn’t to talk about my new minivan. I’m actually writing to discuss the car buying process. This is a process ready for an innovation. I hate having to go through the predictable dealer negotiation steps (and I can guarantee I’m not the only one). The process could be streamlined to save everyone time and hassle (including the sales reps and dealerships). Here’s the process as it stands today:

1. Visit dealership.
2. Test drive car.
3. Get hard sell from sales rep.
4. Make offer or try to politely decline interest and move on…while sales rep continues to give the hard sell.
5. If you make an offer, waste time waiting while the sales rep ‘checks with his sales manager to see how sweet he can make the deal.’
6. Receive low counter offer.
7. Repeat steps 4&5.
8. Maybe land on a deal and maybe end up leaving the dealership without any progress, but a solid hour of your time wasted.

Steps 4-8 are the entire reason that some people will actually buy a car on ebay without seeing the car in person. Dealerships should realize that they need to streamline the process. Eventually a smart dealership will eliminate the pushy salesman and provide the customer with the choice to take negotiation online. They could save themselves time, save themselves money (sales commissions), build a new lead generation source, save the customer time and keep everyone more satisfied with the car buying experience.

Here’s my idea for the next generation dealership process.

1. Customer visits dealership
2. Customer test drives car with a customer service rep instead of a salesman. Doing this will keep the customer from getting the hard sell, but still allow the dealership to establish a personal connection and answer customer questions.
3. Customer has option of making offer in person OR by going home and making an offer on the dealer website through a structured intake form. This form would collect the person’s name and basic contact information (creating a great marketing lead for the future whether they purchase or not).
4. Sales manager reviews the offer and either counters, accepts or rejects the offer.
5. If the offer is accepted, they email the person with a congratulations you’ve got a new car. Come on in to complete the paperwork and drive home in your new vehicle. If the offer is countered, they deliver the counter offer. If the offer is rejected, they deliver a gentle rejection notice.

The beauty is that everyone can do this on their own time. The dealership actually increases their odds of completing a transaction, adds a new lead source and cuts their per sale cost by eliminating sales people drawing commissions. Not to mention, they can also entertain offers from people who don’t even visit the dealership.

Anyway, just an idea. Take it or leave it dealerships….or, have us build it.

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