I am always amazed when companies miss an obvious opportunity to sell to me.

The latest.
I am getting my car serviced. It will take several hours. I did bring some work to do, and don’t need the rental car they offer me – I appreciate that my schedule permits me to do some writing on my computer in the customer waiting room (you do have free wifi, free coffee, and comfortable chairs, don’t you?).
But, imagine the opportunity for the sales person who sold the car to me, to do a meet & greet while I am a captive customer. Imagine that said sales person uses this opportunity to further invest in my relationship with the dealership by

  1. being attentive and friendly,
  2. bringing me up to date with news at the dealership (new services, a recent expansion, free wifi ),
  3. using the opportunity to talk to us captive customers about our families and friends and our upcoming auto needs, and
  4. putting me behind the wheel of a vehicle on my wish list which just might be the “next one”.

Imagine the impact of demoing me in my next potential purchase. What if I were to buy a year earlier? What if 10% of all customers did this? What if I was wavering and considering a competitor? Would this re-new my faith and interest in this brand? Would I appreciate the gesture and attention? Would I tell my friends and family what happened to me today? You can bet on it. What would be the impact if your sales team and service team were aware of each other’s activities? A simple listing of the day’s appointments would do the trick. And the sales manager could go through the waiting room several times a day, and alert their sales force. As for the expense, I am certainly a pre-qualified buyer, based on the fact that I already have one of their vehicles, so that should not be a factor.
The service team contributes greatly to a dealership’s profit, but are often treated like grunt labour. They probably feel like it too. But over a four-year period, I meet the service staff every six months say, plus emergencies, versus say 2 or 3 times with the sales person.
Who is more important to me? Who costs me more money? What if the mechanic occasionally came out and greeted the customer whose vehicle they had just repaired, or the service manager came out and shook hands with waiting customers, similar to a chef coming out to greet customers in a good restaurant? Would I feel like I was respected, and special, and valued? Would my experience be enhanced, and my relationship with the entire dealership be improved or maintained? I think so.

Are you missing out on opportunities to coordinate between your company’s employees and departments? As a customer, I really don’t think about your internal divisions into departments. My relationship is with your whole company, and creating great customer experiences is your responsibility. Bob