Automotive News - March 12, 2018 - MAXDigital - S6

Who are you?
Building your 'brand
promise' in 5 steps
A brand promise helps define your dealership for customers. It
tells them who you are, reflecting your character and reputation,
your value proposition and how you differentiate yourself from
the competition.
Most important, a brand promise presents your commitment
to your customers and explains why you deserve their business.

Step 1: Start with how your dealership does business and
what is most important to you
Look at the table below. Ask yourself: How does your dealership
deliver the following qualities to customers?

Quality and
Value

Do you offer inspection commitments,
warranty information, free vehicle
history reports, service discounts or
free car washes for loyal customers?

Peace of
mind

Do you offer money-back guarantees
or parts replacement coverage?

Selection

What is available to customers, both
on the lot and within a corporate
family, if applicable?

Price

Sales
approach

What is your pricing philosophy:
No-haggle? Fair value? Is your
online pricing consistent with
showroom pricing?
How might your method of paying
salespeople affect the customer?
Do you offer no-commission sales?
Flat fees?

Which of these qualities define how you do business?
Decide which should be part of your core promise to customers.

6 | MARCH 2018

Step 2: Incorporate your dealership's history and role in
the community
What role has your dealership historically played in your local
market and community? For example, are you the low-price
leader? Tops in service? The largest dealership in the area?
Are you involved in your community, and how? Your brand
promise should reflect the local personality of your business.

Step 3: Draft a brand promise statement
Using the results of steps one and two, develop a preliminary
brand promise statement. Keep it honest, succinct and easy to
understand. Brainstorm with managers and other employees
who work with customers. If you have certain phrases or
statements you'd like to include, test them with current
customers using surveys or focus groups. Do they think the
statements accurately reflect who you are as a dealership?

Step 4: Test-drive the brand promise
Take your brand promise statement to employees for their
input. Have your sales team practice introducing and
explaining the brand promise to customers.

Step 5: Share your brand promise with customers
Work with your communications and leadership teams to
create a strategy to introduce the brand promise publicly. That
might include posters featuring your brand promise statement
to hang in the showroom, posting the promise on your website
and social media channels and including it in printed materials
or information folders given to prospective customers.



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - March 12, 2018 - MAXDigital

Automotive News - March 12, 2018 - MAXDigital - SIntro
Automotive News - March 12, 2018 - MAXDigital - S1
Automotive News - March 12, 2018 - MAXDigital - S2
Automotive News - March 12, 2018 - MAXDigital - S3
Automotive News - March 12, 2018 - MAXDigital - S4
Automotive News - March 12, 2018 - MAXDigital - S5
Automotive News - March 12, 2018 - MAXDigital - S6
Automotive News - March 12, 2018 - MAXDigital - S7
Automotive News - March 12, 2018 - MAXDigital - S8
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