Automotive Dealer Solutions · Dealer Notes
When Customers Ask About a Newly Announced Vehicle, What Can Your Store Confirm?
Use Toyota’s Scion announcement and a St. George car show to build a better response for customers who ask about a vehicle before it reaches stores.
Say what’s announced and what the store knows
The Rick Massey Memorial Toys for Tots Car, Truck and Bike Show is listed for December 5 at Fiesta Fun in St. George. Car Guys Care and St. George Car Shows help put on a day built around people’s interest in vehicles. Some of that same curiosity shows up at a dealership when a new model hits the news.
On November 10 Toyota introduced Scion by Toyota and the KEI-01. Toyota says initial distribution will focus on fleet customers through a small network of dealers it will select. That leaves a useful question for any sales team: how do you answer a customer when the announcement is public but the details for your store aren’t confirmed?
Put a date beside the next update
Give your team a shared note with three fields: the source and its date, what your store has confirmed, and who will check for updates. Keep the note handy for phone calls, texts and email. If there’s no verified retail timing, say so and ask what the customer wants the vehicle for. That may give you a way to help them today without guessing about the new model.
If the customer wants an update, agree on how to reach them. Review those requests each week and close the loop when information changes. Avoid promising a delivery date, a deposit or a place in line unless your store has approved the details.
Good Carma Automotive Dealer Solutions · Write a customer follow-up process
Give your team a clear first reply
Good Carma can help document the reply, assign an owner and make it easy for a manager to check that updates reached the customer.
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