Robin's Diary
Who needs a mobile or an email address? - “Theory Vs Reality”!
I just have to share this real-life experience from this morning, which I am sure will resonate with many readers. I met a couple on the forecourt who said they didn’t want to speak to a salesperson and get all that “guff”! They said they had seen an advert in the Yorkshire Post for a new car, but on seeing the car in the flesh realised it was too big for them. I showed them a smaller version in the car park, and another car parked nearby, which looked suitable for their needs. They sat in it, and within five minutes had decided they wanted that car in blue. I didn’t even know their names at this point, and if I had asked and tried to take some details, they would have run for the hills!
We have to obtain customer information for compliance purposes to ensure we don’t miss-sell anything – for that we require either a mobile number or an email address, as “Big Brother”, who control us as dealers, reckon everyone has one! This lovely couple told me their mobile was on a shelf in their kitchen, and they don’t have a computer, or email! With that, our computer system went into a spin - but fortunately, we are driven by people not computers, and we were able to circumnavigate the system and I am pleased to say the customers left very happy, having bought a car, rather than being sold one!
It was music to my ears, that even today, when we are all subjected to data capture and the like, here at Luscombe’s we can still help someone buy a car, regardless of what technology they have, as long as they want a car, and have the funds to pay for it. Whilst the world might want to force us all down the technology road, it’s not for everyone, and everybody should remember, the customer is always right, and we must be flexible to deal however the customer wishes – that means to make it easy for the customer and not force them down an easy channel for the business.
Thanks very much Mary and Malcolm, not just for your business, but for the idea for this week’s diary!
“We won’t sell you a car, but we will help you buy one.” Robin Luscombe
