It’s nice to feel appreciated.

Think of the last time you picked up your favorite takeout food. The manager warmly smiled and greeted you as they brought you your order. They ensured you had everything you needed, thanked you for supporting their restaurant, and even provided dessert on the house. This interaction made the experience exceptional and unforgettable. Checking on your customer is a relatively low-effort, high-impact way to show care and appreciation for their business.

Your Sales Manager plays a critical role in building rapport, trust, and credibility with your customers. Your customers will feel confident that the Kia Team is committed to helping them select the Kia vehicle that best suits their needs. Your digital presence is also critical to the customer experience. Here are a few ways you and your Sales Manager can provide a positive online environment:

• Smile and greet the customer warmly whether in-person, while video chatting with them, or speaking to them on the phone.
• Be knowledgeable about the video chat technology available.
• Utilize the web chat function of your website if available.
• Make sure the pricing and information on your website is up to date and accurate.

Start by introducing your Sales Manager to customers early in the sales process, either after the meet and greet or before the demo drive. Implementing this low-effort, high-impact best practice creates the ‘restaurant manager’ check-in appeal.

So, invite your Sales Manager to the vehicle of interest and allow him or her to greet the customer. Specifically, the manager should:

• Instead of a handshake, extend a sincere greeting while maintaining social distancing protocol of six feet apart. This will help build trust and confidence in the sales process while showing the customer that the dealership always has the customer’s health and safety in mind during these unprecedented times
• Welcome the customer to the dealership and thank him or her for their interest and time
• Endorse you as the sales professional
• Quickly outline the sales process

Introducing the manager early helps build trust and rapport, but empowering the sales consultant to negotiate instead of not having to get authorization further elevates the customer experience. Moreover, transparent pricing online will lead to less negotiating, which further improves the customer experience. This simple and effective step separates you from others – building rapport, trust, and credibility with your customer while also practicing social distancing, wearing face coverings, and recommendations from the CDC.

Sincerely,

Sales and Field Operations Team
Kia Motors America, Inc.