TO:   Sales Consultants & Sales Managers
SUBJECT:  CSE Quick Tip #9 – The Needs Assessment and POD Connection
Date:  June 2020

Performing a needs assessment is essential for understanding your customers’ needs and preferences for their new Kia vehicle, while building value in you, your dealership, and the Kia brand. An effective needs assessment will help close the sale today, while setting you up for success delivering the new vehicle and reducing problems on delivery (POD).

How do the Needs Assessment and POD tie together?

Revisiting the needs assessment during the delivery process allows you to customize the delivery to features that are most important to the customer, all while increasing customer satisfaction and reducing POD.

Important points to remember for conducting the needs assessment:

• Ask open-ended questions to learn what motivates the customer
• Paraphrase to the customer to demonstrate your understanding
• Learn if the customer has knowledge of Kia products, features, and functions
• Understand the customer’s time constraints and expectations of the process

A needs assessment can also be done while observing social distancing via video conferencing apps and other tools such as email, text, and chat. If in-person, observing social distancing will show concern for customers’ health and safety.

When it’s time for the new vehicle delivery, use the knowledge gained from these needs assessment questions to tailor the delivery to your customer:

• Customize the new Kia vehicle delivery to the customer’s key motivators
• Spend time with difficult-to-understand (DTU) and hard-to-operate (HTO) features that matter most to the customer
• Utilize the CDW to prepare for a customized delivery
• Under the current circumstances around COVID-19, customers may be apprehensive about staying at the dealership for a long time to learn more about their new vehicle. Dealers can direct customers to the Kia Features & Functions Videos channel on YouTube^TM to easily learn more about their vehicle

Remember, conducting a proper needs assessment with every customer, every time, and customizing the delivery to the customer’s specific preferences will help boost your sales, reduce POD, and enhance the overall customer experience.

During this time, practice social distancing and recommendations from the CDC, such as wearing face coverings.

Sincerely,

Sales and Field Operations Team
Kia Motors America, Inc.