With another registration month well underway I’ve started to reminisce back to the days when I used to be on the shop floor. March and September were always exciting however in an industry that is changing so fast I can’t help but wonder if the magic of March is still present?
A registration month puts heightened pressures on all involved and with targets higher than ever and margins squeezed to the limits is it still realistic to expect these two months to help support such high expectations? How many sales execs are proactive in driving people through the door as opposed to reacting to the footfall? Although the emphasis is on the registration month what about the weeks following? Many sales execs have commented that they give their all during these busy times and they feel the need for a rest to recoup after, certainly taking some well deserved R&R following such a busy and stressful time was something I used to look forward to!
Looking at it from an outsourced angle these days means I can be critical from different perspectives. We do so much activity in the run up to a registration month that for us these high activity spells can highlight certain things. It’s safe to assume that the sales teams are still as busy today in March and September as they ever have been, however with the increase in footfall is the quality of the sales process compromised? Just how many customers are being ‘burnt’ and not put back into the buying cycle? Is every opportunity being utilised or due to the luxury of the extra bodies that are seen are standards allowed to slip in these ‘golden’ months? Having a consistent pipeline of activity definitely takes the pressure off as you start a new month.
We can already tell from the early results of this month that sales teams are pushing hard and their closing skills are undoubtably getting their full attention, however the customers that aren’t buying today are the deals of the future, it’s evident that ensuring these customers get the same attention as they would any other month of the year is paramount. The three C’s of customer satisfaction (Consistency Consistency Consistency ) tells us that it’s not enough to make customers happy with each individual interaction but that effective customer journeys are more important: measuring satisfaction on customers journeys is 30 percent more predictive of overall satisfaction than measuring happiness for each individual interaction. In addition maximising satisfaction with customer journeys has the potential to lift revenue, something that the motor trade will welcome with open arms.
We have the luxury of being able to help support sales teams during these busy times and getting feedback from them regarding how they feel during a registration month has been eye opening.
Love it or hate it the registration month still plays a huge part for everyone in the motor trade, for me personally every time one comes around I cant help but get a feeling of excitement!
