Remember
we talked about walking onto a dealer’s lot and being asked “What car are you
looking for?” Now, you can bypass this time-wasting preliminary step and get in
direct contact with a dealer salesperson who is dedicated to your purchase
requirements and can set up an appointment with you at a particular time (just
as you would expect with other professionals, such as a dentist or accountant)
to arrange a test-drive in the model car you already have researched.
Old
Method: Have to explain to a salesperson what you are looking for, and then go
into a long discussion about what features best fit your needs and desires.
This is known in the sales business as “qualifying the customer” and you can
expect it to meander into all kinds of directions (most of which are aimed to
increasing the profits of the dealership later during the price negotiation
phase).
New
Method: Have an Internet Associate meet and greet you when you come in the
showroom door, already understanding your specific requirements which have been
spelled-out in prior E-mail communications and some brief phone conversations.
You don’t have to “start from scratch” and can move forward to the test-drive
with a minimum of delay. Your time is valuable, and the Internet Associate
understands that.
Who
are these Internet Associates and why do they want to give you a low price,
even before taking a test-drive of the car with their dealership? Let’s go
ahead and take a quick look at their principal motivation.