Car Buying Part II

Last week, I shared that I was looking for a car for my 17-year-old daughter. And although we were scared off the bargain lots by a discontented former customer, our search remained on track. In fact, last Friday we found a great car through the Democrat (yes, the old-fashioned way) and bought it on Saturday.

The car is an older Honda Accord with a significant number of miles on it – but the seller was the original owner, she took great care of it, and it runs like a champ. Truthfully, I am a little jealous, because while my wife and family have a pretty sweet ride, I am stuck making the two-mile trek to work each day in the ’97 minivan. I guess it says something good that my daughter has a cooler car than me – at least that is what I keep telling myself.

What made the process particularly stressful for me is that I know very little about cars, and I would never buy a used car north of 100,000 miles without someone telling me it was OK. I needed someone with experience and knowledge to check it out, look for things I don’t know exist and give me a fair and truthful assessment of the situation.

I was willing to pay for such advice, and I did. It was worth every penny. I got a glowing report and bought the car with a confidence that I would not have had on my own.

What do we do to give our customers that same sense of confidence in what we offer? Do we consistently provide wise counsel? Do we go beyond even what they are asking to help ensure their success? Do we know their situation well enough to anticipate questions and be ready with good answers?

Building trust to the point that our customers don’t want to make a move without checking with us first is a beautiful thing. That kind of relationship builds loyalty that creates an excitement that is hard to contain.

Want to get your customers talking about you? Make yourself invaluable to them. Do the little things to remind them that making a decision on their own is just not worth the risk.