Chevrolet is one of the most well-known General Motors brands, whose dealer body sets the standard for auto-retailing excellence. However, as the industry has continued to evolve, Chevy franchisees have been met with unique headwinds that require innovative solutions to overcome.
On this episode of Inside Automotive, host Jim Fitzpatrick is joined by Andy Guelcher, president of Mohawk Chevrolet and chairman of the Chevrolet National Dealer Council (CNDC). Guelcher has played a critical role in representing Chevy retailers’ interests as General Motors navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, he discusses his insights into the current experiences and challenges of the brand’s franchisees and what CNDC is doing to help dealers achieve success in today’s industry landscape.
Key Takeaways
1. EVs have become a major concern for Chevrolet dealers, many of whom report low demand for battery-powered cars among their consumer base. However, Guelcher explains that EV buyers are not likely to be found among current Chevy buyers but are rather part of a brand-new market segment, meaning dealers must adopt unique sales and marketing strategies to attract consumers.
2. Sales professionals must also be equipped with tactics and information that allow them to serve EV buyers just as well as ICE shoppers. Although it will take some time to complete the energy transition, Guelcher notes that education will be crucial to navigating the coming years.
3. While automakers have expressed differing perspectives on the rate at which electrification will be achieved, Guelcher suggests that Chevrolet dealers take manufacturer timelines with a grain of salt. Customers should instead be given realistic expectations of how fast the market will adapt to EVs.
4. Switching focus to Chevrolet as a whole, Guelcher notes that dealers need to improve the customer experience. The first step to accomplishing this task, however, is to fix the employee experience. Dealer associations, such as the CNDC, can work with automakers to simplify processes and remove the burdens placed on sales teams.
5. Divisiveness between dealers and automakers ultimately affects consumers. To improve the customer experience, both sides must identify solutions that make auto retailing more efficient and convenient, thus opening up more time for dealership personnel to serve customers and improving overall satisfaction with the car buying process.
"When you have divisiveness between the dealer body and OEM, that's not good for anybody...Increasing market share by making it easier for customers to transact in your showroom; that's where the home run is going to be." — Andy Guelcher
