Dealers often rely on age, income, credit scores and other demographic information to understand their customers. However, those measurements may overlook the most important factor behind a buying decision: what matters to the individual. David Allison, Founder of the Valuegraphics Research Company, joins us on today’s CBT Live to explain how identifying people’s underlying values can help automotive retailers move beyond assumptions, create more meaningful sales conversations and better understand what motivates their employees.
For dealerships, understanding what motivates customers can help salespeople move beyond demographic assumptions and identify what influences buying decisions. Allison said age, gender and income don’t reliably explain why someone chooses a particular vehicle. Instead, dealers should identify what matters most to each shopper and use those insights across the customer journey, from advertising to the showroom, to connect vehicle features with individual priorities.
To uncover those priorities, Allison encouraged salespeople to ask questions that go beyond a customer’s vehicle preferences. He suggested asking, “Why do you go to work?” and, “You get to say one thing to yourself from 10 years ago. What’s the one message you’d send back in time to yourself that you wish you’d known 10 years ago?” The answers can reveal whether a customer prioritizes family, helping others or making a difference. Salespeople can then use those insights to explain how a vehicle, its features or available products connect with the customer’s priorities, rather than relying on a standard sales pitch.
Allison said dealers can apply the same values-based approach to employee engagement and retention. He shared an example of a business owner who painted a service van pink and directed its proceeds toward breast cancer research. Because the initiative connected with employees’ desire to serve others, team members competed for the opportunity to drive it. Allison recommended that business leaders ask what genuinely matters to their employees and build those priorities into the workplace. Rather than posting generic values on a wall, dealerships can build a stronger sense of purpose by making employees’ values part of the company’s culture.
