When purchasing a vehicle, it’s essential to choose the right dealership. While dealership profitability might not be the first factor that comes to mind, especially since dealership profitability seems like the exact opposite of what you’d want when trying to get the best deal, it does play a significant role in determining the overall quality of the consumer experience.
If you missed our previous post on how to choose a dealership, be sure to check that out before reading this one.
Here, we explore these key benefits and explain why buying from a profitable dealership is the best choice for a satisfying and seamless car buying and ownership journey.
Superior Selection: A Wide Array of Options
- Diverse Inventory: Profitable dealerships have the financial capacity to maintain a broad inventory, offering customers a wide range of vehicles to choose from. Whether you’re looking for a specific make, model, or trim level, a profitable dealership is more likely to have the selection that meets your preferences.
- New, CPO, and Pre-Owned Options: New, Certified Pre-Owned, and used vehicles will be well-stocked. This allows buyers to explore different options and compare prices, features, and conditions to find the best fit for their needs and budget.
The Best Deals: Volume Over Gross
- High Volume Sales: By focusing on selling quantity instead of making a lot of money on each deal and ripping off their customers, volume dealers are able to capitalize on the ancillary benefits of selling a LOT of cars. They are awarded the best inventory by the manufacturer and have the best used car selection due to trade-in volume, they get the best deals at the auction and can pass those on to their customers, they get volume discounts from specialized reconditioners, such as glass, fabric, and paint correction teams, and they have the best relationships with bankers simply due to the large amount of business the banks receive from volume dealerships.
- Better Financing Options: Since volume dealers send the banks the lion’s share of the business, lenders will usually offer the more profitable dealerships’ customers better terms. Better loan terms could translate into thousands of dollars of savings for each individual customer.
Exceptional After-Sales Support: Peace of Mind
- Extended Warranty and Service Contracts: Profitable dealerships can offer incredible values on extended warranty options and service contracts, since they conduct enough business with the suppliers to pass the savings on to their customers. These agreements provide coverage for repairs and maintenance beyond the standard factory warranty, ensuring that you’re protected in the event of unexpected issues.
- Service Department Excellence: State-of-the-art service departments staffed by highly skilled technicians requires a tremendous capital investment. This commitment to excellence translates into efficient and reliable service and training, minimizing downtime and inconvenience for customers.
- Effective Recall Notifications: Many times, dealerships must spend their own resources to notify customers of safety recalls. If the store you buy from has solid financials, they are more likely to have the financial and staffing reserves necessary to keep you up-to-date on recalls via phone calls, emails, and direct mail campaigns.
High-Quality Vehicles: Reliability and Confidence
- Rigorous Inspection and Maintenance: Rigorous inspection and reconditioning of pre-owned and certified pre-owned vehicles is a major cost in the automotive world, and the more profitable a dealership is the less likely they are to skip over critical parts of the recon process. This ensures that the vehicles meet strict quality standards, reducing the likelihood of purchasing a subpar or problematic vehicle.
- Certified Pre-Owned Programs: Profitable dealerships often offer certified pre-owned (CPO) programs. CPO vehicles undergo comprehensive inspections and repairs to meet manufacturer-approved standards. They also come with extended warranties, providing buyers with additional confidence in their purchase. Since participation in manufacturer CPO programs typically costs the dealership a significant amount of money, unless the store is on solid financial footing they won’t be able to participate. Beware of the dealership who downplays its own brand’s CPO program.
Pro Tip: The easiest way to spot a clean, highly-rated, profitable dealership is by its inventory. The stores with the highest inventory counts are the ones to do business with.
Effective Service Drives: Prompt and Efficient Service
- Streamlined Processes: Profitable dealerships have the resources to implement efficient service drives, optimizing the customer experience and retaining your business with quick, cost-effective service options. This includes streamlined scheduling, quick turnaround times, and effective communication to keep customers informed about the progress of their vehicle’s service or repairs.
- State-of-the-Art Facilities: By investing in modern facilities equipped with the latest technology and tools, service departments are able to diagnose and address issues more effectively. This results in faster and more accurate repairs, significantly minimizes the likelihood of callbacks for recurring issues, and creates a high-quality customer experience.
Professionalism: Customer-Centric Environment
- Knowledgeable and Courteous Staff: Profitable dealerships prioritize customer satisfaction by hiring knowledgeable and courteous staff. In fact, professional salespeople prefer professional environments and will naturally gravitate towards the most well-run store in town. They understand the importance of building lasting relationships with customers and strive to provide exceptional service at every interaction.
- Transparent and Fair Dealings: Time is money and profitable dealers will try to sell as many cars as they can, as quickly as they can. They typically aim for transparent and fair dealings with customers and provide accurate and upfront information about pricing, financing options, and any additional fees, ensuring that buyers have a clear understanding of the transaction. Broadly speaking: The more informed the customer is, the quicker they will buy, and volume dealers recognize and appreciate this.
Conclusion
Choosing a profitable dealership offers significant benefits when purchasing a vehicle. From superior selection and exceptional after-sales support to high-quality vehicles, great deals, effective service drives, and professionalism, profitable dealerships prioritize customer satisfaction and deliver a seamless and satisfying car buying experience. By opting for a dealership with a solid financial foundation, you gain access to multitude of convenience, financial, and peace of mind advantages.
Take the time to research and explore the best-performing dealerships in your area, as they are more likely to go above and beyond to meet your expectations and provide a level of service that ensures your continued confidence.
Now that we’ve covered choosing a dealership, let’s move on to choosing a salesperson. Click Next to continue.