What Kind of Dealership Are You?

When it comes to change, is your dealership a leader, a follower, or a laggard that prefers to maintain the status quo? Take our quiz to find out where you stand, and then learn how Kelley Blue Book can help you achieve business goals no matter where your dealership falls on this spectrum. 

Read each question and choose the answer that best fits your dealership. 

How active is your dealership on social media? 

1. Extremely active. We post daily or more on various platforms and encourage people to DM for a fast response.  

2. Solidly active. We have a couple of active social media profiles, post regularly, and try to respond to some comments. 

3. Somewhat active. We have one or two social profiles and try to post often but don’t always keep up with the habit. 

4. Inconsistently active. We use our social profiles to make product announcements and let people know about sales. 

5. Not active at all. We don’t use our social profiles regularly. 

You notice a large amount of new condo and townhome construction near your dealership. What do you do? 

1. We consistently watch for new trends and changes in the local community and launch targeted direct mailers, social media, and other ad campaigns. 

2. We request permission to put sales flyers in the community areas of the new development and may send direct mailers. 

3. We might sponsor a cookout welcoming our new neighbors to the area and inviting them to check out our inventory. 

4. We already plan sales events that are well advertised in the local area and hope new residents partake. 

5. We would enjoy the fact that our dealership is visible to so many potential new customers. 

How do you decide what vehicle selection to keep on your dealership lot? 

1. We utilize sophisticated inventory management software that helps us appraise, source, and price vehicles. 

2. We have relationships with numerous partners that support our inventory selection and procurement processes with expert knowledge and technology. 

3. We rely on various data sources, including industry reports, to understand current trends and how they might impact inventory selection. 

4. We have regular sales meetings to provide feedback about what customers are asking for and what needs our sales staff perceive. Then, we pair that with past sales figures and information from sources like social media. 

5. We strive to choose inventory that matches overall current market trends and our business goals and budget. 

How do you appraise trade-ins? 

1. We use a third party tool that utilizes local market data to determine a valuation.  

2. We have saved searches and access to databases to generate comprehensive pricing information. 

3. We look at what our competitors set for their trade-in pricing. 

4. We use a printed guide to car values. 

5. The manager or someone else takes the car to the back and assesses value manually. 

How often do you update or add content to your dealership’s website? 

1. Our website updates in real-time, particularly with inventory 

2. Daily 

3. Multiple times a week 

4. Weekly 

5. Multiple times a month 

Do you incorporate app technology into your advertising, sales, or customer service processes? 

1. We have our own CRM apps and work with third-party sales and advertising apps. 

2. We work with third-party apps regularly. 

3. We have at least one app involved in these processes and rely on it regularly. 

4. We’re starting to use apps or consider how to integrate them into these processes. 

5. We don’t use apps for these processes. 

What’s your approach to customer retention after the sale? 

1. We use technology to automate customized, personal touchpoints with customers to promote dealership services and future sales and then help them manage vehicle care. 

2. We use our email and direct mailing list to send helpful information and remind customers about service needs. We also encourage sales staff to use technology to send holiday/birthday cards and customized follow-ups. 

3. We have a monthly email newsletter that includes updates about our inventory, links to helpful articles for vehicle owners, and coupons for service. 

4. We provide every buyer with a limited number of free oil changes and options for a longer warranty if they use us for vehicle maintenance. 

5. We introduce the customer to our service department and provide the first oil change free. 

Score Your Results 

Score each answer using the numbers below. Then, total the results and find your range to learn more about what type of dealership you have. 

A = 5 

B = 4 

C = 3 

D = 2 

E = 1 

30-35: Innovator. Congrats, you’re a leader of the pack. You’re open to trying new tools and technology and may be an established dealership in a metro area with a second- or third-generation owner. You’re always on the lookout for better ways to serve customers and improve revenue, and you’re not scared of being the first to try a new opportunity. 

24-29: Early Adopter. You’re also a leader among dealership peers, and you know that partnerships and communication are essential to success. You show up regularly on message boards and dealership network events to find out what others are doing. You’re equally eager to try things that work for others and let peer dealerships know what’s working for you. 

18-23: Early Majority. You’re more a follower than a leader. You will make changes to how your dealership does things, but you want to see many other businesses make the change first. Keeping up with competitors is important, but you’re happy letting someone else take the major risks before you dive in. 

10-17: Late Majority. The status quo has worked for you this long, and you’re not risking change without some definitive proof of ROI. You’re not on the search for innovations that cause significant change for your staff. 

Below 9: Laggard. What you’ve always done has worked, and you’re not sure you need to change anything at all. New technologies and processes typically need to become older tech and processes before you’re willing to try them. 

Kelley Blue Book Can Help, Whatever Your Goals Are 

Scoring as a Laggard but know you need to move toward being an Adopter to remain successful in the modern market? We can help. Scoring as an Early Adopter or Innovator and looking for the next big change to explore? We can help there too. 

Read our Inventory Solutions blog to learn more.