One of the hot topics in the automotive industry at the moment is the single-point-of-contact sales process. While some dealers are embracing it, some dealerships still don’t understand the benefits of this type of automotive sales process. By having one person or team dedicated to handling the communication and requests of a client or potential client, not only can you make the process more efficient, but also strengthen the relationships you have with them.

In the past, this was a popular automotive sales process, and it is starting to make a comeback for several reasons. One of the reasons single-point-of-contact works is that the same person handles the entire sale process –– thus eliminating the handoff from sales to Finance & Insurance (F&I). Over the course of the partnership, this builds trust between the involved parties and ultimately creates a faster, more efficient process. 

While there is no more waiting on the F&I team, there are still some drawbacks. The challenge with a single-point-of-contact automotive sales process is that we are asking somebody to handle a new process when they have only ever been concerned about selling a car. They are worried about the numbers, just trying to get them into the vehicle and off the lot. 

For them, F&I is typically an afterthought, but now, we are also asking them to present these F&I products –– which aren’t the easiest things to present. We’re going to have to talk about them throughout the entire sale, forcing us to revamp our sales process too. While it is mostly related to training and accountability, it will ensure we have that appropriate process in place to make their job, as salespeople, successful.

Your typical size store has two finance managers in the dealership and 15 salespeople. Instead of just training two finance managers, you are training 15 salespeople, whose tenure in this industry is not quite as long. You have a large group who you are training on a daily basis because this is a brand new process –– and, at the same time, are also trying to sell cars. How do you fit that into one single day? That’s where it takes structure and accountability, along with a lot of passion to make sure it succeeds. 

Neither single-point-of-contact sales nor traditional F&I are the only ways to sell cars. Yet, if you are considering making a change in your automotive sales process, it is important to partner with a company that is going to support the process and transition. 

At MetroGuard, our team has years of experience and can assess your current procedures to create a completely customized training and development program for your team. We then train your team members in those new processes, providing the necessary support and development, so you do not skip a beat!

To learn more about how our experienced team at MetroGuard can help improve the performance, profitability, and operational efficiency of your automotive sales process, schedule a free program review today.