We tested the British dealerships service and ended up eating steak au poivre – with French fries. Come along and get to know the main conclusions of the World Shopper’09 first lap, another innovative concept at Jotoliveira.

LONDON, Feb 6th’09 – We came here to “buy” a Mini and a Volvo on the week the British capital suffered one of the greatest blisters in the past eighteen years. This was the World Shopper’09 first lap, an initiative by Jotoliveira that consists of Mystery Shopping visits in different car dealerships around the World. This operation objective is to contribute towards the definition of an ideal standard of Customer Service that returns the ability to consistently provide positive buying experiences to the Auto Sector. Nowadays, these experiences are very scarce and discount is the most common resource so as to persuade the Customer.
Let’s see how London turned out to be…

Mini

Park Lane London is an integrated facilities dealership, BMW (VN and VU), Mini (VN and VU) and BMW Motorrad, located next to Hyde Park in one of London’s most renowned places. As we were interested in the new Mini One Clubman, we acted as the Customer who intends to buy a vehicle in the following two weeks. The building was under construction, but indoors it was worthy of the best Mini venues: modern ambiance, both appealing and filled with well accomplished esthetical details. We went in at 11:00 and we were immediately attended by an available, polite and nice Consultant, especially as far as the first two thirds of the visit were concerned… The Customer essential needs were gathered by subtly asked questions and a Cooper Clubman was presented. The optional equipment selection was run on an online simulator and a no-discount price was provided. When we asked for a commercial manager, the Consultant suggested a Cooper Clubman (1.6) unit, a lot similar to one wanted in terms of equipment (One) and for only an extra £1,000. This difference could still be more reduced after the Consultant spoke to the Sales Supervisor. Everything alright? Not quite…

The contact with the product was honestly poor throughout this visit. The Consultant showed low interactivity towards the exhibited unit, without any visual demo presentation or touching the materials. Despite having been invited to sit at the wheel, the Customer was not encouraged to adjust the driving position or to try other seats. However, maybe the most significant was actually the fact that a test drive or a catalogue was never offered; especially, if we keep in mind that this model is known for its exceptional dynamic behaviour and for a presentation detail, which is valued by the brand catalogue.

Volvo

We went in at 15:00, at the Volvo Cars Central London, located on Euston Road. A receptionist approached us immediately: we said we were interested in the C30 and we were promptly given a catalogue. Afterwards, the Consultant interceded – a nice and smiley person. After a short small-talk about C30 1.6d R-Design Sport, we were invited to have a seat at the Consultant’s desk. That’s where the essential part of this visit took place, identifying the Customer main needs and presenting the vehicle along with the equipment options. The test drive was spontaneously suggested by the Consultant, who promptly offered to meet up with the Customer when he would be able to perform the test. Two financing alternatives were clearly presented and explained (Hi-Purchase and PCP), but no simulations were delivered since the Business Manager was not available. After three days, we received by e-mail the C30 prices and details.

For a Customer who emphasised the fact that he didn’t know C30, the presentation was clearly insufficient. The Consultant didn’t even get to open a single door of the exhibited unit, claiming that the car was locked and with no battery. However, the windows were open. We never got to sit at the wheel or to contact with the C30 interior space ambiance. In order to support her presentation at the desk, the Consultant used an online catalogue that, since it was not a configurator, it only allowed us to read the models features.

Conclusion

“Steak au Poivre? It’s a steak with pepper sauce.”
“Steak au Poivre? It’s a quite tender thick beef steak, served in a terracotta casserole with pepper sauce. Sided by mashed spinach and with home made French fries or carrot rice. Would you like it rare, medium or well done?
Even a simple steak with pepper sauce may be sold in two ways: with or without seduction.

More than a car, the Mini is a seducing object. Presenting a car such as this one with no passion, overlooking a test drive, sitting the Customer at a desk, showing him all the equipment that the desired version does not come with and letting him leave the dealership without a catalogue is simply a way of sabotaging this product marketing strategy. Consultants must not be mere human assistants of online configurators, if they have valuable infrastructures available, conceived to bring the Customer closer to the product.

During the first 35 minutes of our visit to Volvo’s Dealership, only once did we hear the word “safety” – one of the brand’s main arguments. When confronted to Volkswagen Golf, another model that the Customer had in mind, the Consultant only said: “personally, I find Volvo to be safer and more solid.” It would have been enough to mention one more or less inspired reference to the text on page 28 of the C30 catalogue about the team that performs research among Customers that have been owning Volvos since 1970, to transform an inconsequent and vague sentence into a much sexier and more powerful argument about Volvo’s commitment to safety.

Both the Consultants that attended us in Her Majesty’s lands “forgot” to add seduction to the selling process. Basically, they showed the product they had to sell and the customising options available in each case configured a tailored unit and presented a price. Period. Our will to buy each one of these cars, before and after leaving, did not change a single bit. Wouldn’t we have been able to get the same information, while comfortably seating at a hotel bar surfing the brands’ websites? More than ever, retail must justify its own existence and make potential Customers get the emotional capital that the auto product still has.

by Ricardo Oliveira

Would you like a World Shopper to pay a visit at your Dealership?

“World Shopper’09” is a worldwide Mystery Shopping tour devoted to looking for new ideas to redefine the showroom customer’s experience. Nowadays, discount is the most common resource so as to persuade the Customer.

“World Shopper Service” is a fast and effective program to share our experience with Dealers around the world and to motivate sales teams to enhance their own ability to  consistently produce a positive customer’s experience.

Automotive retail urgently needs a more sustainable business model and the quality of the showroom customer’s experience plays a crucial role.

Please contact us to know more about World Shopper Service!