The next customer that walks into your dealership may leave with one of your cars but is unlikely to take your advice. While a car buyer seeking advice will consult 2-3 sources while shopping, a recent survey of over 2000 Canadian car buyers, new and used, found that only 25% get advice from a dealership on which car to buy and how to handle the purchase process. But car buying could be a lot easier if dealerships were a trusted source of advice. Common advisors like friends, family, or car reviewers may not be aware of what will best match a customer’s needs and lifestyle. Plus, if the customer received bad advice and doesn’t trust the dealership when they’re trying to help, a deal can quickly spiral out of control. So, what can a dealership do to make itself a trusted source of advice for more car buyers?

Why aren’t they seeking your advice?

Among buyers who did not consult a dealership for advice, the most common reason was they felt that they already knew what they wanted before coming in. Beyond that were concerns that the dealership may not have the customer’s best interests in mind, with some potential buyers believing that dealerships would be biased or only focused on making money. Vehicle buyers are avoiding dealership advice because of a lack of trust, not because they want advice from somewhere else.

How to gain car buyers’ trust

The best way to attract tomorrow’s car buyers to come to you for advice is by building great relationships with the customers who are in your store today.

We also know many potential customers won’t have a relationship with your dealership (yet). There are still actions you can take for them to trust your input.

Building trust early creates future sales

We may sound like a broken record, but building trust is pivotal if you want to not only land the sale today but also if you want to become a trusted source of advice for future vehicle buyers. The relationship you build with these satisfied customers will drive repeat business, referrals, and reviews that create more customers that will trust you for advice. If a customer can recognize that you’ve been honest with them from the start, they’ll be inclined to trust you for advice later.