Let’s talk Millennials. Generally millennials are between the ages of 18-34. It’s the fastest growing generation which means they’ve got loads of buying power. Dealerships don’t have any issues selling to the millennials between the ages of 23-34, because they’re deemed adults with buying power. But what about the younger generation of millennials between the ages of 18-22? How do you perceive them when it comes to selling them a vehicle? It would be wise to focus on this subset of the millennials because they’ve got buying power but just need a to be guided towards something that meets all their needs at the right cost.

BEFORE THEY GET INTO THE DEALERSHIP

• Advertisements: All advertisements NEED to have images or videos of buyers their age of all races. Try and appeal to every gender and race in your advertisements. When it comes to the placement of your ads, I would suggest using Facebook, Instagram, and Facebook Audience Networks. Millennials are always on their phones, so attract them where they’re normally looking.
• Message: Appeal to them with funny and relatable content. You can utilize topics such as current social events or even animals like puppies (everybody loves a good pup).
• Offer: The normal thing for a dealership to do is offer rebates. However, it’s time to let your creative juices flow and come up with an even better offer that relates to them. My idea is to offer the person a scholarship using the rebate money. This idea leaves students happy and parents even happier.

WHEN THEY GET INTO THE DEALERSHIP

• Sales Team: Nine times out of ten, they’ve done their research and know what they want and around how much it’ll cost them, so try not to make up some outlandish price to increase your commission. Another tip is to gauge their interest as the process goes along and become as relatable and genuine as possible. You should maybe even relate to the parents in some cases because they may be doing the purchasing.
• Freebies: You never know what kind of day the person has had, so offer them a bottle of water, coffee, food, and even the Wi-Fi password. Just these trivial things could appease a buyer and help you to sign a $25k contract.
• Fixed Operations: Offer services like FREE car washes and oil changes towards the end of the transaction. By doing this it appears it’s an exclusive gift to them and it helps to build your rapport with the client.
• Benefits: The main selling points may vary by genders (the stereotypical speed for males and reliability for females), but you can generally sell all millennials on connectivity and technology of the vehicle (i.e. Bluetooth compatibility).

AFTER THEY PURCHASE FROM YOU

• Follow-up: You need to reach out to the millennial driver within the first week via phone call. Ask them how the car is holding up and if they’re enjoying it. This courtesy call makes your dealership appear as though you sincerely have a customer first mentality.
• Campaigns: Set up email/text campaigns for things like FREE car washes and oil changes. DO NOT pester the client however. One text/email every 3 months should suffice. Have a second campaign going around the time when the lease will be coming to an end.
• Rewards: It is crucial to have a referral system in place. Your new buyer will be happiest with their purchase on the day of the purchase, so ask for referrals then. And as any good referral system works, you should reward the new purchaser once the referral converts. If you’d like to go the extra step, your dealership can create a customer loyalty program that is compatible with an exclusive app to your dealership. They can earn points which in turn will be redeemed for rewards from your dealership.

IF THEY DON’T PURCHASE FROM YOU

• Call: Within the first week, it’s crucial to reach out to the person with either a better deal or an incentive that will make the price sound more appealing.
• Email: If the initial phone call is unsuccessful, you should add the person to your dealership’s newsletter list so that you’re always be at the forefront of their mind.

It’s evident that the millennials are increasing their buying power year after year and it’s best that your dealership capitalizes on marketing to them. I hope that the ideas above have sparked your interest with new ideas or encouraged you to hunker down on what processes are already in place. If you need more help with your marketing efforts towards the millennial buyer or any other subcategory of buyers, feel free to give Focus a call.