Automotive Retail: Unique Customer Experience

Automotive Retail:

Unique Customer Experience

Automotive Retail:


Chart 2

The following summary describes what it is to create a unique customer experience within sales and after sales processes of an European luxury dealership. The original presentation was shown as a proposal by Michael Kuloge at the Bentley Motors European Head Office in Berlin, 23th August 2004.

Michael Kuloge / Update August 2016

Automotive Retail:


Chart 3

Sales

After Sales

Customer Groups

Conclusion

Automotive Retail:


Chart 4

Sales – Prepurchase

Contact Information Negotiation

Complete customer database

All customers and prospective customers are known

The way, how the customer wants to be contacted, is known

The way, how the customer contacts the dealership, is known

Best qualified employees

The car can be presented virtuallly in all combinations, variations and with all extras

Interior and exterior variations can be shown realisticially

The car for testdriving will be delivered , if wanted with driver (well educated)

Testdriving comes with first event (silver level: e.g. invitation opera, musical, etc.)

Customer feels always welcomed and expected

Customer gets the feeling, that his new car would be unique

Customer gets the feeling, that there is a special bentley culture

Automotive Retail:


Chart 5

Sales – Purchase

Contract signature location to customers requirement

Contract signature comes with second event (silver level: e.g. exclusive model Bentley, exclusive gift for spouse, kids, secretary, etc.)

Customer is updated regulary about the manufacturing process of his car

Customer is invited to meet factory and responsible people and see his own car being manufactured

Invitation comes with third event (gold level: e.g. weekend at old english castle, english sport event, contact to Bentley tradition and history)

Handover is allways at customers favoured location

Handover comes with fourth event (platinum level: e.g. extraordinary travel and finally hand-over)

Handover comes allways with personal extra (owner, spouse, kids, etc.)

Closing Building Handover

Automotive Retail:


Chart 6

Sales – After Purchase

Customer is only contacted in the way he wants it

Customer gets unique album about the main manufacturing phases of his car with pictures and signatures of the responsible people and pictures of his factory visit and of the hand-over celebration

All Customers become member of the Bentley owners club

The Bentley owners club unites all owners

The BOC creates and maintainces the Bentley culture (e.g. tradition, feeling, lifestyle, etc.)

The membership comes with high-class services (e.g. unique events, prefered hotel or restaurant reservation, oldtimer service, internet member side)

Customer is best imformed about product news and product development

Customer is invited to VIP events of general modell update or new modell launching

There is a disposal program (to take the car back to re-sale)

Confirmation Loyailty Repurchase

Automotive Retail:


Chart 7

After Sales

24 hours / 7 days emergency service

Full service hotline (hotel- and restaurant reservation, musical, opera, babysitter, etc., if required)

The „winged angels service“ takes care of everything

Customer finds everything, he could need around and about his car

There is a high class Bentley shop, with a traditional-, fashion style- and sportiveprogram (in hard-cover and online)

There is a pick-up and delivery service (with a covered low loader)

There is a special program (e.g. hotel, musical, shopping, sightseeing, etc.), if customer would like to deliver his car personally

There is a complimentary program

Service Emergency Complementation

Automotive Retail:


Chart 8

Customer Groups

Prestige orientated

Demonstration function

Outside focus

Desire to group affiliation

Support of status, social acceptance

Uniqueness orientated

Self-expression orientated

Hedonic orientated

Differentiation function

Outside focus

Desire to group differantiation

Support of individuality

Identification function

Inside focus

Desire to identify

Support of lifestyle and self-expression

Emotional function

Inside focus

Desire for emotion

Support of joy, fun, aesthetic

Automotive Retail:


Chart 9

Conclusion

„What it is, to create a unique customer experience“

Complete customer database for custommade experience

Individuel personal contact to customer

Fulfilling of all customer expectations

3 - Level event program to highlite the main steps in the purchase process

Bentley culture

Automotive Retail:


Chart 10

Before founding MK Automotive Consulting , Michael acquired more than 20 years CEO / MD experiences in leading premium and multibrand car dealership groups within Germany. This in his own as well as at privately and at Volkswagen AG owned dealership groups. Furthermore he managed for an US parent company owned BMW / MINI dealership group in Germany and was recently responsible as the Country Manager / MD for an US investment fund owned largest Ford dealership group within Austria with 5 locations and roundabout 300 employees with the brands Ford, Volvo, Fiat and Alfa Romeo. Additionally he worked as a senior consultant on behalf of the Volkswagen AG and was responsible for a holistic development and management consulting of Volkswagen dealerships. Besides from that Michael lectured a couple of years at the Management Marketing Academy of the Volkswagen AG on leadership, marketing & public relations, human resources, reporting and generation change. He achieved several awards of the Volkswagen AG (organization, employee satisfaction study, public relations) and main premium awards of the AUDI AG (q-power, sales, after-sales, marketing). Furthermore he accomplished successfully a management audit at Volkswagen AG as well as CEO audits at Audi AG and Screen GmbH. Due to Michael's international activities he is very open-minded and likes intercultural exchange. He cooperated several years with the Ben Craig Center, a business incubator affiliated with the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, USA and managed their subsidiary in Germany. Furthermore he founded a US investment corporation, was one of the initial investors and board members of a US medical start-up and founded their German subsidiary. Additionally Michael consulted a high-tech company in Helsinki, Finland regarding growth, mergers & acquisition as well as generation change and established business relationships to a MBO in St. Petersburg, Russia.