The timing game in car sales: the “Cruijff” approach

“If you’re not somewhere, you’re either too early or too late.” This statement by the late Johan Cruijff is not only applicable to football but also to this one: “Football is very simple, but the hardest thing there is, is to play football simply.” Both can be used as powerful metaphors for what happens in terms of timing in car sales. Just look at the following similarities: 

The complexity of car sales

Selling cars simply is as challenging as playing football simply. Every car dealer knows that having information to make the right decisions is key nowadays. However, the problem lies in the multitude of systems where all that customer information is stored. Especially for car dealers representing multiple car brands, grip and control are often lost. This is because each car brand has a different way of exchanging customer and sales information. This can cause delays or even temporary standstills. We previously wrote about the document challenges of sales files that car dealers face daily in this blog.

Not being somewhere: the uncertainty of car dealers

“I think I have it, but I’m not sure” is a statement we often hear during our sales conversations with new customers. This uncertainty is a direct result of the described complexities that car dealers face. The lack of a complete 360⁰ customer view makes it difficult to anticipate during conversations with customers or when auditors come to inspect, suddenly asking difficult questions. 

Being too late or too early: the importance of timing

As long as there are different systems, and employees have to manually type information from one system to another, there is a risk of being too late. It could mean missing a lucrative business opportunity simply because you didn’t discover in time that, for example, winter tires were needed. In the worst case, you may lose your customer for an extended period or forever.

A too early approach can also be costly when account managers make unnecessary efforts for a customer, only to find out later that financing is not possible. Here, we understand the importance of the right timing and efficiency, where we gladly apply our expertise. 

The essence of good information management and robust sales files

We believe that at least 80% of all administrative tasks within sales files can be automated. Why would you, for example, still manually send emails to customers about, for instance, the license plate or store a copy of a driver’s license in Outlook? The latter is, by the way, prohibited according to the GDPR guidelines. We have already automated a large part of these business processes. The goal is to always be there for customers while streamlining existing complexities and bringing simplicity for account managers and internal staff. 

Finally: take action

“Often, something has to happen before something happens”, is also a statement by the legendary footballer Cruyff. If this sounds familiar and you realize that something needs to change in your car sales process, do not hesitate to contact us. Together, we can work towards a simpler, more efficient sales process that is all about timing, precision, and customer satisfaction.  

Shall we together elevate your game of car sales to an even higher level?