Driving for Sales

Selling cars, trucks, SUVs, just about everything, has taken a different approach these days. Very different.


The goal is to reach the right customer through a special program that is designed as a pleasant, perhaps memorable, experience that results in that individual becoming a genuine buyer.

Ride-and-Drive
Today, the strategy is all about "involvement," stemming from an "experiential" format, structured so that the potential buyers are contacted by the automaker and invited to a unique event—most commonly known as a "ride-and-drive"—and given the opportunity to drive the company's featured vehicle(s), as well as its competition. Essentially, this provides an up-close-and-personal experience, so the customer learns about this new car in a more in-depth way.


Throw in a nice lunch, a "goodie" bag filled with several gifts (a blanket emblazoned with the company's logo, an umbrella, brochure), some hands-on driver training and a little one-on-one conversation with a "factory" guy or gal, and you've developed a relationship with that potential customer.


Said customer generally leaves a happier person for the time expended; perhaps a bit more knowledgeable about the car and the manufacturer in general, and hopefully now has a better appreciation for that company and the capabilities of the vehicle he or she just drove. Also included in the goodie bag is a hand-out that conveniently lists all the manufacturer's local dealers where that potential buyer can visit to purchase or lease that automobile.