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Dealership Spotlight: Jennings Chevrolet
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| Internet Manager Alain Bondi takes care of Internet customers |
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| Updated |
Mar 17, 2005 19:41:50 |
| Rating |
0 | | Author | Brian Chee |
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Description:
Report: Online Vehicle Shoppers Save Time, Money
Study shows that buying a vehicle through an Autobytel Inc. website can eliminate factors that increase the price of a new car. Shoppers save up to $420 compared to traditional methods.br>
Source: Yale-Berkeley report, Consumer Information and Price Discrimination
Dealership Spotlight: HondaWorld, Westminster, CA
Martha Hanson masters the coming age of Internet sales.
Dealership Spotlight: Jennings Chevrolet, Glenview IL
Alain Bondi takes good care of his Internet customers.
Testimonials
People are saying good things when they purchase a vehicle through our websites...
On a sweltering day in Chicago, confidence is not usually the first thing you meet at the door of an air-conditioned luxury suite.
Nope. Impatience, maybe. Thirst, definitely. Crankiness---more often yes than no. But not confidence, not with heat in the 90s and humidity a wet blanket draped over your shoulders. Conditions like this would make anyone wilt.
Anyone, that is, except Alain Bondi. When Bondi arrives, he smiles, steps inside and shakes hands, wipes his brow and says hello.
There it is --- confidence, walking a half step in front of this big man with an easy demeanor, not pushy or proud, just confidence quietly assured. Get to know him and know that Bondi is clearly not the type to push. He eases, goes along, yet all the while moves toward his goal. This is a man who quietly follows point and purpose all the way to his objective. No stomping of the feet. No cymbals or flags. Just Alain Bondi, doing what he does, doing his best, getting to where he's going with little fan fare, no brass band and not even one round of applause.
Okay, that's wrong. Make that an average of 50 rounds of applause, as in vehicles sold, every month. Fifty-three in one month alone. Alain Bondi is the man who lives on the other side of Autobytel. For people in the Glenview, Illinois area, he's the guy who receives your vehicle request and gives you a call, lining up a car with your expectations and walking you through the process.
"Response is key," says Bondi. "The sooner I get in touch with someone, establish that direct connection, the happier they are."
According to Bondi, a veteran of the Foreign Service for more than 20 years, helping a family buy a car via the Internet is all about service. Do it right -- respond quickly and with details about their request -- and they'll drive away with the car they intended to buy.
Don't provide the service an Internet shopper requires, and lose a customer forever.
Bondi's approach is a mix of new methods and traditional sales service. He is always available via cell phone. When he receives a message, whether e-mail or voice, he calls the person back immediately --- according to Bondi, if he waits, he's not measuring up to expectations. Part of meeting - and exceeding --- those expectations is in understanding how the needs of the Internet shopper differs from more traditional new car buyers.
"There's a no-stress factor involved," says Bondi, "People who use the Internet to buy a car, they're usually pretty busy so they have some urgency. And they don't want to be stressed. A stressful situation will chase them away. I try to help give them an informed, relaxed experience --- take the car for a test drive, really get to know the car before they buy."
"Sometimes, I'll say --- look, take the car for a couple of hours. Do your errands, park it in your driveway. People usually appreciate that kind of approach."
Bondi has created an effective way to work with one of the fastest growing segments of car buyers---people who shop first on the Internet then buy a car. According to J.D. Power and Associates' 2001 New Autoshopper.com Study(SM), sixty-two percent of all new-vehicle buyers use the Internet for automotive information while shopping for their vehicle. Most of these shoppers go online for automotive information before they begin visiting dealers, according to the study.
"Internet shoppers know exactly what they want, and what they're willing to pay for it," said Bondi. "So it's important they get their information from a site that has accurate information, and is updated constantly."
Which is where Autobytel comes in. As the man on the other side of the site, Bondi has confidence that referrals he receives from Autobytel will be quality requests for new and used vehicles.
It comes down to confidence. From the man whose assured confidence walks a half-step in front, to the confident and secure feeling he gives new car shoppers in Glenview when he picks up the phone and responds to their Internet request. |
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