{"id":82233,"date":"2025-05-05T17:47:58","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T21:47:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=82233"},"modified":"2025-05-05T17:47:58","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T21:47:58","slug":"listen-up-car-dealers-you-need-to-start-selling-evs-the-way-you-sell-tow-rigs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=82233","title":{"rendered":"Listen up, car dealers \u2013\u00a0you need to start selling EVs the way you sell tow rigs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Professional salespeople love to talk about \u201cthe steps of the sale,\u201d a tried-and-true process that guides every customer from curiosity to closed. But when it comes to electric cars, that old-school hustle can fall flat, leaving dealers struggling with how to fit them into their familiar playbook. But what if I told you, dear dealer, that there\u2019s a whole category of vehicles on existing dealer lots that need to be approached in exactly<\/em> the same way as an EV to score a successful sale that you\u2019re already familiar with?<\/p>\n

That category: Heavy-duty tow trucks. Here\u2019s how selling one is a lot like selling the other.<\/p>\n

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That\u2019s right, greenpeas \u2013\u00a0selling a tow-rated pickup truck to someone who\u2019s buying it primarily to haul a trailer, boat, or RV is a delicate thing that requires salespeople (and sales managers) to approach their customers with a lot more patience and empathy, and a lot less, \u201cwhat can I do to get you to drive this home, today?\u201d And, as we go through the whys and hows, I think you\u2019ll agree that all the heavy truck selling wisdom we\u2019re going to cover today will help you sell more electric cars, more often, and for more money.<\/p>\n

1. Discovery is where the deal gets done<\/h2>\n\n

When it comes to heavy-duty tow vehicles, most smart dealers understand that their customer probably<\/em> has a better understanding of their individual needs than they do \u2013\u00a0but it\u2019s still a good idea to go over that understanding during the discovery phase of the sale.<\/p>\n

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Has the customer factored in the weight of the trailer and the weight of everyone and everything else inside it? What about the weight of water, tools, or animals? Do they fully understand the concepts of GVWR and GCWR, and the difference between trailer weight and tongue weight<\/a>? Will they have enough range, when fully loaded, on their standard fuel tank or will they need an aux. tank? What about the future \u2013\u00a0are they thinking about upgrading their RV or hauling bigger loads longer distances?<\/p>\n

In other words, the customer has to trust that the vehicle they\u2019re about to buy from you will meet their needs and fit into their lives today<\/em>, while also meeting their needs in the foreseeable future. That\u2019s what it looks like in a truck, but now apply that to an EV.<\/p>\n

Has the customer mapped out the routes they take every day to make sure they can make the drive? That might sound ridiculous to you and me, but what if they\u2019re depending on a single DC fast charger out on a rural stretch of highway to get the EV to meet their needs? What if they think 200 miles of range is 200 miles of range, but they like to drive 80+ mph (on Chicago\u2019s I-290<\/a>, that\u2019s a minimum<\/em> safe travel speed), do they understand that speed impacts range as much as weather?<\/p>\n

Tools like Chargeway<\/a> are great for helping dealers explain EV charging speeds, the impacts of speed and topography on range, and \u2013\u00a0especially in this era of NACS adapters<\/a> \u2013\u00a0where buyers of used or off-lease EVs can charge up and get back on the road.<\/p>\n

In either case, the salespeople who take the time in discovery to understand their customers\u2019 needs and become consultative partners will make a sale,\u00a0the ones who rush through the process won\u2019t, and the ones who sell their customers the wrong thing will make a problem (if not an expensive lawsuit) for the dealership.<\/p>\n

2. Options really do matter<\/h2>\n\n

When you\u2019re selling a conventional ICE-powered crossover to a typical suburbanite, moving your customer up or down a trim level doesn\u2019t typically impact their use case. Sure, they might have to keep their foot planted a little longer to get up to highway speeds or learn to live with cloth when they really wanted leather or vinyl<\/s> vegan leather<\/a>, but they\u2019ll still be able to get five-to-seven adults from point A to point B with the same general effectiveness.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not true when it comes to trucks that are going to get put to work. There, the difference between one axle ration and another can have a huge impact on driver comfort, towing capabilities, and fuel economy \u2013\u00a0and going from a one-ton truck that\u2019s just outside the customer\u2019s budget to a half-ton that you happen to have on the lot could get someone seriously hurt or killed.<\/p>\n

On an EV, the difference might not be so dramatic, but the difference between a Nissan LEAF SV Plus with a 212 mile range and a Nissan LEAF S with 149 miles of range<\/a>? That could mean the difference between getting to grandma\u2019s house in three hours or five \u2013\u00a0that\u2019s assuming your customer could even find a CHAdeMO port in the first place<\/a>!<\/p>\n

It may be tempting to switch the customer to a vehicle you have on the lot (especially if that vehicle happens to be an aged unit with a fat spiff on it), but the long-term pain isn\u2019t worth the short-term gain on this one.<\/p>\n

3. Information is your friend<\/h2>\n\n

This might feel like a duplicate of the discovery phase, but think of it as a member of the \u201cmeasure twice, cut once\u201d advice genre. That is to say that, sure \u2013 the customer thinks that new 5th wheel RV they have on order weighs 11,000 lbs., but does<\/em> it? Did they add any options of features (see no. 2) that make it heavier? Get the information from the RV manufacturer or dealer and confirm as much as you can. That extra work will help keep your customer safe and build trust.<\/p>\n

Similarly, you\u2019ll want to verify your assumptions when it comes to EVs. Is that once-a-month 300 mile drive really 300 miles, or is it 330? Is there more than one charging option available on their preferred route? Is the customer able to make their trip without changing the way your they drive? Are they willing to change up where they stop, or for how long?<\/p>\n

When it comes to EVs, especially used ones that came onto your lot as part of a trade deal that you may not be intimately familiar with, I cannot stress how much route planning apps like Chargeway<\/a> or A Better Route Planner can help salespeople answer questions about electric vehicles confidently and correctly, generate trust, and drive referrals.<\/p>\n

4. Aftersales support is critical<\/h2>\n\n

Successful salespeople follow up \u2013\u00a0not just with prospects who are still shopping, but with customers who have already bought. And, just as RVers know other RVers, RV salespeople who get positive feedback about a local dealer who takes the time to make sure their customers get the right truck know RV customers who might need a right truck of their own. <\/p>\n

Yes, those RV salespeople might expect a $100 bird dog bonus to send their customers your way, but the money on its own isn\u2019t enough. They have to know they can trust you with their<\/em> customers, and you build that trust in steps 1-3, above.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t take a genius<\/h2>\n
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BMW Genius bar; via BMW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If there\u2019s one company that absolutely gets it when it comes to helping customers discover whether or not an EV can fit into the way they live, work, and drive today it\u2019s BMW. Their take on the Apple Genius Bar helps consumers set reasonable expectations, understand charging speeds, and build customer loyalty \u2013\u00a0that\u2019s why they\u2019ve snatched the top spot in the J.D. Power U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience (EVX) Ownership Study for the last few years<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The reason BMW is consistently pulling ahead? It seems to come down to education. \u201cFirst-time EV buyers are receiving minimal education or training,\u201d explains Brent Gruber, executive director of the EV practice at J.D. Power. \u201cDealer and manufacturer representatives play the crucial role of front-line educators, but when it comes to EVs, the specific education needed to shorten the learning curve just isn\u2019t happening often enough. The shortfall in buyer education is something we\u2019re seeing with all brands.\u201d<\/p>\n

And, if you\u2019re still not quite convinced that you need to learn how to sell EVs to be successful on the sales floor, think again.<\/p>\n

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Overall, 94% of BEV owners are likely to consider purchasing another BEV for their next vehicle, a rate that is also matched by first-time buyers. Manufacturers should take note of the strong consumer commitment to EVs as the high rate of repurchase intent offers the ability to generate brand loyal customers if the experience is a positive one. In fact, during the past several years, the BEV repurchase intent percentage has fluctuated very little, ranging between 94-97%. This year\u2019s study also finds that only 12% of BEV owners are likely to consider replacing their EV with an internal combustion engine (ICE)-powered vehicle during their next purchase.<\/p>\n

J.D. POWER<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Listen to an EV convert who has desked an awful lot of car deals, greenpeas \u2013\u00a0if you treat every EV customer the same way that crusty old fleet rep treats his truck buyers, you\u2019re going to sell a whole lot of EVs. And, if you\u2019re a brave enough little toaster to follow up and ask for that referral, you\u2019ll find that EV buyers know other EV buyers.<\/p>\n

Happy hunting.<\/p>\n

Original content from Electrek<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Professional salespeople love to talk about \u201cthe steps of the sale,\u201d a tried-and-true process that guides every customer from curiosity to closed. But when it comes to electric cars, that old-school hustle can fall flat, leaving dealers struggling with how to fit them into their familiar playbook. But what if I told you, dear dealer, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8313,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-82233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-e-cars"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=82233"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82233\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=82233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=82233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=82233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}