I couldn’t resist writing this after reading Richad Libin’s insightful observations in his WardsAuto article “Reap Benefits Passing Out Business Cards.”
Having been in the retail brokerage business, before I entered the car business, I can attest to what he is saying, as the former is an industry where prospecting is (or at least was) a religion.
Libin’s article accurately says successful selling boils down to building relationships. Foundational cultural behavior never dies. Most people need to like whom they do business with, and, I if they do, it makes the sale (and the gross).
That leads to me to say this today: While old prescripts of developing a sale don’t change, the methods and efficiencies in achieving them can be enhanced by technology.
I previously wrote a column (“New-Age Marketing Uses Smartphones’ Virtual Wallets”) about the benefits of adding Mobile (Apple/Google) Wallet as a rifle-shot marketing tactic for retailers to use for communicating and geo-fencing.
I did not elaborate on a particular point that, unlike many digital marketing tools for car dealers, this one can be also utilized personally right on the showroom floor by sales associates.
One of the cool ways to use this emerging technology that way is with digital business cards. It’s more convenient for the prospect and more useful as a sales tool for the sales associate. I see sales folks in many industries using digital business cards embedded in Apple & Google Wallet as an alternative to the tried- and-true paper variety.
Look at the advantages.
For the prospect or customer it’s one less piece of paper to keep track of and to find at the appropriate time. This has become such an issue many business folks use a card scanner to get the info in their phone anyway. This jump starts that process.
The “hardware” for an NFC/Mobile Wallet business card sells for less than a $1 on Amazon. The sales associate only needs one, combined with the appropriate Wallet software, which can be had for about the price of a Netflix account.
Then all a customer has to do to access the digital card is to get near it with their Bluetooth-equipped phone. Presto, the card information, photo of the sales associate, any appropriate dealership links or information is in the Mobile Wallet of customer’s cell phone, without so much as a scan or single letter typed.
With a business card in the customer’s Wallet, sales associates can do all of the things I outlined in my last article on smartphones’ virtual wallets.
They can send any push notification to their business-card holders. They can set up geo-fences for specially triggered messages. They can have messages triggered by small beacons.
Just imagine. The minute customers enter the store, they get a greeting from their sales associate even before they see them. Something like, “Welcome back Mr. Smith, from Joe Jones, here to satisfy your every transportation need.” Talk about relationship building.
This represents a perfect blend. Emerging technology enhances and promotes the pillars of relationship selling, and catapults it to a whole new level. Let me know what you think.
John F. Possumato is an attorney, the founder of Automotive Mobile Solutions and a nationally recognized mobile marketing expert. He can be reached at [email protected].
