Can Vehicle Condition Reports Do More For Your Dealership?

Why Do Vehicle Condition Reports Matter? 

If you’re a used car dealer, you may be hesitant to showcase vehicle condition reports on your inventory, but they can actually be a very useful tool. When it comes to used car buying, the condition of the car is one of the most important things buyers are concerned with. If you can leverage that curiosity and use it to build rapport with the buyer, you’ll find you can generate more leads, close more sales, and learn more about your buyers than ever before. 

How Can Vehicle Condition Reports Help My Business? 

Organize Your Inventory and Sell It Faster

With vehicle condition reports, you’ll know exactly what needs reconditioning at all times. This will allow you to prioritize which cars you want to repair and organize your inventory by what’s ready to sell and what needs more work. A more organized inventory will help you make better sales faster. Additionally, you’ll know which vehicles can have a higher ticket price based on their vehicle condition report and get your lower-priced inventory sold faster. 

Marketing Tools

Transparency in marketing builds trust between you and your customer. By volunteering information about the car–where it’s been and what it’s like–you make the customer feel taken care of. If they have more information to make an informed decision about a big purchase, they’re more likely to follow through with a sale. 

You can also use vehicle condition reports to gauge how interested a customer is in a car and generate leads. Tracking when a potential buyer downloads a condition report lets you know they’re moving down the marketing funnel from a cold lead to a warm one. This will allow you to target those potential buyers with specific messaging tailored to their stage in the buying journey. When online buyers can get the whole picture about their potential car, they may be more inclined to come see the car in person. 

And don’t just track whether or not potential buyers are downloading the reports. Understand how customers are interacting with the reports–generate granular data on what information potential buyers are most interested in, what they’re ignoring, and what their demographics are.  Which age group is most interested in car safety features? Are more men or women looking at a specific model? What jobs do the people most interested in SUVs hold? All of this is information that you can use to market to targeted audiences more effectively and generate more sales. 

Additionally, putting the condition report label (i.e., C.A.R.Score) on the listing photos on your website can help encourage clicks on your listings over those of competitors. Again, customers prefer transparency and an abundance of specific information, especially when it comes to car buying. And with most car buying happening online or at least starting out online, the more detailed your online listings, the better. 

Close More Deals

Vehicle condition reports can be a tool for you to close more on-lot sales. If a customer is on the fence, offer them a copy of the report as a measure of building rapport and trust between you. Offer to walk them through the report, too. This new information could give them the confidence boost they need to make an offer. 

Conclusion

Vehicle condition reports can truly be an invaluable tool for your dealership if used correctly. Data is power. That’s why C.A.R.Score automotive reports by Dealer Specialties takes the standard industry history report one step further by assessing the interior and exterior condition of a vehicle. Highly detailed, each report covers various items such as dashboard and console, mirrors, upholstery, and much more.