FEATURE BY EARL " STICKS " BROWN A ONESTOP-SHOP MENTALITY Retain Customers by Setting Yourself Apart with this Mindset W e can all appreciate how convenience has evolved over the past few years. From ride sharing to curbside pick up and food delivery, anything that helps consumers save time is truly valued in today's marketplace. Today, dealers see this trend growing and are modeling their dealerships' customer experience along the same one-stop-shop mentality. What if customers thought of you first for all their vehicle needs - from service to cosmetic repairs to buying that next vehicle? A one-stop-shop experience is attainable. It is also critical to customer retention and overall dealership profitability. When you offer the easy and convenient buying and servicing experience that consumers want, your retention numbers soar. The customer experience is more and more the driving force for how and where consumers will spend their 30 money. Focus efforts on the following to create a great experience that makes your customers' lives easier, so they return to your dealership again and again. ENCOURAGE CROSS-DEPARTMENT COLLABORATION From ride sharing to curbside pick up and food delivery, anything that helps consumers save time is truly valued in today's marketplace. Dealers winning at customer retention prioritize cross-department collaboration. Breaking down department silos allows you to take better care of your customers and benefits your bottom-line. Everybody wins when sales staff, F&I employees, and service staff work together to create long-term relationships. Start by educating sales staff on the dealership-wide benefits of taking buyers back to your service bays. Then train them to present protection products that will make customers happy (i.e., save them money on