Jim Glover Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep- Ram-Fiat created an elaborate scene for an invite-only occasion to let prospects try the upcoming Jeep Grand Wagoneer.
Wine and beer have been flowing, hors d’oeuvres have been on deck, music performed and strobe lights set a festive temper within the dealership’s freshly constructed Jeep showroom, which opened in November.
The Oklahoma retailer went all out to ship a particular expertise for well-heeled clientele and showcase a automobile that sellers consider can scoop prosperous consumers from luxurious manufacturers to increase Jeep’s attain. Vendor principal Jared Glover stated he is already listening to from individuals driving BMWs and different rivals that their subsequent automobile could be a Grand Wagoneer.
“My workers had a blast,” Glover advised Automotive Information. “And I feel straight attributable to the occasion, we had a number of individuals do bought orders with us — a couple of of them instantly that night time.”
Glover, who was an emcee for the July social gathering, advised prospects that it “was to not do a tough promote and get a bunch of individuals to order the automobile. We simply wish to introduce it to you, allow you to expertise it in individual, get within it and actually see the extent of element and high quality that the model has dropped at market.”
The dealership is considered one of quite a few Jeep shops across the nation to carry unique gatherings to get shoppers acquainted with the Grand Wagoneer. These product icebreakers are happening alongside a broader effort by Jeep to raise the shopper expertise for the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, together with a coaching program to designate salespeople as ambassadors for the upscale merchandise inside their dealerships.
Jeep representatives performed in- individual coaching on the retailer the day earlier than the Grand Wagoneer occasion and the day of the gathering to speak about product presentation and the buyer expertise, Glover stated.
The Wagoneer ambassador initiative, he stated, may elevate the gross sales course of for your entire dealership.
“If we will practice ourselves to offer the extent of service {that a} buyer in a luxurious SUV expects, then it will trickle right down to how we deal with prospects which can be shopping for Renegades and Compasses and Dodge Chargers,” Glover stated. “I feel it’s going to increase our prospects’ expertise it doesn’t matter what they’re shopping for due to the extent of service anticipated for our Wagoneer shoppers.”
The shop had different fashions on show for attendees, together with the brand new three-row Grand Cherokee L, a Wrangler Rubicon 392 and a refurbished 1980 Wagoneer owned by a buyer who ordered the Grand Wagoneer. Glover held reward basket raffles and gave out wine glasses with Wagoneer branding and cookies within the form of the classic Wagoneer.
Glover stated the dealership invited earlier consumers of Grand Cherokees, Gladiators and Wranglers and people who had spent greater than $40,000 on a Ram pickup lately. His reasoning was pushed, partially, by an commentary that his retailer’s pickup and Wrangler consumers typically personal full-size luxurious SUVs, too. Individuals who come to the shop to purchase an upper-level Ram, as an example, typically pull up in a Cadillac Escalade, he stated.
Those that beforehand confirmed curiosity within the Grand Wagoneer have been invited as effectively.
In Lynnfield, Mass., Kelly Automotive Group hosted a catered Grand Wagoneer displaying at a 46,000-square-foot Jeep retailer that it opened final August. It is subsequent to a Cadillac dealership, giving the Grand Wagoneer an opportunity to face off with its direct rival every day.
Kelly Automotive CEO Brian Heney stated Escalade homeowners have been ordering the Grand Wagoneer from his retailer. He is additionally seeing prospects who’ve a QX80 from the group’s Infiniti retailer categorical curiosity within the Grand Wagoneer.
Towne Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram in Hamburg, N.Y., had a playbook just like that of the Glover and Kelly dealerships. Cocktails have been served, and goody baggage have been handed out. Particular lighting within the entrance of the shop and beneath the Grand Wagoneer added to the ambiance.
Gross sales Supervisor Mike Roeder stated salespeople have been inspired to ask who they wished. Towne Auto Group’s luxurious dealerships unfold the phrase to their clientele as effectively.
Roeder stated his retailer generally sells automobiles to gamers on the close by Buffalo Payments NFL crew. He would not be shocked to see them get a couple of Grand Wagoneers within the months forward.
“They’re 100 grand, so you are going to cope with prosperous businesspeople and among the native sports activities figures, however that goes together with each product line,” Roeder stated. “We’ve a Ford retailer, and a variety of the Payments purchase their Raptors from us.”