VDL ceased production of the Mini last week. Not only did the production halt garner attention in the press, but the trade unions also received a noticeable platform. In my opinion, entirely unjustified!

We’ve been back from NADA for two weeks now, and many people ask me if it’s worth investing so much time, energy, and thus money into such an event. My answer is always the same: yes! If you want to grow as an entrepreneur, as an employee, and also as a company, sometimes you need to take a step back. And it’s valuable to hear something different from the stories you already know. It can happen that you come back with a completely different idea, a different vision, or mindset, even though those new insights weren’t even addressed at the conference itself.

In October 2023, it finally happened: operational profit at the Ligier Store Doesburg! In the months that followed, November and December, black figures were also recorded, and for January, the results were likewise positive. My thought is that if we can make a profit for one month, we can also do it for two months. And if we can achieve that for a quarter, we can do it for two quarters, and then always….

Gerben Beck already said it, it seems like less than a year ago that we made the journey to the NADA in America. And yet, we are now a year further. The NADA is just around the corner, and with my wife Olga, our colleagues from #DCDW Stefanie van Dijk-Meenink, Gerben Beck, Gerard Franken from the Ligier Store Doesburg – Experience Center, and colleagues from Marktplaats Alexander Prinssen, Melvin Ester, and Michiel Aker, we boarded the plane!

In the meantime, I have been a shareholder of Carmen Automotive BDC for two years, a call center with a singular mission: to improve online customer contact in the automotive industry! Together with my fellow shareholders Remco de Vette, Koen van de Laar, and Patrick Franke, we are making significant strides in customer contact! Of course, this wouldn’t be possible without our operational director Jeffrey Silva!

Selling cars involves two elements. First, you sell the car with all its options, benefits, and unique features. Of course, tailored to the customer’s needs and the ‘problem’ that is solved by purchasing that car. Many cars are already ‘sold’ or at least the chance to sell is created through effective marketing. The customer arrives at a specific used car, perhaps after viewing everything online and comparing it with other options.

Dealers and car companies need to sell cars; that’s where their focus lies. It makes sense because there is a lot of additional business involved. You have trade-ins, and you can offer maintenance, repairs, and services. Once you’ve sold a car, the business starts rolling.

If you sell a lot of cars of a particular type, you want more of those cars to sell faster and more. And for that popular model, you always give extra attention.

To get straight to the point, if you, as a salesperson, dare to respond like in the image below, then you are worth nothing. Perhaps as a writer, but not as a salesperson who tries to make something out of every opportunity…

Being consistent requires discipline, and I realize this as I write this column on an early Thursday morning. This year, too, I have had the opportunity to write an article or a column every week about online automotive, the industry, leads, marketing, and other topics that occupy my mind.

I can hardly wait for 2024! Because lead follow-up will be crucial in the coming year as well; we need to maximize our efforts with online and telephone leads. Forget about the past two years, when ten buyers would walk into the store for that one car. Many sellers who started during that period, experiencing only those years, will have to fight for a deal, and there’s nothing unusual about that!