It is most certainly a DIFFERENT process than what most dealers grew up with, but to call it a "bad process" is, respectfully, a little uniformed.
Customers are spending 18 to 19 hours researching before walking into a dealership. The number of dealerships customers actually visit is down to 1.8 (I believe is the current figure). The Saturdays spent driving from dealership to dealership are, sadly, over. This was the environment where one dealer with a better process could get the deal - price aside.
With 18+ hours of research under their belt, what are the odds that a customer will make an overpriced dealership their first stop? My firm belief is that if a customer visits your dealership today, they intend to buy from you. That is the '1' in the 1.8. Dealerships that screw up that opportunity have only themselves to blame. The customer moves on to the next store. That is the '.8' in the 1.8.
So is process important? Hell yes. Is it the same process that worked for years? I sure don't think so.
If the discount is given up front in the advertised price to help generate traffic, you can't afford to give it again in a drawn-out negotiation with the customer. But if you really have a Market Competitive price and can PROVE that to your customer, you don't have to discount heavily in the showroom to win the deal. Remember, they walked into the store after hours of research - they WANT to buy from you.
Replace NEGOTIATION with DOCUMENTATION and accomplish a win-win with your customers.
