Many car dealerships are honest and operate their business with integrity, but unfortunately, there are many that don’t. The good news for consumers is that it’s getting easier for car buyers to find out information about the car dealerships they do business with.

With so many outlets for consumers to air their opinions and experiences, the days of shady used car sales tactics are done.

The Voice of The Customer

In the auto sales world, customer opinions and voices are becoming increasingly more trusted than the voice of the brand. Whether they are in the process of shopping for used cars or a new vehicle, the majority of car buyers will turn to reviews from other customers before making any buying decisions.

This can be very good for a dealership or the salesperson who worked with the customer writing the review, or it can be very bad. Good ratings and positive reviews can drive customers right to your door, but negative reviews on public review sites will drive them in the opposite direction.

Car Dealership Review Sites Worth Keeping An Eye On

With so many customers turning to review sites before heading to a dealership to shop for used cars, it’s important to know which ones are the key players. Dealerships and salespeople should regularly check sites such as Edmunds, DealerRater, Cars.com, and even Google. Even though Google is not officially a review site, it’s a popular spot for car buyers to leave reviews, and it’s the first place many used car shoppers go when they start their online search.

DealerRater is one of the leading review sites and has millions of reviews. It also sees over 34 million users every month, which means millions of customers write about their used car buying experience, and millions more read about them.

How To Get Good Reviews

The best way for dealerships to get good reviews is to provide excellent customer service and be honest with their customers. If you get a negative review, it is essential to respond to it. Customers who had a bad experience want to be heard, even if it’s in writing on the internet.

Honesty is the Best Policy

The more honest a car salesperson is, the more customers are likely to spend as they shop for used cars. The old negotiation tactic of never sacrificing the lowest price the dealership is willing to accept is going out the window. Car buyers are coming in more informed, and they already know the invoice price because they’ve done their research. A salesperson that discloses this
price at the beginning of the conversation will build trust with their customer and will have the opportunity to add additional upgrades and services later in the process.

Used car sales practices continue to evolve and change, but the internet is here to stay. This means that car buyers are savvier about what goes on behind the scenes, so used car salespeople need to change how they do business in order to attract new customers and retain the ones they have.