Paul Potratz, chief operating officer and founder of Potratz Advertising, recently bought a new truck for him and his wife to use on their horse farm near Schenectady, N.Y. Potratz shared it was a “great” experience at the dealership, but he said  “where they dropped the ball was they left money on the table.”

Along with the new pickup, Potratz wanted several other products and accessories with the vehicle, including a remote starter, rubber floor mats, a tow hitch and step-up bars.

“All the way through the process, they never talked about any F&I products. They never talked about accessories,” Potratz said. “In fact, I wanted to get a remote starter, and I had to ask them about it. They really didn’t want to talk about it. It was like they wanted to get me out of the dealership because they were afraid they were going to lose the deal if they talked about me spending more money.”

Potratz suggested that dealers not shy away from discussing accessories and other products with their leads. Rather, engage these potential buyers early in the process to highlight what the dealership has to offer to enhance the vehicle.

“When a customer submits a lead, start talking about accessories, wheel and tire packages or different types of paint treatments. When you’re buying a vehicle, you want to know how to keep that vehicle looking nice for a long time,” Potratz said.

Potratz goes into more recommendations on how dealers won’t leave money on the table as well as events the Potratz Advertising team will be presenting best practices, including the AR Canada Conference that runs on April 20 and 21 in Toronto. It’s all available in the latest Think Tank Tuesday video.