ROCK HILL S.C. -

With consumers coming to expect a certain level of in-car technology, ranging from mobile offerings to satellite radio, it is becoming more and more important for used and new dealers to promote vehicle accessory sales.

And one Toyota dealership serving the metro Boston region has focused on this profit avenue, in particular.

According to accessory company Insignia Group, Toyota of Braintree is the nation's "Accessories Sales Champion" when it comes to vehicle personalization in 2012.

Executives of the dealership reported exceeding $2.1 million in new vehicle accessory sales this year.

Commenting on this feat Greg Tufankjian, the dealership owner, said, "Vehicle personalization is a natural evolution within the dealership, similar to the F&I department. The difference is in how the success requires commitment and efficient communication between sales, service and parts. 

"Combining the best process, training, software and most importantly people was critical in our success," he added.

And Insignia officials contend that, "As margins continue to shrink, dealerships recognize the need to expand product and service offerings.  Vehicle personalization continues to represent a growing revenue segment for dealerships, complimenting current sales processes while satisfying a consumer driven need."

Insignia also expressed enthusiasm for the Toyota dealership's recent success.

"This is the largest one-year sales volume of accessories on new cars in our 10-plus years of providing vehicle personalization software solutions and process training to dealerships," stated David Stringer, Insignia Group president. "The entire team at Insignia is extremely proud of the achievement by Toyota of Braintree and look forward to a new accessories sales record in 2013." 

Insignia also reported this week that Smart Motors of Madison, Wisc., another new and used Toyota dealer, achieved over $1.26 million in new vehicle accessory sales for 2012.

Both Toyota of Braintree and Smart Motors received Insignia's Million Dollar Club award.

And for those dealers that wonder if accessories and after market  in-vehicle technology are worth their time and money, Toyota of Braintree offered the following example.

"Before we started the program, this dealership was doing about $10,000 to $13,000 per month in accessory sales. In fact, the month before we started it was at $6,000 ( December 2011 )," said Bill DeTelllis, accessories sales manager. "Your (Insignia) support and in-store presence is a perfect example of a successful partnership."

And it may be crucial for used-car dealers to know just what accessories a buyer is looking for when readying a pre-owned vehicle for sale.

In a 2011 Auto Remarketing story researching the importance of in-vehicle technology in used cars, RVI Group’s Wayne Westring said, "In-vehicle technologies — such as navigation, Bluetooth capabilities, satellite radio, etc. — have become more popular over the years and are now becoming the norm, especially with the younger, technologically savvy youth.

"Yes, used-car shoppers are more bargain-conscious, but manufacturers market technology on their new products much more than in the past, so it is forcing consumers to become more tech-conscious," he continued.

In that same story, Black Book managing editor Ricky Beggs agreed, saying he has found that technology is important for some used-car buyers, but he doesn’t believe the lack of technology would keep a buyer from purchasing a used vehicle. However, he acknowledged that "it’s sure something they want."

To read more on this current issue, see the Auto Remarketing story here.
 

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