COLUMBUS, Ohio -

Lindsay Automotive launched a post-sale, pre-F&I vehicle delivery system for dealers on Monday that is aimed at six potential friction points that can curtail store revenue and customer satisfaction.

Created by dealership owner Steve Lindsay in collaboration with industry veterans Chip King and Tony Gomez, ZipDeal is designed to streamline and monetize the “frustrating” downtime between when a customer says “yes” to a deal and enters the F&I office.

ZipDeal uses a series of interactive questions that are geared to simplify paperwork and save the customer time while creating a 100% personalized delivery process, increased dealership profits, higher CSI and greater customer retention.  

Lindsay created ZipDeal in 2017 for Lindsay Automotive, which includes Lindsay Honda, one of the top volume Honda dealers in the Midwest and among the top 10 in the country. Lindsay’s goal was to improve the major pain point of the vehicle delivery process for his sales staff and customers with a consistent, personalized presentation that put the customer in the driver’s seat.

Lindsay explained ZipDeal is unique because it links six pre-delivery customer touchpoints into one customer-driven interactive tool. 

“We perfected a system that greatly enhances the customer experience and helps us gain control over the end of the sale. It also addresses additional sales opportunities, including protection products, that often weren’t presented before,” Lindsay said in a news release.

“With dealer front-end profits as low as 3%, we can’t count on sales staff to just sell cars anymore. ZipDeal makes sure our sales staff present every product and accessory, every time for additional revenue streams while giving consumers the control they want over the process,” he continued.

Customers proceed at their own pace through a series on online questions and options that can address these key areas:

• New deal and trade-in paperwork: Customers complete key deal details which can eliminate sloppy paperwork and decrease contracts-in-transit, so dealers get paid faster.

• Insurance options: Customers can shop their existing provider against a host of competitors to acquire the best possible terms and conditions.

• Finance and protection products: The presentation of F&I and protection products includes videos, product images, and detailed product descriptions so customers can educate themselves on their own time without a high-pressure sales environment.

• Feature functionality: Every vehicle feature is explained and explored so customers can leverage all the features available.

• Personalized vehicle settings: A deep dive into vehicle customizations ensures settings are personalized for customers before they drive off the lot, from auto-lock features to programming preferred radio stations.

• Online review: At the conclusion of the ZipDeal delivery experience, customers rate the dealership, and if the rating is positive are automatically asked to post a review. Managers are notified in real-time of negative ratings so they can rectify issues while the customer is still in the store, avoiding a negative review and poor CSI.

ZipDeal is available for both desktop computers and tablets. The collected data is either printed out automatically for placement in the deal jacket or pushed to a dealer’s DMS for the F&I manager to review and tailor the F&I menu and delivery experience to a customer’s needs.

Lindsay Automotive piloted ZipDeal with the sales staff at each of its two locations. Staff was trained on accessories and protection products (paint and fabric) and earned commissions on sales.

Within three months, protection product sales increased from 5% to over 33%, and reps were earning as much as $3,000 a month in extra commissions, according to the company.

Also, the company said the dealership reduced the frustrating downtime between the end of price negotiations and the F&I process. This was due, in part, to inviting the customer to engage in the delivery process. The dealership also increased Finance PVR profit by more than $200 and boosted positive online reviews by 500%.

The company said these gains were a direct result of presenting every product to every customer every time, an area where dealers have historically struggled.

Lindsay Automotive’s success inspired King and Gomez to bring ZipDeal to market as they realized its potential to improve the customer experience, impact a dealer’s bottom line and provide a competitive advantage in today’s market.

“This tool pulls all of the processes together and puts the customer in the driver’s seat like nothing else out there. The average dealer is making less than $300 in front-end gross profit on new vehicles,” King said.

“ZipDeal reconnects customers with protection products, accessories, and insurance options, for more revenue streams and back-end profits. Customers get a consistent, personalized process that puts them in control, and dealers make more profit. It’s a win-win,” he went on to say.

Gomez added, “Having spent the last year in a high-volume retail environment, one of the biggest challenges is the downtime between consummating the deal and getting the customer into the F&I office. ZipDeal’s delivery system focuses on engaging the customer during that time and exposing them to every opportunity, which is critical to customer satisfaction and the dealer’s profitability.”

For additional information and to schedule a demonstration, call (877) 699-7770 or visit www.zipdeal.com.