BIG PICTURE GmbH Automotive Sales Systems Study China 2009: Chinese Car Dealers Want Improved Support Through IT-Based Sales Systems

BERLIN--The BIG PICTURE GmbH consulting firm released a study today that highlights how car dealers in China are struggling with a lack of professional sales systems. As part of the four-month analysis, car dealers and sales managers in various regions of China responded to questions on their satisfaction with the sales solutions they use.

The results show that software solutions for supporting lead management, after sales and other point-of-sale processes are not a matter of course in the Chinese market. Integrated applications are seldom available, and the discontinuities between the interfaces of individual stand-alone solutions are simply accepted. Dealers affiliated with Chinese manufacturers show a pent-up demand for sales systems: only slightly more than 40 percent of them are able to manage the personal data and vehicle preferences of their leads using professional systems. Less than 10 percent have the option of using a computer to visually present models and model versions to their customers.

"Our goal was to obtain an overview of the sales tools that Chinese car dealers are using today and the areas in which they require professional solutions as well. Ultimately, we were surprised that many Chinese dealers still exclusively use paper and pencil to carry out the sales process," said BIG PICTURE GmbH CEO Maximilian Vogel.

Sales managers have an especially strong interest in improved sales support. In the study, more than 70 percent replied that they could significantly improve their sales processes and increase their sales by using electronic point of sales systems. These types of solution generate high expectations, since they hope to use them to increase the level of standardization in the sales talks made by inexperienced salespeople. Dealers also view the current lack of IT support so critically because Chinese consumers have a great affinity to the Internet and place a great deal of trust in professional IT systems. Individual manufacturers such as Toyota have already realized this and have started to provide their dealers with uniform lead and sales systems.

The results of the study indicate that Chinese car manufacturers will rely on IT-based sales systems more heavily in the future, especially to achieve their sales targets in international markets.

Additional information

For an executive summary of the study see www.big-picture.de

For a portrait picture of Maximilian Vogel and a Chinese translation see www.pressefach.plus4media.de

About BIG PICTURE

BIG PICTURE GmbH is an internationally oriented consulting firm specializing in online solutions for the automobile industry. The company focuses on analysis, consulting and the design of web-based point-of-sale systems and dealer and brand web sites.