Powering up for the future: Helping an automotive company thrive

The automotive industry is in the midst of a revolution, with electric vehicles taking centre center stage. But as cars change, so too must the after-sales market. 

Our client, the Italian branch of a multinational company operating in the automotive after-sales market, found itself at a crossroads. They had launched a new service, but it wasn't quite hitting the mark. They were left with more questions than answers: Was their service really what customers wanted? How could they make it more attractive? What was the best marketing strategy? 

At first, they tried to invest a little into several different things, but the desired results never came. Then, they approached me and chose to follow the process from the Action Audit.

This meant adopting a different approach to the one they were used to, which was certainly a bold and ambitious move, but one that promises to bring astounding outcomes.

Optimising time and resources

With projects like these, time is always of the essence. All too often, the various stakeholders involved might end up feeling overwhelmed by the amount of things to tackle, especially if they are working against the clock.

My approach enabled this company to deep dive into the more valuable aspects of the project by conducting interviews with key stakeholders, analysing all the relevant data, and uncovering powerful insights that went on to inform more meaningful and effective decision-making strategies.  

Shifting the focus

Instead of spending time, energy, and resources discussing what was NOT working, we focused on identifying the most critical factors for success, and how we could make them a reality. 

Obtaining crucial buy-in from key team members

Right from the beginning, one aspect stood out to me. If we wanted this project to be successful, we needed to involve both the Head of Marketing and the Head of Sales. Up until that moment, in fact, they had mostly acted on external information from the core project team, in a top-down approach.

With my support, we managed to get them on board by engaging them in co-creating the action plan, empowering them to provide precious input, and regularly consulting them for future actions.

Putting the customer at the heart of the project

Soon after the beginning of the project, something became apparent to me. Just like many other of my clients, this company had focused mostly on launching a new service that it deemed excellent, without having an in-depth understanding of its customers. 

For example, the team assumed that people driving a premium car would be more interested in this service as they are likely to have a higher spending capacity. As it turned out, though, the specific car model is not an essential factor.

Usually, older people driving older cars are those who value their health the most - and, therefore, who would benefit the most from their services.

By following my Service Audit, the company truly understood that the customer needed to be placed at the very heart of the entire project, because only doing that would enable the team to create value for its audience.

“Elisabeth's approach is simple, pragmatic and highly organised. Her wealth of knowledge and expertise made working with her a pleasure.”

What’s next?

Right now, the company has plans to continually measure the results and outcomes achieved throughout different tests and experiments, in order to identify what works and what doesn’t.

In parallel, a playbook is also in the works. This will allow the company to keep implementing this innovative approach across all its future projects and ventures, to reinforce this new way of working and allow both existing and new employees to get on board with it quickly, smoothly, and successfully.

If you find yourself in a similar situation or want to learn more about the Action Audit. Please reach out.