EXPO

Empowering Auto Dealer Sales Reps: Electrify Expo 2024 Offer

March 2, 2024

Auto dealer sales reps must be the public face of a brand’s EV lineup, but some reps may be reluctant to sell EVs.
Lack of familiarity with EVs could hold some reps back, potentially cutting into their commission numbers.
Electrify Expo invites dealership sales reps to attend the expo free of charge to learn more about EVs and what products they could be selling to future customers.

Taking off in an EV is like a soundless explosion, and a silent revelation occurs for drivers their first time behind the wheel. Here is a special invitation for auto dealer sales reps to get into the cockpit themselves and go from EV skeptics to top EV sellers. Electrify Expo is North America’s #1 electric vehicle festival, making it the number-one spot on the continent for EV experiences, featuring hundreds of models from all the major automakers and even some of the electric bike and motorcycle manufacturers.

In the oft-tense “need you but I really wish I didn’t” reality for automakers, new car sales funnel through a franchise car dealership (except for Lucid, Rivian, and Tesla in some states). This gives auto dealers and their sales reps a vital role in the U.S. helping buyers across a spectrum of product awareness and instilling confidence when they make their vehicle purchase decisions. As we’re witnessing, the success — or undoing — of a car brand’s entire EV launch strategy is contingent on the support from their constituent dealer network.

With EVs beginning their somewhat risky jump from “early adopters” to mainstream America, there are dealers and their reps, unintentionally or intentionally, pushing possible buyers away from EVs.

The Offer

BJ Birtwell, CEO of Electrify Expo, extends a unique offer to auto sales reps from 4,000+ U.S. dealers who advocated for EV mandate delays. They’re invited to attend Electrify Expo 2024 for free, gaining insights into EVs, consumer needs, and sales techniques.

There are eight Electrify Expo events at major cities across the country, starting March 16 through Nov. 10. Auto dealer sales reps can attend, with their registration fees covered, just by presenting their business card and driver’s license at the box office.

Empowering Sales Reps

As any car buyer knows, an auto dealer sales rep’s compensation comes from closing the deal and getting paid through a commission. Their highly incentivized desire for sales conversion creates a big opportunity that can be unlocked.

Currently, there exists a lot of uncertainty, misinformation, and politicization surrounding the topic of EVs. This perceived risk to a rep’s sales conversions is a big impediment to EV adoption. There are multiple organizations working to tackle this exact problem of misinformation by offering sales education programs for auto dealers and their sales reps, like our friends at Plug in America and their PlugStar course or Recurrent’s Dealer EV 101 Training backed by the National Science Foundation. According to information published by Plug in America, just this education quadruples a sales rep’s probability of closing an EV sale.

If the EV education in an online course can 4x level-up an auto dealer sales rep, how much more can we empower them with hands-on experiences across multiple manufacturers and products? Words don’t even touch the joy of feeling an EV’s wicked-torquey acceleration. (For friends riding with me on their first EV experiences, their reactions usually blow past “energetic” and go straight into the “theatrical.”) Common misconceptions, especially around EV charging, are dissolved, sometimes wordlessly and in seconds with a firsthand demonstration.

Hands-On Experience

These hands-on experiences create opportunities to learn sales techniques that are effective with potential EV buyers. The Expo’s founder, BJ Birtwell, shifts this point into high gear: “Want to learn how to most effectively sell the EVs and Plug-Ins on your showroom floor? This is your chance to drive these products, and nearly all the competition in the same place…Tesla, Ford, BMW, Toyota, and so many others, to glean insights how to best sell your products vs the rest.”

Experiencing all of these new vehicles creates opportunities for reps to connect with curious buyers as open and knowledgeable guides, offering credibility and trust in the relationship.

EVs create more to talk about with prospective buyers, like EV charging infrastructure, potential tax credits, and changes and savings in maintenance. All of these topics expand, because not only does the conversation reflect what is happening today, but also what is expected to change in the future.

Networking and Collaboration

All these changes create valuable opportunities to share knowledge and collaborate with others. Auto manufacturers will be present, giving reps a place to speak directly with specialists and get a full 360-degree view into the EV industry.

The questions I’d recommend you ask the EV reps at Electrify Expo include:

When will your vehicles switch charging types from CCS (J1772) to NACS (J3400)?
When will the official adapters be available, and will there be any delay to use them with Tesla’s Supercharger network?
How are prospective and “curious” EV customers shopping for EVs?

Free Admission to Electrify Expo

If you’re an auto dealer sales rep who’s unconvinced about EVs, I think you have the most to gain (besides joyriding in machines like the Cybertruck). Combine that with Birtwell’s offer to completely cover your cost of admission, and your ROI would be truly incredible. Don’t forget – auto dealer sales reps can attend for free by showing their business card and ID at the box office. Our event kicks off in Orlando on March 16, and we look forward to seeing you there!