Simpson uses Jack Barclay as an example: “It is a brand that has been around for many years and it is very important to us to maintain that name. However, we are looking at our naming strategy and for me personally, no matter who is franchising that business the customer believes they’re dealing with Bentley, they’re buying from Bentley and they’re a Bentley customer.
“What’s important for us is our dealers maintain a standard we expect in terms of how they treat our customers – we are very lucky that we have dealer partners who have the same values as us.”
As part of the customer experience, Bentley wants to get away from having customers sit across a desk from a sales executive and their computer. Staff will use tablet PCs, equipped with a new Bentley configurator to be launched at the end of the year.
In addition, the Mulliner suite brings to life all the personalisation options available to a Bentley buyer.
Why Bentley entered the SUV market with the Bentayga
One of the thing that cemented the need for Bentley to get into the SUV segment was a photograph taken of the car park at a brand event in a rural location – almost every customer had arrived in an SUV.
“We want to be the ultimate SUV, we want to appeal to customers who want the most luxurious SUV, but also the fastest,” Simpson said.
The new line is currently being built at the brand’s head office and production plant in Crewe and is due to be finished at the end of this year, with the first Bentayga rolling off the line in early 2016. Dealers are capturing interest from potential customers, with previews of the car expected later this year.
In terms of marketing the new model, Bentley is proud of the “great dealer partners” in its network.
“I’ve just been looking at dealer marketing plans and they’re not just about selling new cars, they’re focusing on pre-owned too, which is also very successful for us, and aftersales as well,” said Simpson.
“Each dealer has a different demographic, so we don’t have a set way of marketing.” She explained the differences by comparing Scotland with London. In London, she said, customers tend to be more affluent and change their cars more often. Customers in Scotland tend to keep their car for longer resulting in a longer relationship with a dealer.
“Jack Barclay, for example, probably wouldn’t see as much of that.
Tom Sohal - 21/04/2015 17:52
Looks like as refined and subtle environment to talk through the attributes of such fine products. I like it all, especially the mix of finishes and colours. I'd definitely welcome one in my home town - and I certainly don't say that about all the dealership concepts I see across the world!