At the opening ceremony of Ford Beyond Guangzhou Huachi Jiafu Indulgence Space, Liu Jisheng, President of Jiang Ford Technology and Owner of Ford Zongheng, said, "Ford Zongheng is a leader in the top outdoor off-road lifestyle, and is committed to bringing users the top product experience, modification experience and community experience. ”
In fact, as a new channel brand of JMC Ford Technology, Ford Zongheng has been officially launched for less than a year. However, with the popularity of models such as the F-150 Raptor, Ranger and Ford Burning Horse, as well as the good reputation of off-road fans, Ford has broken through the circle and become a "holy place" in the minds of off-road enthusiasts.
This can't help but make people curious, at a time when the competition in the auto market is fierce, and the price war is in full swing, why does JMC Ford choose to play with users instead of rolling up the price? Why are other car companies cutting prices for sales, but JMC Ford says not to give dealers sales targets?
Ford Vertical, take users to play together!
According to Brother Yuluo, different from the general 4S shop, Ford Zongheng not only provides traditional sales, maintenance, and repair services, but also provides modification, boutique, community and other services, which are both professional and playable. Choosing a new track to compete, JMC Ford has embarked on a breakthrough path that is different from other car companies.
An obvious change is that Ford pays great attention to the ecosystem, from modification, from boutiques, from accessories, to taking everyone out to play, the entire after-sales service has carried out a lot of innovation.
Liu Jisheng gave an example. "For example, if you want to go from Guangzhou to Xinjiang to play, what should you do? First, you can drive by yourself, and it is not very far, just a few days. The second is that you can put the car on this side of the Ford vertical and horizontal indulgence space, we will help you transport it to Xinjiang remotely, and you can directly take a plane to the indulgent space in Xinjiang. ”
Not only that, but before the vehicle is transported, Ford Zongheng will also help the owner to prepare the vehicle, inspect or repair it, and increase the safety of playing with the car. According to different usage scenarios, chassis guards, wading hoses and other equipment, Ford Zongheng can also help car owners to modify. Including long-distance transportation, vehicle condition inspection, cleaning and other services can keep up.
Compared with traditional 4S stores, which mainly undertake after-sales maintenance and repair services, Ford Zongheng also participates in the later use of the car by car owners, and goes to a higher level in the service field, making it more convenient, worry-free and effort-saving for users to play with the car.
According to Brother Yuluo's understanding, Ford's vertical and horizontal assessment of dealers is to assess whether the user's ability to operate, whether the ability to modify is good, and whether the ability to sell high-quality products is good. Every dealer is required to hold more than one paid activity every month. Even, Liu Jisheng emphasized that dealers should also serve users well, "He pays 1,000 yuan, and you have to make him feel that there is a value of 1,300 or 1,500 yuan." He paid 7,000 yuan to let him play with the value of 10,000 yuan. This is our logic, and the pattern must be opened. ”
Attracting people in the same circle to maintain brand viscosity and accelerating the spread of brands and products through high-quality users, Liu Jisheng believes, "We work hard to do a good job of 'playing', and everyone is willing to come to me." ”
The consumer trend has changed, and Ford has embarked on the road of breaking the circle
"I think a lot of things have changed after the epidemic, and everyone has different ideas about life, about making money, about how to spend time with their families, and how to live their lives. Liu Jisheng said.
Data shows that camping has grown at a compound growth rate of more than 30% in previous years. Not only have more people attending, but the number of days out has also increased. Long-term deep camping has completely activated the originally niche outdoor market. The change in consumer mentality has directly changed the consumption trend, and camping is just a microcosm of it.
For JMC Ford, there are traces of expanding the pickup truck segment, with the Ranger selling more than 2,500 units in January, and the market share of pickup trucks is also increasing. In the segment of more than 150,000 units, pickup truck models accounted for 19% in January, a lot higher than the previous share of 10%-13%.
JMC Ford believes that "our real competitors are not other pickup truck brands, but those brands that users originally drove. He didn't drive pickup trucks before, but now after trying it, he thinks it's good to buy such a car for fun. ”
Of course, product strength is also the key to Ford's successful breakthrough. Taking the Ranger as an example, the positioning pickup truck has the driving experience of a passenger car, which can meet the needs of users with comfort and intelligent performance, and is full of power and can adapt to different terrains. In addition, Ranger users are very focused on "having fun". Different from ordinary family cars, the Ranger can meet their needs for conquering complex terrain, driving pleasure, etc., and explore the wilderness with ease.
Ford Horizontal, an alternative KPI for dealers
Liu Jisheng told Brother Yuluo, "The KPI I give to dealers is that all users who go out with us will have a return rate of more than 90%. 10 people pay to hang out with us, and 90% of them come back and ask where are we going to play next?"
The biggest change from last year to this year is that the entire dealer system has been rebuilt. In the past, the 4S store was to sell cars, and the personnel structure was the sales staff, the marketing department, and the after-sales service personnel. And now Ford Zongheng also has more personnel in the modification department, user operation personnel, and social media personnel. By increasing the number of people in different types of work, Ford has built a new ecosystem.
Of course, a large amount of activity expenses and services that focus on user experience require dealers to have sufficient capital and excellent operational strategies. Dealers need to survive, they need to make a profit. In this regard, Ford Zongheng revealed, "At the moment, dealers are happy to make a profit, because they find that when you offer the right thing, consumers don't negotiate with you about the price." In the past, consumers would be more serious with you for 1,000 yuan, but now they won't. Why? Because you provide special value. ”
It can be understood that compared with the previous model of selling cars to make a profit, Ford Zongheng has now caught a new "profit code" at the service level. This special value presentation includes services such as modifications, boutiques, and communities, which consumers are willing to pay. Ford also emphasized that dealers must have a long-term mentality, and that they will make a profit if they are recognized by consumers, and that large quantities and sound ecology are the keys to profit.
Finding the right positioning and creating a unique user ecology for Ford, instead of blindly rolling up the price and volume configuration in the market, JMC Ford realized that it was more important to stick to its own advantages. The re-emergence of the dealer system is a test of JMC Ford's courage and resilience to growth.
As Liu Jisheng said, "Don't set goals, just rush forward and do things right." I don't know how high it can be. But we do have a good chance. Now Ford is on the right road, even if the competition in the auto market is fierce, it can finally "blow all the sand to gold"!