[Download this sales briefing as a PDF document]
LEXUS “AWARD WINNING” SALES EVENT
Writer: Richard Bellikoff
Good afternoon. It’s that time of year again at Lexus. I’m talking about inventory selldown time. The current model year is winding down, and the month of August has “award-winning” written all over it.
The August “Award Winning” National Sales Event is designed to boost sales through September 2nd, and help dealerships make a strong transition into the new model year.
In a moment, we’ll cover the marketing and advertising tools that will support the sales event.
But first, let’s recap what kind of year it’s been for Lexus.
The first milestone for the current model year came from J.D. Power and Associates.
In April, J.D. Power named Lexus number one in long-term vehicle dependability for the third straight year.
In the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, two Lexus vehicles were named as best-in-class. The LS 400 took the honors as Best Premium Luxury Car. And the LX 450 was rated the number-one full-size sport utility vehicle.
Another major accomplishment for Lexus came just last month. It was the best July ever for sales. What’s more, July was the second best month in Lexus history, with over 9000 vehicles sold.
For the thirteenth straight month, Lexus sales exceeded their targets. July sales were 16% ahead. And total sales so far this year are 20% ahead of last year’s pace.
The leading contributor to July’s record sales was the ES 300. The ES had its best month ever, with over 6000 units sold.
LS 400 sales exceeded their July target and improved by 49% over June. July was the best month this year for the LS.
The coupes beat their combined target for July by 27%. So far this year, coupe sales are topping last year’s pace by an incredible 37%.
And finally, LX 450 sales were ahead of their July target by 25%.
The bottom line: Lexus models beat their July sales targets across the board.
These sensational sales figures are a tribute to the dedication and professionalism of Lexus dealerships. You’re the best in the business!
Right now, the economy is finally starting to rebound. Retail sales are up. People are spending money again. We’re giving them a lot of reasons to spend some of it at Lexus dealerships.
July was a great month. But August can be even better. Our goal is to beat the all-time retail sales record. That’s 9515 units. With this record as a benchmark, we’ve set the August target at 9600.
We’ve got what it takes to reach even higher, and go for 10,000! Let’s set an all-time Lexus retail sales record!
I want you all to know we’re going to have outstanding vehicle availability to support our pursuit of this sales record. I’m happy to report that ES wholesale availability in August is the highest it’s ever been. We’ve got more product this month than at any time in our history.
We’ve also developed special leasing and financing packages, so that Lexus dealerships can offer customers the best deals of the year, whether they buy or lease.
And to support all this, we’ve developed a strong marketing and advertising campaign for the “Award Winning” sales event.
Our campaign will help you maximize your sales during the event. And it’ll clear the decks to get ready for the new model year.
It’s an integrated campaign with a good balance of local and national TV, print and radio advertising. All these elements will work together and reinforce each other.
The cornerstone of our TV ad campaign is an exciting new commercial called “Icons.” Let’s check it out.
(Roll “Icons” TV spot)
That’s one terrific TV spot, don’t you agree? You can bet it’ll generate a lot of showroom traffic.
It airs nationally from August 18th through September 2nd — right in sync with the sales event.
Exposure for this TV spot is extensive.
It’ll also appear on high-profile prime-time programs, plus some of the most popular late-night shows. And it’ll be seen on the top Sunday morning news programs.
It’ll also run on the major network cable channels.
And we’ll continue to have a strong presence on Monday Night Football and Fox Sports.
We’ve added even more support in our top Lexus sales markets — not to mention all the LDA advertising support.
Our print exposure features a “who’s-who” of financial publications.
We’ll also have high visibility at the Lexus Center of Performance Art on our Web site.
Specially designed sales event merchandising kits have been sent to all Lexus dealerships. They include an outdoor banner, plus indoor banners for your showroom, and a banner for the service department.
We’re also giving you mirror hangers, ad slicks, and other merchandising tools. They’ll help you put together your own local media campaign.
As you can see, we’re doing everything possible to help you have an “Award Winning” August.
We need to finish really strong in this model year and keep the momentum going right into the next one.
So take advantage of this event. It’s designed with you in mind.
We’ve given you the tools, now it’s up to you to put them to work.
With your help, this “Award Winning” August sales event will really live up to its name.
Let’s make this year’s selldown our best ever and set that all-time record!
[Download this sales briefing as a PDF document]