What this checklist covers
The Retail Offer Communication Checklist is a 15-point scorecard for offer accuracy, finance scheme clarity, terms and conditions, and approval compliance. Each criterion is scored from 1 to 5 on what the auditor sees on the day, and every gap goes into an action plan with an owner and a close date.
AutoSmart tip: Retail offer communication carries consumer protection and regulatory exposure, particularly around finance terms. Compare what’s verbally communicated by sales staff against the printed terms and conditions during the visit — a mismatch between the two is the most common and most serious finding in this category.
The checks
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Offer accuracy and expiry
- Is every displayed offer consistent with the centrally approved offer sheet, with no unauthorised local variations?
- Are all displayed offers within their valid date range, with expired offers removed promptly after the end date?
- Is offer pricing consistent across showroom display, website, and any printed material at the time of audit?
- Are model-specific or variant-specific offer restrictions clearly reflected in the displayed communication, not generalised?
Finance scheme clarity
- Are advertised finance scheme terms (interest rate, tenure, down payment) accurate and consistent with the finance partner's current approved scheme?
- Is the representative example used in finance scheme communication (e.g., 'monthly instalment from X') based on realistic, disclosed assumptions?
- Are staff able to accurately explain the finance scheme terms to a customer without needing to defer to a manager for basic terms?
- Is any promotional interest rate or cashback offer clearly distinguished from standard finance terms in customer-facing material?
Terms and conditions disclosure
- Are full terms and conditions for every offer available to the customer, either printed in full or via a clearly signposted reference?
- Is the offer expiry date clearly and legibly displayed alongside the headline offer, not only in small print?
- Are eligibility criteria (e.g., specific models, customer segments, trade-in requirements) disclosed clearly rather than implied?
Dealer communication and approval compliance
- Has the dealership received formal approval/sign-off for any locally created promotional material before it was displayed?
- Is there a documented process for dealership staff to confirm current offer details before communicating them to customers?
- Are offer updates or corrections from the central marketing/finance team cascaded to frontline staff with confirmation of receipt?
- Are any customer complaints related to offer accuracy or miscommunication logged and reviewed for recurring issues?
How to run it
How the scoring works
Before the visit, fill in the dealer or centre, the auditor, the date and the audit cycle. Then score each of the 15 checks from 1 to 5 on what you see on the day, not on what the site aims for, and add them up out of 75.
- 1Not in place
- 2Attempted
- 3Defined
- 4Managed
- 5Fully sustained
- Green60–75 · 80–100%Compliant. Keep the standard.
- Amber38–59 · 50–79%Improvement needed: a structured action plan within 30 days.
- Red0–37 · Below 50%Priority intervention, escalated to regional management.
Then close every gap
Each gap goes into the action plan tracker and moves through four stages until the auditor closes it.
- 1PendingOwner and close date set
- 2In progressWork under way, evidence gathered
- 3CompletedEvidence submitted for review
- 4ApprovedVerified and closed by the auditor
