Auto CRM habit #3 is Proactivity.
Proactivity is always being one step ahead. As yourself, "What would the competition do?" Whatever the situation or scenario is beat the competition to the punch, by getting their faster/smarter. Up to this point you have begun educating yourself and have taken ownership of your customer data. Now put that to work by using the CRM solution at your auto dealership to contact customers proactively so you can keep them for life! Autobase CRM will do a lot of the work for you, in terms of scheduling, but remember you have to actually make the contacts!
Think ahead to what your customer will need. Not today but tomorrow and put a plan together to get that accomplished. Each customer will be different. So get as much information from them as you can and document it in the customer’s notes within your CRM system. Without the proper information for your customers you may begin to confuse them and you won’t be able to stay proactive.
If you anticipate what your customer wants or needs before they have to ask for it they will think you are the best salesperson they have ever worked with. If you appear to be doing all of the work for them you are more likely building a relationship that allows you to keep a customer for life.
Proactivity takes time to figure out. It can be challenging figuring out how to use the ‘magic 8 ball’ when it comes to figuring out what your customers want, but once you do, life will be much easier. Congratulations, you have just moved on to habit #4.
by Sheena Lee
A "Dead deal" is one of the most misunderstood terms in the auto dealership world -- at least as Autobase is concerned. So many times while visiting clients I hear them refer to a dead deal as someone they could not get a deal done for. They used this knowledge and updated the client in the Autobase CRM system to a "dead deal."
With a true CRM, a dealership customer should never be given up on (exactly what happens when you mark a customer a "dead deal"). A "dead deal" in Autobase CRM will prevent any future follow up from taking place to a customer, including email and newsletter marketing. One of the many reasons this is so important is that by updating a customer to a "deal deal", the system will put a block on their email address.
Most auto dealerships are moving down the path of doing some sort of consistent email marketing. If a salesperson is in the habit of updating every customer he cant get a deal done for as a "dead deal", their email address will no longer show as a valid email address and prevent future email campaigns to go to that customer.
A "dead deal" in Autobase is someone who has actually died, moved out of the area, or lied about their contact information. “Died, Flyed, or Lied” Make sure you are putting the correct status on the customer so we can continue to market to them and follow up with them down the road.
by Justin Marquardt
I was at an auto dealership the other week working with various Sales Consultants on improving their knowledge of the dealership CRM system. At this particular auto dealership, the Sales Consultants had been using auto CRM from Autobase for about 5 years. Their knowledge of the system was good, but as the saying goes you can learn something new every day (especially with CRM software).
I decided to show these CRM veterans how they can effectively see all of the upcoming service appointments for their customers. I also showed them how they could print a list of all of the service appointments scheduled for the next day. Most Sales Consultants frequent the service area in the hopes that they could potentially run into someone who may be in the market for a new vehicle. With a true CRM tool you should be able to research all of the service histories for each of your customers and know exactly when they are coming in for their next visit.
Sales Consults, the next time one of your customers comes into the service lane greet them with a cup of coffee and talk to them about their service history (that you have already researched). Maybe they are ready for a new vehicle. Maybe they have some referrals. At the very least you will be reminding your customers that you are the best Sales Consultant in the world.
by Kevin Smith
Trip Advisor and similar sites have done wonders to enable guests of hotels, resorts, and other vacation locations to rate these establishments and document their experiences. Likewise, community sites for automotive dealerships are popping up more and more where auto dealers and other dealership sales management can offer their input on various technology vendors in the automotive retail market.
Autobase and its automotive CRM, Internet Lead Management (ILM), and other products/services show up from time to time on such sites. We are ecstatic over the (currently)
94% vendor rating Autobase CRM has achieved on one particular community blog.
Following is one of the many dealer testimonials we have enjoyed reading ...
"I have been an Autobase user for quite some time and have experience using other CRM tools, by far Autobase is the best CRM product I have used. Being able to utilize the Save a Deal log has generated renevue for us that did not exit before Autobase. The ability of the system to keep my sales team in touch with their customers and actually "know" their customers is priceless. Our Regional Manager always providses support and provides us new ways of making money on each visit, by far the best Regional Manager I have dealt with. He is truly dedicated to making us a better dealership."
Got to love it!
by Steve Lausch
I was at Starbucks the other day and noticed that they didn’t write my name on my cup. I asked the employee if perhaps this was to protect my privacy? He then asked me my name and shouted out loud saying – “Venti White Chocolate Mocha for Bryan.” So much for the privacy and “so much” for the beverage… by now we should all know that Starbucks charges by the syllable.
Regarding customer privacy, I am proud to say that Autobase takes this very seriously. Not only does our auto dealer CRM software encrypt all personal customer information, we allow our dealers to auto-delete it after X number of days after use. Of course some users will say, “Hey, it is a pain to have to re-ask our customer for a social the next time they buy a car," but I am sure the customer would love to hear… “Mr. Customer, I know you have purchased from us in the past, but to protect your privacy, we don’t store your personal information permanently in our CRM system.”
Needless to say, the next time I go out and buy a new car from one of our Autobase dealers, I will not expect my sales rep to shout “one Venti White Mocha Mustang for Bryan!”
by Bryan Anderson, Autobase Founder
Several times a week I am struck by the response that I get from auto dealers that have recently discovered the benefits of a managed Dealer CRM product and what it can do for them. Given that the concept of Automotive CRM has been around for about 21 years (and, yes, the fact that the dawning of CRM in auto dealerships coincides with the establishment of Autobase CRM is no accident), it amazes me that dealers still continue to "discover" it.
I've seen this happen numerous times as I serve in the sales and marketing world for Autobase CRM, specifically as dealers read our books, Floor Traffic is for Green Peas and Seven Months to CRM Greatness -- both of which are included in our informational packet. Hidden in the pages are obviously the secrets of how to be a successful dealer in any market based upon the responses that I get and the requests for more books to share with the dealers managers or sales staff.
Dealership sales management are truly excited after reading the books, and I have to wonder how they handled things to this point. Have they been keeping notes on matchbooks? Conducting save-a-deal meetings by pouring over old desk logs? The fact that some dealers have come to the banquet late still excites me in that they have now arrived. In many cases, most have waited too long and have missed out on stronger sales and greater market share in the meantime, but at least they are here now and the product that we have to offer is more robust than it has ever been. In that regard, they have arrived just in time.
Now, let’s get to work. Just like in the Good Book, they now know the truth, and the truth will set them free!!!
by John Champeau
Does your auto dealership have a permission-based email marketing strategy? If not, be careful that you are not a "Tarzan." In other words, let's say your dealership has 21000 customers in their automotive CRM database. You have been actively collecting data and your email capture is up to 40%. So you have 8400 customers that you can actively target with with permission-based digital marketing...
A “Tarzan” is the auto dealer or business development (BDC) manager or someone else in dealership sales management who does three mass emailers to these customers monthly because they can. So in essence, the are jumping up on the table, beating their chest, and screaming the Tarzan yell, hoping that customers will respond to their dealership marketing.
What you are really doing is “over-farming” your data and subsequently diluting your dealership advertising message. Your opt out rates will likely skyrocket and your WILL get blacklisted. When the time comes that you have a message the car-buying customer actually wants to hear, you will have “cried wolf” so many times, that he or she will have tuned you out.
Autobase CRM recommends a blended email strategy using an eNewsletter as a nucleus. eNewsletters are nice “soft” touches to your entire database of Service, sold and prospect customers. Incidentally, our newletter has less than 1% opt out rate.
We then recommend a more targeted or laser marketing approach. Go after smaller cross sections of your customers based on vehicle interest, where they are in their trade cycle and current programs. You will get a higher response rate on three email campaigns of 1000 to 1500 per campaign than you will blasting your entire databse three times a month.
by Shawn Belles
Is your memory sufficient? Ask a question like that in this day and age, and most people assume you are referring to their computer memory. Rest assured for the purpose of today’s blog, that is not the case. I am reminded of a time long ago in a place far, far away (okay it was Quantico, Virginia and it was 42 years ago) that I was reminded by a US Marine Corps Drill Instructor that he never seen someone as unprepared as I was to stand in front of him. I believe that I had forgotten some small item that was my responsibility to recall instantly.
Fast forward to about two weeks ago when I came across one of my favorite daily business comics, “Dilbert” by Scott Adams. There is no doubt that Adams has his finger on the pulse of business and can find humor in everyday events encountered by all of us at one time or another. This particular comic focused on Dilbert trying to get his boss to write down and recall the four things that he felt were important to bring to the attention of another executive and not to confuse them. The pointy haired boss says no problem he can recall all three of them. “Four” says Dilbert and the boss says sure the one about the battery and the other two. Again Dilbert says “Four ... and there is nothing about a battery!” Skip to the last panel and the boss asks the sales director, “So, should the new software have a battery?”
The lesson here is that in even the simplest interactions, the human memory is a fragile thing. That’s why we as dealership sales management need an auto dealer CRM solution that can assist us in recalling who to call, when to call, why we are calling and provide access to all kinds of helpful information to assist the sales professional in their quest for success. Such a solution exists with the Daily Planner within the automotive CRM by Autobase. Better yet, it is available not only to the individual salesperson, but their manager, so he can also see the planner of each and every sales staff member and track their progress through the activities that are scheduled for that day and see the results.
Slick and simple and, hey, it requires no battery to work.
by John Champeau
We have all heard, at one point in our lives that it takes, roughly, 3 weeks to form a good habit. Many have tried but it seems that a lot of us fail. For whatever reason it can be extremely difficult to form and keep a good habit, even in the average auto dealership. Whether you're the dealer, the GM, in sales management, or a sales consultant, it is simply our human nature or our fear of change that keep us from progressing with these habits. Whatever the reason, forming these habits is essential when mastering an automotive CRM solution.
In my next 6 blog posts I will talk about what the 6 habits are and why you need them.
#1 - Knowing the Know
#2 - Taking Ownership
#3 - Pro-Activity
#4 - Follow Through
#5 - Staying the Course
#6 - Don’t be a Fool, Stay in School
Stay tuned!
by Sheena Lee
Yesterday I was the recipient of my mother’s first text message. My mom is likely the least tech savvy person on the continent, and for her to be sending text messages, well that is quite impressive, not to mention a sign of the times. When you stop for a moment and think about how communication has changed and evolved over time it is quite staggering. Everyone is texting now, and it has become part of our daily lives, but more importantly for Automotive Dealerships it’s a promising new sales tool and outlet medium for marketing and notification.
Using text messaging in conjunction with Auto CRM is an innovative way to drive sales and lead notification. I’m hard pressed to find an internet manager who doesn’t think there is a direct correlation between weblead response times and sold internet ups. I’m sure this is why Autobase CRM customers are so passionate about their weblead response times and SMS reminders! How can Auto Dealer CRM be used to deliver text messages as timely weblead reminder, or marketing message?
Here are a few ways Autobase (as the leading Automotive CRM solution) can deliver a timely text message reminder or marketing message:
- Sending out a text to tell a service customer their vehicle is read for pickup
- Sending an SMS when a new lead has been assigned to you
- Dispatching an SMS with customer information (email, vehicle of interest, etc..) when a new lead has been assigned to you
- Sending an SMS to notify you when you have not accepted a lead quickly enough, and it has been roundrobined away from you
- Sending out a text when a lead hits your weblead email account before it even comes into Autobase
- Any many marketing messages to come in “Project X” (Don’t worry, the cat will be out of the bag soon)
by Zach Thompson
Well, the big TV weekend that serves to kickoff the college football season is over and the games are in the books. One comment that kept appearing in print and TV and seemed to be uttered by winning teams and coaches as well as those who had been vanquished, appeared to center around pre-game preparations.
Universally, the winners stated that they had prepared well and emphasized the right things necessary for victory. Most of the losing teams seemed to bemoan the fact that they had either not prepared well enough or had not addressed certain needs prior to this big kickoff weekend and would have to increase their level of preparation in order to recover and salvage the remainder of the season.
As I watched this unfold, I thought how similar these experiences are to auto dealers and their preparation in kicking off an automotive CRM launch.
Those auto dealerships where everyone is prepared thoroughly with a strong consultation, where the dealership sales management is involved in the planning, and where participation in CRM software training is emphasized -- these are the dealerships that usually come out on the winning side of their investment and reap the benefits of their preparation and involvement.
Those automotive dealers who view this as a panacea purchase and neither prepare or show any involvement beyond stroking the payment, are destined for the losers bracket and a second chance opportunity to do it over again correctly. Now which post-game news conference do you want to be in? When thought of in this manner, it gives emphasis to the pre-game preparations that can make winners of us all!
by John Champeau
I am thinking of purchasing a new vehicle. It has been awhile since I have looked at someone's new car inventory, and have to admit that I have never really done so the ‘traditional’ way. Sure, I have gone through the steps with an auto dealer, but have never bought from one directly. The sales process seemed too drawn out and painful to participate in. I have never met someone that enjoyed buying a vehicle -- aside from test driving :)
So I found a way around it. It just so happened that my husband had a friend who bought vehicles at auction. Problem solved. No trudging to the dealership only to sit for about 2 hours while a salesman ran back and forth to talk to a manager. No feeling uncomfortable because you didn’t know if what you were being told was truthful. And finally no pressure to make a decision right now!
What is wrong with this picture is that the attempts to buy a vehicle prior to finding my auction buddy were all done at stores WITHOUT Autobase or any Automotive CRM for that matter. Since I ate, drank and slept using Autobase CRM at dealerships for about 2 years, I found that the process became stream line and fun when used properly. It was the first step in starting a relationship with someone that you may come to rely on over the course of your life.
In today’s market, technology, primarily Automotive CRM, has helped ease the pain of a car buyer. CRM is making the car buying experience enjoyable instead of dreaded. Oh and did I forget to mention it makes the sales process faster, efficient, and easy for the salesperson, manager and dealership as a whole? You can’t afford to live without Automotive CRM in today’s market. If not for your customers for yourself!
by Sheena Lee
Yesterday, we looked at how solid auto dealer CRM (such as Autobase CRM) provides the visibility needed to take immediate action on any deal marked as "lost." We saw how it's an opportunity to second voice the customer. Another opportunity exists.
Second, this gives you the chance to drive this customer to your service department. Let the customer know that although they purchased elsewhere your dealership can still service their vehicle. With automotive CRM and permission-based email marketing from Autobase, you can follow-up with a "why service here" email. If you can capture their service business, you stand to capture their future sales.
Finally, when calling these "lost sales" you will find that a percentage of these customers did not actually buy or did not take delivery. Now you can roll up your sleeves and try to sell them a car.
I have auto dealers utilizing these techniques to generate more sales and drive more service traffic. Just remember: a lost sales is not actually a lost sale, but a future opportunity.
by Shawn Belles
Powered by Compendium Blogware