Dealer CRM

I was reading Automotive News this week and on the front page was an article lamenting that auto dealers are having a hard time keeping their dealership used car inventory stocked to acceptable levels.  Cars at the auctions are scarce and prices are up to $2000 more than they were just months ago.  Want an alternative means of going after cars for your used car inventory? YOUR OWN SERVICE DRIVE!

With the auto dealer CRM system from Autobase, you can see which customers are hitting your service department at what mileage point they and you can isolate marketing to go after these viable and potential clients to trade their vehicles to restock your used car lot.

Examples I have seen are: going after 2 to 3 year old, in warranty vehicles and the 70 to 80k vehicles for the budget lots. What's the down-side?  Worst case, You'll drive floor traffic in this post "cash for clunkers" vacuum.

by Shawn Belles

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

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

Let's say you're an auto dealer (which you probably are, if you're reading this blog), and you have a customer database of 98,621 records.  Of those customers, 23,849 have email addresses associated with their record.
 
Now, if your store used auto dealer CRM software to send one email per month to all of those 23,849 email address, it would save your dealership $10,493.56 in postage expense based on 44 cents a stamp...

To bring it home, multiply that by 12 and you'll see savings of $125,922.72 in one year!

Hey, we realize a dealership may not send an email to every email address each month (and probably shouldn't!) but the importance of collecting email addresses is overwhelming. 
Know what your email capture rate is?

by Dave Shelton

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

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