Dealership CRM Software

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

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

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.

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

 

Sometimes life is so ironic.  I had decided to sit down last night and write this blog, started and decided I was not sure of the topic to write about, deleted it all, and watched T.V.   I could not think I had a mental block. 

Then today I was at one of my dealer visits and out of the blue one of the sales managers said to me, “Why does the car industry get such a bad rap?  We are not the sleazy used car sales people of the 60’s and 70’s!”   I could not believe it.  I told him what had happened to me last night and said, “This is fate; I have to go home and continue my blog!"

As I help auto dealers benefit from their investment in a strong dealership CRM solution, I have the utmost respect for all of my dealers as well as their dealership sales management and their staff. The automotive industry has come a long way.  Auto dealerships are now run just like any other industry in corporate America, and should be addressed in that fashion.  About a month  ago, one of my former employers (who happens to now be one of my accounts!) accused me of “being so corporate."

Sales Consultants, I believe people respond to how they are treated, and if you present yourself as well as Autobase CRM in this light to your dealers, you may be surprised at the favorable and positive response you will receive!

by Donna McCarthy

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

For years, we have asked our auto dealership sales consultants to check the service appointment log for their customers.

In theory, your sales person would then "happen" into the service waiting room and strike up a conversation with their customer.  We would hope the sales person would gauge the customer's interest in a new vehicle or work the customer for a referral.  Dealership marketing on legs, right?

As a sales manager, I used auto CRM from Autobase to tell me who was going to be in service within the next 48 hours and do "one on ones" with the sales staff regarding the opportunities walking into service.  This way the salesperson was better prepared and we were able to cross-sell effectively from the service drive.

Be proactive! Turn your dealership sales managers into money-making coaches.

by Shawn Belles

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