Used Car Dealer Software

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

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

I’m a car guy, if it’s got an engine I’m instantly in love. I’m sure my gear head roots will be a common theme on many of my blog posts moving forward. Maybe it is because of my love for cars that I find myself actually sympathizing with several tons of metal, while I watch some of the YouTube videos of guzzlers having salt and sand pumped through their veins until their hearts seize into a hunk of scrap.

Aside from my emotional response to the activity of disabling these vehicles, the fact remains that Cash for Clunkers could pose a challenge to the Used Car business. After all, the act of disabling clunkers is in fact depleting the countries inventory of used cars (especially trucks and SUVs) by destroying perhaps millions of vehicles. Moving forward, many dealers may be in for a real treat, when attempting to match prospects to used vehicles.

Automotive CRM, namely the dealership sales software from Autobase, utilizes Want List functionality, an extremely valuable tool that assists auto dealerships to instantly and seamlessly match an existing prospect in their database, to a vehicle in the car dealers inventory list. Once Autobase CRM matches a prospect to a vehicle, an email will be dispatched to the salesperson notifying them of the pending match possibility. This Want List functionality is a built-in tool included in your Autobase sales solutions.

With imminent challenges in locating used car inventory, Auto Dealer Software and lead management can be used to keep track of deal opportunities.

by Zach Thompson

Raise your hand if you are growing tired of listening to people blame some negative situation or scenario on the economic recession.  Sure, it’s no secret that it’s a challenge out there right now (especially for auto dealerships), and moving your new and used car inventory isn’t as easy now as it has been in the past.  So, it’s time to think (or should I say sell) outside of the box.  There are a lot of placed to get great ideas ... here's one.

Every Saturday morning a group of automotive enthusiasts meet at a local coffee shop in Indianapolis (not far from the Autobase headquarters) and share stories and chit-chat over some breakfast. We call it Cars and Coffee. As it turns out Cars and Coffee isn’t something that is specific to Indianapolis, in fact, many cities around the U.S. have similar meetings where self proclaimed car guys can share their stories.

At this morning’s event, I arrive to see two gentlemen standing next to one of those new Camaros. I approach them and we have a great dialog about each other’s rides. We bantered for awhile, and the conversion turns to what each of us did for a living. As it turns out, both of these gentlemen are salesman at a local car dealership, who caught wind of Cars and Coffee, and came out to see what it was all about. More interestingly, the dealership they worked for use the auto dealer CRM software from Autobase to sell more cars, grow customer loyalty, and increase service revenues. What a great way to “sell outside the box” -- connecting with the local automotive enthusiasts! Let people know you are out there and market creatively!

by Zach Thompson